CHAPTER 43

The Arachne turned to look away from him, her fingers swiping at her face. "Sorry," she said with a sniffle. "It's just...this was my dad's car. Back when I was small, he would take Lala and me for rides around the forest. He would spend hours out here keeping it in working order. It was how he got supplies from town."

"It's hard seeing it like this, isn't it?" Mike moved to the side of the vehicle and put his hands on the cool metal. "When I was a kid, my mom and I bounced from home to home a lot. The only constant we had in our lives was our station wagon. I'm surprised the damn thing even ran. It was totaled in an accident, caught on fire and burned to the ground. The picture made it into the paper, I felt like I was looking at the murder scene of a friend." He didn't mention to her that he had been inside, and so had his mother. The fire had claimed his mother's life and freed him from her abuse, but not before leaving a mass of scars along the side of his body.

"My dad last drove this in October. Snuck out between storms to get a few things for the house, then came back." Velvet turned to face Mike and held out a car key. "The last time this key was used, he was alive."

Mike simply nodded, hoping she would say more.

"This whole place was always just us, you know? When mom died, Eulalie took it the hardest. There were even times I thought she was being ridiculous about it. I even told her to move on and caused a few fights. I feel bad about that now. I can't even look at this car without feeling like I'm going to fall to pieces any second."

"And that's okay." He stepped around one of her legs so that he was facing her. From this close, he could see the individual hairs on her legs. Where Eulalie's body had been glossy and sinister, Velvet's looked soft like a child's teddy bear. "We all grieve differently. Just tell me what you need."

She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes shimmering. The other eyes along her forehead glistened like tiny jewels, and he reached out to take her hand.

His magic ignited, catching him off guard, and the two of them froze in place when he shocked her. For just a second, his senses were overwhelmed as they magnified the world around him. The air in the barn was shifting back and forth in microcurrents around his legs, and he could hear the subtle shifting of wings up above. Strands of Velvet's hair stood on end, lifting away from her face as his magic crept along her skin.

"Mike..." Velvet looked at him in awe.

"Are you two okay in here?" Abella's talons crunched the fallen wood of the door as she walked into the barn. The gargoyle looked around the structure and shook her head. "What a shame. You can tell this place has some good bones. I'm sure it can be rebuilt."

Velvet yanked her hand away from Mike and tucked the strands behind her ears. The odd sensation of the air moving around him vanished. "It'll take some time, but we'll get it fixed up. We use this place for food storage, though I guess we could use dad's old room or something." At the mention of her father's room, her voice hitched slightly.

"Well, that's one possibility," Mike said. "You're always welcome to come stay with us at the house. We have plenty of room. In fact, we have an entire forest inside a magic greenhouse in the backyard. We're even stocking it with game, I'm sure you could work something out with the centaurs."

Velvet looked at him in contemplation for several seconds, then tilted her head. "You would let me come live with you?"

"Only if that's what you want." He looked down at his feet, wondering how much to say. He could tell her about the Society, the shadow, or pretty much every attempt on his life. But that wouldn't exactly sell her on the safety of the home. When he looked up at her, he saw that she had tilted her head to one side as if studying him. "I'm not going to lie. Sometimes living with me is dangerous. It's definitely complicated at times. But it wouldn't be lonely."

Abella scowled. Her tail thudded against the ground as she crossed her arms and turned away.

"That's..." Velvet frowned. "I'm not sure how I feel. Don't take it personally."

He nodded. "Let me know if that changes."

Velvet looked at him, then over his shoulder at Abella. It looked like Velvet wanted to say something as she rested her hands on her belly. She tapped her front foot a few times before stepping past him.

"If you'll excuse me," she said, then scurried out of the barn. Abella watched her go, then turned to face Mike.

"You can't be serious," Abella hissed. "One of them is a terrible idea, but both of them?"

"Ah." So, this was her problem. He walked over to the jeep and placed his hands on the cool metal. Prior to the Nirumbi's treatment, he could tell it had been well cared for. The man who had maintained this vehicle had raised two daughters out in the wilderness, all while showering them with love. In his opinion, such a person was to be admired.

He turned to lean against the car. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"They're dangerous." Abella pointed in the direction Velvet had gone. "Fast. Strong. Ruthless. If you let them into the house, I cannot protect you there. And the others, they look to you for guidance. They would accept the Arachne as one of us, and all it would take is a little bit of planning." She drew her finger across her throat. "In your sleep, one by one."