Charles's eyes slit open, bright gold.

"Sleep for a little while, Brother Wolf," Bran murmured very softly. "I'll keep watch until you wake."

"THE FAE HAVE retreated to their reservations," Da said as he served Anna pancakes. His da liked to make pancakes for breakfast, but the deer-shaped ones were a new thing. Charles tried not to analyze his father when he could avoid it.

"What about the humans?" Anna asked. "The reservation bureaucracy?" She didn't seem bothered by the pancakes.

He'd woken up after flying from Boston to Montana to find his da cooking breakfast for them: sausage and pancakes shaped like deer. It wasn't just any deer, either - they looked like Bambi from the Disney cartoon. Charles didn't want to know how his father had managed that.

Charles preferred his deer to taste like meat and his pancakes to look like pancakes. Brother Wolf thought he was too picky. Brother Wolf was probably right.

"The humans were driven out and the gates closed against them. Army helicopters sent to surveil the area can't seem to find the reservations to fly over them."

Charles snorted. "Typical fae stuff."

"They've approached me," Da said.

Charles put down his fork. Anna, being Anna, took the spatula out of his da's hand and tugged him down to sit with them. She didn't say anything, just piled up some pancakes on a plate, poured maple syrup over them, and handed them to his da.

"What did they say?" asked Charles.

"They apologized for the disruption their actions will have on our ability to integrate with human society." He ate a bite of pancake and closed his eyes. "They thanked me for my son's help in the matter of Les Heuter."

"The fae thanked you?" asked Charles. The fae didn't thank anyone, nor was it wise to thank the fae: it put you in their power.

His father nodded. "Then they asked me to meet with them to discuss matters of diplomacy."

"What did you say?"

His father smiled briefly, ate another bite of pancake. "I told them I'd consider it. I don't intend to let them force me into following their lead."

Anna held up her glass of orange juice in a formal toast. "To interesting times," she said.

His da leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Charles smiled and took a bite of his deer pancake. It tasted just fine.