Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45901 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45901 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
“Hey, some of my best friends are humans,” I protested. “In fact, all of them are. And I am too, for that matter.”
“No, you’re not—you’re a witch,” she said with absolute certainty.
“I’m really not,” I said. “I don’t own a black cat or know how to do any spells or—“
“No, no, my dear—that’s just a crude stereotype. A witch is simply any human female with magic in her blood. Just as a warlock is any human male with magic,” she said and offered me the plate of cookies. “Here—have one.”
“Oh no, I shouldn’t,” I said regretfully—they really did look delicious. “I’m on a diet.”
“A die-what?” Tark, who had been listening silently, frowned down at me.
“A di-et. I mean I’m trying to lose some weight,” I told him.
“But why?” He looked confused. “I don’t understand—why are you trying to lose your curves?”
“She’s trying because human men don’t like them,” Goodie Albright answered for me, saving me some embarrassment, for which I was grateful.
“They don’t? Well, what the fuck is wrong with them?” Tark demanded, scowling.
“Don’t ask me—I’ll never understand non-magical humans.” Goodie Albright shrugged and offered me the cookie plate once more. “Forget about those human males my dear—they’re not worth bothering about.”
“Go on, Babygirl,” Tark urged me, when I started to demure again. “You have as many as you want—your curves are fucking beautiful. Don’t lose them because those idiotic human males are too stupid to see that!”
Blushing, I took a cookie and bit into it. It really was good—buttery and rich. It melted on my tongue but I barely tasted it. I was too busy stealing glances at the huge Orc at my side.
Nobody had ever told me my curves were beautiful before. The only compliment I ever got was the one that goes something like this: “You have such a pretty face/skin/hair! If you’d just lose a little weight, you’d be a knockout!”
I’d been hearing that same thing or variations on it since junior high. Nobody had ever told me I looked good just the way I was. I wondered if Tark really meant it—but he seemed sincere. Especially when he coaxed me to take a second cookie.
We talked a little more but much sooner than I liked, my extra hour was up and it was time to leave.
“Can I go right from here?” I asked Goodie Albright, touching the tiny silver key that I had pinned to my blouse.
“Hmm, you could but it would probably be better if you come and go from Main Street,” she told me. “That way if you want to come in the middle of the night, you won’t wake anyone at the Red Lion up.”
“Oh, because I’ll come back to the place I left from?” I guessed.
“Exactly.” She smiled at me. “Do you know your way to the front door? I can have one of the brownies take you if you like.”
“I’ll take her,” Tark said, rising. He offered me a hand and pulled me lightly from my chair. I got the idea he would have liked to swing me into his arms again, but he resisted the urge. “Come on, Babygirl,” he rumbled. “Let’s go.”
We wound our way through the Red Lion Inn again until we came out the front door onto the broad front porch. There I stopped to admire the view. I had been in Hidden Hollow for so long that the sun was sliding down behind the trees, setting the gold and crimson and vermillion leaves on fire with its dying light.
It was beautiful but there was more to see than just the sunset.
Up and down the sidewalks on either side of Main Street, I saw some of the more peculiar inhabitants of the town. An ethereally lovely fairy floated by, her wings barely waving as she went. On the other side of the street, a Centaur was clopping and beside him was a Minotaur. At least I thought it was a Minotaur—he had a man’s body and a bull’s head with a silver ring through his nose.
“Oh—this town really is magic,” I breathed, taking it all in.
“It is,” Tark agreed, grinning again. “It’s pretty special, isn’t it? That’s why I chose to move here when my Tribe kicked me out.”
“They kicked you out?” I looked up at him in surprise. “Why? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“I don’t mind.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling. “It’s because I don’t kill animals or eat their meat. They say I’m too soft hearted.”
“Well, I think you’re wonderful,” I said and then blushed—should I not have said that?
But looking up at Tark’s face, I was reassured. His own cheeks had gone a darker green which let me know that he was blushing too.
“Thanks, Babygirl,” he rumbled and reached for my hand again. Raising it, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the backs of my fingers. “I think you’re pretty fucking wonderful too.”