"Of course," Corin said, making sure to brush against Jamie as he passed. He didn't need to look back to know Azelon was watching.
By evening, they had found and examined a kitchen stocked with food none of them had brought, a cozy sitting room with a fireplace, and a curiously empty chamber with walls that changed color with Corin's shifting moods.
"The store is adapting to us," Jamie concluded as they gathered in the kitchen. "It's incredible. Creating spaces it thinks we need."
"It seemed ordinary before you came," Corin said, watching a cabinet door open by itself when Jamie reached for a mug.
"It's his store," Azelon said from the doorway, where he'd been silently observing. "It didn't need to be magical without its master."
"Lucky you," Corin told Jamie, sidling closer than necessary. "A magical building that caters to your every whim."
Jamie raised an eyebrow at the sudden proximity but didn't move away. "I agree it's all sorts of amazing…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "But I'd trade it for answers about where my brother is and why we were brought here."
"The Barrier Keeper who brought you here might be difficult to locate," Azelon said. "They rarely reveal themselves or their motivations."
"There's got to be a way tomake themreveal themselves," Jamie said with quiet determination that sent an unexpected shiver down Corin's spine.
For a being without magic, this human didn't seem intimidated by anything.
There was something attractive about that.
Somethingveryattractive.
As night fell outside, the store created two additional bedrooms on each side of Jamie's room. One with a window overlooking what appeared to be an ocean vista, clearly meant for Azelon; and another filled with plush pillows and colors that shifted subtly with Corin's emotions.
"Looks like we're all staying the night," Jamie observed.
"Seems so," Corin murmured.
A room all for himself…
How was he supposed to feel about that?
He hadn't spent a night by himself since…
Well…
Since he'd met Azelon.
But as they prepared to separate for the night, Azelon paused in the hallway outside their rooms. "I assume you won't need my assistance tonight," he said to Corin, voice unnervingly formal, "since you've found a new caretaker."
Corin kept his smile fixed in place through sheer force of will.
"I'm sure I'll manage just fine without your reluctant charity," he replied, voice light despite the tightness in his chest.
It was a good thing he was a chaos fae. Agoodfae wouldn't have been able to lie so easily. The only wayhistruth revealed itself was through his magic.
Still, Azelon probably knew he was lying. But he turned without another word and disappeared into his room, closing the door with a soft but definitive click.
Jamie looked between the closed door and Corin's frozen smile. "What was that about?"
"Nothing important," Corin said, retreating toward his own room. "Sleep well, handsome. Dream of me."
He closed his own door before Jamie could respond, leaning against it as his façade crumbled.
The lights in his room dimmed in response to his mood, the walls shifting to a deep, melancholy blue.
Corin paced his room for a while, trying to distract himself with the strange books that had appeared on his shelves, all of which seemed to feature stories about outcasts finding acceptance. The store really was eerily perceptive.
