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I’d thought I found pleasure in pushing others away. Something in him makes me feel like I’m questioning everything. Rhenn hides behind a persona of indifference, not realizing it’s his fleeting moments of vulnerability that give him the strength to break me. I can handle hard. Softness, however…
“Aldure to Sumner.” The voice comes from beside me. I glance to my right, seeing Liy, a cheesy grin on her face. “Staring at the door isn’t going to make him come through it.”
“What?” I straighten, pulse rising. “I was just… I wasn’t waiting for him!” My words fall quickly.
“Ha!” She slaps my shoulder. “I knew it! You were totally thinking about your hottie neighbor.” Liya laughs. “Seriously, girl, just do him already and get it over with. You clearly want each other.”
My cheeks burn and I lower my head, scrubbing the already clean table harder.
“Wait. You ho! You already did, didn’t you?”
“Liy!” I whisper yell. “Of course I didn’t.”
“You’re a horrible liar.” She takes the towel I’m using, rolling it up to slap against the side of my butt. “Get talking. I want every detail.”
“We’re at work.” I turn for the kitchen.
Liya follows behind. “Yeah, and you were also at work when you eye fucked him twenty minutes ago. So tell!”
My mind flashes back to our latest encounter. We collided and he held me up, keeping his hands on me for just a moment too long. It was like something between us had changed, and for a few short beats, we just looked at each other. No snide comments, no smug expressions, just two people lost in a moment of uncertainty. I’d missed the warmth of his presence the second he finally stepped around me, and I’m still trying to figure out what that means.
“Don’t you have tables to wait on?”
“Gossip now. Job later.”
No. Job now so I can make it to my real home later. I’m becoming too content here, finding solace where I earlier felt despair. Nothing from this world is permanent. I need to remind myself of that. What happened with Rhenn, it was a mistake. We got caught up in the moment, that’s all.
It felt like so much more than just an accidental hookup though… It wasn’t only my body he held, but my thoughts too. Rhenn had all of me, and because of that, the horrible whispers never came. Somehow, he kept them away. That’s what scares me the most, the fact that I wasn’t scared. I was free and I was his.
But I’m not his. He isn’t mine.
The man is a battle I can’t win…
Why does a part of me want to?
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
RHENN
Leaves crunch beneath my feet. I focus on the sound, knowing it won’t be long before I never hear the soft crackle again. The colors I never took the time to appreciate will be replaced with blacks and ashy grays. The birds won’t chirp. The sun won’t shine.
My fingers run along the moss-covered wall, desperate to memorize the feel of their scratchy surface. Each plant, every living tree, even the critters of the forest will one day be forgotten to me. Fall Haven is my home, and I’ve taken it for granted. I’d spent so much time chasing a childhood grudge that time seemed to get away from me all together. Maybe it was my way of avoiding the inevitable, something else to lose myself in.
Faces smile at me as I walk by, people I’ve spent my life building relationships with. Soon, they won’t see me as a friend, but as a monster. And that’s exactly what I’ll be.
When I think of Vix, the things I’ve done to her, maybe that’s what I already am.
The sweet, yeasty aroma of the bakery wafts through the streets. It’s comforting. Warm.
I take in a deep breath, scared for answers I fear won’t exist. I’ve tried to figure it out on my own, but it’s not a simple matter of wanting. It’s so much deeper than that. So that leads me here, to the oldest and wisest of witches. She was here long before all else, one of the first covens. Ageless and enlightened.
I only pray she has the solution I seek.
The door to the pastry shop creaks as I step through, finding the space inside empty of occupants. Not even the baker stands before her cleverly crafted treats.
Only a fool would think the witch didn’t know someone was here. I wouldn’t be surprised if she even knew exactly who it was standing in her doorway. It’s only a matter of when she decides to make her presence known.
I read over the menu while I wait, admiring the creativity behind each item’s name. Ada’s Hex-ellent Cream Puffs. De-witch-ious Biscuits. Crème Broom-lée. She wields so much more than knowledge, yet the thing she loves most is this shop. It’s symbolic of the true importance in life. Power, after all, isn’t everything.
