“I think so. He’s back in the clinic, which, naturally, he hates, but we should be able to get the medication Jenkins gave him out of his system pretty quickly. He was sitting up, talking, and eating after twenty-four hours.”
“You know Ma will make him all his favorite foods when he comes home. Once he gets a slice of her chocolate fudge cake, his second visit to the clinic will be a distant memory.”
“I suppose he’s got that to look forward to. MaybeIshould ask Ma for a cake to help me forget the last few days.”
“You know she would bake you a hundred. She loves you more than she loves her own child. And, with any luck, maybe there’ll be more babies running around here soon enough.”
I hummed. “Hopefully, the damage caused by Jenkins isn’t permanent. I just wish I understoodwhy. We know he did it on purpose, but not the motivation behind it.”
“If he ever rears his head again, we will get it out of him, one way or another.” His grin made it clear he would very much enjoy getting information out of him.
“I hate not knowing.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it now. Do you want to grab some dinner?” he asked, turning his body to face me more fully.
“No, I’m exhausted. I think I’ll go straight to my room.” I stood up, stretching, then grabbed the cozy blanket I had been sitting under.
“I was going to mention the blanket. Where did that come from?” Griffin asked with a smile, crossing his legs playfully.
“A gift from a patient.” Since the day I had seen my first patient here, the gifts had been coming. Homemade treats, trinkets, and beautifully crafted items, like blankets and sweaters.
I was used to gifts as a healer, but these felt that much morespecial. Each item solidified my connection to the horde. After only a few short weeks, I could already feel my ties to them increasing. The idea of leaving was getting harder and harder.
“Go get some sleep, Rowan. Something tells me you’ll have a busy day tomorrow, full of patients.”
My smile widened, hugging the blanket to my chest. “Just the way I like it.”
Nix
“Where the hell are the fire starters?” I asked myself as I rummaged through the closet. I pulled out an old sleeping bag and threw it over my shoulder, so it was out of my way.
“Nix, what the hell are you doing?” Orsen chuckled from behind me.
Turning, I found him standing behind me, the sleeping bag I had just tossed in his hands.
“I’m looking for the fire fuel! I was thinking it’s been a while since we had a campfire. Maybe we could convince Rowan to join us. It’ll be just like…” I trailed off.
“Just like at the cabin all those years ago,” Orsen finished for me, a small, sad smile gracing his features.
When we had first met Emmeline, we spent our days swimming in the lake and our evenings by the campfire, making s’mores and attempting to cook a variety of campfire meals.
They were, hands down, some of the best memories of my life.
We needed a few more good memories. Given everything that was happening in the horde, Rowan needed to relax, and know just how much she was adored and appreciated. Seeing the bruises on her neck filled me with a rage I didn’t know I was capable of.
If Jenkins returned, I wouldhappily kill him myself.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to start making those memories with Rowan? Not with Emmeline?” In my head, I had to separate them into two distinct people, because they were.
Orsen took a deep breath. “I'm beginning to accept Emmeline really is gone forever. I hate it, and I’m grieving the woman I loved. At the same time, I’m excited because Rowan has come into our lives.”
“It’s a lot for little pea-brain idiots like us,” I agreed with a vigorous nod. After everything we had been through, the idea of sitting together, laughing, joking, and enjoying each other’s company was sublime.
It helped that Rowan didn’t hate us anymore; even Bastian wasn’t completely despised after he’d stood up for her against Jenkins.
Maybe there was hope for that grumpy bastard yet.
Orsen smiled. “I’ll get marshmallows.”
