Page 29 of The Witch's Rite
For a while, we don’t speak. I trace circles on her back and twine her hair around my finger, and all is as it should be.
Until I hear the unmistakable cluck of a chicken.
My eyes open, and I look toward the bedroom door at the exact moment a brown hen comes strutting through like she owns the place.
“There’s . . . a chicken,” I say.
Beside me, Aurora sits up and pushes her tangled green hair away from her face. She looks at the chicken, then at me, and I can already tell she’s about to pull something out of her witch’s hat when her lips pull back into an innocent smile.
“I was hoping you might be able to help me with something.”
Chapter 18
Aurora
THE KITCHEN IS SO WARM that I have my hair tied back and a colorful scarf wrapped around my head to keep my skin cool as I bake. The coals smolder in the hearth as I finish my sourdough bread and slip it into a baking dish. Then I put the entire dish into the hearth and use tongs to cover it in coals. I’m determinednotto burn this one; I want Alden and Rowan to have warm delicious bread to eat with dinner tonight.
The thought pulls me away from the hearth, and I glance out the kitchen window to see how things are coming along.
Alden graciously agreed to build Lucy a chicken coop, and Rowan insisted upon helping. I wasn’t sure how Alden would feel about having him here, but they seem to be getting along surprisingly well.
I can tell that Rowan isn’t quite sure what to do—I suppose he’s never built a henhouse before—but he keeps up with Alden well enough, assisting him with carrying long planks of wood and driving nails with a hammer as the sun beats down on them.They’re both shirtless, and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been stealing glances out the window the entire time I’ve been baking.
Lucy and Harrison are outside as well. She plucks around in the garden while Harrison follows along after her, looking curious about the bugs she pecks from the soil around my plants.
With the bread in the coals, I have a moment to rest. I’ve been feeling tired the last few days despite getting plenty of sleep. After removing my apron and hanging it on the peg, I grab the big jar of lemonade I made earlier with lemons I picked up from Lydia’s mercantile, then carry it outside. As soon as I set my bare feet upon the earth, some of my tiredness eases, and I let out a slow breath.
Rowan glances over at me while I set the pitcher upon the table next to the garden. He’s holding a plank of wood in place while Alden drives nails through it—and thankfully not into his thumb.
They’re building the henhouse near the garden, where it’ll get plenty of sunlight, even in the winter. Lucy will be able to roost in it and get out of the weather, and it’ll eventually be encircled by a big fence so she’ll be safe from hungry woodland animals. And of course, she’ll get plenty of freedom to poke around the garden and property as well. Hopefully she’ll like living here.
“Want some lemonade?” I call to the men.
Alden drives one final nail, then hooks his hammer on his tool belt, and they both head in my direction. They have their long hair pulled back, and their skin—tawny brown for Alden, pale with pink undertones for Rowan—glistens with a sheen of sweat from the hot summer sun. Alden presses a sweaty kiss to my cheek, and I giggle and squirm away.
“How’s it coming along?” I ask as they sit at the garden table and wait for me to pour them two glasses. The lemonade shines in the sunlight, smelling tart and sweet from the honey I mixed into it.
“So far, so good,” Alden says, propping one elbow on the table as he turns to glance back at the partially constructed henhouse. “Another day and we’ll have it done.”
“Guess Lucy will be sleeping in the house again tonight,” I say as I offer them their glasses. “Not that she’ll complain.”
The men each take a glass with murmurs of thanks, and I smile proudly as they take their first few sips.
“This is delicious,” Rowan says, green eyes going wide.
“It’s my auntie’s recipe,” I say. “She used to make it for me and my sister when we were girls.”
“Older sister? Younger?” Rowan asks, and I realize we’ve not yet spoken of family to each other. Alden knows all about Selene, but I’m not sure I’ve ever so much as mentioned her name to Rowan.
“Older. She’s my only sibling. And she’s supposed to come visit for Samhain.”
Remembering fills me with a tingle of excitement. It’s been much too long since I last saw her. And it’s been even longer since she was at the cottage; I can’t wait to show her everything we’ve fixed up around here. She’s going to love it.
“What about you?” I ask, tipping my head at Rowan. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
A strange look comes over his face, and his eyes get a faraway look before he averts them from my gaze. “No. Just me.”
I watch him for a moment, waiting for him to say more, but he just sips his lemonade and stares off into the woods. Probably best I don’t pry; if he wants to share something, he will in time.
