The arena roared with cheering fans as Storm flew across the ice with ease and scored a goal. Like the first time Sindri had seen him, he did a little shimmy and fist-pumped the air. However, when Storm glanced up, his gaze was crystal clear as he found Sindri in the front row beside the home team.

How he'd picked her out among a sea of screaming fans was a mystery, but Sindri's heart swelled as recognition settled behind irises the color of an afternoon sky and Storm smiled. Passing the players' bench on his way to center ice, he blew her a kiss and winked.

Sindri mimed catching it close to her heart and waved. Several spectators stared and cheered, but she ignored them. The only thing she was interested in tonight was the man wearing way too much padding as he glided with the grace of a falcon.

She hadn't told him she'd planned to attend. In fact, she'd hardly texted him or spoken to anyone since returning to the human realm. Paloma had been MIA, though Sindri suspected her absence had more to do with Elvinia's and Thayer's interference than an actual desire to stay away. Paloma never could refrain from seeking answers, and she'd find a way to establish contact when she could. The young tooth fairy never could resist breaking rules.

No stray pucks found their way to Sindri's side of the arena, and no imps giggled or rhymed inside her mind. As Sindri watched the game, she really paid attention this time, seeking answers on her phone to her endless questions, and she cheered with everyone else when Storm scored.

At the end of the game as everyone gathered their things and prepared to leave, Sindri sat in her chair and waited for the arena to clear. The players exited the rink, and within a few minutes, a text from Storm pinged her phone. 'Hey! I didn't expect to see you here tonight.'

She grinned and typed back. 'I realized you had a game tonight and thought I'd come watch. You play well.'

'Aww, thanks. Maybe that's because you're my good luck charm. :D Are you free tonight? If you can give me about an hour, I'm all yours.'

All hers, huh? Still bold as ever, yet endearing. 'Someone is confident. 😋' She noticed belatedly as she sent her text that he'd typed out the symbols while Sindri had used an emoji. In this day and age, she'd incorrectly assumed everyone used them.

"Guess I'll have to remember to throw everything I thought I knew out the window," she mumbled as another text appeared.

'I'm confident in having that date tonight. ;)'

Sindri laughed, enjoying his easy charm. In person, he was shy and almost a little awkward, but on the phone, he chatted like it was the most natural thing in the world. Given his age and the technology he'd grown up with though, it probably was second nature. 'Are you hoping for the superhero variety or something more normal along the lines of a late dinner?'

'Can I settle for magical without being the knight in distress?'

He was never going to let her live that down.

He suddenly texted again. 'Gotta put my phone down. I'll meet you at the gate?'

Sindri texted an affirmative and stowed her phone in her purse. When she went to collect her items and trash, she locked eyes with Paloma, who waited at the end of the row, hugging herself as she bit her lip. When Sindri waved, her best friend made a beeline through the aisle and hugged her tight.

"Are you really not coming home?" she asked, face buried in the crook of Sindri's shoulder and neck. "The queen said you were so upset but won't tell me what happened."

Of course not. One thing Sindri had always respected besides the fact Elvinia had been the only mother she'd ever known was that the older woman kept everything to herself. She only revealed facts on a need-to-know basis. But sadly, that wasn't enough to wipe clean the sense of betrayal that had opened a huge rift between them.

Not yet. Not until Sindri took time to heal and figure out her identity on her own.

They broke apart, and Sindri walked with Paloma down the row, talking as they left the seats. "I don't know if I'll be ready to return any time soon. The emotional wound is still too fresh."

And it was. Sindri had calmed down enough after two days and finally allowed herself to process her emotions while binging anything with heavy cream. And once the hangover had worn off, Sindri had been left exhausted and bereft without her family, remorseful for lashing out at Elvinia, but mostly sad by how everything played out. In the end, her life had always been defined by someone else, and it was time to cut ties until she could heal and form her own identity without anyone's influence.

Climbing the stairs side by side, Paloma asked, "Will you tell me what happened? Thayer has been sullen and unbearable. When he's not brooding, he snaps at everyone and walks away the moment your name is mentioned."

Yikes. Thayer was a wonderful friend with a great capacity to love, but his intense emotions had contributed to Sindri's decision to part ways with the fae. He'd hold on to that grudge for years unless she returned, but that meant falling in line with behavior Sindri could no longer excuse. Though she believed his affection was genuine, Thayer's unwavering prejudice had been a source of her discontent for years, and she refused to apologize, no matter how much she valued their friendship.

Outside the arena, the cold wind whipped their hair as rain threatened to fall. Finding a nearby bench, Sindri sat and patted the space next to her. Once Paloma sat cross-legged on the hard metal, Sindri sighed. If she could trust anyone, it was Paloma, despite her penchant for gossip. "The night I left, Thayer had approached me earlier in the afternoon and confessed the extent of his feelings for me."

Paloma closed her eyes and groaned, pressing her thumb and index finger against her cheeks. "Oh, crap. I told him about you and Storm. I'm sorry."

It was impossible to get mad at Paloma, who was so earnest and sweet, wishing for everyone's happiness. Sindri leaned her head on her best friend's shoulder. "It's okay. He would have found out anyway. I didn't leave because of him though — not completely."

"What do you mean?"

