Page 12 of Slaying With Sylphs (Haven Ever After #6)
CHAPTER TWELVE
LOU
M y first therapy session with Connall is tomorrow.
With a male who wants to pursue me romantically.
And all of this has been orchestrated by the other male pursuing me romantically.
He was right to suggest we not consider it like typical therapy. But if there’s anyone in this entire haven besides my nieces I can talk to, it’s Connall.
I consider my current situation as I attempt Malik’s sleeping potion for the millionth time. Dropping the last ingredient in, I hold my breath as it sparks and sputters and a pale purple mist hovers above the cast iron pot.
Slow clapping drifts from somewhere in the depths of Alkemi.
“Well done, Lou.” Malik appears in the storeroom doorway with a wink. “I was peeping from here. I thought perhaps hovering over you wasn’t doing you any favors.”
Victory fills me with frenetic energy as I resist the urge to hop up and down. I did it! Finally!
Malik clops out of the storeroom and carefully rounds the long table that separates us. He cocks his head to the side, putting a finger beneath his chin as he examines me.
“You seem different today. Lighter. Has something happened?”
I resist the urge to tug at my nonexistent collar as my cheeks heat.
“Ohhh,” Malik draws out the word. “Something has happened. You know I’m an excellent confidant, so spit it out. I must know what put that sweet smile on your face.”
The usual guilt at finding happiness in anything rears up, but I do my best to shove it aside. I’m allowed to find peace. I’m allowed to be happy. I’m allowed to be enthralled with the concept of dating two people, all of us together.
It’s okay to be happy. Sometimes I need to remind myself of that.
“Well,” I start. “I went on a real date with Dirk, and it was wonderful.”
Malik’s eyes flash, and he starts swishing his tail lazily from side to side. “Tell me everything.”
I fill him in on the meal at Herschel’s Fine Dining, but I leave out the whole throuple thing. Connall, Dirk and I haven’t had that conversation all together yet, and it seems like something that should happen before any of us tells the world about our connection. Although, knowing Dirk, it wouldn’t surprise me if he announced a haven-wide meeting just to make sure everyone knows. Dirk is the type to put that shit on a billboard.
Oh god, that is terrifying.
“I lost you,” Malik murmurs. “Are you going out again?”
I snort. “Is the sky blue? We didn’t make a specific plan, but you’ve seen how Dirk is. He could show up out of thin air any moment.”
“I’ve noticed,” Malik says with a soft laugh.
No fucking sooner have I said it than the bell hanging over the front door chimes. When I scoff, Malik raises a brow, and we turn as one.
Sure as shit, Dirk stands in the doorway, an innocent look on his face as he slips both hands into his pockets. “Yeh look like yeh were expectin’ me, Louanna.”
Malik and I share a look before he snorts out a horsey laugh and turns for the storeroom.
I shoot Dirk a meaningful look, glancing at the clock. “I’m here for another two hours, Dirk, and I’ve got a date with the gnomes after that.”
“I know,” he chirps. “I’m off to find Connall to see if he’d like to grab a beer.”
Oh fuck. He’s taking Connall on a date? I want to go with an intensity that steals my breath.
Like always, Dirk practically reads my thoughts. “Don’t worry, Louanna, I’m jest killin’ time between his last session and yer time with the gnomes. Once yeh’re done assistin’ them, I’m stealing the both of yeh for a bit.”
A muffled sneeze echoes from the storeroom, pulling my attention from Dirk.
He glances over at the storeroom door, where Malik’s tall shadow darkens the floor.
Dirk’s fingers trail along my jawline and then into my hair, canting my head slightly backward. “See yeh later, Louanna.” He brings my free hand to brush his lips, nuzzling softly along the back of my hand.
For a long moment, I’m lost in the depths of his intense, focused gaze. As quickly as he came, he spins to go, and then I get lost in staring at his fine ass and the way dark leather pants hug his muscular thighs.
I stare until the door swings quietly shut behind him, and then I stand in place for a moment, wondering if the gods are finally smiling down at me after a super shit six months.
“Ahem, Lou,” Malik’s voice echoes from the storeroom as he peeks his head around, concern on his face. “Your sleeping potion is boiling over.”
“Oh fuck!” I shout, spinning toward the cauldron.
T wo hours later, I’ve cleaned up the boiled-over cauldron and bottled all of the sleeping potion. Every table is fully stocked and cleaned, and the store looks amazing. I’ve been tackling deep cleaning projects one at a time because, while Malik is an amazing potion maker, he’s not that great at cleaning. Moss is adorable in a cottagecore potions shop. Mold, not so much.
