“How do you know?” His touch makes me yearn for more.
He wipes away more of my tears. “I’m extremely old and have seen many things. If there comes a time when there is no other choice, I will do what is necessary to help you and your children.”
Wrapping my hand in his, I draw a shaking breath. “That sounded like a promise.”
Ion presses his lips to my forehead. “I will not forsake you, Lori. Olivia will recover and be happy, and so will you.”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t kidnapped by a monster. It didn’t draw power from my innocence.” I drop his hand and lean back to meet his stare. “This isn’t about me.”
He draws a deep breath and lets it out. Maybe he doesn’t need to breathe, but still, he uses the time watching me. “There is no doubt Olivia suffered a terrible experience. Don’t you think what you suffered was just as terrifying?”
“No.” The moment I walked into the bedroom, and Livi wasn’t there, floods my mind. The terror comes back as if it were happening now. “Yes. I don’t know. I’ve never been more afraid. Losing one of my daughters would end me.”
Eyes filled with sorrow, he sighs. “Or worse, you would survive.”
“That would be worse.” Tears flow freely down my cheeks as the reality that what I asked Ion to do might have been for me more than for Livi.
Chapter Three
ION
Only in Harmony Glen will you find three vampires covered from head to toe to avoid the glaring sun walking around a pumpkin patch at a farmer’s market owned by a troll named Ogram.
Going out as a family to the farmer’s market has become a bit of a family tradition. Max and Sam enjoy the process of finding the seasonal fruits and vegetables for their meals.
I rather like berries, but those will have to wait for summer. Right now, it’s apples and squash along with all the pumpkins. For a food source, none of that appeals to me, but the gathering of neighbors to find the perfect ornament for their front porches is a lovely sight.
The scent of spring grass and flowers travels on the breeze. These are not autumn scents, so I follow my nose and find Lori standing with her back to me in the middle of the pumpkin patch while Olivia and Dotty check each bright orange vegetable, though for what, I’m unsure.
Unable to take my gaze away as my heart pounds twice, I shake my head. “Don’t be an idiot, Ion.”
“Did you say something?” Mari asks from under the building’s overhang. With her parasol held in one hand, she looks like someone out of the past.
I’ve opted for a gray hoodie with long sleeves that cover my hands and a baseball cap.
Dressed similarly to me, Tilda is in all white and crouches down in the field to speak to the twins.
“Ion, are you alright?” Mari draws my attention back.
I join her under the shadow of the building. “Fine.” My gaze drifts back to the redhead laughing with Tilda and Max.
“You know, liking Lori is not a crime. Humans and creatures cohabitate in Harmony Glen all the time. Look at Ogram and Hope. They seem an unlikely pair, but it seems to work.” Leaning back against the building, she sighs and gestures to the human woman who fell in love with a solitary troll while on vacation.
Lori’s hair blows in the wind, and she tucks the sun-streaked strands behind her ear. Her scent carries all the way to me. It’s been hundreds of years since I was in a relationship, and that was with a vampire. “Maybe not illegal, but unwise.”
Before Mari can say more, the twins dash toward us, screaming her name. They come to a stop in front of us.
Dorothy grins and tugs on the bottom of her pink sweater with a purple dinosaur on the front. “Miss Mari, when can you teach us to play and sing again?”
Serious as ever, Mari raises an eyebrow. “Are you ready to resume your lessons and does your mother approve?”
“Yes. Oh yes.” Dorothy bounces with excitement.
Shifting her gaze to Olivia, Mari crouches to eye level. “Olivia, are you ready to resume lessons?”
Olivia’s sweater is lavender with an orange butterfly on the front. She looks at her blue sneakers before lifting her chin and meeting Mari’s gaze. “I miss the music, Miss Mari. I would like to come back if you have time.”
“Very well. I will speak to your mother and arrange a time.” Mari opens her parasol and walks in Lori’s direction with Dorothy skipping behind her.
