Page 21 of Code Mages & Empty Pages (Frostfire #2)

Luc

I took the train from Kirkmuir to Carranbrae, not trusting myself to drive with my brain spinning. Glendarn House was easy to find. It was one of the tallest buildings around. I felt more accomplished when my calves barely burned by the time I had climbed all four flights to reach the top floor.

The gym’s working!

The gorgeous rooftop garden I spotted through the kitchen window reminded me of our garden at the cottage, and I caught myself, again, planning the writing shed I wanted to build for her.

It would be a pretty, airy space with lots of natural light, bookshelves, and honey-coloured floors. Roe had no idea of my plans.

Hell, she was supposed to move back to her house soon. I hadn’t wanted to make things even harder for both of us.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I missed her and Ruffles so much my throat hurt. Then I texted her, just to let her know I’d arrived.

Dawn: Show them, Comte Dawn: Remember, this is just another heistDawn: You can do it! Ruffles and I are rooting for you

Alaric Dunmere picked me up at Glendarn House at two. He greeted me at the gate with a quick handshake.

“Hello, Mr Atkins. Good to see you. I was happy to hear you were joining our team.”

“Hi, Mr Dunmere. It’s an honour.” My voice came out awkward, but he just smiled.

“Please, call me Alaric. We’ll be working closely. First names.”

“Then, call me Luc, please.”

He nodded, all business. “Come on, Luc. We have a meeting with Taran and Maeve in twenty minutes. I hope you’re hungry.”

“Starved,” I admitted, following him out into the sun.

We walked side by side, talking a little about pets. He mentioned his Fire Worm, Roja, and I pretended I didn’t already know all about it from Dawn. They were lizard-like beings, with blood-red skin and ridiculous, squashed faces. Not my thing, but Alaric seemed smitten.

The tea house was beautiful. An older woman with steel grey hair greeted Alaric like an old friend.

“Mrs McRae, it’s my pleasure to see you again,” he rumbled and raised her hand to his lips for a kiss. “Alaric, you old charmer.” She gave a smoky laugh. “Your table’s ready. Your guests are already here.”

Inside, I spotted the hulking Dragon shifter in his usual corset. Taran Atax sat on a low couch, arm around his mate.“Oh, Alaric!” Taran Atax greeted with a deep rumble. “There you are. And you must be Lucien Atkins.”

“Yes. Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Oh, absolutely not ! We prefer to keep things a bit more casual.“ Maeve laughed brightly. Nothing about Taran Atax said “casual”, but okay. She got up and shook my hand. Her bright purple scales shimmered in the soft lights over our heads. “I’m Maeve, this is Taran, my partner. We’re glad to finally meet you.”

“Luc,” I said.

Maeve sat back down and leaned into Taran. The gooey look he gave her made my heart ache for home. I settled on a cushion and ordered a tea blend that promised to calm my nerves. I needed it.

“Bee should be here in a few minutes,” Maeve said. “He’s just grabbing the plans from the owner.” She eyed me. “You’re Hector’s brother, aren’t you?”

I smiled. “Yeah. His twin.” For a fleeting moment I wondered what my father would say if he heard me use this word instead of littermate without missing a beat.

“You two do look alike. Don’t they, baby?” She elbowed Taran, who nodded solemnly.

“Absolutely.” His voice was deep enough to rattle the tableware. “We like Hector.”

I laughed, relaxing into the easy banter. “Hope you’ll feel the same way about me.”

Maeve winked. “I’m sure we will. You have a lovely aura.”

Alaric snorted softly. “Can we stop talking about auras and start talking about what we’re here for? Where is Bee?” He checked his wristwatch, forever efficient, I supposed. As if on cue, a slender, silver-haired man approached.

“Hello!” He shook hands with the Gargoyle and me, then hugged Taran and Maeve. “Sorry I’m late. I brought the plans.”

We gathered closer. Bee unrolled blueprints, talking animatedly about the construction company and the designer.

“Fraser Thorne is so talented! You’re going to love his work,” he swooned.

“I visited his workshop on the edge of Fernmere Forest yesterday. The vision is whimsical lighthouse core and heirloom-focused, studded with basket furniture and hand-thrown pottery. We want something different for the cafe,” Beryl added, mainly directed at me.

“It needs to be different from this teahouse.” He gestured around and fixed me with his intriguing silver eyes.

“That makes sense,” I said because it felt like he expected me to answer.

“I like the sound of it, Bee. Throw in Ross’ coffee, and we have a winner,” Maeve said. “People are going to love it!”

“He was at Froth & Flurry’s opening, wasn’t he?” I asked.

