My aunt shrugged. “Probably honey. If you had to deal with the polars from up north, then you’d make a lot of salmon.”
“Ooh, honey-covered salmon sounds amazing.” Rome rubbed his belly.
I rolled my eyes and looked between the two of them. I had a feeling Aunt Penelope had known the exact moment I slept with Rome. Not through magic or anything, but because I couldn’t hide my feelings from my face. Rome and I weren’t mated yet, but there was something there. Something between us—and not just sex, either.
One day, and I had a feeling that day would be soon, we would mark each other and fight together against the darkness, discovering what our lives could be. For now, I enjoyed taking it decently slow as we figured out who we were and what we needed to be.
“I get the first taste, though, right?” Rome asked, his voice low.
Aunt Penelope cleared her throat. “Wow, I feel like I’m interrupting,” she said with a laugh, and I shook my head.
“Behave.” I leaned down and began working on the next batch. “And, of course, you get the first honey bun. You’re here early this morning. The dough is ready, and it needs to prove one more time before it goes in the oven.”
“And to think, I used to buy store-bought everything.”
I visibly shuddered. “We’ll never have to deal with that again.”
“Of course, you won’t. You opened the bakery for the whole town,” Aunt Penelope said, cutting through the tension I hadn’t even realized had risen.
It made sense because we were all figuring out where we were, and my aunt gave me time to breathe—something I desperately needed.
“Here, let me help.” Rome walked forward and took the heavy tray from me. I nodded in thanks and went to set the next items. Aunt Penelope was filling in for Sabrina today since she had a dentist appointment. My aunt would go over to the bookshop with Laurel later once Sabrina came back.
And Rome was here. I think just for me, but I didn’t mind. It was good to get to know him better, to be with him, even as we worked on a thousand other things. He had to go in later to help Jaxton with a few ward issues and attend a meeting with the fae. And I would be here, working. On my breaks or when there was a lull, I’d practice spells with Rowen.
I had a routine and things to do, all while we waited for what would happen next.
“You’re fortunate that you washed your hands before you stepped over here, or I wouldn’t have let you behind that counter,” I said, teasing.
Rome shrugged. “I want some honey buns. I have to follow the health code.” He leaned down to almost kiss me but looked over at my aunt first. She rolled her eyes.
“Pretend I’m not here,” she singsonged and went over to work on the display. Since Rome’s and my hands were empty, he leaned down and kissed me softly.
“I’m pretty sure that’s against the health code,” I whispered.
He shrugged. “They can give me a citation. I don’t mind.”
I warmed, my magic tingling at his closeness. “You need to head out soon, don’t you?”
“I have a couple of hours.”
His phone buzzed, and he frowned. He pulled it out of his pocket and shook his head. “Apparently, I don’t. Alden wants to meet with me now so we can go over what we’re going to say to the fae.”
I frowned, wondering why my magic felt off at that. “Alden will be there?”
“I will be there with Alden. Ariel and Trace are securing the pack. We try to never have all of us in one place—except for when we’re in the den itself.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “What do you have to talk about with the fae, anyway?”
“Our normal peace treaty. There’s never been a war with them. At least, not us personally. But there was one a century ago. So, we meet once a quarter to lay out our rules.” He sighed and kissed me again. “It hasn’t changed in a century, and it won’t now. I don’t know what Alden wants, other than to tweak something as usual, but nothing ever changes. The fae are long-lived and don’t tend to like change.
“Witches and shifters do?” I asked, teasing.
He shook his head. “Not even a little. I think the fae are even worse than us, though. Anyway, I’ll be back soon. Be safe.”
I sighed. “Rowen and Laurel are watching out, and I’m doing okay on my own. You be safe, as well. After all, you’re going to treaty negotiations.”
He snorted. “Yes, by negotiations, you mean I’m going to have coffee with a couple of people I’ve known for my entire life, and we’re going to sign a document that already has our signatures on it. It makes total sense.”
“Oh, bureaucracy. Who knew it would touch the supernatural, as well?”
I laughed then sighed, looking at the door, daydreaming about what could happen.
Aunt Penelope cleared her throat, and I nearly dropped the spoon I forgot I was holding. “You are a goner, darling,” Aunt Penelope said.
I looked over at her, my heart racing. “What?” I practically squeaked out the word.
“It’s so nice to see you falling again.”
I swallowed hard. “You think so? That I’m falling?”
“I see how you two look at each other, the way you’re so careful with one another as if you’re learning each other’s needs and wants. So, yes, I think you’re falling. And not because of a bond that could happen.”
“It feels like I just arrived, but it’s been a couple of months now.”
“It has,” my aunt said. “You were always meant to be here. I still think something was pushing you away.”
She frowned as she said it, and I leaned forward. “You’re thinking of Faith.”
“Yes, I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Why didn’t I ask you to come up earlier? When Rupert first passed. Why didn’t I ask you to come when Rupert was still alive? He would have loved it here. He may not have understood it right away, but he would have felt at home.”
I frowned. “What about Rome?”
“Nothing would have happened with Rome because you were already married. Mating isn’t as harsh and cruel as that. It doesn’t make sense that I wouldn’t want my niece, my blood, a future member of the coven to be here, though. And not because it’s fate and it wouldn’t make sense for you to be here until the time was right. Why wouldn’t I want my family here?”
“You think Faith kept me away. Kept me from thinking about my ink or how magic seemed to be all around me, even when I didn’t realize it.”
“Her or this Oriel, whoever he is.”
I swallowed hard. “I think you’re right. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. Yes, I was meant to be here now, but I think fate is also a choice, and something kept me away.”
“And that scares me, Sage. Because why didn’t it want you here until just this moment? And not so that you could meet Rome. Because mating can take years to develop. You can know someone for your entire life until, finally, the magic within you clicks, and you understand who you should be with. So, even if you had been here for years, you and Rome might not have realized who you were to each other until this moment. It was as if something was holding you back, and now it’s pushing you like a rubber band snapping. You pull too hard or for too long, and when it comes together, it snaps or breaks in half.”