Chapter 7

7

No matter how much I hinted I was way more than okay with us getting sexual, I couldn't get Farley to override his father's edict. The transformation was astonishing. From a Viking-looking blond, he shifted into a massive black grizzly, its gigantic body overwhelming the porch with its size. I fear for his safety because those boards on the porch were not sturdy enough.

His shifted body blocked the front door of the inn from opening. I could only see him out of the living room window. Knowing he was nearby, sleeping in my room was going to be nearly impossible.

I lay in bed staring at the ceiling until my eyes closed without me trying. When I woke, it was because of men singing upstairs. The stinky smell of fresh paint permeated the house.

Tea would not cut it this morning, so I made coffee, filled my cup, and retreated to the backyard. A giant black bear lay in the grass with blades of it waving gently around him.

I'd pulled on the same clothes I wore yesterday. The bear turned to me when I arrived. Sniffing and turning away, I drank deeply and tried not to be offended. He probably thought I stunk in these clothes.

The blades of grass sparkled as the bear stood and turned to make his way slowly toward me. The grass stood as tall as it could. When I arrived here, it had been brown. This morning, it was all evenly green.

I drank again and stared at Farley. Either he knew but didn't think of talking to grass and trees as magic, or he honestly didn't know.

"Your biological mother was a powerful witch like Hildy and Carol. My guess is someone in her family was a hedgewitch. Did anyone ever suggest to you that you might have inherited some magical abilities from her gene pool?"

As I took another sip, Farley morphed from a giant bear into a giant naked man. I choked and spat coffee at the sight of his astounding body. Lust hit me hard, and I struggled to breathe, which caused me to suck coffee into my lungs.

Lust wrestled with humor over my reaction. But damn , no female on earth would blame me. The man was fine.

I held up my hand. "It's not a good idea for you to come any closer."

Farley gave me his fanged smile. I reached out to him with my coffee. "Here. Hold my cup for a minute."

Still smiling, he took it from my fingers. I pulled the wand from my jeans, shook it out, and pointed it at him.

"Not that I don't appreciate the view, but the fairy is coming tomorrow. You should have taken me up on my offer last night."

I spoke a command and dressed him in the clothes he wore yesterday. He'd probably left them on the front porch.

When I sighed, Farley chuckled low and handed me back my coffee.

I took another sip. "Twenty-eight more days now. Are you hungry?"

"Not for food," Farley said. "I went fishing after Paul and his mates arrived this morning. You have a creek running through the property."

I nodded. "So? Are you magical?"

Farley looked at the grass. "Maybe. I never thought about it. I don't question things that feel that right."

"Are your brothers gifted like you?"

"They don't talk to grass or trees. I usually get teased about doing it. But it was one way I knew I could help you. I'm fixing the inn's landscape."

In only two days, I learned that was a Farley yes .

My mouth curved into a smile. "Thank you. It's looking much better. I might hire you to charm my herb garden too."

"I'd do it for a proper date with you."

I laughed. "I've had worse offers."

"Are you going to ward the property today?"

"Yes," I said. "Want to help me?"

"I have something else to do. Do you need another magical to help you?"

"No," I said. "I just wanted your company."

Farley grinned at me, and I giggled. "I like it when you flirt with me," he said.

"I flirt with you because I like you," I said. "Almost as much as I like my morning caffeine. Thanks for watching over me last night."

"I wish I could stay today. Garrison is knee-deep in accountant stuff for his actual job. Take Harrison out with you today. He's not busy, and he likes witches and magic. His bear is as big as mine, so if anyone shows up to harass you, he can scare them off. Also, he likes decorating. He'll be able to help you get the room done. Just don't like him the way you like me."

I chuckled at his tiny show of jealousy. No one who looked like Farley should be that insecure about his appeal. "Despite you being a triplet, there is only one you , Farley. What are you planning to do while I'm using your super spy brother as slave labor?"

Farley lifted one shoulder and let it fall. "I have to help Dad with his project. The two initial Petri dishes Dad set up for his experiment finished proofing this morning. It shouldn't take more than a few hours to analyze the results. I'll bring dinner from the diner for you."

