11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Bennet ~Day Twelve~

Two weeks. We’ve been stuck in this time loop for two weeks now. After our day of fun, we put our noses back into the books, focusing as best as we could to find something that would help our predicament. We poured over everything we could think of before spreading our search even further, going to the city library in an attempt to find anything .

So far, we’ve come up short.

As much as I hate not knowing how the hell to stop all of this, I won’t lie and say I haven’t enjoyed every second I’ve gotten to spend with Quinn. This whole situation is starting to take a toll on us, so today, I plan on taking the lead in order to take a little bit of this weight from our shoulders.

There’s a secret I’ve been holding on to for a really long time and today, I plan to finally cash it in.

Instead of my usual top knot, today I quickly french braid my long hair back, letting the tail fall over one of my shoulders. I put on my leather armor, strap my bow onto my back, and head to the door. By now I know to open my door, wait for a certain pesky bird to fly by. Then I can make my way outside.

It’s been so long since I’ve properly put on my gear. I’ve missed this. I’ve missed going out on adventures regularly. I miss the wild. I’m so happy to be able to get back into it. It makes me even happier that I’m planning on bringing Quinn along with me. I only hope he won’t turn down my offer.

Normally, I meet Quinn at the coffee shop near the university but today, I drive over to his house instead. Parking outside, I wait for him to come out of his house before exiting my car.

“Hey,” I say, waving at him. “I hope you don’t mind taking the day off today?”

Quinn greets me with a smile, one that leaves my chest aching . It takes everything in me not to reach out and tug him into my arms. To kiss his cheek before confessing everything right then and there. “Good morning! I’m absolutely down to take the day off. There’s just one thing I have to do super quick.”

Quinn takes off down the sidewalk and I follow along, curious what’s going on. I’ve never asked what his mornings entail.

Apparently, every morning at the same time, Quinn stops a kid from walking into the street, saving him from a speeding car. Because of course the man is a hero in his own way. Because of course my feelings didn’t have enough to latch onto!

I’m about to say something about what I just witnessed but Quinn beats me to it, starting up a conversation before I can. “Hey, I really like your hair like this,” he says, reaching over and tugging on my braid.

“Oh, umm, thank you. When I was adventuring full time, I had to always keep my hair out of my face. Plus when I was greasy or dirty from being on the road, a braid is my go to.”

Quinn raises his brow at me, looking me up and down. His gaze leaves me heated all over. “Is that the plan for today? An adventure?”

“Not exactly. Well, sort of. Just,” I stutter out. “Do you trust me?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay,” I say, breathing out a long sigh. “Let’s just say, I have a favor I plan to cash in. I think you’ll enjoy it, don’t worry.”

“Oh, I’m excited! This is so exciting! Also, speaking about your hair,” his voice trails off as we get to my car and get in.

“Yeah? What about it?”

Quinn looks shy for a moment before grinning. “I just think it would be nice to see it down every once in a while. That’s all.”

I resist the temptation to immediately pull my braid free. “I’ll consider it,” I say instead.

The drive is thankfully uneventful. It takes about an hour of us driving out of the city and through the country until we get to our destination, all the while conversation between us flows freely. The longer we’re driving, the more excited Quinn becomes until he’s essentially bouncing in his seat.

Gods, he’s adorable.

The city falls away until we’re surrounded by farm lands and trees. We pass cows, cabins, and all sorts of wildlife. There’s a little piece inside my chest that slowly unfurls, a tension leaving me I hadn’t even noticed I was holding onto until I was out here in nature.

“You need this, don’t you?”

I look over at Quinn with a raised brow. “Need what?”

“This. Being out here. Being in nature. You’re a scout through and through but you’re stuck within the city.”

“I guess I have missed it. I didn’t even notice until right now.”

“We should find you a nice cabin out here. A place you can come to during school breaks or on the weekend.”

I can’t help but smile, picturing such a place in my mind. Or even just a place to camp in. It doesn’t have to be fancy. “I’d like that.”

Thankfully, Quinn doesn’t have to wait much longer. I pull my car into the winding driveway of a farmhouse. At the backside of the house is a towering barn and fields filled with gruffelos which are essentially blubbery buffaloes that originate from the fae realm. They’re excellent for milking and butchering for meat.

It’s an incredibly peaceful place to be, but it’s what’s hiding inside I’m after today.

“What is this place?”

I get out of the car and pop the trunk in order to pull out my bow and quiver. “What does it look like?”

“Looks like your average farmhouse but I can feel magic in the air. There’s something weird about this place.”

I look up in surprise. “You can feel that?”

“Yeah? Am I not supposed to be able to?”

I shake my head. “You’re even more sensitive to magic than I thought. I don’t think you have any idea how fucking powerful you are, Quinn.” I close the trunk before locking the doors.

