She felt better than she would have expected, but she was still terribly sore and not anywhere close to strong enough to climb down a loose ladder.
That left the outside bridge Jacks had carried her across.
She prepared for the chill of the snow against her bare legs, the dark of the night, and the terror of crossing a sky-high bridge she could barely see. But she wasn’t prepared for the wonder of all the little lights that looked like stars. A midnight army of sparkles. They warmed the air and tickled her skin and made her feel as if an adventure was about to begin.
She only hoped this adventure involved a bathing room, because she had no idea where she was going when she reached the doors at the end of the bridge.
Unlike the tree loft, the inn was still bright and as warm as she remembered. There were happy flickering candles on the walls, and she could feel the rising warmth of the roaring fire burning in the hearth of the open entry that lived below the many levels of rooms.
She didn’t know what it was about this place, if it was just the sparkly lights outside or the reassuring crackle of fire, but with every step she took, she felt as if she’d left the pages of the traumatic story that was her life to visit a lost fairytale land where time and troubles both stood still.
She knew she couldn’t stay here forever. But for a strange second, she was glad she was injured and that she needed to rest—because she wasn’t ready to leave.
* * *
Evangeline felt even better after taking care of a few needs in the bathing room. It felt incredible to wash her hands and her face and run a comb through her hair, although it didn’t do much to tame the torrent of pink and gold. But she could hardly worry about her hair when she was traipsing around in nothing but a shirt. It looked like the same one Jacks had worn the night of the costume party. Although the dark sleeves he’d rolled up to his elbows were hanging past her hands, while the hem made it down to just past her thighs.
She needed to get back to the loft before someone saw her in her state of undress—because surely there had to be someone else here tending the fires.
The hallway outside the bathing room smelled once again of spiced apple cider and warm loaves of bread, making her stomach rumble. The scent must have come from the tavern downstairs next to the entrance.
Evangeline bit her lip. Although she was feeling better, it would hurt to climb up and down four flights of stairs—not to mention, she was practically naked. But the bread and the cider smelled amazing enough to push aside those concerns.
After making her slow descent, she found a lovely entry on the first floor. She could see the rounded door that Jacks had carried her through last night. It was carved with decorative mushrooms like the ones that she’d seen on the roof. Above it, someone had carved the words The Hollow: Inn for Travelers and Adventurers.
To the left of the door were the stairs she’d just climbed down. Next to them was the wall with the roaring fire she’d seen from above. There were also notches and hooks shaped like branches, where it appeared travelers could hang cloaks and weapons—it seemed swords and knives weren’t allowed in the tavern, which was to the right of the main door. The entry was open, and Evangeline could smell the sweet, spicy cider wafting through.
First, she stepped closer to the peculiar clock she’d noticed last night. She’d thought perhaps she’d imagined it in her daze, but it was just as she’d remembered. Bright and colorful and labeled with foods and drinks instead of numbers. The golden hour hand currently pointed to Dumplings, the minute hand pointed to Cider, and the second hand pointed to Honey Pie.
Evangeline felt a sudden craving for honey pie, but once again, she found herself distracted by another sight. Right next to the meal clock, carved into the wood, were two names: Aurora + Jacks.
Her stomach dipped down to her toes.
“Having fun snooping?”
34
Evangeline spun around at the sound of Jacks’s voice. She wanted to say she was just hunting for bread and cider—and that she wasn’t disturbed at all to see Jacks’s name paired with Aurora’s—but the words would not come.
Jacks was standing in front of her, in just a pair of dark trousers that were scandalously low on his hips. Evangeline felt flustered at the sight of him without a shirt. The ridges of his abdomen were marble smooth. He was perfect—except for the reddened row of bite marks trailing down his neck to his shoulder.
“Did I do all of that?” With a flash of mortification, she remembered biting down on him, but she’d thought she’d only done it once.