The shopkeeper frowns. “An extract like that is going to cost you. Those kinds of things are harder and harder to come by since the Fae fell.”
“Do you have it?” Asmo asks.
She shakes her head and I want to squeeze my eyes shut, if only to pretend I didn’t see her answer. “But I know where you can find some. There’s another apothecary that specializes in rare tinctures and salves. They’ll have what you’re looking for.”
“Where is it?” I ask.
“It’s not exactly in town,” she says. “Are you familiar with the portal on the cliff?” Asmo and I nod simultaneously. It’s the only portal location I’m familiar with in this region. “There are two paths—one into town and one that goes up the mountain. If you follow that path all the way up, you’ll stumble upon a tiny shack and you’ll find what you need there.”
Every word rings true, but it doesn’t sound exactly…safe. “A shack near the top of the mountain?” Asmo asks dubiously.
The shopkeeper gives us a shaky grimace. “I know. Look, it’s my father’s shop. He isn’t exactly fond of socializing, so he prefers to be out of the path of most hybrids. But he’ll be able to help.”
Truth again. Asmo looks at me. I nod. “Okay, thank you for your help,” he says.
We turn to leave, but the shopkeeper stops us. “One more thing—He’s only open to the public in the first hour before sundown.”
I grit my teeth, then force myself to exhale. This male will have what we need for Cally.
“Thank you,” Asmo tosses over his shoulder.
The wolf’s yellow eyes don’t leave us until the door closes.
“Fuck,” I mutter once we’re back on the streets of Bouldercrest.
Asmo shoves his hands into his coat pockets and leans against the gray exterior of the apothecary. “Well, princess, we have some time to kill.”
I frown. “Should we just come back?”
Asmo grins, his eyes crinkling and his dimple appearing. “I have a better idea.”
My stomach does somersaults at the way he’s looking at me. “What?”
“What about a little date?” he asks, his smile flickering at the question, as ifhe’s afraid of my answer.
My cheeks feel too warm, and I refrain from loosening the scarf around my neck. “A—a date?” We have so many other things to think about and a date is a complete and utter waste of time.
His smile falters again, and my heart lurches at the vulnerability that shines in his eyes.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s go on a date.”
Chapter 12
MAE
We find a local tavern—TheFox Den—sandwiched between a tailor’s shop and an indoor market. The door chimes as we step inside and, like a gentleman, Asmo pulls a barstool out for me. The fabric is worn, as if thousands of people have sat here before me. The faded seats, the clinking of glasses, and the sharp smell of alcohol remind me of the tavern Cally and I used to visit every weekend. A wave of homesickness washes over me.
“This is my favorite way to learn about a town. Just listening to the conversations around us,” Asmo’s deep voice whispers in my ear, his breath hot on my neck. A shiver of pleasure rolls its way down my spine.
“And that’s what you like to do on your dates?”
He pulls out the seat beside me. “I thought you’d learned by now that it doesn’t matter what we do together. Training, arguing, people watching—it makes no difference.”
“What do you mean?”
He signals the bartender, then looks back to me, his gaze searing. “You know exactly what I mean.”
He’s right. Before the wedding, it didn’t matter what Asmo said or did—the pull to him was stronger every minute I spent with him. The fury he incited in me did nothing to lessen that.
