Chapter 49

Renee

I made it to the coffee shop before I crumpled.

Not literally—I didn’t drop or burst into tears. But something inside me gave out the moment I got in line and the scent of espresso wrapped around me like a blanket. The scent of it was strong enough to block out everything else. My hands were still trembling, and my jaw ached from how tightly I’d been clenching it since that creep tried to corner me. My guard lingered just inside the doors, scanning the space like we were in a war zone.

I just wanted a damn latte. With at least three shots of espresso.

Then, a different scent mingled with the coffee. Warm, rich, dark, kind of woodsy with a hint of smoke and something sweet. I thought it might be someone's drink until I heard his voice.

“Renee?”

I turned at the sound of my name and almost sagged in relief. It was Neil. That was his scent and it took everything in me not to get closer and lean into his chest, letting his scent shelter me from the insanity.

He looked at me carefully, eyes narrowing. “You okay? Those are…" He lowered his voice. "Migraine?"

I nodded. "It's not that bad. I'll… be okay,” I muttered. Then I cleared my throat. “Just—long day.”

He didn’t push, which I appreciated. Instead, he smiled and held up a brown paper bag.

“Peace offering from my mom,” he said. “She made too much pasta and insisted I bring you some, since she remembers how much you love diavolo. Extra steak? There’s fruit too, and a few loaves of her garlic bread. She made me promise to at least offer you some. You could sit, and I grab us coffee? You look like you could use a bit a rest?"

I blinked at the bag, then at him. “That’s… really sweet. But I don’t think I can—”

My guard stepped in before I could finish, raising a hand. “She can’t accept food from unknown sources.”

"Oh, that's not---"

Neil didn’t flinch. “Fair, given everything. Would you… I mean is taste testing okay?” he asked calmly. "It's pasta and breadsticks… chopped fruit."

"That's really not--"

"Yes, Lord Blackfang. Lady Mountainhowl has advised us to make an exception for you, given your relationship with Ms. Mountainhowl."

I blinked. My face heating at the insinuation. He smiled, clearly pleased, and opened the bag right there in front of both of us. Opening containers and pulling out a fork. Then, he proceed to take a bite of every container. The pasta smelled so good my mouth watered and I was almost certain that my migraine was starting to fade. He worked his way through the cut fruit, the breadsticks and the cookies too, one bit at a time. I almost laughed, though I was incredibly touched that he didn't even seem bothered by the insinuation. Some of the tightness in my chest loosened a little.

“She’s not trying to poison anyone,” Neil added with a wink. “Unless you count excessive kindness and portion sizes.”

My guard—ever professional—studied him for a long moment, then gave a single nod and stepped back to his post, satisfied.

Neil offered the bag to me again. “Now you have no excuse not to take it and sit. Anything in particular you want?”

I took it, the warmth from the bag seeping into my fingers. “Thank you,” I said quietly. “Really… but I'm feeling better for now.”

He eyed me. "Fine. I suppose I'll let it go this once.

We moved up in line together, the scent of cinnamon and espresso mingling with his scent and the lingering scent of pasta. I swore that his scent was getting stronger, pushing the chaos of earlier to the edges of my mind. I didn’t know if I could call it peace, but it was something like it. And I didn’t realize how badly I needed it until my shoulders started to slump, and exhaustion started to pull on me.

"Go sit," he said with a soft nudge. "Somewhere away from the windows, maybe?"

I pouted. "But my coffee…"

"I promise I can afford your very tall cup of espresso. Cream and hazelnut syrup, right?"

My face heated. I nodded and he shooed me off. "I'll find you. Might even grab a muffin for you, hm?"

I ducked my head and nodded with a soft murmur of thanks and shuffled off to find a seat. I found a seat that wasn't too far away, under the shadow of the trees that made up the courtyard's atrium and started pulling out containers. I started with the pasta, sighing softly as the pain in my head started to unwind. It wasn't completely gone, but any improvement was good enough for me.

He came bearing a tray . "No poppy seed, but there was chocolate somehow. Probably for the best."

I let out a breath as set the tray down and unloaded everything. He slipped the tray on the return rack and came back to sit with me, my bodyguard just barely out of direct sight.

“Sorry again for the drama earlier,” I said, rubbing my temples. “This isn’t exactly how I imagined my semester going.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” he said, leaning in with concern. “I’m just glad you’re okay. And that creep got arrested before you had to lay him out.”

I let out a dry laugh. “My bodyguard beat me to it… not that I was very confident in my ability to lay any one out.”

"I saw the damage you did to those jerks of Brightclaw. Don't underestimate yourself. Goddess forbid you get some training…" He smiled, then tilted his head, studying me again. “How's the migraine?"

“Better,” I muttered. “It’s better than it's been all day honestly."

“I don't miss them. Wore black out shades for months,” he said gently. “When I was younger, she used to massage this pressure point right here.” He reached up, gesturing to just above his ear. “It helped sometimes. I could do it for you, if you'd like.”

I hesitated, realizing what he was saying. I had thought it was just about my pending shift, but it had never occurred to me to think that it might be tied to a magical maturation too. I looked down at the food. If his mother had made this, then she'd probably added a few other things to it… hence why my migraine was dialing down.

Then I nodded. “That would be great. I’ll try anything.”

“Come here, then.”

I scooted my chair around, and he pulled me a little closer before cupping my face in both hands. I shivered feeling the tingling warmth of his hand and his magic brushing up against mine. He slid his fingers in arcs behind my ears a few times before pressing on a spot that made my neck go boneless. His fingers dug into my hair as his thumb pressed on this spot that practically made the pain evaporate.

His touch was surprisingly skilled—firm without being painful, slow, intentional. Magical, probably also literally. I groaned.

"I will pay you my whole internship salary if you keep doing that."

He laughed. "Not necessary. Just ask."

The strange sort of pressure behind my eyes eased slightly. I exhaled deeply, relaxing as my senses seemed to dial back to their usual level.

“You’re really good at this,” I murmured.

“Told you—my mom’s training.” He chuckled. “She says most guys are too useless to learn how to help someone else unless they practice on someone they care about.”

Something in my chest fluttered, but before I could think to say anything, I heard someone gasp. I glanced in the direction of the sound.

“Oh my God.”

I blinked and turned slightly. Standing a few feet away were two girls from one of my intro econ classes from years ago—both of them staring at Neil’s hands on my face like they’d caught us making out and half dressed. We were something like friends, I guessed, they weren't friends with Vivian, but if I wasn't mistaken, one of them was dating Tyler's friend. I could only imagine what kind of cheating asshole he was.

“Wow,” one of them said, not even pretending to keep her voice down. “You've barely just ended your engagement and you’re already being hand-fed and massaged by the next guy?”

My face heated at her tone, thankfully, Neil didn't seem interested in stopping so the pain didn't come rushing back.

The other girl snorted. “I mean, I guess those pictures weren’t doctored after all. And here my parents have been lauding you up like some kind of saint.”

I stiffened in my seat. Neil’s hands stilled.

“That’s not what this is,” I said sharply, standing and turning to face them. “He’s a friend, and I have a migraine.”

“Oh, right,” one of them said with a smirk. “That what you told Tyler too?”