Page 42 of The Autumn Leaf Bookshop (Everly Hollow #1)

Tomorrow

Sylas

I t’s been almost two weeks since I’ve seen Raene. Since I last saw my Hart.

I miss her touch on my skin. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in the best way.

I miss the way she feels underneath me, and the way she trembles in surrender, causing goosebumps to erupt over her skin.

When I trace them like the constellations of stars in the sky, she would give breathy sighs and moans, licking her lips in between each sound that escaped that sexy mouth.

We have been spending our time apart, talking on the phone at any moment we get. Soaking in every word we say to one another, cherishing it like it’s gospel. Texting one another in the middle of the day as a way to say, I’m thinking about you.

She even sent me a photo of cinnamon tea that she made herself, neatly placed next to her laptop on a saucer with a few chewy shortbread cookies.

She stands in the distance beyond the table, teasing me by blurring her figure in very little clothing underneath a plush robe.

If only I could step through it. Maybe I need to find a witch to talk to about that .

It frustrates me as much as her that she’s feeling stuck with writer’s block and working on a few things to get it cleared.

Chalking it up to getting back into the routine of things.

She didn’t want to write during her vacation.

She just wanted to enjoy her time here and not have to rush back to her grandmother’s cottage to achieve her individual daily word count goal.

I can understand that, but I can tell from her voice, she misses it here.

She misses her grandmother and the girls.

I know she misses me, too. She proved that by making it a point to talk late at night, until we’re both exhausted.

And I know her body misses me. The way her body responds to me in a video chat when I tell her to lick her fingers. To spread her legs. To rub her clit. Watching her touch herself through a phone is fucking torture for us both.

I’m supposed to visit tomorrow, but I’m not. I can’t. The shop needs me. I have to close for the weekend just to untangle this mess I’m in. My magic’s so out of balance, I don’t even know what’s up or down anymore.

I woke up this morning to find leaves everywhere. Inside the shop and outside the shop, blanketing the wood floor and sidewalk like the tree decided to shed all at once overnight. This isn’t the best way to start a weekend.

I’m clutching a mug of straight black coffee drowned in pumpkin spice creamer because, if I so much as try anything else that uses even one ounce of my magic, the kind I could do blindfolded and with my hands tied around my back, I’ll probably end up destroying something.

Having a fucked-up tree that I may be able to somehow fix with Raene miles away and my emotions in jagged shards sounds a lot easier than a building that could potentially start falling apart.

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath as I lean back against the coffee bar, the sturdy wood supporting my weight.

Relaxing, I cross my ankles and let out a heavy sigh, resting my hands on my thighs.

I inhale slowly before taking a sip, breathing in the rich, bitter aroma of pumpkin spice, dashed with cinnamon of my morning elixir.

I am praying to Ruskaya that the coffee flows through my veins, calming my nerves and soothing my senses.

I know I can figure this out. Somehow. But what do I tell Raene?

She can’t do anything about it, and I don’t want her to feel guilty.

She’s over there, miles away, and I’m here.

I can’t force her to pack up everything and come try out something new.

My body stands suddenly at the sound of a thud that plummets into the silence, followed by the smack of it hitting the floor. I set my mug down and walked in the direction from which I heard the sound. There, lying at the base of the tree near a thick root, is a book.

What the hell?

Picking it up, I turn it over in my hands. Recognition pools over my face. This isn’t any book. It's the first one that went missing last month when I was stocking. I double-counted, but it was gone. Then many others started disappearing after that .

My eyes drag upward, scanning through the branches, though most of the leaves are already on the ground. “Just rake me into the leaf piles,” I mutter under my breath.

Then louder, mostly to myself but also because I know he is listening. “You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

I turn towards the shelves, my voice sharp. “Nim? You’ve been taking the books? You know my magic has been a mess, and you made me think that my magic was also causing my books to disappear?

Nim slinks down the tree. Talons clicking on the wood floors as he approaches me cautiously. His head hangs in shame, his gaze cast at his paws.

