crammed into Rowan’s SUV. My shoulders relaxed once I could see them all. They were safe, and that was all that mattered.
The four boys squished in the back seat while Safiya called shotgun. Fawn sat on my lap, clinging to me like a shield. She’d predicted the assassins would come for me this afternoon, and now she wouldn’t let me go. She’d foreseen the Nightling, too.
How did my little sister know about impending violence? What was she?
As the driver took us home, Safiya turned around to face the Fae at my sides, her eyes sparkling above what she probably thought was an alluring smile. She kept throwing questions at them, and the Fae answered absent-mindedly now and then. Eventually they stopped responding completely, more focused on security outside the SUV. Safiya dropped her smile and faced the windshield again.
Emmett lightly touched my shoulder. “What happened to you, Evie?”
Despite my effort to pull myself together, I still looked deranged and crazed-eyed. Emmett was a sensitive kid. And not driving our van was a huge clue something had happened.
“Just a small accident,” I said. “We’ll get the van fixed.”
“My man will drive a warded transportation for you from now on,” Rowan said.
“She’s on my security details,” Baron growled.
“Evie?” Emmett touched my shoulder again, and I turned to look at him. He darted his eyes between the two Fae, his eyes wild and worried.
“I’ll explain later,” I said.
I didn’t like accepting outside help. I preferred handling everything myself, but I was no longer in a position to hold on to my pride while I had a bounty on my head and six kids to raise in the meantime.
I didn’t even know how to cope with the assassins’ corpses we left behind if the Fae knights hadn’t taken care of the issue. Dealing with human law enforcement when supernaturals were involved was going to be worse than a nightmare.
I might act cocky and confident, but I was completely over my head in this other world. I felt like a toddler stumbling along and trying to fend off hellhounds with a stick.
So, yes, I would swallow my pride and get any help I could, including aid from these two insufferable, arrogant, yet panty-melting Fae hotties.
“We can take a bus to school and back, you know,” Emmett said. “You don’t need to do everything for us.”
“No way!” Safiya whipped around to stare daggers at him. “We’d have to walk two miles from our house to get to the nearest bus station. And I’m not going to be one of the uncool kids taking a bus!”
“It’s not safe for any of you to take the bus, Emmett,” I said. “But thanks for trying to help.”
“Is the car behind us our bodyguards, too?” Cassidy piped up. “We’re royalty now!”
I rolled my eyes. The eight-year-old was vainer than anyone.
As we cruised down the street to my house, I didn’t spot any suspicious activities, except for the patrolling Winter and Summer knights.
Both vehicles parked in the driveway. The drivers joined their counterparts at the perimeter, and my stalkers waited silently while I hustled the kids out of the SUV and shooed them into the house. Then I faced Baron and Rowan.
“Uh, thanks,” I said. “I guess I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”
“I don’t want to say goodbye yet,” Baron said, flashing me a disarming smile. “I want to hang out with you more.”
He picked up human slang fast.
“I think we should take it slow,” I said.
“I can take it slow with you in your house,” Rowan murmured, his scintillating voice like ice melting on hot skin. “I won’t do anything without your permission, I promise. Baron can be a pest, but I’m harmless.”
These Fae were going to be the death of me. I didn’t want to part with them either, but I didn’t want them to cross the boundaries too soon. Inviting them into my home that sheltered my family was a huge leap, and I wouldn’t take it lightly.
“And I’d be thrilled to answer more questions,” Rowan added eagerly.
I crossed my arms. Human guys would get the hint, but Baron and Rowan had no subtlety and believed they would always get their way. Well, too bad for them, I wasn’t—
“Evie, I’d like to invite them in.”
“Fawn!” I snapped, wheeling to her where she stood at the doorstep. “You can’t just invite anyone in!”
My sister had no idea of what she’d invite into our house. Hadn’t I laid out the house rules for my siblings the other night, including not talking