Kissed By A Demon Spy (4 page)

“Mommy, a red bird!” Dash whispered, wonder in his voice, and pointed to a cardinal, who’d alighted on the bridge railing.

Garnet’s eyes followed the bird’s graceful hops, seeing it with the newness and wonder that must be blooming in his heart. He’d never laid eyes on fields of green and gold, had never seen a river full of fish and fowl. She cast another smile to Mathias and Bianca, and took her son’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“Over the bridge?” Dash asked.

“Yes, we’ll take that bridge until I teach you how to swim.”

“Swimming? Cool.” Dash tugged on her hand, pulling her down the path.

Mathias moved to the head of their little group, and Bianca walked at Garnet’s side. The porter shot her a smile. “Excited?”

Garnet nodded. “Yes. But a little nervous too. It’s been so long.”

“If you change your mind, I can take you anywhere. Just say the word.”

“Thank you. I can’t even express how much this means to me.” Garnet’s eyes threatened to tear up again.

“It’s my honor to bring you here. And,” Bianca’s gaze slid to Dash, “I think I have an idea of how good this feels.”

With a flash of red wings, the cardinal flew to a high tree branch when they got too close. Dash charged up to the center of the bridge and peered over the stone rail. “Look how high we are.”

They weren’t really that high, but to a six-year-old, why not? “Yes, we’re up pretty high.” She stood next to him, studying the lazy water flow where fat orange fish swam in groups. “Look—fish.”

Dash had only seen preserved fish that an occasional trader brought to Stroehm. He counted each one, starting over a few times as the creatures moved around. His happy voice warmed her heart. She clung to it, as they lingered on the bridge and trepidation tumbled her stomach.

Would any of her extended family still be there? Would anyone remember her? She’d been a teenager when she’d been taken. Would anyone look down on her, knowing she’d been a slave?

“Here come some silver fish, look!”

“Oh, they’re beautiful!” She leaned down to kiss Dash’s head. Not only was she returning after decades of imprisonment—she was returning with a child. But in the end, it didn’t matter if anyone judged her. She could ignore it. This was a great place to live, and the community she remembered had been loving and caring. Dash would be happy. He’d learn. He’d grow and thrive. And most important, he’d be free.

At the end of the bridge, Bianca caught up to Mathias and spoke in a low tone. The Hunter stood with hands on his hips, staring into the town.

Garnet placed her hands on Dash’s small shoulders. “Time to go, sweetie. We can come here again.”

“Okay. What are we going to see next?”

“We’re going to the town, and we’ll explore.”
 
The cluster of buildings huddled close to the river, maybe a hundred feet from the bridge. There were more than she remembered. A wide packed earth trail led into town. Some cities had paved roads, but plant pixies didn’t believe in coating the earth with that horrid concoction of tar and rock.

The buildings were all constructed of wood, some with stone around the lower half. Oaks and elms grew tall and strong between them. Colorful impatiens carpeted the shaded ground beneath, and cherrywood benches had been placed at intervals in front of every other structure.

Dash held her hand tightly as they neared. Pixies moved from one shop to the next, crisscrossing the road, eyeing their group with curiosity.

“Who’s that?” Dash whispered, pointing to a man outside the nearest building.

Garnet stopped. She had no idea. His back was toward her, muscles flexing as he sanded the railing on a wide wraparound porch. He wore a black T-shirt, the short sleeves straining against huge biceps. He leaned forward and back as he worked in a powerful, fluid motion, the steady
shh-shh
sound of the sandpaper punctuating the air. With each thrust, clouds of gritty powder formed along the rail and dropped to the lush hydrangea below. Her eyes filtered down his body, which he obviously took care of. Either that, or he was a fighter…

He straightened then, and Garnet gasped at his full height. Had to be one of the Deserati. Her eyes traveled up from his rear to his broad back and wide shoulders.

In a fluid rotation of that powerful body, he turned and met her gaze. Her cheeks heated at being caught staring. No doubt he’d heard her gasp. Most demons, especially the predatory ones, had enhanced hearing.

A flicker of surprise danced across his handsome face. The scruff of stubble did nothing to hide his square jaw, and added an element of danger to his aura. Gray eyes regarded her with a steady, assessing gaze. All hint of surprise, if that’s even what it was, winked out in a heartbeat. But his piercing stare unnerved her. Almost like he knew her.

