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Back The Ever After
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
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  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
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  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. 85
  88. 86
  89. Epilogue
  90. GLOSSARY
  91. TheEVERAFTER
  92. By Amanda Hocking

When I got there, Bain answered the door and showed me to the sitting room, where Sunniva was already waiting. A cup of tea—mint flavored based on the scent—was in her hands, both carefully cupping the mug so her rings clinked against the ceramic.

“Tove, your guest is here!” Bain shouted up the stairs. He smiled nervously at me. “He’ll be down in a minute.”

Though he’d been the Chancellor for years, Bain lacked a politician’s knack for hiding his true feelings. Part of that was his boyish face and his wide blue eyes. His features were otherwise very Trylle, but his light eye color meant he had Skojare in him too.

Tove jogged down the stairs a moment later, his hair still damp from the shower. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I finished filling the bath in the guest room with cold water.” He glanced at me, his mossy green eyes landing on me for a split second. “Just in case.”

“That really doesn’t sound safe,” Bain said, his voice tight with worry.

“We’ve got this,” Sunniva told him, and set her cup on the mirrored coffee table. “I’ve been training.” Long, thick lashes framed her earnest brown eyes, and her dark hair hung in a thick Dutch braid.

“Didn’t you have a book club you wanted to get to today, hon?” Tove asked Bain.

“I did.” Bain took a deep breath. “Be safe.” He looked to me. “All of you.” He kissed Tove, then gave me and Sunniva a polite goodbye before departing out the front door.

After he’d gone, I told Sunniva and Tove about the hyperrealistic dream that ended in me burning in green flames.

“Why are you telling me this?” Sunniva asked flatly, while Tove went into the kitchen to get a wet washrag and an ice pack.

“I’m not normally the type to tell everyone about my dreams,” I said. “But this seemed so real. Like it was really happening. Or the memory of something that did really happen.” I shuddered involuntarily at the thought of the way my flesh burned and smoke filled my lungs. The scent of ashes and smoke still clung to the inside of my nostrils.

Sunniva shrugged. “Maybe it did happen, but it didn’t happen to you. You didn’t die in a fire.”

“Not yet,” I muttered.

“I’ll be keeping tabs on your body temp,” Tove said as he returned. “I won’t let things get out of control.”

“Let’s do this,” Sunniva said, and pointed to the furniture. “Move this out of the way.”