A Human’s Guide to Surviving Magical Mishaps by Kit Bryan

I don't hesitate. I rush outside to him and grab his arms. I immediately start checking him over for injuries. He doesn't LOOK hurt. Just super tired. But I'm still freaking out. What if he's hurt somewhere I can't see? What if he's been poisoned? Both the assassins he is hunting use poison. Where are all the others? Are THEY hurt? Are they dead?!

"Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are the others? Why are you so late?" I blurt it all out in a frantic babble of words. The anxiety I feel when he's away from me has already faded so this anxiety, this is all mine. Just because I am legitimately worried about him. Of course I am. I do love him after all. I don't want anything bad to happen to him. I can't lose anyone else. I feel sick at the thought.

"Woah, Kat, relax. I am completely fine. Nothing bad happened. Actually I have good news. The reason the other guards are not here is because we captured the two remaining assassins and I sent them to escort them to the fae realm to be safely locked away and sentenced. It is done. You are safe now, they will never hurt you or anyone else ever again." He promises. My jaw drops. Really? That's it? It's over? Just like that. I missed all of it. After everything we went through to capture them, was it really so easy. Marcus was right. We should have gotten more help from the start. Fin insists that it wouldn't have been so easy even if we got help back then because we didn't know who the fae were, but it only took them a couple days to find and capture all four of them, and as far as I can tell, no one has been injured. It's such a relief.

I burst into tears. Ashton's eyes go wide in shock.

"Kat? What is wrong? I thought you would be pleased. Why are you crying? Is it something that I said?" Ashton is kind of freaking out.

"I... I don't KNOW. It's just... Such a relief to hear that they're gone. But also I don't know what comes next. This has been our entire focus, it's been the goal and now... I don't know. Things can't go back to the way they were before all this happened. I'm just kind of lost." I explain, sniffling and wiping my tears away.

"But you're right. This IS good news. We should be celebrating. Why don't we go inside and tell everyone?" I suggest weakly. Ashton still looks concerned but he nods his agreement. We barely make it over the front doorstep before he stumbles. I catch him and stagger under his weight.

"I thought you said you weren't injured!" I practically hiss the words as I start checking him for injuries again.

"I am fine. I just used a lot of magic. I am merely tired." He assures me. I stare at him doubtfully and he hugs me tighter with the arm he currently has looped over my shoulder.

"I promise I am not injured." He says again and I sigh in relief. "Good. I'm glad."

We make it to the living room where everyone looks at Ashton expectantly. Fin seems focussed on Ashton's arm over my shoulder and looks at me with in a raised eyebrow. I roll my eyes at him and he seems kind of amused.

"The assassins have all been captured. It is over." Ashton announces, first in fae, then again English for Lucy and Marcus. Everyone cheers loudly. Lucy and Marcus hug each other and in a moment of excitement, Lucy throws her arms around Fin in a hug, but before he can reciprocate she pulls back and glares at him like it's his fault that she hugged him. He just smiles at her and nods. The other fae glance at the two of them curiously, but mostly they just crowd around us asking questions about what happened. Ashton seems willing enough to answer them, but I can feel that he is starting to lean on me even more heavily. Yeah, nope. Now is not the time for interrogations.

"I am as happy about this as all of you, probably more so. But Ashton is exhausted and needs to rest so you can all have a proper meeting and talk in the morning. Although I suppose you do not need to stay here anymore as the danger has passed. So you are welcome to go home if that is what you would prefer." I add as an afterthought. These fae have pretty much all been sleeping on the floor, they might prefer to go home where they can be comfortable. The fae glance curiously at Ashton and it occurs to me that it probably isn't my place to tell them what they can and can't do. I'm not the boss of them, he is. Ashton doesn't answer their silent question, mostly because his eyes have started to fall shut. I don't think he's even noticed. Fin does though.

"Well, you heard her. You may go home if you like. If not, our host is generous enough to let us stay a while longer. We can talk properly in the morning. For now, our prince needs to rest. Go on Kat. I'll take care of them. It's late." Fin says kindly.

I wave goodnight to Lucy and Marcus, then stagger down the hall with Ashton to my room where he practically collapses into bed. Normally I'd suggest that he should have a shower or something first, but he doesn't look particularly gross or anything and I'm fairly convinced that he would pass out in the shower and hit his head or something so it'll have to wait. I adjust the blankets around him carefully.

"Silly fae. You should have had someone bring you home. What would we have done if you passed out in the street again?" I scold him. I don't really expect him to answer, he's basically asleep. So I flinch when he speaks.

"I did not want to risk the assassins escaping again. I thought it best to send as many guards with them as possible, then I came home to you. I am sorry to be so late. I promised I would not make you sleep alone. Did you wait up for me?" He murmurs, his words are slurred slightly. He seems like he's in that dazed state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness. His eyes are shut so he can't see me, but I nod anyway.

"Yeah I did. I was worried about you and... I missed you." I admit. Ashton doesn't open his eyes, but he smiles.

"I always miss you." He says softly. He lays his arm out over the pillow, a clear invitation. I shouldn't, but I can't help myself. I curl up against his side, using his arm as a pillow and within a few minutes, we're both asleep.

I have the same nightmare again. I wake up, but I'm not screaming this time at least. Ashton is still asleep and I'm still lying on his arm. I move around a little and he notices because he wraps his other arm around my waist and pulls me closer. "Are you okay?" He whispers.

"Bad dream, it's fine. Go back to sleep." I answer. He hugs me tightly, I'm practically lying on his chest now. I can feel his heart beating steadily.

"You are safe." He says quietly. He presses a kiss to my hair, then goes back to sleep. I stay awake a while longer, safe and warm in his arms. I might not know what I want to do in the future, but if I could sleep like this in his arms every night? That might not be too bad.