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“I’ll help.” Theo attempted to get up, but Fee shook her head.

“No, it’s okay.”

She needed a minute alone anyway.

Away from Theo’s meaningful looks and their friends’ jokes.

Fee needed to remember what was actually possible.

And a life with Theo as more than a fleeting presence, just wasn’t.

Chapter Twenty-One

Amethyst dragged another chair over to the small table. “There we go.”

Phoebe looked around at her friends and smiled. Daphne and Amethyst sat side by side on a wobbly bench, one tall and slender and one petite and round. Phoebe’s mother was reclined in a rocking chair, her hands fluttering as she spoke. Phoebe tucked her legs under her on the little stuffed ottoman Daphne had pulled in from the living room.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sit, Theo?” Amethyst asked, clearly ready to make space on the little bench. She gave Theo an inviting smile. Phoebe resisted the urge to throttle her.

“No, I’m fine. We aren’t staying long,” he grumbled. He wanted to talk. He’d come looking for Fee after the latest Lena-search-party meeting and Fee had surrounded herself with her sisters instead, hiding out at Amethyst’s house.

She wasn’t ready to talk.

About Lena.

About the escalating situation between her and Theo.

So, this was her new strategy. Hide behind her friends.

Amethyst had already insisted they stay until the cinnamon apple cake she was making was done and Daphne was brewing tea and Runa had started regaling the girls with her tales from New York.

It was the perfect distraction.

Phoebe glanced at Theo. He stood slouched in the doorway of the kitchen, glowering at the little bevy of dryads. She smiled and shrugged apologetically, like there was no way to avoid it. Like she hadn’t planned for things to go this way. Like her friends had kidnapped her upon her arrival home and insisted she come see them, when in reality she had sought them out.

She didn’t know how long he would believe her about her ignorance of Lena’s whereabouts, but he trusted her. Phoebe swallowed hard, pretending trust was the only reason Theo would follow her to the ends of the earth.

She hated using his feelings for her against him. It was gutting her. But she’d made up her mind at Gert’s. Again.

She had to keep the secret for a few more days. Then she could apologize. Then she could explain herself.

Then Theo would have to forgive her. Right?

“Fee,” Amethyst’s chirpy voice cut through her thoughts. She tore her gaze from Theo and focused back on her friends. “Have you heard about Echo?”

Phoebe forced a smile. “What about her?”

“You haven’t heard about her and that human governor? Well, according to Ivy…”

“You hear so damn much.” Theo’s voice cracked through the conversation. All the dryad’s heads swiveled toward him as he stalked forward. “Have you heard anything about Lena since we’ve been gone?”

“Theo…”

“Phoebe.” His gaze cut to hers. Angry that she was avoiding him. Serious about finding Lena. She hated it when he used her full name. It felt like she was in trouble. She probably was.

“Werewolves,” Runa sniffed. “So impolite.”

Daphne and Amethyst exchanged a glance. “We haven’t heard anything about her. Only that she was still missing,” Daphne said.