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Rafael’s eyes flicked to mine. “Not too long.”
Hector cursed, turned halfway around, then faced his brother again. “Stars, what was it this time?”
“Hunter.”
Everence’s posture stiffened, and I let out a quiet gasp.
“On the property?” hissed Hector, eyes wide.
“No.”
“You left again? After what happened last time?” Hector shook his head, his blond hair tossing back and forth. “Can’t it wait one month?”
Rafael pinned his dark eyes on me. “No.” He took a step toward me. “Now, let us speak no more of this.”
His pants were torn across his thigh, but I forced myself to look only at his face. I needed to say something, to assert my presence here. I was not some fly on the wall.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
His stern expression didn’t alter, and I took an involuntary step back.
“I’m fine,” he said in his deep voice. “Thanks to my cousin’s healing magic.” He nodded at Everence. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“No, it’s all right,” I spluttered, heart hammering madly. My head shook so quickly, the flower pinned behind my ear flung loose.
Rafael snatched it faster than a blink and lifted it toward me.
With trembling fingers, I took the flower, his skin startlingly cold as it brushed mine. I stared at his hand a moment, then realized how foolish I must appear to them. “Thank you,” I managed to say.
For a moment, Rafael held my gaze, then he turned on his heel and marched toward the double doors.
“Will you not dine with us?”
Everyone turned and stared at me. My blood heated to an uncomfortable level, but I stood my ground, hoping they couldn’t hear how loudly my heart drummed.
“Yes, will you not dine with us?” Hector planted his hands on his hips and smiled at his brother. He was mocking me, but I wouldn’t let it rattle me.
Everence, in a subtle glance I wasn’t meant to see, narrowed her eyes at Hector.
Rafael exhaled slowly. “Not tonight.”
My shoulders sank as he bobbed a curt bow and left the room. Getting to know him was going to be more difficult than I ever imagined.
18
Talia
Three days passed without a single glimpse of Rafael or any magical mishaps. I wasn’t entirely sure any of his magic had transferred to me at all.
As the sun set, I strolled back from the stable, choosing a path through the garden I hadn’t taken before. The stepping stones beneath my feet were cracked and worn and mottled with moss. A late afternoon rain, the first I’d seen in these lands, had left the grounds damp and cooler.
A praying mantis, the size of a small dog, extended his legs toward me from beneath a thick hedge. I yelped and leaped aside. Another voice yelped back.
A figure charged from below a vine-covered pergola just ahead and blasted past me, smacking my shoulder on the way by. Eyes wide and breaths fast, I stared after what looked almost exactly like a fleeing tree.
A heavy sigh drew my attention back to the pergola. Everence stepped out from beneath the shadowy space. As she moved, ice crystals spread to the plants nearest her. My brows shot up.
“She won’t be back,” said Everence with a disappointed frown.
