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18

Vincent

W hat did I say?

I had no time to reconsider the words that had shot from my mouth unapproved by my brain.

Luna took my offered hand, and regret was the furthest thing from my mind when my hand closed around hers and I led her to the edge of the dancefloor.

She was right; the magic usage had become more pronounced the longer we stayed.

What had originally been a few couples showing off was now nearly every couple in the tavern experimenting with something.

My wind thudded in my chest.

I wasn’t ready to let it out, but it swirled there as I considered that she’d chosen this place for me—for my magic.

She had thought I’d enjoy the freedom.

Truth be told, I probably would if I could get out of my own way.

I was on edge from seeing my parents, from everything they’d said, from Luna getting hurt and taking her to the apartment, and the confusing way I felt around her.

No wonder my magic was eager to play .

Now, I’d gone and let my pride take over.

I hadn’t liked the first male leering at her, nor the second asking her to dance.

It was incredibly unhelpful, though.

She wasn’t mine.

Maybe that doesn’t have to be true.

The thought stopped air from flowing into my lungs.

“Vincent?”

I’d held her hand at the edge of the dance floor for too long.

She probably thought I was hesitating, that I didn’t want to dance with her.

Nothing was further from the truth.

Luna’s big blue eyes looked up at me.

“Did you actually want to dance?” she asked.

“Or were you trying to save me from rejecting that other male?”

She was so charitable, even in this.

I’d had no idea she was planning to reject him.

Everything in me hadn’t wanted them to dance together, so I’d acted.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to dance, but I knew—absolutely knew—that I wanted to be with her, even if only on the dance floor for the length of a single song.

“I’d like to dance,” I leaned toward her ear, ostensibly to avoid the noise but mostly because I liked that she let me so close.

“If you would.”

My wind chose that moment to whip around her, ensuring she was wrapped up in me.

She laughed, and I sighed.

“You did agree to dance with my wind, so I guess this is what you signed up for.”

“I have a question,” she said quietly, her hands moving into position for me to take.

It was as if she feared I didn’t know how to dance even though I’d been raised in an old fae estate, with balls and celebrations that required such things.

“Ask it.”

The music was slow, and most couples seemed more focused on their magic than the rhythm.

I took her offered hands and swept her into my arms.

One hand was carefully on her waist, and the other held hers.

I swallowed my nerves and pulled her a little closer.

She fit against me so well, and my wind swelled in my chest.

She sniffed the air as if she could sense it trying to escape.

“How often does your wind…” She seemed to struggle to find the words.

That wasn’t like Luna.

She usually had more words than she needed.

“Act on its own?”

I laughed.

Of course she’d ask.

My wind had done nothing but harass her since we met.

I leaned in close, my nose brushing lightly across her cheek, before my lips settled at her ear.

“That’s the secret, isn’t it? My wind and I are one, but sometimes it does things I lack the courage to.”

Her radiant smile threatened to bring me to my knees.

As if proving my point with flair, my wind slid through her hair.

She leaned into the gesture, and something warm infused my chest.

This felt too good.

I distracted myself, looking around the dancefloor.

It was magical simply to see the pairings.

Fae and human was common, but more unique were the pairings between fae courts.

Nearly every combination of the four elements could be found on the dance floor.

A female behind us created a water vortex around her and her partner.

A male off to the side shook the ground beneath them with each step they took.

None of it made sense—it was magic for magic’s sake.

My wind thrummed with excitement.

“You don’t have to do any magic if you don’t want to,” she said.

“This is nice.”

She sounded like she meant it, but I’d promised her a dance with wind, and my magic had heard me.

It was itching to slide around us again.

“Would you…” I cleared my throat.

“Would it be alright if I used it?”

The smile that lit up her features was all I needed.

“Yes, if you’re comfortable.”

I was decidedly uncomfortable, but I liked that about her.

She didn’t hide herself from the world like I did.

She was unapologetically her in everything she did.

Her curiosity was intoxicating.

How she spoke whatever was on her mind had me hanging on her every word.

And her energy—the confidence she exuded simply by being herself—was more attractive than I was prepared to ignore.

I broke our rule as my mind wandered to our bargain.

She made it seem like I was doing her some big favor.

It had upset me to think that was all she wanted me for.

Now, I wasn’t sure either was true.

Her research had been as helpful as mine.

She knew how to tell a story and how to make people comfortable.

I knew she’d do fine with the inn if she could get visitors in the door, which I would do with my column.

The locked door had had me stewing for the days we’d been apart.

I wouldn’t allow myself to think of her, so I focused on it instead.

I wondered how much of the vacancy was her fault.

Sometimes, magic like that did more than was inherently obvious.

It might be stopping customers from arriving as much as it prevented us from opening the door.

My magic may not be up to solving that problem, but I knew someone who could.

I’d sent him a message earlier that morning.

Our movement brought us closer.

My fingers stretched to wrap her tighter in my arms, and all thoughts of the inn and the article were gone again.

Before I could think too much about it, my wind swept around us and pushed us ever so slightly closer together.

She looked up at me and smiled as it wove through the blonde strands of her hair.

