Cas fought back a sigh as she stood. Her Queen had issued the decree for all fae to return to Éire Danu a while ago. She packed up her apartment but had a hard time leaving with so many ‘last’ appointments. She was thankful that Samuel looked to be turning a corner now.
She nodded. “I’m needed back home.”
This time he was the one to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Anything I can do to help?”
She patted his hand on her shoulder. “Samuel, you are a rare gem amongst men.” She winked at him, causing him to guffaw. She shook her head. “It’s just jitters about returning after having been gone so long. I imagine I’ll settle in quickly enough.”
He gave her one firm pat, then headed for the door. “Home is always the place you can return to, no matter what. I hope that it goes well for you.” With a final wave, he walked out, leaving her alone in her shop.
Sighing, she looked at the empty shelves where she once sold handmade crafts from community artisans. Samuel had been her last appointment. Now, she had to figure out how to get her things to the portal outside the city.
With a heavy heart she locked up her small business for the last time and walked less than half a block to her apartment building. It was a gorgeous old building that had been well-maintained. She had an apartment on the third floor. The landlord was an older lady who didn’t need the money. She was just renting to keep the building occupied. When Cas first applied there, the sweet older woman gave her a discounted rate because there wasn’t an elevator. Running those stairs kept her fit over the years.
She had just put the key in her lock when a loud booming voice exclaimed. “Cassie! What in the hell are you still doing here?”
“Ilian!” she screeched and threw herself into the arms of the seven-foot fae she hadn’t seen in over a year. “You’re back! Did the whole squad return? I watered your plants like you asked me to.”
Ilian swung her around in a hug, then set her on her feet to rub her hair every which way.
“Hey!”
“Cassie, you know the edict went out weeks ago. Why are you still here?” he demanded, his hands on his hips.
“I couldn’t just leave when I still had appointments. I managed to cancel most of them, but the ones coming up had people who really needed me.”
Ilian ran his hands over his face. “What do you know?”
“About what?” she asked, feeling slightly concerned.
Ilian looked up and down the hallway, then pulled her into his apartment.
“Cassie!”
“Oof! Dammit, Reston, put me down!” she yelled as Ilian’s squad leader squeezed the daylights out of her. “Why in the hell are you still here?” he demanded, setting her on her feet.
She rubbed her left ear. “It’s like there’s an echo or something.”
“She only knows that we’ve been called home. Civilians weren’t told anything,” Ilian explained.
Reston nodded. “Probably to keep panic to a minimum.”
Cas swallowed hard. “Why would there be a panic?”
Ilian held up his phone and pointed to a small ‘V’ app. “Sit down, Cas. I’ll try to explain as gently as I can.” Ilian led her to a cardboard box and had her sit.
Twenty minutes later, Cas ran for the bathroom and threw up her lunch.
“Oh hells Cas, I’m sorry!” Ilian said, dropping to his knees to hold back her hair.
“I don’t think there was a good way to explain things,” Reston said, holding a sleeve of crackers, looking worried.
“Why are you both in the bathroom?” a male voice asked.
“Cassie is sick,” Reston said, pointing with the crackers.
“Kill me now,” she moaned.
“What? Let me through!”
“Hey, Luca,” she greeted weakly.
Warm hands rubbed her back as the witch whispered his spell. Suddenly, her head felt a bit clearer. “Thanks, buddy.”
Luca helped her stand. “Let’s brush those teeth. You can use Ilian’s toothbrush,” he offered.
“Hey!” Ilian protested.
Luca gave him a flat look, then slammed the door in his face. Reaching under the cabinet, he pulled out an unused toothbrush and handed it to her.
“Couldn’t you just spell this away?”
“Of course, but you’ll feel more normal using a routine,” he explained.
She nodded, feeling silly. Of course, something like that would help her deal with shock. She added toothpaste to the brush and began brushing her teeth.
Luca took advantage of her inability to talk. “Please tell me you’re at least packed?”
She nodded.
“Good. I knew you were still here but didn’t tell Ilian or Reston. They’d probably have gone AWOL early to get home.”
She tilted her head, giving him a questioning look.
He snorted. “You really didn’t think we cared about that dinky little succulent, did you?”
She continued to stare.
He sighed. “We set up a camera in the kitchen. As long as you were coming once a week, we could keep an eye on you.”
“Whaaa!” she protested.
Luca laughed. “I was the one checking the camera for the past two weeks, so I knew you stayed behind.” He gave her a severe look. “You had to have known something was happening, Cas. Why didn’t you move in with Cam and the Monroe squad?”
She spit into the sink. “Because they’re slobs.”
“And?”
“I can’t live like that, Luca.”
“Did Ilian and Reston get you caught up?”
She nodded solemnly. “How is this happening?”
Luca wrapped an arm around her shoulder and opened the bathroom door. Ilian and Reston were waiting for her in the hallway. “Because evil exists, baby girl, plain and simple.”
“Cas, are you okay?” Ilian asked.
She walked over to him and gave him a hug. “Sorry to scare you.”
Ilian exhaled. “I’m just glad Coop and Link weren’t here.”
Cas couldn’t help but laugh. Ilian, Reston, and Luca shared the apartment next to her. Lincoln and Cooper had the apartment below hers on the second floor.
Ilian Ri’Elwin was a fellow fae, and Reston O’Brien was the wolf-shifting squad leader. Luca Brambles was their witch, while Cooper Braxton and Lincoln Allard were the squad's heavy hitters. Coop was one of the largest men she had ever seen, which made sense as his animal was a polar bear, and Link was pure muscle. What he lacked in bulk, he made up with compact sinew. Coop said punching him was like punching a steel plate.
“Why is she still here?” a deep voice asked.
“There goes that echo again,” Cas observed sourly.
Coop stomped over to her and held out his hand. “Key.”
Sighing, she dropped her apartment key in his hand.
“Come on, Link, we have to carry Cassie’s stuff to the van,” Coop said, walking back out of the apartment.
“Why is she still here?” a male voice asked before the door shut.
“Ugggh!” she yelled, throwing her hands in the air.
“Ilian, she should eat something before we head to Cam’s,” Luca recommended.