I place my finger on my chin and look at the ceiling for a moment as I pretend to consider this. “I think it might be a good match, but I also think she would be good with Prince August from what I’ve heard about him.”
“He does have a thing for deer hybrids,” Firo mutters to Flint. I could kiss Firo right now, too.
Flint twists his mouth as he considers the offer. “But is she with Koa?”
I shake my head. “Not that I know of. Nothing official yet, at least. Maybe you and Prince August could meet her, see if anything clicks,” I offer.
“If she’s good enough for Koa…” Flint says, raising his eyebrows at Firo, who just shrugs. A man of few words.
“Hey, think about it,” I say with a warm smile. “We’ll be here for a little longer. I’m happy to bring her back with us one day soon. Just let me know.”
I grab Asmo’s hand and lead him back to the bar. We both order waters this time.
“You’re lucky that happened. I was about to annihilate you in another game,” I say with a wink.
“Bullshit,” he says, nudging me with his elbow. “Hey, you did good back there.”
“Don’t act so surprised. But also, if we can pull this off…I’ll never question my luck again. And if he reallyisAugust’s cousin, August needs to know what he’s up to. Who knows how manypretty girlshe’s telling this information to?”
My sloppy plan works. Only ten minutes pass before Flint walks back up to us.
We meet with August in three days.
Chapter 13
MAE
The sun has already begunits descent behind the mountain peak, the dusk growing stronger with every passing minute. Bouldercrest looks a far cry from the bustling town it had been earlier. All that remains are vendors as they close their carts and head home. Doors are dead bolted shut and windows shuttered closed. The wind now cuts through the streets quicker, as if it, too, is in a hurry to pass through the town before the night falls.
“This should be fun,” I murmur. The few remaining hybrids still out walk with their heads down.
“The second we get this extract, we’re beelining for the portal,” I say to Asmo, but he just smirks.
“We’ll be fine.”
Silence falls between us as we begin the trek back up the mountain. My legs begin to burn after approximately two minutes. I used to be able to sprint up hills without a second thought, but now, my muscles scream at me in protest and my breathing turns labored within moments.
“Let me know if you need a break,” Asmo says, his breathing annoyingly normal. “Or a ride.”
If my cheeks weren’t already pink from exertion, they would have turned pink at the thought of riding him.
We pass the split in the path back to the portal location and continue up, the layer of snow growing thicker the more we climb. The temperature continues to drop as the sun descends, and the thin layer of sweat from climbing is only making me colder. To top it all off, my head aches, a slow but steady throbbing building near my temples.
The shack is exactly that—a shack. Smoke rises in lazy puffs from the stone chimney. A singular window is illuminated by a warm glow from the inside. The butter-yellow door’s paint is chipped and weathered, but an apothecary jar is painted in white in the center.
Asmo enters first. I follow, and the overwhelming scent of spices hits me like a wall. The room is stuffy, but it beats standing outside in the cold. A small hearth blazes in the far corner of the room, surrounded by shelves of glass jars. A figure is bent over a wooden counter, gray tail swishing as he works.
The apothecarist from earlier said her father preferred to stay out of the way. Seeing the tail brings a new understanding to why. Although the Woodland Kingdom is comprised of hybrids with animalistic features, some of those features are deemed unappealing, though that’s probably too kind a word. Hybrids with furry ears, tails, and hands that resemble paws often face prejudice, and use glamours to hide them. But some choose not to hide, and society makes them pay for that choice.
I clear my throat. “Excuse me.”
He turns, his eyes the same crystal blue as the apothecarist from earlier. They flash to mine, then to the ground. “What can I help you with?”
“Your daughter sent us here,” I say warmly. “My husband’s mother is ill. We were hoping you might haveagligella,orif not, any healing extract imbued with the magic of the Fae.”
He mumbles something, then turns his back to us as he walks to the wall of jars. He plucks a small jar from a shelf near the top and sets it on the counter. “Sixty coins.”
I blink. Sixty coins for that tiny jar? I look to Asmo, but his face is unbothered. He pulls the coin purse from his pocket and steps toward the wolf hybrid.
