Damon drove the last nail into the upper hinge of the inn’s front door, listening to the way the tiny bit of metal vibrated with increasing pitch, hit by hit, until it was flush against the wood.
He took a step back, admiring several months’ worth of hard work, now nearing completion. They would still need to fill in the windows, likely with wooden shutters rather than glass, to start.
The Travel’s End Inn was no more than a good stone’s throw from Malon’s tower, just around the other side of the lake. Near enough for the two buildings to share a firewood pile, though he’d need to rebuild the shed in a spot to make that entirely practical.
“We have a door?” Lilian stuck her head out from one of the open window frames.
“We have a door,” he confirmed.
Appreciative noises came from within the empty, still unfinished structure. Myr was helping Lilian sweep the floor, which had collected a few fall leaves over the course of the past week or so. Myr ran over to the same window, thrusting her head out alongside Lilian’s with some creative placement.
“Does this mean I’ll finally have my own room?” she asked. She’d cut her blue hair short, and there was something still distinctly wintery about it, locks hanging like the first tiny icicles along the edge of a roof.
“You both will,” said Damon. “Though it goes without saying that you’re still welcome to share mine.”
He was joking, but also quite serious. Though in truth, more often it was Ria or Vel, sometimes Malon, who he found himself bedding down with overnight. Not that he didn’t share such intimacy with Myr and Lilian. He’d found time for each of them, within the unfinished inn, no less, over just the past week.
It was more that both women, newly restored to their bodies and their humanity, were most interested in humbler sensations. The feeling of the rising sun kissing their skin. The taste of fresh fruit, or roasted boar. The subtle intoxication from a glass of wine, or the not-so-subtle inebriation of a couple.
Damon always smiled when he caught them in those moments, luxuriating in the way it brought him back to the simple joys of life.
“I’m looking forward to when we start accepting our first patrons,” said Lilian. “I haven’t had a job in… well, I suppose more than five years now, in truth. Money isn’t all that useful in a monster’s hands.”
She looked down at her palms. Damon reached out, letting his own hands cover them.
“I’m sure it won’t be too long,” he said. “With Veridan’s Curve and the Malagantyan safe again and the land regaining its fertility, there are more settlers coming this way every week.”
He also had an abundance of money with which to pay her. When they’d finally reached the end of their sea voyage and docked The Reunion off the coast of Silke, Lady Governor Kastet had presented them with the option of leasing the ship to the city instead of letting it sit uselessly in the harbor. Damon had worked her offer up to what he considered to be a reasonable rate.
They had more money than they could realistically spend, but with that said, when he’d brought up the idea of building an inn, the others had taken to it immediately. They all still had fond memories of their time running The Rosewood Inn , the feeling of closeness and community that had come along with it.
“I’ve always wondered how you properly screen travelers before letting them into an inn,” said Myr. “What happens if a skinwalker tries to rent a room? Or a clayshifter?”
Damon chuckled and shared a smile with Lilian.
“That wasn’t much of an issue even before we dampened the Ocean Klykia, Myr,” he said. “I think you might be a few centuries out of date on the local monster varieties.”
“I suppose…” She tipped forward out of the window, cartwheeling through it with impressive skill. “Though you should make the doorhandle out of silver, just to be safe. Obviously.”
“Obviously ,” said Lilian.
“I’m serious!”
Myr dove back through the window, and Damon heard Lilian laughing as they started rolling across the empty inn’s common room floor. He’d come about them doing a different kind of wrestling on that same floor a few days earlier. They really had grown close.
He looked up to see Ria on horseback, blackwood spear held tight in one hand, making her way across the clearing at an even trot. There was little need for her patrols with the revenants gone, as well as her bodyguards, who now devoted their time more directly to helping the havens resettle, but old habits were hard to break. Damon knew that better than most.
“How’s the forest looking today?” he called.
She hopped down, leaning her spear against the inn’s outer wall. “Quiet. I see you have begun putting the finishing touches on the inn?”
“Just the windows left, along with interior furnishings. I wouldn’t be surprised if we could start accepting patrons by the end of this upcoming month.”
“That is good to hear,” she said. “We shall finally have the free time needed to adventure abroad. It is tradition, among the Rem, for a newly bonded couple.”
“And I’m looking forward to it,” he said, pulling her close.
“As much as I am, husband?” She smirked, playfully dodging a kiss onto her cheek. “I wonder about that…”
“Let’s go on a walk tonight,” he said. “I’ll give you a preview of what I have in mind for the trip.”
“Perhaps you do share my eagerness.” She held his gaze, still favoring him with that smirk that he both loved and hated.
He pushed her gently on the shoulders, setting her back to the inn’s wall with a soft thud, and then gave her a ravishing kiss. She let out a soft moan, only pushing him away when Lilian and Myr’s whispering became too obvious for them to ignore.
“Tonight, husband,” she said. “I still have ground to cover.”
