Page 29 of The Autumn Leaf Bookshop (Everly Hollow #1)

Can you feel it?

Sylas

M ore leaves. Always more damn leaves.

Ever since Raene stepped into my apartment, she has moved into my mind and settled in with a good book. My magic has been disastrous to say the least. It takes me fifteen minutes just to make a simple cup of coffee because even my simpler magic takes a bit to not freak out.

I’m currently bagging up four massive heaps of leaves around the shop. I had to stop creating the enchanted leaf piles altogether after Nim literally got lost in another fucking dimension, one of the loops sent him to.

That scared the shit out of me. I haven’t let him out of my sight since.

He might be an annoying little creature sometimes, but I’ve been bonded to him since the day he hatched.

If something happened to him, if I lost him, I’d be even more of a mess than I already am.

Nim keeps acting like it was no big deal, babbling about how much fun he had in whatever world that was, but the sight of him flickering in and out of existence… I told him I’d fix it. I have to .

The problem is…my emotions are haywire.

The only way I know to balance my magic is by balancing myself. But how the fuck am I supposed to do that when I have these raging, relentless feelings for someone who’s leaving in just a few damn weeks?

I run a hand through my hair, pacing in front of the tree before starting to bag the leaves.

As if that isn’t enough, books keep disappearing. Gone. Poof. I swear, every other day, something’s missing from the inventory, and I’ve searched everywhere. Is my magic causing that? Am I unraveling everything I’ve built here because I can’t keep my shit together?

I take a few deep breaths, forcing myself to look up at the tree.

It’s still beautiful—magnificent, even. The leaves shine in yellows, oranges, reds, and browns, but the longer I stare, the more dread settles into my chest, thick and heavy.

If I don’t get this under control, I’ll start losing customers. I’ll lose everything.

Maybe I should talk to Raene.

The front door creaks open, the bell chiming softly, and I turn just as Dominik steps inside. Seren’s tiny hand is swallowed up in his much larger one.

“Hi, Sylas!” She says, smiling wide enough to squint her eyes.

She has a smile and ears like her father. It hits me like it always does, bittersweet and warm at the same time.

Dominik crouches to her level, his voice gentle. “You can go play and read in the kids’ area, but don’t go anywhere else, okay?”

She clasps her hands in front of her, bouncing on her toes like she might explode from excitement. “Okay! Can I buy five books? ”

Dominik rolls his eyes, but he’s grinning. She has him wrapped around her finger. “Three books.”

Seren tilts her head, twisting her lips as she thinks. “Three books and a hot chocolate?”

“Deal,” Dominik says.

Seren practically topples him over, launching herself into his arms for a hug before she sprints to the children’s area.

A few other kids are already there with their parents, which is good. Great, actually. It means I’m not scaring everyone away. Yet.

“What’s going on here?” Dominik asks as he straightens up, sliding his hands into his pockets.

His gaze flicks to the leaf pile near the door. “There are a ton of leaves on the sidewalk, too, from your trees out front.”

I rub a hand down my face, fighting the scream building in my throat.

“Deep breaths,” Nim mutters through the bond, his voice low and rumbling like a warm wind. He’s perched above me on one of the branches, wings tucked in as if he knows I’m about to lose it.

I haven’t told anyone about this. Not my parents. And now…well, I guess Dominik’s about to get a glimpse of the chaos.

“My magic,” I say, exhaling hard, “it’s…a little glitchy right now.”

He stands underneath the tree, leaning against the trunk with broad shoulders, his arms crossed. “Glitchy?” His hands gesture to all the leaf piles and black garbage bags. “You’re practically running a damn pumpkin patch indoors. Elora’s got some competition this year. ”

He grabs one of the black garbage bags to hold it open so I can finish my tedious chore.

“My emotions are a damn mess right now, like my tree. My magic is glitchy because of…”

“Raene?” He asks, tying a knot in the bag I just filled.

“I can smell her. A little on you, but also in the shop.”

Well, that’s fucking great. In my sudden loss of memory due to two of my brain cells competing for Raene’s attention every few seconds, I forgot that werewolves, too, like fae, have enhanced senses, especially our sense of smell.

I let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what to do.”

We hear the sound of small feet running towards us. “Uncle Dominik! Can I have my hot cocoa now, please?

“Sure, little star. One second.”

Seren takes the books, I’m pretty sure she has more than three, and climbs the chair of the nearest table.

I start making the cocoa because it doesn’t require magic, but it does use a little something extra special. I add the cocoa to a mug with warm milk, a small square of chocolate, top it with four large marshmallows, and add a dash of cinnamon. Turning to the tree, I hold it out towards Nim.

“For Seren.”

Nim blows his fiery breath onto the marshmallows, toasting them to golden brown.

“Thanks, Nim,” I say. Even doing something this simple seems to ease the frustration a little bit .

Sitting Seren’s mug on the table has her getting on her knees to wave to Nim before plucking one of the marshmallows out of the mug to shove into her mouth and eat immediately.

“Thanks for that,” Dominik says, leaning against the register counter. “Are you going to talk to Raene?”

