Maddox eyed the muffins on the counter.
“Something more substantial than those,” I said with a snort. “You can have them after.”
He smirked, nuzzled my cheek with his nose, then stepped away. Briar kissed the side of my head before following him from the kitchen.
“What are you craving?” I asked Lake as I walked over to the pantry to browse the shelves. “Oh, maybe pork chops and brown rice? Does that sound good?”
“I should return to my cottage,” Lake answered.
“You’re not staying for dinner?” I asked, turning to him.
Lake looked at the stove, and his tail swished a few times. Funny how, like with Kuya, I’d started to learn to read his tail movements too. It wasn’t an excited wag this time; the little swishes came from him thinking. “As delicious as your cooking is, I’ve been away from home for too long.”
“Oh.” It would be selfish of me to ask him to stay. He had his own home, a place where he could unwind and let his guard down. My cottage wasn’t a place he could truly feel at ease yet. I forced a smile and pretended like it was no big deal. “I understand.”
“Do you?” Uncertainty flashed in his eyes. “I don’t want to upset—” A sudden growl cut off his words, and he snapped his head toward the archway. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of me, one arm around my waist and a snarl on his lips.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, heartrate skyrocketing.
“The café closed, didn’t it?”
“Yeah. Why?”
Lake regarded me. “Someone’s in the dining room.”
Chapter Ten
An Unexpected Visitor
“Good evening,” Lupin greeted me as I stepped into the bar area. He sat on a barstool. Pale blond bangs brushed the top of his brow, and his lips curved in a smile. “Lovely to see you again.”
My response snagged in my throat. Why was he here? Just to check on me, or was something wrong? Lake was out of sight but still close by. Watching. Listening. Making sure I was okay.
“You look awfully pale,” Lupin said. “Perhaps you should sit for a moment.”
“Why are you here?”
Lupin motioned to the room. “I heard this is the best place in Bremloc to grab a cup of coffee. Unfortunately, I seem to be too late. You’re closed for the day.” He tilted his head to the side. “Unless you can make an exception just this once?”
“S-Sure. What would you like?”
“A cup of coffee. Black. And perhaps a blueberry muffin?”
In a sort of daze, I nodded and returned to the kitchen. Lake waited for me, concern crinkling his brow.
“He was right,” Lake said, his gaze flickering across my face. “You’re very pale. Who is he?”
“An… acquaintance. I didn’t expect to see him again.” I exhaled and went over to the coffee machine. My hand shook as I prepared a cup, my mind spinning with reasons why Lupin could be there. None of them good.
Maybe the magic that had brought me to that world wasn’t permanent after all, and he’d come to tell me I had to leave.
My heart dropped into my stomach. Just like the cup I’d grabbed for the coffee dropped to the counter, the handle breaking off. I stared at the chips of glass as dread washed over me, enclosing my sternum in a tight squeeze.
“Evan?” Maddox asked, entering the kitchen from the doorway leading in from the hall. His black hair was damp from his bath, and he wore loose-fitting pants that reminded me of cotton pj’s. No shirt. His gaze fell to the broken cup, and he grabbed my hands to check them. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay.” The shake in my voice sounded anything but. “I’m just…” Tears welled in my eyes. “Clumsy, as usual.”
As he stared at me, holding my hands so gently in his, my tears spilled over. Subconsciously, I had worried everything was too good to be true, that the overwhelming happiness I’d found would be ripped away from me. Lupin’s presence drove all of those feelings home, slamming into every vulnerable place inside my chest and tearing it apart.
