Arrowan

Sunlight streamed into the bedroom, waking me up way too early. I had been reluctant to close the curtains last night, since the view out my window showed different stars than I was used to and streetlights fashioned differently than any of the ones I had seen in Alterra. It had been so nice to lay in bed, swaddled cozily in several layers of blankets, gazing out at a world that definitely wasn't my own.

Never again, I promised myself. No matter how nice it was, it wasn't worth being woken up at... I checked the time and felt my eyes bug: seven AM. Groaning, I heaved the blankets up to cover my face, burrowing deep into their cozy warmth. I could have happily stayed there for another several hours, until I realized I had no idea whether Luin was an early riser. He could be out there in the living room or kitchen right now, waiting for me. Before I could think it through, I flung the blankets off myself and ventured out of my room.

The door across the hall – where Luin had spent the night – was open and I peeked my head in to see a vacant, neatly-made bed. Grinning, I headed down the hall and found Luin laying on the couch, clutching a pillow against his chest and pouting. His hair, which was longer than I'd realized since he had kept it pulled back yesterday, was a tangled mess so wild I could only barely see the pointed tips of his ears poking out. He blinked blearily up at me. He looked like he was struggling to even be half-awake, and it was quite possibly the most adorable thing I'd ever seen.

"Good morning," I said.

Luin just groaned in response. Not a morning person, then. I ran back to my room and took a blanket from the bed, then went back to Luin. He smiled a little when he saw me standing in front of him with it and he shifted so he was laying against the arm of the couch. I tucked the blanket around him and the pillow he was still snuggling against his chest.

"I'm going to make us some breakfast while you relax," I said. He glared up at me and I laughed. "Don't worry, I'll take my time."

That seemed to satisfy him and his eyes drifted shut. I fully expected him to be fast asleep by the time I had our breakfast on the table – hash with sausage and peppers, runny-yolk eggs, and yogurt parfaits – so it was a surprise when I went into the living room and found Luin sitting upright with the blanket draped around his shoulders like a cape, still blinking sleepily but looking much more alert.

"Food's ready," I told him.

Luin followed me back to the kitchen, though he kept the blanket, and his eyes widened when he saw the table. "This looks great," he said, but the look on his face meant more to me than his words did. His lips curved up in the sweetest smile and his eyes flicked to mine, then shyly away.

We sat down and tucked in, and while we ate, Luin kept studying me when I wasn't looking. He seemed nervous and maybe a little uncomfortable, and the silence probably wasn't helping.

"What do you want to do today?" I asked.

Luin finished chewing his bite and dabbed at his lips with a napkin even though I swear he was already clean before answering. "Well, I'm guessing you could use a shopping trip. It doesn't look like you brought much with you from Alterra."

He was right, but I could get by with what I had, and I didn't have any money. Luin's eyes softened as I struggled for words. "It's okay," he said. "I'm paying."

Was I so easy to read?

Luin sighed. "Arrowan, I know how hard it is to start from nothing. I lived it. I would help anyone trying to do the same, bond mate or not. Please just let me."

My heart ached but I nodded. If I had found a way to come here sooner, right when our bond first connected, then he and I could have built up our lives on Earth together. He never should have had to do it alone. "Thank you," I said, even though the words weren't nearly enough.

Luin smiled brightly and focused back on his breakfast. I did the same and we finished our meal in silence.

--

Note to self: set limits when agreeing to Luin's plans.

I thought our shopping trip would be simple – just picking up basic toiletries and a couple sets of clothing. Instead, Luin led me from store to store for hours buying bag after bag full of things I wasn't sure I would ever use. Who needed more than three pairs of pants? Why buy an extra set of shoes when the ones I had were still in good condition? And who would ever willingly hang a tie around their neck when all it did was get in the way and give people an easy way to strangle you?

Luin bought me different outfits for all kinds of weather and in varying levels of formality. When would I ever need to look formal? But maybe formal events were a part of Luin's life, so I didn't push too hard when he loaded his arms with button-down shirts, vests, blazers, and pants like his that were so delicate they still had distinct fold marks down the front when I tried them on.

We shopped through the rest of the morning, with Luin teleporting back to the house between stores so he could drop off the bags. When I finally convinced him to take a break for lunch – it seemed playing on his caretaking tendencies was the only way to stop the madness – I thought we were finally done spending money for the day and it was a huge relief... until he took me to a restaurant, saying he was too exhausted to cook.

I had to admit the place looked nice, and it had a much more private feel than any restaurant I'd been to before. The lighting was dimmed and intimate, and the tables were spaced out enough that there were no overlapping conversations from the other guests. The aroma of fresh-baked bread hung heavy through the air, which squashed the last spark of resistance I had to eating here. It smelled divine.

Luin and I were seated toward the back in a particularly deserted part of the restaurant. Not that I was complaining – I wasn't here to see other people; I was here to be with him.

There was something about Luin that sparked a warmth in me I had never felt before. I'd noticed that he liked to keep a mask over his expression, but it didn't take much to crack the façade. He'd smiled affectionately at a little girl being swung between her parents as they walked down a sidewalk together. His eyes had softened with sympathy when someone fumbled their change at the register while we were shopping, sending coins flying out in all directions. I even saw him flex his fingers, sending some of the farther coins rolling back toward the clumsy shopper while Luin stooped down to help pick everything up.

