I grimaced. In times like these, the truth was my best option. “My dog got out of the house and he likes to chase the chickens. I’m worried one of the wolves or bears will find him before I do. Or worse, the snow.”
“I’m so sorry. May I help you find him?” He looked down at the snow. “My father always says I’m an excellent tracker.”
I opened my mouth to say yes when I remembered I did not know this boy. I eyed him carefully. Beautiful he was, but a stranger nonetheless. “Who are you? This is not a large village and I have never seen your face before, and trust me it is not one a girl would forget.”
He grinned and my heart fluttered again. “Thank you, I think. And trust me, I shall never forget yours either.”
My cheeks warmed. I was trying to be intimidating but it was not working, and I was putting some of that blame on the way his accent rolled along his tongue. “Your accent is beautiful. Are you new to the colonies?”
He nodded. “I am new here, yes. Just arrived this evening. I could not sleep from my travels so I decided to take a walk and survey the area. My name is Zachariah. May I inquire yours?”
I eyed his outstretched hand for a moment, then shook it. “Welcome to Salem, Zachariah. I am Saraphina Proctor.”
“Saraphina, what a beautiful name,” he purred. He grinned again and he really needed to stop before I lost my strength to fight his charm. “My friends call me Riah. You may do the same if you’d like.”
Riah. That is a lovely name for a lovely face. I licked my dry lips once more. “What a coincidence, Riah, because my friends call me Saffie. Help me find my dog and I’ll let you do the same.”
“I will take that deal.” He smiled and took off his coat, then stepped close to me and wrapped it around my shoulders. “I am warm from traveling all day and you look cold.”
I sighed and welcomed the heat of his coat. It was warm from his skin and smelled of roses. I looked up into his beautiful face and prayed I would not regret this. “Thank you.”
Chapter Five
Tennessee
“No. I don’t understand.” Easton shook his head, his blond hair was shaggier than normal and in need of a trim as it fell onto his forehead. He leaned back against the brown leather sofa. “I hear the words you’re saying, but I’m not following. It’s been a whole week since you two non-humans saw her hanging with some polar bears. Where is she? Explain this to me like I’m five.”
I sighed but it did nothing to ease the pressure in my chest. I glanced over to Tegan. She’d been staring out the front windows of Coven Headquarters’ living room since this Coven meeting started. Thirty minutes ago. Her face was paler than normal and her eyes were bloodshot. Her long black and purple hair was in knots and looking like a bird’s nest. She’d already chewed off the tips of nine of her black painted nails this week and I knew she was working on the tenth. That poor thumbnail would be gnawed off too low and her fingers would bleed…and she wouldn’t notice.
“Boss?”
I flinched and scrubbed my face, then looked to Easton. “She’s in the Seelie tunnels trying to get out, but as we’ve all already learned they don’t work like anything on Earth.”
Willow shuddered and curled into the sofa pillows next to Easton. She twirled her long strawberry blond hair around her fingers nervously. Her dark brown eyes were wide. “Like how it opened up and sucked us out…then dropped us back on the ground.”
“Without killing us.” Uncle Timothy shrugged. His words were serious but there was a light in his brown eyes like he thought something was funny. He scratched his salt and pepper scruffy beard. “That feels like an important detail.”
“Yeah, that part has always bugged me.” Emersyn flicked her wrist and the flames in the fireplace grew taller. Little orange flames danced over the tips of her long pale blonde hair. “I mean, obviously we’re all glad you were all safe but I’ve never understood why or how that happened.”
Royce pointed at her from across the room as he swallowed whatever sandwich he was eating. He arched both perfectly manicured black eyebrows. “Don’t ask. That’s a dangerous question. They lived. Let’s be happy and move on.”
“You both make good points.” Henley looked up from stirring the cauldron hanging in the fireplace and narrowed her sapphire eyes. Her normally red-painted lips were bare – actually, I just realized she didn’t have an ounce of makeup on. No heavy black eyeshadow. She was definitely not feeling like herself. “But if Althea’s note that Thorne and Sage control the tunnels is true, then we need to tread carefully.”
“And expect they’re going to make her return to us impossible,” Deacon grumbled and played with red lightning shooting between his fingers. His violet eyes burned with rage. The way his always styled sandy blond hair was sticking out in all directions told he he’d been tugging on it.
I feel you there. Poor Deacon, I knew he felt more guilty than the rest of us, which was saying a lot. But if Deacon hadn’t been on death’s door and on the verge of dying any second, we might not have rushed into that deal with Cronos…and maybe Saffie wouldn’t have been cursed. What she did saved his life…and saved the world. But we all hated that she paid the price. Heavily.
“And be one step ahead of us at all times.” Cooper leaned his hands on the back of the couch and hung his head. Even his normally short trimmed buzz-cut blond hair was like half an inch long now. “How are we supposed to help her?”
“You said she has her memory back?” Emersyn rubbed her hands together and the flames behind her swirled. The golden color of her eyes flashed bright. “How can you be sure? You said neither of you got close to her.”
“She said my name.” When they all gasped, I frowned. “I did tell you that before, didn’t I?”
“NO!”
“Definitely not.”
“How do you leave that part out?”
Cooper’s pale green eyes narrowed on me. “She said your name…in what context? Like are we sure she was remembering and not that—”
“The second I turned around, she gasped and yelled Tennessee.” I shrugged. “There was no one else around us. Then when Tegan hit the Knights with her magic – well, she didn’t say Tegan’s name but I felt it. I felt that recognition and saw it clear on her face. She smiled for Goddess’ sake. But at the very least, she said my name. She remembers.”
Emersyn sighed and her shoulders sagged with relief. “That’s good. I know if she had remembered me on New Year’s Eve we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. She’d be here.”
“Exactly.” Bentley slammed a book closed, his golden eyes that matched Emersyn’s sparkled wickedly. “Which means all we have to do is throw her a line and she’ll take it.”
Royce narrowed his eyes into little sapphire slits. He ran his fingers through his jet-black hair. “What does that mean? What are you planning little Prince of Darkness?”
Bentley grinned and he looked exactly like Tegan.
Chutney popped her bubblegum and it echoed through the living room. Her brown ringlets were still wet from her shower. “Yeah…what do we do?”