Page 17 of Evergreen

Maybe, if Nerion got his way, he’d want me…

At the very least, it might be fun. I’d never tried the hookup thing or casual dating. But as the end of my time at Widdershins grew closer and closer, I realized I didn’t want to leave without cutting loose at least once. And Cass was definitely cute enough that I was happy to give it a try.

Now I just had to not fuck it up.

Chapter 8

Cass

Another night, another back-breaking night at the greenhouse. I was only a couple days in and already my body was so sore I could barely walk. My back was tight, my legs were shaky, and even my butt felt like it was just gonna fall right the fuck off.

My hands though, were great.

In fact, I don’t think they’d ever been that soft before. By the time I’d woken up in the morning, the blisters were gone along with the green stain left behind by the paste Linden had mixed up. Instead they were coated in fresh new skin without sign of blemish or injury. And somehow, through some mysterious power I could only guess at, Linden’s concoction managed to wipe away a small scar that had been on my palm my entire life.

I had no idea something as simple as plants could have so much power. Then again, Linden was a dryad, so maybe he was the one making it work so well.

But as I headed back to the greenhouse, I resolved not to bring it up. I wasn’t there to make friends or learn about plants. In all honesty, I wanted the semester to be over as fast as possible. And there was the fact that my magic seemed to go a little wonky when Linden got too close. If him touching my hand could make it snow, what would happen if he hugged me? Pulled me against him? What if he towered over me, wrapped me up in his arms, and kissed me?

“Stop,” I muttered to myself as I trudged through the snow. “I don’t want to think about that.”

But the truth was, ever since last night, it was all I could think about. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Linden. Even this morning when I did my shift at the greenhouse, I couldn’t stop glancing his way. I found myself cataloguing the way his body moved, how his giant biceps flexed when he picked things up, and the seemingly ever-present bulge in his jeans that drew my gaze whether I liked it or not.

Truth was, the dude was fucking hot. But I kept trying to tell myself that he wasn’t my type. I didn’t want a ball of sunshine and positivity. That shit was annoying. And the plant thing? Forget it. Besides, he was a dryad and from what I’d been told, our kinds didn’t usually mix.

So why couldn’t I stop fantasizing about him?

The conservatory loomed up in front of me before I realized my feet had carried me all the way there. Taking one last deep breath of frigid January air, I stepped into the greenhouse. The moment I passed through my magical barrier, I was struck by a warm gush of air and the sudden humidity. In just a couple of days, the greenhouse had returned to its usual temperature and the scent of damp earth had returned. It could almost be described as nice, if I was into that sort of thing.

But the moment I was inside, I realized I wasn’t alone like I expected. Linden was there, of course, but he was talking to two guys I’d never seen before. One was lithe and pale with freckles and flaming red hair. The other was more muscular with blonde hair and he had his arm around the waist of the red-head.

“So what do you want me to clean up tonight?” I asked, announcing my presence when they didn’t look up.

Linden turned toward me, and I watched as his expression shifted from whatever conversation he’d been having into something more carefully neutral. The red-haired guy, though, grinned like he’d just won the lottery.

“Cass!” the red-head exclaimed, practically bouncing on his heels. “Perfect timing. I’m Nerion, by the way. This is Teddy. We’re just here to set up some painting equipment.”

“Painting equipment,” I repeated, not bothering to hide my skepticism. “In the greenhouse?”

“For Nerion’s inspiration,” Teddy added, his tone suggesting he was used to explaining his boyfriend’s more eccentric ideas. Or at least I assumed the guy was his boyfriend.

Teddy had this calm, patient thing going on that made me immediately trust him more than I trusted the other one, who was already bouncing toward the western section of the greenhouse with an easel tucked under one arm.

“Nerion’s my best friend,” Linden said quietly, and I could hear the apology in his voice. That didn’t bode well. “He wanted to use the ruins of the greenhouse as inspiration for his work.”

“So he’s just gonna be hanging around here now?” I asked, not hiding my irritation. Although, if I was being honest, I was too tired to care if the entire campus showed up to watch me suffer.

“Pretty much,” Nerion called back over his shoulder. He was already setting up his easel, positioning it at an angle that gave him a perfect view of both me and Linden. “Don’t mind me. Just pretend I’m not here.”

That was going to be impossible. I could already feel his eyes on me, assessing, cataloguing. It was the kind of attention that made my skin prickle. I felt like livestock at an auction.

“So, Cass,” Nerion continued, clearly not allowing anyone to ignore him. “Weather magic, huh? Pretty impressive that you leveled this place all by yourself.” He gave me a once over. “You single?”

I blinked at him, not entirely sure I’d heard that right. “Am I what?”

“Single,” Nerion repeated, his grin widening as he dipped a brush in paint. “You know, unattached? Available? Ready to mingle?”

“That’s none of your fucking business,” I said flatly, already moving toward the debris pile we’d been working on that morning. I could feel Linden’s eyes on me, and could practically sense his embarrassment radiating off him in waves.