Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
The festival was in full swing on its second day. There was nothing but crisp autumn leaves tossed around like confetti, mountains of pumpkins at each display, and bundles of dried corn stalks tied to every lamppost.
The scent of the harvest hung thickly in the air, and for those of us who could tap into the underlying vibe, something darker lurked beneath it all. It was the same sinister undertone that tainted every fall festival.
Standing just outside Pop’s Pub simpletons, all of them.
I turned to look back at the bench only to find Corbin sitting there in his human form, wearing a pair of well-worn jeans and a slate grey Henley. He casually leaned back, one arm draped along the backrest and the other holding onto his ankle that was planted on top of his knee.
“Are you trying to draw attention to yourself doing that in public?” I asked, noting how he had shifted out in the open where anybody could see.
The same damn cocky aura about him reflected in his eyes and the way his mouth tilted up on one side. A toothpick bobbed between his teeth while he spoke. “Nobody is paying attention to us. They’re too busy with facepainting and apple bobbing.”
Nonchalantly, he plucked the wooden stake out of his mouth, gave it a once-over, and muttered to himself, “Hm. Tastes like last week’s baby back ribs special.”
One unfazed shrug, and he put it back in his mouth.
“Tell me you didn’t…” I gave a pointed look at the ground, then back up at him.
He gestured at the space between the bench and the outdoor ashtray. “Found it over there.”
Disgusted, I snarled in response. “You’re fucking foul.” Godsdamned bird-brained asshole was always looking for scraps.
He chuckled, still nibbling on the sliver of wood. “Technically, fowl refers to chickens and the like. I’m corvid, more scavenger than the domesticated feathered friends you find in the Gales’ backyard.”
Stalking over to him, I cuffed him upside the head hard enough to knock the toothpick out from between his lips. It dropped to the sidewalk, where I immediately covered it with my boot to eliminate the temptation for him to piss me off further by retrieving it.
The satisfying grunt of resignation he made was worth it.
Then, he diverted to an equally infuriating topic.
“Still cranky that Harlow didn’t scream her lungs out last night in response to your fear tactics?”
A sparkle of mischief in his eyes told me that somehow this was bait.
I walked into it unknowingly. “Haven’t given it any thought.”
At that point, he smirked and lounged back further against the bench, both arms spread along the back of it. “Shame, ‘cause I had her screaming out my name last night. Let me tell you, absolutely fucking divine noises that come out of her mouth.”
Mother. Fucker.
“You slept with her?” Unasked question: Had Harlow lost her damn mind?
When all Corbin did was sit there and beam proudly, I growled as something primal flared up in my gut. “Of course you did.”
Smug bastard just watched my reaction like he knew how I’d handle the news. The pressure on my back molars from clenching my jaw tightly was making a muscle tick in my cheek. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me lose my shit.
If my hands were balled up into tight fists inside my jacket pockets? Nobody had to know.
Corbin uncrossed his legs and pushed off his thighs as he stood. Coming beside me, his hand slapped between my shoulder blades with a resounding thunk. The contact was hard enough that I swayed forward slightly despite all the tension drawing my muscles tauter than a piano string.
“There, there, Bale. Don’t fret. We had a chat about you, too.”
He was asking for a fucking fist to his gut hard enough to puke up whatever worms he had swallowed down this morning.
“I’m sure it was riveting pillow talk,” I said.
He nodded in agreement before continuing. “Now that she knows both our secrets—”
I cut him off with a hand to his throat, choking off whatever words were supposed to follow.
“How much did you tell her?” I gritted out through my teeth in a tone that promised violence.
Retaliating, he knocked my arm away, breaking my grip, before he shoved me back. I caught my footing after a few staggers, though my eyes were burning with anger at what he may have shared.
“Fucking relax!” he snapped.
Unnecessarily straightening his shirt and running his hands over his hair, pushing a few loose strands away from his face, he locked eyes with me.
“Didn’t talk about the chase or the Council if that’s what you’ve got your balls twisted up about.”
He went quiet, visibly clenching and unclenching his hands.
My temper came down to a simmer before I gave a single nod and a firm, “Good.”
Eventually, he broke his silence. “She thinks you hate her.”
I scoffed. “‘Cause I do.”
