Chapter 6

Chapter Six

H e picked up the water bottle. It was missing some from when she had taken a few sips. She . Like she was real. Byron wished it were true. He wanted to know her and have her be a part of his life, not this imaginary friend he had just dreamed up, but that is probably why she seemed so perfect.

Walking back into the kitchen, she reappeared, startling him so much he dropped the water, the cap coming off and spilling everywhere.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to alarm you,” Angela looked around for something to help dry the water from the floor.

Byron grabbed a few paper towels and threw them over the puddles to sop up the wetness. “It’s okay. I’m just not used to my imagination being so active.”

She laughed. “You still think I’m a fabrication you’ve created. Yet, you don’t have the statue you bought from the antique store on your table or in the hall. You have the bruises from fighting last night. What more proof do you need?”

He shook his head. “Things like this just don’t happen. ”

“You didn’t believe in fairy rings, and yet they’ve punished you since you took the stone. Others won’t touch the rock to return it to its rightful place, yet you still don’t trust what you cannot disprove. You believe you spilled water and cleaned it up. You believe you took a trip to Ireland and have yet to unpack fully. Yet, you don’t believe me.”

By listening to her, Byron knew she was right, even if he didn’t want to admit it. He stepped up to her, gripping her by the upper arms, and kissed her solidly on the lips. Pulling back slightly, he looked a bit surprised. She wasn’t the cold stone he’d anticipated kissing. Instead, her lips were soft and supple.

Breaking contact, he looked deep into her golden eyes. “I hope you’re real. I hope you can help free me from this curse. Yet, I feel lucky that if not for the curse of the wee people, I might not have met you, and I really want to get to know you better.”

She smiled at him. “I’m not human, Byron James. I cannot be with you. I, too, am cursed by the fairy people, and I’m not sure I will ever be free.”

“Have you tried?”

“At first, I apologized. I fixed the tree to make sure it didn’t die. Eventually, I stopped trying.”

“How did you end up in an antique store here in the States?” he asked, leading her back into the dining room, where they could sit and talk.

“Church renovations. I was sold to other places, put on a ship and brought to the Americas. As buildings were renovated or demolished, I got moved around.”

Byron nodded. “I’d found them interesting—always have. When I saw you in the store, I just had to have you as You could help me escape from them?”

Angela nodded. “Yes. I will help you. Are you ready to go?”

“How?”

“Trust me. ”

“I do. I don’t know why. Yet for some reason, I trust you implicitly.”

She grabbed the package that contained the stone and produced her wings, wrapping them around him.

He surprised her with a quick kiss and smiled when she looked at him. “For luck.”