Momentous Leap by Taryn Jameson

Author:Taryn Jameson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, holiday, adult, paranormal, christmas, shapeshifter
Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc

Chapter Seven

Valencia stared in wonder at the picturesque village nestled beneath the rocky ledges of the sheer cliffs. Modest cobblestone cottages with blue gambrel roofs dotted the landscape, with a denser population of homes near the town center. In the distance, a majestic waterfall spilled its crystalline water into the river below. The town was decorated for the Celebration of Stars. Yet instead of the chill of winter’s frost, like the rest of Starelia, here spring was in the air. The ground was covered in lush green grass, and flowers bloomed in a myriad of colors, battlebees darting above them.

Cyran and the others eagerly pushed forward. Valencia could not miss the excitement emanating from them.

“Can we...” Gerig began.

Amius nodded. “Go ahead, men. Valencia and I will collect the remaining ingredients.”

It surprised her that the toads headed off into different directions. It was as if they knew their way, and the townsfolk smiled and greeted them as if it were normal to see a horde of toads entering their village.

“Welcome to Heartsfall, milady,” Amius told her, his expression closed, his words clipped as he led her beneath the stone arch at the entrance of the village.

“It’s like a fairytale.” There were no modern structures, and from what Valencia could see, no flyers or other modern forms of transportation. Here and there stood a horse-drawn cart, laden with vegetables or other goods. It was as if the village had been locked in time centuries ago.

They walked down the main cobbled street toward the market in the center of town. The delicious scent of freshly baked bread filled the air as they passed a bakery. Next to it was a butcher. The small shops were quaint and looked inviting. Strings of twinkling lights had been strung between the trees that lined the one side of the street. The shops’ windows all had the same lights around them, the displays depicting Celebration of Stars.

“It’s like we’ve stepped back in time. As if we are walking into history,” Valencia murmured.

Amius took her arm, his touch unexpected. It was strange how the toad affected her, how their essences touched, seemed to meld. Who was the man inside him? Valencia glanced up to see if the cronko was watching, but she did not see it anywhere. It was probably in the forest consuming its catch.

The street was quite busy with women doing their shopping, small children trailing behind them. Many of the townsfolk were Elves and Fey.

“None of these people seem phased to have toads walking among them. Have you and your men been here before?” Valencia smiled when a little girl with long sable hair done up in tiny braids waved to her from one of the shops.

Further down, small houses lined the lane. Like the shops, they were all heavily decorated. Valencia noticed some people sitting outside their front doors. An older elf sat smoking a long pipe while a woman, probably his mate, sat next to him, crocheting a blanket.

“My men visit as often as they can.

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