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Roan traces his way down my jaw with his nose, snuffling around behind my ear. He presses a gentle kiss there, then reconsiders, sucking hard, leaving a big bruise. Marking me in a way that it is going to be near impossible to cover.
“Long enough, beautiful, long enough.”
***
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming!” I yell over the raucous crowd, waving off the group of fauns yelling at me for service. I’ll get their food to them when I can. Right now, I am trying to focus on winding my way through the dense crowd of bodies without dropping the overloaded tray of glasses in my arms. My muscles are trembling under their weight as I deftly step around a patron drunkenly telling their story with over-exuberant arms.
The Black Stump Tavern is apparently the place to be tonight; we are packed to capacity inside and out. It feels like all the beings of the Whisper Woods have made their way to us to see the mages and the spectacle they have made of the grounds surrounding the tavern.
There is definitely an appeal there, and they certainly are a dramatic bunch with their long jewel-toned capes in their elemental colours and penchant for many layered belts that jangle when they walk. Not to mention the jewellery and scarves they drape over themselves.
Add in their glamorous circle tents that have taken over the gardens and the way they show off their elemental magic like a parlour trick, and they have the locals eating out of their hands.
Personally, though, I am exhausted and very ready for the end of my shift in an hour. Dumping the tray of glasses behind the bar with Roan, Woodsy, and one of the other bartenders I haven’t caught the name of yet, I manage to sneak in a cheeky grope of Roan’s ass before dashing out the back to get the food the fauns had ordered.
I quickly drop it off at their table, stopping for a quick hello and a chat, because that’s the kind of thing I do now, and I am off again, hip checking Seldon as I pass him just for the fun of it.
I am more than a little disappointed that it is so busy tonight. I’d spent the whole day staining kitchen cabinets and ripping out weeds, fantasising about a hot and heavy, sneaky make-out session and maybe a cheeky blow job in the supply closet tonight, but it doesn’t look like we are going to be able to make it happen.
I’d spent longer than I meant to in the garden today, and I’m paying for it now. Not only are my muscles exhausted, but I have a sunburn along the top of my shoulders because I stupidly wore a singlet in the heat. In my defence, once I got started I hadn’t been able to stop. It was therapeutic ripping out the weeds and hacking back the plants, dead and alive, stripping the garden beds back to bare.
For the last week, I’ve been out there every second I can. Working with the sun beating down on me, my hands in the soil, the smell of crushed leaves in the air, something had fizzed to life deep inside, like another piece of me was being put back into place.
I was nowhere near finished this afternoon, when Mauvy came out from the kitchens with fresh water to remind me of the time, clucking her tongue over my reddened skin. It rankled to leavethe job half finished, but I didn’t really have a choice. I couldn’t leave Roan and Mauvy in a lurch at the Black Stump, so I’d had to leave my half-destroyed garden to get cleaned up for work.
“I hear you’ve been working on the gardens.” A hand on my forearm pulls me to a stop as I pass the group of mages congregated on the patio; they take up a considerable amount of room, spread out in their robes on the outdoor lounges like they own the place.
There is a sharp thrill shooting through my body from where the mage’s hand rests on my bare skin, power just breaking through the surface. My heart stutters, a cold shiver overtaking me, even in the oppressive heat of the night. It’s the first time I’ve had any real contact with them, despite Roan hanging out with them a few times since they arrived earlier in the week. I wasn’t avoiding them exactly—I’ve been busy after all—but I was glad that they were in Seldon’s section for the night.
They all seem nice enough, if incredibly loud once they get into the wine, but they are intimidating, unfamiliar. I get that same nervousness around them I had before, well, y’know, everything, and it makes me feel out of sorts.
Plastering a smile on my face, I look down at the mage holding me hostage. He is older, with silver hair swept back and a short pointed silver beard. His eyes are intensely focused on me, the irises completely devoid of colour except for a stark black ring.
I can feel his magic rippling off him, prodding at the edges of my being, and without my own gifts, I’m powerless to shield myself from his probing. Such an invasion is considered incredibly impolite, but these are Roan’s friends, so I try to not squirm even as my skin crawls.
Finally, I remember he asked a question, and I bob my head in a quick nod, hoping that maybe I can end this potential inquisition before it gets started. “Yeah, just started.”
The mage’s head cocks to the side as his hand slips down my arm to turn my hand at my wrist, and he finally takes his unsettling eyes off me to stare at my palm. His touch is like ice as he inspects my hand. I’m not sure what exactly he is hoping to find. His group of friends stop their conversation to watch us intently, and I smile brighter, intent on not making an idiot of myself in front of Roan’s friends. I wish I could remember his name.
Eventually the mage with the white eyes drops my hand and tilts his face back up to mine. His smile is handsome but laced with danger. There is something there that reassures me though, that he is not dangerous for me. The intense coldness leaves my body, leaving goose pimples in its wake.
“That, my friend, is a very, very good choice for you.” He drops my hand and the others return to their conversation.
I have no idea what to make of the mage or his pronouncement, so I settle on a tight grin, raising my eyebrows. “Cool, thanks.”
I make my way back to the bar. It’s late, and I’m due to finish some time soon, hopefully.
Thankfully, Seldon sidles up next to me in the middle of the tavern, taking my tray from my hands. Looks like I’m finally off duty for the day.
“I see Alain finally caught you. Tarook, the head mage guy, said he needed to chat with you, but it’s been so crazy tonight. What did he want?” He waves his hand to encompass the general chaos of the room. At least I found out the mage's name.
“Uh, just to say that he’s heard I’ve been working in the garden and that it’s a good idea?” I leave out the inappropriate magical probing— something tells me it wasn’t malicious. Plus, Roan trusts them, so I’m happy to give Tarook and Alain the benefit of doubt.
Seldon pulls a face, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “Is that all? With the way he was nagging me about getting you over to say hi, I thought it was some big drama. Weird. Anyway! More importantly, we need the spare blankets from your room. Run and grab them, and then you’re officially off shift for the night.”
“You sure? It’s busy out here, I’m happy to stay if you need -” Seldon cuts me off with a wave of his hand.
“Absolutely not. We’ll be fine.” The quiver of exhaustion in my limbs begs me not to argue, so I wave my goodbyes before jogging up the stairs to my room to get the blankets.