I push the cash register shut and wipe down the checkout counter as Malik joins me, slipping a bag over his broad chest. “Best of luck tonight with the gnomes, Lou.” His voice is wondrous as he grabs the front door and holds it open, gesturing for me to go through. “What an honor.”
“Everyone says that,” I say on a laugh, “when the reality is they literally want me to do hard labor. I’m not sure how honored I’m going to feel here shortly.”
Malik smiles as he locks the front door, handing me the ornate metal key since I’m opening in the morning. “Well, I can’t wait to hear about it. To be honest, word has gotten around, and it wouldn’t surprise me if you find half of the Hollow standing in the street watching.”
I scoff and slap his furry shoulder. “Are you telling me you’re turning this into a watch party?”
His cheeks go faint pink. “If you mean, am I making popcorn and inviting Alba to stand in the street with me and drink while you lift logs for the gnomes? Yeah.”
I halt and pinch his side playfully. He stomps and swishes his tail at me.
“You sneak!” I whisper-hiss. “You didn’t tell me you asked her out.”
He arcs away from my pinchy fingers and swats at me with one hand. “Well, you’ve been busy.”
“We worked together all day, Malik!” I shout, pinching him behind his horse elbow where he’s extra ticklish.
“Ouch!” he hisses, but there’s no anger in his tone. He’s the most low-key, chill monster I’ve ever met. “Fine. I asked her out for a late dinner, but we’re coming to stare at you before.”
“How romantic,” I deadpan.
Someone hails Malik from across the street. He squeezes my shoulder and then takes off at a trot across the wide fairway.
Grumbling at his nosiness while also not revealing his own secrets, I cross my arms and walk up Sycamore toward Biergarten. The new gnome village is on the left tucked between Biergarten and a newly vacant building. The space is about fifty feet wide and the same distance deep before the giant trees in this part of the forest take over. Although, if this is anything like Rainbow, the only other monster haven I’ve been in, the gnomes will take over parts of those trees as well to create tiny column-shaped shopping malls and hotels for visiting gnome families.
A tiny figure stands in the middle of the sidewalk, waving with his red hat tipped back as he stares up at me.
“You’re here and right on time too! Good! Come on, Lou!” Bellami waves me toward the gnome village. A wide sand pathway weaves from front to back, tiny clusters of building materials scattered throughout the space. The far back corner looks like it’s nearly complete. Seven or eight layers of logs topped with giant mushroom-shaped homes are arranged artfully at an angle. A singular tall streetlight illuminates the gorgeous corner.
“That’s what it’ll all look like when we’re done.” Bellami grabs my jeans leg and uses the fabric to haul himself alllll the way up my body until he can sit on my shoulder.
I glance at him with a scowl. “Hello, Bellami. Seems like the last time you crawled all over me, I reminded you that my body is not a ladder.”
“Pfft,” he snorts, crossing his arms. “You’ll survive. It’s not like I grabbed your nipple or anything.”
I slap my arms over my chest. “Oh my gods. Why would you even say that?!”
He thwaps me on the tip of my ear with his hand. “Lou, can we get moving or what? This will go a lot faster with your help.”
I eye the sand path. It’s well known about gnomes that no one is allowed within the boundaries of their village. Even though the first monster I ever met was a gnome, I never went in his village. I’m sure hitting him with my car didn’t help.
Gods, now that I think about it, I have a history of accidental monster injury. That thought in the forefront of my mind, I eye the pathway again. Gnomes protect their villages with an ancient magic to keep big monsters from stumbling into their villages and wreaking havoc.
“It’s okay,” Bellami says more gently. “We already coded the magic to let you in.”
I give him a final tentative look. “You sure you don’t want to ask more monsters to help you? I know Dirk would be happy to help, for instance. Anyone would.”
“Nope!” Bellami says with a pop of the P. “Just you, Lou. We don’t want anyone else.”
I don’t know if he means for those words to sound so heartwarming, but they do warm something inside me that’s been painfully cold for a while now.
“Okay,” I finally say, urged forward by Bellami kicking at me like he’s coaxing a wary horse over a jump. I place a tiptoe on the sand, wincing just in case he was wrong about the magic. If he was, I’ll get shocked and thrown backward into the street. But when I place my foot flat on the path, nothing happens.
“Told ya.” Bellami sighs like we’ve been standing here for hours.
I take another step, and when nothing happens, I walk along the path, glancing at the stacks of lumber, siding and miniature shingles.
“Okay, let’s get started at the back,” Bellami directs, pointing to the finished section. “Over there. I’m tonight’s foreman, so I’ll be your boss for the next hour or so.”
Gods, I guess we’re doing this.