Chapter 3
Chapter
Three
Jamie woke to unfamiliar weight against his side.
He blinked at the ceiling, disoriented by the soft glow filtering through the windows.
The events of yesterday crashed back—his bookstore in another world, magical creatures, and the emotional storm that had driven one of those creatures into his bed.
Corin lay curled against him, one arm flung across Jamie's chest, his breathing deep and even.
In sleep, the fae's face lost its manic edge, the constant performance of flirtation stripped away to reveal something more vulnerable.
Fine lines etched the corners of his eyes. Marks of worry rather than age.
Jamie carefully extracted himself, surprised at his own calm. Only a few days ago, he'd been living a perfectly normal life. Now he was sharing a bed with a beautiful fae while his bookstore created rooms all by itself. Yet panic remained oddly distant, replaced by a practical focus.
First things first: food.
The kitchen greeted him with warm light and the smell of fresh coffee. Cabinets that usually held little aside from emergency ramen now contained flour, sugar, eggs, and other staples.
"Showing off?" Jamie asked the room at large.
A light fixture brightened in response.
"Right," Jamie muttered, pulling out ingredients. "I guess talking to my sentient bookstore is a thing I do now."
He channeled his unease into cooking. Everybody had to eat, right? That was an immediate need he could take care of.
By the time footsteps approached, he'd produced a stack of pancakes, the normality of the act grounding him in the abnormal situation.
Azelon paused in the doorway, his luminescent markings bright and glowing underneath his blue skin.
Jamie had to stop himself from staring at those markings—or that tail.
The Tideborn was an interesting sight for sure. Muscular too. Jamie could tell by looking at his arms. That was a man with a strong grip.
The subconscious thought sent a shiver down his spine that he tried to ignore as he turned back to his pan and flipped another pancake.
"Good morning," Jamie made himself say. "Hungry?"
Azelon seemed a little caught off-guard by the mundane question. "I do not require nourishment at this frequency."
"That's not what I asked." Jamie loaded a pancake on a plate and slid it across the counter. "Sit."
To his surprise, Azelon complied, perching stiffly on a stool. His long tail coiled tightly behind him, betraying tension his face carefully concealed.
Jamie's eyes lingered on the Tideborn's tail for a second too long, wondering if that too would have a strong grip.
God, he really needed to shake those thoughts.
He was not here to play with the locals, no matter how alluring they might be. He was not his brother, throwing himself headfirst into impossible situations and relationships.
Reining himself in, Jamie handed Azelon a fork. "So," he said, "tell me how I get home."
"The barriers between realms are not easily crossed." Azelon stared at the pancakes with obvious uncertainty. "The Barrier Keeper who brought you here is likely the only one who can return you."
"Convenient." Jamie watched as Azelon cautiously cut a small piece of pancake, examining it before taking a tentative bite.
For a tall blue-skinned man from another world, he was kind of adorable.
Before Jamie could chide himself for the thought, a theatrical moan came from the doorway.
"Something smells divine." Corin swept into the kitchen, somehow managing to make his disheveled look seem artful. His amber eyes darted between Jamie and Azelon, mouth curved into a calculated smile. "Started without me, I see."
The lights flickered as Corin moved past Azelon, his shoulder deliberately brushing the Tideborn's. A cupboard door swung open, then slammed shut.
Jamie set a plate in front of Corin. "Eat."
Corin's eyebrows shot up, but something in Jamie's tone stopped whatever flirtatious comment had been forming. Instead, he picked up his fork and dug in, though his eyes never left Azelon.
"As I was saying," Jamie continued, leaning against the counter with his own plate, "I need to find this Barrier Keeper. And my brother."
"Barrier Keepers are not easily summoned," Azelon said.
"They're scary powerful," Corin added, talking around a mouthful of food. "Ancient beings who maintain the boundaries between worlds. Nobody just 'finds' one."
"One found me," Jamie pointed out. "Or found my brother and everyone else, at least."
He'd just gotten caught up in this mess by accident. Same as his poor store.
