to strangers or inviting them in?
Fawn tilted her head to the side. “They aren’t just anyone.”
“I accept your kindness with gratitude, Lady Fawn,” Rowan and Baron said in sync, smiling at Fawn fondly and strolling past me toward our house.
Lady Fawn?
I stood there speechless for a second, and then stormed after them across my front lawn.
“The lawn needs to be tended,” Rowan said, turning and snapping at one of his knights at the curve of the alley.
If they wanted to trim the grass, fine, but I wasn’t paying for Fae labor.
Rowan stepped in my house as Fawn held the door open for him, but Baron paused on the stairs. He sniffed, then looked down at the threshold.
“Garlic, salt, and iron,” he concluded, then regarded me. “They won’t stop anyone from entering your house, not even vampires. Someone gave you bad advice, Evie. And when garlic and salt become stale, they often attract bad energy.”
My face burned. Stupid Google. I could have used that money to buy food.
Baron continued with an indulgent, smug smile. “But now you have me. You have access to a vast of valuable information.”
I ignored him but I followed him into my house, making sure that my siblings stayed put. When I walked into the kitchen, my eyes went round at all the groceries piled on the counters. Where had they come from? Rowan had removed his trench coat and laid it on the back of a chair. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and pulled stacks of T-bone steaks out of a grocery bag.
My jaw dropped open. Was I hallucinating?
Rowan pointed at Emmett and the twins. “You’ll assist me to make the best dinner ever.”
And my brothers answered his command as if his words were gold. I sighed at the injustice while Safiya perched on a stool and watched Rowan with a dreamy smile.
Well, the boys had food covered then. They didn’t need me in the kitchen. I tiptoed out of their territory, and found Cassidy interrogating Baron in the common room.
“Are you sure you’re Evie’s guardian angel?” Cassidy asked with narrowed eyes.
“Of course. I’m also Lady Evie’s best suitor,” Baron informed him.
I held back a snort. At least he didn’t say the word “mate” in front of my little brother.
“That’s fine. She has to marry someone eventually,” Cassidy said. “But I need proof. I’m not just going to let her marry anyone. She’s a catch. Where are your wings if you’re an angel?”
Smirking, I let Baron babysit my brother. For the first time, I forgot that both Baron and Rowan were actually Fae. Participating in my domestic life made them feel real for the first time. The pent-up panic and despair that had been building in me since my parents’ disappearance lessened a bit, as if the change had created a vent for those emotions to escape like black smoke rising from a chimney.
Fawn waited for me at the foot of the stairs. It was time I chatted with my little sister. I padded to her. She held my hand and we walked up the stairs to my room.
We sat in the middle of my bed and I started braiding her silver-blond hair. Her eyes moistened as I finished the braids. Mom used to do that for her.
“Everything will be fine, angel,” I said, kissing her crown. “I’ll take care of you. I’ll take care of everyone.” I paused for a second. “Fawn, how did you know the bad guys were gunning for me?”
The tears vanished as her normally gray eyes with depth beyond her years frosted with white.
“Fawn?” I called in alarm, holding her tiny arms. She was so fragile, so breakable. My little sister.
“One of us will be taken,” she said, her voice turning cold, sharp, yet somehow dreamy. It wasn’t the voice of a six-year-old. “You’ll turn. You’ll never be the same.”
A chill sank deep into my bones I feared I’d never get warm again.
“Who are you?” I demanded. “Are you my sister Fawn?”
“I’m the bone witch sent to you,” she said. “This body carries two souls—a young one and an ancient one. We must warn you, yet we must remain hidden from the true dark one who wants you dead.”
“Who wants me dead? Why?” My voice grew high-pitched. “Who’s the dark one?”
“Three kings have come. The wheel is turning,” the witch’s voice pronounced as coldness filled me. “One betrays. One breaks the heart. One sacrifices. One unites. Survive the Wild Hunt, or all will be lost.”
“What is the Wild