Chapter 9
Bluebell
Hadrian’s mouth is so close to mine, I could lean up and kiss him.
And gods fuck me, I want to. Not as a thank you for saving my life just now.
But because those purple lips are slightly parted, a darker purple tongue barely visible.
I can’t stop staring at him, and he’s doing the same.
For the first time ever, there’s clear and obvious desire in how he’s looking at me.
Is Lemon right about us?
But he doesn’t make a move, and the moment stretches long. I can’t be the first. It’ll be so damn awkward if I try to kiss him and he doesn’t want that.
Wriggling against him, I brush my long blue bangs away from my face. “Umm, I think I’m okay, if you want to put me down.”
Black lashes flutter against his high, masculine cheekbones. “Of course, sorry, I…I got lost there for a second thinking about you falling all the way down.” He frowns, black brows bunching together to form a concerned-looking vee. “You know I wouldn’t let that happen, right?”
I laugh as he flaps carefully toward the ground, alighting on the creaky wooden floorboards. He lowers me, sliding me down his body until my feet hit wood.
“Yeah, of course,” I say with a shrug. “But maybe I won’t get on any more ladders without you around. I wouldn’t have pegged the Bodice for a killer.”
I’m joking, but around us, the entire building quakes and shakes, emitting a series of angry-sounding squeals and clatters.
Hadrian’s eyes go wide. “Guess she doesn’t agree with you.”
At this point, I’m not sure I care. I’m beyond frustrated, and now she’s put me in a super awkward position where I don’t know what to say next.
I tried calling Rebekah again for advice, but she must be traveling with her new grandbaby.
That’s why she left town, anyhow, but it means getting ahold of her is hit or miss.
He rubs his chin, looking around at the building. “Do you suppose Pine Gulch’s penchant for running would-be Keepers out of town is rubbing off on her? Maybe she got the idea she can do the same thing? So, it’s not you, really, just the fact that it’s someone new?”
“I don’t know but I’ve got to prep for the game,” I say with a frown, desperate to move on to a topic where I know how to talk to him. Reaching up, I grab a space bun in each hand and close my eyes, focusing on “healing” my hair into another color.
Hadrian laughs when I remove my hands and glance at my long bangs—gold and black, as expected.
“It’s wild watching you do that,” he says with a smirk. “Can you do mine? Could you make my wings black and gold?”
“Shit,” I bark out, mouth dropping open. “I…don’t know? Maybe? I’ve never tried anything past my hair and freckles.”
He steps closer, grabbing my hand and shoving it on the leathery inside of his wing. “Try it; I wanna see.” Purple eyes glitter with hope.
Now I’m touching him again. Resisting the urge to trail my fingers up the strong, dark bones of his inner wing, I flatten my palm against the cool, leathery skin.
I close my eyes and focus the same way I do with my hair, imagining the bones in gold and the wings in a purple so dark, they’re almost black.
Hot magic combines with the chill of his skin, pulling goosebumps onto mine.
“Fuck me,” he breathes, “that’s incredible, Bluebell. You did it.”
I open one eye, and he’s right, his wing bones glow a faint burnished gold, and the leathery skin connecting them is an eggplant purple so dark, it’s almost black.
Waving my left hand in a circle, I take a bow. “You’re welcome. But maybe don’t tell everyone I’m open for business because I don’t need yet another venture to take up my time.”
His smile falls. “You’re busier than I would have imagined is possible for a person to be. You ever think about slowing down?”
No. Because if I slow down, I’ll probably crash out. It’s best for me to keep moving so I don’t think about how I never have time for myself at all. I’m okay like that. I really am. As long as I don’t stop.
Hadrian flares his wings wide, and they blot out all the light from the front window. “Looks good,” he murmurs. After a few moments admiring the changed colors, he glances back at me. “How long will it stay like this?”
I shrug. “Hard to say because I’ve never done anything quite on this level, but my hair usually fades after a day or two.”
My comm watch rings, and Sheriff Rygold’s name hovers above it. When I direct it to answer, our sheriff-masquerading-as-keeper is as brusque as ever.
“Bluebell? Someone called a human from the outside world. She’s arriving in a little bit. Gonna introduce her to what we really are at the game. Can you be there as a friendly human face in case the presence of monsters comes as a shock?”
I glance up at Hadrian, whose dark brows have risen high.