"You want to feed me?" I asked, and then I laughed. "I've never dated a guy who cared if I ate or not. You're my first."

Farley nodded. "I want to take care of you in any way you'll let me. Is there anything you don't like?"

A giggle escaped me. "No. There's nothing about you I don't like."

Farley smiled down at me.

"Kiss her, ya bloody nerd," a voice yelled down from an upstairs window.

Farley and I both turned to look up at Paul, who was grinning down at us.

He turned back to me and sighed. "I guess I'll head to Dad's. See you this evening."

"It's a date," I said.

"A real one?" he asked.

"Yes, we need to get three of them out of the way so your father will be okay with you sleeping with me instead on the porch."

Chuckling, Farley bent and touched his lips to mine. When he raised his head, I saw genuine regret in his eyes.

"Go," I said. "I'll take the blue plate special for dinner."

"What's that?"

"A dinner metaphor." He gave me a blank look. I cleared my throat and fought not to laugh. "It's my way of saying that I'll eat whatever the special is at the diner. I'm not that picky an eater."

"Ah," Farley said. "Got it. I don't mind the ones that translate so logically."

He took off walking around the house. Flowers bloomed as he walked by the established beds. Trees that lined the cleared-off parts of the property bent in his direction, not wanting Farley to leave any more than I did.

It was impossible not to see his power. He had hedgewitch magic. So, not only was Farley a genius, but he was a magical one who didn't think of himself that way.

I couldn't believe I only met him two days ago. I felt like I'd known him forever.

Sighing at my oddly powerful feelings for the bear, I returned to the house to see what kind of progress Paul and his ‘mates' had made.

I walked around the empty but fully finished suite. Paul had not only painted the bedroom and sitting area, but his crew had cleaned the vintage furnishings of the bathroom until everything sparkled with cleanliness, including the clawfoot tub.

The only modern concession Paul made in the bathroom was to paint the sink cabinet to match the walls. I couldn't have done any better. The suite only needed furniture to be ready.

If Carol didn't come through with them in the next few hours, I would move my Grandmother's bed here. Despite replacing the mattress, I hadn't gone near it since I caught Ethan using it with someone else. I'd slept on the couch instead.

I should offer the bed to one of my siblings and get a new one. Maybe it was time I invested in something new for myself. A new start might require new clothes and new furniture. It definitely required a new man and one who would need a sturdier place to sleep than her grandmother's bed.

The ringing doorbell made her smile. She nearly skipped down the stairs to answer it. Earlier, she'd conjured a few more shirts from her house. She wore a blouse the color of yellow daises that contrasted nicely with her chocolate brown hair color. Farley was bringing dinner, and she had offered to call this a date.

Still smiling, she opened the door. But it wasn't the magical genius bear of her dreams. A winged fairy floated beside a stack of suitcases.

"Forgive me, Innkeeper. I know I'm early, but I couldn't delay my arrival any longer. People are chasing me."

I blinked in shock. Her wings were transparent gold and fluttered to hold her aloft. Like some oversized Tinkerbell, she had a wand in her hand. She kept looking around as if expecting someone to attack her at any moment.

I stepped out onto the porch. "There are wards in place around the inn. No one will enter the property unless they are helping me fix up this place or a guest seeking a room. You are safe here. I will do whatever needs to be done to protect you." I spread my hands. "However, I expected you to arrive tomorrow. Your suite is not quite ready. I don't have any furniture in it yet."

The fairy held her wand in both hands, lit the end with a pink glow, and folded her hands around it. "Please, Innkeeper. I need sanctuary now. It is a matter of life and death."

Carol had warned me the fairy might need protecting. I guess it wouldn't kill me to conjure up a chair or two for the dilapidated living room until her bedroom furniture arrived. "The inn is in disrepair, but you can come in and wait."

It startled me when my wand floated out of the pocket of my jeans. It snapped to full size and flew into my fingers. It tingled with a familiar power and pulsed with something more.

I held it up and glared at it. "Look, wand. I am your mistress. You do not get to make magical decisions on your own."

In response, the wand pulsed with magic, and I felt it touch every part of me. It changed my jeans and t-shirt into a long gray dress with a buttoned pinafore over it and a hat that refused to come off when I attempted to remove it.

