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“There’s no need to make me promises.” I smiled at him. “All I want is the pleasure of your company.”

“Do we need to wait for that pleasure until your guests leave?”

My sigh was loud. “That would be the mature thing to do, wouldn’t it?”

Farley chuckled at the disappointment in my tone. “Maybe I could soundproof your bedroom.”

“Yes, well, I tried doing that with magic. The inn wouldn’t let me. My lack of privacy is something I need to discuss with Jezel. What if being an innkeeper were my permanent job? Am I supposed to give up my love life for the sake of my guests? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“We’ll work it out,” Farley promised.

“Yes, we will,” I said, echoing his determination.

I sighed deeply again. “Okay. I’m liking this too much, and I have work to do. Turn me loose,” I ordered, sliding away. “Unfortunately, I have to go muck out Prince Robin’s stall. Princess Peace is keeping him busy for me while I do it.”

“I’ll help you if you want,” Farley said.

“Maybe you can help me spread the fresh hay.”

Farley looked at the doorway. “Paul said the porch would be done shortly. He wants me to shift to my bear to make sure it can hold me in my largest size. Should I do that first?”

“Yes. There’s no need for both of us to get stinky. After I grab my stable-cleaning shoes, I’ll deal with my currently shitty life. Your Auntie Carol is going to pay big for getting me into this mess.”

“If you’re that miserable, why do you sound so happy?”

I thought about it and shrugged. “Because I will love getting revenge for my unjust incarceration. Honestly, I’m more cut out to be a jailer than an innkeeper.”

“You’re a very strange woman sometimes,” Farley said.

I laughed at his bemused tone. “You know, Farley, most people tell me that at some point. Consider yourself warned.”

The prince’s stall was messier than I’d expected. Sighing, I turned my attention to the lesser of two evils and checked out the rabbit’s area. Alfred had hopped off somewhere, likely spying on Peace and Robin. I examined his small, hollowed-out bed and found no tiny brown droppings that needed removal. Clearly, Lord Alfred was fastidious in every way.

Too bad I couldn’t say the same for Prince Robyn. His stall was a hot, centaur mess. At least the royal had only defecated in one corner, even if the mound was at least a foot tall.

I tied a cloth over my face to reduce the smell while I located the rake and wheelbarrow. Honestly, this work was no worse for me than composting my herb gardens back home. I was shoveling centaur manure like a madwoman when Jezel showed up uninvited.

“Good Goddess, Selene, what in the seven hells are you doing?”

My answer got muffled by the cloth over my mouth. “What’s it look like? I’m cleaning the centaur’s room,” I said, pointing to the dwindling pile of poop. “It wasn’t going to remove itself.”

Jezel snorted. “I understand the task, but why are you not using the inn’s magic to get rid of it? If you had an entire house full of guests, you’d never get all the chores done manually. Pull out the inn’s wand, witch. That’s why I gave it to you. Even using your weaker normal wand would be better than shoveling the excrement yourself.”

Ignoring my translucent tormentor, I pushed the now full wheelbarrow to the end of the stables and set it just outside the door. Upon returning to the area, I gathered the breakfast dishes into a tub I’d brought with me and piled the trash on top of them.

“I thought I would start a compost pile on the edge of the inn’s grounds. In a few months, the real innkeeper will be able to use the decomposed materials to grow vegetables. They can call me if they want me to help. I wouldn’t mind that.”

Jezel rolled her eyes. “Good Goddess... not this nonsense, again.”

I stopped tugging on the fresh hay bale and stared at her. “What are you complaining about now?”

Jezel grunted indignantly. “You are the real innkeeper.”

Snorting, I went back to tugging hay out of the bale. “It is not nonsense... and no, I am not the real innkeeper. When my incarceration period is done, I will be leaving this place. Until then, I’m willing to do the job to keep busy because it beats doing nothing. Also, I like the idea of making the inn’s owner owe me.”

Jezel crossed her transparent arms. “Your foolish views on your presence here don’t explain why you are not using the inn’s magic to do guest chores. That’s a no-brainer as you people like to say.”

“Because I tried to use the inn’s magic to soundproof my bedroom, and the wand wouldn’t obey me. Also, you wouldn’t come when I called. Neither you nor your wand will control my power with your magical threats, bribes, or withholding. My bare minimum requirement for this Goddess-forsaken place is to be truly alone in the room where I fall unconscious every night. You need to wake up and smell today’s reality, Jezel. You’re determined to sell me your ancient shit and I don’t need more that. I have a wheelbarrow full just outside the stable.”