Page 22 of Finn's Solace

Oh my God. Why would he do something like that?

"I'm sorry."

"Why? It was sweet," Levi said with a chuckle. "Don't worry—I'm not planning to take him up on that invite, not until it's you inviting me."

"Thanks," I mumbled as my cheeks heated up. I'd known my parents were meddlesome, but I still hadn't been expecting that.

I wondered what Dad thought of Levi. He must've liked him, or he would've said something to me. Right?

"We're here," I said, and Levi peered out the window at the squat building in front of us. A wooden sign hung over the door, newly painted with just a hint of magic protecting it from damage.

"The Happy Place," Levi read under his breath, and I nodded, then got out of the car as he did the same.

I'd asked Rebba if I could hang out for a while with a friend, and she'd said yes. The residents were always looking for new people to hang out with, so she didn't mind.

Levi joined me at the bottom of the stairs with Greta on his shoulder, and I debated for a long moment before brushing the back of my hand against his.

He glanced down at our hands, smiled, and then slid his fingers between mine, clasping my hand.

I barely stopped myself from sucking in a breath or tightening my grip around his hand. Instead, I swallowed hard and led him into the shelter.

"Oh wow," Levi murmured as soon as he realized what the place was.

"I thought we could play with the animals for a while. Silly?"

"Are you kidding? It's perfect!" Levi exclaimed, and I smiled. I'd figured he might enjoy it considering he was an earth mage—Amelia spent most of her free time here when she was home—but it felt good to hear it.

"Hey, Finn. You must be Levi," Rebba said as she came out of the back room, and I smiled.

"Thanks for letting us hang out, Rebba. Levi, this is Rebba, the owner of this place, and the alpha of the Mistvale shifter pack."

"It's nice to meet you, Rebba," Levi said with a dip of his head, and she smiled.

Rebba was a tall, broad-shouldered woman with tan skin and long, black hair in braids. She was one of the kindest women I'd ever met.

"You guys can stay as long as you want and play with any of the animals in the back room. Just make sure to read theircharts so you know who shouldn't be around whom, okay? I don't want to clean up a bloodbath."

"She's joking," I assured Levi, and Rebba made a "Hmph!" sound, making me wince. Was she trying to scare him off?

"It's okay. We'll be careful."

"I like you," Rebba said, making Levi smile wider, and I sighed. I'd surely be reading about this in the chat group later.

Once Rebba left us alone, we visited the animals one by one. They were mostly dogs and cats, but there were also a few cages with birds inside, and one with rabbits. One even had a raccoon, whose chart told us he'd been found with a broken leg near the road that led out of town.

After carefully selecting a few dogs who seemed to get along with each other, we took them back to the playroom and spent the next thirty minutes playing with them while Greta held most of their attention as she raced around the room trying to avoid them.

Levi assured me she was just having fun and not actually afraid, and we played with the dogs that seemed a little less interested in chasing the skunk and more interested in getting belly rubs.

It was easy, relaxed, and exactly the kind of date I'd hoped for.

Levi

After the dogs came the cats, who were more interested in cuddling us and chasing each other than the toys.

Watching Finn with the cats made my chest go all fuzzy. He had a big smile on his face the whole time he petted the long-haired calico that had claimed his lap, and I sneakily took a picture of him because I just couldn't resist. He looked so sweet and happy.

Once the cats were all played out, we returned them to their kennels so they could have some food and water.

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