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“Ah.” The moving pictures. That’s one amenity of this world that I’ll always feel like I’m missing out on.
Hannah points east, toward the end of the meadow. “The sun hasn’t risen above the trees yet, so right now I’m probably feeding the chickens. We’ll hide in the woods behind the shed until I spot myself and make sure I’m busy. Then I’ll go find my parents while I’m occupied elsewhere.”
My smart, stubborn, tenacious woman. She’s prepared for this. Even though I told her it would never happen, she already has a plan formed.
When I sit up with her, I’m reminded of the day in the meadow when she died in my arms. We’d been in this exact position, not too far from this very spot. Just like she was then, she’s in a cloth wrapping with her blood on it.
But the circumstances are so different now.
Hannah’s healthy.
We have a long, hopefully prosperous, future ahead of us.
“I’ll stay out of sight,” I add to her strategy. “And I’ll wait for you to get back. Be quick and don’t spout off goodbyes. We don’t want anything about your visit with your parents to stand out as peculiar. They must not suspect anything is about to change. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Hannah’s face turns worried, studying the air behind me. “You won’t leave without me, will you?”
“Never. The jump took quite a bit of my energy. My power is in check.”
My stores are still pretty high. I could form a large vortex if I wanted to, but it’s manageable. I’m in control.
“Thank you for this, Ellister.” Hannah plants three quick kisses on my mouth. “Thank you, thank you.”
Excited, she jumps to her feet, then tugs me up with her. Taking my hand, she runs for the woods.
We speed past the wildflowers, take refuge under the shade of the trees, and dart behind the shed.
Good feelings come over me as I glance about the familiar area.
I understand Hannah’s grief about leaving the farm. There’s something magical about this place. Perhaps it’s because of the bargain. The property was obtained by mystical means, so maybe people can sense the wonder of that.
It definitely made an impression on me.
Although the time Hannah and I had here was short, and despite it ending badly, the memories we have will last forever. Our first dance. Our first kiss. The attraction, our conversations, and the journey we took after her death.
I treasure every moment and being back to where it all happened makes me a bit sentimental.
It’s too bad we couldn’t have settled in the human realm. The short lifespan and lack of fae-ness doesn’t bother me. In fact, I think I would’ve enjoyed such a mundane existence.
But there’s no point to dwelling on what cannot be.
It doesn’t take Hannah long to spot herself.
“There.” Looking at the familiar form in jeans and a T-shirt, her face is fascinated as she watches Hannah Number Two make her way to the barn, bucket in hand. “I’ll be getting the feed, heading for the chicken yard, and then I’ll collect the eggs. That should give me a good twenty-minute window to talk to my parents.”
“Do you know where they are?” I ask.
“Having coffee in their kitchen,” she replies confidently. “Their routine is always the same.”
Since my pants are still hanging open in the front, I button them while being very aware of our state of undress. Neither of us have shoes. Sticks and twigs dig into the soles of my bare feet. If I had a shirt, I’d put it around Hannah’s shoulders, but alas, I do not.
I scan the bedsheet covering her body. “You can’t go in there wearing this.”
She glances down. “Very true. You’re pretty good about getting to indoor locations, right?”
“If I know the space well, yes.”
“You remember my bedroom?”
