Page 54 of Finding Her (Lore of the Fields #1)

“One more,” Ragen smiled gently at her. It occurred to me that I’d never seen someone look at Mykie with softness.

People were friendly, teasing, blunt, flirty, and aggressive with her.

Even Graysen, who treasured her as his closest confidante, maintained sharp edges when they spoke.

It was nice to see someone who didn’t exclusively treat her like a force to be reckoned with, even if that was her chosen identity.

“Are you new to town, Faeryn?” Erith asked me as we all focused on the cards before us.

“Pretty new,” I said slowly, keeping my attention on my hand, determined to place decently one time without someone stepping in to help.

“Where are you from?” Colmar asked.

“Conirva,” Mykie interjected quickly.

“I have a cousin there,” Colmar said. “Did you know a Ragna? She looks like me only hairier.” He let out a howl of laughter. Was that an insult in Lychan culture? It seemed kind of appropriate for the species.

“Where are you staying now?” Erith asked.

Unable to think of the town’s name, I used the only identifiable information I could think of. “With my partner .” I looked at Mykie with frustration. What an unromantic first way to bind myself to Graysen publicly.

“Lucky guy,” Colmar hummed. “If that should happen to not work out—”

“Stop hitting on my guest.” Ragen flicked the blunt piece of graphite used to keep score at Colmar.

Colmar curled back his lip and mouthed the words “ bite me ” in return.

“It’s nice to have you, Faeryn. You should stop by again next week,” Erith offered, returning us to standard pleasantries.

“I’d love to.” I smiled at him. I wasn’t lying; tonight had been fun.

I didn’t fit in here, but the group didn’t seem particularly concerned with that.

It was a neutral space to be myself safely.

I thought I could be quite strange and never feel called out on it.

The ability to simply exist was a welcome relief, I knew I’d want to come back here again to let my guard down. Even if I lost at cards.

“Okay.” Ragen cleared his throat. “Flip your pairs everyone and count ‘em up.”

“Forty-two,” Colmar said.

“Twenty-four,” I said, cringing.

“Fourteen,” Erith said through a drag of cigarette.

“Twenty,” Ragen stated as he wrote down everyone’s scores.

“Sixty-six!” Mykie announced, slamming her cards down triumphantly.

“Faeryn, you got third!” Erith encouraged, shooting me a smile.

“Hey, there you go!” Ragen clapped his meaty hands.

“Some more practice and you’ll be kicking our asses,” Colmar added.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I laughed sheepishly, being applauded for third place meant I truly sucked at this game.

Mykie and I left at the same time as Erith and Colmar, turning in opposite directions once back on the city streets. I remembered how long our walk would be, and wished we’d been able to take the Silvates.

“What’d you think?” Mykie asked.

“They were nice,” I smiled affirmingly. “Especially Ragen.”

“Yeah, gotta love Ragen. You know he and I dated for all-of half a season a long time ago. He’s the only male I’ve attempted to properly court. You can see how that worked out.”

That gentle gaze made sense now. “What happened?”

“We were looking for different things. Work has always been my priority.” She shrugged. “It’s for the best.” It sounded to me like she pulled the plug.

“Do you ever want to settle down?”

“Asking the deep questions, are we?” She chuckled and threw the joint she had been smoking to the ground. “I don’t think so. It wouldn’t be fair to someone to bring them into the mess of a life I’ve created.”

“What about your family?”

“I don’t even know where my parents are.” She kicked a gray chunk of ice far ahead of us. “Last I saw them, I was… twelve? And that’s old for my species. We usually move out once we can talk and walk. My kind isn’t fond of raising their young. It’s just a chore.”

I frowned. “Where do you go at that age?”

“Wherever.” She looked at the horror undoubtedly crossing my face. “I see your concern, babe, but really, it’s normal. It isn’t abandonment, just a cultural difference.”

I nodded, not at all convinced. It didn’t sound like Arielnas matured quicker than everybody else. There was no hint of “ we are ready ” in her tone, more so “ it is what it is ”.

“On the other side of that coin, a Lychan will live with their parents their entire lives if they can. And if they don’t live with their folks, they latch on to someone else to care for them. They don’t function well independently.”

“Does Colmar live with anyone?”

“Yup. He’s mated to a Mercurian. She’s real hot stuff.” She noticed my mouth twist uncomfortably. “The relationship is open, Faeryn. He wasn’t trying to make you a homewrecker.”

The chime of the pub door was a welcome sound.

I was exhausted from the day, but ready to rally my energy for day two on the job.

It felt good, comforting, normal even to come into work.

I could feel my sense of routine building already.

I found the coat rack in Theo’s office, helped myself to some snacks in the back, and took a deep breath.

A smile spread on my face on its own accord.

I couldn’t wait to get home to a hot home-cooked meal, a cozy bed, and the comforting embrace of my “ partner ”.