Page 25 of The Witch's Rite
“Is that for me?”
“Oh.” I’d almost forgotten, enchanted by her as I am. Dropping dramatically to one knee, I offer them up to her. “I saw them and thought of you, my queen.”
“Sir Rowan,” she says with another little laugh. “You shouldn’t have.” She takes the flowers into her hands and lowers her face to the petals, breathing in their soft floral aroma. “They’re lovely. Thank you.” Leaning down so that her hair falls around us like a veil, she presses a kiss to my cheek.
I rise smoothly to my feet and capture her around the waist, then give her arealkiss. Her lips are warm against mine, and the scent of the flowers swirls around us.
The sound of rustling from a bed of what look like tomato plants has Aurora pulling away from me. The hen is weaving through the plants, plucking at the ground. At first, I think she’s about to damage the young stalks, but Aurora looks pleased, not worried.
“She’s helping with the bugs,” she tells me, turning away in a whirl of skirts to walk toward the hen. Kneeling, she holds a hand out, and the chicken gently pecks her bare palm before moving on. “Does she have a name?”
Pushing my hands into my pockets, I shrug. “If she does, I certainly don’t know it.”
“We shall give her a new one, then.” She looks back over her shoulder at me. “You rescued her, so you should do the honors.”
My gaze goes to the chicken as she hops out of the tomato bed and then into a nearby bed of greens. Watching her, one name pops into my head. It makes my heart squeeze, even after all these years, but somehow, it feels right.
“How about Lucy?”
The hen pauses in her search for bugs, meets my gaze, then clucks and continues on her way. It makes Aurora giggle.
“I think it’s perfect.” She watches Lucy for a moment more, then looks back at me. “What do you plan to do with her?”
I give Aurora my most innocent smile while reaching up to push a hand through my now-dry hair. “I was hoping... she could stay here with you?”
“Oh.” Aurora blinks her bright green eyes before looking back to Lucy. Harrison is following her through the garden, but he doesn’t pounce or even so much as ruffle one of her feathers. “Well, she’d certainly be a help in the garden. The bugs are bad this year.” Her expression softens. “We’d need to build her a coop though.”
It takes a moment for me to push past the pride impeding my throat, but I finally say, “Could Alden help?”
And you’d think I just handed Aurora a cone of honeyed ice given how bright her smile is.
“I’ll ask him. I can’t imagine he’d say no.”
Neither can I;Icould never say no to Aurora Silvermoon.
Aurora stands, hands on her hips, and watches Lucy and Harrison traverse the garden beds together. In the quiet, my stomach grumbles again. She flicks her eyes to me and raises a brow. “Hungry?”
I give her a sideways smile.
“Come on, then.” Aurora strides toward another bed thick with greenery and picks up a basket sitting beside it. It’s full to the brim with all manner of fresh produce: spinach, red beets, a few yellow potatoes, and a handful of peas. Having tasted her baking before, I can feel my mouth watering at the idea of eating a homecooked Silvermoon meal.
She heads toward the garden gate, then pauses to look back over her shoulder at me.
“Grab her, would you?”
Lucy is just crossing my path, on her way to another bed, and I quickly kneel to pick her up. She flutters her feathers and gives me a displeased cluck. At my feet, Harrison looks up at me, tail flicking through the dirt.
Aurora flips the latch on the gate, then pushes it open wide. “Let’s show Lucy her new home.”
Chapter 17
Alden
THE SUN HAS JUST RISEN above the horizon, but the air is already warm and alive with the hum of insects and the melody of birdsong. My footsteps on the path are the loudest thing out here. I got home to my cabin late last night after working all day on Mr. Tillman’s new barn, and I passed out as soon as I peeled my boots off. I’ve not got any projects to work on today, and it’s been almost a full twenty-four hours since I last saw Aurora. My chest warms with anticipation; what an odd thing that being away from her for one day makes me feel so starved for her company.
The cottage is quiet as I approach. Harrison is lying on the veranda in a patch of golden sunlight, and he allows me to scratch him on the chin as I pass by.
“Aurora up?” I ask.
