Moaning, I slid a hand down my face and let my arms fall slack at my sides. “Fine. Fine. We’ll stay another day, and I’ll try talking to her again. Happy? But I’m not promising anything.I’m fairly certain this fae female spits venom when she feels threatened.”
Nanok snorted and jostled his shoulders again, plopping his ass on the ground and sticking his back legs out to each side.
A feminine scream sounded from nearby, and the familiar scents of watermelon and sugar plagued my very being. It wasn’t justanyfemale. That sweet scent was unique to one fae and one fae alone—Sylvie.
My hands flattenedto the counter, my shoulders hunched forward, and my breathingincreased.Reacting to my increasing anxiety, the wings flared out on their own. There had been no fighting the way my body responded to him despite having just met. I’d blame his chiseled good looks, but he had a pompous side to him which had always been a deal-breaker for me.
“It’s not possible,” I mocked in an exaggerated British accent, even though he hadn’t spoken with one. “Whatisn’t possible?” Yelling that to the skies, I raised my arms.
The faint scent of something burning hit my nose, and my wings went taut before I sprinted to the back kitchen. Smoke billowed from one oven, and I yelped, grabbing a pair of mittens and hurrying to open the door.
“No, no, no. Please don’t be ruined.”
No amount of begging could’ve prepared me for the plume of grey smoke escaping and making me cough. Waving my handin front of my face, I squinted and waited for the smoke to clear before finally landing my gaze on several bread loaves burnt to a freaking crisp.
Groaning, I grabbed them with my mitten and slammed them on the countertop to cool before tossing them in the garbage. I’d never burntanythingin my bakery, which only added fuel to the raging, confusing fire consuming my mindandstomach from Jack’s little impromptu visit.
“Where did this Frost guy evencomefrom?” I whisked off my apron and balled it into a haphazard heap before throwing it on the counter.
While Arcane Cove had its permanent residents, it wasn’t unheard of to have others passing through. As many beings called the Cove home, others came here for temporary refuge from the mortal world.
“Sylvie, you’re letting some stranger get entirely too far under your skin. Breathe,” I encouraged myself, taking a deep breath, wafting my hands toward my face, and letting it out slowly.
After simmering the irritation, I semi-calmly removed the other baked goods from the oven that hadn’t crisped into oblivion, packaged them and set them in the fridge. Despite being a winter faerie, the heat hadn’t normally bothered me, but an icy chill always felt so much better.That’swhat I needed. I needed some time outdoors to feel the snow between my fingers and hit my cheeks.
Grabbing only my light jacket, I disguised my wings and pulled the coat on. A smile curved my lips as soon as I exited to a wintry light snowfall outside. Flakes collected in my hair and eyelashes, and I stuck my tongue out to let some land there. As I neared the plaza, my gaze focused forward and on the awaiting forest tree line ahead.
Frost had begun to coat the leaves and branches, and I ran my fingers over one. I wondered if Jack had anything to do with it? Did he ice up the forest? Make the snow fall? What did his magic entail?
Andwhydid I care?
Snarling, I snapped the wetness from my hand and marched further into the woods, looking for any signs of where my stag may have run off to. If it hadn’t been for Fintan’s black nose, I might not have spotted him appearing through the branches, munching on a leafy twig with small red berries.
“Hey, handsome,” I greeted, my heart filling with delight.
I reached for him, and Fintan met me halfway, allowing me to wrap my arms around his neck and sink against him. Gasping and standing straight from the sudden epiphany I had, I patted Fintan’s chest.
“How about a sprint, hm? We haven’t done that in ages, and I could really use the wind in my hair.”
Fintan’s head bobbed up and down, his hoof scraping the snowy ground, and he snorted—stag communication for an emphatic yes. Using one of his antlers as leverage, I hoisted myself to Fintan’s back and scratched his neck.
Bunching some of Fintan’s fur in my hands, I leaned forward near his ear. “Ready?”
Without preamble, Fintan took off in a fierce gallop, making me screech in surprise. I slid further back toward his ass, but quickly recovered, pressing forward again. The chilly breeze surged over us, and I tossed my hair behind me. My ears were prominently displayed, but here in the woods, here with Fintan, I didn’t give a damn.
As we sprinted further into the woods, the branches grew thicker, and the snow fell heavier. It grew so dense that it became more difficult for me to see, and I had to duck at onepoint or another to avoid being smacked off of Fintan’s back by a low-hanging tree limb.
“Fintan, we should probably slow down, I?—”
That was the precise moment we came upon a ravine. Fintan reared back, his hooves digging into the ground, but there was so much snow, all he did was slide until we were plummeting over the cliff’s edge. I screamed, flaring my wings out, flying and holding onto Fintan for dear life, but he was too big, too heavy. He fell from my grasp, falling and disappearing into the flurry of snow.
“No,” I cried out, still hovering with my wings, tears stinging my eyes, my hands flying to my mouth. “Fintan,” I yelled, holding an arm above my face to shield from the blizzard forming.
In defeat, I floated to the ground, landing on my knees, and began to sob. “Fintan,” I whispered.
Fintan’s head suddenly appeared, his brown eyes staring at me, terrified. Wobbling, he walked toward me, clinging to the ground with all four hooves outstretched once he’d made it back to safety.
Leaping to my feet and still crying, I hugged my stag. “Gods, I thought I’d lost you, boy, how did you?—”
