5

Dranian Evelry and the Thing Stuck on His Tongue

Dranian endured the whole evening shift saying almost nothing at all. The debate waged war on his mind when darkness fell upon the street, and Fae Café was lit by the table candles, the fireplace, and the dim wall torches:

Tell Cress.

Don't tell Cress.

Call Mor.

Don't you dare faeborn call Mor.

Drop a hint.

Don't be a fool…

He finally hung up his apron and escaped the café before anyone stopped him to chat. He stomped a little on his way to the bus stop, gliding beneath the lanterns' illuminations, and grumbling things beneath his breath.

If he told Cress and Mor, they could help him solve his roommate contract problem. They could also help him kill Luc afterward, a handful of times. And Luc was Mor's nemesis—it seemed wrong to keep Mor from knowing the truth.

But how could he run to Mor for help when Mor was in a similar situation months ago and had tried to handle things on his own first? Did Dranian even deserve Mor's help? As soon as Dranian had gotten involved in Mor's situation back then, Dranian had failed to stop bad things from happening. First, he'd failed to guard Mor's human when Mor had left her in Dranian's care at Fae Café. Then, Dranian had taken a blade through the arm and let the fox escape their trap. The fox had kidnapped Mor's human after that—all because he'd gotten away.

Maybe Mor wasn't the only option. Dranian considered what might happen if he called Shayne and forced him to return from the kingdom of Florida. Shayne would aid Dranian with his problem, and perhaps Dranian wouldn't have to get Mor and Cress and their humans involved.

But Shayne had been so excited to visit the faraway kingdom. He'd purchased "flip-flops" and "tank-y tops", and he'd watched videos on the human internet about how to apply "sun-scream". The fairy was most excited that it was acceptable to remain barefoot on the Florida beaches. Truly, the place seemed as though it was made for Shayne.

Besides, Shayne had been taking care of Dranian long enough.

Dranian clenched his fists as he climbed onto the bus filled with males and females minding their own human business. He took a seat, and the vessel began to move.

He wasn't ready to go back to his apartment when the bus dropped him down the road. He gazed up toward the third floor, trying to imagine going to sleep with a deadly creature in the next bedroom. He decided he would sleep with his spear in his hand.

Dranian marched up the stairs and wrestled his keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door and peeked in. When he saw the coast was clear, he crept on his toes, silent as a moonbug. He'd barely made it through the living room when Luc stepped from the kitchen, driving a horrifyingly high-pitched squeal from Dranian's throat.

The fox stood there, studying Dranian peculiarly. A mostly eaten ice cream cone was in his grip. He brought it to his heart-shaped mouth and licked it. "You smell like coffee and that horrid North Prince," he remarked.

Dranian had a hand firmly pressed over his heart. He stood to his full height and faced Luc. "I was at work," he mumbled. "Some of us choose to work nobly, rather than steal coin from humans with fools' gold."

Luc sneered. "I took a nap. Then I went for a short, pleasant walk and purchased this." He waved his ice cream around a little. "Then I sat here and watched stories on the TV without a care in the world. I think it's clear who's winning." He took his last, large bite of ice cream, shoving the whole cone into his mouth.

Dranian grunted and marched past him into his room. He slammed the door shut and pulled out the handle of his spear. He set it beside his pillow, tore off his shirt, and climbed into bed, ready to be rid of the day's events.

He spent several seconds huffing in deep breaths to settle his faeborn heart.

To even his own surprise, he was asleep in minutes.

"I know you," the voice said. "Let me in."

Dranian awoke in a cold sweat, nearly flinging himself off the side of his bed. He blinked as his surroundings reminded him where he was. His faeborn heart pounded; questions haunted the tip of his brain.

She was back—the voice.

Dranian leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and rubbed his temples. If he didn't get a good night's sleep soon, he was going to lose his mind. He dropped his hands and glanced out the window at the bright moon hanging in the sky. It was probably around two or three in the morning.

On four different occasions since his childling years, dreamslippers had tried to enter his mind. He'd gotten good at tossing them out and keeping himself safe, as many fairies did over time, but this one was aggravatingly persistent.

With a sigh, he yanked away his bedsheets and headed to the door. As soon as he opened it, his ears filled with the grating sound of chomping . His face turned puzzled as he rounded the hall's corner, and there he spotted Luc standing in the kitchen, leaning back against the counter and eating a bowl of cereal. Loudly.

It seemed the fox had made himself at home with Dranian's bowl, and spoon, and cereal.

"Do you ever stop eating?" Dranian mumbled.

Luc pulled one arm into a shrug. "I can't sleep."

Dranian didn't ask why. Nor did he care.

Luc looked Dranian over as he shovelled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. He raised an eyebrow, seeming to notice the sweat on Dranian's face, yet, seeming entirely uninterested in asking why it was there.

Dranian snarled a little and stomped past, fetching the box of cereal for himself. He poured a bowl, then went to add beast milk. Only a few drips came out of the bag, and Dranian cut Luc a glare. There was no backup beast milk, since Dranian had left it to rot in the stairwell yesterday. He released a heavy breath and set the bag holder back on the counter. Then he snatched a spoon to eat the cereal dry and went to the kitchen table to sit.

He chomped, just as loudly as Luc.

They ate their midnight cereal in silence, apart from their competitive fairy chomping. Dranian thought about his dream.

A moment later, Luc said, "We're out of groceries."