Chapter Five Rab
Coffee was very much needed today.
Coffee and delicious breakfast pastries were an even better idea, so I veered down Main Street toward Mystic Munchies.
I was on my way to meet with Liam at his pub, the Rune & Rose, to go over the accounts.
Despite my relaxing night in with my book and an episode of Taskmaster, I’d struggled to sleep, and I’d woken this morning groggy and out of sorts.
My sleep had been haunted by lavender-blue eyes, and I’d promised myself, once again, that I was going to give Lyra MacGregor as wide a berth as I could in such a small town.
Blurrily, I checked the Apple Watch at my wrist and blinked up at the sky. It was just past eight in the morning, and, by all accounts, the sun should be shining. Or at the very least, it should be daylight. Had my watch broken? Pulling out my phone, I checked it.
Nope, it was definitely eight in the morning.
And dark as night out.
Cars drove slowly past, their headlights bright, and the streetlamps flickered off and then back on again, as though they couldn’t quite decide what to do with this new development.
Around five years ago, Knox had transformed Briarhaven into a theme town of sorts, where magickals could live in the open and regular humans could visit for entertainment.
Now, I spotted a group of tourists sporting Briarhaven-branded witch hats, peering dubiously up at the sky.
My stomach dropped. Did we have another problem on our hands?
“Good morning, Rab.” I turned to see Felicity, one of the members of the Charms coven, hoisting an overflowing tote onto her shoulder.
“Morning, Felicity.” I lifted my chin toward the sky. “Know anything about that?”
“Och, it’s the MacGregors’ curse. Back at it again.” Felicity shrugged one shoulder as though to say there was nothing that could be done about it.
“Darkness? Just… no sun at all?” I asked, realizing that it had been darker than normal yesterday. I’d been so lost in my thoughts about running into Lyra that I hadn’t taken much note of it at the time.
“Aye, seems to be the way of it,” Felicity said as we came to the door of Mystic Munchies.
“But… but how will we hide that from the tourists? What are we going to do?”
“That’s an excellent question, Rab. One we don’t have an answer for at the moment. That’s just the way of life with MacGregors around, isn’t it?”
Deciding not to comment, at least publicly, on the MacGregors, I held the door open to the bakery for her, and she beamed.
“Have you heard the news? Bewitching Bake Off is going to film their Christmas special here. We’re all just so excited,” Felicity gushed, her eyes bright.
So that was the show that Knox was trying to cajole me into joining. I rolled my eyes. I was an eat-a-can-of-beans-for-supper type of guy, not a chef. What had Knox been thinking?
“Well, some of us like it.” Felicity glared at me, and I realized she’d misinterpreted my eye roll.
“No, I’m sure it’s a grand show. I just remembered some work I’d forgotten for my meeting this morning,” I lied smoothly.
Felicity squinted and then sniffed, unimpressed.
“It’s always men that put down our reality shows.
Think they’re all high and mighty with their war movies.
But let me tell you, I’d take a Real Housewife into battle any day before I’d take some young lad accountant with no clue how to fight, Rabbie Barclay.
” Felicity turned, nose in the air, and joined the queue at the counter.
I had no idea what she was saying to me, or what a Real Housewife was, but they sounded formidable.
Also, I could fight. I may have been an accountant, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t fight if I needed to. Annoyed, and unsure how this conversation had gotten away from me, I turned back to my phone.
Laughter had my head going up, like a wolf scenting his prey, and I froze as Lyra came out of the back room with a bright white cake box in her hand. Her hair was pulled back, a pink bandanna covering it, and she wore a frilly pink apron over a swishy blue dress.
When did she start working here?
She looked as delectable as the cupcakes artfully displayed in the glass cases. My mouth went dry, my throat tightening, and I turned to leave.
“Going somewhere?” Knox beamed from where he blocked the door. We were equal height, and both worked out regularly, but it had been a few years since we’d scrapped. I was still certain I could take him in a fight, though. Lifting my chin, I stepped closer, ready to push him out of the way.
“Aye, mate.” I glared at him when he refused to move. He knew full well what he was doing. “Late to a meeting at the Rune & Rose.”
“What a coincidence. I’m heading there as well.” Knox grinned and clapped his hand on my shoulder, turning me back around to face the counter. Imagining several inventive ways to murder him, I straightened my shoulders and met Lyra’s eyes over the counter.
The smile fell from her face.
I used to be the one who made her smile.
