Page 62 of Fire of the Fox

“Well, that’s depressing,” Dallas said with a frown.

I smirked at her and cocked an eyebrow.

She shrugged and said, “Hey! Let’s swing into that bookshop really quick. It just opened, and I want to see if they have anything good.”

Laughing, I followed her into the shop. I was thankful for the change in topic, plus I loved wasting time looking at books. Who didn’t?

A small bell chimed above the door as we entered. A beautiful woman with dark hair turned to welcome us. She had been placing books on a shelf when we came in, and a small dark-haired boy was holding onto her pants leg.

“Hello there!” she greeted with a bright smile. “Welcome to our shop!”

“Hi,” I grinned back.

Her round stomach showed she was far along with child, and based on how closely the small boy clung to her, I assumed he belonged to her as well. His bright blue eyes followed Dallas and me as we roamed the store. I gave him a friendly wave, at which he gasped before hiding behind his mother. She patted his head gently as the two of them went behind the counter.

“This book sounds good,” Dallas sang as she plucked one from the shelf. “I love a good romance, which is why I wish you’d get on with it already with Rune.”

Rolling my eyes, I glanced over the various titles on the shelves. There was a large variety to choose from, which was great. We didn’t have too many good bookstores around here. Maybe they had some on Fae?

“Raven, honey, where do you want this display?”

A man with jet-black hair emerged from the back of the store, carrying a metal stand. The woman, Raven, gave him a pointed look before flashing us an apologetic smile. “Kaden, we have customers,” she muttered to him between her teeth.

“Oops,” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, ladies. I hope you guys find some good books! If there’s a title we don’t have, let us know. We can order anything you want.”

“Thank you!” Dallas said. “That’s so awesome of you.”

Kaden gave his wife a peck on the cheek before retreating into the back once more.

Giving us another apologetic look, she said, “Sorry about that. We haven’t had too many customers yet since we just opened.”

“No problem,” I said with a dismissive wave.

Dallas practically hopped to the front counter with three books in her hand.

Raven scanned the titles and met Dallas’s smile with a matching one. “Angel romance stories, hmm?”

“Yes. I love stories like that.”

Raven laughed softly. “Me too.”

“Do you by chance have any books on folklore?” I glanced at Dallas. Not wanting to ask for books specifically on Fae since that may raise questions from her, I cleared my throat and added, “I’m doing a project on folklore for English and was looking for some good reference books. You know, something that has a variety.”

Raven paused, pursing her lips. “Hmm. I don’t think we have any on hand, but I can definitely order some in for you. Any specific titles you want?”

“No. Just whatever you find that has a good variety of stories in it.”

“Will do! I’ll look tonight and order some. Give me a week or two.”

We finished up our book purchases and waved to the woman and her son, promising to come back again soon. Only a few shops away, we found the perfect clothing boutique. After trying on a few items, I decided on a pair of dark jeans and a white top that was littered with flowers.

Dallas and I still had some time left, so we also stopped for coffee. Dallas continued to shower me with questions about Rune, and I managed to sneak in some questions about her and Rance. She got a spark in her eyes every time she talked about him, which I loved. It made me happy to see her so elated.

By the time we made it back to the dorm, it was 4:15. I put on my new outfit, curled my hair, and touched up my makeup. After I was done, I checked my phone for the time. It was three minutes until five, and since I knew Rune would be here at exactly five, I decided to make my way downstairs to wait for him outside. I practically oozed excitement, constantly readjusting my shirt or pulling my hair over my shoulder before tossing it back over, only to pull it forward again. It was hard to contain the intoxicating rush of nerves.

My feelings were becoming undeniable, but I had to fight it before Rune realized. While there had been some sort of spark for both of us recently, I didn’t know what inspired his.

Lust? Sexual frustration? Or maybe something real and new was developing for us both. I just didn’t have that answer yet.

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