Chapter 1
“They’re big into cosplay.” ~ Lisa
Sunlight poured through the front windows of Enigma, slanting across shelves of herbs, jars, and old spell books Lisa kept mostly for decoration.
The air smelled faintly of chamomile and peppermint.
It was the kind of morning that made her almost believe the world had settled back into peace. Almost.
She tied her hair into a loose knot and turned the Open sign around in the large front window and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she tried to center her busy mind.
The bell above the door jingled softly, a sound she’d never stopped liking.
It meant people were still coming to her for help. That, at least, hadn’t changed.
Her first customer arrived right on cue, a tired-looking woman in her late thirties with dark circles under her eyes and the posture of someone who hadn’t slept in a week. Lisa recognized the look immediately.
“Rough nights?” she asked, voice light, kind.
The woman sighed. “Between work and my brain not shutting up, I’m starting to think sleep’s a myth.”
Lisa smiled sympathetically and moved behind the counter. “Then you came to the right place. I’ve got a blend that’ll convince even the most stubborn minds to give in.”
She began pulling small glass jars from the shelf, chamomile, valerian root, lavender–talking as she worked, explaining how each herb worked best steeped in boiling water for seven minutes. The customer listened, nodding, eyes hopeful but skeptical.
That was when Lisa’s phone rang. She glanced at the display and groaned softly.
“Sorry, give me one second,” she said, reaching for the phone. “It’s my daughter.”
The woman waved her off. “Go ahead, honey. Nothing should ever keep you from a call with your children. Besides, maybe if I’m lucky I’ll fall asleep while I wait.”
Lisa hit the speaker button and set the phone on the counter. “Hey, Elora.”
“Lisa,” came her daughter’s curt reply. “You need to talk to your son-in-law.”
Lisa raised a brow. “Good morning to you, too.”
“I’m serious. He’s impossible. I can’t so much as breathe without Cush questioning what I’m doing.”
Lisa spooned dried herbs into a small paper pouch. “Sounds like a normal Thursday.”
“Lisa.” The warning tone was sharp. “I’m not joking. He followed me to the training fields this morning. Followed me. Like I’m a child.”
“Maybe he wanted to watch you spar?” It sounded like a question and her voice wavered a bit as she glanced up at the woman—the very human woman who probably didn’t hear people talk about training fields and sparring.
“Yeah, with a male elf,” Elora snapped. “He doesn’t trust anyone with a Y chromosome inside fifty feet of me. He said my partner was looking at me too long. You know what he means by that? He didn’t blink fast enough, Lisa. He didn’t. Blink.”
Lisa bit her lip, trying not to laugh, her eyes still bouncing back and forth from her tea making to the customer. “Maybe Cush is just—”
“Overbearing? Controlling? Ridiculous? In need of some serious emotional counseling on what it means to have boundaries?” Elora interrupted. “Pick one.”
“Protective,” Lisa said gently. “It’s not a crime to worry about your ma—,” she paused and corrected herself, “wife,” she finished flatly. Again, humans didn’t call their significant others mates. Suddenly the woman didn’t look quite as sleepy as she had just a minute ago.
“I don’t need worrying. I need space. I’ve fought dark elves, overcome my own nature while surrounded by temptation in sin city, and faced off with a psycho dark elf king.
Cush acts like I’m going to faint if someone scuffs my boots, or like any breathing male might snatch me away because I’m so appealing they can’t help themselves. ”
Lisa reached for another jar, shaking her head with a small smile.
“Maybe he remembers the part where you almost died.” Shoot, she probably shouldn’t have said that.
Lisa’s eyes bounced back up to the customer again.
The woman’s eyes were wide as saucers and her mouth had dropped open.
Lisa smiled, attempting to look reassuring.
“That was one time,” Elora shot back. “And I was fine! Didn’t die, I mean, not totally.
I completely came back to the brute and tied myself to him for all eternity, which is actually eternity.
I’m not dramatic, you know that’s not my thing, but he is driving me to dramatics, and I just might shoot him with an arrow. ”
Lisa hummed under her breath. “Mm-hmm.”
“Don’t ‘mm-hmm’ me,” Elora practically whined, which was also not like her. “This is not one of those moments where you nod your head and look at me like I’m a three year old throwing a tantrum and I just need a nap. And you’re not agreeing with me which means you’re taking his side.”
“Perhaps you do need a nap,” Lisa pointed out as she mixed the concoction of herbs. “And I’m not taking sides, Elora. I’m simply trying to figure out who is actually being unreasonable, and who is simply being stubborn.”
