Luin

Safiya and Fen took longer to get back than any of us expected, and I could see from the tension in Glenna's shoulders that she was getting as worried as me by the time they finally returned from spying on Fen's bond mate. I quickly looked them over and found nothing amiss, though there was clearly a story here. Safiya looked irritated and Fen looked lost.

"He's got some kind of cloaking spell over him!" Safiya complained. "I couldn't break through it without potentially alerting him or someone else that we were there."

"A cloaking spell?" Glenna repeated, frowning in confusion.

"He must not be human, then," Arrowan said. "Either he cast the spell on himself or someone else did, and no one would ever bother to cloak a human."

I wasn't so sure about that. "What about the people around him? What species were they?"

"Witches, mostly. Why?" Safiya asked.

"Because I could see a human needing a cloaking spell if he spent a lot of time around the supernatural. It could be a protective measure to keep them from knowing how much weaker he is," I explained.

"Fair point," Arrowan conceded.

"So we learned nothing," Safiya complained, looking seriously irked.

I noticed Fen looking glumly down at his feet. "Maybe not nothing," I pointed out, hoping to cheer him up. "There's a decent chance he knows about the supernatural already. It seems especially unlikely that a human would have a cloaking spell on without being aware of it."

Fen's eyes flicked up to mine and he smiled a bit. "That's good, right?"

"If it's true," Arrowan said. I glared at him – couldn't he just let me cheer up Fen?

"Glenna, think you can make a potion to get the spell off without alerting anyone?" Safiya asked. Between them, Glenna was better at potion work.

Glenna was already shaking her head no when Fen suddenly straightened. "No, don't! The spell might be there for his protection. I don't think we should just break it."

"I agree," Glenna chimed in. Safiya huffed, but knew better than to argue.

A heavy silence fell over our group and even after spending so much time holed up in that little house, I kind of missed the peace of it. "Thanks for trying," I said to Safiya. "We should probably head back home."

"Sorry I couldn't do more," Safiya said, snapping out of her pout session.

"Don't worry about it," Fen said.

I reached out for Arrowan's hand so I could teleport us back home, but he pulled back his hand before we could make contact. "Luin and I wanted to have another dinner with you, if you're interested."

That's right! In all the excitement of Fen's arrival, I had forgotten. Safiya squealed and Glenna said, "Of course! What about tomorrow? I think Magnus and Lachlan are free."

"Sounds good," Arrowan agreed.

"And Fen, you have to come, too," Safiya said. "Any friend of Luin's is a friend of ours." He nodded shyly, looking a little less upset.

"Tomorrow, then," I agreed, and we returned home.

Fen said he was tired and headed down the hall to his room. He was probably just stressed about his bond mate, and I really couldn't blame him. It must have been so disappointing to not even get to find out his species. Later, I promised myself, I'd check in with Fen to make sure he was okay. For now, I'd let him have a little space.

Arrowan led me to the couch and settled me on it with a serious look that had me instantly concerned. "What's wrong?" I asked.

His lips quirked upward. "Nothing's wrong. I did want to talk to you, though."

Well, this couldn't be good, even if nothing was wrong. Arrowan took my hand and the sense of doom thickened. "I wanted to talk to you about buying some sculpting supplies."

Oh! I instantly brightened. Arrowan had told me all about his sculpting career and I had been so upset he couldn't show me any of his work. "Of course!"

Some of the sternness left his demeanor – he must have been nervous about this. "I don't need much. We don't really have room here for me to put together a proper studio, anyway, but I thought I could at least start gathering what I need."

"There's plenty of space. We can use the attic! Or the garage, if you prefer. It's not like either of us has a car."'

Arrowan looked excited for about two seconds before he shrugged. "We probably shouldn't get too settled in here. It's not our house."

That was a good point. At the very least, I should start paying Lachlan rent if we were going to be here for the long haul. "We'll work it out," I said. Seeing his work was too interesting and exciting not to pursue.

"If you say so," Arrowan said.

"I do. Just tell me what you need and we'll get it."

The wards flashed red as someone slammed magic against them and Arrowan and I both shot to our feet.

"Luin!"

