One
Eleven Years Later
Fate’s Falls
Somewhere in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada
ROSE
“Don’t forget to stop back and let me know how Petra likes the flowers,” I call to Kamen as he leaves the shop with a bouquet that’s not small by any means, yet is nearly engulfed by his hand.
The massive man turns enough to give me a nod, then he’s off, and I am finally, blissfully, alone in the store.
I’m grateful to be busy, obviously. Rose’s Garden has been open for just over three years and is growing steadily—no pun intended. Being able to make a profession of my passion for plants is an honor and a thrill. But today I would trade money in the bank for free time to look out the front window.
As soon as the door closes behind the stone man—and I do mean that literally—I hurry to the bay window that takes the remaining width of my narrow shop on Fate’s Falls’ main street. Fiddling absentmindedly with the displays will look believable enough to anyone who might pass by. Or to the man I’m watching, should he happen to look over here.
Which he hasn’t done. Not once all day.
And why would he? First of all, he’s working. Very hard, if the bulging muscles are any indication. Secondly, he’s not my customer. Not a single purchase, ever. The only time Cornelius has set foot in my shop was at its grand opening, and that appearance didn’t count since nearly everyone in town showed up to support me.
The optimistic part of me hopes that Cornelius’s lack of patronage at my shop means there’s no one in his life he cares about enough to get them flowers. The logical part of me knows that’s wishful thinking. Cornelius is big, burly, and radiates virility. He’s also well-spoken and personable. The odds of him flying solo all the years I’ve known him are low.
Yet, I’ve never seen anyone on his arm or even holding his hand. Nothing resembling a date in the five years he’s lived next door to me.
The residents of Fate’s Falls are all good folks—it’s literally impossible to be here if you’re not—but it’s still a small town and not much remains a secret inside the magically protected boundary.
As my friend Alexis always says: The gossip is never malicious, but it’s often delicious.
If I had a shot with Cornelius, I would totally give everyone something to talk about. I’d be all over that big hunk. There’d be no question in anyone’s mind that Cornelius and I were a hot-and-heavy couple—something I’m sure my adoptive father wouldn’t particularly love.
Not because Garion doesn’t want me to date; he does, I’m just not sure he’d approve of me dating our neighbor. Though, he hasn’t been enthusiastic about the handful of locals I’ve dated in the past few years, either. Those suitors were all perfectly fine. But “fine” doesn’t make my heart race or my body tingle.
Just thinking about Cornelius does both of those things. He’s always had that effect on me, since the first time we met, when I was nineteen years old.
I was out in the backyard of the house Garion and I have lived in since arriving in Fate’s Falls, working in my garden, when the sound of him talking to someone who had the deepest bass I’d ever heard broke through my daydreamy state. I assumed the voice must Garion’s gargoyle brother Guillaume, whom he hadn’t seen in six years and had just heard from the week before. Naturally, I brushed the dirt off my hands and headed around to the front of the house to meet my sort-of uncle .
And came face-to-face with Cornelius instead.
By that point in my life, I’d seen a lot of creatures of varying shapes and sizes. But I’d never seen a rhino man. I couldn’t even say hello to him because my jaw was hanging open. From the prominent single horn on his snout to his wider-than-a-door shoulders, barrel of a chest, massive hands, then all the way down his long, thick legs—I just stood there, speechless and checking him out. It wasn’t until he apologized for frightening me that I snapped to my senses.
“Oh, I’m not scared, not even a little bit,” I’d said, obviously a little too breathily, because Garion cleared his throat in the way only a gargoyle father figure can do.
For a fleeting moment, I would’ve sworn Cornelius’s small, brownish-gray eyes twinkled. Then I blinked, and the sparkle was gone.
Cornelius moved into the house next to us that day, and hasn’t given me a hint of twinkle since. He’s been friendly toward me in the way neighbors are—or more accurately, the way adult neighbors are toward children. “How’s sweet little Rose doing? Is your dad around?” His two go-to sentences anytime he has to do more than raise his hand to wave at me.