"That's what's strange," Corin said, gesturing with his fork. "They don't usually meddle with humans or their buildings. Must be something special about you."
Azelon shot Corin a warning look. "We know very little about the Keepers' motivations."
"Well, Jamie must be here for a greater purpose," Corin insisted.
Something heavy settled in Jamie's chest. He'd spent years building his quiet life around Bookmark'd , deliberately avoiding anything resembling a "greater purpose.
" After their mother married her affair partner and their dad responded by leaving the country, he'd been the stable one while his brother chased adventures.
Now it seemed adventure had found him instead.
"Either way," Jamie said, pushing away from the counter, "I need to understand what's happening here. Starting with this." He swept his arm in a gesture encompassing the kitchen. "My store was never magical before."
"It's your magic," Azelon said.
"I don't have magic."
Azelon and Corin exchanged glances.
"You might not think you do," Corin said, "But something about crossing realms might have activated latent abilities."
"I don't have abilities," Jamie reiterated.
As if in direct contradiction, the lights dimmed and brightened in sequence.
"Your store disagrees," Corin said with a smirk.
Jamie stared at the ceiling, experimentally focusing on the central light fixture. It brightened immediately, almost eagerly. He imagined it dimming, and it complied with the same enthusiasm.
"This is too strange to be real," Jamie insisted, though a strange tingle had started at the base of his spine—something between unease and exhilaration.
"Try something else," Corin urged, leaning forward. "Something bigger."
Jamie hesitated, then closed his eyes, picturing the kitchen expanding, adding a window over the sink—one overlooking the strange purple-tinged forest he'd struggled through yesterday.
A grinding noise made him open his eyes. The wall beside the sink was shifting, stones rearranging themselves. Light spilled through a newly formed opening, revealing exactly the view he'd imagined.
"Well, that's new," Jamie muttered, fighting down a surge of panic.
Corin clapped delightedly, his excitement causing several dishes to rattle. "I knew it! You're not just connected to the store—you can direct it."
Azelon stood, moving to examine the new window with cautious interest. "This could make life easier."
"I don't want an easier life." Jamie pushed away from the counter. "I want more information. About this place, about Barrier Keepers, about everything."
"The store might help," Corin suggested. "If it's responding to you, maybe it can provide what you need."
Could that really work?
If so, he had to try.
After all, he'd already established that talking to his store was now a thing he did. "I need information about Veridia. About Barrier Keepers. Can you help?"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a book slid off a shelf in the adjacent room and landed with a thump. Another followed, then another, until a small pile had formed.
Jamie approached cautiously, then frowned.
The books had fallen open, but not to pages about Barrier Keepers at all.
One displayed intricate illustrations of blue-skinned beings with tails—unmistakably Tideborn like Azelon.
Another showed diagrams of emotional energy fields, with drawings of figures surrounded by colorful auras that affected their environments.
"This isn't what I asked for," Jamie said, picking up a particularly ornate volume that had opened to a chapter titled "The Tideborn Exile Rituals."
Azelon stiffened beside him. He reached for the book, then stopped himself, hand hovering inches away.
"What is it?" Jamie asked.
"Nothing," Azelon said too quickly.
Corin had picked up another book, eyes widening as he flipped through pages. "This is about chaos magic and emotional projection. It's the most detailed explanation I've ever seen." He looked around the room with newfound respect. "Your store has everything."
"But nothing about Barrier Keepers," Jamie pointed out, frustration edging into his voice. He addressed the ceiling again. "I asked about Barrier Keepers. About how to get home."
In response, another book tumbled from a high shelf, landing open to reveal an illustration of three figures standing in a circle—one human, one with Tideborn features, and one surrounded by pink and red waves of energy. They stood with hands linked.
Jamie snapped the book shut before either of his companions could see it clearly. "Very subtle," he muttered to the store.
"What was that?" Corin asked, trying to peek at the closed book.
"Nothing useful," Jamie said firmly, though heat had risen to his face. He turned back to the pile of books. "Is there at least a map here?"
Corin pulled one volume from the stack, opening it to reveal geographical drawings. "This shows the regions near us. We're somewhere in the Eastern Wilds."
