Prince of Wolves: Autumn Court #3 (Rosethorn Valley Fae Romance)

by Tasha Black

  “Should I ask someone?” she wondered aloud.

  “No,” Varik replied. “Watch this.”

  She tried to memorize the movement of his fingers on the glass screen, but found it difficult not to be distracted by his big body and the woodsy scent of him that reminded her so much of home.

  That’s not my home anymore.

  “There,” he said. “That’s called googling. You do it to find things out, in this case the location of the Tarker’s Hollow Community Center. It’s not a bad walk from here.”

  Googling.

  That was a ridiculous term for anything. She had the feeling Varik was having a laugh at her expense again, like with the steak.

  “Willow has a car,” Ashe said, holding up the keys from her bag. “We just have to figure out which one.”

  Finding it was a good start. They could worry about actually piloting the thing after that.

  She looked out over the parking lot, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. There were so many cars, in all shapes, sizes and colors. Could she try to unlock them all without getting into trouble with the mortal guard?

  “Here,” Varik said. “May I have the keys?”

  She handed them over.

  “Keep an eye on the cars,” he said. “See which one beeps.”

  There was no time to ask what the heck he was talking about. He clicked a button on the round black keychain, and a sound issued from somewhere near the back of the lot. That made sense. It was where Willow had been headed when they had crossed paths.

  “Come on,” he said, eyes sparkling.

  When they reached the area near the woods, he clicked it again.

  A small and simple car made another beep and flashed its lights.

  “My lady, your carriage awaits,” he said with a bow, offering her the keys.

  “You’ve clearly spent some time on this side of the veil,” she said, not taking them. “Do you know how to operate this thing?”

  “I do,” he told her. “Do you want me to teach you?”

  “Teach me tomorrow,” she told him. “I have a feeling I should save what’s left of my brain for whatever Weekend Backpacks means.”

  He smirked at her, but he also opened her car door.

  She slipped in, ignoring the smirk.

  Much as she hated to admit it, having Varik around made her feel good.

  “Hold Ronan?” he asked.

  She took the satchel with the pup inside.

  Ronan poked his head out and licked her nose as Varik started the car and steered it onto the road and away from the diner.

  “He’s pretty relaxed about being in there, isn’t he?” she asked, laughing.

  “He goes everywhere with me,” Varik said. “He’s used to it.”

  “I guess it’s a good life for a pup,” she said.

  Varik winced.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I just wish he had more freedom,” he said, shrugging.

  She glanced down at the pup, who seemed perfectly content.

  “Almost there,” Varik said, as if he wanted to change the subject.

  After a few minutes, they pulled into a parking area beside a huge cedar shake building, overlooking what Varik told her was a college campus.

  Varik parked the car and they got out.

  Ashe spotted a door on the community center that had been propped open.

  “I’ll wait out here,” Varik offered.

  He was just as tall and tough as before, no hint of a smile showed on his face, nor did he look sad or disappointed.

  But she knew to her bones that he wanted to follow. She was even more surprised to find that she wanted him to stay by her side.

  Given that she didn’t know what was waiting inside though, she knew she had to leave him.

  “I’ll be back,” she said, hoping it didn’t sound as much like an offer for comfort as it felt.

  He shrugged and released the pup from the satchel.

  Ronan scampered off into the tall grass beside the building as Ashe headed inside.

  After the bright daylight, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dim room. When they did, she could see that it was a large open space with hardwood floors and a fireplace on one side.

  The center of the room held a folding table covered in backpacks alongside storage bins filled with various items.

  “Welcome,” a middle-aged woman with a dark bun said. “You must be Willow Ryder.”

  The name still didn’t seem to fit. Ashe decided to try something.

  “Yes,” she said. “But I like to be called Ashe.”

  “Then hello, Ashe, I’m Eva Cortez,” the lady told her. “And this is Delilah. It’s her first day volunteering, too.”

  Ashe waved awkwardly at the other young woman. She wore a baby in a complicated-looking sling around her chest. Ashe was glad to find out it was Willow’s first day, so she might not be expected to know exactly what she was doing.

  “This is Noah,” the woman called Delilah said, indicating the baby.

  Ashe smiled at the little fellow. His cheeks were so plump.

  “I love your necklace,” Delilah said, indicating the orb of enchanted ice Ashe wore.

  Ashe’s hand went reflexively to her neck and she felt the dwindling pendant. It was already noticeably smaller. Her time to make a decision was ticking away.

  “It was a gift,” she said shyly, trying to get her mind off her issues and back to the task at hand.

  “I know this seems easy, but it’s an important job,” Mrs. Cortez explained. “There are volunteers who collect donations, volunteers who buy the food and some who bake, and finally, you. The face of this operation.”

  Ashe smiled and tried to figure out what in the world Willow had signed up for, while wondering how in world someone baked a backpack.

  “It’s important for these kids to know we are glad to see them,” Mrs. Cortez. “They should not feel like this is charity. These children are our future. We are privileged to be able to do something to help them reach their potential.”

  Ashe nodded. So they were giving food to children. That was good. But why did the children’s parents not give them food?