Two sentences that could be casual, but always strike me as pointed. Like he wants to make sure his stance of seeing me as the innocent daughter of his neighbor is never in question. Even now that I’m twenty-four.
Sighing, I shift position at the bay window so I have the best view of Cornelius lugging massive rocks into the store that’s under renovation across the street. He bought the masonry business from its previous owner when he moved to Fate’s Falls. Sometimes he does the business-y stuff, other times he’s on the jobsite with the crew of two he inherited.
I’m glad today falls into the “other” column. If I can’t have the physical contact I’ve fantasized about, at least I get a good view of his thick, gray deliciousness for a few hours.
Or, make that a few minutes, since another customer is headed directly toward my shop. Ogling Cornelius’s mouthwatering physique will have to wait.
“Hi Lexi,” I say as the bell over the door chimes her entrance. Despite my frustration at the interruption of my stalking, the smile I give her is genuine.
There are several witches in Fate’s Falls, each nice in their own way, but Lexi Goodwin has been my favorite since the first time I met her—even though she wouldn’t bend the rules and let me into her store before I turned eighteen. Back then, I was only curious to see all the magically infused dildos on the shelves at Every Witch Way.
After I met Cornelius, I had a more specific reason for wanting to check out Lexi’s inventory. To my incredible disappointment, she didn’t—and still doesn’t—stock a rhino-man dildo. All of her products are created from molds of living creatures who’ve entered a license agreement, and to this day, she hasn’t had the opportunity to mold a rhino man’s cock.
Meaning, I still don’t know what one looks like, or how big it might be. Based on the size of every other part of Cornelius, I bet his cock is huge. Maybe too huge for a human-sized woman to take. It’s possible that’s the reason I’ve never seen him on a date. Fate’s Falls is home to a lot of species, but there are no rhino women in town.
“Yoo-hoo, Rose…” A green hand waving in front of my face accompanies the sing-song tone.
“Oh, sorry.” I blink my attention away from the flower shop’s front window. “I kind of zoned out there. Not enough caffeine this morning, I guess.”
Black-as-pitch eyebrows rise over glittering green eyes, and her lips curve into a knowing smile. “We both know you weren’t zoned out, you were zoning in on the delectable hunk of rhino-liciousness,” she says, pointing one purple-lacquered finger toward the window.
Jealousy slithers up my spine, but only for a split-second. Lexi is older than me, beautiful, outgoing, upfront and honest about literally everything, and makes no secret of being pro sexual enjoyment. She wouldn’t tease me about eyeballing Cornelius if she were interested in him.
“Have you taken this prime opportunity to get closer to him?” she asks when my response to her insinuation is silence.
Not only silence, there’s also a full-face blush happening, based on the heat flaring beneath my cheeks and forehead. The fair complexion that goes with being a redhead doesn’t pair well with my tendency toward embarrassing easily.
Lexi’s long, ebony hair shimmers as she shakes her head. “You’ve had it bad for that man since the day he moved to town. Maybe he didn’t notice you then, but hello, look at you now. You’re a gorgeous young woman. So, why aren’t you across the street right now, offering him a cold drink and a hot view of your boobs?” She inclines her head, making a circular motion in the direction of my cleavage. “That dress is very flattering.”
Additional heat floods my skin. This time, in the area currently under discussion. My boobs haven’t felt this hot since that time I tried to get Cornelius’s attention by sunbathing in the backyard, wearing the tiniest bikini I could find in the shops downtown.
“Thanks, but even if I knew what to do with this ‘opportunity,’” I say with air quotes, “the store has been busy all day and I can’t just close up or leave it unattended.”
“And now I’m the only one here, meaning it’s break time for you. Consider me your happy assistant for as long as needed.” Before I can process the meaning behind Lexi’s words, she cups my chin and draws it down, waves her fingers in front of my open mouth while incanting something in a language that definitely isn’t English. “There. All set.”
