“You sure are awfully quiet,” Charles remarked as he drove Ella back to the house. His voice brought her head around, the cityscape blurring in the corner of her eye as she realized she hadn’t seen any of it anyway.

“Sorry. Just lost in thought.” She smiled, thinking for once the thoughts she’d been lost in were productive and satisfying, not terrifying and pessimistic.

“Did your meeting go well, then?” he asked, his tone conveying he was making conversation, not attempting to be nosy.

“It really did. As soon as I get home, I’m going to start making some plans for the future. Fae is… amazing.” She’d had such a...