It released a small caw before spreading its wings and flying away. Lexi snatched the paper up and almost tore it as she unfolded it. The tears in her eyes caused the words to blur, and she had to blink them into focus.
I’m back. I cannot leave the Gloaming right now. Please join me here.
Love, Cole.
Her tears landed on the paper before she clutched it against her chest and sobbed. All this time, she tried to maintain the faith he would return, but each passing day and every endless night had eroded some of her faith.
And now, he was back, and he wanted her with him.
She didn’t realize Brokk was kneeling at her side until he rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll take you now,” he said.
Unable to form words, she simply nodded as joy filled her to the point of bursting. Cole was alive!
She hadn’t realized what an emotional mess these past ten days had made her until she couldn’t suppress her sobs while Brokk helped her rise. When she lifted her eyes to his, he grinned at her.
“You’re a mess,” he said.
Lexi laughed as her tears continued to fall. “I am! But I’m so happy. I have to tell Sahira about this.”
Despite the tears blurring her vision, she ran toward the manor to tell Sahira the good news.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Lexi took a quick shower,packed a small bag of supplies, made an excuse to see the horses, and went out to the barn. She pushed open the barn door and stepped into the shadowed interior.
Though the sun still shone, it was near nightfall, and she’d brought the horses in before she started sparring with Brokk. Two of them had already been removed from their stalls and saddled to ride to the Gloaming portal. She was impatient to get to the Gloaming, but Brokk preferred to ride to the portal rather than open one.
Small bangs and crunches filled the barn as the horses pulled hay from their feedbags. She entered the feed room, collected a handful of carrots, and strolled out again.
As she moved down the row of stalls, they poked their heads out to greet her. She patted each of the horses on the neck and gave them a carrot while she searched the shadows.
Once convinced no one was around, she poked her head out the door. Brokk and Sahira stood by the stairs of the manor, waiting for her, but they were staring at the road while they talked.
She only had a few minutes at most to get this done. Ducking back inside, she rushed into the feed room, moved aside a couple of bags of feed, and exposed the trapdoor securely hidden in the floor there.
She lifted it only far enough to slip a piece of paper inside. On that paper, she’d hastily scrawled, Cole has returned. I’m going to the Gloaming. I will return soon.
She covered the trapdoor again, wiped her hands on her jeans, and left the room. “Goodbye, girls and boys,” she called to the horses. “I love you, and I’ll be back soon.”
The sound of them munching on their hay was her only response. At the barn door, she glanced back, but they were all busy eating their dinner. George would come to help with them, but Lexi still hated to say goodbye.
Apprehension gnawed at Lexi’s gut as she approached her aunt. She wouldn’t stay in the Gloaming long; she couldn’t leave Sahira here alone and clueless about Orin’s whereabouts, but she had to see Cole.
Sahira and Brokk turned toward her. Her aunt gave a wan smile as she opened her arms to Lexi. She wasn’t Cole’s biggest fan, but Sahira had jumped for joy and clapped her hands when Lexi delivered word of his survival.
They’d danced around the kitchen together as they hugged each other. Now, some of that joy had faded from Sahira.
“Please come with us,” Lexi said as they embraced.
“I can’t,” Sahira said. “I have potions to make, and I promised to deliver them to Eliza tomorrow. We can’t turn that money down.”
Lexi hated the idea of leaving her here alone. However, Sahira was right, they needed the money from her potions.
The newly forming marketplace was off to a slow start. It wasn’t easy to get immortals and humans to sell and shop there when dragons leveled the last marketplace.
Eliza, a witch who had decided to try her hand at making money in the human world, was eager to get a vast array of supplies into her shop. She was determined to become the place all immortals and humans went to when they needed something.
Because of that, she wanted a lot of goods available and had agreed to sell some of Sahira’s potions. Sahira was excited to bring more income into their home. They could certainly use it.
