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“Proud of you,” I say to my reflection.
Checking to make sure my neckline will stay in place, I head toward the party.
The mezzanine overlooks the first floor of the newly dubbed Avalon Vale Inn, and I can’t be more proud of what I see. Otherkin mingle with some of the local humans from nearby towns, and it gives me hope for what’s to come.
I don’t know most of the people here, but I know Torben. That is all who matters.
I carefully lift my skirt and go down the stairs. Halfway down, I notice a ripple in the crowd below. It’s easy to see that they are making way for the snow best who is marking his claim on the house.
Torben makes his way toward me. He meets me while I’m still half way down, and extends his hand to me, palm up.
A snow beast asking his mate to dance.
This is Torben’s most primal form. One that’s only known violence, war…death. One that hides himself away for fear of harming others.
Not anymore. Tonight, the snow beast will know light and joy. He will be known for being something other than a weapon.
I love each aspect of Torben. That he is comfortable showing this side of himself now makes my heart soar.
The snow beast recedes just enough for Torben to speak. “My lady,” he says, bending over my hand to brush his lips against it. “May we have this dance?”
“I thought you would never ask.”
He sweeps me away as the string quartet strums a joyful tune with a nice bounce to it. As he twirls me around, everyone else blurs in the background.
Golden wings flutter around. They are part of Torben’s experiments. They do the double duty of surveillance while also capturing fun candid moments with our guests. I’m hoping it would be a lovely scrapbook for me, the first one of many to commemorate this inn.
The Gala is a success. My face aches from smiling so much. I follow Torben back to his laboratory in his den.
He takes me into the very heart of his private space. I feel a sense of sacredness being back here. This has been his safe space for so long…and mine when I first arrived.
It feels so long ago, even though it’s only been a month.
He steers me past the familiar mad scientist tables full of lab equipment and experiments while. I absently stroke the spines of some of the books lingering on the floor to ceiling bookcases.
Torben’s destination is someplace new. A veiled area tucked into the back corner of the lab. It reminds me of those special rooms to develop photographs.“What is this place?”
“I want to show you what I have been working on.”
He doesn’t answer my question, which means, I need to trust him.
Torben loves to surprise me.
He pauses before sweeping the curtain aside. What he shows me takes my breath away.
It’s a flower unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a cross between an orchid and a lily, with each bloom containing multiple spirals within it.
Torben has it under a glass bell jar. When he lifts it out, the fragrance suffuses the air immediately.
Something about it makes me want to both weep and fight wars at the same time.
“Meet Valiana Inamorata. It blooms for twenty-four hours, but the roots are enduring.” He picks up a fallen petal. Its prismatic coloring is spellbinding. “The medicinal value is great.”
He plucks it, and places the bud behind my ear. “I named it for you. For your undying love and strength of will. Not to mention, your intoxicating scent.”
He crushes a petal against my wrist. The scent is heady, but fades to something clean. “I can’t smell anything.”
Torben presses his lips against my wrist. “Trust me. It smells delicious, and it’s taking all my control not to rip your pretty dress from your body.”
