Page 55

Fifty-Four

Lira held the closed spell book on her lap as she sat on the thatched roof, with her cloak wrapped around her to fight off the chill. The moonstone glowed brighter, seeming to pulse with life, as it soaked up the light from the moon.

After all this time, she’d finally gotten what she came for. It had been a more circuitous route than she ever could have imagined, but she’d done it. She ran her fingers across the buttery-soft leather cover, the gilded symbols glittering, and released a satisfied breath.

It was an odd thing, though. She’d come to retrieve the book, and she’d ended up finding so much more than she’d expected. She’d left Wayside to see the world and find herself, but it wasn’t until she’d come back home that she’d found what she’d been missing.

“Was this your plan?” she whispered to the book and hoped the spirit of her gran was listening. She wouldn’t have put it past the old woman to know what Lira would need long before she figured it out herself. Whether it was because she was a mage or because she was a gran, the woman had always been a few steps ahead.

Lira’s vision blurred as she thought of her gran’s wrinkled hands touching the same book cover and reading the same recipes. She might not be with Lira anymore, but the book, and all the happy memories tied to it, tethered them together still.

Lira thought of the shock of finding her hiding spot walled over, her clever plan to stay close to the book by offering to revive the tavern and pulling a wannabe dwarf burglar into her plan, the villagers who’d rallied around their efforts, and the friends who’d risked themselves to save her.

“I’m sure you didn’t plan for all of this to happen, but it turned all right in the end.” She touched a finger to the moonstone, surprised that the surface wasn’t cool anymore. “Then again, maybe you did intend all this to happen. I might not have stayed here if I’d been able to retrieve the book that first night.”

But ghosts couldn’t erect stone walls, could they?

A shuffling in the windowsill behind her made Lira turn.

“I thought you might be here,” Korl said as he stepped onto the thatched roof and lowered himself next to her.

Even without him touching her, Lira could feel the heat of his body. Instead of scooting away to give herself, or him, space, she leaned into him. “I’m glad you found me.”

His usual stiffness drained from his body, as he curled an arm around her shoulders. “And I’m glad you didn’t find your book and leave that first night.”

She tipped her head up. “You heard that?”

Korl grunted in response .

“It’s not that I didn’t want to stay in Wayside, but at that point, I was so used to moving on, it was more of a habit than a plan.”

“You don’t need to move on anymore?”

She didn’t need to think to answer that. “No. I’m home.” She pulled away so she could look him square in the eyes. “But it’s not only because this was my home. I want to stay because Wayside has become my true home because of you and your dads and Sass and Iris and Val and Pip and Fenni and Tin and everyone who’s become a part of my life since I returned. I’ve learned firsthand that a tavern is nothing but a building without the people who fill it and the warmth that’s shared. And Wayside would be just another speck on the map without all the amazing people who live here.”

Korl nodded then cocked his head. “You won’t miss the adventure?”

“Trust me, tonight was up there in regards to adventure, and it was a good reminder that I’m fine without it.”

“Even now that you have powers?”

Lira glanced at her hands, unsure exactly what kind of powers she did possess. Had they been activated because she was so desperate to save her friends, because she was so livid with Malek, or had she finally grown into them? She shrugged. “I guess it’s nice to know they’re there, but they don’t change what I want.”

Korl was quiet for a moment. “And what do you want?”

Lira’s pulse quickened. “I want to stay in Wayside and keep baking, keep making the tavern into something special.”

He made a sound that was half hum and half growl.

“If we’re sharing desires, what do you want?”

He was quiet for so long, Lira wondered if he’d heard the question, although there was no chance he hadn’t.

“I think I want you to have another reason to stay,” he finally blurted, the words tripping over themselves. “I want to give you another reason to stay.”

Lira turned to meet his gaze, her heart stuttering at the heat in his dark eyes .

“It’s not easy for me to talk to people, but I can talk to you. I want to talk to you. You make me feel safe, and only my dads and Val have ever made me feel that way before.” He took a breath. “I want to make you feel safe. I want to keep you safe.”

The intensity of his words made Lira’s breath catch in her throat. She pressed a hand to his chest, feeling the beat of his heart fluttering like a trapped bird. “You do make me feel safe. You came after me tonight. You risked your own life to save me.”

He nodded, his gaze going to her lips. He cupped her face in one hand and brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. “I will always come after you.”

“Then that’s definitely another reason for me to stay,” Lira whispered.

“I’d like to spend the rest of my days giving you more reasons,” he husked, as he lowered his mouth to hers.

As Korl’s lips brushed across hers, Lira’s body hummed with pleasure, her skin tingling and her hands sparking with heat.

She’d never expected the orc to be so gentle, or that his touch could set her body on fire like it did. When he pulled away, she curled one hand around the back of his neck and tugged his lips back to hers.

The handsome orc was the right blend of warmth, spice, and sweetness. Just like the perfect cup of chai.