  The other young woman, Delilah, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

  “Are you okay?” Ashe asked, forgetting that she was interrupting Mrs. Cortez’s speech.

  “Oh,” the woman said. “I-I’m fine. We didn’t always have enough to eat when I was a little kid either. I guess this is just… really special for me.”

  Ashe wrapped an arm around her and looked to Mrs. Cortez.

  “I work in a restaurant,” Ashe said. “We have so much leftover food there. I saw them throw much of it away into a container bigger than my car. Why do the people with the extra food not just give it to the people that need the food?”

  “Hear, hear,” Mrs. Cortez said. “We live with a system that allows both hunger and food waste in the same community. That’s why it’s important that you’re here, doing what you can to help.”

  Ashe nodded. She hadn’t meant the question to be rhetorical, but was glad the woman seemed to approve of her sentiment.

  “Anyway,” Mrs. Cortez said, “you’re going to take one item from each bin and pack it in a backpack. Then we’ll take the table outside and be ready to meet the kids.”

  Ashe and Delilah moved to join Mrs. Cortez.

  She took waxed paper packets with sandwiches and small boxes of cookies and placed them in a satchel. Then she showed Delilah how to add a few pieces of fruit. Noah watched from his sling, with interest.

  Ashe placed a plastic bag with a large homemade cookie in the top of each bag and then zipped it up.

  “These look delicious,” Ashe said.

  “I made them this morning,” Mrs. Cortez said in a pleased way.

  Ashe was glad she had complimented the woman’s cookies. She was obviously a very caring person.

  “This is for school children,” Ashe said.

  “Yes,” Mrs. Co
rtez agreed.

  Delilah gave Ashe a strange look, like maybe she should have known that.

  “It seems that a school satchel should be filled with books and other school supplies,” Ashe said thoughtfully, thinking of the children needing food more than they needed things for learning.

  “Ashe, that’s a lovely idea,” Mrs. Cortez said. “I wonder if the Co-op would donate pencils and notebooks for next week.”

  “Maybe we could find a way to check out books from the library for the kids,” Delilah suggested. “If they have to return the backpacks every week anyway, we could arrange to check out and return the books for them.”

  “What a productive volunteer session this has been,” Mrs. Cortez said happily. “We can look into all of these ideas.”

  The last backpack was ready after only a few minutes.

  “Time to take everything outside,” Mrs. Cortez told them.

  They set up another folding table out front, and then carried the backpacks out to place them on top.

  Ashe couldn’t help but notice that Varik was leaning against a tree, observing her with a strange expression as Ronan rolled on his back at his feet.

  She wondered if Varik had heard everything that was said inside. With the door propped open, it was quite likely.

  She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she thought about how she had embarrassed herself asking silly questions and making odd observations.

  Behind her, baby Noah had spotted the pup and was waving his hands and squealing excitedly.

  “Here they come,” Mrs. Cortez called happily. “Come on, girls.”

  Ashe joined the other women at the table and watched as children spilled off the arriving school bus.

  “There’s an after-school program at the church,” Mrs. Cortez confided. “That’s where most of them are headed.”

  Sure enough, most of the children sprinted toward the stone church across the lot.

  But about a dozen kids headed to the table of backpacks.

  A handful of them stopped to greet Ronan, who pranced around and licked their faces, his floppy ear waggling with every excited movement.

  “I never saw you before,” a boy said as he arrived at the table, looking Ashe up and down. “Or you.”

  Ashe smiled as he noticed Delilah’s baby and his face went soft with wonder.

  “Hello, baby,” the boy said.

  The baby smiled back, and Ashe felt her heart melt.

  “I’m Delilah and this is Noah, and Ashe,” Delilah explained.

  “Here’s your backpack, Dylan,” Mrs. Cortez said. “How was music today?”

  Dylan moved down to her end and regaled her with a tale of how someone called Emma H. lost a tooth in the middle of class.

  The next few minutes went by in a blur. Ashe loved seeing the eager little faces and chatting with them about their day.

  Too soon, a lady from the after-school program walked over to collect her charges.

  “What do we say, boys and girls?” she asked them pointedly.

  “Thank you,” they chorused.

  “Thank you,” Mrs. Cortez replied. “Now you must promise to tell me next week if I got enough chips in my cookie recipe this time. I’ve got to make cookies for the mayor’s birthday next month, so I’m counting on you to help me make sure they’re just right.”

  That earned her a dozen smiles.

  Then the kids took off for the big stone building and the three women were left alone again, with Varik looking on.

  “Is this your boyfriend, Ashe?” Mrs. Cortez asked, looking Varik up and down.

  Ashe opened her mouth and closed it again.

  “You’re welcome to help us next week,” Mrs. Cortez told Varik, not waiting for an answer. “I can see you like children. And what an unusual dog you have.”

  “He’s full of energy,” Varik replied, smiling fondly down at Ronan.

  Mrs. Cortez bent to pat the pup on the head.

  He sat down politely for his patting, as if he knew it wouldn’t be acceptable to jump on her and lick her as he had with the children.

