Page 36 of Misbehaving With Minotaurs (Haven Ever After #8)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

MANORIN

T he day of the coach-off game, Ever’s slammed.

Every restaurant has lines out the door, and Main Street is flooded with monsters from dozens of other havens, thanks to Gil’s meddling.

Arkan glamoured downtown so everything is awash in the Misfits’ green and gold hues.

Flags hang from every possible surface and matching fireworks whiz pop off at random intervals.

It’s honestly pretty damn festive and I love that. Not to mention, I’m relieved to see just how into skyball Ever got when given the chance.

Catherine and I sit in the Community Garden at the singular table, eating a delicious picnic she packed for us this morning.

I had intended to take her out to breakfast before heading to the arena to meet the team and prep, but then Ohken paid us an early morning visit, demanding to be on my team to “crush the smirk off that fucking asshole’s face. ”

My Sunshine elegantly bites into a cracker with jam-covered cheese, chewing thoughtfully. The jam covers a little of her top lip, so I reach over and brush it away, smiling .

“Come sit on my lap, Sunshine,” I say, patting my thigh. “Let me lick that off you.”

She opens her mouth to speak, but the sound of a throat clearing interrupts her.

When I turn, Hadrian Alkazar stands at the garden gate, thumbs tucked in the leather belt around his waist. His tail lashes slowly from side to side as he looks at me.

Catherine turns to look, then rests her hand over mine. “We’ll pick this up later, okay? I think your busy day’s about to start, Nor.”

I frown as she stands and rounds the table, pressing a kiss to the end of my snout.

“Find you later,” I promise as she plays with one of my ears, rubbing the inside of it as I resist the urge to demand she use it like a handle.

“You’d better.” Her tone’s light as she saturates the air between us with that gingerbread scent.

She turns to go, passing Alkazar, who inclines his head respectfully. When she’s gone, he joins me at the table and sits, eyeing the feast in front of me.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Coach, but I needed to speak with you, and this is the only time we’ll have before I leave after the game.”

I sit forward and rest my forearms on the bench, clasping my hands together as I eye the young prodigy. “What’s goin’ on, kid?”

He sighs and looks into the distance, squinting.

It’s bad news.

Fuck. “You picked a team. Who?”

He returns his gaze to me, his expression cautious. “Punishers. My family used to visit Pine Gulch every summer when I was a kid, and I love it there. My best friend lives there now. I’ve been leaning toward it, and even though I don’t love the coach, I think I could still learn a lot from him. ”

I hold back a few choice words because I’d have really liked to get him here. “It’s a good choice,” I offer instead. “Ever’d be a good spot for you too. Were you torn at all?”

He looks around at the Community Garden but shakes his head. “Not really, Coach. I’m supposed to visit a couple more havens, but in my heart of hearts, it’s always been the Gulch for me, if they’d have me.”

I hold back a sigh. It’s a major loss for Ever. And now I’m in a bad mood. The Punishers will be practically unstoppable with Alkazar on the team.

I smile at him. “You look like there’s more. Spit it out, kid.”

He sits up straighter. “I’m not gonna finish my last year at the academy. I’m moving over break.”

Fuck. Fuck me. That’s not great news. He’s a huge part of my first string, although no team should rely wholly on one player. But it’s a loss for the HQ team for sure.

“I know that’s not what you want to hear.” He sighs. “I didn’t want to share this news prior to the game, but better to rip the Band-Aid off.” He laughs a little. “That’s a saying one of the humans here taught me.”

I reach across the table to shake his hand. He takes mine and shakes vigorously, dark eyes glittering.

“Congratulations, kid. I can’t wait to see what the Punishers do with you on the front lines.”

He winks. “Well, and I mean this in the most respectful way possible, Coach, but I hope I kick your ass, wherever you land.” He looks around at the Community Garden again.

“This is a beautiful little haven. Diverse, comfy, kind, feels like very little interference from HQ. But I miss the wide-open spaces. I need to look out my window and see…nothing. Sunset and wheat fields.”