I looked down at myself. "These are the ugliest clothes in the world." Raising my gaze, I glared at the fairy. "Is this some sort of joke?"

"I am no innocent, but I swear on the ancients of my kind that I did no magic on you, Mistress."

I held up my rebellious wand. "What in holy hell do you think you're doing?"

A thin beam of magic shot from the wand and landed in a single point of light on the broken boards of the porch. From that tiny spot of light, a visage grew. It was an older woman with silver-blonde hair dressed in the same clothes I was now wearing.

"Greetings, Innkeeper Selene. I am your advisor. Ask me questions, and I will answer."

"Okay. What in effing hell is going on?" I demanded.

"The house chose you to be the next innkeeper. You now have access to the magic of this place and the magic of our kind."

"My situation here is temporary. I don't own this place."

"When the fairy asked for sanctuary, you invited her in. You are willing to fight to protect her. You are concerned about her welfare and that you are not prepared. Truly, you are meant to be the innkeeper."

"No, I don't think so. I'm here because I committed a crime. This inn is my temporary prison for the next twenty-seven days, ten hours, and..."

I lifted my arm. Where once a watch lay, there was now a bracelet with tiny keys hanging off it like charms. I lifted the bracelet and looked at the ghost who was still lecturing me.

"What do the keys unlock?"

"Everything in the inn. After the last innkeeper died, the house put the furniture in storage."

I looked at the fairy, who had yet to look away from the projection. I looked at the transparent spirit myself. "So you live in my wand now?"

"I live in the wand when you are here. When you are not here, I enter the oblivion to wait. It is your choice to serve or not serve."

I looked down at my outfit. "It doesn't feel like I have a choice."

"The clothing is not a uniform. It is magical armor. The average time of it adjusting to a new innkeeper is approximately four hours."

"Why are you wearing it?"

"When I lived, I was the first of your kind. This is my Next Great Adventure."

"So you haunt innkeepers now."

"If necessary," she said. "I believe in tough love."

"Right," I said dryly, crossing my arms. It made her projected image jiggle. "I'm going to have a lot of questions later. Will you go away for now and come back later?"

"As you wish," she said. "My name is Jezel. Call out my name, shake the wand, and I will return."

The image disappeared. I tugged on the hat, but it wouldn't budge. I tried to unbutton the pinafore, also with no luck.

Sighing, I looked at the fairy. "We might as well go inside," I said. "Let me send your luggage up." I pointed my wand at her suitcases and sent them to her suite.

After gesturing with my hand and opening the door, I let her float by me into the hallway. Her golden transparent wings faded to a torn black with holes. She fell to her feet and struggled to stand.

"The house wiped away your illusion magic," I said, studying her torn wings. "Are you okay? Do you need a healer?"

"No. My wings will heal in time," she said. "I've been fighting for my life too much lately."

I gave up trying to get rid of the ugliest outfit in the world and walked into the dilapidated living room. I looked around with fresh eyes at the dinginess. Could I seriously ask her to wait in here?

Sighing, I pointed my wand at the fireplace.

"At times when life seems most dire,

Comfort comes from a cozy fire."

A small bunch of logs appeared in the grate and a fire quickly spread across them. I looked at the tired fairy. She needed a comfortable chair and some tea.

I pictured a small, comfortable chair with a table beside it for sitting next to the fire. I liked it so well that I created a duplicate on the other side.

I looked at the fairy. "May I get you some tea and perhaps something to eat?"

"Tea with honey sounds great. Food is not necessary. I ate before I got here."

I yanked on the dress again. It refused to loosen. My wand seemed stuck to my fingers. I didn't know what was happening. Whatever it was, I didn't like it. Yet based on how beat up the fairy looked, she'd had a much worse day than me.

"Sit by the fire and warm yourself. I'll make you some tea."

I put the kettle on to boil in the kitchen. Everything looked like it did when I was in it earlier. I dropped tea bags into two mugs, intending to make one for myself as well.

While I waited for the water to get hot, I jogged up the stairs in my long, gray skirt clutched in one hand so I wouldn't trip.

Finally, I entered the empty bedroom and glanced around. Carol had not delivered as promised.