  “Well, ladies, it looks like I brought extra cookies,” Mrs. Cortez said, straightening. “You’ll each have to take one for the road.”

  Delilah smiled at Ashe, who smiled back, in silent appreciation of Mrs. Cortez.

  They packed up the table and Mrs. Cortez was locking up the building before half an hour had passed.

  “I know it’s a quick job,” Mrs. Cortez said. “But you can see how important it is that there are three of us to welcome them and to make sure that if they want to chat with a friendly grown-up about their day, they have the opportunity. They should each feel like a special guest when they pick up their backpack. You both did such an excellent job. Will I see you again next week?”

  “Yes,” Delilah said.

  “Absolutely,” Ashe replied, glancing at Varik.

  He would be disappointed to hear it, but she loved being mortal so far.

  “If you ever need to take a day off just text me,” Mrs. Cortez said. “That way I can be sure to have another volunteer stop by.”

  “We will,” Delilah assured her, then turned to Ashe. “That was really fun. I’m kind of new around here, so stuff like this is a great way for me to meet people. We should totally get together sometime. You really have to meet my husband. You’d love him.”

  “That sounds nice,” Ashe replied sincerely.

  She had a warm feeling at the thought. It had never really occurred to her in the fae realm, but Ashe had never had a real friend before.

  Maybe this mortal life would work out after all.

  7

  Varik

  Varik drove in silence, thoughts in his head racing faster than the light traffic.

  “Is everything well with you?” Ashe asked, concern in her voice.

  Ronan licked her nose and she nuzzled him back.

  Varik glanced over, but the sight of the dark-haired beauty beside him only worsened the storm in his head and heart.

  He’d underestimated her resiliency. Nothing about this mortal life seemed to get her down. In fact, helping others seemed to lend her strength.

  Of course, helping others was meant to be her part of her role in Faerie, but she had shrugged it off.

  “Want a bite?” she offered, holding out the large cookie the backpack lady had given her.

  You’re a bad ass fae bounty hunter, you’re not here to share snacks.

  “Sure,” he said.

  His hand brushed hers as he took the cookie and he was afraid he would crash her little car as his heart skipped a beat.

  Her eyes widened and then she looked down at Ronan, as if to distract herself.

  Varik took a bite of the cookie to give himself something else to focus on. It was rich and sweet. Clearly made with love.

  “Good?” she asked.

  “So good,” he had to admit as he handed it back.

  “Mm,” she moaned as her lips closed around it.

  By all the hells, she was going to drive him crazy.

  And he was going to drive them both into a tree.

  “Are you hungry for more than a cookie?” he asked.

  Ashe coughed around her bite of cookie.

  “Do you want dinner?” he clarified.

  “Yes,” she said. “What do we do if we want dinner? Willow seems to be very lacking in servants.”

  He fought the urge to smile.

  She had been raised a spoiled fae princess, after all.

  “When mortals want food,” he explained, “they have to pay for it at a restaurant or cook it themselves.”

  “I’ll have you know,” she said proudly. “I purchased food on my own just this morning.”

  “Serving girls can’t afford to eat at a restaurant for every meal,” he explained. “You’ll need to cook.”

  “Well, I don’t know how to cook,” she told him decisively.

  “Let’s get some groceries,” he suggested. “And I’ll show you how
to prepare a simple meal.”

  She smiled at him over Ronan’s furry little head, and it felt like a rainbow coming out after the storm in his mind.

  No matter how much he wanted to see this as a simple job, it wasn’t.

  He was beginning to catch feelings for this runaway faux-fae girl.

  He clenched his jaw and admonished himself.

  Fine. You have feelings. But you need that prize. It’s not all about your feelings.

  “Can we go to the grocer’s under my apartment,” she asked. “I want to see what it looks like.”

  “Sure,” he said, trying to stay neutral and not love her excitement over something as simple as visiting a shop.

  He pulled her car into a spot on the side of the buildings, and they got out and headed to the store.

  A sign proclaimed it to be The Barrel Grocery.

  Ashe encouraged Ronan to hide in his satchel, but didn’t return the satchel to Varik.

  “I’ve got him,” she said, snuggling the giant bag and its contents possessively.

  “Fine,” he said, willing himself not to love her once again. “I’ll need my hands free to feel the produce.”

  She laughed.

  “Oh,” she said, when he didn’t laugh too. “Is that a real thing?”

  “Just you wait,” he promised her.

  They stepped into the shop and he stopped for a moment to take it all in. No matter how many times he crossed the veil, he was always amazed at the differences.

  At home, everything grew naturally, but here, the fruits and vegetables were enormous and strange. And largely tasteless, he’d found.

  A woman behind the counter looked him up and down and blushed. “Can I help you?”

  He sensed Ashe turning away and felt a little ripple of victory that she might feel jealous.

  He tamped it down. It was not the time for such feelings.

  “Not right now,” he said politely. “I think I know what I want.”

  He placed a hand at the small of Ashe’s back and her little gasp was almost enough to make up for the painful surge of electricity he felt.

  “Why is everything so big?” she whispered to him.

  “Mortals like things to be big,” he guessed wildly. He truly had no idea.