The subconscious thought sent a shiver down his spine that he tried to ignore as he turned back to his pan and flipped another pancake.
"Good morning," Jamie made himself say. "Hungry?"
Azelon seemed a little caught off-guard by the mundane question. "I do not require nourishment at this frequency."
"That's not what I asked." Jamie loaded a pancake on a plate and slid it across the counter. "Sit."
To his surprise, Azelon complied, perching stiffly on a stool. His long tail coiled tightly behind him, betraying tension his face carefully concealed.
Jamie's eyes lingered on the Tideborn's tail for a second too long, wondering ifthattoo would have a strong grip.
God, he really needed to shake those thoughts.
He was not here to play with the locals, no matter how alluring they might be. He was not his brother, throwing himself headfirst into impossible situations and relationships.
Reining himself in, Jamie handed Azelon a fork. "So," he said, "tell me how I get home."
"The barriers between realms are not easily crossed." Azelon stared at the pancakes with obvious uncertainty. "The Barrier Keeper who brought you here is likely the only one who can return you."
"Convenient." Jamie watched as Azelon cautiously cut a small piece of pancake, examining it before taking a tentative bite.
For a tall blue-skinned man from another world, he was kind of adorable.
Before Jamie could chide himself for the thought, a theatrical moan came from the doorway.
"Something smells divine." Corin swept into the kitchen, somehow managing to make his disheveled look seem artful. His amber eyes darted between Jamie and Azelon, mouth curved into a calculated smile. "Started without me, I see."
The lights flickered as Corin moved past Azelon, his shoulder deliberately brushing the Tideborn's. A cupboard door swung open, then slammed shut.
Jamie set a plate in front of Corin. "Eat."
Corin's eyebrows shot up, but something in Jamie's tone stopped whatever flirtatious comment had been forming. Instead, he picked up his fork and dug in, though his eyes never left Azelon.
"As I was saying," Jamie continued, leaning against the counter with his own plate, "I need to find this Barrier Keeper. And my brother."
"Barrier Keepers are not easily summoned," Azelon said.
"They're scary powerful," Corin added, talking around a mouthful of food. "Ancient beings who maintain the boundaries between worlds. Nobody just 'finds' one."
"One found me," Jamie pointed out. "Or found my brother and everyone else, at least."
He'd just gotten caught up in this mess by accident. Same as his poor store.
"That's what's strange," Corin said, gesturing with his fork. "They don't usually meddle with humans or their buildings. Must be something special about you."
Azelon shot Corin a warning look. "We know very little about the Keepers' motivations."
"Well, Jamie must be here for a greater purpose," Corin insisted.
Something heavy settled in Jamie's chest. He'd spent years building his quiet life aroundBookmark'd, deliberately avoidinganything resembling a "greater purpose." After their mother married her affair partner and their dad responded by leaving the country, he'd been the stable one while his brother chased adventures.
Now it seemed adventure had found him instead.
"Either way," Jamie said, pushing away from the counter, "I need to understand what's happening here. Starting with this." He swept his arm in a gesture encompassing the kitchen. "My store was never magical before."
"It's your magic," Azelon said.
"I don't have magic."
