Page 34

34

Luna

M y heart raced as I climbed the steps to the third floor of the newspaper office.

I’d never had cause to go before.

A receptionist pointed me toward Vincent’s desk.

It was empty.

I looked around helplessly, unsure what to do.

I couldn’t believe he’d decided to publish a story he knew to be false.

No matter what my father thought, I knew that wasn’t him.

I didn’t hold these beliefs simply because I was besotted, even though it was becoming increasingly apparent that I was.

I shivered inadvertently as the memories from last night and this morning flooded my mind.

I pulled my bright pink sweater tighter around my shoulders, fighting off the chill.

I’d left in such a rush I hadn’t changed into my fae-approved wardrobe.

This time, I didn’t care.

Whatever was going on with Vincent was more important than the recommendation piece.

Something was wrong, and I needed to find him—needed to make sure he was alright .

“You look distressed, dear. Anything I can help with?” a familiar voice asked.

“Daisy!” I said, turning to see Earl’s wife.

“I’m so glad to see you. I’m looking for Vincent. Do you know where he is?”

She frowned and looked around sharply before stepping closer to me and whispering, “He had a meeting with the boss earlier today. He did not look happy when he left. Stormed out of here like he was going to his own funeral.”

I worried my bottom lip.

Where would he have— And just like that, I knew where he’d gone.

“Andiveron House,” I said quietly.

“Isn’t that where he lives? Your face looks like his did. How can his home be that bad?”

That place wasn’t his home.

It hadn’t been for years.

Maybe it had never been, even if no one knew that but me.

“Thanks, Daisy, I appreciate the information,” I said without answering her question, and left the way I’d come.

When I got outside, I stood on the sidewalk, watching people pass around me.

Vincent would hate that I was standing frozen directly in everyone’s way, but I couldn’t be bothered to move.

Indecision held me in place.

I couldn’t exactly interrupt whatever he was doing at his parents’ house.

Part of me knew he was confronting them about the story.

It was the only thing that made sense.

My father said he didn’t know Vincent but knew his parents and how he was raised.

Darius believed, at a minimum, Vincent’s parents were responsible for the story.

Maybe even responsible for the bribes that he was attempting to counter.

Vincent, too, must have realized.

I dipped my chin as if answering my own internal question.

He could handle this.

It was his work and his promotion on the line.

What if he didn’t get the promotion because he wouldn’t print the article about my family?

My stomach sank.

They wouldn’t force him to write a piece he could prove false, would they?

They would if his parents were bribing the paper like they might be bribing the governor.

I sighed even as something tightened in my chest.

This wasn’t my fight; it was Vincent’s.

I’d be there the moment he asked for help.

No matter Darius’s suspicions, I trusted Vincent.

He could handle it until he said otherwise.

Someone bumped my shoulder in the busy street.

It was my fault for standing in the middle of foot traffic.

The tap set my sights on Central Circle Park and a familiar warm glow therein.

With that, I knew what I had to do.

If Vincent was facing his parents, if he was standing up for what he believed in, then so could I.

I’d told Vincent this morning that I didn’t need him to write the piece.

That was true, but he’d been so determined to do it.

I wanted to let him.

Truth be told, with what I’d learned about Mom’s actions and how much she’d kept a part of me hidden, I was second-guessing our plan to portray myself as fae.

Initially, I hadn’t minded that we were leading readers to that conclusion.

My fae heritage was a part of me, and I accepted it as much as I accepted my humanity.

But that wasn’t the whole truth.

Mom’s actions had shown me that ignoring a part of myself was dangerous.

And as much as the article was about saving the inn, it would also only tell half the truth.

Yes, I was fae.

I was old fae, even, but I was also human.

I didn’t want people to like me or stay at the inn because they thought I was fae.

I wanted the inn to be a place where everyone was welcome, a place where our individuality was celebrated, each of us essential in making up the whole of the community.

If I wanted to build this business based on who I was and what I believed, I had to start with my roots.

There was one place in Sandrin where I had been accepted since I’d shown up in town with no family, no money, and no idea what I would do.

The familiar bridge leading to Parkview Tavern was in my sights, and I was finally brave enough to do something about it.

A crisp breeze followed me through the front door.

I glanced over my shoulder, half hoping that Vincent was behind me and that his wind was already wrapping me in its familiar embrace.

There was no sign of him, though.

This was only the winter wind blowing.

It reminded me that, while it was chilly and sometimes lonely in the city of Sandrin, I was with friends as soon as I stepped into Parkview Tavern and its warmth.

“Hey, Luna,” Evelyn said as she dashed by with a drink tray in hand.

“Seraphina is behind the bar.”

I spied my friend in her usual place, mixing drinks.

There were dozens of people between us.

The tavern was packed, even more so than the last few times I’d been here.

I couldn’t believe more and more people continued to pour into Sandrin.

We were only two weeks from Long Night.

I was glad I’d left Eloise at the front desk.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the proof of Mom’s actions was evident in the guests’ arrival this morning.

Now that the blood magic was cleansed, I hoped more guests would naturally find their way to Cliff House, but that wouldn’t be my only strategy.

As I pushed through the crowd, Seraphina caught my eye and smiled.

“I could use some help if you’ve got a minute.”

I nodded and slipped behind the counter like I belonged nowhere else.

One of the hardest parts of accepting Cliff House Inn as my own was realizing I couldn’t work here as often.

If my wildest dreams came true and the inn became truly successful, I probably couldn’t work here at all .

