Chapter 5
Was this the universe’s idea of some cruel joke?
It pulled me to her like a celestial tether I couldn’t have ignored even when my mind tried to protest. I’d never felt anything like it in the centuries I’d been searching.
This had to be it, but how would it work?
Not only did she hide her fae ears, but she worked in an inferno that might as well have been hell itself.
Visions of her light, voluminous hair bouncing as she twirled in the shop infiltrated my thoughts.
As if that wasn’t enough, this beautiful, adorable woman also sang like a damn songbird.
“Fuck,” I mumbled under my breath. The cupcake was still in my grasp. I’d wanted to eat it, but at the same time, what if it was good? Like, really good?
“Sounds to me like you could use a drink, boy,” a gravelly male voice said.
Searching for the source, I spotted a shorter, older man with bowed legs. He wore a ten-gallon hat, dark blue duster, boots with spurs, and a silver sheriff’s star pinned to his blue filigree satin vest. “Oh? How could you tell?”
The man chuckled and pointed a thick, stubby finger at me. “Seein’ as I know everyone in this town, I’m gathering you’re new.”
“I am. Just found this place today. I’m—”
“Nope. Don’t give a shit what you are, son. If you’re in the Cove, it’s because you’re supposed to be. Ain’t my place to pry.” The man shook his head, his thin nostrils flaring from his broad nose. “But I will let you in on a secret.” He motioned for me to get closer, scanning around us.
Obliging him, I bent forward, turning my ear to him.
“Finneas’ there got the best whiskey in town. But don’t go tellin’ Dion I said that.” The man chuckled and patted my shoulder.
Considering I couldn’t be certain who the freezing hells this Dion was, all I could do was offer a grin. I eyed his fingers on my shirt before leaning back. “Secret’s safe with me.”
“Alright then, newcomer, go on, get. Enjoy your drinks.” The man all but shoved me toward the pub, and I adjusted the neckline of my shirt before walking inside.
If you’re in the Cove, it’s because you’re supposed to be.
Sighing, feeling defeated before the day had even started, I sulked once I entered.
Warmth immediately crashed over me in waves from every corner, the worst of it wafting from a raging hearth against the opposing wall.
Holding my hands up to it, already feeling my insides boiling, I found a table the furthest away from it and plopped into a chair.
A tall minotaur with a gold hoop nose ring, wearing a brown leather apron, prominent tan long horns, and a sprouting of dark brown messy hair atop his head, approached. He rested a grey cocktail napkin on the table in front of me. “What can I get ya?”
“Finneas, I presume?” I snatched the napkin, tearing tiny slits around the edges.
“That’s right. Haven’t seen you around here. You new?”
After forcing myself to stop fidgeting and resting the napkin back on the table, I leaned back in my chair. “Yeah, but just passing through.”
“Oh, yeah? You staying at the inn? Selene makes the best breakfast in town for her guests in the morning,” Finneas patted his stomach, the ring through his nostrils lifting as he smiled.
Uncomfortably pulling my collar away from my neck, I adjusted in my seat. “You may find this hard to believe, but I seek less warming accommodations.”
Finneas stared at me for a beat before shivering and chuckling. “Yikes. Sorry about that. Got a chill up my spine for some reason. I don’t know why, considering how toasty it is in here.”
The chill had come from yours truly—my subtle attempts at cooling the place off before I sweated through my jeans. “It is that time of year.”
“Right you are. I love winter.” Finneas propped his hands on his hips, drumming his fingers there. “How about a hot toddy? To warm your bones from the frigid temperature?”
“No,” I blurted, clearing my throat after gauging his shocked expression. “I was told the whiskey here is the best. Can I get a double on the rocks? Lots and lots of rocks? Maybe extra in a separate glass?”
Finneas gave me a quizzical side eye before nodding. “Sure thing. Be back in a jiff.”
Stretching my legs beneath the table, I twirled my iron thumb ring and glanced at the surrounding patrons talking, laughing, and enjoying their beverages.
There was a succubus in the lap of her current male victim, a pixie sitting by herself but scrolling on her phone and nursing a steaming cup of something, and a group of male demons chuckling and shoving each other on the shoulders, their spade tails flicking back and forth.
“Here we are,” Finneas announced, resting the two tumbler glasses on the table. “That’ll be ten lyyke.”
Wincing, I shoved my hand in my pocket, making a gold coin from my palace appear before slipping it out. “I’m afraid this is all I have. I wasn’t familiar with your currency before arriving.” I slapped the coin on the table in front of him.
Finneas’ eyes grew as wide as snowballs before taking the coin. “Are you sure? This would mean a pretty damn big tip, friend.”
“I’ll tell you what, you tell me everything you know about one of the citizens here and we’ll call it square.” Using my boot, I slid a chair from the table, gesturing toward it.
Finneas let out a hearty chuckle, pressing a hand over his stomach. “Maurice, cover the bar for me for a bit, will ya?”
A man who looked like half of an insect waved a clawed hand at him from the bar.
“So,” Finneas started, groaning as he sat down, his knees cracking. “Who are you curious about?”
I took a quick sip of the whiskey and popped an ice cube in my mouth to chew. “The bakery owner. Sylvie?”
“Ah, Sylvie? One of the brightest stars in all the Cove, if you asked me.”
Shoving the ice to the corner of my mouth, I raised a brow. “Really?” That came out far too indignant. Lowering my voice, I rolled my shoulders and tried again. “Really?”
“Yeah. I take it you’ve already met her?” Finneas eyed the uneaten cupcake I’d rested on the table.
