Fairy or Not, Here I Come (Inn or Out #1)

Chapter 10

10

Carol lifted one of her eyebrows as she glared at me.

“You summoned me at an inopportune time, Selene. I was naked when I got here and too ethereal to do magic. My nudity was making Farley uncomfortable, so I had to cover my amazing body with whatever unflattering clothing I could find.”

Farley peered over Carol’s head. “She’s my aunt,” he said as if everyone had questioned his shifter sensibilities for caring that she’d arrived unclothed. “I prefer her not to be naked when I speak to her. I feel the same about you, Selene, but that’s for more complicated reasons. We can discuss those later.”

I held up a hand to stop him from mansplaining our lust to everyone. “It’s okay, Farley. That’s not my favorite robe, anyway. Consider it yours, Great One. And I’m sorry that I had to summon you. It was necessary. Did you hear enough to figure out what’s going on with these two?”

“Yes. All of it. And I am not happy,” Carol said, sticking her sparking hands in the pockets of my robe, probably to keep from zapping Lady Meagan and Ethan.

But she was still studying me instead of the bad guys. What the eff was she staring at? She ought to be staring at Lady Meagan… or at least at Ethan.

“I love the originality of your outfit, Selene, but why are you dressed like it’s winter? It’s far too hot a day for those clothes.”

I shrugged. “I’ve been told it’s the official outfit of an innkeeper. Let’s discuss my new fashion look over tea later. Can you take care of these two so I can quit worrying about my fairy guest?”

Ignoring my pleading, Carol turned and looked at Jezel. “And I see you have a ghost now. Did you summon her too?”

My mouth twisted ironically. “No. Jezel came with the haunted house you bought. Technically, she belongs to you. Any more questions?”

The quiet of Carol’s thinking got broken in the most obnoxious way possible. Dance music blared from speakers as Paul and his crew danced up the road.

Lady Meagan snatched the globe from Ethan’s hands. “This is getting out of hand. She squeezed the globe while chanting. It exploded with a bright light. Glowing yellow reached out and sucked Ethan into it as it surrounded Lady Meagan.

The fairy had set a trap and they’d fallen right into it.

Peace sighed. “I thought they’d never get desperate enough to try that.”

I pointed at Paul and his crew. They were doing hip rolls and swivels as they snapped their red suspenders in time with the music.

Peace giggled. “Kangaroo strippers. I honestly thought you were making them up.”

I nodded. “Yes, and they do it before breakfast. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Farley walked down the steps to me. “I’m sorry about dinner last night. They knocked me out with some sort of powder and threw me into the back of a truck, just like people do in the movies. I was awake most of the time but couldn’t free myself. They were plotting to steal the fairy’s power so they could kill Auntie Carol. I told my brothers to warn her. We can talk in our heads. It’s a triplet thing.”

I picked up his hand and linked our fingers. “I was mad when you didn’t show up, but then I realized that you’d never stand me up for our first real date.”

He looked down at me and blinked. I sighed at his blank look. “How can you not know what being stood up means?”

“You’re the first person I’ve ever dated. And I would never not show up for dinner with you. You’re my mate.”

“Nope,” I said.

“Yep,” Farley said firmly.

And then his clothes changed to look like mine… except uglier. He ended up with white socks covering his muscular calves and buckle shoes with two-inch heels.

I sighed and shivered. “His clothes are a big nope too, Jezel. My Viking Bear now looks like some extra in a pilgrim movie.”

The ghostly witch of the house crossed her arms and stared defiantly back at me. “The house wasn’t supposed to dress him, just you. That’s never happened before. Maybe it was to punish you for swearing.”

Farley looked down at himself. “We match.”

Carol came down to stand near me. “Summoning me is going to cost you another thirty days here, Selene.”

“You truly suck at saying thank you,” I said. Then I pointed at Lady Meagan and Ethan, who were arguing inside their yellow bubble. “I’m not a criminal. I just thwarted a coo to overthrow you. I should get the rest of my original sentence rescinded and you should pay me for all the work I’ve done.”

Carol stood by Lady Meagan’s bubble. “I can’t do that. I know how stubborn you are and Farley needs more time to court you. And we still need to discuss why you think the house is haunted. I’ll be back later.”

I pointed to Jezel hovering nearby. “You saw the ghost. You even asked me about her. I’m not making any of this up.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you. I just said we needed to talk.”

“ This is not fair, Carol .”

“Life isn’t fair very often, but it can be exciting and fun. Go with that, Selene.”

