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Ellister’s mouth lifts with a grin. “It was your blood, you pervert.”
I mock pout. “Damn. I thought I gave you a magical blow job.”
His amusement turns into a full belly laugh that echoes in the rock cubby, and his happiness is a wondrous experience. It’s almost like seeing a shooting star, something rare and special.
“Oh, Hannah,” he breathes out. “Never change. Promise me you’ll always be this way.”
“Unbearably charming and sexy? Done.”
He laughs some more, and the sound makes my heart flutter. Knowing the devastation he’s suffered, how hard his life has been, and the evil he’s committed… I wouldn’t think it’d be possible for him to be cheerful. Ever.
All his smiles are for me.Becauseof me.
And that’s beyond flattering.
We stare at each other with silly smiles until I think about the next unknown step.
Turning my head, I glance the expanse of blue sky, the forest in the distance, and the unfamiliar landscape fading into the far-off mist at the horizon. “Where will we go?”
Improving by the second, Ellister moves away from the support of the rock, keeping himself upright with one arm.
He reaches out to take my hand with the other. “I didn’t have time to tell you before, but I found a house for us while on my last outing. That’s what took so long. It’s actually on the same property as the hive, so we’ll have access to honey any time we want.”
I give him a look. “I don’t think you should go near the hive again.”
Offended, he scoffs. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Obviously not.”
“The rain wasn’t supposed to happen,” he insists. “Have you noticed how it doesn’t rain very often here in the Day Realm? How there are no storms?”
I nod. “From what I’ve seen, yeah.”
“Well, the storm that came upon me was sudden, without warning.”
“So?”
“It wasn’t a natural occurrence. Someone made it happen. Weather manipulation is one of the more common powers for the fae people. There must’ve been a Naturopath at a neighboring farm. They probably caused the storm to water their crops.”
Skepticism makes me twist my lips. “We’ll have neighbors? But you said we shouldn’t have contact with anyone.”
“Their house is about a mile and a half away. It’s closer than I’d hoped for, but it’s the best abandoned location I’ve found with buildings that aren’t completely dilapidated. Besides, it might come in handy living near a Naturopath. They could unknowingly help us when we try to grow our own food.” His eyes get intense. “I won’t keep you in that cave any longer, Hannah. I can’t deprive you of the sunlight you love. This is a risk we have to take.”
A bit reluctantly, I nod my agreement.
I have no choice but to trust Ellister and take his guidance.
We’re stuck here. Even if Ellister were willing to take me back to the farm, he couldn’t do it. I suspected that as soon as I found his flask bone-dry.
“You don’t have any more Glow, do you?” Even though it’s posed as a question, it’s a statement, and Ellister knows what I’m really asking.
His stare is filled with sympathy. “I used the last of it to get Astrid back to her time.”
I knew the confirmation was coming, but something close to claustrophobia tightens my chest because seeing my parents one last time is impossible.
“Come here.” Ellister lifts his arm to invite me in, and I snuggle up to his side. At the physical contact, I get immediate comfort, and I have a feeling I’m going to become seriously codependent and clingy in this relationship. “I can’t replace your family, but together, we can make a new one. We’re going to have a great life. We’re going to flourish with more love than you know what to do with.”
His reassurance does little to quell my grief, but the truth of it is, if I had to choose between him or my parents, he’d win. Every time.
