Page 2 of Misbehaving With Minotaurs
“Thank you, Annabelle.” I grab the pan and toss the perfectly cooked veggies in a bowl. The black cat timer turns to watch me as I carry the bowl through a small butler’s pantry and into the formal dining room. My guests are beginning to arrive, and I greet each monster, answering a few questions as they begin to dig into the buffet.
The breakfast hours are a blur while I constantly refill the buffet and clean up as my guests make a bit of a mess. It’s not until the last guest leaves that I return to the kitchen and sit at the island for a moment.
Around me, the Annabelle feels happy. I sense her the way Ialways have—she’s like a warm hug, constantly there, a friend by my side. I’ve often wondered if this is how shifter mate bonds feel, that innate and deep sense ofknowingabout another being. Because I swear I can think something, and Annabelle seems to know.
I glance up at the beautiful coffered ceiling. “I’m headed to a meeting with town leadership, darling. Arkan thinks it’s time to expand Downtown Ever. Most of the businesses are stretched past capacity, as are we. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Annabelle groans her assent, the floorboards creaking beneath my feet.
I rise and go to the fridge, grabbing a filtered water bottle. “I suppose we’d have to expand into the rose garden because I don’t really want to stack a bunch more stories on top of you.”
Around me, she stills. The only sound is the steady tick-tock of the wall clock. I look around the kitchen while Annabelle thinks. We’d need to bump out this space to give it more industrial size, and we’d cut into the rose garden a bit. But it’s an easy enough fix. Now, if we wanted more rooms, we’d have to add on another story, because there’s not enough space in my backyard to expand that way. Although, to be honest, I’m already a bit busier than I’d like to be. If anything, I want fewer rooms, not more.
Just last night, I was sitting in the front living room reading when a stream of guests came in asking for help with various things. I never did get back to my book after taking care of them. Silence is a blessed gift these days, and I find myself craving it more and more. Considering room expansion makes my nose scrunch in dismay.
The cat timer hops around the back of the stove and to the far end of the countertop. Scrunching down, it executes a leap onto the window ledge, spinning to face the backyard rose garden. Like always, it’s a perfect sixty-five degrees outside—a weather pattern I chose when I helped design Ever all thosecenturies ago—and the rose bushes sway gently, their blooms beautifully vibrant year-round.
The timer spins slowly to face me as the window behind it opens, allowing the breeze in. It brushes over my face, rustling pale gray waves over my eyes. Shoving my hair out of the way, I stare at the gorgeous rose garden behind the inn, musing about what it would be like to finally grow the Annabelle Inn…and if I even want that.
Realistically, Annabelle might be my heart building and best friend, but she was always meant to be my retirement hobby. It’s turned into nights and weekends and the need for a helper I just can’t bring myself to hire. It’s never felt right to add another monster to our mix, but as two separate guests appear in the kitchen doorway, I consider that it might be time now.
Smiling broadly, I greet them.
No rest for the weary.
“So, thrall attacks and warlocks and revenants don’t seem to be deterring anyone from moving to Ever. Have you all noticed?”
Town Hall clacks her ceiling tiles in agreement with Ever’s Keeper, Arkan. The big centaur crosses his muscular arms over his chest as he swishes his tail lazily against his black-coated sides. He looks around at us with glittering blue eyes. The rest of us are seated, but the handsome young centaur prefers to remain standing during haven leadership meetings. He walks circles around our table sometimes, and it’s very distracting to me, but he’s an excellent Keeper. Much like a human mayor, if monsters had such a thing.
Alo Rygold, one of two gargoyles from the town’s protector team, leans back with a wry look on his handsome, angular features. “Hopefully, Ever’s manycharmsare the main draw?Although, to be honest, having a blue witch living in town is probably pulling monsters here too. There’s not a single other blue witch living within the haven system, and Lou is so damn strong. Ever’s gotta be the safest possible place in the entire world for a monster to live at this point.”
Arkan nods, making eye contact with each of us in turn. I’d almost laugh at how focused he is—young people can be so intense—but we need that excitement.
“Since the opening of the Grand Portal Station at Hearth HQ haven, we’re drawing in an average of twenty new residents per month. The wraith motel and Annabelle Inn are constantly full. Homes keep popping up to accommodate the new Evertons. I’ve got five requests to call humans here from the outside world via the town map. And our businesses are…well…” He glances at Ohken Stonesmith, the troll owner of our singular general store and Fleur, the flower shop. “Ohken, you’re busy. Too busy. Tell me I’m wrong.”
Ohken sighs around the big tusks that stick up from his lower jaw. “I never thought the day would come when I’d need more help or have to consider expanding the General Store, but I am. Wren and I talked about hiring an architect to design a second floor, but I haven’t bitten the bullet yet. I’m not getting nearly enough time at home with her, and that’s a problem for me.”
I smile. I had the privilege of watching him fall in love with Wren Hector. And I watched her triplet sisters and their young aunt, the blue witch, all fall in love, too. Ever’s been awash with love stories in these last few months.
That almost makes my smile fall. I’ve been working on my own love story.
It’s not going well.
I risk a glance at Arkan’s father, Vikand, who rests comfortably on a long centaur bench by his son’s side. Like always, the brilliant centaur appears lost in thought, arms crossed over hisbroad chest and pale eyes glazed. Arkan says something, but Vikand looks across the table at me. A soft smile tips his black lips upward.
Even from here, my succubus senses are strong enough to pick up a wash of pheromones from him. He’s always found me attractive, but he’s quiet, shy, bookish to the extreme. I’ve been pursuing him slowly, certain he’ll never make the first move. I return the half smile. After this meeting, I’m asking him out.
When he glances away from me and up at his son, who’s still talking, I shove that thought away. I need to focus because this meeting is important to Ever’s future.
Arkan barrels on, thankfully oblivious to my temporary inattention.
“I want to get ahead of the growth because I believe what we’ve seen so far is just a trickle. Now that it’s easier to come to Ever, I predict our tourism will grow by leaps and bounds. We need more restaurants and inns. Actually…” his voice trails off as he sinks down onto his forelegs, pointing at a rolled-up tube of paper on the giant round table in front of us.
“This is a set of old plans from a very long time ago when Ever was created. It wasn’t the final design, obviously, but some elements could be reused now. Town Hall provided these to me when I spoke with her about potential expansion.” He looks around the table with a smile. “She’s on board, by the way, excited even.”
I’ve seen these plans. I know what he’s going to show us before he unrolls them. I was there when the various options were originally designed. But it’s still fun when he rolls the paper flat and sets paperweights at each corner.
“There,” he says, pointing to a street at the far end of Main, just before the Historical Society and Town Hall. “The reason there’s currently the grassy area between the last shops on either side of Main and Town Hall is because there was always meant to be another cross street there. We need it now. And Ineed to be courting business folks from other havens to open locations here. Restaurants, coffee shops, gift shops.” He glances at me. “Probably inns, too.”
