The Only Purple House in Town (Fix-It Witches, #4)(88)

For most people, that would mean he was taking a shower, but Eli opened the small window within the stall and shifted; then he swooped out into the waning sunlight. It had been a while since he’d flown, and the winds carried him toward Violet Gables.

No surprise there—it was where his heart and wings always led him. But today, the view was even more breathtaking.

The whole house glowed different than before, akin to the kaleidoscopic, incandescent hues that burned around Iris like a living rainbow. He circled overhead, taking in the new corona. He didn’t know what it meant, but the change likely heralded some massive shift. Feeling like a stalker, he perched on the roof, watching the street for a moment or two. Home might be where the heart was, but it didn’t mean he could stay.

So Eli soared away, wheeling toward open skies.





CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT





“We want you to come home,” Fen said, as if that should be obvious.

“Home, as in…fairyland?” Iris felt silly calling it that, but she had no other word. In fact, up until finding out that she was fae herself, she’d never given much thought to the lore, too busy trying and failing all over the place.

“There have been many names over the years,” said Rain. “Avalon, Mag Mell, Elfhame, Annwn. But Otherworld works well enough.”

Fen nodded. “Even better in modern tongue, I should think.”

“Look, I might be willing to visit at some point, after I get to know you better, but…I have a life here,” Iris said.

“If you stay, especially if you remain in that form, you’ll age,” Rain said softly.

“And eventually…cease,” Fen added in an anguished tone.

“Okay, I really don’t want to talk about my mortality right now. I get it. If I choose to go with you, I’ll be immortal and learn how to turn into a fairy horse that lives in the sea. And admittedly, that sounds cool as hell, but…”

“You’re not ready to sever all ties to this place,” Rain said.

“I was unhappy here sometimes,” she admitted. “But I’m just starting to figure things out. I love this house.”

Fen glanced around, a faint smile creasing their extraordinarily beautiful features. “That much is clear.”

That said, she did want to get to know her…parents? Progenitors? Whatever. “Can we leave the anchor in place? And the door in the basement. That way, you can visit whenever you want. Once we get closer, I’d like to see the Otherworld too.”

“Bliss!” Rain exclaimed.

Fen took her hand and kissed both of her palms. It felt like an oddly reverent gesture, and Iris wondered if the twenty-seven years she’d been missing had felt like five minutes to them. “We have so much to show you, so much beauty that’s not to be believed.”

“No Thomas the Rhymer nonsense, okay? I don’t want to be gone for seven years.”

“We’ll do our best to keep track of mortal time,” Rain promised.

Fen knelt before her, dark eyes twinkling like a starry night. “I know you’re struggling, but may we embrace you?”

She couldn’t recall the woman who’d raised her ever asking for a hug or offering one. Tears prickled in her eyes. I’m not unwanted. I’m not a fuckup. My people were just…misplaced. For a time. Iris included everyone who lived at Violet Gables in that assessment, but she was glad to add Rain and Fen to the list of people who cared.

“Absolutely.”

The two fae drew her close, bracketing her between them. Maybe it was her imagination, but Rain truly smelled like fresh droplets of water gliding over the flower petals, while Fen reminded her of freshly turned farmland and the verdant smell of new life breaking the surface of the earth after a long winter. Each embodied springtime in a different way, and Iris came out of the hug feeling dazed and delighted.

“I came from the two of you. Really?”

“Are you happy about that?” Rain asked.

“Yeah. It doesn’t feel quite real, but I’m ecstatic.”

“As are we,” Fen said.

Before she could respond, a knock sounded at the door. Sally called, “Keep talking with your visitors. I’ll get it.”

The older woman darted from the kitchen, through the front room, and into the foyer, where Iris heard her speaking to someone. She couldn’t make out the words, but Sally’s tone shifted from inquiring to annoyed.

Then she came to the archway and said, “Looks like they need a word with you. It’s about the complaint Susan Grumpyguts filed.”

“Grumpyguts?” Rain repeated. “What a curious surname.”

“It’s not her legal name,” Iris said, like that was the salient point here.

She gestured to indicate she’d be right back (hopefully). No way to be sure if Rain and Fen understood, but she shouldn’t keep the inspector waiting. It was a middle-aged man, balding, plaid shirt tucked into a pair of khakis. He was carrying a sheaf of paperwork, and he radiated impatience as he waited for an invitation to enter.

“Come in, what’s this about?” As if Iris didn’t know perfectly well.

“It says here that you’re the homeowner, is that correct?”

“Yes, I own Violet Gables.”