Page 4 of Fritillaria

“I have someone for you.” I tease, as Rosie hops into his arms with a giggle.

Finnegan doesn’t get much of an opportunity to respond before Rosie pulls him in for a kiss. Well, I guess that means I’m leaving them to it.

My hands hang by my side as I look around the room to see who I can hang with. Shit, I forgot my beer at the bar.

The event space at the label is like a small auditorium. Sometimes it’s a little overwhelming when you don’t know the people around you. Lights flash as the music thumps in my ears and I sway, losing my balance a little. Maybe I’m not too far from Rosie’s vibe.

A fresh scent, like dew and jasmine hits me, my mouth watering. My head flips around, looking for the source.

Like a glowing beacon, Matilda’s bright golden eyes catch the light, her horns gleaming as she dances.

Finally.

My tail is moving me, tearing a path across the space when a different, richer scent wafts around me. A decadent amber and rosewood, but it’s coming from the opposite direction.

I’m frozen. I have this deep and instinctual need to take Matilda in my arms. Rosewood is calling though, and it’s fleeting, almost entirely gone.

I need to know who my other mate is.

I know Matilda, I can come back to her. But who is this mysterious and alluring creature that is calling me?

Following the traces of my other mate’s scent, it leads me down a hallway past the bathroom and to some studio spaces.

The smell gets stronger, and I speed up, chasing down my fate.

Except then it’s gone. I shake my head, confused, until I realize where it went.

There’s a closed studio door in front of me, the bright red ‘occupied’ light glaring in the dimly lit hallway. I’m not sure how I missed that in my dazed rush.

That means they’re inside. My mate.

Do I knock? Do I creepily wait in the hallway and spy to see who it is? My heart is racing at the prospect of finding out who is behind that door.

It’s a studio, so my mate is probably a producer or an artist.

Shit, a fellow musician for a mate would be insanely fun. We could write songs together, or I could play their ideas on piano while they’re writing.

Raising my shaking fist, I knock on the door three times and wait.

The five seconds it takes for the door handle to push down and open are the longest five seconds of my life.

She’s breathtaking.

My heart stops completely as I’m enveloped by her heady amber scent.

Her hair is pulled up into a loose knot, some of the dark green strands falling loose around her heart shaped face. Depthless brown eyes take me in with an amused smirk on her plump lips.

An open hoop sits in her septum, piercings lining her ears and tattoos scattered across her arms and chest. She’s wearing a loose tank dress with tights, more tattoos barely visible through the sheer material.

I know her, but we’ve never met.

Ivy.

Chapter 5

Ivy

The party was annoying enough as it was, the thumping music reaching me in my studio down the hall. Clearly a place of work isn’t the ideal venue for it. Of course, I could have also worked from home, but I really did forget that this was happening tonight, and if I was dressed for it I totally would have attended.

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