“W-what did you?—”
“Off you go!” Lexi says, cutting me off while moving behind me to not-so-gently push me toward the door.
Did she put a spell on my feet? Because I’m walking out of the flower shop like I’m on a mission, despite the rising panic inside me.
Even though the shop has been steady since opening, the traffic on the street is light and careful, as always. There’s no risk of being struck by a vehicle when I step off the curb. Nobody speeds here. Dangerous driving—heck, dangerous anything—doesn’t exist in Fate’s Falls. The town and all the surrounding area within the Oracle’s boundary is secret and safe, protected by old, powerful magic. All I get as I cross the main street is a friendly honk and wave from one of the relatively new residents as she drives past.
Like so many of the human women in Fate’s Falls, she’s blissfully happy with a nonhuman male. Ro’s orc mate isn’t the biggest monster in town, but he’s huge compared to her. And from the girl talk I’ve heard on more than one occasion, the orc is significantly oversized in his…private area.
His private area. That’s the best I can come up, even inside my head?
Attempting to talk to Cornelius is a surefire recipe for embarrassment. I’m going to open my mouth and choke on my words, as I always do, only this time will be worse because I won’t have the benefit of casual, neighborly proximity. If I walk over to his jobsite, where I have zero business, it’s intentional. There will be no hiding behind a car or bush. No dashing for the door to escape. It’ll be personal.
I’ll be lucky to squeak out my usual hello. That’s if he stops working long enough to acknowledge my presence. He might not; I’m just his neighbor. Actually, no, I’m his neighbor’s daughter. This whole “offer him a cold drink and a hot view” idea is destined to blow up in my face.
I should turn around and march directly back to my flower shop. Yet, here I am, stepping inside The Brew and taking my place in the short lineup of customers at the town’s most popular coffee house and brew pub. Lexi must have put a spell on me. Meaning, I have no free will in the matter.
And…maybe I’m not entirely mad about it. When I make a fool of myself in front of Cornelius, I’ll be able to play the “this wasn’t my idea” card and blame it on Lexi bespelling me. Cornelius will give me one of those deep, rumbling chuckles that make my insides go from warm to molten in the time it takes to blink. I don’t get to hear his laughter or voice nearly enough.
Plus, I’ll get a few seconds of up-close time. I’d prefer a less-clothed view—like the ones I get from my bedroom window while he’s in his backyard pool—but he’s delicious in his work clothes, too. Every time he carries one of the enormous stones into the store they’re renovating, his t-shirt looks as if it’s ready to come apart at the seams. A girl can hope.
“Rose!” Dela greets me as if we’re two friends meeting for a coffee date, rather than a coffee barista and customer. It’d be fake coming from some people, but not Dela. She’s the most genuinely sunshiny person I know. Which is pretty amazing for someone with her life experiences.
Compared to Dela, I got lucky. Garion rescued me from the clutches of my biological father’s repulsive business associate before anything truly traumatic happened. Dela wasn’t so fortunate. She literally died at the hand of her ex-boyfriend before getting a second chance at life here in Fate’s Falls.
“We don’t usually see you here in the middle of a workday,” she says while I scan the beverage menu board. “What a treat for us and you.”
“Lexi offered to watch my store for a few minutes.”
“Oh, how nice.” As the words leave Dela’s lips, the other barista, Shay, snorts under her breath while using the espresso machine behind Dela.
It’s no secret that the two women aren’t the best of friends. Shay and Lexi are both witches, but from different covens, and with very different magical skill sets—and personalities.
Ignoring Shay, Dela continues on in her ever-friendly way. “So, what can I get for you?”
“Um…” For the life of me, I can’t call up any memory of what Cornelius drinks. All I know is that he makes me very thirsty.
Dela tracks my gaze as I turn my head and look out the window, toward the store down the street where Cornelius is currently standing out front, assessing a pile of rocks before picking one up with ease and carrying it inside. “Cornelius is your neighbor, right?”
