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“She’ll help.” Evander turns his attention to Rose. “You wouldn’t happen to know who the current owners of this property are, would you?”
She shakes her head, and I step closer to her, putting my hand around her waist. If she’s annoyed at me for not telling her about the antlers, she at least doesn’t shrug me off. After a brief glance upwards she leans into me, wrapping her arms around my middle.
“Why would that matter?” I ask.
“Apart from the fact that you’re trespassing on private property daily?” Evander says, nodding to the pile of things I’ve left stacked on the floor; blankets, pillows, torches, snacks, and the lit up lamp. “I can’t ignore the ward here, and the more I think about it, the more fae it feels, which makes me a little nervous. You’re sure the ward isn’t something you’ve put in place?” he asks Rose again for what I’m pretty sure is the fourth time.
“It wasn’t me, I swear it. I thought I was human until Zak told me otherwise.”
“I don’t sense any fae from it, it just feels like magic to me,” Seth mutters, frowning off into the distance.
“Yeah, well, you’re not mate-bonded to a fae woman like I am. It has the same quality as Ellie’s magic; I keep getting stuck on that fact. I don’t think we’re in danger here,” he adds quickly,seeing the panic on my face. “I know what it’s like to be at the mercy of fae magic thatisdangerous, and this isn’t it. Not all fae are of the kidnapping,let’s rule the worldvariety.”
“Right. But who’s behind it, if it’s not Rose? And it can’t be Rose, she doesn’t have any control over any of this. It’s why we need help.” I’m still worried that at any moment Evander will turn around and say this is all too weird and back out of the whole situation.
“It’s gotta be a relative, right?” Seth asks. “If the magic is fae like Van says it is, then it would make sense that it’s from someone already connected to this house and to Rose.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Evander confirms, pulling out his phone. “Why else would someone be protecting this house and preserving some of your things? I know, Rose, that you’ve mentioned your sisters and believe me, I understand that it’s probably difficult for you to talk about your family given the circumstances, but if you could give me their names — the names of your parents, siblings, anyone that lived in this house — it’ll be a good starting point for finding out more information.”
“Alright. Well, in 1915 it was my mother and father, Harriet and Theodore Copthorne, myself, and my two sisters, Amaryllis and Iris. Amaryllis was fifteen, Iris was only five years old.”
“That’s everyone?”
“Yes. Is this something you’re an expert at? Finding information like this?” Rose asks. Her fingers dig into my side, and there’s a worried frown on her face.
“No. But I can easily find people that are, and I can cover the cost of that without worry.”
“And you would do that for a stranger, sir? Go to all this effort, to try and discover what is going on, to try and help me, a person you don’t know and just met, who is probably already dead?”
“I’m doing it for my wife.”
I can appreciate Evander’s honesty, at least.
“And also for myself,” he continues, “because I sure as hell won’t be sleeping well at night, having been here and met you — a changeling that I suspect has been taken by the fae — without having more answers. I’ll be completely honest with you; you seem like a lovely person but I don’t like being here. I don’t feel comfortable inside this ward. My wolves are on edge, and I can’t help but…” His words cut off in a growl that has Rose freezing like a prey animal, and I tighten my grip around her waist.
“The fae threat is always at the back of our minds,” Seth says, his tone more serious than it has been all night. “We’ve seen it first-hand. We don’t want to lose the people we love. Ellie has been in my brother’s life since before I was born; she’s always been a sister to me, and a member of my pack. We’re here because we’ll do anything to protect her.”
“Do you think I can be saved then, or am I just a lost cause? Or maybe I truly am dead.” Rose’s voice, so forlorn, is like a dagger through my heart.
“You’re not a lost cause,” I say immediately. “You’re here. Look at you, you’re solid.” Even as I say it, I can tell that she’s fading a little. Some nights are better than others, and tonight isn’t a great one. I hug her against me, but I can feel the fuzziness to her edges that often indicates she’s going to start disappearing fast. Soon my arm will pass right through her.
“I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep, Rose,” Evander says quietly, levelling his gaze at her. “But I will do my best to help you here, so long as it doesn’t put my family or my pack in danger.”
There are tears in Rose’s eyes, and I hate it. I hate seeing her afraid, I hate seeing her sad. I know these feelings already existed; that she fears the unknown the way I do, that she hates being torn away from this world before dawn every night that she is here. I swallow back the lump in my throat as Rose lifts her chin as if in defiance at the world and the cruel nature of it. “Thank you,” she whispers.
The wolf brothersask Rose if they can search the property.“I don’t know what we’re looking for exactly,” Evander admits. “Just anything out of the ordinary.”
We follow them from room to room, the lantern in my hand because I lack the eyesight these wolves have, and Rose points out how the personal items in all the bedrooms have remained far more preserved than the furniture in the front of the house, or the curtains and other furnishings. “Is it magic, do you think?” Rose asks.
He touches a finger to the small doll that lies on her sister’s bed. “It could be. That’s beyond my understanding of it.” His lips curl up in a wry smile. “I’m beginning to regret turning down my mother’s offers to teach me, all those years ago.”
“Yeah, same!” Seth says, his voice echoing down the hall from one of the other rooms. “Hey, are these your parents, Rose? There’s old photos on the wall.”
“In the master? Yes.” I trail after Rose’s silent footsteps, her soft green glow casting light on the tattered wallpaper as we pass by, Evander hot on my heels. When we enter, Seth has already moved onto the wide bookcase in the corner, his fingers tracing over the spines. I stand back and watch Evander freeze as he catches sight of the portraits, his eyes focused on the one of Rose’s father.
I’ve seen them before — a pair of large sepia toned photographs in oval frames made of dark wood, both her parents wearing equally serious expressions. I can see parts of Rose in both of her parents; she has her father’s nose, and the shape of his mouth, though her features are much more feminine than the stern-but-youthful man in the picture. The shape of her eyes belong to her mother; large, wide-set, and fringed with dark lashes, they’re the prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.
“Do you mind if I take a picture of these, Rose? They may be useful for research. I know it’s unlikely that there are other photographs around in historical records, but just in case. Has Zak told you about facial recognition software?”
