Chapter 22 Ginger
Ginger
“And our winners of the Miss and Mister Moonvale competition are… Ginger! And—I’m sorry, what is your name again?”
The stranger hesitated for a moment before glancing at me and saying, “You can call me Shade.”
Tommins tilted his head for just a moment. “And Shade. Your winners!”
Shade. There was something almost too fitting about that. I rolled it around in my mind, mulling it over.
I decided that I hated it. It was a terrible, stupid name.
Shade met my gaze and held his hand out expectantly.
I stared at it. “What?” I asked. “Is something wrong with your hand?”
“Come, now, wife. Let’s not delay.”
“Pardon? We’ve been over this.”
“This castle shall be ours,” he said. “It could use some work, of course, but I suppose it will do.”
“Huh?”
“Miss and Mister Moonvale. That means we shall marry now, yes? And become the leaders of this land? Is that not how it goes?”
My jaw dropped open. “It’s just an honorary title…”
“Honorary?” His forehead scrunched as though the word did not make sense. “We are not to marry now?” he asked, genuinely confused.
“No. Absolutely not.”
“What did we compete for, then?”
“Bragging rights, mostly. That’s about it.”
“... Truly?” he asked quietly.
“Truly.”
“… What a preposterous occasion.”
I snorted. “You thought this was a marriage competition?”
“To find the new rulers of this land, yes.”
“That’s the most unreasonable thing I’ve ever heard.”
“More unreasonable than a three-day competition with no worthwhile prize?”
I considered that. “You have a point, I guess. We do it for fun.”
“Fun,” he deadpanned.
I shrugged. “Like I said—it’s tradition.”
His brow furrowed. “I see. I was mistaken.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I mumbled under my breath.
“So, what happens now?”
I balked. “Why are you asking me?”
“Our duties as Miss and Mister of this province?”
“Town,” I corrected. “There aren’t any… you simply return to your normal life.”
“My normal life,” he repeated. His gaze grew distant. Vacant.
“Yep. So, you can leave me alone now.”
He didn’t respond. He simply stared off into the distance.
“Okay, then,” I said. I stepped away from Shade, glad to finally be free of his overwhelming focus.
“Congratulations!”
“That’s our girl!”
Kizzi and Fiella barreled into me with a swarm of energy. Arms wrapped around my waist, my shoulders. A hand even landed on the back of my head as I was yanked into a haphazard hug.
Weird as the hug was, it was nice.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, my face smushed into a shoulder garbling my words. “Can you believe it? I finally won.”
“We knew you would!” Kizzi insisted. Her mop of green curly hair tickled my chin.
“Didn’t doubt you for a second! Well, except for when you started the art trial. We might have doubted you for a moment there. But you overcame that,” Fiella said.
“Yeah, that part was a little rough,” Kizzi agreed.
I couldn’t argue. I definitely floundered there for a moment.
“Can you believe Shade thought this was a marriage competition?” I lifted my head to look for him, but he was gone, vanished like a ghost.
“Why the fuck would he think that?” Kizzi asked, horrified. “There’s something wrong with that man.”
“Definitely something wrong with him,” Fiella agreed. “But it makes sense. Nobody that abnormally pretty can develop a normal personality.”
Finally, the strange hug broke up. I examined my friends’ faces. The mixture of emotions was hard to interpret—excitement, sure. But also, trepidation. Maybe a splash of fear.
“Miss and Mister Moonvale.” I shrugged. “Easy to misinterpret, I guess. If you don’t ask any questions.”
“Everyone knows it’s an honorary title. Everyone,” Kizzi insisted. “Where did he come from? The sky?”
“I have no idea. Does anyone know who he is? Redd, Tandor, have you heard anything?”
Redd, who had been awkwardly lingering nearby, joined our circle. “Nothing. Should we ask around?”
“I’m sure the gossip chain would have picked up on it by now.”
“There’s something off about him,” Fiella said. “He smells weird.”
