“Why if it isn’t young Master Finnegan!” A woman with tight red curls and a heavily made-up face slid onto the bench next to him with enough force that she smacked into his hip, her dress dipping perilously low on her chest. She pressed a sloppy kiss to his mouth. “I haven’t seen you in months! Not since Ignistar at least! You usually come more often.”
The blood drained from Finn’s face as I inhaled my ale and coughed. Griff pounded my back, trying desperately to hold in his laughter.
“Good to see you too, Nuala,” Griff managed. “Nuala and Finn have known each other a long time,” he told me.
There was a loud thump from under the table and Griff grunted as Finn glared at him, his face now bright red.
“Hi.” I stood and extended my hand. “I’m Le—” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Griff subtly shake his head. “Lily,” I finished smoothly. “It’s nice to meet you.”
She looked askance at my hand but took it gingerly. As our hands touched, she winked. “I don’t normally share, but for you, I’ll make an exception.”
Griff snorted into his tankard while Finn conspicuously avoided my eyes.
“I appreciate the offer, Nuala, but unfortunately, I’ll have to decline.” I thought I managed to come off as sincere.
Griff turned his laugh into a cough as Finn stared into his tankard as if he could disappear inside it. Nuala ran a finger down Finn’s cheek, trying to get his attention on her again. Griff stretched his arm over the back of the bench, his fingertips brushing my shoulder, and I shivered. From the cold, I told myself.
“Sorry I’m late!” Freya rushed over to the table and beamed atme. “Good to see you outside of the castle!” Noticing Nuala, she turned her attention that way. “You must be Nuala! Finn couldn’t stop talking about you the last time he came home. Or maybe the time before last! Anyway—” Her eyes went blank.
I stifled a laugh. Finn must have been giving her an earful.
“I’m Freya,” she finished sheepishly.
Nuala was beaming at Finn, her arms lassoed around his neck as Finn shifted on the bench. Griff and Freya were staring unabashedly, grinning at Finn’s clear discomfort.
From across the room, someone called for Nuala.
With a flounce of irritation, she caressed Finn’s cheek. “I’ll be back soon, Finny.”
And with that, she sashayed off.
Finn, an even brighter red after the nickname, breathed such a huge sigh of relief that the rest of us burst out laughing.
“And why haveInever heard of Nuala?” I asked him innocently. “She seemed… enthusiastic.”
Finn didn’t look at me, just muttered into his drink, “She’s just friendly.”
“Friendly?” Freya questioned, taking the abandoned seat. “Finn, if she had been any friendlier, you would have needed a room. Although I don’t thinkshewould have minded.”
“It’s not like that,” Finn bit out.
“Right.” Freya’s eyes twinkled. “She was just beingfriendly.” Finn turned his glare on her, but she was undeterred. “I remember you got that same flustered look every Merlaine growing up, whenever you had to work up the courage to ask your latest crush to dance.”
“I did not get flustered. I am not flustered now.” Finn’s protest fell flat.
Freya laughed. “Okay, sure. But do you remember the midsummer festival where Griff had to physically put you in proximity to ask someone to dance? He teleported you both directly in her face.”
“Which was agreatstrategy. I seem to recall her getting scaredand falling over backward.” Finn narrowed his eyes at Griff, still upset about the moment from several decades ago. But at least his mouth was starting to twitch upward.
“Maybe not my finest moment,” Griff admitted.
Freya turned to me. “Lexa, it was glorious. Well, maybe not for these two at that moment, but it was good for Griff to get some of his own discomfort. He had started to get entirely too cocky in his own prowess with women.”
I laughed. “Do tell more.”
Griff rubbed a hand over his face. “Tagalong, do you have to?”
She grinned. “I think I do, Champion. Griff got to the point where he’d walk up to a girl and say exactly three words.”
