70. Mira

seventy

Mira

Six Months Later…

"Order up!" Sunder shouts from the griddle. Bobble rushes over, grabbing the fresh plates of eggs, toast, bacon, hashbrowns, and toast. Despite his bulky fae form, his feline grace never leaves him as he graciously balances five plates on his arms and serves them to a table of three older women nearby. I don't miss the batting eyelashes and lingering smiles as my beautiful mate piles plates before them.

I take another sip of my coffee, watching Sunder's back muscles pull and stretch as he works through the breakfast rush in our diner. Styled after a Waffle House, the bright yellow décor, painted by Callum's steady hands, contrasts nicely with the lush green forest outside.

After the nasty business in Valenfall, we couldn't escape the endless parade of thanks and groveling from the people. It was all too much, practically being worshipped.

So, we moved to the kingdom of Norvisia, a small town on rolling green hills and old stone walls separating livestock fields. We're close enough to the capital, Azuryn, to have all the luxuries we need, but far enough away to avoid any travelers from Valenfall who might recognize us. Callum makes frequent trips to the Great Library there, and Bobble volunteers at the free hospital a few days a week.

The stories of Yurghen beat us here, but the tales grew wilder and more unbelievable as the miles and days passed. As far as anyone here knows, the whole thing is one tall tale, and that's just the way we like it.

I jot down some ideas in my notebook. Who knew advertising wasn't a thing in Illuemera? I know almost nothing about it except what I gleaned from watching Mad Men three times, but I'm trying. It's trial and error.

Still, business is picking up. The locals are slowly coming to appreciate the butter drenched white toast seared to perfection under Sunder's watchful gaze and the waffles drenched in warm maple syrup, imported directly from Canada thanks to Tairyn's connections.

The bell on the door rings, and Lisa's smiling face greets me. I jump up to hug her, but Bobble beats me to it.

"Lisa, my love!" he bows, brushing a kiss on her knuckles.

I laugh and roll my eyes. He always did love her, even when the three of us would hang out on my old yellow couch back home. When he was still just a stray cat who chose me to take care of him.

I grab her in a hug as Bobble runs off to put in her usual order of hashbrown and sausage. "I saw the mail carrier leaving you another letter with a royal seal this morning on my way in," I note as we sit in a booth, trying to sound interested, but not too nosy. "The people around here are talking, you know. They think you're some human spy on the run whose captured the heart of poor King Cor'than."

Her smile lights up her face at the ridiculous rumor. Playfully I chide her, "If you don't write him back soon, I think he might march over here himself to make sure you're okay."

She rolls her eyes and brushes off the comment. I hold my tongue, trying to respect that she's not ready to discuss what, if anything, is between them. It's so hard though.

"Have you thought anymore about what you want to do?" I ask, afraid of the answer, but I'd understand. I have a whole new life here with our diner and the guys. This is everything I've ever wanted and more. But Lisa…

I'm not sure how happy she is, but she insists she wants to stay. "Not really. Just taking it a day at a time."

Through the large glass windows, I see Callum walk past the diner covered in mud, heading home for lunch from his studio. I laugh quietly to myself. What sort of experiment is he running today?

"Sorry to interrupt, but Tairyn has a question for you, Mira." Bobble tells me.

I excuse myself and make my way into the back office, where Tairyn spends all of his time. Sunder has basically forbidden him from showing his face in the front while customers are here, saying it scares them off. But I know Tairyn is happy as a clam, not having to interact with anyone else.

He sits in his desk chair pouring over a spreadsheet on a laptop. The sight is jarring in this medieval-esque village. Still, can't argue with the logic. Compute is strong.

"That idiot is way overpaying for vegetables," he tells me in way of greeting. He and Sunder might never see eye-to-eye, but at least we've gotten past most of the fights. "Look at this! He bought three times the tomatoes we actually used last month, and what happens to the excess?"

"It goes to rot," I intone playfully. This is the same argument they've had every month since we opened this restaurant. I lean over and kiss his cheek. "Thank you for keeping such a watchful eye over our expenditures, but it's not like we need to do that. We're not exactly hurting for money here, Tairyn."

Between the independent wealth Tairyn brought and the huge financial boon of gratitude from Cor'than, we could buy every business in this town and the five adjacent ones, too.

He pulls his eye from the screen, as if seeing me for the first time. A flirty smile flits across his devastatingly handsome face as he pulls me into his lap, my back pressing into his chest. He grips the hair at the nape of my neck tight, yanking my head back to yield for him until his warm breath washes over my face, sending fluttering desire into my core.

"You know I like to rub his nose in his failures, Pet," he says with a wicked grin. His hot lips graze my ear and I shudder, suddenly very aware of the powerful man behind me. "It's a pastime," he purrs, his voice a shadowy whisper that has my heart fluttering like a crazed bird in my chest.

He drops a lazy kiss on my neck and I gasp, craving more. "And you wonder why Sunder can't stand you."

His fingers brush across my cheek, and he grins broadly. "Doesn't matter what that brute thinks. You love me."

My heart flutters at his words. Maybe it's the arrogance or the utter certainty in his voice, but I lean into him, drawn by the sheer force of his charisma. And he's right. In this strange world, with its stranger circumstances, I do love him.

I love all of them, quirks and all. And this little life we've built together, even with the ups and downs that come with too many cooks in the kitchen, is absolutely perfect for me.