“I found that same boy cornering her in an alley. He’d made Auggie some stupid promise, told her he had connections, could make her famous if she came back to the inn with him where he was staying.”
“Famous?” Draven asked.
I waved a hand. “Auggie’s dream. She wants to be someone. A bard, an opera singer, a stage actor, a writer. I don’t think it matters. She just loves the attention and anyone who can give it to her.” I shook my head. “She doesn’t always make wise choices. But as they neared the inn, I think she must’ve gotten cold feet, maybe realized something was off. So she ran. The boy didn’t like it, and he chased her.”
Draven’s fists curled at his side.
“I didn’t even think as I saw him cornering my sister. I just marched right up to him and threw a punch at his jaw. Mama taught us all when we were younger. Self-defense.”
Draven looked impressed, something I surmised didn’t happen very often with him.
“Now the real question is”—I leaned forward—“how did you learn to do magic like that?”
Draven cleared his throat. “I was born with it. I didn’t do anything. It’s just how my magic works.”
“But why work at the tavern?” I asked. “Why sell ale when you have such amazing power?”
He sighed and drained his cup, then set it down. “I haven’t always worked at the tavern. Georgie and I moved here a year ago.”
I shook my head, not understanding. “But you have this manor...”
“Where Georgie lived with our parents. They built this place when Georgie was five years old. I was already out of the house, attending Institute. But they wanted more stability for Georgie rather than how I grew up, traveling with them, moving from place to place. So they returned here, where they were from. Where they’d met. They built this manor, raised Georgie here until they died.”
My heart clenched. “I’m so sorry.”
“As her guardian, I figured the best place to raise Georgie was back here. But I’m afraid this manor brings back a lot of painful memories.”
I took a sip of my tea, then set it on the table. “So that’s why you stay in the apartment above the tavern.”
He nodded. “I bought the tavern when we got here, took it over so I could give Georgie the stability my parents wanted for her.”
Suddenly I felt like I understood him so much better. Maybe he was gruff and rough around the edges, but he had a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.
“Sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake. Georgie had a chance to stay with her grandmother, but I thought I’d be the better option.” He shook his head. “But I can’t connect with her.” He twisted his body, leaning forward and facing me. “I’ve seen you with your sisters. You have a connection with each of them. You know them, know their weaknesses, their strengths. I don’t have that kind of bond with Georgie.” He sighed. “I envy you.”
My mouth dropped open. “You envy me? But you hate me.”
His gaze snapped to mine, eyes flashing. “I don’t hate you.” His eyes dipped down to my bare legs, now almost touching his knees.
“I admire you. You’re brave,” he murmured. “You protect your sisters at all costs.”
I’d never thought of myself as brave. I just did what I needed to do. It felt nice for someone to notice me, to appreciate me. To see me.
I leaned forward. “So if you can do all this powerful magic, why not use it at your manor?” I gestured. “I noticed servants everywhere. You could just spell everything to do the work for you instead of paying people.”
He shook his head. “Those people need jobs. My parents... they always insisted we hire staff, that just because we happen to be more powerful, happen to have access to powerful spells, it doesn’t mean we have to use them. So many of these people have worked at this manor for over a decade.”
I’d gotten so much wrong. I’d thought him arrogant and horrid, but he had a heart. A big one, and it was starting to melt my own.
I placed a hand on his thigh. “That’s incredibly kind.”
His gaze drifted to my lips, where it lingered. The world faded to nothing but him, me, and this couch, which seemed to be happening a lot lately. Heat pooled between my legs, and I wondered what it would be like to have his fingers there, rubbing slow circles.
“Can I kiss you?” he asked, his voice quiet and low.
I swallowed, thinking about our previous kiss, how much I’d regretted it ending. “It’s just a kiss.” I leaned forward, our lips almost touching. “There’s no harm in it,” I breathed, not sure what had come over me. All I knew was that in this moment, I needed him or I was going to burst.
He met me the rest of the way, lips brushing against mine, kissfeatherlight and somehow searing. He trailed his lips over my jawbone, inhaling my scent as I dropped my head back.