Sindri shrugged, still too tired to summon energy for this conversation. "Elvinia took me to see Loki, and I realized I wasted a thousand years on false hope. I can never be human again."

Paloma shifted, and Sindri had to catch herself from toppling over. "What? But I thought—"

"We all thought the same thing," Sindri said sadly, gripping the front edge of the bench. "But it was more than that. The gods bound him with his son's entrails." She couldn't unsee Loki's empty eye sockets or missing nose. "I read the tales like everyone else, but humans like to embellish, so I never actually considered how cruel the gods had been until I had to see it for myself. And the queen helped them do this. She trapped him in a pocket realm and left him to suffer his cruel fate."

Leaning forward, Paloma furrowed her eyebrows for a moment. "I mean, I'm not saying I like what the queen did, but gods do tend to see things differently. What may seem heinous to you is normal for the ancients. Humans developed their concepts of morality just as the others did. We live forever, and terrible crimes need equal punishments. What else might Loki have done if they'd allowed him to continue his mischief?"

Sindri shook her head. It wasn't their fault — she knew it — but without being born into that world left her with the distinct disadvantage of never understanding. Just as they couldn't relate to her way of life. Even Paloma, who had more contact with humans than most, didn't fully grasp the concepts of progression. Unless they found a way to meet in the middle, Sindri could never go back.

"I don't know what to think anymore," she admitted. "When I discovered the truth, my whole world shattered. Everything I ever knew was a lie, and I felt manipulated by everyone."

Paloma bobbed her head in acknowledgment and chewed her lip. They sat in silence until Sindri's phone buzzed with a message from Storm. 'K, I'm done. You still here?'

Grinning, Sindri texted back. 'Yes, I'm at the gate.'

"Was that Storm?" Paloma asked, perking her shoulders.

Sindri laughed and rose to her feet before bringing Paloma into a hug and rubbing her back. "Yes. I actually need to go, but this isn't goodbye. We'll see each other again."

Arms tight around Sindri's waist, Paloma squeezed. "I sure hope so." Then she suddenly stepped out of the embrace and dug into her oversized purse, almost disappearing as she lowered her head. A moment later, she produced a small jar and held it out. "The queen asked me to give you this if we bumped into each other. Elvinia wants you to know you're always welcome to return when you're ready."

Sindri took the jar and held it to her chest. Despite her harsh words, Elvinia hadn't begrudged her choice. "Thank you," she whispered. "Please tell her I am sorry."

"What about Thayer?"

Oof. She wasn't sure when that wound would heal enough for them to meet face to face. He'd warned her about the intensity of a fae's love, and she still wondered if Thayer had played a part in her previously failed relationships. If he had, it meant Storm could find himself in the cross-fire of a jealous spat.

Much as her heart ached for his pain, Sindri couldn't allow him to project his disappointment onto her. Thayer needed to understand they could never be more than friends. "Please don't tell him anything. I will seek him out when I'm ready, but I need space."

Paloma mimed zipping her lips. "You have my word. I love you."

"I love you too," she said, kissing the younger fae's cheek.

As Paloma strode away toward the corner they'd used last time they'd teleported home together, Storm approached the curb in his gray Corvette. He hopped out of the vehicle and jogged over to her, stunning in his three-piece charcoal suit. "Hey. I wondered when we could do this again. Is there something in particular you'd like to do?"

Placing her potentially last jar of dust in her purse, Sindri grinned. A pinch of magic wouldn't set her back too horribly, and she had the perfect location in mind. "What do you think of the beach?"

Storm's eyes widened as his mouth curved into a matching smile. Opening the passenger side door, he beckoned for Sindri to get in. "We might want to bring my car home first and grab some clothes."

If they hadn't been in such a public setting, Sindri would have transported them immediately. With her magic buzzing in her veins freely with no more fear of missing what she'd been prepared to lose, she was prepared to try and do everything as she opened a new chapter in her life. And hopefully, it included more of Storm.

After all, Sindri hadn't forgotten Elvinia's gift upon her arrival into the fae realm: the enhancement she'd made to Loki's rune to help Sindri achieve her objective. And maybe things hadn't gone according to plan while Storm turned out not to be her fairytale prince, but she could settle for a life of hockey pucks and pixie dust.

She slid into the car, bouncing her feet in excitement. Once inside and buckled in, Storm leaned over the console and kissed Sindri's knuckles, grinning like a fool. "So, if I were to slip into the parking garage, do you think we could take the short route this time?"

"Already getting spoiled on that magic," she said, following a giggle. "Not freaked out yet?"

Adventure ignited the lightning behind his storm colored gaze as he lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "I'm going on a date with a superhero. I dare you to surprise me."

Oh, Storm, Storm, Storm, never challenge a fae to a good time. "You're gonna eat those words when I take you cage diving or free falling through the sky with only my wings to keep us aloft."

His face blanched when she mentioned heights, but he inhaled sharply through his nose and squeaked, "Maybe we can start with that beach." He cleared his throat and gestured with superfluous movements. "You know, start small with teleportation."

She could do that. Forming a ball of light in her hands, she contained it until they reached the parking garage, and she released it, beaming as she and Storm disappeared into the magical sunset.

WC: 2127
Overall WC: 35241