“Yeah, of course,” I say quickly. “Who called her?”
“One of the skyball players,” Bishop says roughly.
“Been traveling to the outside world and met her there. Fell in love and asked me to summon her a while back, although she’s just now finding her way to us.
I ain’t great at the Keeper magic, so it’s taken her longer than it should.
Might oughta head back to Hearth Headquarters to get re-spelled.
Shit, I’d rather us just find a damn Keeper. I’m gettin’ too old for this shit.”
It’s well known that our sheriff spends more time in his stone gargoyle form than not since it’s easier to heal like that.
Old war wounds plague him, he says, although I’ve always thought it was an excuse not to think about his troubles.
Some days I think, if I could turn myself to stone, I might do it to escape the world a little bit.
“Bye,” the sheriff says brusquely, clicking off before I can even ask him anything about the new person.
Hadrian tucks his giant wings tightly at his back, grinning at me. “That’s exciting, huh?”
“Did you know?”
He shakes his head. “I didn’t, but if I had to guess, I’d guess it’s Shroud, one of the older guys on our team. He’s been quiet lately, lost in thought.”
I look around the store, hating that I’ll have to close. But nobody will be around during a skyball game anyhow. The whole haven comes to a standstill when skyball’s going.
Hadrian smiles at me, offering his arm. “Shall we, Miss Tucker?”
I slip my hand through the crook of his arm and head for the front door. He flips the Open sign to Closed, then grabs the door for me.
“Bye, Bodice,” I call out to the store. She doesn’t answer, but I have to keep trying despite my mounting frustration.
Outside we find Main Street full of monsters waiting for Mabel the train. A few folks turn to look at us when Hadrian appears in the street.
“I should be going,” he says quietly. “I’ll fly, but I’ll see you at the game, right?”
“Always,” I assure him, grateful that our vibe is back to normal.
“Okay, well, see you later.” He flares his wings wide.
Whispers rise up around us at the black-and-gold coloring, but I do my best to ignore it.
Until I see Merit and Bryony, PG’s resident pixie snoops and owners of the Gulch Gossip, snapping a pic of his wings. I’m probably in that pic. Ugh.
Hadrian gives me a final look then pushes gracefully off the ground and up into the sky. I force myself not to watch him flap away as I look around. I recognize most of the locals waiting for the train, but it’s always exciting when out of towners visit for skyball.
A train whistle announces Mabel’s arrival. Two minutes after the shrill sound, the train herself chugs slowly into view up Main Street, her red-and-black engine shiny with a fresh coat of paint after a recent run-in with a truck parked on her tracks. You couldn’t tell, though; she looks great.
And I did that, using my black magic to heal the engine so she could be repainted.
Mable choo-choos happily when she sees me standing there.
Like always, I wait for the visitors to board her first, and then I board near the end.
It’ll mean I have to stand most of the way to the skyball arena, but that’s okay.
I love monster-watching the others as they experience Pine Gulch through the perspective of the train.
Forty minutes later, we disembark into a huge crowd tailgating outside our beautiful skyball arena.
Everyone’s still in monster form, so the new human must not be here yet.
The idea of another human in town pulls my lips into a smile.
My brothers and I grew up in Pine Gulch, but my mother called my father here the same way one of the players called this woman.
It’s a lovely bit of magic that helps us expand when a monster feels strongly about a connection in the outside world. I wonder how he met her? How he knew of her? Since he’s a gargoyle, he must have met her in the human world to know she was his mate. Now she gets to learn about his world.
Following the crowd into the arena, I flash my season pass and head for our seats with a Pine Gulch welcome book under one arm.
My brothers and parents are already there, decked out in the Pine Gulch Punishers black and gold.
The team isn’t on the field yet, but Sheriff Rygold stands in the middle of the field with a microphone in one purple hand.
He’s looking better than usual, stronger despite the broken horn and the giant scar that bisects the left side of his face.
As the stadium fills, he clears his throat.
“Welcome, one and all, to today’s Punishers game!
We thank you for visiting our beautiful Pine Gulch, and today is particularly special because we called a human here from the outside world, and she’ll be arriving any minute.
For those monsters who don’t know, I serve as this haven’s Keeper, so I’ll be glamouring the entire stadium.
Like in any haven, I’ll pull the glamour down once our calling monster has had a chance to make contact. Thanks again for being here.”