Page 14 of Her Dryad Dom

"Shh," I hushed her, cradling her trembling body against mine. "You were perfect, sweetheart. Absolutely perfect."

Chapter 7: Aspen

Iwoke up cradled in Dom's strong arms, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath. His serene face was a sharp contrast to the grumpy, surly demeanor he often displayed. I trailed my fingers over the rough bark of his cheek, marveling at the paradoxical tenderness of this powerful tree spirit.

"Two days left," I murmured, reflecting on our whirlwind of passion and intense emotions. Yes, we'd had a few disagreements, but that seemed inevitable between two dominant personalities.

My thoughts fell upon my backpack in the kitchen. I needed to save this town from corporate greed, but first, I had to find a way to break down the barrier isolating us from the outside world.

Careful not to disturb Dom, I slipped out of bed and tiptoed to my backpack. The floorboards creaked beneath me, but Dom didn't stir. I pulled out my laptop and paperwork, determined to find a solution as quickly as possible. We'd talked a lot over the last few days on what could help, but Dom didn't seem to know more than he'd already revealed.

Once that barrier is down, I could stop my client from seizing these lands. But what would it take to appease the town spirit? I glanced back at the bedroom. Dom appeared to still be a sleep. Ifelt a pang of guilt for sneaking away. But this was something I had to do. For him, for me, and for the people of Beastly Falls.

"Time is running out," I whispered to myself, opening the laptop and delving into the depths of legal documents and arcane lore stored there. Thankfully anything already downloaded on my laptop was accessible. Plus I had a mess of papers printed out. Sometimes I needed a tactile sensation to help with the thinking process.

I studied the documents spread across the kitchen table and on my laptop, feeling a growing sense of unease. I had what I needed to protect Beastly Falls legally, but there was still the matter of appeasing the town spirit. I glanced over my shoulder at the bedroom. Good, still asleep. Maybe he would stay that way.

I approached the landline connected to the mayor's office. My fingers trembled slightly as I pressed a random button. The phone rang twice before a sleepy, but bubbly female voice answered.

"Dom? How are things with Aspen? Have we got ourselves another human in Beastly Falls?"

It took me a moment to find my voice. "Actually, Mayor, this is Aspen."

"Ah, Aspen! Well, welcome to our little town," the mayor replied, her tone shifting from sleepy to alert, though still maintaining an air of authority. "My name is Sylvia Hassenfrau. Nice to finally meet you... as it were anyway. What can I help you with?"

"Mayor Haasenfrau, I've been trying to figure out how to break down the barrier and communicate with the outside world, so I can save the town lands from being seized. But I don't know what else is needed to appease the town spirit. Can you help me?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and for a moment, I worried that I'd overstepped. Finally, the mayor sighed. "Aspen, we've been trying to solve this puzzle for years, but so far, we haven't had any luck."

My heart sank, but I refused to let myself be discouraged. "But there must be something we can do, right? For the sake of everyone in Beastly Falls, humans and monsters alike."

"Keep searching, Aspen," the mayor advised. "We know it's tied to love, but we just haven't found the key yet."

"Mayor Haasenfrau, please," I implored, clutching the phone tightly in my hand. "I need to know about the curse. What happened? How did it come to be?"

"Please darling, call me Sylvia." Sylvia sighed, and her voice grew somber. "Very well, Aspen. I'll tell you."

I held my breath, waiting for the story to unfold. The silence stretched on, taut as a bowstring, before Sylvia finally spoke again.

"Beastly Falls is an old town," she began, her tone hushed and reverent. "As old as America itself. Monsters have always been drawn here, seeking refuge from the world outside. The town is alive, Aspen. It takes care of its residents, draws people in."

I could almost picture the vibrant, bustling town she described, with monsters and humans living side by side, their lives intertwined.

"Two decades ago, tragedy struck our peaceful haven," she continued. "A monster and a human fell in love, but their families couldn't accept their union. They turned the couple against each other, and both were ultimately lost to us."

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