explained to Merdon that we were having a get-together to remember the people who’d died. Then, she invited him to stay.
I rolled my eyes. Of course she’d invite him; he hadn’t been following her around all morning.
Fyllo smiled at me from outside and held up another bottle of sherry.
“I had more,” he said.
“That’s great! Come on in. Just set the bottle on the counter.”
As interested as I was in another drink, I knew there’d be better options.
Behind him, more fey emerged from the dark. A good number of them carried bottles. I chose not to notice how many held some kind of dish. Leaving the door open, I selected one of the mellower vinyls from our collection and went to the turntable. In no time, smooth music filled the air.
While Emily welcomed guests, I began pouring drinks in the kitchen. Generally, the fey didn’t care for the burn of alcohol, which meant more liquor for those who did like to drink it.
Greedily eyeing the few extra inches of alcohol that I’d given myself, I lifted my cup to my lips and took a large swallow. It didn’t burn on the way down, but it did warm my stomach. The mellowness I needed would soon follow, and I settled a hip against the counter to patiently wait for it.
As I drank some more, I looked around the room. Fey outnumbered the few human females brave enough to attend. No surprise there. Of the human survivors, fewer than half were females. And fewer than half of those lived in our fey-friendly community of Tolerance. Emily had done her job well, though, and there were new female faces in the crowd. Most of them hung out around the food table, sampling what the fey had procured, as the fey tried to make conversation with them.
I wondered how many of these new girls wished they hadn’t agreed to stay here after yesterday’s blood bath. Given they were alive and being fed, probably none of them. We lived in a “take what you can get” kind of world after all.
I snorted into my cup and continued to look around.
Green and gold eyes locked onto mine from across the room. Merdon was watching me again. I flashed him my bright smile since it always paid to be welcoming to the fey, no matter how annoying they were, then turned my back on him and tipped my glass.
“Hannah,” Emily said, coming to me with a new girl in tow. “This is Cheri. She’s new here.”
Someone caught Emily’s eye, or at least that’s what she pretended happened, and she excused herself. Pawning off guests was a skill Emily had probably perfected before the quakes. She was a social queen like that. After all, if she let one person monopolize her time, how would she ever get to talk to everyone?
“Hi, Cheri,” I said brightly as I handed her a drink. “Sorry, I don’t remember seeing your face with the Whiteman people. Are you liking living in Tolerance so far?”
She gave me a strained smile.
“It’s an adjustment.”
I gave a humorless laugh. “It’s the apocalypse. Of course it’s an adjustment.”
“You’re right. Sorry. I shouldn’t complain.”
“Nah. Complain away. I’m all ears.”
She shot me a confused look, obviously trying to figure out if I was being sarcastic or sincere. I kept my Hannah-loves-everyone smile firmly in place and waited.
“I appreciate the food and the safety. I really do. But the attention’s a little overwhelming. My roommate stands outside the bathroom door when I’m in there.” She flushed and glanced across the room at one of the fey.
“Yeah, he’s probably picturing you naked. Or hoping you’ll walk out naked. Don’t overthink it. The fey are harmless. I promise. Drink up and relax.”
She nodded, took the first sip of her drink, and coughed.
“What is this?”
I glanced at the bottles on the counter.
“It’s either brandy or whiskey.”
“Straight?”
True humor lifted my lips.
“The end of the world isn’t watered down; why should the drinks be?”
She gave a tentative smile and lifted her cup to her lips again. I glanced across the room at Farco and winked. He flashed his teeth at me, knowing he’d be carrying his newly acquired roommate home. Oh, I had no concerns about Cheri’s safety. He’d carry her home, remove her shoes, and tuck her into bed like a good fey. They never took more than what was offered. It wasn’t their way. Just holding her in his arms would be enough for him.