There was no way she’d seen him before. She’d remember him. Her throat went dry as his eyes held hers, twinkling as if he enjoyed their silent stare down. Horns poked through the hair that was trying to curl in the heat. Yep, Deserati.

“Can I help you?” He glanced from Garnet to Bianca and Mathias with cool scrutiny as he walked down the porch steps, his heavy boots thudding against the wood planks. The T-shirt stretched tightly all over, not just at his brawny arms. A layer of fine dust from the sanding covered part of his pecs and one shoulder, emphasizing the muscle beneath.

“We need accommodations.” Mathias stepped forward, hand extended. “I’m Mathias.”

Aden took it. “Pleasure to meet you in person, Hunter. I’m Aden.”

Garnet blinked, absorbing the reality of Mathias’s reputation and position, that he was known in a tiny town like Ivydale.

Bianca took the hand Aden offered to her. “I’m Bianca. My clan’s leader is Damaris.”

Aden inclined his head to the porter. “My clan is headed by my brother, Keegan.” His attention swung to Garnet.

Garnet stuck out her hand. “I’m Garnet and this is my son Dashiel. Dash for short.”

Aden stood and clasped her hand in his much larger one, holding it a second longer than necessary. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Garnet. What brings you to Ivydale?”

“Um...” How to explain? She didn’t want to spill her sordid life story to a stranger. Before she could formulate a better answer, Dash spoke.

“We live here now.” Dash’s tone was brave, but he stood with his body pressed against Garnet’s.

“Oh, do you?” He crouched down in front of Dash. “So do I.”

“This is my first time here. We walked on a bridge over a river.”

“Yeah, and it’s a pretty cool river too.” Aden dropped his gaze to Dash. “Did you swim in it?”

“No, my mom hasn’t taught me yet. There’s fish in there.”

Thanking the gods for her son’s chatter, Garnet tried to collect her thoughts.
Keep it simple
.

Aden listened to Dash with amazing patience. Did he have children? Or a mate? She couldn’t help but wonder, even though it was none of her business. He was good-looking enough to have women falling all over themselves.

“…only the ones my mom cooks. One time she even cooked a shark! Mom let me keep one of its teeth.”

“I thought your mom might be a cook.” Aden’s eyes settled on her clothing before moving back up to her eyes.

Belatedly, Garnet realized she was still wearing her apron from Stroehm.
Crap.
Oh well, no point in denying it. And if she did, it would only confuse Dash. She untied the white fabric and folded it into a square. “Yes, I can cook. But like the others here, I can also encourage plants to grow.”

“I guessed that too.” Aden straightened up. He folded his arms over his chest. “So do you plan to stay long?” Gray eyes studied her.

Garnet fought to keep from fidgeting under his scrutiny. “I hope so.” Struggle lost, she bit her lower lip. “I grew up here. Then I was away for a while, and now I’m back.” She pasted on a smile, hoping he wouldn’t ask for more details.

“Well, welcome back. Stay as long as you like. The Ivydale Inn is at your service.” He made a wide sweeping gesture with one arm. “Oh, dammit. I took the sign down to repaint it. But yes, this is it.”

Garnet dragged her attention from Aden to the big building behind him. Large but not imposing, it was constructed of wood painted a dark gray. The color was softened by white millwork along the roof of the wraparound porch, and white shutters flanked each of the many windows. Hanging baskets of pink and red geraniums swung from the eaves. White wicker chairs sat scattered along the porch, and the front steps led up to a heavily carved door with narrow etched glass windows on either side. It managed to look sturdy, beautiful, and cozy all at the same time.

Aden angled his head. “I’d be happy to show you the inside.”

“That’d be great.” Mathias was staring at the inn as if memorizing every knot in the wooden exterior.

“Right this way.” Aden headed up the steps.

Mathias gestured for Garnet, Dash, and Bianca to go ahead of him. Out of the corner of her eye, Garnet noticed him glance up and down the street before he followed them inside.

Having never been in an inn, Garnet had no idea what to expect. She stood in an immense foyer with dark wood floors polished to such a high shine that she hesitated to walk on them for fear of making them dusty. More millwork enhanced the corners of doorframes, one to her right and one to her left. The room to the left looked inviting, with several couches and chairs arranged near coffee tables and end tables. A red brick fireplace loomed at the far wall.

