“And yes.”
“Pardon?”
“Yes, I’ve always been curious about humans. Shifters too. I’m something of a history buff.”
He inclined his head, the golden sheen of his eyes back to their burnished gold. “A curious pastime, to be sure.”
“My bluntness developed during my years with the humans as I’ve made efforts to fit in. Believe it or not, they think of me as yet another stuffy fae despite my efforts to blend in. At this point I’m afraid it’s an untreatable condition.”
The right corner of his mouth curled up. When he smiled like that Becka couldn’t help smiling back despite her repeated attempts to ignore his charms.
“Then it seems my easy assignment will also be an entertaining one.”
Chapter 5
Becka tossed her bags into the trunk and then took her seat inside the car while Quinn held the door open for her. He shut her door and then got in on the other side.
The main compartment of the car was standard issue. It had four doors with two seats up front and four seats set in a circle in the back. However, there was one notable exception.
Quinn took the seat next to her, but instead of stating a destination he accessed a control panel at the center of the console and keyed in an access code. A panel within the dashboard slid down and out of the way while a steering column emerged and self-adjusted to his height.
“Wow, I haven’t seen someone do that in... maybe never, except on TV shows. Wait, does that mean this car isn’t AI-guided?” Becka reached for the door.
“Hold onto your anxiety horses over there. Yes, it’s still AI-guided. I am allowed to override the system as needed.”
“Oh. Still, it’s got to be less safe?”
“Marginally, yes, but I have had additional training.”
Of course, he had. Becka held tight to the dash as he pulled the vehicle into traffic.
“Do you use the steering feature because you run errands in and out of fae territory?”
“This is my dedicated cruiser. It means I have no excuses to be late to work and I can travel off the grid as needed.”
“That makes sense, I suppose,” Becka replied, settling herself back into the seat.
Becka dozed off and on for a while, the stresses of the day finally catching up to her.
Even before they crossed over into fae territory the landscape around them had transformed. Where the horizon had been rolling plains covered with farms with field upon field of corn, soybeans, or cabbage, it was replaced with foothills and emerging peaks of red sandstone uplift.
The land felt wilder. More alive. Becka had missed this vibrant spectrum of verdant greens. Somehow watching the scenery from her childhood quieted her mind. She lowered her window and breathed deep. The air felt alive. The harmony of nature infused with magic was palpable. Within human cities, all colors had long ago faded to shades of gray. She’d forgotten the lushness of fae lands, but now recognized these brilliant hues as a homecoming.
She caught Quinn watching her gaze out at the scenery. “What?”
He waved her off and shook his head. Despite their earlier conversation, she’d found comfort in his quiet presence.
As the afternoon crept on, the wildlife changed in the land around her. Fae territory was known for its prolific and diverse ecosphere, and today’s show did not disappoint. A herd of whitetail deer broke out from a copse of trees, bounding across a flourishing glen. They joined other species gathered around a lake at dusk. A mountain lion drank along the far shore, no present threat to its natural prey. Even a rare elliseyan fae bird had emerged and joined the others at the lake, its plumage consisted of an unusual combination of forest green, ocean blue, and sunset orange.
When their car crested the hill to the lands of Rowan, a sense of foreboding and anxiety churned in the pit of her stomach. This was not the homestead of her youth nor the family she had once called her own. She had no claim to this land. No standing with her house, family, nor fae. No guild allegiance. It was familiar and foreign all at once.
She dreaded the inevitable feeling of being an outsider while surrounded by those she once knew and called family. How could she help but to feel alone amongst so many familiar yet distant faces?
Becka recalled the times she’d roamed for hours in the extensive rose gardens at the manor. Perhaps she’d take a lot of long walks and avoid family as much as prudent.
One of her headaches loomed on the horizon, the tight band of discomfort pressing inward around her temples. Becka was glad she’d packed the hot sauce when they’d swung back by the townhome for her clothes. Generally avoided by the palate-sensitive fae, it was the one thing she’d found which had any impact on these sporadic headaches of hers.
She watched farmhouses and small estates pass by on the horizon, perfect like pictures in a museum.
She caught Quinn checking on her again and threw up her hands in a ‘what gives’ gesture.
“You bite your lip when you are pensive.”
The corner of Becka’s mouth twitched. Was he flirting with her? “I hadn’t noticed.”
“You do. Repeatedly,” he said as more of an offhand remark than an accusation. “We have arrived.”
He’d watched her that much? She’d been too fixated on the scenery to notice. “We’re not quite to the house.”
“We just now entered House Rowan territory, however.”
“You always make up the rules?” She arched a brow at him, returning his playful attitude.
“As often as possible, yes.”
“I’m not even gonna ask. Oh!”
They’d rounded a bend and the manor had come into sudden and imposing view. Nostalgia rolled over her like a wave, memories of her sister and family assaulting her senses. Becka’s emotions were piqued and she had to work to hold back tears.
The last time she’d seen the home of her birth had