She beamed. “Yes, that’s him. His coffee’s a game-changer.”

“It is,” I agreed. “We only had the terrible stuff from the machines at the office. Now nobody touches it.”

The talk turned to the complications they’d faced during the acquisition of their new cafe, which was one of the soulless Bean Me Up franchises and would be called Gust & Grind in the future.

“Some staff are worried we’re gentrifying their town,” Maeve admitted quietly.

“We bought a little flat here to stay in.” She reached out to take Taran’s hand.

“But we fell in love with this place, and we want to keep its integrity.”

I understood what she meant. There was something enchanting about this town with its cobbled alleys, the salty air, and the quiet sea stretching out beyond its sandy beach. If I lived here I wouldn’t want to see it change either.

“Absolutely,” Bee said. “We want to give Bean Me up a soul. Gust & Grind will fit seamlessly into Carranbrae.”

A man caught my eye across the room as I leaned forward to take a sip from my tea. He glared at our table, then looked away.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“He’s one of the baristas at Bean Me Up,” Alaric murmured. “And he isn’t thrilled about the changes.”

Maeve shrugged. “He’ll come around. They always do.”

With plans made for the next day, we said our goodbyes.

Before I left, I browsed the shelf with tea blends in pretty packaging. One label caught my eye. “Carranbrae Sunset Blend. Tastes the last golden light on Carranbrae’s cliffs: gentle, a little wild, and impossible to forget.”

It was the perfect choice for my Roe.

That night, I sat in the unfamiliar apartment, phone in hand, overthinking whether to text Roe. I didn’t want to seem clingy. In the end, I sent her a quick “Good night.” She replied within minutes with a photo of Ruffles snoozing, his head on her lap.

Dawn: Someone misses you Dawn: Me, too

The knot in my chest loosened.

Luc: I miss you two too

I woke up the next morning from a dream where the house was empty. I grabbed breakfast from Bean Me Up because I wanted to see the place myself before they turned it into a whimsical lighthouse core fantasy.

Bee and Maeve had a point: it was terrible.

Beat-up tables were haphazardly scattered around the room, making it difficult to even navigate the space.

A broken lamp hung above the bar. In a different place it might have felt cosy.

But here, surrounded by dystopian gloom, it just added to the bleakness.

The attractive guy who had watched us at the tea house yesterday worked behind the bar. His tone was stilted but polite.

“Good morning, what can I get you?”

“Hi.” I peered into the glass display. “Can I get a cappuccino and one of the cupcakes, please?”

“For here or takeaway?” the Selkie asked. A strand of wet looking hair fell onto his high brow as he bent to retrieve the cupcake for me.

I threw a glance around the bleak room. “To take away, please. I want to walk up the coast a bit. There’s a lighthouse, right?”

“Yes, there is. It’s not too far, maybe twenty minutes.” He took one of the branded paper blue and yellow paper bags, put the cupcake in it, and turned around to make my drink. “It’s quite pretty, too. I head up there for a morning swim when I’m not working,” he said before his mouth snapped shut.

“Thanks.” I wished I was better at small talk. I bet Dawn would get his entire life story out of him in ten minutes, but I didn’t want to make him feel like I was nosing around.

The sad tinkle of the bell above the door announced another patron.

“Oh, Luc. I see we had the same idea.” Alaric joined me at the counter.

“Yeah, I am just grabbing a quick breakfast. I want to check out the area before our meeting.”

“A morning walk sounds like a fantastic idea to get the creative juices flowing.” He grinned at me.

“That’ll be six fifteen,” the barista’s voice cut through our conversation.

“Oh right.” I turned and paid him, then dropped the change in the tip jar. It wasn’t his fault the place looked like shit.

“Thanks,” he said in a slightly softer voice.

I just nodded, told Alaric I would see him later, and left. Then I set out up the coast and let the salty air clear my head.

Seabirds wheeled over the cliff on which the lighthouse stood. I paused for a moment and looked out over the water. I followed the rough-hewn steps carved into the cliff’s face to the beach. It was low tide and the tidepools sparkled in the morning sun.

I perched on a rock and savoured my breakfast. I’d just finished my cupcake when my phone buzzed with a message.

Dawn: Good morning

She sent a picture of Ruffles snoozing in a sunny spot.

Dawn: He misses you so much!

Another picture came through, one of Roe smiling at the camera.

Dawn: Me too. We can’t wait until you’re back home tomorrow!

I snapped a picture of me and the view and sent it back.

Luc: Good morning, Roe. I wish you were here to enjoy this view with me. I miss you x

Maybe I was saying too much, or not nearly enough.