His words rip a hole in my heart. He’s saying the same thing I’ve always felt about home. Yet when I think about leaving Catherine and Annabelle behind, the hole grows bigger until I’m nearly choked with anxiety over it.

Alkazar stands and claps me on the shoulder. “I’m gonna head to the stadium. I see I interrupted your breakfast, but can I help you clean this up?”

I stand and start grabbing food, putting it back in the picnic basket. “I’ve got it, kid. Head over and get your head in the game.”

He laughs. “You sure you don’t want me to throw it a little? Gil Stoneswallow is a grade-A jackass.”

I level him with a serious look. “Never tone yourself down for anyone, Hadrian. Not your Coach, not your team, not your family, not your future mate. Be you, and the right ones will stick by your side. If you learn only one thing from your time with me, let that be it.”

“Heard, Coach,” he says softly, shuffling the big leathery wings at his back.

“You look really happy with her, by the way.” His blush grows darker.

“I hope that’s okay to say. We don’t usually get into matters of the heart.

” He rubs at his chest where his own heart will be silent until he finds a mate.

“I am,” I confirm, a grin overtaking me. “I’m… She’s everything I could ever want.”

I lose track of enough words to explain what Cath means to me, but Hadrian flares his wings with a little chuckle. He smiles at me for another moment, then pushes off the ground and beats up into the sky, flying toward the skyball stadium.

When I think about him moving to Pine Gulch, everything inside me clenches with frustration.

That desire to be around the people I grew up with, in the spaces I grew up in.

I want it so badly, I can taste it. But a stronger part of me knows I can’t lose my Sunshine.

I lost her once, and it killed me. It’s my biggest regret in life.

I refuse to have that regret twice. Even if I don’t get the Ever job, I’m moving .

But I need to set all of that aside right now and focus on fucking Gil Stoneswallow up.

S ix hours later, I’m standing in the middle of the skyball field with my team at my back, staring at Gil Stoneswallow as he raises the roof with both hands, trying to get the crowd to scream louder.

It’s already loud as fuck in here. The stadium’s packed, every seat filled.

I didn’t anticipate this. This was only meant to be an exhibition game, not this public fucking spectacle Gil’s turned it into.

If Hearth HQ wasn’t hearing through the grapevine about my coming here, they’ll know now.

Not that it matters, because after this, I’m resigning and moving.

I’m already in a bad mood, but as the ref tells us to split to our sides, I hear Gil tell one of the guys he brought in to play dirty. It takes everything in me not to cause a scene. Instead, I return to the bench and approach Hana and Ohken. Popping a squat, I look between them.

“Gil’s told his team to play dirty. I know Alkazar and the other gargoyle well enough to guarantee they won’t do that no matter what Stoneswallow says. But keep an eye out for everyone else. You two are my defense. Try not to let anyone get hurt, alright?”

“That motherfucker,” Hana hisses, crossing her arms. “I hate him so much.” She immediately blanches. “I suppose I shouldn’t be saying that, as we’re technically interviewing him.”

Ohken lets out an irritated growl. “If you hire that asshole, I’m taking my mate, and we’re moving.” I sense he’s at least partially kidding, but I level him with a concerned look.

Standing, I clap my hands together, gathering the rest of the team’s attention .

“Do your best out there, folks, and that’s all I can ask. Keep an eye out for any bullshit. We’re keeping everything legal here today, alright?”

Nods and murmurs of assent reach me. I’ve got a solid team, and I called in some favors, bringing a couple of the Protector Academy players in.

Yet, forty minutes later, I’m staring at three benched monsters with injuries and a scoreboard with a big fat zero under my team’s colors.

Hana stands by my side, chest heaving as we watch yet another play where the ref seems to ignore the fact that Gil’s players are playing dirty as fuck.

She scoffs as one of the other team’s players trips Ohken, who stumbles to the ground with a big thump.

Alkazar frowns as the centaur canters off, waving his hands victoriously in the air.