Quinn opens his mouth to argue but someone steps outside, cutting him off. “What’s your business here?”

I look up at the porch, grinning from ear to ear. “Partholemew! It’s so great to see you again!”

Standing on the porch, looking skeptically at the two of us is a man who looks like an elf. I know it’s a glamor but it’s a damn good one.

“Jesus. Bennet, is that you? Fuck, you’ve gotten old!”

I chuckle, shaking my head as I leap up the steps and pull him into a tight hug. Ouch, my hip does not like my excitement but I shake off the pain, focusing on greeting an old friend. He hugs me back just as fiercely. It’s been years since I’ve seen him but he looks exactly the same. Damn fae and their extended life cycles! I know so many humans who have fought to find the key to eternal youth. The fae come to it naturally.

“You haven’t aged a bit, my friend.”

“What brings you out here?”

I turn towards Quinn, gesturing him forward. “I’d like passage for myself and my friend, Quinn. I normally wouldn’t ask unless it was something serious, but today I’m asking just as a favor for once.”

Partholemew stares at me for a long moment before his eyes dart between myself and Quinn. Then a knowing smile stretches across his face, the sight of it causing a blush to rise up on my cheeks. I narrow my eyes, silently telling him to keep his mouth shut.

“I think this might be the first time you’ve asked to visit just because. Geoff is going to be thrilled to see you, Bennet.”

My cheeks heat. I chance a glance at Quinn, finding him watching the interaction with rapt attention. “Nothing special needs to happen. We’re just here for a simple visit.”

Partholemew snorts. “Like you could enter without Geoff not immediately calling for a feast in your honor.”

I roll my eyes and Quinn straightens at that. “A feast of honor? Really? Okay, hold on a second. How do I know that name? Geoff?”

Partholemew clears his throat, his eyes darting over to me. “King Geoff of the fae realm. He owes a great debt to Bennet for an act of bravery he accomplished many years ago. In all that time, Bennet has asked for nothing. Until now.”

“Oh my gods . Are you serious, Bennet?” He turns towards me, slapping my chest. “You never told me about this!”

“Shit. Sorry, Bennet.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

Quinn turns towards Partholemew who winces. “It’s kind of a big deal.”

Quinn's eyes swing back towards me, placing his hands on his hips. “I want to know every detail.”

“I promise I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but first, we should get to the fae realm. Honestly, if you ask King Geoff, he’ll be happy to tell you everything himself.”

“Fine.” Then he looks down at himself. “I wish you’d told me we were going to meet royalty. I would have worn something more appropriate.”

“Don’t worry. King Geoff’s right hand will be happy to dress you in robes if you let him,” Partholemew says, turning around and walking inside. He leaves the door open for us.

“I wanna be mad at you for not telling me about all of this sooner but also, I literally cannot be mad because all I can feel is nervous excitement,” Quinn says with a grin that stretches from ear to ear. He grabs my arm and pulls me through the door, hurrying me.

Partholemew turns around and points towards the door that leads to the basement. Now that we’re inside, his glamor falls away, showing off his natural fae features. His ears are more pointed and longer than those of an elf with little ridges along the side. They’re so big they start to droop towards his back. His eyes shine, like a cat’s eyes in the dark and are brighter than any set of eyes I’ve ever seen. His nose bridge is wider and flatter. The fae are beautiful in their own way and I’ve always been fascinated by their ability to glamor their looks in order to blend in, just like camouflage.

“You know the way.”

I reach out to grab his hand, giving it a gentle shake. “Thank you.”

“I’ll see ya soon.” As we head down the stairs I hear him chuckle. “Have a good time. I hear the fae realm is for lovers!”

Thankfully, Quinn doesn’t comment on it as we make our way down. Once at the bottom, I find a trap door that I carefully pop open.

“I’m going to cast Graceful Fall . Then we’re going to jump, okay?”

“We’re going to jump down that hole? Really?”

I smile. “You trust me?”

“Hell yeah,” he says, smiling back and grabbing my hand. A spark runs through me, warming at the touch until my stomach is fluttering with butterflies.

Casting is a little harder to concentrate on with Quinn’s hand touching my own. The buzzing going on inside me is distracting but I close my eyes, focusing as best as I can. I stare inward at that little pool of mana I possess. With a wave of my free hand, I pinch my fingers together and gesture the way I’ve always been taught. I speak softly, casting Graceful Fall .

Soft green light flits around us as the spell takes hold. I open my eyes and grin over at Quinn before pulling us towards the hole. Without waiting a moment longer, we hop in.

My stomach swoops as we step off solid ground into the nothingness. There’s a moment when I feel like we’ll plummet but the spell is there, keeping us safe. We drift down slowly like a feather in the wind.

Quinn lets out a happy noise as he looks down. “This is so fun! Gods, I’d forgotten how much I love this spell!”

