Page 3 of Stalked By Seduction and Shadows

“Um, it’s on the house, miss,” the fruit merchant stuttered, looking down when I turned back to him, a shy smile on his lips.

He was handsome and close to my age, slightly older. I could read from him a goodness and purity that took me by surprise.

I cleared my throat, realizing I’d been grinning like a crazy person for no apparent reason as I fondled his fruit. “Thank you,” I said, my cheeks heating. I normally would’ve insisted on paying someone like him, but not anymore. Not now that I was saving up for my escape.

I’d never seen him here before. “Are you new to the market?”

His hazel eyes met mine, his floppy, honey blond hair falling to his forehead. He had that kindhearted, farmer look about him. I could see the future clearly before it even happened. He would drop to his knees and proposition me to have his babies, to live a quiet life on the farm where the emptiness inside of me would be left to fester and leak and grab and take him down with me.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

Manners. I liked that.

He shook his head, the movement too quick and jerky. “Well, no. My father usually mans this stall, but he’s getting older, you see. We’re from Spring Vale, so we don’t make it out here too often.”

“Let me pay you back for the peaches tonight,” I said, picking up a few more and placing them in my basket.

His brows shot up, and I bit back a grin. I shouldn’t have been toying with him like this, but I thought it was cute when his cheeks flushed the color of his cherry tomatoes. It sent a thrill through my veins that was electric and raw.

“I work at Noel’s, the local tavern,” I said slowly, as if I had not a clue about the insinuation I’d made. “I’ll make you a drink, free of charge.”

I watched as his racing heart steadied a few paces. “Oh, right, sure. Thank you. I’m Tanner,” he said quickly.

“Scarlett,” I said. “See you then.”

The satisfaction I got from his sweet dimpled smile and yearning puppy dog eyes was nearly enough to distract me from the confusing dichotomy of guilt and anticipation brewing in my stomach.

He nodded, and I turned away. The sun was a tad brighter, the smell of pastries a touch sweeter, and I clung to these simple pleasures instead of my sister’s cruel voice slithering around in my mind.

I pulled at the hem of my skirt.

Noel’s was busy tonight with so many merchants in town. I welcomed the excitement, even if it came at a cost. At least I’d be drowning in tips, bringing me ever closer to my freedom.

“Aren’t you an enticing little thing,” a man drawled from behind the bar.

With my back to him, I rolled my eyes, but when I turned around, I had a big fake smile plastered on my lips.

“Your eyes,” he exclaimed, clamping his hand drunkenly on the shoulder of the man next to him. Both were older and bearded, and I didn’t recognize them as locals. “I’ve never seen eyes so blue. Damn enchanting.”

Stacia, my manager, didn’t hide her eye roll. Like my only living family member, she didn’t care for me. Few women did.

Something dark attempted to escape from that cold void in the recesses of my mind. It tasted like dirt, rain, and loneliness on my tongue. I squashed it down.

“Thank you. What can I get you?” I asked.

Tips. Tips were the objective. It didn’t matter how the patrons stared, how they spoke to me, or how their wives or girlfriends felt about it. All that mattered was my survival. My future. And the future I owed Isabella too, for taking care of me all these years, even when she hated me.

An hour later, the tavern was filled to the brim. It was getting harder to avoid reaching hands, especially from the wealthier men. They always thought handing me exorbitant amounts of money meant they owned me, no longer a person but merely a collection of body parts. Their unrestrained desire was useful to my ends, but it was a volatile force. It wasn’t rare for Noel himself to have to come out of the back and throw men out the front door.

Jaxon strolled through the front, and I sighed in relief. He’d been my friend since we were kids. He was sort of my only friend.

He shook out his curly brown hair. His right ear was pierced with a silver stud, and he had a pack tattoo on his upper bicep.

Jaxon was coming with me. We were going to escape this decaying village and make it on our own. I grinned from ear to ear.

“Goddess, that smile,” a man said over the clatter of clinking drinks, uproarious laughter, and loud drunken chatter.

My eyes flitted around the crowded space, landing on the man from the fruit stand—Tanner. He grabbed a seat at an abandoned table for two against the wall. He watched me with those sweet hazel eyes, his captivation like a shot of witch elixir straight into my bloodstream. Unlike alcohol, elixir was magickal in origin. It was strong and highly pleasurable, and it hit humans the hardest. It was also known for its nasty comedown.

---