Then it created a little vortex around us, similar to the way the water had for another couple on the dance floor.

I was content to continue moving like this, but my wind had other ideas.

It wrapped around our joined hands, and then I felt it slide up her arm, wind against skin as it blew beneath the material of her navy-blue dress.

I sucked in a breath, wrangling my wind back.

“I’m sorry. ”

Her eyes danced with mirth.

“I think your wind likes me more than it likes you.”

“Undoubtedly. Have you seen yourself? There is no competition between the two of us.”

She looked down, and I realized she was still uncomfortable with the outfit.

It was according to our plan that she’d dressed like this tonight.

“You like me in this fae fashion?” she asked.

I almost stumbled.

Her words caught me off guard.

My wind tipped her chin up so she met my gaze.

“Luna, let me be clear. I find you beautiful no matter what you wear, and I’d happily drop this part of the plan if you’d let me.”

We kept moving, my wind circling.

“Have you ever recommended something half-fae?” she asked.

I shook my head.

“Not to my knowledge. I’m sorry.” I wasn’t sure what to say.

My success had been with the fae; they were who I appealed to.

“It all feels the same. The same colors, the same cuts, it’s like you all want to blend in.” She glanced up at me.

“Well, not you—not all the time.”

“What do you mean? I fit the mold perfectly.”

We spun again, and she gestured downward.

“Every part of you but that jacket.”

I’d thought about this at the restaurant when my father had showed up.

It shouldn’t surprise me that she’d noticed.

It was such a slight distinction from the standard fashion.

Like all the others, it was a dark jacket, but the ties were gold.

“I like the fasteners,” I replied with a quick glance at the jacket.

“They’re different but usually not noticeable.”

She laughed.

“Please don’t mistake me. I love the fasteners. They’re perfect.”

“I will accept your love of the fasteners if you accept my prior compliments as having nothing to do with this dress,” I said, pulling her closer.

Her cheeks flushed, and I took a little pride in her reaction to me.

My wind decided it wanted a turn, and it swept across her cheek in an attempt to cool her flush.

Her gaze met mine, a little sad.

“Do you ever wonder what would have happened if we didn’t need each other the way we do?”

I let out a breath.

“I’m sure that’s one of the topics we’re not supposed to discuss tonight.”

She laughed and bumped into me as we danced.

What did I say to that?

We hadn’t had the most graceful first meeting, but she was right; we’d had a chance at.

.

.

something , at the end.

Before I’d learned her last name.

That thought had me shaking my head.

We’d never had a chance because she’d been planning to use me the whole time.

She’d always wanted to ask for the recommendation, like everyone else.

That assumption no longer felt right, though.

The answer was only a breath away if I dared to ask.

Do I want to know?

I slid my hand down her arm, leaning close and whispering into her ear before I could stop myself.

“I think about it all the time. I wonder when you knew I was the author of ‘Benefits of Magic.’”

She stepped back and I stopped breathing as her bright blue eyes widened.

“I didn’t know until after you left, Vincent.” She stopped moving, but stayed in the circle of my arms.

“One of my regulars…his wife works with you at the paper. They told me later that evening.”

I let out a shaky breath.

It was what I wanted to hear, but why did it make me feel so terrible?

“I think I need to go.” I let her hand drop.

She nodded and followed me from the dance floor.

Paying the tab, we left the tavern.

The night was chilly, a cold wind sweeping across the city from the sea.

She shivered, looking up at me like she wanted to say something.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear anything else.

Why had I asked?

I hadn’t really wanted to know the answer.

I’d convinced myself to push her to spy on her father because I’d been sure she was using me for my column.

Had I really believed she orchestrated our meeting?

It didn’t even make sense.

She’d thrown a drink at me; it was hardly a move to win my affection.

It worked, though.

My wind tapped against my forehead in a pattern that said I should know better.

That my thoughts were incongruent with everything else I’d known about her.

The more I got to know her, the less I could cling to the lies I’d told myself.

If I accepted the truth that her regular had mentioned what I wrote and she’d decided to ask me what she considered a harmless favor, our bargain, what I asked of her, made me a bit of a bastard.

She couldn’t have known how often people asked to have things featured.

She was nothing like the rest of them.

I wasn’t sure she had a disingenuous bone in her body.

“Luna,” I started.

She’d been watching me closely.

I had no idea what she’d seen on my face.

“You can’t take it back now,” she said, and they were the last words I expected.

“Maybe we shouldn’t?—”

“No.” Her hands were on her hips.

“I don’t know how you convinced yourself to agree to our bargain in the first place, but I see your regret.” She stepped closer, her chin rising slightly.

“It’s too late. You agreed. We both still need this.”

She was right, of course.

I still wanted to write feature stories.

I still needed a way to get to her father.

But did it have to be through her?

As if hearing my thoughts, she continued.

“I’ll send a message to Darius, and we’ll get to work on your side of things. I’ll buy a few more stupid dresses”—she waved her hand down her body—“and we’ll both get what we want by Long Night. You will have your investigative piece, and I’ll have saved my inn.”

I swallowed my response.

There wasn’t much I could say, even if, truthfully, I wasn’t sure that was what I wanted any longer.