Chapter Thirteen

When we returned to Featherstone, Varella once more resumed command of the throne, which left Lady Bon-Hwa to relay that things uneventful in our absence.

I had a quiet dinner with the queen after bathing in a tub this time. We had a seven-bean soup and the softest bread I'd ever eaten.

My mistress and I didn't talk much, but it wasn't awkward. I think we were both just tired, from stopping a war, from the metaphysical sex, and from flying for hours.

I must have yawned once or twice because the queen giggled.

"What?" I asked, grinning.

"Stop it, darling. You're going to make me—" she was interrupted by a yawn. And I lost it, giving into a belly laugh and a hearty "Haha!"

When I stopped laughing, I looked up to find the queen had vanished in a puff of black feathers, which were now falling over her seat. Before I could whip my head around, she was beside me.

Her hand went to my hair and pulled me to the side slowly so she could lower her lips to my ears and whisper, "Careful who you laugh at, my pet. Lest I be forced to. . . what did you say before I brought you to a mind-melting orgasm last night? Step on you?"

I froze. She was right. I had said those words upon seeing her naked for the first time, and that image popped into my head again. Fuck, she was beautiful.

"Sorry, mistress," I said, half wondering if I should laugh in her face now that she was right next to me. That would certainly get her to— no, I have more self-control than that. . . hopefully.

She gently let go of my hair and kissed the top of my head.

"Well, I think I'll retire for the evening. You have a wonderful night, my pet," she said, running a couple of her fingers over my shoulder and leaving me shivering.

"G-g'night, your grace," I said.

A member of the kitchen staff asked if I wanted dessert, and I shook my head, thanking him for the meal. Then I excused myself to my bedroom, yawning another two or three times on the way there.

When I opened the door, I saw a familiar face leaning against the wall and reading a magazine. She was chewing fruity gum and smiled when I came in. But her smile wasn't half the size mine was.

"Lily!" I practically screamed and ran at her, throwing my arms around the half-fae I'd adopted as my best friend surprisingly fast.

She laughed and hugged me back before reaching into the pocket of her red hoodie and handing me something cold. It was the Monster drink I'd asked her to grab me.

"Holy shit. You remembered," I said, popping the tab and taking a drink. Ahhhhh, I'd almost forgotten how much I missed caffeine making up 50 percent of my bloodstream.

"Well, it wasn't the most complicated order, silly. A quick stop at the convenience store before I came back, and poof. Your wish was fulfilled," Lily said, putting the magazine down on a nearby table.

I put the drink down next to it and said, "Well, I'm grateful. Thank you."

Lily paused for a moment and then looked me over real close.

"You look different than the last time I saw you," she said.

I blushed something fierce when I realized what she was hinting at, praying she wouldn't notice.

"My hair still hasn't settled right since all that flying. It probably looks different," I said, coughing.

Lily shook her head.

"No, that's not it. You're standing differently. Your shoulders aren't bunched up as tight. Your first instinct was to hug me," she said.

I said a silent prayer to whatever Faerie gods were listening that her astute logic would derail soon. But because I was mortal (or maybe, they didn't care), that didn't happen.

"Holy shit. Our queen finally broke you in," Lily said as a grin crept across her face. And in that smile, I saw all the laughs and giggles of a high school senior who just discovered her best friend went all the way.

All I could do was hold my face in my hands while my face heated to exactly 345 degrees Kelvin. Of course the spy figured it out within a couple of minutes.

"Look, it's not like that. All we did was. . .," I faded off, unsure of how exactly to describe metaphysical sex. I mean, there was still touching involved and kissing. But it was mostly the queen's magic that'd brought me.

"Yeah?" Lily asked, still wearing a leering grin.

I rolled my eyes.

Walking over to the table to grab my drink, I sat on the bed and kicked my legs. Lily sat next to me, blowing a bubble and popping it.

And for the next few minutes, I told her everything. I didn't hold anything back, and the more I talked about our activities, the less embarrassing the entire situation became. I took a deep breath, and Lily sat there patiently listening.

Twice she reached over and took my drink from my hand, sipping it before handing it back. I guess our friendship had reached the stage of sharing drinks. I seriously hoped half-fae didn't get sick from werewolf germs.

"Wow," Lily said.

I raised an eyebrow and made a "hmmm?" noise.

"It's just. . . you did not stop smiling once during that entire conversation. Our queen did a number on you, got you deep under the spell of her glamour," Lily said, bumping my elbow.

She snatched my drink again and finished it. I only discovered this when I went for the last swallow, and it was gone.

Fucking traitor, I thought, before remembering she literally went to another world to fetch this for me.

As for how I felt. . . things were good. I was happy my mistress and I spent the night together. And I was happy I had a best friend to share this stuff with. This all led to a cheesy smile claiming territory on my face and refusing to depart.

Lily and I stayed up talking for another hour before my yawns defeated the Monster to claim my attention for the night.

The spy hopped off the bed and started to leave when I called out to her. Her hand was inches from the door.

She turned to face me with a quizzical expression.

"Will you. . . spend the night with me again?" I asked. "If you want to?"

"You want me to share your bed again?" Lily asked. There was no teasing in her tone. She just wanted to understand what I desired from her.

I nodded, heat returning to my cheeks.

"Look. . . I slept well when you were here that night. And as long as I'm not too annoying, I'd like to continue that," I said, feeling like I was asking the world. I probably was. Wasn't I? This wasn't a normal request by any stretch. And the more I thought about it, the more I wished I hadn't said anything.

But I want her with me, I thought. So, I'd risk the embarrassment. And if Lily said no, she said no. I wasn't going to press her on it.