“Weird?” I asked. “Like… stinky?” Somehow, the thought of the beautiful man smelling bad seemed impossible to me. I thought he smelled clean, almost floral, from my time dancing with him.
She shook her head, looking to Redd for help explaining. “No, more like… he smells wrong.”
Redd nodded his head contemplatively. “I know what you mean. The best way I can describe it is that he smells intense. Powerful, but not like any folk I’ve ever smelled before. Everyone smells different now that magic has returned to the realm, though, so that could have something to do with it.”
“I haven’t been close enough to him to really get a feel for him, but I don’t think he’s a wizard,” Kizzi added. “Something else. Should I try to approach him and see what the fuss is all about?”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, little witch,” Tandor chimed in, wrapping an arm around Kizzi’s shoulders as he slipped seamlessly into the conversation. “What if he’s dangerous?”
“He just won Mister Moonvale—surely he’s not that dangerous,” I added. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to defend the stranger, but the words slipped out of their own volition.
“You’re just saying that because you danced with him. I saw the way he was lifting you up, spinning you around. He’s dazzled you,” Fiella argued.
“I’m not dazzled! I was trying to get away from him!”
“You weren’t trying very hard,” she teased, nudging me with her elbow.
“Hard enough,” I argued.
“See, because he’s dangerous! You know it too,” Tandor insisted.
Frustration fizzled in my stomach. I wasn’t fleeing from him out of fear, more out of… stubbornness. For whatever reason, I felt the need to defy him. “I don’t know,” I said lamely. “Maybe. But I don’t think that’s it.”
“Well, he’s gone now,” Kizzi said, looking around the ballroom. “So, we might as well enjoy the rest of the evening.”
“Are there any ciders here?” Fiella asked hopefully.
“Of course,” Tandor said. “I carried a few barrels over this morning.”
“Let us drink, then! And dance!” Fiella said. “And give these beautiful dresses the evening they deserve!”
Kizzi slipped her arm into Fiella’s elbow, and then into mine, forming a chain. “I agree.”
She dragged us in the direction of the cider. She didn’t bother with politeness, simply shoving Fiella and me into any folk that were in our path. I apologized quietly to any casualties.
We grabbed goblets, quickly downing them. Strawberry and sage danced over my tastebuds. “Let’s dance.”
My blood fizzled and popped in my veins. I felt lighter than I had in ages.
The ciders really were delightful. I wanted a million more.
I pranced across the dance floor, and my arms floated on a will of their own. I swayed my hips, dipped my shoulders, let my body move to the music as it wished.
My hair was beginning to fall from its elegant twist, a few strands drifting over my forehead, down the back of my neck.
I didn’t care.
I was alive, and free, and dancing. And I would never stop dancing. Never ever. I wanted to die dancing. Death Herself could show up and take me away, and I wouldn’t care, as long as I was moving to a tune.
I bumped into a sturdy form.
“Open your eyes, boss. You’re going to take me out!” Tandor laughed, placing a steading hand on my back to keep me upright.
“Stay out of my way, then,” I replied sweetly.
“I like drunk Ginger,” Kizzi said, her words slurring slightly. She grabbed my hands, lifting our arms above our heads and twirling me in a circle while trying to avoid getting our arms tangled in my antlers.
So many circles. I was getting dizzy.
“I’m not drunk, you’re drunk.”
“We’re all drunk,” she laughed. “Even Redd. It’s amazing. Come look.”
She pulled us over to the edge of the ballroom, where Fiella and Redd were leaning against a table in an alcove. Well, Fiella was leaning. Redd had his hands planted on the wood like he was floating in the river and it was the only thing keeping him from drowning.
They didn’t even notice our approach.
“Only two cookies,” Fiella was saying. “Maybe three. That’s what I need.”
“I don’t have any cookies,” Redd said. “I can make you some.”
“When?” she asked.
“Now.”
“Now? We’re supposed to be dancing.”
Redd shook his head. “I don’t dance.”
“Yes, you do! You dance with me all the time.”
“Not when there are witnesses.”