Scratching my chin through my beard, I jiggled the glass holding the ice. “Briefly.”
“And you haven’t taken so much as a bite from that cake?” Finneas scoffed. “Sylvie makes the best sweet treats in the Cove. She laces them with magic and everything.”
Inconveniently, my spine straightened with curiosity. “Yes, she mentioned that.” Lifting the cupcake, I tilted it left to right. “Do you know what kind of magic?”
“Not sure her kind of magic has a label, but she has this way of reading people. Maybe you’re having a cruddy day and could use a pick-me-up, or maybe you’re nervous for some big job interview coming up.
She twinkles her fingers—” Finneas mimicked the actions over the cupcake.
“—and poof. You got a temporary fix in the form of a delectable dessert.”
While interesting, it also seemed a bit—intrusive. How could she possibly know what everyone in town wanted? Maybe they wanted those nerves at the interview to keep them humble and not come across as overly confident.
Risking it, I nonchalantly swiped my finger into the cake’s icing, bringing it to my lips. “How long has she been here? In the Cove, I mean?”
Finneas sighed and leaned one hand on his knee. “I can’t say I keep track of when everyone moved in. I’ve been here for damn near a century, but I try to keep out of everyone’s business most of the time.”
The points of my ears perked, and when the icing touched my tongue, it seemed to cool my body for a fraction of a second. “You run a place that serves alcohol. Surely it’s impossible not to overhear things.”
Finneas shrugged and continued to stare down my cupcake like he intended to steal it. “My drinks are for the flavor. Only place magical beings can get a buzz is at Bacchus.”
Curling a protective arm around the cupcake and relishing Finneas’ frown, I finished my whiskey in one gulp. “Why’s that?”
“The owner, Dion, mixes in ambrosia wine. As far as I know, it’s the only actual alcohol that affects the likes of us.” Finneas thumped a broad, furry hand on his chest.
Smirking, I traced a finger around the empty glass’s rim. “Fae have one other source,” I whispered, ignoring him when he squinted from not hearing me. “I noticed she has a pointed ear.” I pointed to one of my own. “But she seems to hide them?”
Finneas fanned his palms at me like I’d crossed a boundary. Depending on Sylvie’s reasons, which, clearly now, there was a reason, maybe I had. “Listen, I don’t know everything about her. Considering how personal that is, sounds like something you should ask her yourself.”
Methodically nodding, I tossed several more ice cubes into my mouth. “I appreciate all the information.”
“That it? You don’t want to know anything else about her?” Finneas blanched, spreading his hooves wide and leaning on his knee.
Taking a full bite of the cupcake now, I audibly sighed as the chilly current glided down my throat and settled into my chest. It made the sweltering fire nearby tolerable. “I think you’re right. Anything else I wish to know, I’ll ask her.”
“Suit yourself.” Finneas grunted as he pushed on the table to stand, making the glass of ice vibrate. “See ya around.”
“Yeah,” I distantly replied, using the tip of my thumb to wipe excess icing from the corner of my mouth. Rising, I tossed back another ice cube and shoved the rest of the cupcake in my mouth before heading for the door.
Nanok would surely be pissed at me for making him wander this long without knowing if we were staying here.
I bolted for the forest, a new coolness swirling in my stomach and chest from the ice cube and cupcake magic.
It was almost as invigorating as swimming naked in frozen waters.
A light snow had begun, collecting on the branches and spreading a thin layer over the grass.
I tilted my chin, sniffing the air, but couldn’t detect my bear.
Calling to my magic, I whistled a unique melody only Nanok could hear.
When he responded with his song, I followed it, finding him clawing at what little fish remained in the river.
“Listening to your animal instincts, are you, old friend?” Shoving my hands in my pockets, I leaned on a tree, watching him.
Nanok grunted and jerked excitedly when a fish the size of my foot landed on the bank, and he hurriedly ate it.
“I think we hit a dead end here, Nanok. Normally, I’d be all about sticking around and joining in whatever festivities this place does for the holidays, but Sylvie, she just—” I made a fist with one hand, my jaw tensing. “You know?”
Nanok’s jaw rotated as he ate. He stared at me with big, rounded, brown eyes and tilted his head to one side.
“Don’t give me that look. You didn’t meet her.
” I pointed at my bear and tossed magic at the branch above me, forming ice down its length.
“She hides her ears as if she’s ashamed of them.
Not to mention she’s so overly—” Pausing, I twirled my fingers, searching for the correct word to describe it.
“—nice. A queen has to have some form of godsdamned backbone.”
Nanok’s shoulders bounced, a bout of snorting following—his version of a laugh. I narrowed my eyes and kicked a fallen piece of bark with my boot. “Taking her side? Really?”
Nanok finished his fish and marched over to me, using one massive paw to shove my shoulder.
“Hey, what the freezing hells was that for?” Rubbing my shoulder, I pushed him back.
Nanok growled and stomped both paws to the ground, snorting and demanding my attention.
Moaning, I slid a hand down my face and let my arms fall slack at my sides. “Fine. Fine. We’ll stay another day, and I’ll try talking to her again. Happy? But I’m not promising anything. I’m fairly certain this fae female spits venom when she feels threatened.”
Nanok snorted and jostled his shoulders again, plopping his ass on the ground and sticking his back legs out to each side.
A feminine scream sounded from nearby, and the familiar scents of watermelon and sugar plagued my very being. It wasn’t just any female. That sweet scent was unique to one fae and one fae alone—Sylvie.