Before I could argue, Carol put a hand on the fairy’s yellow bubble and disappeared with it.

When I looked back toward the house, Peace had left the porch and was out in the yard dancing with Paul.

I rolled my eyes before looking at Jezel. “I can’t cook breakfast in these clothes.”

Jezel waved a hand. “You’re such a whiner,” she said.

The clothes melted off both Farley and me, leaving me dressed in the jeans I’d tossed on that morning. Farley still wore the clothes he’d been abducted in.

“I am not a whiner,” I said to her.

Declining to argue, the ghost looked up at the roof of the porch and disappeared.

Sighing, I pulled Farley along with me. He lifted me until I was on the porch while he stood on the bottom step. “Kiss me,” he ordered. “I thought they were going to hurt you. I never want to feel so helpless again.”

I kissed him and forgot about food until my rumbling stomach decided to remind me that none of us had eaten yet.

I pulled away and leaned my forehead on his. “I’m not your mate, Farley. I’m just a witch who doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life. And your obsession with me just made sure I had to stay here another thirty days. I’m at fifty-some days remaining now because of you.”

“I’m sorry about the extra days, but I’m happy you’re staying. I was afraid you were going to run away before our third date.”

“We don’t have to wait to have sex, Farley. I’m a rule breaker. You can spend the night tonight.”

“No, I can’t yet. I promised Dad Charlie I would follow the rules.”

“Then I guess I’m going to get the house to summon your father away from his Petri dishes so he and I can have a little chat. Just because he’s not getting any is no reason to stop us from letting nature take its course.”

Farley laughed. “Come on, I’ll help you make breakfast, and you can explain what that means. I also want to hear about the haunted pilgrim house.”

“This is not my house, and they are not my pilgrims or witches. Jezel said this place was made in the 1800s. That’s well after the time of pilgrims. I don’t know where the ugly clothes came from, but Jezel—the witch ghost haunting this place—seems to think me wearing them is critical to being an innkeeper, even a temporary one.”

Farley loosely held my fingers as he came up the steps. “What do you think Auntie Carol is going to do to your ex-boyfriend and his evil mother?”

I led him into the house and to the kitchen. “Despite our disagreement about her methods, Carol will do whatever is necessary to protect the magical world. That’s what she does, and she’s good at her job.”

“So are you,” he said. “Summoning me away from my abductors was brilliant.”

“That was Jezel,” I said. “I was just the corporeal muscle who wielded the wand.”

“Paul says your power is growing every day. I feel that as well.”

I arched a brow. “That’s ironic from a bear who can make grass grow, and flowers bloom when he walks by them. You have hedgewitch powers, Farley.”

“Only around you.” He sighed and looked around. “I only have magic here. This place is special.”

On that, we could completely agree.

Princess Peace And Harmony cleared her throat from the doorway. “Innkeeper Selene?”

“Just Selene,” I said. “I’m making us breakfast now.”

“When will you be ready for another guest? I have a friend who needs some solitary time to reflect on his life.”

I had at least fifty-four days to fill. Sighing, I gave in to fate. “I can get Paul working on the other suite this week.”

“Or he can have mine tomorrow. I have postponed confronting my mother. Now, I just want to get it over with. Whatever punishment she chooses for me, I will simply have to endure it.”

“What is your friend like?”

“Umm... he’s a centaur. Someone put a curse on him. His problem is partially fixed, but he needs a safe place to stay until the rest wears off.”

“I’ve never met a centaur. Send him to me,” I said.

“You’re not allowed to fall in love with him,” Farley said.

I stopped to stare at him. “That’s a rather random statement.”

“I have my reasons,” Farley said.

“I’ve never fallen in love with anyone, but if I ever did, I hope it would be with someone like you.”

“Good. Because that’s what mates are supposed to do, they’re meant to fall in love with each other.”

Not that I thought that would happen, but I was already in lust with him. Maybe love was just a short leap away.

Perhaps the inn wasn’t magical like I thought, and Jezel was only a figment of my imagination.

Maybe the ugly clothes this house made me wear were Carol’s idea of a prank.

Who knew what my future held? I sure didn’t know. Neither did Farley, even though he kept insisting he did.

Maybe Peace knew a little because she’d talked me into letting her centaur friend come to stay at the inn.

And I guess, whether or not I liked it, Carol—the Baba Pain-In-My-Ass Yaga—controlled my magical fate because she was making me stay here even longer.

Since she wouldn’t let me leave, what choice did I have except to stay? At least, for now. Right?

— THE END —