Chapter 4
Evelyn
Iloved my work at the library, but days like today reminded me why Parkview Tavern was my sanctuary.
It was in the exact center of Sandrin, nestled into the largest stretch of greenery within the city.
A small moat surrounded the old wooden building, making it feel like you were truly venturing away from the hustle and bustle to enjoy a drink.
The best part was, no one here cared if you were human or fae—or some blend of the two. No one cared what you did outside of the tavern. Seraphina, the owner, cultivated a community where none of that mattered.
As I slipped in the back door to start my shift, I smiled at the dull roar of noise emanating from the main room. It was strange to think that Seraphina had considered closing this place only a few months ago. Now, it was always packed with patrons.
My apron hung on the hook by the kitchen. I secured it and took a deep breath, ridding myself of my day at the library. My beast had relaxed. She seemed to be back in her cage now that I had distance from so many stressors.
“Evelyn!” Seraphina jumped as she came around the corner from the kitchen, almost running into me. Hastily, she crumpled a note clutched in her hand.
When I attempted to flash her a smile, she put her hands on her hips. My internal pep talk must not have worked as well as I hoped.
Her shoulders fell in recognition of a trying day. “Ah, so it’s like that with you, too.”
“Everything alright?” I asked.
Her fist closed more tightly around the paper. “It’s fine. Nothing I can’t handle. What about you?”
“Maybe the same? I plan to forget about it for a while, but I’ll let you know if I fail.”
Seraphina smiled. “Acceptable. I’ll check in before you leave. Luna said she’d be here for the evening meal, so maybe we can sneak out and stand in the moat or whatever she does to calm down.”
I nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
Tucking the note in her pocket, Seraphina ran her fingers through her long blond ponytail. “Ready to get out there?”
“Are you?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be.” She ushered me down the hallway, which opened into the tavern’s main room. It was an older building, with dark wood beams and paneling. The bar was to my right, and Seraphina slipped behind it as I walked past.
Mina, another server, was already on the floor. She smiled at me and nodded toward the left side of the room, which tended to be how we split the tables. A couple had just sat down by the window. I approached them to take their order and put everything else behind me.
Focusing on what advantages Ambrose might already have in our competition would get me nowhere. Still, I couldn’t quite rid myself of the scene in the library, when I’d blurted out that I wanted this position—to him, of all people.
What if I didn’t get it? Ambrose would be unbearable.
My skin felt too tight as I relived my most embarrassing moment of the day.
The beast I’d thought calm awoke with my discomfort.
Deep breath in through my nose and back out through my nose.
It felt like my every spare thought was spent trying to control my shift.
Fortunately, this familiar routine demanded my attention.
Unfortunately, I was an expert multitasker.
My brain ran a mile a minute, so even as I took orders and delivered meals, I cycled through my troubles at the library.
Luna and Vincent’s arrival a few hours later was my only signal that time had passed.
“Two Solstice Sips?” Seraphina asked as they took seats at the bar.
I was collecting another order nearby and couldn’t help but smile. “They’re getting a little predictable, aren’t they?”
Luna tucked one of her silver strands behind her ear. “I still love hearing Vincent order it. Please don’t take that from me. He gets so excited—and a little pretentious—when requesting the drink he helped create.”
Vincent’s cheeks pinkened, but he smiled with nothing but adoration for Luna. “I live to make you smile with my slightly pretentious comments.”
Seraphina mock-vomited from behind the bar, but her own smile was wide from their banter.
They might have met through a tangled bargain, but their romance had bloomed like unchecked wildflowers anyway.
Luna’s head fell onto Vincent’s shoulder, and his wind magic rustled her hair while his arm slipped around her waist. She deserved nothing less than the worship he and his magic continued to heap upon her.
“Deliver that order, Evelyn,” Seraphina said. “Then Vincent can cover for me a moment while we slip out. I don’t think you’ve made it out of your funk.”
I picked up the drinks and nodded. These females had done so much for me. I hated to ask them to listen to me whine, but they’d recently reminded me that friends wanted to know things about each other. I had promised to do better at sharing parts of my life, especially those at the library.
With a quick wave to Mina, I slipped out of the main room and down the hallway to the employee entrance. When I pushed open the door, Luna was already taking off her shoes and gesturing to Seraphina to do the same.
