Free Elfmoon by Leila Bryce Sin

Roxy and I walked towards the park on a crisp June night. It was lit up with thousands of lights and fires, making it as bright as day. Even though we were still a few blocks away, I could see the glow over the buildings and smell foods roasting in the midway. It was the Summer Solstice, and the entire city was celebrating, humans and supernaturals alike. In the couple of months since I managed to get the Hunter’s bite removed from my shoulder, I had been feeling much more like myself. I think I had been with Cillian for so long that I forgot who I was without him. Luckily, Bright Elves live long lives, and a few misspent years with that bastard didn’t steal the flower of my youth. I probably wouldn’t start to look over forty until I was well into my hundreds.
    I couldn’t remember the last Solstice I had celebrated outside with other people. As the years went on, Cillian didn’t seem interested in things like this, so we just stayed in and watched the televised celebrations from our couch. Not tonight. Tonight I was going to eat food that was horrible for me; I was going to drink honey mead and dance at the bonfire. And, if things went my way, I was going dance the dance of the Bright Elves with some lucky guy.
    “Taryn,” Roxy said, pulling me out of my thoughts, and the way she said it made me think it wasn’t the first time.
    “What?”
    “Have you heard a word I’ve been saying?” she asked as we crossed the last street before the park. I could see the entrance now, two tall trees, strung with twinkly lights, with a welcome banner between them. Standing guard in front of the trees were two half trolls, their seven foot frames and brackish skin cutting an intimidating figure. But I knew one of the guards, Baven, from childhood, so I wasn’t the least bit scared. The humans had their police patrolling the grounds so the fae had to have their own security presence as well.
    “Sorry, I guess not,” I said as we set foot on the grass of the park.
    “Whatever, it wasn’t important,” Roxy said dismissively. “So, what’s the plan?”
    “Plan?” I turned a confused face towards her. It always surprised me how much we looked alike, and yet just how opposite so many of our features were. Though we were both just about five feet tall and had the fair skin of the Bright Elves, I had the long, shimmering blonde hair of our tribe and Roxy’s hair was rich and thick and dark, a telltale mark that there was a human hanging around somewhere in her family tree. And of course our eyes were always the same color; normally grey and quicksilver when we raised our power.
    “Yeah, what are we doing?” Roxy asked as we approached the entryway. I turned as we neared Baven and walked over to him.
    “Heya, B,” I said brightly, laying a hand on his massive forearm as I lifted up on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek.
    “Tare,” he said, smiling around the elongated tusks that protruded from his jaw. He nodded towards Roxy, who waved back at him, waiting for me.
    “How are you?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t seen him in a while. Baven was a bouncer at the local preternatural club where the non-human community went to unwind and replenish depleted magic stores on the lust-filled dance floor. Roxy and I were regulars there now, but it had been a couple of weeks since I’d been in.
    “I’m well, thanks, Taryn,” Baven answered, but before we could say anything else, his partner, the other troll, cleared his throat and shot Baven an angry look. I winked at Baven and he shrugged at me before I led Roxy through the entry and into the park.
    “Anyway,” I said, bringing the conversation back to Roxy. “I thought we’d just play it by ear. I mean, it’s a celebration, right?”
    “Yeah, but are we going to the bonfire? Do you want to go to The Garden? What?” she pressed. The Garden was the supernaturals only area of the park, designated so that creatures like us could dance freely and perform our magics