Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,41

but I was weak and caved in the dream. I let him make love to me and it was better than I remembered, it was more somehow.

Which made me cry even harder when it was over. I broke down sobbing to him about him again. All he did was hold me and promise he loved me, wouldn’t ever leave me and had his head together now.

But even in my dreams, I wouldn’t believe him.

I wasn’t sure if that was sadder for him or me.

The next morning, I woke tired but not as bad, still using a healing rune before sliding out of bed. I was alone, having sent Lucca to the guest room after he groveled some more. I needed time to think and he was all over me, which I knew was the point and to push me to forgive him… But it was pushing me to forgive him, and I wasn’t sure it was the smart choice.

Or at least yet.

I had a lot on my fucking mind.

The weather had warmed the day before to melt the remnants of the snow, so I ran outside and took the dogs with me. We took a break in the greenhouses where I fed them a selection of the ripe produce that had to be picked that day. I smiled as I thought about how the hobgoblins had taught me all about that and how much I loved them.

And peace filled me. It wasn’t only about saving fairies, unfreezing them and risking that I got more Neldors for my troubles. No, the fair folk deserved to be able to go home where they were safe and I was the only one who could do it.

It was a huge burden, but they’d done so much for me that I was honored to be the one to get them home. It felt right.

My stomach rumbled—like always—and I hurried back to the house, laughing when the dogs circled around me as if knowing they were going to get more food as well. I went in through the back door just to be a shit, amused when they barked in protest like I couldn’t get to the garage that way.

“What’s got you smiling so much this morning, love?” Craftsman greeted as he pulled containers out of bags.

“I…” I shook my head, realizing I had almost answered him as if he was dream Craftsman and not our reality. That was why the dreams were dangerous. “Nothing. What’s all of this?”

“We’re not doing our eating out an area because of everything going on, so instead we’re ordering the menu and bringing it all here and changing things up,” Izzy explained as she read what was on the containers. “I called places and lined them all up in one area and told them we were reviewers who would order the whole menu, but we didn’t like to be watched when we do it, so it was to-go. Play or not. Some didn’t.”

“Cool. Thanks, Izzy.”

She shrugged. “We made promises and some of us aren’t going to bail on them because we didn’t agree with how you handled one thing that wasn’t an easy decision.”

Meaning she didn’t like what I’d done, mostly because it caused upset, but she was also upset with Mel for bailing on me. She was so fair, she fit in perfectly with us.

Lucca and Darby stumbled into the kitchen and they got set up with us, Lucca actually taking Mel’s spot. He was ridiculously excited to be involved in the fun.

“We’re not testing out weapons or like, new video games,” I reminded him.

“I know, but you’ve met my parents. My mom is awesome but… Do you see her doing something like this?”

I actually didn’t have an answer for that, not knowing her well enough. She was very refined and gracious, but did that mean she couldn’t order the menu to sample or enjoy food? I simply shrugged and passed down the coffee drinks to them since it was a breakfast café.

A breakfast café that had extremely good bagels.

“They make them in-house,” Izzy told me after the third time I said that.

“I feel left out,” Marshall grumbled as he came in with Sean and several of the other wolves who had worked for Artemis and knew about me. I’d snagged them as my guards now, and it was nice to have them around.

“When have I ever been so mean?” she drawled as Zack, Ray, and Neldor joined us as well. “There are several extra bags of what you