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“Zahra doesn’t strike me as entirely interested in romance.”
I lift a brow. “Just say what you’re thinking, Pollux. Stop being a hypocrite.”
He clears his throat and returns to whatever magic science stuff he’s doing. “At least they didn’t think you were joining a cult.”
“My tears were obviously a paid actress that assisted in validating my statements.”
“Encore.”
Relaxing, I fold my hands together against my skirt. “So with this you’ll be able to go wherever you want?”
“Once I’ve stabilized the agent and created a conduit for its power just like I did for Andromeda, yes. It shouldn’t take as long as the first time, now that I know what I’m doing.”
“So you won’t need me anymore?”
“I will no longer need to cling to your side worrying that I’ll watch your littles dissolve into puddles of fear again. I will always need you. Intrinsically.” As though he hasn’t just said something incredibly profound, he nearly beams at the devices he’s prepping. “I can’t believe it. I won’t need to use the self checkout anymore. I won’t have to spend several minutes flattening bills so the machine will eat them. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities.”
Does he try to be this precious?
Or does it just come naturally?
Either way…I love it.
And…I’m probably moving in soon.
Letting my gaze wander, I assess the questionable substances filling jars on one of the shelves while another overflows with books larger than some dictionaries. My attention catches on a violet liquid slowly rising through a tube on a different metal counter than the one Pollux is working at. “What are you distilling? The purple one.”
He looks sidelong where I’m pointing. “Antidepressants for Alana.”
“What’s the active ingredient in faerie antidepressants?”
“There are several technical active ingredients that react independently to stimulate brain receptors and increase dopamine levels, among other things. Depression is a complex mental disorder that involves multiple regions and neurotransmitters, so the complexities of exactly how the chemicals prompt antidepressant activities are a bit lengthy to explain. Ultimately, I’m concentrating the properties of an aphrodisiac’s tendency to create a high, then packaging it in a way that provides a more level release over the course of a twenty-four hour period.”
“Do not chew,” I say, intelligently.
“Correct.” Pollux offers me a small smile. “Boogeymen come into being out of fear. Dream eaters gain consciousness through persistence. For many years, I was the silent companion of a doctor. These sorts of things, this desire to help, feels as much a part of me as the terrors that grew me into what I am today. Many fae don’t have parents, but our origins do create something of a nature. It is up to us how we nurture it. These are the sorts of things I know. The sorts of things that feel correct.”
A teacher and a doctor.
Imagine that.
I should tell my parents. They’d be so proud.
Jolting onto my feet, I say, “My parents. I dropped a bomb on them, then left.”
Pollux twists. “You did what?”
“It’s an idiom. I told them about faeries, then you kidnapped me. Who knows what they’re thinking right now.” I march to the supply closet, which seems to hold an alphabetized list of ingredients I’ve never heard of. It’s all just a rainbow of colored glass to me. “How do I get back?” Something in the darkness almost seems to open up, but Pollux catches my hand before I can touch it.
His chest presses to my back as he grips me tight. “Dearest…could we not do that, please? I just told you ten minutes ago that Faerie makes mortals insane, yet you’re attempting to traverse through a part sanctioned for boogeymen by yourself.”
Tilting my head back, I look at him. “Oops.”
“Oops is an insufficient response.” Kissing my forehead, he murmurs, “If you are insistent on turning your brain to jelly, allow me the personal honor.”
My heart hits my throat.
Pollux doesn’t waste a moment. “Close your eyes.”
