Beastly Dreams: A Cozy Fantasy Fairy Tale Retelling by Gabrielle Landi

Author:Gabrielle Landi [Landi, Gabrielle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chickadee Lane Press LLC
Published: 2026-03-03T00:00:00+00:00

“Come on, Abigail,” Tanner said, rolling his eyes as she stood over him, her wooden spoon in hand. “I’m not hungry.”

“I don’t care,” she said sweetly. “It’s a new recipe. I need everyone to try it, to tell me whether they like it or not.”

And if she had enhanced the soup slightly to make it irresistible to eat—well, that was no one’s business but hers.

And maybe Roan’s.

But what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, and if they already had to discuss magic later, adding one more thing to confess wouldn’t make a difference.

“Or maybe I’ll just never feed you again.” She let the words trail off in a sickly-sweet threat.

“Oh no,” the boy said, his eyes wide as he picked up the spoon and took his first bite. “I’ll try it.”

Abigail grinned.

She’d had a feeling that when faced with the threat of no more meals at the Lucky Goat, Tanner would cave.

They all had.

She looked around the room at all the nearly empty bowls and nodded in satisfaction. Either she would wake up in the morning to dirty bowls in the sink and an empty jar, or she would wake up to nothing, and the bitter feeling that despite her past, she might be failing the men in the tavern—men she felt responsible for.

She looked over at Roan, who was watching them all eat with grim determination on his face.

She wasn’t the only one feeling responsible—Roan was anxious, too. If only she could ease his burden. She made her way over to him and stood next to him in solidarity. She might not be able to ease his worries, but at least she could be there so he would not be alone.

“This needs to work,” he muttered.

“It will,” she said, reaching out to take his hand and squeeze it.

It felt completely normal to hold his hand.

It shouldn’t have.

But it did.

She pulled her hand as if to take it away, but he squeezed tighter, not letting go, and she watched as he swallowed hard. Maybe she imagined it, but she could almost see the tension easing in his shoulders.

He could hold her hand if it eased his burden.

“Thank you for being here,” he said quietly.

“Any time.” She meant it. She would be here anytime for Roan and these men.

She owed more to Roan than he could ever know. She had been given a place of her own where she could stand on her own two feet and be strong, and that was something she had never gotten from her father.

She looked up at Roan, who squeezed her hand again in response, and looked back out at the tavern.

This was her home now.

She would go back to sleeping at the inn when the curse broke, but the Lucky Goat was her home.

She had fought the title for the past year, telling herself it was silly to care so much about what was only a job. But it was no longer just a job. Whether she wanted it or not, the Lucky Goat and Roan meant more to her now, and she could not escape that no matter how she tried.

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