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“Yes,” Joy said. “But not one I’m willing to share just yet.” She glanced at Noctus and Charon, then uneasily shifted in her chair.
“It’s a worthy suggestion,” Noctus said. “Though it’s to be hoped that the artifacts case is closed well before the elves need to come forward.”
“What kind of a timeline are you thinking?” I asked.
Noctus frowned. “I’m not fully certain, yet. We just had time to inform the city leaders of all that happened last night, and I’ll have to include the Paragon in some of the conversations—unfortunately. I’m hoping we’ll be able to wait until next year—to give the elves who work in Magiford time to prepare. But I’m aware time is not necessarily on our side.”
“In that case, I apologize for bringing up such a grim topic,” Joy said.
“No apologies are necessary,” Ker assured her with a grin. “This is something that needs to be talked about. And I’ll fess up that we researched you and Pat when you moved back to Magiford, so we know you’re speaking from a point of knowledge. By the way, I find your work with supernaturals so fascinating and encouraging!”
“Oh, thank you.” Joy smiled as she dipped her focaccia bread in olive oil that was seasoned with fresh herbs. “I’m happy I can help them. American systems—particularly the red tape that goes into owning a small business—can be confusing for humans, it’s no wonder there aren’t a lot of businesses that are supernatural owned.”
“Yes!” Ker nodded vigorously as she cut into her baked salmon. “I own several businesses myself, and it took me decades to learn how to correctly and legally integrate them into human society. I’m so excited that more supernaturals are starting to follow suit. Has anyone from Magiford approached you for help yet?”
Oh.I ate my elven sweet bread.I’m pretty sure I know where this is going.Grinning, I peered down the table to find Noctus watching me.
Slowly, he smiled back, his humor making the spirals in his eyes swirl.
“Yes, actually,” Joy said. “There is a brownie bakery—I mean a bakery run by fae brownies, not the dessert—that’s opening in a new apartment building soon. They had a fae lawyer who helped them, and I believe the Fae Night Queen had some of her people help them, too, but they wanted to know the particulars about advertising, and they had a few questions about obtaining a liquor license.”
“That’s marvelous!” Ker said. “And exactly the kind of thing I love hearing. Let me ask you, have you heard of Dale Carnegie?”
Yep. She went there.
Aristide groaned and picked his cloth napkin off his lap so he could dramatically toss it at the table. “Ker, must you discussthat manat the dinner table?”
My cellphone alarm went off, so I took a sip of water from a crystal chalice—elves, man—then hurriedly stood up. “I hate to eat and run, but I’ve got to head out for my shift.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and flicked the alarm off as I hip-bumped my chair back into place, then grabbed my jacket, which I’d thrown over the back of it.
“Bye, sis.” Pat didn’t even look up from his plate of Brazilian BBQ and grilled pineapple.
Joy leaned back in her seat so she could look up at me. “Have a good shift, Chloe!” This was accompanied by a little handwave before she turned back to Ker.
Charon’s gaze narrowed on me—a practical excuse to stand and stop picking at his food—and he leaped to his feet.
Before he could say anything, Noctus spoke. “I’ll drive you, Chloe.”
Aristide had been lounging in his chair, taking delicate sips from his goblet, but at this proclamation he snorted, spattering blood around his cup. “Do you even have an up-to-date driver’s license?”
Noctus rolled his eyes as he strolled across the garden room, joining me by the door. “Yes. I just never driveyou, because you endlessly complain I take corners too fast.”
“Because you do,” Aristide said. “Make certain you buckle up, Chloe.”
“Thanks, Aristide. Goodbye, everyone!” I stepped through the door Noctus held open for me, and waited for him to close it. “That was fun.”
“Yes,” Noctus said, leading the way down the long corridor. “It was interesting to see you have your own variation of teasing from your siblings that I experience from Ker and Aristide.”
“Interesting?” I asked. “How?”
Noctus shrugged. “I’m not very familiar with healthy family relationships, so I didn’t know how they would act with you. I will confess, it makes me glad. I don’t think Aristide will ever pick on you the way he does on myself—he’s too grateful for your existence. It warms my heart to know there is someone in your life capable of similarly embarrassing you.”
“Noctus!” I said, caught halfway between laughter and surprise. “The scandal of it!”
The smile Noctus gave me was softer and relaxed the tense air around him more than any of the polite smiles he’d bestowed upon my siblings. He held his hand out, palm facing me.
For a moment, I didn’t know what he wanted—we’d been apart for months—until my muscle memory kicked in, and I tapped my palm to his.
Noctus entwined his fingers with mine, holding my hand so I couldn’t let go, and swung it with a relaxed air.