Jamie studied the map, grateful for at least this practical information. "How far to the nearest settlement?"
"Not far," Azelon said. "But something has disturbed the beasts in the forest. It's dangerous. That is why we've been staying here."
"Then we'd better prepare," Jamie said, straightening.
Corin blinked. "We?"
"Unless you're planning to stay here alone?"
"No!" Corin's response came too quickly, followed by a nervous laugh. "I mean, someone has to keep you from getting eaten by shadow beasts."
Azelon frowned. "The wilderness is treacherous for those unfamiliar with its dangers."
"All the more reason I need guides," Jamie countered.
"You intend to leave the safety of the store?" Azelon asked with clear concern in his voice.
"I intend to find answers," Jamie corrected. "Starting with a better understanding of where we are and what's nearby. The store provides shelter, but it can't tell me everything."
As if in response, a cabinet alongside the bookshelves slid open, revealing sturdy boots, weather-resistant cloaks, packs, and what looked like waterskins.
Corin laughed. "Your store disagrees with you leaving, but it's going to make sure you're prepared anyway."
Jamie examined the items, oddly touched by the building's apparent concern. "Just to scout the immediate area," he clarified, patting the nearest wall. "We'll be back before dark."
Corin's mood shifted again, a mixture of excitement and anxiety filling the air. A nearby book fluttered its pages in response.
"Control yourself," Azelon murmured to him.
"I'm trying," Corin snapped, but the books settled.
Jamie watched the interaction with growing interest. Despite their apparent conflict, Azelon and Corin moved in unconscious tandem, adjusting to each other's presence with the familiarity of long acquaintance.
"How long have you two known each other?" Jamie asked.
Another loaded glance passed between them.
"Azelon saved my life," Corin said finally. "About eight months ago."
"From what?"
"Myself, mostly." Corin's smile was brittle. "My emotional projections aren't always harmless light shows. Sometimes they create... manifestations. Dreamscapes that trap people."
"The nightmares," Jamie remembered what Corin had told him the night before. It seemed he was about to get more details.
Corin nodded, not meeting his eyes. "I lost control. Created a drowning dreamscape that caught several villages in its effect. People were dying in their sleep, trapped in my nightmare."
"His magic doesn't affect me too badly," Azelon said quietly. "I was able to enter the dreamscape and extract Corin, breaking the effect."
"And you've been together since?" Jamie asked.
"Someone has to keep an eye on him," Azelon muttered.
Corin flinched, his hurt rippling outward and making a nearby lamp shatter.
"Enough," Jamie said firmly, stepping between them before the situation could escalate. "Whatever is between you two can wait. Right now, we need to work together if we're going to make any progress."
Both Veridians looked momentarily startled by his tone. Then, to Jamie's surprise, they both nodded.
"We'll need provisions," Azelon said, pivoting smoothly to practical matters.
"And weapons," Corin added. "The wilds aren't exactly friendly."
Jamie turned to study the equipment the store had provided, a strange certainty settling over him.
It felt good to have a plan of action.
And to be in charge.
"Jamie?" Corin's voice broke into his thoughts. "You okay?"
"Fine," Jamie said, reaching for one of the packs. "Just wondering what my accountant would say about all this."
Corin laughed, the sound genuine this time. "Probably best not to include 'magical transportation to another realm' in your documentation."
Even Azelon's mouth quirked slightly in what might have been the beginning of a smile.
Jamie began sorting through the supplies, organizing them with mechanical efficiency while his mind processed everything he'd learned.
His store was magic. He apparently had some connection to that magic.
A powerful being had brought him here for unknown reasons. He had no idea where his brother was.
With Caelen, most likely.
Jamie could only hope the fae would take care of Daniel while Jamie…
Well, Jamie would take care of the problem in front of him.
A book on a nearby shelf thumped to the floor, falling open to that same illustration he'd seen earlier. Three figures standing in a circle, their hands linked.
Jamie quickly closed it before either of his companions could see.
He'd have to have a word with his store about meddling in his affairs.