Sparrow gave them both a wolfish grin, her sharp canines gleaming in the soft firelight. “No pressure, but my bed is big enough for three–wings included.”
With that, she stood in a fluid motion, blew the two males a kiss and traipsed slowly down the stairs and out of sight, that damned blue robe swaying with the movement.
“I…think we may have gotten this all wrong.” Laurent finally broke the silence after Sparrow disappeared down the steps. “While we were both hunting for her affections…this entire time…we may have beenherprey.”
Merrick grunted, trying not to mull over her proposition–or bed size. Or the male sitting across the fire from him. Without a word, Merrickgrabbed the rest of the bottle of wine that Sparrow left behind and took a long swallow.
Chapter forty-six
Esmeray
Ididn’ttellanyonewhere I went last night, and Merrick’s halfhearted questioning the next morning led me to believe Sparrow told him to leave me alone. Not that it mattered anyway. My main idea had fallen short, a fool’s shot in the dark. But at least I was now the proud owner of magic nullifying cuffs and chains, courtesy of the Obsidian Palace’s treasure troves, that we could use to contain Adara if needed. A contingency plan that Sparrow had thought of and I executed.
I shook my head, clearing out the intrusive doubts, as Lenna, Sparrow and I wandered down the streets of the shopping hub in Florra. Sparrow was chattering excitedly to Lenna about the shops we passed–what they sold, who they were owned by–every detail. Lenna hung onto each word, throwing more than one longing look into storefronts.
Keeping Lenna under wraps had been the original plan, but Sparrow swore Florra wouldn’t sell us out to Adara, and argued that Lenna should be able to seesomeof the charms of Irridessen so that she knew why we fought so dearly to protect it.
Our destination was rather inconspicuous for a being that could translate dangerous and illegal ancient spells, but I trusted Sparrow’slead. That female could start off talking to you about the weather, and before you knew it, you were spilling your deepest, darkest secrets to her.
A quaint bakery came into view as we rounded the corner, a bright lavender building nestled between an apothecary and a butcher’s shop. The cheery lettering painted in a sweet looking mint green above the door read “Hale’s Bakery.” But the colorful entrance was nothing compared to the smells permeating into the street. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. I hated to admit that I’d be leaving with something warm and chocolatey after we talked to this magical spell translator.
Sparrow opened the door, a small bell tinkering as we crossed over the threshold. Lenna let out an appreciative sigh beside me as she beheld the rows and rows of baked goods sitting on wide, erratically painted shelves. Magic kept everything in here fresh, the loaves of bread sitting out in the open, still steaming as if they just left the oven. Delectable desserts filled every inch of countertop space and stacked neatly on the tops of round, wooden tables. As the chiming sound from the entry bell faded, a paisley curtain that separated the back kitchens from the storefront fluttered.
A stocky male with sable skin and a big, bushy beard appeared. His shoulder-length, black hair was spun into locs and decorated with small turquoise and amethyst gems. He had no wings, no horns, and was only a few inches taller than me.
Human?
Sparrow knew ahumanthat could translate ancient fae spells? I swept my eyes toward her, questioning, but she dutifully ignored me.
“Hale!” Sparrow rushed forward, the skirts of her creamy blue dress rustling as she embraced the male into a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.” Her enthusiasm made me swallow my trepidation and plaster a smile on my face. The male hugged her back fiercely before taking in myself and Lenna. His amber eyes widened in fear as he noticed me.
“My Queen.” Hale bowed so deep that his nose almost touched his knees. I shot Sparrow a look that hopefully conveyed “I changed my mind, this is a bad idea.” Sparrow narrowed her eyes at me. As Hale straightened, Sparrow gave him a beaming smile.
“You don’t have to do all of that, Hale. Esmeray is a dear friend of mine.” Sparrow gestured to me. I gave him a small, totally not feral, smile, which did absolutely nothing to relax him.Shit.
“And Lenna!” Sparrow grabbed Lenna’s hand, pulling her closer to Hale to see if that introduction could calm down the male that looked as if I just threatened to burn down his bakery with him inside. “This is the Oracle I was telling you about, Hale.”
Hale had looked at me with fear, but he stared at Lenna as if she was the most delicious dessert he’d ever seen. To my surprise, Lenna blushed wildly and gave him a massive grin, her honey-brown eyes twinkling as she shook his hand. They exchanged greetings, which I quietly stepped away from. I tightened my wings closer to my sides, trying to look as non-threatening as I could for being dubbed the Queen of Nothing. I felt suffocated. Keerian was so much better at pleasantries than I was. He embodied that same calming presence that Sparrow did–able to make someone feel safe just by being near them.
I did not.
Sparrow, mission accomplished, reached out and steered me back towards Hale.
Second attempt.
“Now Hale, we talked about this. Esmeray isinnocent, remember?” I had no idea Sparrow was so close with the baker, but it seems to have paid off as her words registered.
“Ah, yes, I know, Sparrow. It’s just a bit intimidating for our Queen to be visiting me in my bakery, is all.” His voice was deep, gruff as he ranhis fingers down the length of his beard. I immediately liked him, even though the vote was still out on if he likedme. I reached forward and shook his hand.
“Thank you, so much, for allowing us to interrupt your workday,” I started, “Your shop is lovely, and everything smells fantastic.”
That seemed to work. His amber eyes immediately sparkled as his full lips cracked into a bright smile, revealing perfect teeth with slightly sharpened canines.Half fae, half human?I couldn’t tell for sure.
Sparrow, it seemed, looped Hale in prior to our meeting of our big ask for his assistance translating the spells Laurent wrote down from the Prism, and my own recollection from the one time I peeked at a spell written down on parchment from Adara’s book. After a quick tour of the bakery, with some free tastings that made my mouth water for more, Hale ushered us through the curtain and into the back of the shop.
Quickly winding through the kitchen, weaving around multiple ovens merrily churning out loaves of sweet-smelling cookies and bread, we ducked through another curtain, this one dotted with bright hues of pink and green, depositing us at the base of a narrow staircase. The walls seemed to groan and warp to accommodate Hale’s full figure as he climbed, gesturing for us to follow.
This was…weird.