I recognized Safiya's voice and sagged in relief, teleporting to the door and opening it up to let her inside. It was easier to slip her through the wards than most people since her magic had helped build them, but it still stung a bit. Safiya charged into the living room, looking inexplicably excited as her eyes darted around the room.

"Where's Fen?" she asked.

"He went to lay down," I said. "What happened?" It was more polite than what I really wanted to say, which would have included a good scolding for scaring us so badly.

Fen's door opened down the hall, probably in response to the ruckus or the wards going off. "What's going on?"

"Fen! You said something earlier about bond magic. What's that?"

And now it all made sense. I exchanged an exasperated look with Arrowan and we both settled back down onto the couch. I was happy to let Fen take point on this, since he knew far more about it than I did. Fen and Safiya sat, too, and her eyes remained intensely focused on him the whole time. Sometimes, I acknowledged silently, my friend seemed a little unhinged. It was that laser-focus of hers when there was something she badly wanted and thought she had it in her grasp.

"Bond magic is just what it sounds like – magic pertaining to soul bonds," Fen said.

"But what kind of magic? What can these bond magicians do?" Safiya pressed.

I knew exactly what she was getting at, but I didn't know the answer. Could Fen, as a fae with bond magic, activate Safiya's bond so she could feel it?

"Well, we can trace the bonds between people. That's how our seers are able to tell whether someone's bond mate is Unseelie. We can also block the bonds temporarily or sever them permanently."

He was in for it now. Just as I expected, Safiya perked up. "'We?' You mean you're a bond magician?"

Fen shrugged. "I've never heard us called that, but yeah."

Safiya squealed. "Can you help me find my soul mate?"

Fen looked startled. "Sure. It wouldn't be difficult."

And just like that, I wasn't Safiya's favorite fae anymore, I thought wryly. She was an excitable woman anyway, but now she looked like she might start jumping around, she was so excited. I honestly thought she would, or that she would squeal or shout or any number of the other ways she had reacted in the past. Instead, her eyes filled and she flung herself onto Fen, throwing him back in his chair. I saw her shoulders shaking and Fen hesitantly patted her back.

"Thank you," she said, her voice sounding wobbly and betraying her congestion. Definitely crying, then.

Safiya recovered quickly, pulling away and sniffling. She conjured a handkerchief and violently blew her nose, then dropped the handkerchief to the ground. It disappeared before it could hit the carpet. Meanwhile, Fen was wide-eyed and a little panicked-looking, so it's no surprise he was relieved when Safiya stood to go. "I shouldn't leave Glenna alone at the shop for long. Can we do it tomorrow? I'd say tonight, but we're going to be open pretty late."

"Tomorrow's fine," Fen agreed. There went our plans to have a nice dinner together. Safiya wouldn't want to wait until after we'd eaten, and she would want to pursue her bond as soon as she felt it.

Safiya waved and headed home. Fen's eyes were still wide and surprised even after she was gone. "Safiya can be exuberant," I said. Arrowan snorted and I shot him a look.

"There are a lot of words you can use to describe Safiya," Arrowan said, "but yeah, exuberant works."

"Be nice," I said.

He shrugged and smiled at me, not looking apologetic but looking so beautiful I forgot to be annoyed. Arrowan must have seen a softening in me and he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer against his side. I sunk into his warmth. It was hard to feel upset about anything when we were together like this.

"I want what you have," Fen said. How had I forgotten he was here? And how was I supposed to respond to that?

"Arrowan and I are still getting to know each other," I said.

"I know, and already you're so... together. I want that." Fen tugged at the ends of his hair, looking a little lost. I frowned and tried pulling away from Arrowan, but his arm around me was firm.

"Then go get it," Arrowan told him. "Try introducing yourself to your bond mate. You'll never get anywhere if you don't do that much."

Well, it was a harsher approach than I had been planning on, but he was right. Fen pouted. "You make it sound so easy."

"This isn't supposed to be hard," Arrowan said. "You and him are perfect complements for each other. You just have to let it happen."

Fen still looked unsure, and I could see he was starting to feel overwhelmed. "How about some lunch? Arrowan, do you want to help me in the kitchen?"

He let me lead him out of the room without any argument or resistance, but once we were in the kitchen, he crossed his arms over his chest and lifted a brow at me. "You're too soft on him," he said. "Fen needs a push."

