Dead and Dusted, Lily Webb [epub read online books .txt] 📗

I think she was just trying to escape because she knew I’d figured her out and I was the only thing standing between Kade, who is the one she really wanted.”

“Why? What did he ever do to her?”

“More than you know,” I said, and left it at that. “But you know what? I don’t really want to talk about all of that anymore.”

“I can’t say I blame you there,” Thorn said. “But you know, we’ve still got three floors of stairs to cover, so what would you like to talk about instead?”

“Us,” I said, and Thorn froze on the stairs as his eyes shot to mine.

“What about us?”

“All this has really got me thinking,” I started, but struggled with where to go from there. “About us, about my time here, everything, and I’ve realized that I’ve been a little unclear with you about where we stand, so I just wanted to fix that.”

“Well, I’m all ears,” Thorn said, though he didn’t look as enthusiastic as his words suggested.

“Don’t worry, I’m not breaking up with you,” I said, and Thorn laughed.

“That’s good, because as far as I knew, we weren’t really dating. Not yet, anyway.”

“Right, and that’s what I wanted to clear up. I wanna make us official.”

Thorn’s eyes opened wide as camera lenses. “Really? You’re serious? Even after I invited all this doom and gloom on us and almost got you killed?”

“Stop! That’s not at all what happened, and even if it was, my answer would still be yes,” I said. “Besides, you might not know this, but Jadis has already given me her blessing.”

“She has? Wow.”

“Yup, and I don’t think for a second that Blair would disapprove — not that either of their approvals are required, but you know, they’re nice to have.”

“I don’t know what to say. I mean, I’m flattered, obviously, and I’m definitely glad to hear all this, but—”

“But what?” I interrupted and leaned in to give Thorn a kiss, tapping into the bravery he claimed I had. I’d almost lost the chance to do it at all, and that wasn’t something I wanted to risk ever again.

“Never mind,” Thorn said when we parted, and though his cheeks were on fire, neither of us said anything else as we made our way down the rest of the stairs hand-in-hand. When we reached the ground floor, however, Thorn stopped me. “I’m going to be dreaming about that for weeks, you know.”

I could only hope my dreams going forward would be as pleasant.

Chapter 14

The sun beamed down, its cheerful rays bouncing off the dozens of plates we’d laid out on the table in the garden. Now that the threat of an artificially induced avalanche had passed, the weather seemed to respond with a sigh of relief, one that I matched as I took in the beautifully blooming flowers surrounding the table. To celebrate and enjoy the sudden shift in the climate, Blair had suggested we have a makeshift picnic in the garden, and as I sat down at the table, I realized how great of an idea it actually was — thanks to the ongoing work from Oliver, our new gardener and groundskeeper.

As if my thinking of him had summoned him, a warlock with fire-red curls, facial hair, and matching robes appeared at the opposite end of the table carrying a bouquet bursting with various flowers in every pastel shade imaginable. He rested the bundle on the center of the table and flashed me a smile.

“You’ve really outdone yourself this time, Oliver,” I said, glancing around at the picturesque scene he’d created for us.

Oliver waved me away before resting his hand on his heart. “Oh, this? It’s nothing,” he said and winked, making me chuckle because it was the exact opposite. It must’ve taken Oliver hours to grow and arrange all these flowers, but for as flamboyant and dramatic as he could be, he would never boast. “But I’m glad you like it.”

“Are you kidding? I love it.”

With a smile, Oliver plucked a star-shaped, bright yellow flower from the bundle at the center of the table and walked around to place it behind my ear. “Jasmine, the flower of eternal beauty,” he said brightly as he brushed my hair away to show off the flower. “The yellow looks amazing against your hair, Selena. I bet Thorn won’t be able to keep his eyes off of it — or you.”

Despite myself, I blushed. “I don’t think he needs any help with that, but thank you anyway, Oliver. Are there, uh, any other hidden meanings I should know about this flower?” I asked, thinking back to all I’d learned about the language of flowers thanks to him.

“Nothing negative,” Oliver said and, with another wink, left me alone at the table. But it wasn’t long before the sound of voices and laughter carried into the garden, and a few moments later, the rest of the staff of Kindred Spirits, Flora, Mayor Nash, Brady, and his armada of guards appeared with dishes loaded with Emile’s fresh cooking floating in the air behind them.

“Ah, Selena, we were wondering where you’d wandered off to!” Blair called as she approached.

“We just assumed you were dodging work, as usual,” Jadis teased and stuck her tongue out at me before wrapping one arm around my shoulder.

“Hilarious. No, I was just admiring the scenery. Oliver never disappoints,” I said, gesturing at the beauty surrounding us.

“This is gorgeous,” Flora gushed as she stroked the stem of a nearby flower. “It reminds me of the Fairy’s Quarter in Moon Grove. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear this Oliver was a fairy himself.”

“Lilith knows people have called me something along those lines throughout my life, but I’m very much a warlock,” Oliver said, reappearing seemingly from nowhere with half a dozen handmade floral wreaths meant to hold and decorate the dishes.

I stifled a snicker at the joke and helped Oliver distribute the wreaths around the table. I leaned over the table in front of