“I want to…but what do I say? My magic is fucked because of you, and I’m not mad, but I’m terrified to lose you and my magic. To lose everything.”

“I would start a little less intense than that, maybe?” He rubs the back of his neck, the other hand on his hip. “It has to get better, right? Maybe talking to her will help it? Little by little? Maybe your magic doesn’t like your feelings being suppressed and bottled up.”

I’ve been sitting here for at least forty minutes, staring off into the night sky or watching the waterfall, hoping the sound of the roaring water might drown out my restless thoughts.

I’m trying to figure out how to talk to Raene about my feelings and then see if, from there, I can have a sense of peace and balance.

Thinking of this all day has been mentally exhausting. Especially the thought of another book gone missing, or more leaves falling. Fuck, will branches fall next?

The sharp snap of a stick interrupts my thoughts, and I turn toward the sound.

“Hey…oh, hey…what are you doing here?” I do a double-take when I notice who is standing behind me and immediately stand up, as if I've been caught doing something wrong. The waning gibbous moon is shining its bright, silvery light on us.

“I didn’t know anyone would be here. Honestly, I couldn't sleep. So I drove into town and walked the whole way. I needed to clear my head.” Raene crosses and uncrosses her arms.

I nod my head, and a small smile graces my lips. “Come sit with me.”

I sink back onto the blanket, and her footsteps crunch softly over the grass before she lowers herself beside me.

“Are you doing okay?” she asks gently. “I mean…I can go if you don’t want me here.”

I bring my knees up and rest my arms on them. “You’re okay. I come here to think, too. It just feels… alive here, you know. Can you feel it?

She turns to look at me. Her legs are straight out, crossed at the ankles, as she supports herself on her arms. “Yes, I can feel it. It does feel different. I like it.” She turns slightly to me. “So why are you here?

I knew she was going to ask why I was here. I just had a feeling to come here. To think. To try to figure everything out.

“Just a lot on my mind. The festival, work…you.” We’re pretty much finished with the heavy planning, and everything else is going to be coordinated by us on the day of.

“Me?”

“Yes. I like you, you know that.”

“I know Ash.” She looks up at the stars, and even in the silence, the sound of the waterfall is deafening .

“I like you too.” She smiles before leaning over and giving me a small kiss, humming a little after.

“You’re going to leave?” I whisper.

“So we should make the most of the time we have, yeah?”

So this is a fling. A however long it lasts kind of deal, let’s have fun. Let’s not have feelings or any emotions in this.

She stands up and takes off her shoes.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

I look at her empty shoes and back at her, pulling her leggings down. She’s standing in front of me in a t-shirt and lacy, pink underwear.

Stars have mercy.

“For every question I ask, you have to give me a truth and a lie. If I guess the truth correctly, you have to take a step and lose an article of clothing…got it?” she asks, confidently.

“And every question you get wrong, I take a step back?” I question her.

She seems surprised by my new rule, but she nods, turns, and walks toward the lake.

That ass though.

She walks in, throwing a look over her shoulder before she dives under and swims for just a moment before rising to the surface.

She looks so fucking beautiful right now. With the glow of the water, the stars, and the moonlight.

“What’s your middle name?

I stand, think of another name I want to give her.

“August and Jackson. ”

She doesn’t even hesitate. “Jackson. I think even your parents knew August would just be too much.”

I laugh and pull off my shoes, then my socks, tucking them back into the shoes.

“Jackson is cute, but I still like your new nickname though.”

I do too.

I take a step forward.

She rises from the water, just a little, and her wet, graphic white t-shirt is glued to her, revealing her curves, her breasts…her nipp—

“What’s your favorite season?”

“That’s not fair,” I tell her.

“No rules were specified, Ash.” She gives me the cutest fucking smile and flutters her lashes.

“Fall and Winter.” I roll my eyes teasingly.

“Fall,” she says proudly, like she didn’t just get two in a row because she is bending her imaginary rules.

I pull my shirt off, tossing it back to the blanket.

Taking a step forward. “The next question needs to be more of a challenge.”

She looks me up and down, licks her lips, and begins to think. “You’re scared of me. You like me, but you’re afraid.”

I didn’t want the question to be this challenging.

“No. Yes.”

“Yes.”

I pull down my joggers, dropping them beside me. Taking a step forward in my boxers.

“Top two favorite fall drinks ?

“Pumpkin Spice Latte and Maple Latte or Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Caramel Latte.”

She thinks for a minute. “This one is hard. Can I ask a different question?”

I laugh, folding my arms, which in turn has her biting her lower lip. “You have to guess.”

“Too many pumpkin latte choices,” she mumbles. “Okay, the first one?”

I pretend to take a step forward and slide back a step instead.

“I knew it was the other one!” She splashes water in my direction.

“Two more questions.”

“Do you want to come into the water with me?”

“Yes…maybe…” I smirk.

“Yes. Definitely yes,” she says, a lopsided grin on her face.

I take a step forward and take off my boxers, tossing them to the ground.

“Do you want me?” she asks, breathlessly as she starts to lower herself into the water for warmth.

“Fuck yes, I do.”

And I take a step forward.

Into the water.

Straight for her.