Turning to her right, she sucked in a breath. “That’s a huge dining room!” Holding at least twenty tables, it had to stretch the length of the inn. She walked to the nearest table, noting salt and pepper shakers at the center of each.

Aden leaned against the doorframe. “We’re a full service restaurant. The townsfolk come here often.” He frowned. “Well, usually.”

“Oh?” Bianca arched a brow.

“I’ve got a restaurant and a remodeled kitchen, but no cook.” Aden’s eyes landed on Garnet.

Garnet turned and blinked in surprise. Could that be coincidence or fate?
 
She opened her mouth—

“Why’s that?” Mathias paced the long wall of windows along the inn’s front.

“She got mated and left town. It’s just me and my maintenance guys trying not to burn water.”

Bianca snorted.

Mathias stopped in the center of the dining area. “How many rooms do you have here?”

“Ten guest rooms, plus one more for me.”

“And your maintenance staff?”

“I have two pixies who work for me, and they live in town with their families.” Aden didn’t seem to mind Mathias’s questions, and thank goodness. Garnet’s head was spinning from the day’s events.

“Why exactly did several Deseratis move to Ivydale?” Bianca’s heels clicked lightly on the floor as she wandered around the room.

Aden straightened from his lean and ran a hand down the burnished wood of the doorframe. “We’re not known for being able to grow anything. My brother decided we should learn, and who better to observe than the pixies in the most productive village in the area?”

Bianca tilted her head. “But you can’t coax plants to grow like the pixies do, right? That’s their unique talent.”

“True. But we’ve been working on fertilization methods, irrigation, and harvesting. Plus, adding our muscle as manual labor in the fields. It’s a win-win situation.”

“I could see that.” Bianca nodded, glancing at Mathias.

“It all sounds good,” the Hunter said. “Mind if I take a look around outside?”

“Go ahead.” Aden folded his arms.

“Mom? Are we going to live here?” Dash whispered.

“For now,” she murmured. “It looks nice, doesn’t it?”

“Will we do chores in the kitchen like before?”

“I don’t know. We can take a look at the kitchen, and if we don’t like it we can pick another place to work. We get to choose.” She rubbed her hand across his shoulders.

“We do?”

The straightforward surprise in his voice made her want to cry and smile at the same time. “Yes,
nihjo.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

Garnet cleared her throat. “You said something about a remodeled kitchen?” Curiosity won out over the stubborn resistance to the idea of cooking for a living again. She was good at it and happy to do it. The stigma attached to Stroehm stemmed from her slavery, not from her duty there. At least, not her kitchen duties. She took a steadying breath, reminding herself that those days were behind her—

“Yep. Straight through those double doors.” Aden pointed to the back wall.

Holding Dash’s hand and with Bianca at her side, she crossed the room. “I can’t imagine what a nice updated kitchen would look like,” she whispered to the porter.

“Given the rest of this place, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” With a smile, Bianca stopped at the doors. “Go ahead. You first.”

Garnet took a breath and pushed open the doors.

Her jaw dropped as she gazed in wonder at the bright, spotless, beautiful room before her. Gleaming copper pots hung from a rack over one of the two islands, each of which had a small sink. Then there was a huge farmhouse sink by one wall, a dishwasher, and an eight burner range. All the appliances, like the ones at Stroehm, drew their power from ley lines.

Pale yellow walls added to the cheer from the sunlight pouring through several windows and French doors. Cream and beige speckled granite covered the countertops and islands. There was a stainless steel fridge, four wall ovens, and four microwaves.

“You can go in,” rumbled a deep voice behind her, tinged with amusement.
Aden.

“Um, right.” Garnet stepped forward onto dove-gray slate tiles. “This is…wow.”

“This is so big, Mom,” Dash whispered.

“Been working on it for a few months, gradually adding new stuff.” Aden walked over to the French doors and opened them. “All done now.”

“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Garnet stopped at the first island, admiring the shiny copper faucet on its sink.

“Very nice.” Sauntering to the big farmhouse sink, Bianca folded her arms and peered out the window over it. “I take it business is good?”

“We get a fair amount of travelers.” Aden nodded. “Ivydale has grown in terms of its output. It supplies dozens of surrounding villages with food.”