Chapter 12

Katie

The roaring bonfire reached up into the night sky, the orange glow illuminating the faces of the people who had either come to add something to the flames, or were simply hanging out. Sparks lifted up into the air, carried away in the light breeze and adding to the atmosphere.

Over on the other side, a group of sound mages were making music that could be heard under the chatter of everyone around. Many of the younger members of the settlement would come out to the weekly bonfire to spend time with friends, have a drink, and just enjoy the atmosphere. It wasn't a particularly exciting event, but I always loved it, especially when it was cold and dry like this.

I got to the front of the brewer's queue and handed over a couple of coins. He handed me a tankard in return, overflowing with pale ale. I took a sip before moving away, so I didn't waste anything going over the rim. It was cold and refreshing, a perfect way to end the day. Though I also wouldn't have been opposed to a hot drink, but with the merchant not having visited yet, everyone was running a bit short on tea, and what we had left was being rationed for use in the infirmary. It was much more important to keep the settlement in good health than it was to have tea at a social event.

I headed back towards the fire, looking out for my friends so I could know where to sit. Though that was a lie. I was mostly looking for Brew. He'd told me he was coming, but I hadn't seen him yet and there was more than a small part of me that was desperate for that to change. Maybe I should have been clearer about what I wanted when I was at the infirmary earlier rather than trying to be subtle. He deserved better than that, especially after he'd been so honest with me when it came to his feelings.

This was far more complicated than I'd expected it to be. Then again, I hadn't given much thought to what it would mean to have a relationship with Brew.

I took a shaky breath. It seemed that my mind had gone from basic interest to something serious in a matter of days, and I wasn't sure what to do with that.

Thankfully, I spotted Carly over by the fire with one of her brothers and started to make my way over, only to realise that the discussion was of the heated variety and didn't seem to be going very well. It was only when I was a few feet away that it took a real turn, and Gus got to his feet and stormed off.

I grimaced. It seemed like things weren't going much better with him.

"Mind if I sat?" I asked.

Carly looked up and gave me a weak smile. "Sure."

"Everything alright? I saw...whatever that was with Gus." I waved in the direction the goose ward had stormed off in.

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I tried to convince him to stay again, but he's made up his mind. He's leaving for the Nest tomorrow."

"I'm sorry." I gave her arm an encouraging squeeze and held out my tankard. "Here."

"You're sweet." She took a big swig from my beer and sighed. "I wish I could stop him but he's a grown man. It's only fair that he's allowed to make his way in the world. I just worry about him. You know Gus, he's too trusting, and he's got a heart of gold. I don't want him to get taken advantage of. But I also can't tell him that because he'll be insulted."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." It was an empty reassurance because I knew nothing about where he was going, and I didn't actually know Gus all that well, but it came from a good place.

Carly nodded and shot me a pained smile. "I should go apologise. If he's leaving soon, I don't want to part ways on bad terms."

"That's a good idea."

"You're going to be all right without me?" She handed back my tankard.

"I'll be fine. Go talk to Gus."

"Thanks, you're a good friend, Kat." She got to her feet, a surprised expression on her face when she locked eyes on someone. Maybe Gus had come back on his own. "I see why you're going to be all right now," she joked.

I twisted around to follow where she was looking, my gaze landing on Brew.

He raised his tankard in my direction, causing my heart to flutter like a fickle leaf in the wind and my feet acted on their own accord, carrying me to the man who was making me feel all sorts of unexpected things.

At least Carly had a mission of her own to go on, so I didn't feel too guilty about the fact I was leaving her on her own.

The fire only illuminated one side of Brew's face and made his jaw look even sharper than it already was. The glow of the flames was bringing out the red in his curls which were flattened for once instead of sticking up all over the place. I could tell he'd made an effort, but it did make him look a little less Brew.

"Hey," I said, pausing a few steps still between us, though it was harder not to close the distance than I expected it to be. "Your hair is different."

He reached up, touching it gingerly. "I tried to make it neat. Did it work?"

"Sort of." I stepped forward, very aware of the heat radiating from him now that we were closer together. I reached up and brushed a rebellious strand on his forehead out of the way. "There, now it's neat." My words came out as more of a whisper than I wanted them to.

For a moment, the firelight made it seem as if Brew was blushing, but he hid it behind his tankard. "How's Oliver's neck?"

"My dumb brother is fine." I sighed in exasperation. "I don't know what he was thinking, letting Howie land on his head. He's going to give wards a bad name."