I laugh along with him, feeling my chest grow lighter, just like the rest of me as we continue to drift down into the dark. Eventually, we hit the border between realms. The magic ripples across my skin. There’s a moment of resistance before we’re breaking through into the fae realm.

Now as we drift down, it’s not darkness but instead a vast variety of colors and lights. It always takes me a moment to blink away the spots as my eyes adjust to the sudden onslaught of lights.

Quinn winces beside me, squeezing my hand as his other hand goes to his eyes, rubbing at them beneath his glasses. When he pulls his hand away, he looks around. Instead of taking everything in, I keep my eyes glued to Quinn’s face, watching as his features morph with awe and wonder. I’m so glad I decided to do this. I’m so happy I get to put that look on his face.

We drift down past trees with leaves that are the brightest purple I’ve ever seen until our feet finally land on grassy land. Quinn lets go of my hand and I miss his touch. I clench my fist before putting my hand in my pocket, trying to save the last bit of warmth from his touch.

“This is so beautiful. I’ve seen pictures of this place in books but seeing it in real life is another thing entirely.”

“Pictures just don’t do it justice,” I say in agreement. “We’ll have to head in that direction,” I explain, nodding my head north. “We’ll get to the castle in about forty five minutes or so.”

“You’re lucky these shoes are comfortable, Bennet. The next time we go realm hopping I’d like to be more prepared, please.”

The next time . Those words mean more to me than I care to admit. The idea that this isn’t a one and done. That we’ll have more adventures in our future together.

“You have yourself a deal.”

As we walk, Quinn marvels at just about everything. We see a butterfly that’s about the size of a bird whose wings shimmer and sparkle. There’s a flower that smells like our favorite home cooked meal and I warn Quinn not to get too close because the smell is actually a lure. That carnivorous plant will literally eat us if we get too close! The trees are purple here instead of green which makes the landscape around us feel like we’re walking through a fairy tale. And maybe we are. Afterall, the fae realm is magical no matter which way you look at it.

“Halt!”

I raise my hands in the air, making sure I don’t look threatening as two fae archers step out from their hiding places within the trees. “Hello,” I say carefully, not wanting to give them any reason to attack. “We’re here to see King Geoff. Tell him that Bennet Bangel is here.”

One of them turns completely around, his face pointed towards the castle which we can just barely begin to see from here. He does a hand gesture before pointing in that direction, his other hand touching his temple. A moment passes. Then another. Finally he turns back around with a small smile on his face.

“I’ve been told to escort you to the castle. Already, there’s preparation happening for an honored feast.”

“Shit,” Quinn says under his breath. “You really are a big deal here, aren’t you?”

“It’s nothing,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I may or may not have saved Geoff. It was one time and if I hadn’t done it, I’m sure he’d have gotten himself out of the situation just fine.”

Our guide snorts and I feel my cheeks flame. “That’s not the story I’ve heard.”

“King Geoff can tell you all the gritty details if he wishes,” I tell Quinn, shoving my arm playfully against him. “Also,” I add under my breath, “remember that story about Sylvee?”

“Oh my gods, I’d forgotten about that! I plan to ask him everything and more. I want to hear the great tales of Bennet the Adventurer.”

“I wasn’t all that different than I am now. Well, I was younger, my hair was shorter, and I was much more in shape. Plus, I had a fully functional hip.”

Quinn gives me a soft look. “Is it bothering you today?”

“It’s stiff and sore like always, but thankfully the pain isn’t too bad. I probably shouldn’t have leaped onto the steps back at the farmhouse, but I can continue walking without any sort of piggyback ride, promise.”

“What a shame,” he says with a wistful sigh. I know he’s only being playful but there’s a part of me that hopes that maybe he’s not just teasing. Maybe he really does wish for that and maybe even more.

Gods, I hope so otherwise today might actually end in disaster.

The walk to the castle is filled with excited chatter, mostly from Quinn asking our guide questions about the fae realm. Our guide’s name, we learn, is Rekah and he’s been serving King Geoff for only a year now. I can never tell how old fae are because of their extended life cycles but apparently this one is just a boy fresh out of training.

The wooded area slowly recedes as the ground changes from dirt to cobblestone. The click of our boots against the cobblestone brings back a memory of being here for the very first time. My chest is bright with nostalgia.

The path has small pink trees planted sporadically and they shed pink petals, lining the path before us. Quinn stops to pick some of the petals up, breathing them in and grinning. I watch him put some into his pocket. The sight suddenly makes my stomach sink, remembering this will only last until the end of the day. I wish they would be there for him in the morning. I wish this was our future instead of just another day in a long line of Fridays.

I wish for so much but wishing won’t do anything. As much as I adore this fun day of rest and adventure, there’s a small amount of melancholy that comes along with it. We’re stuck. Having a day in the fae realm isn’t going to change that.

