Page 65 of From the Edge

“Rowan, how did you do this?”

“I felt a need, and I added space. I felt lonely and imagined people all around me, and then I made a place for them to go with their own family. I asked the house and the land, and it gave me what I needed.”

“What happened in the garden?”

Rowan inhaled and explained the first attack as they walked, her running to the garden before they could catch her again, and the garden tearing apart the shadow mages while she bled into the dirt. Then she mentioned Alora, and the woman picking her up and taking her to the emergency room.

“How did she get past the plants?”

“She told them why she was there. They let her in. They let her in again during Mell’s attack. She saved me then, too.”

“She’s a good friend.”

Rowan pulled in a deep breath. “Pain calls her. The greater the pain, the faster she turns up. She can’t sense the disaster until it happens, but she tried to make sure I would survive it. She got me medical attention, helped me find a therapy group. She showed me how to protect the property with a basic ward. I looked through Grandpa’s books and found one that would work on intent, but I never had a chance to use it until they came the second time. Then, I got it down. They have come back twice, but I have not let them through the gate.”

She sighed. “So that’s pretty much been it since you two left.”

“I died, Rowan. My body stopped. I am over two hundred right now.”

“I know. I also just learned Grandpa Vas is a necromancer. He stayed with you, and he brought you back. I had the property help with live energy. You are as alive as I am now.”

Her grandmother smiled. “What do we do now?”

“Well, you two still have accounts in trust. It’s quite a bit of money. Mom and Dad would love to have you visit the islands. You could meet Laurel’s little family. There are a few elves like Dad who are living there now, and some elite omegas, like Regis.”

They walked past Renyet’s door, and Eleanor smiled. “So he’s close.”

“Be quiet, Grandma. I don’t have one active hormone in my body. I gave it all to the garden. The cinnamon tree specifically.”

“What?” The horror was apparent in her tone.

“Yeah. Renyet knows. Being a shaman, he would have to be blind not to notice. He’s attuned to nature, and my nature is missing.”

“You think it can be corrected?”

“Gran, I just got my skin back yesterday. I had to be painted with my own blood. The shell cracked. This is the first moment I have been able to feel sheets in years.”

Eleanor blinked. “Even the cuddly ones?”

“Even those. This is my room.”

“May I see?”

“Sure.”

She opened the room, and the enormous princess bed with swags and panels made Eleanor smile until she looked over to the window seat.

“You sleep in the window.”

“I watch the main gate until I can’t watch, and I sleep.”

“Oh, honey.” She walked over to the desk. “What’s this?”

“The original blueprints are on the wall, and all the changes I have made are on the desk.”

Her grandmother opened the roll and gasped. “You did all this?”

“Um, yes. Part of my natural lust might have reshaped the house as well. Oh, we are going to have a daycare centre between the house and the gate, with an afterschool program for older children who need somewhere to hang out.”