Chapter 25
What Good is a Cell Phone if the Owl Won’t Use It?
Iwake up at just after five in the morning and immediately grab my phone off the nightstand.
But there’s still no text from Rowan.
I flop back onto the pillow, feeling despondent. Is he still feeling too rough to answer a text? Or is he avoiding me because his feelings have changed and he doesn’t know how to tell me?
I know where I stand, but I don’t know the state of his heart. He said he loved me before we fused our magic, but what if…
What if.
I force myself out of bed and into the shower because it doesn’t matter what’s going on in my personal life—I still have to open the tea shop.
As I stand under the hot spray, I think about our conversation in front of the cottage after Ash dropped us off the night before last—about Rowan wanting to own the tea shop. Even if he doesn’t love me anymore, that could still be our future if he wants it. Even if we’re just friends.
My heart aches as my mind concocts a dozen different scenarios of rejection. I think the only reason I fell asleep last night was pure exhaustion.
Finished, I wrap myself in a fluffy towel, comb out my hair, and return to my room to get ready for the day.
By the time I make it into the kitchen, Mom and Dad are already up, and the smell of coffee beckons me forward.
Mom looks over from the kitchen island, where she’s cutting strawberries into a glass bowl. “Good morning, Kit.”
“Hey.”
I feel them watching me as I pull a mug from the shelf and walk to the coffeemaker.
“How was your evening?” Dad asks.
Mom, Dad, and Nadine decided to eat at the cafe last night, so they weren’t home when I got back. I was in bed before they returned, mostly because I didn’t feel like talking, but also because I didn’t want them to see me check my phone every ten seconds like a crazy person.
“Ansel and Rowan were able to undo the mate bond,” I say lightly, even though I feel like I’m going to cry. “Rowan had to spend the night at the clinic, but the doctor said he’ll be all right. They’re supposed to let him leave this morning.”
“Kit,” Mom says, horrified.
I turn back to face them, feeling guilty. “He needed to expel a bunch of magic, and he just overdid it.”
They aren’t falling for my nonchalant tone, but at the heart of it, it’s the truth. It just feels worse right now because I haven’t been able to talk to Rowan, and I’m going out of my mind.
Dad gestures to the window. “Is that your rain?”
The miserable, unending drizzle taunts me.
“Probably,” I admit. “Though I think the weather is often wet this time of year, so it’s really hard to say.”
My parents exchange a look, but they don’t press for more, and for that, I’m grateful.
I sit down with my coffee and send another text to Rowan, not really expecting a reply this time.
I hope he’s okay.
I hope the pixie magic didn’t addle his brain.
I hope he still loves me.
He might.
After all, I still love him. The broken bond didn’t affect that whatsoever. I was right. I knew my heart.
Does that mean Rowan knew his heart as well? That’s something I would know if he would just call me.
“Thank you for breakfast,” I tell my mom as I rise, preparing to head to the shop.
“You only had coffee,” she objects. “Don’t you want something to eat?”
“My stomach feels a little off this morning. I’ll grab a pastry if I get hungry before lunch.”
“Just a minute,” she commands, opening a cupboard and retrieving a glass food container. She produces a baked good from inside and shoves it into my hand. “Take that with you.”
“An oatmeal cookie?”
“It’s a breakfast bar.”
I look down at it. “It looks like a cookie.”
“It tastes like a cookie, too, but Mom will let us eat them for breakfast,” Dad says. “Just go with it.”
Smiling despite my mood, I find a plastic bag to put it in and then shove it into my purse. “Thank you.” My eyes get misty. “I’m really glad you’re both here.”
Mom pulls me in for a hug. “We’re glad we’re here, too.”
“Even though you miss Washington?”
She rubs her hands up and down my arms, smiling. “I could never miss Washington as much as I missed you. Home is where my family is.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Dad smiles from the table, looking happy.
I walk into the rain, bolstered by my parents’ magic, deciding everything is going to be okay.
The clinic doesn’t open until eight, which means I can’t casually drop in and check on Rowan. I stand outside, staring at the time stamped in black letters on the glass door, wet and miserable.
