Page 61 of Love & Heart Braking

Yearning Harmony

The boggart had designed and installed our Yearning Hearts sign years ago. She’d copied the looping typography but used yellows and oranges instead of purples and pinks this time. Hearts dotted the i’s on our other sign. This one had hearts above the i’s, too, but the hearts were formed by two clasping hands. Totally cute.

The world didn’t just need more love. It needed friendship too. We saw it all the time with descendants walking through our doors. Take Evania Vincori for example. When her heart was healing for all those years, friendship kept her above water. When she’d been filled with doubt about dating, a friend had whispered words of encouragement.

Friendship was a balm to our souls that rivaled love, one that carried us through love and between love. That kind of bond satisfied a primal part of our makeup in a way nothing else could. Deep down, we craved togetherness, and whether a person was naturally good at finding it or not, we all needed a community. And when we didn’t have it, a secret part of us despaired.

Without friends, I wouldn’t be here.

And now, with Soleil at my side, I’d ensure that my descendants’ hearts were cared for and nurtured on another level. Yearning Harmony may be the first friend dating agency in Nepos, but I was determined to see it take root and thrive.

After paying the boggarts, Soleil drew a small poster from her folder and stuck it to the front door.

Friendship is in your hands.

Yearning Harmony

OPENING SOON!

We smiled at each other, and some of my foul mood receded.

“Cerys Concordia,” a woman called.

My smile slipped away. A postwoman. Dammit, Vera. “Yes?”

“Parcel for you.”

A parcel? I tried not to feel relief when I didn’t spot Vera’s usual ribbon and parchment scroll. Don’t you dare hope, Cerys.

I tore off the top and peeked inside.

“I’m supposed to wait until you sign,” the postwoman said.

It was the contract.

That I refused to sign until Jaeke was in my hands.

A carriage careened past, and all three of us leaped out of the way. The vehicle barely paused, but the door was kicked open and a sack thrown out to land at my feet. The sack rolled, coming to a stop against the curb with a sickening crack.

A groan came from the sack, and my mouth dried. I dropped the parcel in my haste to run over there.

Soleil reached the large sack first, slashing through the tie with a talon, then ripping the burlap fabric in two.

An unconscious and very pale Jaeke flopped out.

The postwoman gasped. “There’s a person in there.”

“Jaeke,” I said, slapping his face lightly a few times.

The cupid cracked open swollen eyelids and licked his dry lips. His pupils were unfocused. “Cerys?”

The yearning in his voice sparked tears in my eyes. “We’ve got you now, Jaeke. We’re going to get you a healer.”

Tears ran from the corners of his eyes, creating treks through the dirt and dried blood covering his face—and, I assumed, his body. “It’s over?”

I pressed my trembling lips together. “You’re safe.”

He began to sob, and I sniffed hard.

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