Page 53 of These Fractured Bonds

Why was it so hard to get kissed around here?

Her frustration dissipated as they turned into the village center, and a mighty fire revealed itself; its flames reached high in the dark sky. Its heat emanated outward with ferocity, and a drop of sweat rolled down her face. She pulled at Leo.

“It’s hot. Can you remove the warming spell?”

“‘Course.”

With a wave of his hand, the sweltering heat cooled off until it was the cozy warmth of a fireplace, and she sighed. Crowds ebbed and flowed from the various stalls lining the edges of the plaza. A low platform where Fae performers danced was installed near the bonfire. Dressed even lighter than Leo with furs covering only their erroneous areas, they stomped, spun, and flipped all over the platform. But what held her attention was the magic. Every sharp movement came with a spark of silver light. It made them look like ethereal beings from another world.

Yareli frowned. Theywerefrom this world, she reminded herself.Shewas the outsider. It was hard to remember she wasn’t from Izmari, because most of her memories were fromher time here. Loneliness hit her then. She clung to the memory of her mom; she wanted to go home and be far, far from Tuom and his bigoted cronies. As if sensing the turn of her emotions, Leo bumped her shoulder. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

“If you think that’s impressive, wait until you see my performance.”

Her jaw dropped. “You’re performing?”

He shrugged. “Training to be a general had some perks. Come, let’s go check out the stalls.”

He let go of her hand, so she trailed behind, but she soon lost sight of him. She held onto her hat as she was jostled around in the crowd. Panic set in. There weresomany bodies pressing against hers—pushing past her—and she had no idea where to go. Then, as suddenly as he had disappeared, Leo reappeared. He hooked his arm around her waist and jerked her out of the crowd next to a small stall. He was laughing.

“It’s not funny.” She slapped his arm.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I forgot you’re short and that you would have trouble pushing your way through the crowd.”

She swatted at him again, but he dodged.

He grabbed her shoulders, forcibly turning her toward the stall’s contents. Any further scoldings died on her tongue. Reminiscent of the wolf Leo had gifted her a few weeks ago, wooden animal figures painted in dark, vibrant colors aligned the table’s surface. She picked up a navy blue bear and ran her thumb over it, enjoying its smoothness.

“Do you like it?” Leo asked.

She nodded but put it back down. She had no money.

“We’ll take this one.” He grabbed it, tossing a coin at the merchant. He handed it to her, and before she could say thank you, he was pulling her to the next stand.

The female merchant welcomed them with a smile. She gestured at her wares—tiny silver disks with an engraved image. Yareli looked at Leo for guidance.

He pointed his chin at them. “Pick one up.”

She narrowed her eyes at the amusement in his eyes, but chose one. She rolled the disk, a dolphin etched on it, in her palm. It buzzed, and she froze, watching as it unfurled into a smooth, oval disk that reminded her of a plate. She peered at its smooth surface, but only her reflection stared back at her. She turned away from it, her frown directed at Leo.

“Keep looking, or you might miss it.”

And sure enough, within a few seconds, a dolphin jumped; it dove into the opposite edge of the disk, disappearing into the silver pool. More dolphins arced across the plate until it finally stopped and shrank back to its original nickel size. Several words crossed her mind, but Yareli—wary of Leo buying her another thing—chose the simplest one.

“Wow.”

She put it down and hurried Leo to the next stall.

“You didn’t like it?” he asked.

“I did. But I don’t need one.”

“You’re allowed to want things, you know.”

She paused, rolling his words on her tongue.Had she denied herself of her desires? The thought hadn’t crossed her mind before, but it settled in her stomach like lead. While it would be slow to digest, part of it rang true. She was always unsure, always doing what seemed necessary. As a human, it was difficult to be in control in a magical world brewing with unrest. Even so, she didn’t want to suck the fun out of the evening. She shook her head.

“It’s not that. I appreciate the gifts, I do. I just don’t need one.”

He frowned at her, but he didn’t say anything else about it. Instead, he said, “It’s almost time for my performance. Let’s get you a good spot.”