It had been just shy of five months since he’d left the casino in the human realm, handed the keys to one of Trik’s lieutenants, and disappeared back into the forest.The decision had seemed simple then—no more noise, no more chaos.But peace came with too much quiet, and quiet left too much room for thoughts he didn’t want.
And lately, the dreams.
He’d started having them the first month after leaving the casino, fragments at first—shadows moving through fog, voices that spoke in a language older than his memory.Sometimes he woke with their words still echoing in his head, though he could never remember them clearly.Just the feeling of them, familiar and cold.
At first, he thought they were just ghosts of his past.But the more often he crossed into the human realm to seeher, the stronger they became.The dreams sharpened, shapes turning into faces, whispers turning into pleas.Each time, he woke drenched in sweat, his magic slow to respond, as though something had been siphoned away in his sleep.
Tonight would be no different.He could feel it already, the low thrum beneath his skin, that strange pull just under his ribs.It was like the forest itself was breathing through him, and he didn’t know whether it was trying to warn him or claim him.
He leaned back against the headboard, closing his eyes.The image of Lisa lingered.The curve of her smile, the stubborn spark in her gaze, the warmth that had no business belonging near someone like him, who lived surrounded by shadows.He told himself he wouldn’t think of her tonight.That he needed rest.That tomorrow he’d stay in the realm, away from her light.
But even as he thought it, he knew it was a lie.The same emptiness that haunted his dreams reached for her light like a starving thing.
The lantern flickered once, twice, then steadied.Rezer exhaled, long and slow, and let the darkness take him.Sleep came quickly.And with it, the voices.This time, they didn’t whisper.They called his name.
CHAPTER1
“They’re big into cosplay.”~ Lisa
Sunlight poured through the front windows of Enigma, slanting across shelves of herbs, jars, and old spell books Lisa kept mostly for decoration.The air smelled faintly of chamomile and peppermint.It was the kind of morning that made her almost believe the world had settled back into peace.Almost.
She tied her hair into a loose knot and turned theOpensign around in the large front window and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she tried to center her busy mind.The bell above the door jingled softly, a sound she’d never stopped liking.It meant people were still coming to her for help.That, at least, hadn’t changed.
Her first customer arrived right on cue, a tired-looking woman in her late thirties with dark circles under her eyes and the posture of someone who hadn’t slept in a week.Lisa recognized the look immediately.
“Rough nights?”she asked, voice light, kind.
The woman sighed.“Between work and my brain not shutting up, I’m starting to think sleep’s a myth.”
Lisa smiled sympathetically and moved behind the counter.“Then you came to the right place.I’ve got a blend that’ll convince even the most stubborn minds to give in.”
She began pulling small glass jars from the shelf, chamomile, valerian root, lavender–talking as she worked, explaining how each herb worked best steeped in boiling water for seven minutes.The customer listened, nodding, eyes hopeful but skeptical.
That was when Lisa’s phone rang.She glanced at the display and groaned softly.
“Sorry, give me one second,” she said, reaching for the phone.“It’s my daughter.”
The woman waved her off.“Go ahead, honey.Nothing should ever keep you from a call with your children.Besides, maybe if I’m lucky I’ll fall asleep while I wait.”
Lisa hit the speaker button and set the phone on the counter.“Hey, Elora.”
“Lisa,” came her daughter’s curt reply.“You need to talk to your son-in-law.”
Lisa raised a brow.“Good morning to you, too.”
“I’m serious.He’s impossible.I can’t so much as breathe without Cush questioning what I’m doing.”
Lisa spooned dried herbs into a small paper pouch.“Sounds like a normal Thursday.”
“Lisa.”The warning tone was sharp.“I’m not joking.He followed me to the training fields this morning.Followed me.Like I’m a child.”
“Maybe he wanted to watch you spar?”It sounded like a question and her voice wavered a bit as she glanced up at the woman—the very human woman who probably didn’t hear people talk about training fields and sparring.
“Yeah, with a male elf,” Elora snapped.“He doesn’t trust anyone with a Y chromosome inside fifty feet of me.He said my partner waslooking at me too long.You know what he means by that?He didn’t blink fast enough, Lisa.He didn’t.Blink.”
Lisa bit her lip, trying not to laugh, her eyes still bouncing back and forth from her tea making to the customer.“Maybe Cush is just?—”
“Overbearing?Controlling?Ridiculous?In need of some serious emotional counseling on what it means to have boundaries?”Elora interrupted.“Pick one.”