Shoving that thought aside, I pointed to the sausage rolls. “Two sausage rolls and two black coffees.”
“Please,” Knox added behind me, digging a finger into my ribs.
“Please,” I said, annoyed at myself for not saying it first and at Knox for pointing it out.
A faint flush crept across Lyra’s cheeks, and her teeth sank into her full lower lip as she nodded and turned to the case. Her generous curves shifted under her apron, and I tore my eyes away as she bent over.
“Aw, mate, are you getting me a roll too?” Knox’s grin widened when I narrowed my eyes.
“It’s for Liam. My only real friend in this town.”
“Och, sure and it’s a brutal lad you are, Rab.” Knox pretended to clutch his heart.
Sighing, I turned back to order another.
“And—”
“Ma’am? Our coffees?” An annoyed tourist waiting on the other side of the bakery interrupted me.
“Aye, coming right up.” Lyra flushed and turned, tray in hand, the corner catching the door of the case. Sausage rolls went flying and Lyra’s hands flew to her mouth as the tray clattered to the ground. “Oh no! I’m so sorry.”
“We’ll get it sorted.” Marcie zoomed out from the back room and quickly collected the rolls from the floor, while the line of people waiting grumbled in frustration.
Lyra’s cheeks pinkened, and her eyes took on a sheen I’d seen before.
Despite wanting nothing to do with her, I discovered that I still hated to see Lyra flounder.
“Calm down, everyone,” I said, turning to address the line of complaining tourists. “It’s not that serious, and this is her first day of work. Give her a chance, aye?”
“Well, well, well,” Knox murmured softly at my side, and I ignored him, and Lyra, for that matter, instead glaring at the line of people waiting until they all shifted under my stare and stopped their complaints.
In moments, Marcie had the mess cleaned and a fresh tray of sausage rolls in the case, and Lyra handed out takeaway bags with an apologetic smile.
It was the smile that won everyone over, I was sure of it. It was impossible to stay mad at Lyra, unless, of course, she ripped your heart out of your chest and tossed it in the garbage bin.
By the time she handed me my takeaway bag and coffees, I’d replayed the reasons why she was dead to me twenty times in my head, so when she gave me a shy smile and a softly murmured “Thanks,” I just shrugged in acknowledgment and turned away.
I would have done it for anyone, not just Lyra. My actions were simply the result of me being a decent person.
Or so I told myself.
Without a backward look, I left the bakery, Knox falling in step next to me.
The arsehole said nothing.
Instead, he whistled a cheerful song.
“Bloody hell, mate, I’m going to throat-punch you soon if you don’t fucking shut it.”
“Och, he’s a tetchy one this morning, isn’t he, then?” Knox laughed, and I almost crushed the bag of sausage rolls in my hand.
“Shouldn’t you be the tetchy one?” I nodded toward the dark sky.
Clouds hung low, shrouding Briarhaven, and the streetlights cast pools of golden light on the pavement.
Spooky music played from the speakers built into the black wrought iron lights, enhancing the magickal feel of the town, and several of the stores had already started putting out Halloween decor. “This doesn’t strike me as normal.”
“It’s not.” Knox made a low sound of disgust. “It’s that damned curse. Sloane’s been poring over old books in the library, but we haven’t been able to find the next step in breaking it.”
“Because it’s Lyra’s, isn’t it?” I asked as we wandered down Main Street, nodding to people we knew.
Small-town living generally required extra time when running errands, to account for people stopping you for a chat.
It was why I tried to run errands only once a week or so. I wasn’t a particularly chatty type.
Unlike Knox, who kissed every baby and hugged every gran he came across. Getting anywhere with him was an exercise in patience, and I stopped in front of Pixie Dust Apothecary while he spoke with a neighbor concerned about the darkness.
“Knox doing his knightly duties?”
I turned to see Raven, owner of the apothecary, leaning in the doorway. A bonnie lass, she’d always reminded me of a wildflower on a fresh spring day.
“Per usual.” I grinned. “How’s business? Is this darkness causing any issues?” Raven was a client of mine, and though her business was in the black, she still needed the rush of Halloween and Christmas sales to boost her through the slower months.
“Aye, a bit.” Raven shrugged, glancing toward the clouds. “The Charms have called in some help. Though how long it will hold, it’s hard to say.”
“The clouds? That’s your doing?” I asked as Knox assured the disgruntled man that they were working on the issue.
“Somewhat. The forest fae have helped as well.”
“How long?” I asked.