The spy's expression betrayed none of her thoughts. I suddenly found myself wanting to take her gambling at some card table at a casino. But I realized there were two problems with this. First, I didn't know how to get back to the human world. Second, I didn't know shit about gambling.

"You want to continue sharing a bed?" she asked.

I nodded.

"How often?" the spy asked.

"Whenever you're here, and I'm not being. . . broken in by my mistress," I said, my heart skipping a beat. Was this something we could joke about?

Silence filled the room. And when we both couldn't take the tension anymore, our laughs washed over the space in unison. I was laughing so hard I nearly fell over. Lily wiped a tear from her face she was laughing so hard.

"Okay," she said, standing up and getting her breath back. "To clarify, you want me in bed with you, snuggled up close every night that I'm here in the castle that you're not otherwise occupied with our queen? Is that right?"

When she said it that way, I was once again pressed by the awkwardness of this request. And I scratched the back of my head. I could only nod.

"You can say no. I won't be upset, I promise," I said. "I don't know what's come over me to ask this all of a sudden, but it's what I want more than anything."

Lily nodded for a moment considering my words. Then she closed the distance between us and said, "Fine."

The look on my face must have been one of confusion because she just smirked.

"I'm giving you what you asked for, Sierra. Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, shaking her head.

"I guess. . . because you're giving me what I asked for without mockery or pointing out how weird of a request it is," I said, looking at the floor. "I feel unreasonable even making it."

The spy shook her head again.

"You shouldn't feel unreasonable. You're a werewolf. This request lines up pretty much square with your behavior patterns," she said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"You're gonna have to explain that logic to me," I said.

Lily sat us both down on the bed and held my hands in her lap. Her touch was warm and full of close affection that I craved like a human in the desert without a drop of water.

"Wolves are pack animals. They sleep together every night, one giant cuddle pile. You've been deprived of that your entire life, so you can just say you're making up for lost time," she said.

Her words made sense, but I still wasn't entirely convinced.

"But Lily. . . you're not a werewolf. So, why do I want. . . what I asked for so badly?"

She shrugged.

"I assume you probably view me as a member of your pack on some level. It doesn't bother me at all. Not like you have other werewolves here in Featherstone to choose from," she said, chuckling.

So. . . my inner wolf was leaking through to my instincts in every area of my human life, even to the point of viewing my best friend as a pack member. Some days being a mythical creature was weird. Okay. . . most days being a mythical creature was weird. But it was never dull. I thanked the gods I didn't end up as a were-accountant or a were-insurance claims adjuster.

"Okay, fine. Let's say my subconscious sees you as a pack member, and I want you to sleep with me each night you can. That still doesn't explain why you so readily agreed," I said. "Isn't this a bothersome request in any way?"

Lily gave me another shrug.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say, Sierra," she said. "Your request doesn't bother me. You have a comfortable bed. I like having a warm body next to me when I sleep. And I enjoy your company. So, if you want me here, I'll be here. Every night if that's what you desire."

She made it sound so mundane. But this was still fucking bonkers, right? Eh, fuck it. I got what I wanted. I'm too tired to argue with my brain about whether it makes sense, or whether there's something I should be concerned about. Maybe it'd be better for me to simplify this without staring at the gift horse from any angle.

"Thank you," I said.

"No problem, Si."

I just gave her a blank stare.

"Is that my new nickname?"

"Do you have a problem with it?"

I dunno. . . do I? I thought. I've never had a nickname before.

"Uh, no, I guess. It's cute. I like it," I said. "Please say it again."

Lily beamed as though my rapid acceptance of the name somehow made her night. And while I didn't understand why it made her so happy, I was also too tired to overthink things.

"You got it, Si."

The nickname flowed easily and settled upon my heart and mind without an ounce of hesitation. The damn thing just felt right. A perfect puzzle piece fit. But only coming from Lily. If anyone else called me Si, I'd deck them.

"Hey, would it bother you if I slept in the nude? I'll be honest, I squirmed a lot when we shared the bed last time because I'm not used to wearing clothes in bed," Lily said. "If it bothers you, I'll wear pajamas, though. I don't want to cross a boundary."

I thought about it for a moment. Maybe 10 minutes ago this request would have left me freaking out. But when I pictured a group of wolves sleeping together in the snow, none of them were wearing pajamas. Though it would be fucking adorable if they were. Maybe some cute little PJs with puppies on— no, I need to focus.

"You know what? I'm not bothered by that at all, Lily. And it's strange for me to admit that because I feel like I should be. But out of nowhere, I'm just. . . not," I said, scratching the back of my head.

Lily nodded and went to wash up for the night in my bathroom. Our bathroom? Fuck, I didn't know. I'd figure that shit out later.

When she finished, I went in and washed up.

As I came out, I saw her clothes folded neatly on my nightstand, and she was already under the quilt.

"Should I also. . . strip?" I asked.

"Only if you want to. You certainly don't have to," she said, yawning.

Immediately catching it, I yawned.

Fuck. Mistress got her revenge, after all, I thought, scowling.

I thought about my clothes. When I was in an abusive household, I always slept in clothes because I never knew when a drunken man would storm in screaming, knocking shit around. The last thing I wanted to be when he came around was vulnerable.

But I wasn't in that situation now. I had Lily. And there were well-trained fae knights outside patrolling the halls. That bastard would be slaughtered before he got within 25 feet of my door, if I hadn't already killed him, that is.

So, I tossed my clothes to the floor and climbed under the covers with Lily.

We shared warmth and comfort and tenderness, all the wonderful things that came within the safety of our friendship.

"Thanks for not making this weird," I said. "You're pretty damn wonderful."

"We're sleeping in the palace of a dark queen of Faerie, Si. Everything here is weird. And nothing is."