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I looked up from my plate, shoveling in another bite because apparently, fighting hellhounds made me hungry. “Like what?” I asked over my food.
“Some herbs that I can use to cast a protection spell. There is a batch of them by a waterfall not too far from here.”
Josephine glanced at me with excitement on her face. “I want to go.”
Ernest lifted both brows and glanced at her. “Well, we can’t send you alone. Kellan, after breakfast can you go with her?”
“Of course,” I said.
Josephine had something up her sleeve. I could see her attempting to hide it behind her meal.
Fern cleared her throat. “Do you think Deidamia will come here herself?” She looked so small and helpless eating her food. I didn't blame her for worrying.
Ernest shrugged. “If we put up enough of a fight, yes, I do.”
Fern looked nervous to interact with her. After the stories she was told as a child, I didn’t blame her. Ernest reached over and patted her shoulder. “We’ll be fine, dear. Don’t fret over her. She’ll send everyone else to do her bidding before she comes.”
Josephine caught her lip between her teeth. “You said she’s a demon, right? Who was she before?”
Fern shrugged. “My mother never told me. She has just always been around as far as I know.”
“Everyone has a beginning,” she said.
Ernest sat his silverware down on his plate. “I wouldn’t look too much into that, Josie. Her origin story doesn’t matter today. Her end does.”
Once we finished eating, Josephine followed me out of the back door. The hellhounds were still scattered around, lifelessly taking up space.
My arm was still sore from the one that caught me, but I’d had much worse in my life. “Stay close to me.”
Josephine glanced up with a mischievous grin. “You just want me near, so you can ogle me.”
“I can do that without you close.”
“Easier access,” she said. Skipping ahead a few feet, she turned and looked at me with those electric-blue eyes. “Tell me, Kellan. When did you know I was your soulmate?”
I gripped her upper arm as she stumbled over a root.
“Watch out,” I said, steadying her.
She gazed up at me with a serious look. “Tell me.”
We hadn’t even made it into the forest, and I wanted to press her against the nearest tree. “Josephine,” I said softly. “I knew when your father showed me your picture that I was connected to you.” I pulled the picture out of my pocket and showed her.
She smiled, rubbing the pad of her finger over her face. “Dad always did keep pictures of me in his wallet.”
I slid it back into my pocket, not wanting to lose it, and started back toward the makeshift trail Ernest said would lead to the herbs.
“You’re close to your father?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I was always a daddy’s girl growing up. My mother was a good mom, but I wasn’t that close to her. She seemed distant sometimes. Especially when Dad was busy being mayor. I don’t think she ever found her niche in life.”
My mind wandered to her mother being behind the stealing of the spindle. “You don’t think your mother would have stolen the spindle?”
Josephine snorted. “No. She isn’t that savvy to be honest. I can’t imagine her opening a portal when I have to help her with her text messages.”
Slapping hanging branches out of our way, I gave her a side-eyed look. “Your father?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I can’t imagine him doing it either, but someone did. The only other people at our house are Melissa, our cook and Jenny, our housekeeper. I wish I knew who did it. I’m going to give them a big slap to the face when we get back.”
