“So, the garden is open all the time?” I ask.
Grace chuckles. “Did you see any gates that could be locked? It was set up by one of the older matriarchs. She wanted every member of the pack to have a sanctuary, and an excuse to grow all the plants she loved.”
“It is a beautiful place.”
“It is,” Grace agrees, smiling. “Come on, let’s head back to the nursery.”
I follow Grace through the winding paths back to the large, covered area closer to the entrance. She sets me up to repot some seedlings, and the familiar, repetitive work allows my mind to wander.
The memories from last night come back to me, sensory moments that flood my mind and rush through my blood.Having my hands in the soil and the scent of flowers around me enhances my sensitivity until I’m swaying gently back and forth, my eyes closed as I drift away from the real world.
“Alisha,” Grace says, giggling. “Where did you go?”
“Oh, sorry,” I answer, looking down at my hands. “I haven’t messed up, have I?”
“No, not at all. You just totally seemed to forget which planet you were on.”
“I did,” I admit, chuckling as I go back to potting the seedling. “Sorry.”
“No, it’s okay,” Grace says. “It’s not like I’m your boss…well, technically I am, but don’t think of it like that. If something is bothering you, you can tell me. I’d like us to be friends.”
I smile warmly at her, feeling safer and more comfortable than I have in a long time. “I’d like that, too. I feel connected to you—and this place.”
“That’s great,” Grace answers, smiling. “I’ll just make it clear, though, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I’m here ready to listen if you are.”
“Okay…well.” I pause, not sure if I really want to do this, then I plow forward before I can think too hard. “Brad and I got it on last night,” I blurt out. “We have a pretty complex history, and I wasn’t trying to make this happen or anything…it just kind of did. Now I feel like I should be worried, scared…I don’t know. But all I can feel is joy.”
“That’s great!” Grace says, rubbing my arm. “I’m happy you had a good time with him. Is everything…okay between you now?”
“I think so,” I answer. “This morning was almost crazy. It was like moving in slow motion, almost. Caught in our ownlittle world, every moment stretching out forever.” I sigh. “It was fantastic.”
“Okay, now I’m a bit jealous,” Grace mutters. “It’s been a damn long time since I felt that way.”
“We can’t have that,” I reply, looking at her with surprise. My eyes linger over her long, honey-blond hair, pale green eyes, and tall, slender shape. “You’re gorgeous. Why the hell are you single?”
“It’s a long story,” she says, waving a hand. “I want to talk about you for now. That must have been some mind-blowing sex, if it’s taking you to another dimension this late in the day.”
“It was. And it did,” I say thoughtfully. “There was this moment…after. I sort of blacked out or something. I don’t know, it’s difficult to explain. It felt like my senses were bigger than my body, and all I could focus on was the bliss and beauty of everything around me.”
I turn back to look at Grace, and she’s regarding me with a serious look, a small line between her brows.
“I know, it sounds silly,” I say quickly. “It must just be the power of multiple orgasms!”
“Really?” Grace asks, a little skeptically. “No matter how good an orgasm is, I don’t think you’ll have aftershocks twelve hours later.”
I’m about to cover her question with another flippant remark, but the sensation of my fingers in the dirt, the heavy scent of the flowers, and the cool wind on the sweat of my face all seem to collide together into one mesmerizing feeling.
Just like last night.
“Everything is enhanced,” I say, looking down at the seedlings. I focus on the nearest one, just a little scrap of stemwith a couple of tiny leaves. When I look very hard, I can almost see tiny lines of light trickling through it, a network of tiny veins, alongside the vibration of the plant absorbing light from above.
“Look at it, Alisha,” Grace says. “Look at it even harder than you are right now, and feel that harmony inside yourself. Let it fill you, and direct it at the seedling.”
Her words confuse me, but I’m so deep into the trance, I don’t think too hard about it. I deepen my focus on the tiny plant, seeing the lines of light even more clearly. The feeling of love and contentment fills me, and I open my heart to it, spreading it to the seedling.
It trembles, and at first, I think the breeze has picked up, but I can’t feel it on my face. Then, the tiny green stalk shivers and unfolds, growing taller before my eyes. Little leaves appear, curling out to trace the stem. I’m so shocked, I scuttle back a little, breaking my connection to the plant.
“What the fuck?” I mutter, barely able to speak.
