Chapter 11
Elana
We walked down Solstice’s Main Street side by side, and despite my assurances that this was not a date, it was really starting to feel like one.
The town might have only been a few years old, but it had personality galore. Unlike the sterile, cookie-cutter developments popping up elsewhere, the buildings boasted a range of architecture.
Wooden storefronts with hand-carved shutters stood shoulder-to-shoulder with stone cottages sporting thatched roofs that looked like they’d been lifted straight from a medieval village.
Farther down the street, sleek modern houses with floor-to-ceiling glass windows gleamed in the sunlight, their contemporary lines contrasting with the older architecture.
Somehow, it all worked together, feeling both timeless and fresh, a place that had grown organically rather than being planned within an inch of its life.
I’d spent the early part of the morning in Melly’s nursery showing her how to pick up a jumbo crayon, one of the few that hadn’t melted during her last fire-filled tantrum, and draw on a sheet of paper.
We made a little progress when she stopped trying to pick it up with her mouth and finally used her paws.
It wasn’t her hands, but I praised her anyway to let her know she was going in the right direction.
It was one step toward her actually shifting so she could discover all the fun things her human form could do.
She’d clung onto my leg when I’d tried to leave, and I’d asked again about bringing Melly along, but Emmett had been firm about it being too dangerous.
And I understood. There were some shitty people out there, and I didn’t want her on their radar either.
But still, I couldn’t help wishing she could see this place, where magical creatures chose to live mostly in their human forms.
Emmett was convinced no one in town would actually recognize him as the very dragon who lived in the castle overlooking the town.
His aura was a lot weaker than Desmon’s, and while I could immediately peg him as a shifter or monster, and a powerful one at that, I had to admit that I wouldn’t have thought “dragon” at all.
And for me, my aura and magic were being subdued by Seth’s spell, but it was still very clear that I had magic.
There was no way we’d be mistaken for plain humans by anyone with the sight. The plan, if asked, was to pretend we were visitors from Darlington looking for a quieter life.
He’d dressed the part in well-worn jeans and a faded T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders.
It clung to the hard planes of his chest, the sleeves straining against his biceps.
The denim of his jeans was worn thin in all the right places, and the fabric molded to the powerful muscles of his thighs.
I was surprised he even owned something so casual. He really was very different from his brother. More casual. Way more laissez faire.
Was there a saying that meant the opposite of he cleaned up well? Because hot damn! A dressed-down Emmett was a sexy-as-fuck Emmett.
The town didn’t have a dedicated bookstore yet, though it did have a bookstore/gaming store combo that clearly made most of its profit on the latter.
What Solstice did have was a small cluster of essential shops.
This included the aforementioned book/game store, a bakery, a family restaurant, a hardware store, a pharmacy, several coffee shops, a specialty grocery store that catered to the myriad of different cultures that had settled here, and a brunch spot called Howl they probably all share the building with a town this size and this magical.”
That had been before we’d taken a number at Howl it makes you more approachable. More relatable. And it looks like you’ve been busy. I didn’t know you were such an environmentalist.”
“I’m not,” he huffed. “It was all selfish reasons. I wanted those assholes off my land.”
“Isn’t most of this land owned by the government?”
“Sure. Part of the territory is private; the rest is crown land. But that was before they knew a dragon had been living on it. The land was bestowed upon me centuries ago by the native tribes that had once called it home. It’s mine. And besides, are they going to fight a dragon over it?”
“Good point.”
We made our way over to the toy store, which from the outside didn’t look open at all.
There were no signs and no lights, just a plain wooden door.
But when Emmett turned the handle, a cheerful bell chimed, and the door swung open to reveal a riot of color.
Shelves overflowed with toys, from plush animals to wooden blocks to miniature tea sets.
The air smelled of fresh paint and crayons. This was more like it.
A peppy woman with warm dark skin and a bright smile poked her head out from behind a shelf, her hands full of stuffed animals.
“Oh! We aren’t open yet. I didn’t expect…
” Her words trailed off as her gaze landed on Emmett, her eyes widening just a fraction before she recovered. “Come on in. How can I help you?”
“We’re looking for some children’s books,” I said. “And maybe a toy or two.”
