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Damn, he was serious, and I never would have imagined such words falling from his mouth. But when I thought about it, I understood. If he’d always craved a family, he’d see the notion of four of us in a relationship as appealing.
“We should hold on to this thought until the other two arrive. They may not be so excited to share.”
He made a scoffing sound. “Be prepared to be surprised.”
At long last, we reached the top, and in front of us the road wove across flat land. The smell of a woodfire wafted through the air. By the time we arrived in a village surrounded by a man-made river, familiarity struck me. We reached a stone bridge arching over swirling waters, shimmering in the sunlight.
Crosswind was no longer the place I remembered. It now resembled a bustling town with a maze of narrow winding streets, an endless array of houses, and merchants selling clothes and food on the street. Even a church poked out from the back. When Dad and I had arrived here all those years ago, I’d stolen a loaf of bread and cheese for us, and we’d sat by the river’s edge that evening, sharing our meal. The silence of the locality meant tranquility. No street lamps existed either. Now the reds, blues, and yellows of the painted homes reminded me of children’s toys.
“You okay?” Gage brushed against me.
I nodded but couldn’t speak. A farmer drew a single horse-drawn carriage filled with chopped wood toward us from the open field at our backs. We stepped aside as he passed us with a nod of his head and entered the town.
“Crosswind doesn’t feel the same.” I wasn’t sure how to word it, but it had lost its charm and looked like any of the other places I’d visited. I’d always pictured the location as idealistic, picturesque, and quiet.
“Everything changes.”
“Yeah, I know. Just expected something else, I guess.” I pushed forward onto the crossing. “I’m being silly, holding on to the past from thirteen years ago.”
His slid his hand into mine and we strolled toward the busy town, where voices boomed and pungent smells from baking blended into a strange concoction. “First thing, we find a tavern room, drop off our bags and Gingernuts. Then we mingle and ask locals about shifters and anything strange in the area. Even if that lion pride you mentioned earlier still lived near.”
“Agree.” Though I was still stunned at how fast a small place had blossomed. While advances were needed for the populace, there was something to be said about simplicity.
* * *
“How long dowe wait for Reed and Kahlo to turn up?” Gage stuffed another piece of lamb roast into his mouth, lounging across from me at our table in the tavern.
“As long as it takes.” I glanced out the window into the night, the light pattering of rain hitting the glass pane. A storm had rolled through town, then vanished just as quickly as it had hit. I hoped Reed and Kahlo hadn’t gotten caught in it.
Now we waited for them in the tavern closest to the bridge, so we’d spot them. Crosswind now housed six bars. Torches lit up the street. It had to be close to midnight. No more couples or families wandered the streets. Just working women, the two lingering nearby in tiny skirts, thigh-length stockings, and puffy shirts. Both had black hair tied in ponytails, so I assumed they were twins and potentially offering clients two-for-the-price-of-one deals. The seedy man wearing nothing but black within the shadows studied everyone who spoke with the ladies. The pimp.
Farther down the road lay the bridge, one light illuminating the passage, and still no sign of either shifter. I returned my attention to Gage, who’d eaten all night and now scarfed down the baked potatoes. How much did a shifter eat?
Despite the late hour, the tavern buzzed. Men drinking, laughing with friends, others fawning over the young women wearing just stockings with a tiny dress—leaving nothing to the imagination—selling pre-rolled cigarettes. They’d have no problem making killer sales tonight.
A fire blazed from the cobblestone fireplace across from the bar, throwing shadows over the darkened room. A band with flutes and drums played a tune in the opposite corner. Behind the bar, a row of six wooden barrels lined the walls, and the barman tended to orders.
“So how do you feel about moving to White Peak? It’s beautiful there, isolated, and so much to see.” Gage wiped his mouth with a napkin, his legs reaching out beneath the table and clasping mine between his.
“For a vacation?” I didn’t understand where he was going with this, yet his gaze held an intensity behind them.
“No, permanently. Start a new life with me, the other men if they want to.”
“You’d be ready to leave behind your current home? What about your job and friends?” Besides, I had no intention of running away until I sorted out my shit.
He leaned back and threaded his fingers behind his head. In his black gambeson padded with studded sleeves with a matching undershirt, he screamed “chivalrous knight,” and all he was missing was a sword and a pledge to a royal family. At heart, he was my knight in shining armor already. His perfectly accentuated face had me admiring him, and his full lips parted in a provoking expression meant only for me.
“For you, yeah. I’ll go anywhere. I have no attachments in Darkwoods.” His eyes gleamed beneath the candlelight at our table. “Now that I understand why you’ve been pushing me away for years, I’m not leaving your side.” His eyes seemed to scream his intensity and emotions, and I didn’t doubt his words.
These weren’t from a delusional man, but someone devoted, and it warmed me to have him stare at me with such hunger. For too long, I’d kept him at a distance, and even now it terrified me to open my heart. What if we failed and Faye defeated me, locked me in a place no one could find me? A shiver rattled through me. I couldn’t bear to know Gage might spend his whole life searching for me. As much as it killed me, I hoped he could move on if that ever happened.
Though the way he stared at me now scared me wouldn’t. Whether I gave into him or not, he was still devoted to me, so maybe I ought to give in. My stomach tingled with the prospect. It would be a dream come true.
I scanned outside once again, and the rain had ceased.
Maybe part of the reason Gage had never turned into a true dragon was because of my hesitation. The guilt raked my insides like claws, yet I couldn’t change. Not when being with me still posed a danger to him. It sounded foolish in my head, but it was the only way to deal with the fear chiseling away at my sanity. If I died or vanished, I refused to take anyone down with me.
Just then, the front door to the tavern snapped open with a flurry of wind. Reed and Kahlo strolled inside, their hair and coats wet. Kahlo carried a bag over his shoulder. A beam of excitement lit my insides at their arrival, and I smiled as I waved them over.