Dejected, I roll my bike back onto the street and continue the short ride to the tea shop. I turn onto Main Street, glancing at the tourists already huddled under the cafe’s awning as they wait for tables.
Lights are on in River’s bookshop, telling me he’s there early today. The rock shop is still dark, of course. Ansel won’t be up for hours.
Muriel from the hat and shoe store waves as I go by, but the rabbit shifter has been a little cool lately, probably because she’s had a crush on Rowan since she was a kid, and I ended up accidentally forming a mate-bond with him. It was only a matter of time until she found out.
How long will it take for the news of our severed magic to spread throughout town? With Rowan ending up in the clinic, I predict it won’t be long.
I coast when I’m near the tea shop, realizing there’s a man waiting under the awning. He’s about forty, not very tall, with brown hair that’s cut short. He’s wearing a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt, and though I’m nearly positive he’s some type of pixie, I’ve never seen him before.
He watches me as I place Laverna’s old bike into the nearby rack, his eyes drifting over my soggy appearance with a hint of pity.
I must look like a drowned rat.
“Here for a cup of tea?” he says when I join him. “I’m afraid the shop isn’t open.”
I reveal my key. “I’m actually the owner. It’s not time to open yet, but I don’t mind letting you order early. You’ll have to excuse my appearance, though. Bikes and rain don’t go well together.”
“You might consider getting a raincoat,” he suggests, following me inside.
“I think I’ll have to. What can I make for you?”
“I’m not here for tea. My name is Keith, and I’m an inspector from the Fae Preservation Society. I’m here to look at your gnomes.”
My spirits fall a little further, hitting rock bottom.
“You’ll need to go into the back garden,” I tell him. “I’ll let you out there. It’s chilly this morning. Do you want a cup of tea first?”
“We have a strict policy of not accepting bribes.”
Startled, I look back at him. “I didn’t mean it like that. Please know I’m not feeling terribly charitable to you people right now and will gladly charge you.”
The inspector cracks a smile, and I feel a wisp of his autumn magic. Definitely a pixie.
“Perhaps another time.”
I open the back door for him. “The garden is through here.”
“Thank you. I’ll let you know when I’m finished.”
I head upstairs to the apartment to get a towel from the extra bathroom to dry my hair.
Halfway up, my phone vibrates. I stop so quickly on the stairs to check it, I nearly lose my balance. But it’s not Rowan.
Ryder: I just talked to Anna, and she said Rowan spent the night in the clinic? What the heck happened last night?
Kit: We broke the bond.
Ryder: Are you at the tea shop?
Kit: Yeah.
Ryder: I’ll be right over.
I plod up to the apartment, pull a towel from the linen closet, and am in the process of drying my wet hair when I hear the front door open.
“That was fast,” I mutter, my eyes on my phone as I walk down the stairs.
Still no message from Rowan.
Before I reach the back hall, a familiar voice calls, “Kit! Are you here?”
I take off at a run, coming to a stop when I spot Rowan in the middle of the tearoom. He pauses mid-stride, watching me warily, wearing yesterday’s clothes and looking a little rough around the edges. His shirt is wrinkled, his chocolate-brown hair is disheveled, and his gray eyes are worried.
I’ve never seen a more welcome sight.
“Hey,” he says softly, shoving his hands into his pockets. “They said I had to wait for the doctor, and she wasn’t going to be in until nine. I was about to go out of my mind, so I…broke out.”
“You broke out of the clinic?” I say dumbly.
“I asked to see you last night when I woke up.” Disgusted, he shakes his head. “They let Ash in instead.”
An uncertain smile flutters at the corners of my mouth. “And Anna.”
“They told me you were in the waiting room.”
“I was, until Ansel made me go home.” I swallow. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The doctor confirmed I just overextended my magic.”
“And the shadow pixie magic?”
“She didn’t notice it, probably because I expelled most of it with my own. I battled with the remnants of it last night, but I don’t think it’s done any permanent damage. My days of experimenting with spectral magic are behind me, though.”