“You danced with me at our mating ceremony,” she argued, poking him on the forehead.
“That was a special occasion.”
“This is a special occasion, too.”
He lifted his chin to meet her eyes. His gaze was vacant and glassy. I had to stifle my laughs.
“You want to dance with me? Right now?”
She pulled his hand from the table, slapping it on her waist. “Yes.”
Kizzi chimed in. “Fi, that vampire is drunker than a skunk. He’ll fall and bring you down with him.”
Fiella’s laugh was loud, shaking her entire frame. “I’ll keep him up.” She tugged Redd onto the dance floor. He wobbled a bit, but he didn’t stumble.
His cheeks were flushed, and a goofy smile tugged on his mouth as he stared into Fiella’s face. The pair clumsily traversed the dance floor.
It was adorable. My stomach twisted a bit at the sight.
Nobody would ever look at me that way. I was destined to be the simple, lonely barkeep for my whole life.
And I was okay with that.
Most of the time.
“Can I steal a dance, Miss Moonvale?” a familiar voice asked from behind me. Asher.
My spine straightened. “No,” I said instantly.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
I whirled to meet the shifter’s gaze, crossing my arms in front of me. “Of course I’m mad! You ditched me!” I tried my best to keep the words from slurring.
“I didn’t ditch you,” he argued.
My brows shot to my hairline. “Really? What would you call it then, abandoning me after we made an agreement to look out for each other?”
He wrung his hands together in front of him. “It’s hard to explain. The weirdest thing happened to me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Try your best.”
He lifted a hand into the space between us. If I wanted answers, I would have to dance with him.
Begrudgingly, I placed my palm in his.
He took a deep breath as he led me into a simple dance.
“It was so strange. I was in the ballroom, waiting for the trial to begin, and then I drifted to the wall to find a quiet alcove to readjust my boots. It got really dark, almost like I closed my eyes, but I swear I didn’t.
And then, poof! I was outside—in the woods. ”
I squinted at him. “You just appeared in the woods? You really expect me to believe that? If you didn’t want to dance with me, you could have just said so.”
He squeezed my hand, earnest eyes begging me to believe him. “I’m telling the truth, Ginny. I told you it would be hard to explain.”
“Fine. Did you… sleepwalk?”
“That’s what it felt like, but I was awake. I know I was awake.”
“You must realize how stupid this sounds. How many ciders have you had?”
He shook his head. “At that point—none.”
I sighed heavily. My cider-soaked brain was having a hard time digesting the information, and I didn’t want to dwell on it any longer. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. I had to find my own partners, but I managed.”
His cheek lifted in a tentative smile. “And it seems you did a great job at that, considering you won.”
I smiled back. “I did, didn’t I? I actually won.”
“And maybe I will win with you next year.”
“If you don’t ditch me again.”
“I told you! I didn’t—”
“I know,” I interrupted. “I’m just giving you a hard time.”
“Forgiven?” he asked.
I considered. “If you bring me another cider, I’ll think about it.”
He nodded quickly. “That can be arranged.”
“Fine, then.”
Something furry bumped against my shin, nearly scaring me to death. I jumped away from Asher with a squeal. I slapped a hand over my heart in an attempt to keep it inside my chest.
“Gods!” I hissed. “You scared me, little cat.”
“That’s my cue,” Asher said, bowing awkwardly at the hips. “Enjoy the rest of your night, Ginny.”
I nodded at him as I fought to catch my breath.
Strange, a cat in the middle of the dance floor among hundreds of chaotic feet. They were bound to get squashed that way.
Fresh cider in hand, I returned to my friends, and my gaze roved over the crowd.
The entire ballroom was moving, roiling, swaying. Couples slipped away into alcoves and around dark corners to steal moments of privacy.
Sweat slicked my skin, making the gold fabric of my gown cling even tighter.
I continued to dance, though I never stopped expecting to glimpse a dark figure from the corner of my eye.
Deep down, a secret part of me was hoping to see him…
Must have been the alcohol.