My mind hums as his words slip through. “It’s not entirely…all my fault.”

I toss my hands in the air. “Oh, don’t start that with me.”

I’m sorry you thought your power was causing books to disappear, but the disappearing books didn't just start happening, and I’m a dragon, what do you expect?

“You’ve been hoarding for—” I freeze when I see the neat stacks again wedged into the branches of the trees. “Goddess, how long have you been doing this?”

Another beat of silence, then a soft chuff that sounds suspiciously like he is trying to hold back laughter in my mind. “ Years. A little at a time. You didn’t notice. Not every one of my books are special editions or has beautiful sprayed edges.”

“Because you were sneaky about it!” I point at the stack of books with sprayed edges nestled between two branches that intersect .

“Those are my books, Nim,” I say, my fingers clasped together, thumping the center of my chest. “Do you collect signed books, too? I—”

Wait. I do a double-take after seeing the beachy book cover with white sand near a cerulean blue sea. Two palm trees and a hammock swing at the center, placed as the attention stealer. A lush rainforest lies behind it.

“Is that a signed copy of Raene’s book in there, too?” I ask, my voice rougher than expected by the stress and anxiety that consumes my blood.

“They’re pretty,” he says, and there’s a flicker of guilt in his tone. He lifts a paw as if he’s examining his talons. “ You like them. I like them. You’re a male fae who loves books. Therefore, I love books. Just not the same as you.”

I rake a hand through my hair, pacing now. “Explain that to me, Nim. Explain why you couldn’t just, oh, I don’t know, collect buttons. Or fucking spoons. Or—”

“Because this isn’t a button shop. I’m not knitting a sweater, Sylas.” His tone sharpens, then softens again. “ Books hold power. Stories have life. You sell them, you read them. I keep them safe. I love them as much as you do.”

I stop cold in my tracks, peering down at him, his words hit deeper than I expected them to.

“You’re telling me you turned into some kind of…mythical being bookstore owner?”

“Private collector,” he corrects with a dignified chirp, tail curling proudly around his body. “It’s exclusive. Very valuable. ”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, groaning. “You’re unbelievable. Do you know the stress you’ve put me through? I thought my magic system was collapsing. I thought I was—”

“Broken? You’re not.” His tone is quieter now, and a sense of certainty trickles down the bond. “ I just… wanted something that was mine too.”

And damn it if that doesn’t make my chest tighten just a little and make me feel guilty.

“I’m sorry, Nim.”

“ I’m sorry, too.” He brushes his head against my leg, adding to his apology. I’m reeking of guilt, so I accept it.

The tree still has some leaves on it, keyword, some . The fullness of it, gone. The remaining leaves are losing their luster. The glow that seems to always radiate from within the tree, something you can physically see and feel, is fading.

I can clean up this weekend and then reopen the shop. I may be able to see if someone can put a glamour on it since I’m unable to do anything right now.

Will a glamour affect my magic even more?

Who the hell knows at this point? I didn’t expect this to happen.

I thought long-distance would work. But it doesn’t, but can I keep trying?

I’ve fallen in love with her and I can’t give her up.

Not when I just got her. I have roots here, but I can grow anywhere.

I can plan a visit next weekend, and then see what the city is like.

Me: Morning, Goddess.

Raene: Good morning, boo.

Raene: One more day …

Me: About that… and look at what I found.

*Photo of tree and Nim’s hoard*

Raene: Oh my… is that his hoard? LOL. So no gold?

Raene: Ummm… Ash, WTH is happening to your tree?

Me: That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Clean up the shop and figure out how to fix what’s happening.

Raene: Give me a few minutes, and I’ll call you.

How do I explain to her that how I feel for her is why my magic is so fucked up? My feelings for her are getting stronger, and I haven’t been able to be around her. What do I do if she lets me go? I would sacrifice every piece of magic wrapped around me for her.