“Can he communicate with the house like you can?”

“No, but I think she can understand what people need. And he did say she gave him another book, but it clearly isn’t enough.”

Austin leaned toward me, his elbow on a pillow, his shoulder bumping my arm. “It’s going to work out. Even if Ivy House can’t help, I have shifters willing to step up and fight. We have the gargoyles. We have the house crew. We aren’t defenseless. If we can’t tear down the spell, we’ll still be able to put up a good fight. You can unleash the dolls.”

“I’d have to see the enemy to direct them, though. If they are all hiding in the trees or flitting in neighbor’s yards, that won’t be easy. Then again, if we all pull back to the house, I can…maybe…direct them from the air. Or the roof or something.”

I bit my lip and let silence fall between us, mulling it over.

He looked up at me, something I couldn’t identify sparkling in his eyes. He nodded and turned his gaze back over the beautiful meadow below. “There. You see? When the worst comes knocking, you stand up and answer.”

I sipped the wine, the flavors exploding on my tongue and easily making their way down my throat, no surprise squeezing from tannins. “Hmm, this is good.”

“Listen, I wanted to ask you.” He took a sip of his wine. “You know a lot about tasting rooms and wine and all that. I’m just a run-down bar owner.”

“Good Lord. Don’t sell yourself short or anything.”

“Would you help me get this all set up? Would you help with the tasting room and everything?”

“Of course. I love giving my opinion. Usually that’s when it isn’t wanted, but I’ll make an exception for you.”

“How about…” He swallowed the last of his wine—his glass a lot fuller than mine, since he could handle a lot more alcohol—and grabbed the next bottle.

“Okay. Getting serious.” I finished mine before biting into a strawberry.

With the next wine poured, he sat up, one hand resting on his knee and the other holding the glass. “Would you want to become business partners? I can handle a lot of the operations aspect, and you could focus more on customer interfacing. We could both play to our strengths.” He put up his hand. “It’s just a thought. No pressure. I just thought…” He shrugged again. “I don’t know what I thought. I just…I want you in on it. If you’re interested.”

“Did you take a look into your rich-kid fund and realize the amount you thought was a lot back in the day isn’t so much anymore?” I smiled to hide my nervousness, then took a sip. These new flavors demanded my attention, light and spicy with a hint of smoke. “Hmm, this one is good. Better than the other.”

“I have plenty in my rich-kid fund. I’ll be expanding the bar to new locations and buying up a few other properties and businesses. This is…” He sucked down the liquid in one gulp. “It’s just an idea. You wouldn’t have to put up any money. You could just—”

“She will put up the money, and she will be signed on as a fifty-percent owner.” Mr. Tom’s voice rained down on us.

I spun where I sat, the small wall of rock behind us leading to trees slanting up higher into the mountain. No shape stood behind those. Ripping away the block on our magical connection, I dragged my gaze upward to the top of a pine, finding a naked figure clinging to the branches halfway up.

“Good Lord,” I whispered, turning back around.

“Also, your back is dirty, Austin Steele. I would’ve mentioned it earlier, but I was giving you your privacy.”

“Hiding in a tree listening to our every word is not giving us privacy, Mr. Tom,” I called out.

“Of course, miss. Semantics, as they say.”

I opened my mouth and shook my head, really at a loss for words. That happened so often with Mr. Tom.

“Give us some space, Mr. Tom,” I said in a more forceful tone.

“Yes, miss. I will climb a different tree a little farther away.”

“Why does he have to climb a tree at all?” I mumbled. Even as I said it, I heard a branch crack behind me. Needles rained down, and Mr. Tom shouted, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” as if he were trying to control a disobedient horse.

Thud.

Unable to hold in my laughter, I spun around as Austin hopped up. Mr. Tom picked himself up off the ground and dusted the pine needles out of his hair. His wings fluttered behind him.

“Well. Simple as that,” he said, sniffed, and stiffly walked farther into the trees.

“Should I go make sure he’s all right?” Austin asked. “I don’t technically have to because he’s not in my jurisdiction, but…”

“Nah. He’ll be fine. You wouldn’t want to hurt his pride.”

Austin lowered back down and poured me the next taste, just a small amount in the bottom of the glass. Clearly he wanted me to taste all twelve before the alcohol started to affect me.

“Apparently that is a yes,” I told him, leaning against his shoulder. “About us being partners.”

