Chapter 13
Ada
“Ican’t wait to sleep in my own bed again!
” Bittersweet emotions flood me when Tallie informs me that she, Cyrinda, and Aurelia are leaving tomorrow.
Living under the same roof for so long bonded us, hopefully for life.
I wouldn’t say the past few weeks flew by quickly, but this announcement takes me by surprise.
“I’ll drink to that! Though three weeks of horribly boring meetings was worth the trade-off to spend time with you delightful females,” Cyrinda says in an uncharacteristically snark-less manner.
“Did you already break into a bottle of champagne, Cyrinda? You sound downright sentimental,” Aurelia teases her old friend, who scoffs at her in return.
“I think we’re all a little punch drunk after so many all-day meetings. I haven’t had to do anything like that since my school days,” Tallie whines.
Aurelia clasps both of their shoulders, lightly shaking them. “We got through it. Our communities’ wards will be stronger than ever. And we’ll go home with new and effective security measures to put into place. Feel good we’re protecting our future,” Aurelia reminds them.
“Ew. And you accuse me of breaking into the bubbly already? You’re being the ooey-gooey one right now,” Cyrinda playfully defends herself.
“Speaking of bottles and bubbly, are we ready to get some drinks? How does Call of the Wild sound?” Tallie asks.
“You just want to stare at Hal’s biceps one last time before you leave,” Cyrinda says knowingly. “No judgment. I don’t mind a side of beefcake with my cocktail either.”
“So what if I do? Who better to know and appreciate a fine orc specimen than another one,” she says touching her shoulder and making a sizzle sound. Aurelia and I giggle at her. Cyrinda clucks her tongue.
The three lead me on a quick walk downtown to Call of the Wild, clearly a well-worn path for them.
The afternoon sun shines brightly through the windows onto the dark wood-clad interior of Call of the Wild.
This place does not believe in overhead lighting.
Other than candlelight and the orange glow of their fireplace, it gets very dark at night, even for a witch’s eyes without casting a darkvision spell.
When in the dark without sight, let me see like there’s warm light.
So I’ll be claiming a small hoard of their tea candles if we’re here for more than a couple hours.
Unsurprisingly, Hal slings drinks behind the bar along with a werewolf from the Wolf Pack.
They own and operate the pub, which helps fund their activities and programs. Celeste Longclaw, one of my fellow town council members, waves to me from a barstool as we sit down at our table.
It’s then I notice we have a direct line of sight to Hal.
These ladies never fail to make me laugh.
Even though at times I was frustrated by the lack of privacy while hosting them, I will miss all of them immensely when they’re gone.
“I’m tempted to stay down here through the winter, Ada, but my mate would miss the snow. Winter is already in full swing Upstate. Brr, it makes me cold just thinking about it. You wouldn’t mind a seasonal houseguest if I never needed to escape it, would you?” Aurelia quips.
“Not at all! You know you’re as welcome as the flowers in May.
Though if you are interested in eye candy, and I’m talking to all of you, Bran at the inn has turned into a tall drink of sweet tea.
He’s a bit younger than me. His family has always lived on my street.
I can’t help but still think of him as the little kid who’d tag along with me and my friends.
” I smile to myself as I recall his big puppy dog eyes, which to be fair, as a barghest, were somewhat genuine.
“We took stock already. He was quite popular with some of his unmated guests, though he remained respectable and professional, to their dismay. So disappointing.” Cyrinda sighs her words.
Tallie listens with half an ear as she surreptitiously ogles Hal, who seems to be flexing a little more than usual, at least to my eyes. He’s not usually such a flirt, but he must be hamming it up for her in good fun.
“Mother Earth to Tallie,” Cyrinda waves her elegant hand in front of Tallie’s face. “Someone’s got a little crush.”
Tallie shrugs, smirking at us.
“Let the female have a little fun,” Aurelia tuts, waggling her eyebrows.
“I suppose, but we are having ourselves a farewell ladies’ night. She can look but not look if you know what I mean. At least until later,” Cyrinda says, aiming a wink at Tallie.
“I have a feeling we’ll use our portals a little more after this council ends. It beats flying six hours to visit the west coast,” Aurelia reflects.
Cyrinda takes umbrage. “Frankly, I’m offended you talk about coming here for the winter, Aurelia. I have a perfectly good house in sunny Los Angeles you can stay at.” She crosses her arms in an exaggerated fashion and pouts at her.