"He needs time to sort it out for himself," I disagreed. "Can we just make lunch?"

Arrowan shrugged and started pulling out bread while I got cold cuts, cheese, and toppings from the fridge. Together, we assembled a stack of sandwiches, which we brought back to the living room. Fen looked sad and unsure, but no one pressured him to talk. Instead, we turned on the TV and let it fill the silence.

Fen went out after we finished eating and cleaning up. I hoped he got up the courage to introduce himself this time. Maybe that would help him keep his spirits up and regain some of his confidence. Even though Arrowan and I had been having a lot of alone time lately, it was nice to have him to myself now.

We stayed snuggled together on the couch, and Arrowan even pulled a blanket over us, which made it so much cozier. I nuzzled my face against his chest and sighed happily. Ever since we started sharing a bed at night, it felt like the physical barriers between us were dissolving. I wasn't ready yet for much more than kissing and cuddling, but I never would have imagined I'd be comfortable with even this much so soon after meeting him.

Arrowan pressed a kiss to the top of my head and sighed. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"This isn't the life I want for you," he said. "Hiding away in a house, too afraid to step outside of warded places."

I didn't want this for him, either, but pointing that out wouldn't help the situation. "I don't know what else we can do."

Arrowan lifted me up and maneuvered us so I was sitting sideways on his lap. It was strange being higher up than him, but I kind of liked it. His eyes bored into mine. "They won't stop until I'm dead, Luin. Killing you loses its power without me around to suffer for it. So, we have to make them think I died."

I wanted to laugh because I wanted it to be a joke. This sounded too much like going on the offensive, and it sounded dangerous. I still couldn't let go of the hope that the Unseelie would get sick of coming after Arrowan, even though I knew that wasn't going to happen. "How do you want to do that?" I asked. Hearing more of his plan wasn't committing to anything. If it was too dangerous, we just wouldn't do it.

"Well, I would need to have another confrontation with them."

I had already heard enough. "No."

"Hear me out, Luin."

How could he be so calm about this? "No. It's too dangerous."

Arrowan pulled me down for a kiss. "Of course, you would stay here. There's no need to have you out there."

What, and he thought that was better? "So, your plan is to go out and face them alone?"

"I have an idea. I think Glenna and Safiya might be able to help. Witches can set up strong illusions. They might even be able to make a golem that looks like me. The Unseelie can kill that, and then they'll leave us alone."

There were so many holes in that plan. Illusions were incorporeal. Golems would turn back into whatever material they were made of when they were killed. The Unseelie wouldn't believe Arrowan was dead without a body, would they? He couldn't just disintegrate into a pile of frogs or clay and fool them. "I don't like it," I said.

"There are some kinks to work out," Arrowan said, still sounding way too calm about the whole thing.

"Yeah, a few," I scoffed, pulling away from him.

Arrowan pulled me back down and I tumbled into his lap with my arms looped around his neck, staring up into those striking sapphire eyes. "How about we worry about this later? Can we just enjoy being together for now?"

In this position, it was beyond me to say no. I nodded, biting on my lower lip nervously, and waited to see what Arrowan would do. He didn't keep me waiting long. He leaned down and kissed me, softly at first but growing more forceful, especially once our tongues got involved. Sitting on him like this, I could feel how he hardened underneath me even as pressure built up in my own body. Could he feel how hard I was? Arrowan pulled away and his eyes glinted with something almost predatory, but before he could say anything, I pulled him back down and kissed him again.

This time, I took control, biting and sucking at his lower lips until he whimpered. He drew away long enough to say my name. His voice was strained and wanting, and it made it even harder to pull away. I wasn't ready for this to go further, though, which meant we needed to cool off. I tried to climb off of Arrowan's lap, but his hands gripped my hips and stopped me from moving.

"Not yet," he whispered. "Just... not yet." I nodded and let him hold me.

--

Happy (almost) holidays.  I'm putting up extra chapters for all the Boundaries books this week - bonus chapters for those already completed (one for Shifting Boundaries went up on Friday) - so expect more.  If there's anything you particularly want to read, I'm happy to oblige.

Cheers!

Nia