The most frequent expression to crack through his shields seemed to be just for me, though, and that made it my favorite. Sometimes when I glanced at him, I'd catch him looking at me with eyes wide in wonder, looking almost dazed. I understood how he was feeling – I could hardly believe I was sitting right in front of him, either.

Luin and I placed our orders with the waiter and were left alone with nothing to focus on but each other for the first time since breakfast. Then, Luin had been occupied planning our morning of shopping and I had been caught up in thoughts of how I could make this up to him. Now, he gazed at me solemnly and I had no idea what was on his mind.

"I'm hoping you won't mind answering some questions for me," he said. I could pick up nothing from his tone, but I thought from his demeanor that this would be serious. Well, a serious talk was overdue.

"Ask me anything," I said. The very least I owed him was answers.

Luin looked down for a few seconds before determination flashed through his expression and he brought his eyes up to meet mine. "Why didn't you come sooner?"

Of course he wanted to know – I was only surprised he hadn't asked again before now. "I wanted to," I promised. "Ever since I sensed you on Earth, I've been making plans to join you. The safest plan I could come up with was to wait for this winter solstice, then to escape during the eclipse when my magic was stronger, but I was able to get away sooner."

Luin's brows drew together and he frowned as his eyes went unfocused as his mind worked. "Escape? What were you escaping?"

Now I frowned. "My people."

Luin shook his head. "But why? What did you do? Were you... locked up?" he asked hesitantly.

I stared at him as my mind worked, and I came to a surprising conclusion that made my chest ache even more. He had no idea just how different my people were from his. Just to make sure I asked, "What do you know about the Unseelie?"

"Not much, I suppose. I know you're supposed to be more violent, but Unseelie Studies isn't taught until after our thirteenth birthdays, and I left home when I turned thirteen."

I understood what he was saying and it made me furious. The Seelie kept their children intentionally uninformed about the "evil" Unseelie until after they'd decided whether to pledge themselves to Alterra. It was especially cruel for people like Luin, who would have left home at thirteen and who had waited so long for his Unseelie bond mate without ever having any idea why the wait was necessary.

Sure, there would be some Unseelie who would have chosen to stay in Alterra rather than going to their bond mates, anyway, but most of us didn't have much choice. What I had done – fleeing like that – was stupid. The likeliest outcome had been my death and only years of planning and a heavy dose of luck had gotten me here. And that whole time, Luin must have thought I just didn't want to join him.

I leaned across the table, fixing my eyes on his so I could make sure he was really focused on what I had to tell him. "Luin, our laws aren't like yours. The Seelie let you choose between banishment and separation from your bond mate. The Unseelie make you choose separation or death."

Luin shook his head no, but I could see that he believed me. "But..."

I waited for him to finish his thought, but he just kept shaking his head. "My choice was always to go to you, from the moment I realized you were waiting for me. It just took me some time to work out how to get here. You have no idea how sorry I am I couldn't come sooner."

Luin's eyes watered and he reached across the table to grip my hands in his. "Please don't apologize. How are you here?"

I shifted my hands so I could stroke my thumbs over the smooth skin of his wrist while I explained everything about my escape to him – the tracking bracelet falling off when our bond disappeared, fleeing through the mirror realm, and the harrowing chase through the forest. He listened raptly as I spoke, though his eyes filled with more and more horror.

When I finished, he whispered, "But you're safe now, right? You got away from them."

And here was the part of the story I dreaded telling him. "For now. They'll do everything they can to bring me back and make an example of me – it makes them look bad when people break through their defenses and they won't want others thinking they can do it, too. And... and it's not only me they're after. They'll take you, too, if they can get you."

The waiter walked up and set our plates down in front of us. It looked and smelled great, but I wasn't sure I could stomach anything right now – not with the very real danger I was putting Luin in at the forefront of my mind.

When the waiter walked away, I said, "I'm so sorry, Luin. The last thing I wanted was to put you in danger."

"Don't apologize. I'm glad you came, and we'll be okay," he said, sounding far too certain of that.

"You don't understand. The Unseelie who will come after us are incredibly skilled. They're going to do everything they can to kill you and bring me back for execution."

Luin was completely unphased. "They won't succeed."

He didn't look even the smallest bit scared. I had to get him to take it seriously. "Luin-"

"No. With just you and I, I might be more worried. I have friends who will help us, Arrowan. Witches and a whole pack of werewolves who will want to help keep us safe. The house we're staying in is heavily warded, and we can add more warding to it. And you're clearly not without your skills. I might need to learn to fight, though."

The knot of fear and unease loosened just a bit. It was true that the Unseelie who came for us wouldn't be expecting witches or werewolves to stand in our defense. Maybe Luin's confidence didn't come from ignorance, after all. Maybe we really could defend ourselves well enough.

While my mind worked, Luin picked up his fork and daintily started eating, looking completely untroubled. He caught me watching him and smiled a little. "Well, aren't you going to eat? Your food won't be half as good cold."

Just like that, I was smiling too. And why shouldn't I smile? I was on Earth with my gorgeous bond mate, who had heard me out and taken everything in stride easier than I ever could have hoped for.

And he was smiling at me.