Seraphina bumped my hip as I tied an apron around my waist.

“You’ll always have this place, even if you don’t work here.”

“How did you?—”

“Your face always says more than you do—which is impressive because you talk a lot.” She smirked, and I snapped the dish towel in her direction.

“I need two Solstice Sips. You can handle that, right?” she teased as we fell into a familiar rhythm.

I reached for the honey spirit bottle, one I could say had started this whole mess considering the drink’s success was part of what had brought me to Vincent.

Worry for him churned in my chest, but I knew I was doing what he would want.

He’d find me when he was ready.

“What’s up?” Seraphina asked as we both worked.

“I unlocked the room. Mom enacted blood magic to keep me from Darius.” I tilted my head as Seraphina’s mouth hung open in astonishment.

“Oh, and I got my first customers today.” I poured the ingredients into a shaker.

“And I slept with Vincent.” A smile curled my lips.

She stared at me.

I put a finger under her chin and lifted her mouth to close it.

She laughed.

“We will have to chat about…” She waved her hands vaguely.

“All of that at another time. At least you’re in good spirits, and, of course, congratulations on the customers, Luna.”

Evelyn approached at the last sentence.

“Customers? We knew you could do it! Did you unlock the door? I need two more Sips while you’re at it.”

I nodded and increased the recipe I was already mixing.

“What triggered your magic?” she asked, though her cheeks flushed immediately at the question.

“Sorry, maybe that’s personal.”

My hand cut through the air in a dismissive wave.

“Not for you. You were the first to realize there was even magic at play. It’s moonlight. ”

“Of course it is,” Seraphina said.

“We should have known.”

“Maybe I should have, too,” I said with a shrug.

“But I figured it out. And learned a lot.” My face grew somber as I shook the mix and poured it into four glasses.

I glanced at Evelyn; she deserved to hear this, too.

“My mom was the one who put it there. She wanted to keep me from my fae heritage and from the inn that Darius wanted to gift me.”

Even though she’d already heard this, Seraphina’s knuckles whitened as she gripped the shaker.

“I’m so sorry, Luna,” Evelyn said, tucking a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

If anyone knew what it was to have family not approve of a part of her, it was Evelyn.

“There’s nothing I can do about it now,” I said, oddly at peace.

“As much as I’d love to ask her about it, I can’t. I’ll never know if she hated my fae heritage, and me by extension, or if she was so lost she truly thought she was protecting me. I do know Darius didn’t want to stay away. This whole thing got me thinking about how I’m as much fae as human, and I am oddly comfortable with that.”

Seraphina nodded, and Evelyn seemed hesitant but said, “We’re glad you figured it out.”

“Thank you both for all your help.” I took a deep breath.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to ask for a little more.”

The sound of ice and liquid shaking stopped, and Seraphina turned me to face her.

“You can always ask us for help. You know that. What do you need?” Her gaze held mine with a seriousness she hadn’t expressed since she’d first hired me and told me not to spill on guests.

“I need your help filling the inn.”

“Isn’t Fae Charming helping with that?” Seraphina asked playfully.

“Where is he, by the way?”

I bit the inside of my cheek.

“He is helping, but we had decided on a plan that worked for all his past recommendations, and recently, I’ve been wondering if that will work for me. Or if that’s the way I want to do things.”

“What do you mean?” Evelyn asked.

“All his successful recommendations have been places that were fae establishments. They never said as much but presented the fae owners as purveyors of exclusive goods and services. Inviting the reader to seek out these uniquely qualified items.”

“And you don’t want to be that?” Evelyn asked.

“Well, I didn’t have a problem with it before, but when I realized how much my mom had an issue with my fae heritage and how much she thought Darius would have an issue with my human side, I realized I needed to be true to who I am.” My voice raised slightly as I gained confidence in my words.

“I need to be both. I don’t want to be seen as only fae or only human. I’m both and want to be accepted for that—and I’m sure there are those who would welcome me in the community, like this place has.”

Seraphina smiled, and I swear she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with her dish towel.

“So, what do we do?” Evelyn asked, but her mouth was already tilting into a smile.

It wasn’t until then that I noticed how quiet the tavern had grown.

Seraphina and I still had our backs to the bar.

I turned slowly, to find wide-eyed patrons staring, their drinks raised half-way to their lips.

More people might have heard my impassioned speech than anticipated.

“Tell us where to go to support a place like that,” a voice called from the crowd.

My throat clenched, and I wasn’t sure I could get out the words.

I looked helplessly between Evelyn and Seraphina.

“Cliff House Inn,” Seraphina said.

“They have vacancies, especially if you’re looking to stay through to Long Night. And it’s the best view in the city of the sky for solstice. ”

The crowd cheered and clinked their glasses.

More than one group started talking excitedly about the need for a change of accommodations.

It seemed some had also arrived today and required somewhere to stay.

My heart swelled and tears pricked my eyes.

They wanted a place like I described—a place like my inn, where all were welcome.

I mixed a few more drinks with Seraphina behind the bar before she drew beside me, bumping my hip in her familiar greeting.

“You should get out of here,” she said.

“Another group just left, heading to Cliff House. You should be there. Get some bread ready so you have your post-hike snacks for them in the morning.” She winked.

“Thank you, Seraphina,” I said, wrapping her in the tightest hug I could, not having the right words to express my gratitude.

“This was all you, Luna. The community here supports you, and, of course, so do we. Now go.”