“Don’t let him push you into it. Only do it—”

“I want to.” I smiled, something warm throbbing in my middle. “I mean, I’ve never run a business, and I haven’t the first clue about—”

“I can teach you the business side. You’ll pick it up, no problem. You can teach me about…nice atmospheres.”

“Nice atmospheres?”

His grin was sheepish. “Niamh, in no uncertain terms, told me that wine tasting is a civilized pastime, and people do not want to stick to the furniture. In other words, if I want to make the right impression, I need to try a little harder than I have with the bar. Which…let’s be honest, probably also needs some improvements.”

“Wow. You’re going whole hog, huh?”

“I’m the alpha now. I have to rise to the title.”

I nodded, still leaning against him, looking out over the flowers waving in the mild breeze.

“Can I have a half glass, please?” I held up my glass.

“Of course.” He stretched so as not to disrupt the press of my shoulder, and did as I asked.

“I just want to sit and enjoy the moment.” I swirled the next offering, delighted to discover it was the best yet. The tangerine sun lowered toward the horizon, sunset still a few hours off but the waning daylight adding a layer of color to the spray of flowers. “Thank you for doing this, Austin. This is easily the best date I’ve ever had. Good food, great wine, a beautiful view, excellent company, an adventure to get here, and a naked butler hiding in a tree. Can it get better?”

“Well, when you add all those elements together…yeah, probably. Maybe just one less ingredient in the pot, and you might have something.”

“The food, right? That’s the one thing you’d leave off?”

He laughed, leaning against me a little harder. Silence hung between us for a moment.

“I’ve been alone most of my life,” he murmured, and I knew his low tone was to keep this conversation between us.

I lifted my hand and moved it around us, growing a spiral of magic in the shape of a cone.

“Now we’re soundproofed. Mr. Tom can’t hear,” I whispered. While I wasn’t worried about my volume—I knew for a fact the spell worked—this moment suddenly felt incredibly intimate.

He nodded. “Since Destiny, the ex who brought out my more dangerous side, I’ve sworn off letting anyone get too close. Even my brother. I’ve kept him and his family at a distance, never quite trusting myself with them. But since you walked into my life, forcing your friendship on me…”

“I don’t regret it. I needed someone sane to talk to.”

He inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly, as though he were savoring the air of a crisp new morning. “I don’t feel so solo anymore. I don’t feel so disconnected, so isolated. Deciding to become an alpha has…given me a feeling of…worth. The outpouring of support has surprised and energized me. I’m still nervous, like I could misstep and let all my demons out, but with your friendship at my back, I feel more grounded than I ever have. Seeing you struggle with your awesome power—watching you charge at it with utter fearlessness—you’ve bolstered my courage. You’ve turned my life around, Jacinta.” His use of my whole name spread goosebumps across my skin. “I want to thank you for that. You’ve made me a better man.”

Without thinking, I slipped my hand down his forearm and entwined our fingers. I leaned my head against his shoulder.

“Yeah. I’m pretty great,” I said.

He huffed out a laugh, pulling our joined hands across his lap and putting his other on top of them.

“You already know what you mean to me,” I said seriously. “I wouldn’t be where I am without you. I need you. The house needs you.” I hesitated, trying to hold back what I knew I shouldn’t say. What I knew I shouldn’t even think. But the desire to get it out was too strong. “I want you.”

He tensed, his shoulder bulging against my cheek, his hands putting pressure on mine. I lifted my face a little, remembering the sensation of leaning into him in that cart, our lips almost connecting as I twisted toward him.

He lowered his head a little, sweeping his lips across my forehead, then started to blaze a trail down my face, but he shook his head and pulled back. He gave my hand a last squeeze before dropping it gently to my knee.

“I want you too, please know that, but I will respect the boundaries we’ve set. It might sting now, but I have a feeling you’ll thank me for it tomorrow, when the scene isn’t so pretty and wine isn’t flowing.”

“Yeah,” I said dismally, my body on fire, my core pounding, even if deep down I knew he was right. “So annoying. I really need to break this dry spell.”

He blew out a hard breath before pouring himself a full glass of wine and standing, walking out to the edge of the shelf. I thought about wrapping my arms around my knees and letting this sting me, but I wasn’t twenty anymore. I was capable of thinking about more than just my own feelings.