“Do you want me to get the bed ready for you?” Imassaged between her shoulder blades, where most of her tension typically lived.
We had a whole nighttime routine. Octavia would run a bath for us to take together. During it, we’d recap the day…or do something that required a little more energy.
Afterward, I’d turn down the bed and set up our heated blanket. We took turns reading each other to sleep. I preferred fairytales; the lighter, the better. She was partial to articles from the Guild database. The drier and stuffier, the better.
“No, I want to be awake when he gets here,” she said around a yawn. “Knowing him, he’ll probably stay five minutes before booking the next flight out.”
I laughed. This would be the third time Daylan Burrow accepted our invitation to the ranch. And the first time he actually made his flight. After months of back-and-forth, he and Octavia had formed a bond. She’d pulled him out of the shell he’d retreated into, and he’d helped her manage the nightmares that lingered after her possession.
I’d also grown an attachment to him. Not only because he’d helped the woman I loved feel protected—but that was a hearty bonus. But because, like him, I’d become somewhat of a loose thread in the hunting world. I didn’t belong to the Guild. I no longer had my team. And yet I still couldn’t quite shake the weight of responsibility to put my knowledge to good use.
After releasing the need to fit into the hunting world as perfectly as every other Jones, I was ready to start anew. Build something sustainable for myself, like Octavia had done with Elmwood.
“How’s it looking?” My girlfriend lifted her head and reached for my laptop. I played with the ends of her locs while she scrolled through my document. Thanks to a cutI’d given her a week ago, her hair barely grazed her shoulders. She smelled like the fall air, crisp and new.
“Good,” I murmured as I kissed her cheek.
She laughed, pretending to want to pull away, even though there was no genuine force behind her tug. “The horses missed you today. Frog kept looking at the door, waiting. He gets an attitude with me every time it’s time for a bath. Think he prefers you because you baby him.”
Usually, I’d spend most of the workday with her, tending to whatever we had to do on the ranch. I’d gotten close with the horses. I got used to anticipating their wants and reading their body language. And I’ve fallen in love with them, unable to imagine my days without waking up and greeting them.
If I wasn’t by Octavia's side doing manual labor—something my muscles ruefully got accustomed to—I was busy doing marketing for the ranch. Wilson and I made big plans around the kitchen table.
In one year, we’d established what we hoped would become an annual Peach Festival. During Halloween, we hosted a Spirits Eve weekend. Income for the ranch didn’t just flow from the boarding horses, but also from Elmwood’s existence as an event space.
The land bloomed with life after its release from the demon’s energy. Every season changed in perfect rhythm; fall leaves colored vibrant reds and oranges. Spring wildflowers sprouting up in pastel clusters.
“How are you feeling about the pitch?” Octavia scrolled through my writing, scanning paragraphs she’d been helping me perfect for the past month.
“Good.”
She raised a brow and looked up at me. “Good?”
I shrugged and stretched before entwining my fingers and placing them behind my head.
Octavia snorted, pushing herself up onto her knees. “You’re so…”
“What?” I offered her a smile.
She wrinkled her nose, but instead of a complaint, I received a kiss on the nose. “Full of yourself.”
I pulled her in for a proper kiss. “Are you mad that I’m not nervous?”
“No, I’m mad I’m nervous for you.” She tugged on my shirt, a telltale sign she wanted me to climb into her lap.
Sometimes, Octavia needed more than anything to be held. Most times, she simply needed to hold me. Shielding me from unseen forces in case I couldn’t do it myself.
Being in a relationship with her was the first time I was able to relinquish control whenever I needed. The first time I felt like if I couldn’t do something, it wasn’t a character flaw but an opportunity to be closer to her.
“You realize I’m not nervous because you helped me.” I hugged her close, brushing my lips across her jawline and pausing at her mouth. Her breathing shuddered. “I’m nothing without your feedback. Without you.”
“Say that again, but slower?” she requested with her eyes closed.
I placed my lips by her ear, ready to whisper it before the click of Wilson’s door interrupted us. Octavia sighed when I gave her a quick kiss and swung off her.
“Hey,” Wilson sounded out of breath. He barely looked our way as he rolled past. “Rae, did you reheat the lasagna?”
“I did.” I smiled when Octavia sent me a wordlesswhat’s his problem?