The woman’s smile widened, and she set down the armful of plushies. “Books and toys? You’ve come to the right place. I’m Natasha, by the way.” She wiped her hands on her apron, which was covered in tiny, embroidered stars.
“I’m Elana, and this is Emmett.”
It seemed Emmett was letting me take the lead now. I’d noticed how his expression had changed since finding out that most of the town knew him. Was he worried?
“What kind of books are you thinking of? Board books? Bath books? Story books for bedtime?”
“All of the above,” I said, stepping forward. “She’s… energetic. So we need things that can handle a little rough play.”
“Ah, say no more. We’ve got some durable options.
” She led us to a corner of the store where a small display of sturdy, fabric-covered books sat.
“These are great for little ones—they’re chew-proof, tear-proof, and easy to clean.
And over here…” She gestured to a bin of chunky board books with bright, simple illustrations.
“These are perfect for tiny hands and paws. Some even have textures for sensory play.”
Emmett picked up a book with a dragon on the cover. He flipped through the pages, looking amused.
“And for bath time,” Natasha continued, pointing to a shelf of waterproof books with floating pages, “these are a hit with the little ones. They stick to the tub walls when wet.”
She handed me a pastel-colored basket, and I started loading it up.
“Now, for toys. Any particular interests?”
“She loves stuffed animals,” Emmett said.
Which surprised me because I hadn’t seen any stuffed animals in the playroom at all.
“We have stuffed animals of all sorts, real and ‘mythical.’” She put air quotes around the last word.
“The kids here like seeing representation. It’s why our dolls come in every skin, fur, and scale color imaginable.
” She picked at an adorable-looking dragon with green scales and held it out to Emmett.
He hesitated, like he thought taking it would confirm his dragonhood and put Melantha at risk. Then, as if deciding that it wouldn’t matter since all this was out of his control anyway, he took the dragon. As he turned it over in his hands, his expression softened. “She’ll love this.”
“You should bring her over sometime. We are doing story time every Friday afternoon. It’s good for them to spend time with other kids.”
“She likes to be in her other form,” I said, hoping that didn’t give too much away. I didn’t want to air Emmett’s dirty laundry inadvertently.
“That’s no problem. So many of the kids here have animal sides, they wouldn’t mind. There’s a kid named Reese, who has a habit of turning bear in public just to get out of wearing clothes.”
That had me grinning and remembering Seth’s no-pants phase.
Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw the name Howl & Honey flashing on the screen. “It’s the brunch place,” I said, answering the call. “Hello?”
“Hi there! This is Howl & Honey. We’ve got a table ready for you if you can make it in the next ten minutes.”
I glanced at Emmett, who raised an eyebrow. “We’ve got a table,” I told him.
“Great,” he said, grabbing a few more plushies and stuffing them into the basket. “We’ll be right there.”
I hung up and turned back to Natasha. “Looks like we’ve got to run, but this is perfect. Thank you.”
She grinned. “Anytime. And if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to help.”
As we stepped back out onto Main Street, I noticed a wisp of orange flames in my peripheral vision.
That would be Flame or Blaze. They were here to act as guards, which I was used to.
Even back in Darlington, I was afraid to go out on my own because of my ex-husband.
The two ifrits were used to tailing behind Carly and me when we went out together, staying just out of sight.
Emmett glanced at me, his expression unreadable. “She’ll like these. I can’t believe I didn’t replace them after the last incident. It just felt so futile. Thank you for giving me hope.”
When he took my hand, I didn’t stop him.
Instead, I let him lead me down the street toward Howl & Honey.
And as the scent of fresh coffee and bacon grew stronger with each step, I couldn’t help but admit that I was having more fun than I’d had in a long time.
In fact, I hadn’t snarked at Emmett since we set foot in town.
But then again, my mental image of him had changed quite a bit since I left Darlington.
For one, I saw how much he really cared about his daughter.
The love in his eyes was impossible to fake.
Having only experienced my ex-husband’s hands-off approach to parenting by offloading all the responsibility to me until the day Seth showed his magical strength, it had surprised me to see him carrying Melly up to his personal quarters last night.
He might not have known about her existence once, but now he was a truly devoted dad.