She ran her hand up his back, gently caressing the muscles of his shoulder through his shirt. Damon stepped back, turning around and walking off to hide his excitement from Lilian and Myr’s spying eyes.
He headed into the tower. The common room was empty, though a delicious smelling pot bubbled over the fire in the hearth. Vel’s handiwork, no doubt. She’d taken to cooking more and more whenever their aesta was away, which was a frequent occurrence in recent days.
It spoke much about the renewed state of the world that Malon was able to travel on her own, without the magic of her crest to protect her. More often than not, she was off visiting Seffi, Lascivious, though calling her that now to her face would feel like outright mockery.
Seffi had barely managed to bring Veridas Keep back down into its original foundation after Damon had dampened the Ocean Klykia and removed essence-based magic from their region of the world. She’d been understandably upset over the change.
He still remembered the temper tantrum she’d thrown upon finally catching up to them at the tower, the screeching, the door slamming. Most of all the way Malon had calmly rebuked her, that effortless authority, as though she’d been waiting for that day for a very long time.
Seffi had stayed with them at the tower for a few days, long enough for it to become clear to both her and everyone else that she needed to live like a teenager, away from her aesta, with room for self-discovery. Malon had brought her to Silke, and after a small amount of discussion with Kastet, Seffi had been given a role as a lady-in-waiting within Redpane Tower.
Lascivious, as a lady-in-waiting. Damon supposed he’d witnessed stranger turns of events, but he was hard pressed to think of any off the top of his head. He found himself drawing parallels to Vel’s situation, but aside from a fair amount of teenage dramatics that she’d shared at a similar age, they were fundamentally different people.
“Damon?” called Vel, from upstairs. “Is that you?”
“No, it’s a wandering bandit, here for loot and plunder.”
“Loot and plunder, you say?” She grinned as she came down the steps. “I suppose we may be able to work out a compromise. I need you as a taste tester, first.”
She led him over to the pot by the hand. She’d taken to braiding her hair, along with wearing an apron that she’d sewn herself, which had the effect of making her look so much like their aesta, in spirit if not by inherited physical features.
She plunged a wooden spoon into the pot and made a rolling circle with her hand. Damon opened his mouth and allowed her to feed him the steaming bite.
“Well?” she asked, eyes searching for approval.
“Hot,” he said. “But tasty.”
Scalding hot. He felt a burned patch on his tongue as he swallowed, but the flavor more than made up for it. She was using up the rest of the salted pork from the boar Ria had hunted the previous week, and the stew brought out the cured meat’s potential.
“It’s just about done, I think,” said Vel.
“Really?” Damon sidled up behind her as she leaned forward toward the fire. “I thought it could use another few minutes.”
She let out a soft sigh as he pulled her petite body in to meet his. The crush of her butt against his crotch was enough to stir his hunger for something other than food, but just as available for the sampling.
“If it was only a few minutes, we might get away with it,” she whispered.
“I can be quick.”
“Would you be quick, Damon?” She turned around in his embrace. “Truthfully?”
He opened his mouth to say yes and saw the gleam she had in her eyes. It was shaping up to be a busy night. She snuck a quick kiss and pushed him toward the door.
“Call the others,” she said. “It’s time for dinner.”
***
Damon settled down around the common table with Ria, Vel, Myr, and Lilian. Everyone was smiling, and not without reason. Two bottles of wine were set out at the table, which was a rarity, given the speed they expended the stores of their wine shelf each time they resupplied it.
“What’s the occasion?” he asked Vel.
“The inn,” she said. “It’s so near to being finished. In fact, I prepared this stew as a refresher on the sorts of things we’ll be serving once we start taking in patrons.”
“You plan on being in the kitchen instead of serving this time around, Velanor?” asked Ria.
Vel shrugged. “It’s not as though we’re lacking hands. I might prefer to be in front of the hearth sometimes, rather than on my feet.”
“Are you pregnant?” asked Myr.
Vel dropped her spoon. “What? No! What would give you that idea? Why would you even… ask such a question?”
She was blushing, but Damon knew that she was sincere. Vel wasn’t the type to keep a secret like that. He grinned at her embarrassment, but also the slightly awkward expression on Myr’s face. Her time serving as a sword enchantment had certainly taken her social graces in a… creative direction.
“Oh!” said Myr. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. I was just asking because I know you and Damon have a lot of—”
“Myr,” said Damon. “Have some wine.”
He poured her a glass, followed by everyone else at the table, including himself. The food was delicious. The wine, exquisite. The company, however, was unmatchable.
There was a soft creak of hinges as the tower’s front door opened. Malon stepped into the common room, traveling bag sliding off tired shoulders to drop to the floor. Everyone greeted her all at once, and Damon stood to pull her into a hug.
“Aesta,” he said. “You’re back early! We weren’t expecting you for another day, at least.”
“Yes, well, I ran into a… surprise.” She pulled back, cupping his cheek and smiling. “One which compelled me to return a little early.”