There’s a wall of guards at the castle gates waiting for us. As we walk forward, they part, all in unison. It used to freak me out how in sync they all were but seeing it now, it simply impresses me. Their steps sound like one person instead of a dozen with how precise they are.

Standing behind the guards is King Geoff.

“Bennet!”

My face stretches into a grin that’s so wide it hurts my cheeks. It’s been years since I’ve seen him but unsurprisingly, he looks exactly the same. Standing behind him and off to the side is Geoff’s most trusted advisor and right hand man, Asherah. Asherah is holding Sylvee who’s intelligent eyes seem to light up when she sees me.

“King Geoff,” I say in greeting, bowing my head and can feel that Quinn is following my lead, bowing as well. “It’s a pleasure to be in your presence once more, Your Majesty.”

“Get your ass up,” Geoff says, rushing forward and pulling me into a tight hug. “You know that when you’re here, you’re practically family. I don’t need all of that traditional bullshit. You saved my ass. If anyone is going to bow, it’s me to you.”

“Please don’t,” I say breathlessly as he squeezes me just a tad too tight. King Geoff is a large fae with hulking shoulders, wavy, black hair, and more muscles than any man should have. His ears are long and floppy, flopping even more because of all the gold earrings that dangle from them.

Asherah walks over and chuckles. “He needs to be able to breathe,” he says, patting Geoff on the back. Then he swoops in for his own hug which I return. Sylvee ducks between my legs, rubbing herself against me while purring so loudly we can all hear it.

My chest feels so full I might actually burst at the seams.

Where Geoff is all mass and muscles, Asherah is short and lithe. They’re total opposites, even down to their hair, Geoff’s being black and Asherah’s being winter white. But they’re been inseparable since the moment I met them and probably before that as well.

“It’s wonderful to see you,” Asherah says, patting me on the back before holding me at arm’s length in order to take me in. Then his eyes dart behind me, landing on Quinn. “Oh, Bennet! It’s so unusual for you to bring someone with you when you visit! Who is this ?”

“This is Quinn.”

“Any friend of Bennet’s is a friend of ours. You’re welcome here, Quinn.”

“Thank you,” he says with a small smile, looking a little unsure. I hold out my arm for him and he ducks over to me to stand at my side. “This is a lot to take in. The castle, the reverence, the colors .”

“First time?”

“Yeah, obvious, isn’t it?”

“You have that look of wonder on your face,” Asherah explains with a grin. “Come on, let’s get you set up in a room.”

Pick me up, I don’t wish to walk.

Grinning down at Sylvee, I open my hands and she jumps into them. I lift her up in order to carefully tuck her against my chest. She keeps eyeing Quinn and I’m sure I’ll be hearing her assessment of him soon enough.

“You’ll be staying the night, obviously,” Geoff says, ushering us inside the castle. “We’ll have a grand feast for lunch and then a ball this evening.”

I clear my throat. “Actually, I have plans tonight. I want to take Quinn to see a few places so we’ll be skipping the ball.”

“But, Bennet,” Geoff says with a whine that makes me chuckle.

“Hush, Geoff. They obviously have plans so we’ll enjoy their company while we can have it, right?”

Geoff lets out a dramatic sigh. “Fine, but just know I’ll be complaining on the inside the entire time.”

Asherah shows us to our room. Before I can ask him for two rooms connected, he’s giving me a wink, taking Sylvee from my arms, and shutting the door behind us. Apparently there will be celebratory robes brought in soon.

I look inside and wince at the singular bed in here. Not that it really matters anyway. We might fall asleep here but we’ll be waking up in our own beds in the morning. That thought strikes ice of disappointment to my stomach.

“Thank you for bringing me here, Bennet. This is incredible.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I have to admit, I feel a little embarrassed by all the fanfare, but seeing you smile makes it worth it.”

Quinn’s mouth opens and closes a few times before he looks down at his feet. “Oh, you charmer, you.” He steps over to me and touches my cheek gently, running his thumb just under my eye.

This moment feels precarious and precious all at once. His eyes are soft as he gazes up at me. I lean against his palm. He lets out a breath, like he was holding it without realizing it.

Maybe it’s the fact that Quinn initiated this, or maybe it’s because we’re in the fae realm, but something inside of me surges forward. I feel more confident than I’ve felt during these last two weeks. The kiss Quinn gave me plays over and over in my head. With this new found confidence, I feel brave. Brave enough to learn forward. Brave enough to kiss Quinn again.

Except instead someone knocks on the door and walks in instead. We jump away from each other as one of King Geoff’s messengers brings in two robes, laying them on the bed with a bow.

I let out a long breath before turning towards the bed. “I suppose we should get ready for lunch.”

“Right,” Quinn says softly before frowning. “Do you think my shoes will match our robes?”