“Is the invitation open to anyone?” Tallie wonders. “I wouldn’t mind seeing the sun a little bit in the winter. It gets downright dreary in Cascadia.”
“I suppose you’ve grown on me enough to let you stay.” Cyrinda rolls her eyes playfully. “Sometimes it feels like I need to escape the sun. So, this better be a two-way street.”
“You like to pretend to be a city gal, but at heart you like a slower pace of life surrounded by beautiful nature more than you care to admit.” Aurelia gives Cyrinda a knowing look.
“Mayhap, but if one of you isn’t there” —she points her finger at us—“I wouldn’t be caught dead near the woods. Yuck, there are so many bugs,” she complains with a shiver.
“You talk like a live in a cabin in the woods. I live in town!” Aurelia exclaims, laughing at Cyrinda’s words.
“Close enough. You live next to a path to the woods. That’s basically the same thing!” she defends.
“You love it,” Aurelia intones, nudging Cyrinda with her shoulder.
“Sometimes. When I’m sick of the city that is,” Cyrinda relents with a dramatic sigh.
“That’s how I met this ludicrous female. She needed to get away from it all but ended up in a town full of bear shifters like it was some yoga retreat.” She smiles fondly at her friend.
“Don’t pretend your town doesn’t have a yoga studio that overlooks a bluff. I’d call that a retreat,” Cyrinda argues.
“I’ll be sure to pass that business idea along,” Aurelia says thoughtfully.
“I suppose. Unless it gets too popular and I’m forced to book months in advance. I like having my own secret getaway. If half the Whispered Folk world found out, I’d be very upset,” Cyrinda insists.
“That would be a good problem for us to have. Don’t worry, there’s always room for our favorite sharp-tongued faun. You’re basically part of the clan at this point,” Aurelia croons to her, reaching out and pinching her cheek. Cyrinda playfully bats the hand away from her face while cracking up.
“Ashes! You don’t have to blab all my secrets.” Cyrinda wheezes as they poke at each other, their behavior reminiscent of siblings.
When they order a second round of drinks, I opt for sparkling water with lime instead. Alcohol is going to my head a little too quickly these days, though I could always stop by my shop to pick up a hangover cure potion. But I do feel pleasantly loose after this one drink.
“So it’ll just be you in the house with Niven and Norrell starting tomorrow. They’ve become surprisingly friendly in the last week. I wasn’t sure if that was in the cards for them. Niven didn’t seem to be a fan at first,” Tallie notes, turning her attention to me.
I rest my chin in my hand as I consider her question. “Yes, they find common ground in the work they’re doing together. I’m not sure they’d necessarily be friends in other circumstances. Neither of them open up that easily.”
“I’ll extend my stay a few days if you need a buffer against Norrell. I would never leave a female in the lurch like that,” Cyrinda says very seriously.
“Oh, I know you wouldn’t, especially if you could get in a few more good jabs at him,” I chuckle.
She winks at me in response. “Things are easier between us. But it’s still a new horizon, and I don’t know what’s on the other side.
At first, I thought he was all hat and no cattle, but his support feels genuine now.
Mother Earth knows he’s running all over hell’s half acre keeping up the house for me.
At times, it can be hard to accept. I don’t relish being the damsel in distress. ”
“Aw, listen to you sounding like a little Southern belle. No wonder he’s head over heels for you,” Tallie remarks, a smile in her voice.
“Is it his help or any help?” Aurelia wonders.
“Both, I guess,” I answer honestly. “I’ve been self-reliant for so long. And now my life is turned on its head. That loss of independence is as difficult a pill to swallow as the effects of this fae curse. It’s one more thing taken away from me.”
All three of their expressions turn pensive.
Cyrinda puts a comforting hand over mine on the table.
“You’ve got this. It’s not a failure to ask for help when you need it.
Though he better not mess up. Niven may have given him the benefit of the doubt, but he’s still on my shit list. Remind him I have my eye on him, even from afar.
” Her tender tone only slightly softens her pointed words about Norrell.
“I don’t think anyone wants to attend a pity party tonight, so instead let’s toast to new and lasting friendships,” I exclaim, holding up my glass. Everyone raises theirs to mine.
“To badass babes leading Whispered Folk into the future!” Aurelia rhapsodizes.
“To independent females unafraid to take what they want in life,” Cyrinda adds.
“To all the fun we’ll have invading each other’s homes,” Tallie jokes.
We clink glasses and take a sip. I have a feeling we’ll remain friends long after this council is behind us.