Page 3 of All My Hexes (Pine Gulch Ever After)

Dain

Whiskey Business is full to the brim with monsters hanging over the bar vying for my attention.

I pour a mead for the troll male in front of me while cleaning a whiskey glass so I can make a drink for the pretty vampire next to him.

Beads of sweat roll down the side of my neck and between my wings.

I’ve got them tucked extra tight at my back, but the reality is that the bar here was never meant for a gargoyle of my size. It’s a tight fit on the best of days.

Shanna, the pixie female bartending with me tonight, flashes a sympathetic smile. “Gonna be a long night, huh?”

I smile and nod. I won’t get out of here until midnight at least, but that’s fine. Pine Gulch celebrates a ton of holidays but it’s part of why I stay here—apart from the wide open spaces, I make great money running the bar during one of our many celebrations.

Three hours fly by as our guests get ever drunker. The kitchen’s barely keeping up with the orders, but thankfully most monsters are understanding. The tables are first come first served tonight given that there’s no way a hostess could wrangle this melee.

“Excuse me?”

A sultry voice breaks through my thoughts.

I look up into the greenest pair of eyes I’ve ever seen.

They seem almost lit from within, they’re so pale.

The black-haired human smiles up at me. She’s wearing a ruffled purple jean dress that clings to her thin figure.

Leaves are embroidered along the neckline and down the bodice.

I’d bet a dollar to a donut she’s a green witch, and the design’s a subtle nod to her ability to work with plants.

“Howdy.” I flash her my sexiest smile.

Pink tinges her cheeks, and she smiles back. “Errr, howdy, pardner.”

I burst out laughing. It sounds so awkward like that. Shaking my head, I lean onto my forearms on the bar. “No better way to look like a tourist than tryin’ that. Can I get you somethin’ to drink?”

She glances at my forearms, her blush growing deeper. The faintest scent of pumpkin mead mixes with something deeper…raspberry? I want to lean over the bar and bury my nose in her neck.

And I absolutely cannot do that, so I force my eyes to remain on hers as I wait for her response.

She waves an orange Scavenger Hunt paper at me.

“I’ll take a Blue Jean, please. I had one of those on the train and damn, that’s good.

But also, I’m supposed to ask you the type of horse that inhabits Pine Gulch’s gulch.

” She bats her lashes and leans her chin in her palm.

“You wouldn’t be able to help a girl with that, would you? ”

I grab a glass and begin making the drink as I smile at her. “You making good progress on that paper or just getting started?”

She nips her lower lip while she looks over the sheet. Gods, she’s stunning. Elegant, thin nose and a thicker upper lip than lower. The pink blush highlights high cheekbones and the perfect straightness of her hair.

“We’re about halfway through,” she says, looking up with a soft smile.

I slide the bright blue concoction across the bar to her. “You got a ways to go, little lady.”

She blows out a breath. “My friend Amadala says we can do it. Then again, we already lost our other friend Naima somewhere at Betty’s. Who knows where this night’s gonna take me…”

I lean over the bar again, crooking my finger at her. Her blush deepens to red, but she steps closer until she’s pressed to the bar. She has to step onto her tiptoes to lean over close enough to me.

Yep. Raspberry. That’s her natural scent, combined with the faint pumpkin from mead. I’m careful not to touch her with my mouth, but I bring my face close to her ear.

“Mustangs,” I whisper. “Our horses are all mustangs. A herd that’s lived in the Gulch for many generations. Fun fact: They were here before the monster haven was even built, so this is really their land.”

She steps back, eyes dropping to my mouth and back up, her soft smile growing bigger. “Is that so?”

“Yep.” I flip the bottle of tequila in my hand and catch it, then sit it in the cooler.

“We’re lucky to share the space with them.

Occasionally you’ll see them in town and tourists always want to pet them, but we’ve got pretty strict laws about messing with the wildlife.

We intervene to give them shots or if one of ‘em gets sick, but they’ve been left intentionally wild. ”

“That’s sorta beautiful,” she says. “So if one came right up to me, I should ignore it?”

“If you can,” I say with a laugh. “A few of them like to come into town and snorkel around through the trash for leftover vegetables.”

The witch grins and folds the paper, slipping it into her purse. “Well,” she says. “That was enlightening, thanks a lot….”

“Dain.” I reach over the counter with a big, friendly smile. “My name’s Dain.”

“Nice to meet you, Dain.” She pulls her hand from mine, fingertips trailing along my palm. “I’m Shadow.”

My brows raise. “That’s an unusual name.”

She shrugs. “It’s a family name, my paternal grandmother’s. She died young so my parents wanted to honor her memory. Shadow Joy Ankelis, that’s my whole name.”

She’s blabbering and I wonder if it’s because she finds me attractive. Her scent’s grown stronger, the raspberry overtaking pumpkin until it’s like I’ve buried my face in a bowl full of the tart fruit.

Shadow glances around the bar as I pour a beer for a ticket that just popped out of the printer. “I haven’t seen a ton of other gargoyles yet, so are you on this haven’s protector team?”

I laugh at that. “Hells no. The Gulch don’t even have a protector team, much to Hearth Headquarters’ dismay.

We’re a little infamous for the fact that we can’t seem to keep a keeper, so our sheriff functions as a sort of mayor instead.

Pine Gulch is so spread out, folks tend to handle their own business. We’ve never had or needed protection.”

Her mouth drops open. “Never? Rainbow’s protector team is like, almost a hundred monsters deep.”

I slide the beer onto the bar and stab the ticket, grabbing two more as they pop up. “Big city vibes are different.”

She nods thoughtfully, taking a sip of the Blue Jean. A pixie with aqua braids and lavender wings lurches into view, spilling mead as she bursts out laughing.

“There you are, Shadow! Naima’s gone and Kingston just found this vampire trio who want to join us for the rest of the scavenger hunt. They’re a freaking hoot. You down, or are you,”—she waves at me with a little wink—“flirting?”

Shadow’s blush travels all the way down her neck and chest as she slaps a hand to her forehead. “Amadala, gods. Time to cut you off.”

“Never,” the pixie shrieks, disappearing into the crowd with her beer still sloshing over the edges of her mug.

“Sorry about that,” Shadow murmurs. “I, she…well I’m not really sure what to say. That was awkward.”

I lean over the bar as I grab a couple more tickets from the printer.

She’s pretty and her heart’s racing like crazy.

I’d wager she thinks I’m not too bad myself.

“Sounds like your friends are disappearing one by one. If you find yourself lonely later on, I’m not closing so I’ll be done around midnight.

” I flick her purse with a finger. “Happy to help you find whatever it is you need.” I intentionally drop my voice at the end of the sentence, and it has the desired effect.

Her blush stays deep, chest heaving lightly as her pupils dilate. Pink lips part as she stares at my mouth. It’s a few seconds before she brings her gaze to mine again.

“Nice to meet you, Dain,” she says finally, turning with her drink in hand.

“See ya ‘round, Shadow,” I murmur as she disappears into the throng.