I lifted the wand willingly and waved it around. I called my grandmother's bed, the new mattress, and enough bed clothes to change it several times.

The floor needed a rug but I didn't own one of those.

My bracelet jingled as I made my way back to the stairs. A closet door appeared and opened in the hallway. A light shone brightly from its depths.

Still carrying my wand in one hand, I ventured into the closet. There was an assortment of woolen rugs, rocking chairs, and footstools. There were also wooden chests and oil lamps.

I tapped the rug and pointed my wand toward the doorway. It slipped out from beneath the piles and floated out of the closet. I tapped two tables, two table lamps, and a rocking chair. I left the closet, walked back to the fairy's suite, and looked around. The rug was under the bed, and a rocker sat by the fireplace.

Chewing my lip, I figured I might as well see if there was a limit to this magical prank. I brought the fire from the living room upstairs. It put a cozy glow in the rooms. An hour from now, the suite would be toasty enough for a bath.

I moved the suitcases until the stack rested against a wall. The room looked as balanced and as right as I could make it on short notice.

I made my way down the stairs and back to the dilapidated living room. The fairy leaned back in the chair with her eyes closed. Her feet barely touched the floor.

When the teakettle whistled, I hustled from the living room to the kitchen. I filled the pot and put it on a cookie sheet next to a mug, a spoon, and a jar of honey. I'd baked cookies for Farley earlier, so I added a few of those to her makeshift tray.

I lifted the tea tray and walked to the living room.

"Hello," I said from the doorway. "Tea's ready, and so is your room. Follow me, please."

The weary fairy nodded and stood. "Upstairs?" she asked.

"Yes. Upstairs and to the right. The owner is in the middle of renovations." I started up, hoping I wouldn't trip on my long skirt and crush the fairy behind me when I fell.

"But you are not the owner. Wasn't what you told the ghost true?"

I didn't answer as I walked into her suite. I sat the makeshift tea tray on a giant stool by the fire. Had I moved that stool in here? I didn't remember choosing the stool. It was perfect, though.

I turned to the fairy, who was staring at the bed like she'd never seen one before. The poor thing looked terrible. I wondered what had traumatized her so greatly.

"Every word I told my transparent tormentor was true. This inn is my prison for the next twenty-seven or so days. Though I think this outfit is a bit much for the Baba Yaga to expect me to tolerate."

"Do you know the Great One well?"

"Yes. We're friends. Or we were. She put me here, and I'm not quite over being mad at her. By the way, my name is Selene—just Selene. What's your name?"

The fairy looked at me with startled eyes. "Peace," she whispered. "You can call me Peace . It is what my parents call me."

"I hope you get a chance to relax, Peace. You look like you could use a good night's rest. The owner let me down over the furniture. It was supposed to be delivered today, but it never showed. Since you came early, I had to improvise. That's my grandmother's vintage bed. I'm sure you'll find it comfortable. If you need anything else tonight, let me know."

"Did I interrupt your plans for the evening?" Peace asked.

"No, but I have a dinner date, and this innkeeper outfit is a mood killer."

Peace giggled a bit. "You are very entertaining. I wish we could be friends."

"I'm obviously not great with being friends since one of them put me here," I told her, thinking of the rift between Carol and me. "But I'm very good at being a badass witch when it comes to protecting people. Sleep well, Peace."

"I have not slept well in a very long time, Lady Innkeeper. I will not forget your kindness."

I stopped in her doorway and fisted a hand on my hip. "You watched me get these ugly clothes. And you heard the ghost proclaim what I was, whether I want to be that or not. So, sleep well, Peace. I'll see you in the morning."

I started out of her room and then stopped again. Sighing, I turned back. " Uh ... there's one more thing I should probably tell you about. If you wake up to a strip show in the backyard, don't worry. They're the construction workers I hired. Exotic dancing is their part-time job but they practice a lot and everywhere ."

For a moment, the fairy said nothing. Then she burst out in giggles. I stood there while she laughed because I needed to tell her I'd been serious. But she never stopped giggling.

When she waved me away, I left because she was the guest after all.

I was just the lady in the weird clothes magically charged with looking after her.