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“Like what?”
“Personally, I love his beef stew, but Meryn and Izzy rave about the chicken tenders and fried fish.”
She licked her lips. It all sounded good to her. “When did I become such a glutton? At home, I never thought of food like this.”
Gage shook his head. “I bet you had the same set of meals on repeat. Why would you look forward to eating?”
“I know that the reason why I came to be here is concerning, but gods, I’ve never been so happy. I feel free!” she twirled, then stumbled. Gage’s strong arms encircled her and pulled her close.
To her, he smelled like sandalwood. Leaning in, she scooted her nose between the buttons of his shirt and inhaled. “You smell good.”
Gage’s head dropped back, and he sighed, smiling. When he looked down, there was a wicked gleam in his eye. “Later, you can smell me all you want.”
She took a quick step back, realizing how her actions must have looked. “May…maybe I will,” she said, as she lifted her head, then continued walking. She had taken ten steps before she noticed he wasn’t with her. Looking back, she saw he stood in the middle of the street with a smirk on his face. “Gage?”
He pointed to the left. “It’s that way. We can keep going down this street, but it’s mostly business services like accountants and whatnot,” he teased.
“Oh, you!” she wheeled back around and took his hand. “Okay, guide dog, show me the way.”
Shaking his head, he lifted her hand for a kiss and maneuvered them down the correct street. When he stopped, she knew they had reached their destination. The wooden framed windows gave the entire place a homey atmosphere. Gage held open the door, and they walked in.
Upon entering, she heard her name from multiple directions. She looked around, confused. She didn’t know that many people in the city. To her left, she saw Meryn, Nigel, Neil, Aiden, and Pip at a table. Pip was waving enthusiastically.
To her right, Kendrick, Thane, and Anne, along with some of Gage’s unit brothers and Brie, smiled at her.
“Welcome little lady!” Dav came from around the bar and gave her a half bow before plucking her away from her mate. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
With her head spinning, she let him steer her toward a beautifully polished wooden bar. Where the wood met the wall, branches reached up to the high ceiling, and the roots plunged through the floor. “Wow.”
Dav waved toward Meryn. “That happened after she received a blessing from her Guardian. He’s the spirit of the Elder tree. We didn’t know it would affect the bar.”
“How remarkable,” she said and settled in on a bar stool. Spinning, she giggled. “This is fun.”
Pip walked up and sat beside her. Together, they spun on the bar stools.
“Meryn, I like this,” Pip informed his sister.
Meryn nodded. “So do I. It helps me think.”
“Did you discover anything?” Kendrick asked from his table.
She turned, so she faced the room. “Only that it isn’t the crystals. The Eirlindols have taken meticulous care of them. I’ll be looking into the spells tomorrow.”
“I can escort you to House Eirlindol tomorrow if you’d like to speak with them,” Ari volunteered. “He’s a bit difficult, but I’m almost positive he won’t turn us away.”
She shook her head. “We’ve already been there. I thought he was lovely.” Thinking back on the visit, she spun to face Meryn. “I tried chocolate!”
Meryn leaned forward. “Good, wasn’t it? What’dja get?”
“Brownies from the Brick Oven, I wanted to cry. They were so good. It was like my heart was wrapped in a fuzzy blanket.”
Meryn frowned. “Brick Oven?”
She nodded. “It was an amazing bakery, the owner’s name is Peter, and he’s huge! But, very sweet.”
Ari was still staring at her. “You thought he was lovely?”
Priest nodded. “Peter made sure we all knew those sweets were for her. I’m a trained warrior, but damn, even I don’t want to cross that man.”