She looked over shoulder. Damon saw a small child, a little girl, stride forward in the sun’s dimming light. Her hair was raven dark, but her eyes were bright blue. Azure, almost.
The little girl grinned up at him. Malon squeezed his shoulder, smiling knowingly.
“She found Seffi,” said Malon. “The two of them were arguing like sisters when I arrived at Redpane Tower to visit. It’s no wonder there was so much drama between them in times past, all things considered.”
Damon leaned forward, shaking his head in disbelief. “…Clara? I thought you said you’d be a little older when we next met.”
“My memories came on in a furious deluge, this time around,” she said. “Worry not. I’m only here to make you aware that I’m still alive. Oh, and to do this.”
She reared forward in a sudden rush, slamming her little foot up to kick him squarely in the loins. Damon grimaced and fell to one knee. It hadn’t been a hard kick, delivered by a child’s leg, as it were, but it still hurt.
“Rovahn’s… actual balls,” he coughed. “What was that for?”
“You have the gall to steal my powers from me and ask why I’m upset?” Clara shouted back. “I was immortal, and now I’m a child!”
“Clara!” said Malon. “That sort of outburst is not appropriate for a young lady. Apologize to solas.”
Clara whirled on Malon, glaring as she opened her mouth, and then hesitated. Damon marveled at how his aesta did that tone of voice so effortlessly, chastising and stern and a little scary all at once.
“I…” Clara paused, clearing her throat. “I suppose I shouldn’t have been violent with you like that. Especially given how much larger you are than I am, and how you have killed me once before.”
“Because you begged me to,” he said. He rubbed his chin, thinking back to that moment. “I suppose I won’t be taking your crest, after all.”
Clara sighed. “It seems you managed to hold out until the end. You should consider yourself lucky.”
“Trust me, I’m aware of how lucky I am.” He grinned and tousled her hair, which earned him a glare that would have been terrifying from Wrath but was a fair bit closer to hilarious coming from this little girl.
Vel pulled another chair up to the table and, after seeing how low Clara sat in it, added a pillow to bring her up to a comfortable level. Damon stood with Malon for another minute, holding her and kissing her and listening to her talk about the journey.
“It’s so good to be back,” she said.
“It’s good to have you back,” he said.
“I wasn’t sure whether I was doing the right thing by bringing Clara here.” Malon ran a hand across his cheek. “It isn’t too weird for you, is it, solas?”
“No,” he said, glancing at the spirited little girl at the table. “I’m glad you did. I wondered what had happened to her, and if she was well.”
“She was an orphan in Silke,” said Malon. “Out of choice, mind you. I thought she might spend a few months, perhaps a year here, and then we’d see about getting her into school.”
“You think she needs it?”
“For socialization, yes, absolutely.”
Damon chuckled and nodded, taking another look at the way Clara was actively glaring at Vel and Lilian as they fawned over her.
“With any luck, she’ll grow up to live a relatively normal life,” he said. “I think she stands a good shot at finding happiness.”
“No doubt,” said Malon, with a sigh. She rested her head against his shoulder. “It would seem happiness is in abundance here, these days.”
Damon kissed her on the head and tightened his hug. Laughter came from the table as Ria pulled one of the wine glasses out of Clara’s reach. The wind whistled as it cut across the open front door. He took the handle and gently pulled it shut.
He was home, and he was content.
THE END
Is this the last Sin and Soil book?
Probably. At least for the time being. I’m not always lucky enough to be in a position to give my book series a solid finish (apologies Winter Spire fans), but in this case, I was. I told the story that I wanted to tell, and barring any new creative inspiration, I’m going to let the characters have their happy ending.
Are you going to continue writing?
Yes! My next series, Domestic Decay , is already live for preorder . It comes out July 1 st . The story focuses on Will “Lockpick” Sorling, a former teenage superhero turned supervillain who comes home to his super-family after serving a prison sentence.
Jessica (Relic), the beautiful blonde homemaker who moonlights as one of the most famous and idolized heroes in America. Rue (Webcam), a young, moody college student who has found an interesting way to capitalize on her power. Avery (Kestrel), the fiery probation officer with demons of her own and a vested interest in keeping Will out of trouble.
What happened to XXXX book and are you going to put it up somewhere else?
I’m still working on getting more books from my back catalog available elsewhere. It’s going more slowly than anticipated because many of them need more editing than I can easily make time for. Still working on it.
Are you on Twitter/Facebook/Discord/Tiktok?
Nope. I am, unfortunately, allergic to the stuff. But, if you’re interested in hearing about by books as soon as they’re published, click here to sign up for my mailing list. For questions, comments, and general feedback, shoot me an email at anyamerchant@hotmail.com .
As always, thanks for reading. I really couldn’t have kept Sin and Soil going for as long as I did without your support. Every review helps, every email of encouragement motivates me to churn out more words. My hope is to continue creating sexy adventures for you all far into the future.
Anya Merchant