I take a few hesitant steps forward. “How do you feel?”
His eyes search my face. “Like I’m in love with you.”
I gasp softly, scared to allow myself to believe it. My heart beats faster, and sparkles dance over my skin.
“What about you?” He takes a step forward, nervous but eager. “How do you feel?”
“Like I love you, too,” I whisper.
Rowan closes his eyes, savoring the words, and then he rushes toward me. We collide, holding each other so tightly. He smells faintly of a rosemary healer’s tincture and feels like heaven.
Even though there is no longer a mate-bond tying us together, this is right—it’s always been right. The mate-bond magnified our feelings, but it didn’t create them. This is real.
“Why didn’t you answer your texts?” I demand when I can bear to pull back enough to look up at him. “Did they take your phone?”
“I must have set it down in Ansel’s workshop. It wasn’t with my things.”
“I didn’t think to look when we left,” I admit. “I was preoccupied with your lack of consciousness.”
He smiles down at me. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“I’m just glad you’re—”
I’m cut off by a curt, demanding knock at the door. That impatient rap sounds like it should belong to Ash, but Ryder stands on the step.
When he spots us through the glass, he lets himself in. “I thought you were at the clinic,” he demands. “Did they release you?”
“I released myself,” Rowan says.
Ryder exhales, looking both relieved and annoyed. “You okay?”
“I think so.”
The elf’s eyes move to me. “And you?”
“I’m fine.”
“So, you two actually managed to break the mate bond?”
“Ansel helped more than I did,” I say. “I was more of a bystander.”
Ryder is about to respond, but the back door opens, and the inspector appears, holding…something.
“Did you change your mind about the tea?” I ask him.
“Are you aware that you have a lure in your garden?”
I blink at him. “A lure?”
He holds up the pewter disk that hangs from a red ribbon. It looks like a Christmas ornament. “Leprechaun crafted, probably fifty years old. I found it tucked into one of your bushes.”
“What does it do?” Rowan demands.
“It attracts different creatures, using magic to make an environment look artificially attractive to its prey. This one is specifically charmed to draw gnomes. Not only is it unethical, but it’s also highly illegal.”
“Leprechaun crafted?” Rowan asks sharply.
“That’s right. Your tea garden itself is a desirable location, but gnomes won’t usually cross so many bustling streets to find new territory. With all the tourists you see here, it seemed unusual the gnomes would choose this place to create a settlement.”
“We thought maybe my magic had something to do with it,” I say.
“Summer?” Keith guesses.
I nod.
“I’m sure it didn’t hurt, but this is the real reason you’re seeing gnome activity.” He holds up the disk again. “I take it you didn’t plant it?”
“Why would I?”
He nods grimly. “Indeed.”
“Kit isn’t going to take the blame for this, is she?” Ryder demands.
“That’s for the magistrate to decide.” Keith gives us a tight smile and heads for the front door. “We’ll be in touch with you soon.”
The door closes with an ominous jingle.
Rowan takes my hand. “It’s going to be all right. The magistrate won’t believe you would purposely sabotage your own business, not when you have your aunt’s entire estate on the line.”
“I hope not.”
We fall silent, all of us worried about the tea shop’s future.
After a few seconds, Ryder sighs. “I forgot your box of pastries at the bakery. I’m going to grab it, and then I’ll be back.”
As soon as the elf leaves, Rowan pulls me into his arms.
“Two hugs, and we haven’t even opened yet,” I joke, wishing we could stay like this all day.
“I have a quota to fill.”
I smile, my cheek against his shirt. “I’m really happy you still love me.”
He laughs, sounding shaky with relief. “I’m really happy you still love me, too.”
Closing my eyes, I soak in the moment. After several seconds, I say, “I can’t believe there was a lure in the garden. Do you think it’s going to be okay?”
“I do. And no matter what happens, we’ll face it together. You don’t have to do this alone.”
I smile up at him. “Because we’re family?”
He kisses me softly. “Always.”