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Jade relaxed back into the seat with a huff. “What news do you have about Trystan? Has he scurried out of his hole yet?”
My shoulders bunched with tension, my delight fading slightly. “Henry has gone to Hartford to speak with Luca Castillo. You remember Thibault mentioning his dealings with Trystan?” When she nodded, I returned my hand to the console, gripping her hand tightly to wipe away my frustration. “It should be me, but Henry insisted I remain close to you. Plus, it’s far too dangerous for me to visit the city after the scene at The Painted Lady. He’s garnering more information about potential means to enter Trystan’s manor undetected.”
Jade’s eyes fell shut as she leaned her head against the window. “So, there’s been no new information, then. You should hear what information I’ve gathered, vamp. However, I fear I’m fading after drinking so much honey mead. If you’re planning on dragging me to some other frivolous excursion, you may as well drop me off at Liliane’s.”
Instead of replying, I lifted a hand to drag down the tired lines around her eyes. “Fun night?”
The cloying honey wine hung on her breath, but there was an unconfined wildness buzzing under her skin that drew me in. My desires rushed to the surface, and I clenched my grip tighter on the steering wheel.
“We cast a seance and summoned a spirit.” She shrugged, her spine stiffening as if she was hiding some secret from her night in the cemetery. “Pretty typical night for a gaggle of witches, I’d say.”
I huffed a laugh. “Hm. It won’t be much longer until we reach our destination. Nothing frivolous or wild, but I can drop you off to rest if you’d like.”
“Well, now you’ve stoked my curiosity.” With a crooked grin, she muttered a quick sobering spell that vanished any signs of her boisterous night with the Salem witches.
My brows lifted as I pulled into our destination. “Good, because we’ve arrived.”
We stepped away from Henry’s car and into the botanical gardens I’d taken to frequenting during my restless hours not spent searching for the staff. Dormant trees and shrubs that filled the miles of outdoor gardens beneath the winter sky would soon be buried under a crystal glow, but the tranquil beauty calmed my racing thoughts.
“Not what I was expecting, vamp, but it’s stunning here.” Jade’s face reflected the twinkling lights wrapped around wood beams every few feet with something like awe. “No one in the Coven mentioned this place, and I feel like I’ve visited every landmark in the city at this point. We won’t get in trouble for being here after hours?”
I wound my arm through hers as she leaned over to smell a bushel of rosemary, pleased that she didn’t flinch or pull away. “It’s one of Henry’s many business ventures over the years. We won’t be disturbed.”
She nodded, and I led her down a manicured path, quietly guiding her towards the greenhouse at the edge of the property. The glass dome contained a paradise I knew Jade alone would appreciate.
“Are we going to talk about it?” She asked expectantly, her voice crisp in the otherwise peaceful night. “The other night at the cabin?”
Fire burned in my gaze as I inhaled the juniper berry emanating from her loose curls.
“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to bring it up,” I admitted, staring up at the stars. “I wanted to give you space to determine whether you wanted to continue down that path or return to how we were before.”
A look of serious contemplation crossed her face as she wound her arms around her body. I took off my coat, offering it to her, and a small grin teased her lips. “I like what we did at the cabin,” she mumbled into the jacket’s lapels, not-so-subtly inhaling my scent. “In fact, I wondered if maybe we should renegotiate our terms from the winter market.”
“One night in my bed and you’re ready to risk it all, darling?” Forcing an unaffected tone, I whistled low. “Look at that. I thought I’d see another century before Jade Belle admitted to actually caring about me. Perhaps the Salem Coven has the real version of you locked away in your great aunt’s house, and I’ve been dealing with a doppelgänger this entire time. Would explain that night, at least. Or tonight’s mayhem.”
“Maybe I’m not the same woman I was when we left New Orleans,” she objected, cheeks stained scarlet. My words seemed to have the opposite intended effect, and she withered beneath the fabric of my coat. “It was just a suggestion—”
Sharp regret stabbed through me at my cavalier words.
“I didn’t say that,” I insisted earnestly, pulling her to a stop, so she couldn’t hide from me. “In fact, it’s everything I’ve dreamed of and more.”
Her eyes sparkled. “But?”
“No buts,” I responded swiftly. Perhaps too quickly.
She dragged her arm through mine once more and forced us to continue down the path without a word. The tranquil calm that could only come from traversing during the middle of the night seemed to settle over her in a wave.
All the worries that Rebecca and her parents’ deaths had left on her shoulders loosened, and the tight set of her lips smoothed into a pretty pout I wanted to kiss away. It took my breath away, watching the carefree side of Jade I always knew lay within finally shimmer under the moonlight.
But I couldn’t stop the panic from looping over me like a lasso, making me feel defenseless against my impeding fate. I wanted to safely obscure Jade from my father’s wrath, long enough for me to end him, but that didn’t stop my heart from aching with longing.
“You wanted to know what I’ve been up to on nights not spent chasing after you or Trystan?” I asked. As we approached the greenhouse, I took a deep, unnecessary breath and opened the glass door for her, steeling myself to bare a piece of my soul. “Come and have a look.”
As we entered the room, the humid air misted along our winter clothes warmly. With a sharp inhale, she spun in place to take in the medley of plant life in the small dome. “Oh, wow.”
Hellebores and witch hazel sat amongst a variety of warmer weather crops, dripping with bright color, in opposition to the dullness of outside. It couldn’t hold a candle to my gardens in Slovenia—or even New Orleans—but as she skimmed her hands along the tables overflowing with herbs and flowers, I grew warm with contentment.
“I usually come here for solitude, when my brain feels as if it may burst with the onslaught of twisting thoughts and anxiety that plague me,” I said, trailing behind her as I shifted a hand through my hair. “Nature endures, like vampires. It soothes me until I can simplybe.”