“Yes, for five years,” I say, blinking my attention back to where it belongs.
“Has he told you anything about the renovation he’s working on over there? I’ve tried getting a peek inside on my way past, but the windows are covered up without even a tiny gap in the paper. There’s not much that’s secret in Fate’s Falls, but I haven’t heard a peep about who bought the store, only that it’s someone new to town.”
And just like that, I have a legitimate reason to go talk to Cornelius. A subject to focus on. Maybe today is the day I stop stammering and squeaking in his presence, and have a full, adult conversation with him.
“I don’t cross paths with him very often at the house, but I’ll take him a cold drink on my way back to the flower shop, and see if I can get any details.”
“That’s a great idea! Should I make his usual, or do you want to choose something?” Dela hovers one hand over the takeout cups on the prep counter behind her.
“His usual, please,” I say, accepting another of Dela’s unintentional gifts to me, since I have no idea what kind of drink to order for him.
“Coming right up.” Dela gets to work filling a large cup with several liquids, a handful of some sort of greens that look suspiciously like lawn clippings, and?—
“Is that tree bark? ”
Nodding, Dela’s smile shifts from general good-natured happiness to what is unmistakably pride. “When I learned that Cornelius is a vegetarian by nature, I did a little research into his species’ preferred greenery intake, then modified one of our drinks to include local plants that are most similar.”
“That was so thoughtful.” Logically, I know the jealousy creeping up from the pit of my stomach is unfounded. Dela only has eyes for one monster in town, and he’s not my rhino man. Still, her knowledge about Cornelius is like a little kick in the aspirations. I’ve lived next door to him for five years and had a crush on him for every single one of those days, yet I didn’t know he’s a vegetarian, or that it’s innate rather than a choice. It’s my own fault for becoming a blushing bumbler anytime he gives me even brief, basic attention.
“And what can I get for you?” she asks, setting the tall beverage on the counter. Whatever the greens she added were, they gave the drink an almost neon glow.
“Um…” For a split-second, I consider asking for a smaller version of Cornelius’s drink, just to know more about him. Doing that would be the same as confessing my crush to Dela. Definitely not ready for someone else in town to be aware of my unrequited feelings. Lexi knowing is bad enough.
“Orange-hibiscus refresher with coconut milk?” Dela offers.
“Perfect, thank you.” I don’t come to The Brew regularly, and haven’t been in for several weeks, but when I do, that’s my go-to drink. “Do you remember everyone’s favorites?”
“I try. Years of conditioning I’ll probably never unwire in my brain. But now it’s my choice to be a people pleaser, and it makes me happy if I can brighten someone’s day with a little extra personal touch.” As she’s reaching for another takeout cup from the dispenser, her attention shifts to the coffee shop’s entrance, and her cheeks turn nearly as red as the revenge demon walking through the door.
Fate’s Falls is protected by the Oracle’s powerful, ancient magic. Only those who are meant to be here can find it, and no evil can penetrate the boundary. Violence and wrongdoing are literally impossible here.
That doesn’t make the towering hell demon any less intimidating. If he notices me staring, he doesn’t acknowledge it. His fiery gaze never strays from Dela, and hers is just as locked on to him. She finishes making my drink with what must be barista autopilot. It’s pretty impressive, really.
“Keep the change,” I say, sliding cash across the counter and stepping out of the way.
Silent, her mouth slightly open, Dela gives me a small nod, her focus remaining entirely on Razbunare, now standing in front of her.
It’s nice to know I’m not the only person who becomes speechless when face-to-face with their monstrous crush. Still, that knowledge doesn’t settle the butterflies that rush to action as I walk down the street toward Cornelius’s jobsite. The urge to veer across the road and go back to my flower shop is strong, yet my feet stay the course toward Cornelius. Whatever witchy woo-woo Lexi did when she wiggled her fingers in front of my mouth, it’s still working.
The question now is whether my mouth will work when I reach Cornelius. I’ll find out in five, four, three, two…