Mr. Faire's Carnival 2 (special preview)

Authaire nods and presses his fingertip to the plate, collecting crumbs from the cake and then licking them off. “Long, sad story. But I brought you here to make a short, happy one.” He says, a smile returning to his face. “So, you kissed me.” He then grins, diffusing the tense situation with no effort at all. “Did you like it?”

I huff and glance away from him.

“You did like it!” He gasps giddily. “Tell me everything.”

“You were there,” I snap at him.

“It was good, wasn’t it?” He beams radiantly. “I’ve so been wanting to but, well, I wasn’t too sure about the situation or where I stood with you.”

“You stand beside me, that’s where you stand.” I sip my coffee then look over the rim at him. “It’s a good place.”

“Even with what’s in my hair?” He points to his scalp.

I sigh and set my cup down. “I had a feeling you weren’t exactly...right.” I reply.

“Not human,” he says with a shrug.

“No one here is, are they?” I tilt my head towards my shoulder.

Authaire nods. “Well, there are. June is human. Marlene is half human. Ballura is human. You’re human.”

“What is this place?” I whisper.

“It’s a home,” Authaire answers with a warm, comforting voice. “For all of us here. It’s safety and warmth and protection from the world outside.”

“Hence the fence,” I murmur to myself.

“The people here are my family, my children,” he says. “I took them in when no one else would. That is what I feel I must do while I am here.”

“Because of your scalp teeth?” I ask.

Authaire makes a face and shakes his head at me. “Please! Do not call them that!”

I giggle and hang my head as I grin. I then look back up at him. “So what are you then? An orphanage for wayward boogiemen and ghosts?”

“We aren’t boogiemen and ghosts, Ruby,” he replies. “We are fae and demons, oni and orcs, shapeshifters and vampires, werewolves and goblins. But most importantly, we are family and we are safe.”

“Really?” I gasp in disbelief. “All those things...really? All those...really?” I’m flabbergasted and shocked.