“How much did he charge you?”
He clears his throat. “That’s not important right now.”
“How much?”
“I just need one dust pendant.”
“You promised him my magic?!”
He extends his hands in apology. “Looking back, I realize I probably should have asked first. But you were willing to give me some the other day, so I didn’t think it would be a big?—”
“Could you please stop talking about your black market transactions in front of me?” Ash closes his eyes, trying for patience. “I am a town official, and I have a duty to uphold fae laws. I don’t particularly want to turn you in before the Fourth of July fireworks celebration.”
“Notice there was a qualifier on there,” I say to Ansel. “Those fireworks saved you.”
“They often do,” he says conspiratorially.
I sigh. “Okay, we’ll deal with all this later. First, Rowan needs to shift back.”
“No, first you need tofindRowan,” Ash says, earning a glare, which he merely acknowledges with a smug smile.
“Not helpful,” I tell him sternly.
He shrugs, stepping into the rain. “I’ll keep you posted on the gnome issue. Call me if you need me.” He looks back, looking far too pleased. “Or when the bond is broken and you realize you want me again.”
He doesn’t wait for a response, which is good, because that statement doesn’t deserve one.
As soon as he’s gone, I look back at Ansel, feeling like a sad, flat balloon a few days after a party. “Do you really think you can separate our magic?”
“I really think I can.”
I sigh, turning my eyes to Laverna’s ugly rug. It’s looking a bit soggy. “Careful, or you’re going to be recruited by the dragons.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“I don’t suppose we could pretend you didn’t figure all this out, could we? I’ll acknowledge your brilliance—you really did find a potential solution in record time. But maybe we could keep it to ourselves?”
He makes a half-hearted sympathetic noise—probably the best a person can hope to get out of him. “It’s not natural for a pixie to be bonded to a shifter. Who knows what kind of trouble it could lead to down the road?”
“What if Rowan doesn’t like me once you take away my magic?” I say quietly.
“What…no…” he says, uncomfortable. “You’re a nice…pixie.” He pats my shoulder, wincing. “I’m sure he’ll like you just fine.”
I give him a look. “You suck at encouragement.”
He drops his hand, nodding. “Noted.”
“I’ll come by with Rowan later,” I say resolutely. “We’ll figure things out.”
“I need to get back to the store, anyway.”
“Me too.”
“Would you like a ride?” He nods toward the cart and buggy parked in front of the gate.
“Does everyone have a horse except me?”
“We aren’t allowed to have cars in town. Of course we have horses.”
