BooksBarbecue
Back The Ever After
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  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

“Thank you,” he replied. “I will probably take you up on that.”

“I have to go back to Merellä,” I realized.

“But you just got here,” Finn said.

“And I’m needed here,” Sumi said.

“You should stay,” I told her. “Maybe Sunniva and Tove can help Eliana with her memory, and she can spend more time with Hanna, while you two help Finn decide how best to handle the Älvolk.

“But I need to go back to the Mimirin and get to the bottom of the vision I had,” I said. “I need to learn as much as I can about the albino elk, and I can help Elof and Dagny figure out a way to stop the Älvolk from crossing the bridge.”

49

image

Humanity

I drove by myself for nearly two days, minus pit stops and the seven hours I slept in the Jeep at a rest stop in Montana. It was a long, boring trip, but I did notice that I’d gotten better around humans. It used to be that I tensed up every time I pulled into a gas station. But now it didn’t bother me. They were all so busy worrying about their own stuff, most of the time they never even noticed me, and if they did, they were mostly polite.

Still, I was happy to be back in Merellä and relieved that the guard let me pass with my old acceptance letter. It was late on Saturday, and Pan should’ve just finished up his night shift as a peurojen. As tired as I was, seeing Pan sounded better than sprawling out in my bed.

His apartment was on Market Street, and all the shops on the row were closed, so I parked right out front. The entrance was around back, and I rang the doorbell and waited in the dimly lit alley.

I heard footsteps pounding on the steps, and then he opened the door wearing an Ottawa Senators hockey T-shirt.

His hair was disheveled, like he’d been sleeping, but his eyes were bright and his breathless smile seemed genuine.

“I hope you don’t mind that I just stopped by.”

“Are you kidding me?” His crooked smile deepened, and he stepped closer to me. He cradled my face in his hands, then he leaned in and kissed me.

“I missed you too.”

“I did miss you,” he said, then stepped back so I could enter his apartment. “Come on in. I know you had a long trip.”

I’d walked Pan to his door before, but I had never actually been inside.

There was a small entryway right inside the door, and then a set of stairs leading to his second-story flat. Outside, it smelled strongly of smoked salmon, which attracted more than a few stray cats, but inside, Pan had strategically placed infusers around so it smelled nicely of a rainy meadow.