Page 22 of House of Ruin
“You are adorable,” she said, pinching his nose.
Immediately, Andro slapped her hand away. “Miss Black, I thought you out of everyone would know better than to touch someone else’s face,” Andro complained, rather dramatically bringing a palm over his heart. Alecto pretended to be shocked as she covered her mouth with her hand and widened her eyes. “This glowing skin is not genetics, honey. It’s all hard work. Wouldn’t want to ruin it with all those germs. Especially knowing where those hands of yours were…” Andro cocked a brow.
“Fuck you.” Alecto scoffed, rolling her eyes.
She should have known Andro wouldn’t ever let it go now, not after seeing her straddle Blaze in a way that was anythingbutfriendly.
Right then, their carriage stopped, the door swinging open to Holland Avenue in the middle of the Upper West Side. When Alecto stepped outside, she was greeted by a massive gust of wind, getting her hair all in her face, a tangled mess.
“Son of a bitch,” Alecto cursed, trying to get her hair under control despite the raging wind around them. “I hate this time of year in Avalon Hills.”
“Yeah.” Andro nodded, following Alecto down the street. “It’s a fucking disaster with that wind.”
Andro barely managed to lift a hand to cover his face before a piece of tattered paper hit him in the face.
“Now, if that would have touched your face…” Alecto teased.
Andro only laughed as he threw the paper into a bin they passed.
Holland Avenue was the one place where one would go shopping if they ever visited Avalon Hills. And this time of the year, when most witches were getting ready for Yule, it was Hel.
Andro interlaced their fingers, keeping Alecto close because the stream of people going both ways was intense. Some people were clearly rushing home after work, but the majority were shoppers and probably tourists, all admiring the elaborate displays in the store windows.
There were light orbs floating around, glowing different colors—from white, to gold, to green and red.
Some displays had massive pine trees decorated with pine cones, silver stars, and moons, while others opted for a simpler style, having decorated with rosemary bushes, garlands of bird feathers, and frosted ivies lining the windowsills.
It was definitely cozy, and Alecto wished she could stop and gawk at those beautiful displays for hours, taking in each detail, smelling the air that had a gentle tinge of cinnamon and nutmeg with the edge of frost.
“Oh, there’s no queue!” Andro almost jumped out of his skin as they reached a small curiosity shop at the corner of the avenue.
Its white eight-panel windows were decorated with dried red berries and ivy wreaths, and over the entrance, there were golden birch trees, seemingly growing out of the concrete sidewalk.
Andro held the door open for Alecto, and she sent him an air kiss as she entered the shop, the warm air filled with the scent of cloves and elderberry wine making Alecto’s cold cheeks burn.
She rubbed her hands together, looking around the shop that looked deceptively small from the outside but stretched for miles inside.
“Good evening,” a gnome with red-as-apples cheeks greeted them, smiling widely. “Is there anything you’re looking for that I can help you find?”
Alecto forced a smile, nodding. “Yes, that would be great. I need a new set of bones of the First Ones. Lost mine.”
There hadn’t been time to get back to Avalon Hills after the incident by Blood Lake, when Gabe and Alejandro took Alecto’s bones away.
The curriculum was packed, like the end of every trimester, and Alecto was grateful that she didn’t rely on her magic too much in her day-to-day life, so she barely missed her bones.
“Wonderful. Let me get them for you,” the gnome chirped, clasping his small palms together. He then turned and gestured towards the small lounge area next to the window that opened to the street. “Why don’t you sit down while you wait?”
Without waiting for the gnome to disappear, Andro took Alecto’s hand and dragged her after him to one of the sofas. The moment their butts hit the soft emerald-colored velvet, a fire sprite whizzed to them, two glasses of bubbly wine in hand.
“Please, get comfortable.” She smiled, her red-and-orange fiery wings flapping dangerously close to all the flammable things around—the heavy velvet curtains draped around the window, the couches, and the wreaths hanging above their heads. “It might take some time, which is unfortunate. But this the Yule season, and we’re already extremely busy.”
Andro took the glass, sipping the drink as he waved a hand. “Keep this coming and we won’t mind the wait, honey.” He shot the fae a wink, and she hurried away with a flirty chuckle.
“Aren’t you a charmer?” Alecto teased, sipping on her drink. It was bitter and she hated the taste. But who wasted free alcohol?
“Don’t be jealous.” Andro smirked, his eyes scanning the shop that was, indeed, filled with people looking around the shelves stacked in neat lines. “Maybe I should get something new as well. As a gift for myself.”
Alecto chuckled, patting his thigh. “Maybe you should. Or maybe you want to get something for your new boy toy.”
