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Thirty-Seven

DRAVEN

I ’d never imagined one month could go by so quickly and somehow be so blissfully perfect. One month of Elspeth Moonflower in my bed, in my tavern, in my life. One month and I’d never been so sure of anything as I was Elspeth. I just wished I knew if she felt the same.

“Let me guess,” Georgie said from next to me as we walked through the market. “We’re going to be stopping for some soup?”

“Well, how else can Draven make moon eyes over Elspeth if we don’t?” Edgar asked from Georgie’s shoulder.

I rolled my eyes, already regretting bringing these two with me today. “I heard they have a new soup today: cheddar garlic potato.”

Georgie’s eyes widened. “That sounds amazing.”

“I agree,” Edgar said. “We are stopping for soup, right?”

“Yes,” I grumbled. “And what do you know about moon eyes and Elspeth?” I shot a look between Edgar and Georgie.

Elspeth and I might have been seeing each other nearly every day, but that didn’t mean anyone else knew about us. We’d been careful. Discreet. Always meeting at my manor or our spot, away from prying eyes. Elspeth had insisted on it, said she didn’t want others to ruin what we had. I wasn’t sure how anyone knowing could ruin what was between us, but I also wanted to respect Elspeth’s boundaries, her reasons. I trusted that she’d open up to me when she was ready.

“You stare at her every time she comes into the tavern,” Georgie said. “Could you be any more obvious? Just ask her out already.” Georgie nudged me playfully.

“You should.” Edgar tilted his head. “Otherwise all that staring is just going to come across as creepy.”

“No, Elspeth makes the same moon eyes at him,” Georgie said. “They’re very into each other.”

I elbowed my younger sister, which only made her giggle.

Elspeth wasn’t the only one I’d spent more time with over the last month. I’d also been making more of an effort with Georgie, working less and adventuring more with her. Elspeth had been right. Not that I felt like admitting that to her—she’d have far too much fun gloating. But Georgie had gotten in a lot less trouble over the last month. She’d also been spending more time with Elspeth and her sisters.

I was trying, but it still didn’t feel like enough. It was starting to feel like maybe I was the one who’d run away after our parents’ death, that coming to Thistlegrove was more for me than it had been for Georgie. I wasn’t sure she could thrive here, and the thought nagged me daily. I wanted what was best for Georgie, and I was starting to doubt that I was it.

We approached the little soup stand, a long line stretching from it. Elspeth caught my eye from behind the table where she stood and flashed me a grin.

Fuck, I’d give anything to pull her away into the forest and take her right up against a tree. A gust of cold wind blew, and Georgie shivered.

“You didn’t bring your shawl?” I asked.

She looked at me like I was an idiot. “I don’t have one.”

My eyes bugged. “You don’t have a shawl?”

She planted her hands on her hips. “And what gold am I supposed to buy one with, exactly?”

My mouth dropped open at that. “Georgie, I didn’t know you didn’t have a shawl.” I shrugged off my brown overcoat and draped it over her shoulders. “I’m sorry. We’ll get you a proper winter coat and shawl today.”

I rubbed my jaw, guilt gnawing at me. Elspeth would never let her sisters be out in the cold without the proper clothing. Just another reason to add to the list of why I might not be the best person suited to take care of Georgie. I thought of our grandmother. Maybe I’d been too harsh on her.

It was our turn to step up to the stand.

“Hi,” I said to Elspeth.

“Hi,” she said, a shy smile on her face.

“Gag.” Georgie stuck her finger down her throat, and Adelaide snorted from behind Elspeth.

Elspeth laughed and set her hands on her hips. “Two bowls of soup, then?” She gestured behind her where three long tables now sat, full of witches eating their soup and talking. Laughter and chatter rang out in the air. “For here or to go?”

“To go,” I said at the same time as Georgie said, “For here.”

“It’s cold,” I warned her.

“We have warming spells now.” Elspeth gestured to a faint cloud covering the tables. “Veldar, of all people, made one so he could eat his soup here.”

She hadn’t told me that. Probably because every minute I got to steal with her, we were busy doing other things with our mouths than talking. Elspeth widened her eyes at me as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

“You two are gross.” Georgie shoved her hand in my coat pocket and dumped six gold coins on the table. “Yes, for here,” she confirmed.

I cleared my throat as Elspeth’s mother ladled soup into two bowls. “Oh, Elspeth, just kiss the man.” She waved her ladle in the air, some soup splattering onto the table. “We all know something is going on between you two.”

“Mama,” Elspeth said through gritted teeth.

I hid a smile behind my hand while Georgie beamed, entertained by this entire exchange.

“Mama”—Adelaide stepped up and grabbed the ladle from her—“we have other customers waiting.”

“Even better reason to kiss him so he’ll stop staring at Elspeth like that and take his bowls already.” Thea wrenched the ladle back from her eldest daughter while Elspeth shot daggers at her .

“What about me?” Edgar asked, clearly affronted as he looked at the two bowls. “I don’t just eat raw meat, you know.”

Georgie patted him on the head and smiled at him affectionately, then dropped three more coins on the table. She was really warming up to the dragon. I didn’t know what shifted between them, but they were definitely an odd pair. Yet, somehow, they worked.

Thea plopped another bowl onto the table.

“Thank you, ladies.” I grabbed two of the bowls, then tipped my head at Elspeth. I was going to do so many filthy things to her later.

“Come on, loverboy.” Georgie grabbed my arm with one hand, holding her bowl of soup with the other.

I shook my head. I guess we were a little obvious. Georgie and I walked to one of the tables, warmth settling over us like a blanket as we sat down. Veldar really had created a nice spell.

He sat on the opposite end of one of our tables, chattering away about something. Well, more like yelling.

“I’m sick of these damned laws. When is someone going to stand up to Witch Superior?” A few people looked down the table at us and shushed him.

I cleared my throat and took a bite of the soup. Garlic, cheddar, and herbs burst to life in my mouth.

Edgar groaned, sipping his soup directly from the bowl. “That is the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” he said.

It was good. I might have to ask them if they’d want to sell soup at the tavern. I looked at Elspeth, wondering how she’d feel about something like that.

“Have you thought about inviting Grandmother to visit?” Georgie asked, shifting in her seat.

“I haven’t,” I said slowly. Georgie hadn’t mentioned her grandmother since the ball. “Is that something you’d want?”

Georgie gave a half shrug as she took a bite of her soup. “Maybe.”

Well, that wasn’t particularly helpful.

“Would you want to go visit her?”

Georgie’s eyes lit up at that. “Could we? And we could get some of Mother and Father’s old spell books that she has? There’s a few things I want to look at.”

My jaw locked. I’d never actually asked Georgie what she wanted because I assumed I knew best. But maybe that was selfish of me. Maybe this entire thing had been selfish. I took another bite of my soup, but it tasted like ash as I thought through my options.

I glanced over Georgie’s shoulder at Elspeth, who was laughing and talking with her sister. She had the kind of relationship with her sisters that I could never have with mine. I wasn’t like Elspeth. I wasn’t warm and caring and personable. I worked too much. I liked to keep to myself. But mostly, I wanted Georgie to thrive, and I just wasn’t sure it mattered where I moved her. Maybe the location wasn’t the problem.

Maybe the problem was me.

I knew what I had to do. I just didn’t want to do it.