“Oh, fuck right off with that bullshit, Bale. If you hated her, you would have torn her heart straight out of her chest cavity last night.” He pinned me with a look that said he saw way more than I wanted.
It took every shred of self-control not to shift my weight around on my feet. I glanced around the empty sidewalk before turning my attention back to Corbin.
“Fine, I don’t hate her. I hate that she’s an anomaly, an unknown, and something that could potentially tear our existence apart.”
“Or she could change it,” Corbin countered, clearly the optimist here.
I snorted. “Tearing it apart is changing it, Corb.”
He stepped closer to me, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. “Every damn year, you ask why we do this. Every damn year, you act like you want to be put out of your misery.”
Jabbing a finger into my chest several times, he punctuated his next few words. “She’s. Our. Chance.” He sighed and dropped his hand to his side. “You want to get revenge on the mayor and the rest of the Town Council? Then we shake shit up.”
“And if she doesn’t make it out of the maze? You’re going to survive losing your fated mate?” The last two words came out mockingly at the way he fawned over her, treating her like she lived in a giant bubble bound to pop.
“She will make it out.” There was no doubt in his words, just certainty tied together with an oath that went soul deep.
Working my jaw, chewing on the words and my stubbornness, I finally relented. “Okay. They draw the name tonight, let’s make sure all of Falston knows our princess’s name.”
A wicked smile appeared on Corbin’s face before he punched my shoulder playfully. “That’s the spirit. I knew you had something resembling brains up in that skull of yours.”
I rolled my eyes, muttering, “Asshole.”
Looking over at the courtyard, where I heard the telltale signs of a wood carving contest going on via the roar of chainsaws. “Speaking of Harlow, where is she?”
Not that I cared, because I didn’t. Not at all.
Corbin nodded his head towards the far end of the street. “Library. She said she wanted to lose herself in some books.”
It seemed that even in his human form, Corbin had a thing for worms—book or otherwise.
“Told her to meet us for lunch. Talked up your grilled cheese culinary expertise.” He smirked, knowing damn well that it was the one food that marginally lifted my mood.
I shook my head at his manipulation of the situation. “We’re going to need more bread,” I said before turning and walking towards the General Store.
Following at my side, Corbin nudged my arm with my elbow. “Buck up. This gives you a shot to show her that you’re not totally heartless.”
Shooting him a piercing glare, I jerked open the door and walked into the store without bothering to hold it open for him.
“Hey, Dottie,” I greeted the cashier behind the counter as I went to the bread aisle.
She gave a polite wave before continuing to organize the cigarettes displayed on the shelves behind her.
While I looked for my preferred brand of bread for grilled cheeses in particular, I heard Corbin chatting things up with Dottie.
“So, Dot,” he began in that sly tone that usually preceded mischief or passive-aggressive bullshit. I assumed it was the latter, given he was in earshot of me.
“Bale and I were just talking about the new girl. Harlow? Between the two of us, who do you think she would go for?”
Suspicion confirmed—passive aggression. Stirring the shit pot.
There was a long silence, and I despised the fact that I found myself hanging onto each second that ticked by in anticipation of whatever response was given.
“…Neither. I could see her with Malcolm.”
I barked out a laugh so loud it echoed throughout the whole store.
Snatching the loaf of bread I came here for, I strode over to the counter and tossed it down before her.
“Fucking Malcolm Dennison? What a damn joke. Malcolm wouldn’t know what to do with a girl like Harlow if he had a room full of blueprints.”
Corbin stood there grinning like this was the most entertainment that he had all century.
“I don’t know, Bale. Maybe he’d find her in Aisle Five.”
Over my dead body.
Hastily, I dug out the cash for the bread and slapped it down on the countertop.
“Keep the change,” I bit out before turning and walking away.
Halfway to the door, Corbin called out, “Forget something?”
I looked behind me, and he stood by the register holding up the bag of bread.
Stomping over to him, I pulled the loaf out of his hand hard enough to leave him with a small piece of the flimsy plastic still in his grasp.
On my way back to the door, I yelled out, “And wipe that godsdamned look off your face!”
Shoving open the door, I ignored the chuckling behind me.
I hoped Harlow liked her grilled cheese with a side of scorching resentment if she ever looked twice at fucking Malcolm.