This couldn’t be happening.
A woman appeared at the counter, looking flustered. Her hair was snowy white, fading to the tips, turning a pale blue. She smoothed her hands down her apron, glancing several times at her back like she’d expected to find something there. When she adjusted her hair, my celestial heart just about stopped beating for a solid five seconds. It was fast, it was subtle, but I’d caught sight of them—pointed ears.Faepointed ears.
This was her. This was mymate.
But no, no, this couldn’t be right.
Growling, I shimmied out of sight so she wouldn’t see me, continuing to watch her. She took several deep breaths and fiddled with her phone as the song “Build Me Up Buttercup”played through the shop. She grabbed a duster and waltzed around the shop, dusting shelves and displays and singing along. Pressing my ear to the window, I expected her to be off-key and sound like a screeching cat, but much to my surprise, she sounded—angelic. I rubbed my temple and forced my gaze back to her, squinting through the frosted glass, attempting to get a better look at her face.
She circled closer, and I clung to the building’s brick at the side of the window, not caring that I probably looked like a kid staring at a toy window display to anyone passing by. Ineededanswers. Her face finally flashed in my direction, and the ice in my veins momentarily softened—crystalline specks glittered on her cheeks, her smile resplendent, and those radiant violet eyesboundmy soul.
Fuck.
Closing my eyes, I pushed away from the window and held my face in my hands. I was dreaming. I must’ve still been in my castle in some form of deep slumber and dreaming about the solstice and searching for my mate. That was the only explanation.
Risking opening one eye, I spied the fae female still waltzing around her shop and dusting like a woodland princess interacting with forest animals.
I wasnotdreaming.
Ihadto figure this out.
And so, taking a deep breath, preparing myself for the warmth that was sure to slap me in the face like a backdraft the moment I opened the door, I walked inside, making the bell hanging above the threshold chime.
When the bell chimed,I couldn’t have picked up my phone fast enough, fumbling with it to turn off the music. It was not only a Tuesday, but the slowest part of the day, and I wasn’t expecting anyone. An exceptionally tall man strolled in with snowy blonde hair, a matching beard, and the fiercest, glacially blue eyes I’d ever seen. His skin was paler, but the winter-themed full sleeve tattoo wrapped around his right arm stood out more because of it. He wore nothing but a t-shirt and jeans, seemingly unaffected by the chilly temperature. In fact, he pulled at the collar of his shirt as if it were stuffy in here.
My throat turned to sandpaper at the sight of him.
“Hi, hello,” I managed to stammer out, clutching the straps of my apron for support.
The man drew nearer, and I had to gulp back a gasp at the sight of his pointed ears. I’d only ever seen elves in the Cove, but his—his werefaeears. “It isn’t possible,” he whispered, his eyes flaring open as if he was confused by something.
Any flutters I’d felt during his entrance had morphed into my own bout of confusion. “I’m sorry? What isn’t possible?”
The man squinted one eye at me, shoved his hands in his pockets, and began to peruse the shop. “Is this your establishment?”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I shifted from behind the counter to watch him. “Yes. Are you with the media or something?”
“No. I’m new in town.” The man picked up a tin, opened the lid, and sniffed the packaged mints inside, grimacing.
I’d gotten close enough to him now that I could see just how blue his eyes really were. He smelled like snow, vanilla, and pine, and it was turning my brain into tantalizing static. “Oh? What brought you to the Cove?”
He set the tin back on its shelf, not bothering to put the lid on. Crossing his arms, making his arms bulge, he brushed past me. “A woman.”
I’d been in the middle of re-attaching the lid when a peculiar zing surged through my stomach, making me drop it instead. “Any, uh, any one in particular?”
His gaze fell to the lid on the floor. I half expected him to pick it up, but instead he pointed and said, “You dropped that,” before turning and slowly making his way to the counter.
Letting out an indignant snort, I snatched the lid, secured it, and followed him to the display case. “I’m Sylvie, by the way. Were you also looking to satisfy a sweet tooth, potentially?”
“Not particularly,” he mumbled, sweat pooling on his forehead. He wiped it away, his shirt suddenly growing soaked over his chest and down the length of his stomach. “Winter’s night,whyis it so hot in here?”
My thighs pinched together at the more visible view of his pecs and abs from the shirt becoming slightly transparent. I snapped my gaze back to his drenched face. “It’s a bakery. There are ovens in the kitchen.” I jutted my thumb behind me, a smallsmile cresting my lips. “Should I be worried about you melting or something?”
His eyebrows shot up, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not a snowman,” he replied haughtily.
Holding my hands up defensively, I tilted my head at him. “I meant no offense, though that was oddly specific.”
His gaze suddenly became transfixed on my hair, roaming where my ears were snuggled and hidden beneath it. I fanned my fingers over it to ensure they were still covered, and he paid special attention to my movements. “Do you have a name?”
