Page 127 of Harnessed in Gold

I withdraw my hand and scoot as far back on the couch as I can. “What kind of alchemy was Browne doing in that forge?”

“The occult kind,” she says simply, like he’d been playing Parcheesi in there, not trying to blow up the world.

She taps her lips with a finger as she scans the living room, probably wondering how seven grown adults are going to fit in this tiny apartment. “Shit.” She chews a black-painted nail. “I should’ve told the others to bring pillows and blankets.”

On cue, the door swings open, and in spill the rest of our crew, Aaron and Topaz carrying blankets and pillows under their arms.

“Oh, thank god.” Avery rushes to unburden them, throwing everything, for the time being, into her bedroom.

Leo tosses Rime a bag.

“Thank the gods,” he says, echoing Avery.

She points him to the bathroom. “Be quick. Dinner will be here soon.”

As we wait, we speculate on what happened to Brier’s team. Leo and Topaz think they made themselves invisible and either slipped out the service entrance or hid somewhere in the basement until morning. They both agree it’s unlikely they freed themselves fast enough to follow us and discover the forge.

While Avery runs to the door to fetch the pizzas, Aaron checks the police blotter on his phone. No mention of the library. At least not yet.

Rime emerges from the shower, wet hair neatly combed behindhis pointed ears. He grabs a slice of pizza and sits on the floor next to Liv’s feet.

Meanwhile, her piece of pizza remains untouched, its grease slowly staining the paper plate.

“You okay?” I ask her. The stupidest of all questions.

“No.” She’s on the verge of tears.

I set down my plate. “Let’s go to Avery’s room and talk.”

“No.” She shakes her head, rapidly blinking. “I want to talk tothem.”

“Them?” I repeat before I realize what she means. The fae.

Rime gently asks her, “You mean us? Leo, Topaz and me?”

“Yes.” She gulps, and a tear spills down her cheek.

What have I done to my best friend?

Leo pulls me close and whispers, “What do you want us to tell her?”

“The truth,” I say, dabbing my wet eyes with my sleeve. “All of it.”

So that’s what they do. They tell her what they are, where they’re from, and why they’re here. Silent and dazed, she nods as they explain. It’s a lot to absorb, but there’s little room for denial considering she’s seen all their magic in action. Her crash course introduction to the fae was even faster than mine.

As they describe weaving, she finally snaps out of her trance. Recognition dawns on her face. “That’s where the snakes came from? And the roots?”

“Yeah, and they give us gifts in return,” Topaz says, unapologetically showing off her fangs.

Liv’s jaw drops in shock. And when Rime unleashes his orange-red eyes, her pupils dilate in fascination. But it’s not until she hears about Leo’s gift that she finally speaks, “You healed me, didn’t you? Before I had to climb up that chute.”

Smiling softly, he replies, “I calmed you, yes.”

“Thank you.” She smiles back, gazing at him with fresh eyes.

“Anytime.”

I reach over the couch’s armrest and squeeze his hand, grateful beyond words.