There was a pause, then a low growl from the other end, and she could picture her daughter closing her eyes in an attempt to get control. “You know, for someone who claims to be neutral, you’re a really bad Switzerland.”
“Did you call to vent, or do you actually want advice?” Lisa asked, dumping the herbs into a grinder.
Elora huffed. “I want advice if you’re going to tell him he needs professional help.”
Lisa chuckled. “Naturally.”
A deep male voice cut in suddenly, muffled but distinct. “Why did you storm off when I was trying to talk to you? And who are you talking to?”
“I stormed off because that’s what you do when you’re too pissed to simply meander, or stroll, or walk,” Elora said, her voice slightly softer, as if she’d turned away from the phone.
“And you weren’t trying to talk to me. You were talking at me.
There’s a difference. And you had just beat the crap out of Leeland for no reason. ”
“He touched you,” Cush growled. The sound was so dark that Lisa’s eyes snapped to the phone as if she’d be able to see the anger in his eyes.
Elora made an agitated noise. “Of course he touched me. He had to touch me, because we were training. He was teaching me new fighting moves so I can protect myself when you can’t.”
“I can train you,” Cush pointed out. “And you won’t ever need to protect yourself because I will never be in a position not to protect you.”
“You will if you’re in a box, six feet under and pushing up daisies.” Elora’s voice was sharp as a whip, as she released her frustrations out onto Cush. “Who’s going to protect me then? Your spirit? No thank you, not if he’s as psycho as you.”
“Careful, Elora,” Lisa said, “Pot meet kettle.”
“Don’t use your old lady adages on me,” she snapped. “I’m impervious to them.”
“Elora,” Cush’s deep voice rumbled dangerously. “I love you. I know you're pissed. Calling your mother isn’t going to fix this.”
“And what will fix it, Cush?” Elora sounded tired now, and that made Lisa’s heart hurt for her daughter.
“Just respect what I want.” Exasperation filled his tone. “It’s really not difficult.”
“And I’m out,” Elora called as the phone shifted and scuffled. “I need a timeout, Cush. Do not come hunt me down.”
“Lisa,” her daughter's mate, spoke confidently into the phone as if his mate hadn’t just ripped into him.
“Hello, Cush.”
“Just so you know, your daughter,” he said evenly, “thinks it’s wise to spar with someone twice her size while showing signs of weakness from her ordeal.”
“I’m fine!” Elora snapped in the background. “And stop calling it ‘my ordeal,’ like I had a breakdown or something. And he was a whole inch shorter than you!”
“You just proved my point,” Cush replied dryly.
Lisa sighed, glancing at the customer, who was trying not to laugh. “You two sure you don’t need a counselor?”
“We’re communicating,” Elora said sharply.
“Yelling isn’t communication,” Cush countered.
“Then stop saying things worth yelling about!”
Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose, the grinder still humming beside her. “All right, kids, play nice. Some of us are trying to make tea.”
“Put me on speaker,” Elora said. “He needs to hear this.”
“Why would I need to put you on speaker for him to hear you? He’s standing in the same room as you, so I’m pretty sure he can hear you,” Lisa said. “I thought you were ‘peace out.’”
“Oh.” A short pause, then, “See, he’s making me crazy.
I’m not even making sense anymore. And I realized I can’t defend myself if I leave.
So, I’ll leave in a minute. Perhaps you can explain to my overprotective mate that I’m not some helpless damsel who needs guarding every time I pick up a sword. ”
“Elora, maybe—”
“Lisa, no. He’s—Cush, and seriously, I can practically hear you rolling your eyes!”
“I wasn’t—”
“You were!” Lisa totally was.
“Lisa,” Cush said, his patience thinning, “I’ll deal with this.”
Elora’s voice rose. “Oh, I will give you something to deal with, mister!”
“Like you haven’t already,” Cush muttered, and the phone went dead.
Lisa stared at the screen for a long beat, then exhaled and looked at her customer, who was blinking like she’d just witnessed a reality show.
“They’re big into cosplay,” Lisa said finally, straight-faced.
The woman nodded slowly. “Uh-huh.”
From behind Lisa, a melodic voice purred, “You know, I’ve never seen a mated pair split up before, but those two, they’re dynamic, doused in gasoline with plenty of kindling. It’s going to be a wild show watching them evolve, and I’m totally here for it.”
Lisa didn’t have to look to know Syndra was grinning. The light elf always sounded amused.
“Be. Visible,” Lisa said again, reaching for a jar of lemongrass.
“Please.” The only reason she bothered to speak to Syndra was because she knew the royal elf would deal with the memories of the customer.
But that still didn’t make Lisa feel any less stupid while it appeared she was answering the voices in her head.