Page 62 of Storm

“Now.” Melek holds his hand out to me.

No hesitation, I run my fingers through his. Warmth instantly hits me—the spark that never goes away each time we collide. He leads me up the stairs to the spare bedroom next to Sunny’s. This house has six bedrooms upstairs. We only occupy two, and the others just lie dormant. I suspect they are meant to be filled with children.

The delivery men exit the room with flat boxes in their hands, signalling to Melek they are the last of the packages, before they exit the landing.

“What did you two do?”

“It’s a present for the baby,” Sunny’s sweet voice exclaims. Right. The little girl who is meant to be showing up in a little over a month, whom I have not prepared for. I just assumed we would bring down all of Sunny’s old things from the attic. All we need are new bottles, some replacement cloth nappies, and clothing.

Instead, as I walk into the room, I find brand-new… Well, everything.

A wrought-iron cot sits to the side, the bars woven in an intricate pattern to resemble softly curving branches and leaves. I run my hands through the grooves. A flash of words carved into the trees in our forest takes me aback. Next to the cot, I find a plush, cream-coloured rocking chair with an ornate copper standing lamp. And on the opposite wall, a matching iron nappy change table and dresser sit, with piles of boxes waiting to be opened stacked around it.

All that iron looks heavy and expensive.

“We were hoping to have it a little more unpacked before you saw it, but now, you can arrange it how you like.”

Holding the little girl inside my stomach, I ache at the display of opulence around me. A similar feeling overtook me when we set up Sunny’s room. I knew he would be okay in this world. Boys thrive in Halo.

Standing in the middle of my daughter’s room for the first time, I realise why I haven’t created this myself. I’ve never wanted her to see it. I’ve never wanted her to be born into this world—a world where her body would be used by a man who would more than likely abuse her. My hands fist beside me, nails digging into my palm.

The overwhelming need to exit this room is a crushing ache. I don’t want to disappoint Sunny.

“Storm?” A hand works at my clenched fist. Melek releases our boy from his shoulders, telling him to go and open all the boxes by the dresser. Sunny is more than happy to open his sister’s boxes, running headlong into the task.

My husband’s firm hold takes my wrist and pulls me from the room into the hallway. “What happened?”

He draws my clenched fist up between our faces. I release my tight fingers. “Nothing. I—” How do I explain I want more for our daughter? That I want her out of Halo land. That the only place that may pose no risk to her is the fairy territory. He will never agree to that.

Melek has spent his whole existence being indoctrinated into the “fae are bad’ rhetoric. They made him fight against them. There’s no hope for us. We will never see eye to eye. Not in this. How do I mourn something I never should have wanted in the first place? Just because he has kept me sheltered in this world doesn’t mean he’s any better than the rest of the hollow.

They are all liars, cheats, and murderers.

He’s no better.

“What happened in that room is not nothing.” He’s right; it wasn’t nothing. It was the nail in the coffin for us. The finale. The ending. He is my never. What can I say that will appease him? As much as he wants to play happy families, we aren’t the same. We don’t want the same things. So, I tell him the closest thing to the truth I can.

“I’m scared.” I take his shirt and hold it tightly.

Bringing his arms around me, Melek glues our bodies together. “Nothing will go wrong this time. I’m working from home until the baby is born. If anything happens, I’ll be here.” It’s not what I mean, of course. I’m scared of so much more than the birth. At least it’s not a complete lie.

The warmth of his body knocks on the door of my ice wall. I can’t let him in. Not again. For them. FIGHT. Nuzzling my face into his button-down, I drink him up, memorising the last slice of comfort I’ll ever allow myself in this place. Wearing his T-shirts doesn’t compare to the real thing—another triviality I’ll need to do away with. Separation; that’s what I need now. No more complacency.

“And if that little girl is as stubborn as her mother, she’ll stick around well beyond her due date because she won’t want to leave her mama’s side until it’s absolutely necessary,” he adds. I hope so. Sunny was a traumatic early arrival, and I don’t want to experience that again.

And then there’s Adam.

Waiting for the fae has become somewhat of a joke. I’m pushing eight months pregnant, and travelling sounds horrendous. It still doesn’t compare to the discomfort of being stuck here in Halo with two children who will be used for their bodies, their choice and freedom an afterthought to the hollow. My pain will never trump their safety. Sunny and Phoenix come first. Soon can’t come quick enough. It’s been a month and still no news from the undercover agent, which only makes me concerned about the validity of my sight.

Great. I’m starting to question myself again. Deal with it later. Later. One thing at a time. First thing’s first, I need to distance myself from Melek.

A few days later, as if I summoned him here with my despair, Adam shows up in the guise of delivering documents for Melek to sight. I nearly rupture with anticipation, wanting to tell him of the curious document I’d found on Melek’s computer—news I have no idea of the meaning behind.

“I found something,” I exclaim quietly after I’ve excused the new maid, so I can direct Adam to Melek’s study.

The lithe green man ushers me into the formal sitting room off the entryway, sceptical as he does a quick scan of his surroundings. All he finds is cold, dark furnishings. This room is only used when Melek has guests.

“What did you find?” His voice is as smooth as velvet, lingering in the air.