Seraphina’s lip twitched into a smile even as she asked, “Is this necessary?”
“Very,” Luna responded as she hopped into the moat. “You’ll join me, right, Evelyn?”
I wasn’t sure about the science behind standing in the water to relieve stress. It might help Luna because she was half-Norden, or water fae, but mostly, I thought she just enjoyed it. I shrugged and took off my boots, too.
Seraphina was doing the same when I hopped from the small ledge into the river surrounding the tavern. “Well, this is a fun new tradition for consulting on a bad day.”
“What’s up, Evelyn?” Luna asked. Her bright blue eyes were wide and inviting. She was one of the most selfless people I knew, besides Seraphina, although Seraphina did her best to hide her nature.
I sighed. “I guess I didn’t let everything go as much as I’d hoped.”
Seraphina chuckled. “I think you only took it out on the returned dishes, but…” She shrugged. “We’d love to hear if you want to talk.”
“I was invited to work on a special project today.”
“The one the Vesten God is here for?” Luna asked.
They already knew this part because Lord Arctos was a guest at Luna’s inn, so I nodded. “He and Gabriel only selected two researchers, and the work is well within my specialty. They said that whoever finds the answer they’re looking for will be promoted to Vesten historian.”
Luna was smiling, like she assumed I already had the promotion.
Seraphina was more cautious. “Who is the other researcher?”
Even Luna’s face fell when she realized what Seraphina was asking.
“Ambrose Yarrow.”
Luna’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Wasn’t his father big in the library, too?”
Ambrose was one of Vincent’s closest friends. I wasn’t surprised she knew a little about his family. I nodded. “The current Vesten Point, Carter, was the last one to hold the Vesten historian position. He retired to take on court leadership, but Ambrose’s father was the historian before that.”
“But that doesn’t matter if you do the research better, right?” Luna asked.
Seraphina patted Luna’s shoulder like she didn’t want to spoil her view of the world. Luna scowled and swatted at her. “Lord Arctos seems fair. He wouldn’t make it a competition if it weren’t one.”
“I do think Lord Arctos and Gabriel have the best intentions,” I said.
“You want to win, right?” Seraphina asked.
Somehow, she always found the right question. Now that I’d admitted as much to my rival, I should be able to admit it to my closest friends. Still, I hesitated. Desire was like wisps of smoke, unattainable and better left to blow away.
Seraphina saw more than I realized as she rephrased. “This position would help with your sh—”
“Yes.” I winced, taking the metaphorical olive branch she handed me.
This might not have been the whole truth, but it was relevant.
I didn’t like discussing my animal. Like maybe if I never spoke of it, then it wouldn’t exist. Luna and Seraphina saw right through that.
I could tell by the narrowing of Seraphina’s eyes that she already knew what I planned to do if I got the position.
“Have you told your mom?” she asked.
I sighed but shook my head. “I just found out this afternoon. I don’t want to hurt her, but when it comes to questions about my father, I can’t seem to help it.
” I glanced around. No one was with us. The only noise was the gurgle of the river flowing and the soft sounds of the city on the other side of the park.
“My shift is getting more insistent. I need to learn more about it. It … it’s unmanageable. ”
Luna pursed her lips. “I know Vesten are cagey about their shifts, but what about talking to someone like Gabriel? He seems approachable.”
“No,” I said without hesitation. “Yes, I need to learn how to shift, if possible, but my problem is also about what I shift into. It … well, the animal shouldn’t exist.”
My voice had dropped to a whisper. Since my beast was in total control of my shifts, neither of them had seen her.
I couldn’t bring myself to say the animal’s name, but it was enough to know she shouldn’t be real.
She was nothing more than a bedtime story that both fae and humans told their children.
I sighed, circling back to why Seraphina mentioned my mom.
The Vesten shift was hereditary. My unfathomable form was just another thing that was my father’s fault.
And given the restrictions of Vesten society, he was also the only one who could explain it to me.
If I was right and he’d left us rather than something bad happening to him, the Vesten historian position would be my key to finding him.
Unfortunately, finding him alive and well would probably break Mom’s heart.
“You know we’ll always tell you to do what you need to for yourself,” Seraphina said. “Your mom will understand, though.”