Hadrian pauses and reaches a hand out for Ohken, helping him up. They exchange words I can’t hear, and Ohken nods, then turns for the bench. He’s bleeding from both knees and a gash above his lip.

Fuck.

I catch the ref’s eyes and crook my finger for him to come over.

The big pixie male blushes but jogs toward me as Stoneswallow watches us. I meet the ref on the field, crossing my arms as I dip low. “The fuck is going on here? I’ve got four injured players and not a single flag thrown in the first half.”

The ref looks up, red dusting his cheeks. “Are you accusing me of not doing my job?”

I scowl. This isn’t a real game, so there’s no ruling party for me to take this behavior up with, not that it would stop me from reporting him. This dipshit doesn’t matter.

“You’re either blind or willfully ignorant. Which is it, hmm?”

The crowd starts chanting for the game to begin again, but all I can think about is this clusterfuck .

The ref blusters. “What in the…I would never!”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I bark out. “If you don’t throw a flag next time one of these motherfuckers tries something, I’ll see to it that your coaching card’s not renewed. I can do it, too. Good buddy of mine runs the renewal program.”

The pixie stands, gobsmacked, as blue wings flutter wildly at his back. “You…wouldn’t.”

I snort. “Watch me.”

Point made, I stalk back to my team where Hana’s patching up Ohken’s injuries, wrapping his knee in a thick white bandage. He glares down the field at the ref.

The game starts again with the crowd going wild. If I can say just one positive thing about this game—it’s clear the Evertons are thrilled about having skyball. They’re a fantastic crowd and it’s about the only thing keeping my players going when the ref ignores foul play after foul play.

We rally in the second half and manage to lose by a single point to Gil’s team. The crowd floods the field after the game’s done, but all I want is to make sure my folks are taken care of and then bury myself in my woman and forget this day. I can take a loss but a dirty loss sucks.

I comm her as we trudge toward the locker room. “Sunshine, meet me in the locker room, alright?”

“Be there shortly,” she chirps. Despite our loss, she doesn’t sound as disappointed as I feel in that damn game.

“Longhorn.”

I freeze as the players continue on past me toward the locker room.

When I turn, Rip Shorthorn stands at the entrance to the lower hallways, a wry look on his wrinkled face. “You got a second, old friend?”

My mouth goes dry, but I return to him and shake his proffered hand. “Didn’t expect you here, Rip.”

He shrugs and offers a soft smile. “Wanted to see Alkazar play one more time. It’s such a pleasure to watch that kid. He’s a damn pro through and through.” He winks at me. “Pretty excited I got him for the Gulch. Not an offensive line in the business that can beat mine now.”

I groan. “Don’t rub it in.”

He sucks at his teeth and looks at the field, seeming to consider something. When he turns back to me, I know what he’ll say before he says it.

“I’ve officially resigned, Manorin. It’ll go public next week, and Alkazar knows. I was up front with him and told him I wanted you for the role. Town leadership’s putting together an offer for you. It’ll be generous. I told them whatever they were thinking…double it to get you.”

He looks at me as I stand there, dread filling me.

Realization drifts through his eyes. “Oh. You don’t know that you’ll take the job, do you?”

“No,” is all I can manage. “It’s complicated here.”

He lifts his chin slightly, eyes scanning my face. “That pretty little succubus got something to do with it?”

I nod, running both hands through my hair. “She has everything to do with it.”

He gives me an understanding smile as he slips his big hands into his pockets.

“Well, I can’t give you any advice you don’t already know, old friend.

You’ll get a beyond attractive offer from us in the next day or so.

I imagine Ever’s gonna make you one too.

You’ll make the right decision…I know you will. ”

That said, he turns and disappears toward the stands where other monsters are still leaving.

I turn and sink against the wall, groaning. It’s shitty poor timing for my career aspirations to finally align and be so at odds with my personal life. I’d bet a thousand bucks Hadrian took that job assuming I was headed there.

Irritated, I cast that aside. I’ve got to take care of my team because that game kicked our asses.