That made Brew chuckle. "No, never. Everyone knows how awesome you and Banjo are. Speaking of, where is he? I have treats in my pocket that won't eat themselves."

"He's at home, he's not the smartest when it comes to staying safe when the fire's going." And there was a part of me that didn't want to be distracted while getting to the bottom of whatever it was lingering between the two of us. "Why do you always have treats in your pockets? Do you love jerky that much?"

"Oh. No, I carry them around for Banjo." This time, Brew was definitely blushing. "I told you, he's my favourite familiar. I want him to like me."

My breath caught in my throat. Of all the reasons I'd ever considered for the amount of jerky Brew carried around in his pocket, I'd never once thought that he was doing it because of my dog.

Because of me .

I didn't think I'd ever heard of anything more endearing. No wonder my heart was racing whenever Brew looked at me, he'd been showing me how much he cared in dozens of small ways that I'd never even noticed, and not expecting anything in return. I suspected that if he hadn't confessed to me outside the tavern, and I hadn't asked him what he'd meant, I could have gone my whole life without knowing about whatever this was between us.

It was a miracle that I'd never been affected by him before, because now that I was caught by his charm, I couldn't look at him without picturing him in ways I'd never seen him before.

Or maybe I was finally really looking at him and not the face he showed the world.

I touched his arm, an intense feeling crossing over me at the contact. Had I truly been this blind to everything between us? "The fire is getting a bit big. Want to go for a walk?"

He nodded. "Sure, lead the way."

We made our way past the brewer's stand so we could drop our tankards into the empties bin he provided. He'd take them home to wash before the next even, but only if everyone returned them like they were supposed to.

I gestured in the vague direction of the farm, not that it really mattered to me where we were walking. This wasn't about going anywhere specific, I just needed to get away from everyone we knew and the chance that someone was going to start asking us questions about what we were to one another before we got a chance to work it out ourselves.

And that was especially true considering that our families wouldn't be best pleased. They were always telling us about the careful balance between the four families who kept Purple Oak running, and how we couldn't do anything to upset that balance. But then again, if they didn't want us to develop feelings for one another, then they shouldn't expect us to spend so much time together. It wasn't even like Brew and I would be the first. Reese and Taz had a brief courtship a few years back that never went anywhere.

We strolled into the night, leaving the chatter and crowd behind us. I instantly felt the chill of the night without the bonfire's heat and Brew wrapped his scarf around me without saying anything.

"You're going to get cold," I said.

"Worth it," he returned, looking at me with that longing glint in his eyes again.

My stomach flip-flopped and I slipped my arm through his, bringing us closer together. "There. I'll share some of my warmth."

It was such a lame excuse but Brew looked pleased in a way I'd never seen before. I never doubted that he was genuine about his feelings but it was different experiencing it first-hand. And realising that this was nothing like the way he was when he was charming the other residents.

I breathed out. I was going to have to face this head-on if I was going to untangle the complicated web of feelings within me. "Brew? Why do you like me?"

He let out a soft hum. "I like everything about you. I admire how you worked through your parents' deaths, and how close you are with your brother. I like how much you love Banjo, and how you deal with the problems of the occupants of your land. You're responsible, but you always have time for a bit of mischief. And you're confident. You'd never let anyone stand in the way of what you thought was right."

That was a much deeper answer than I expected. I thought he would say something lame about liking my eyes or my smile, something typical for a man trying to charm a woman.

Brew pulled me a little closer to him. "And I like your smile."

I snorted. "Of course, you do. I have a great smile."

He stopped in his tracks, his face illuminated by the silver moonlight. "You do. You're beautiful, Katie. Inside and out."

My heartbeat quickened and I wasn't even upset about it. The charm of Rooibos Brewster was too much even for me, and there was no reason to resist. Not when he was looking at me with such devotion.

I took a step closer to him and touched his chest. "If you're going to keep saying such sweet things, I might kiss you."

His lopsided grin brought a sparkle to his eyes and he bridged the gap with that signature confidence of his, not once wavering or hesitating.

But I supposed there was nothing to waver about. I was giving him signals loud and clear that I wanted this.

My eyes fluttered closed as his lips met mine. Everything around me became about Brew. His warmth and smell enveloped me, all grassy and sweet, and it made my head spin in the best way.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. His hand landed on the small of my back, pulling me tighter against him so that warmth spread through me that was nothing to do with the temperature outside.

I broke the kiss and looked into his eyes, seeing a lot of the same things I was feeling reflected back at me. I didn't say anything, I merely leaned in and kissed him again, eager for more.

This was better than I could ever have imagined, and I was going to savour every moment.