Page 12 of Hallowed Tree
Skyler blew past Chance and Jetty, going right to Kingston’s side and gripping his biceps in both hands. “Are you okay?”
Kingston took a hasty step back. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
Skyler pushed into the much larger man’s side, batting his eyelashes up at him. “I don’t know. You’ve been so hung up on this place, and they ran out here like their asses were on fire. I thought maybe something happened.”
Skyler and Kingston had been involved in some bizarre mating ritual for months. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure that Kingston knew what was happening. But we didn’t have time for that nonsense right now.
Pointing at the oak, I said, “There’s some kind of strange energy emanating from the tree.”
“Really?” Chance asked, walking briskly over and examining it.
Elyse and Jetty followed him, but Marc made his way to me and Buck. “What did you see?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Buck grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Well.” He studied the branches of the massive oak.“We don’t rightly know. Kingston didn’t feel anything when he got close to it, but Harry sure did.”
Marc hummed under his breath. “You’ve spent the most time out here, Buck. You’ve never noticed that before?”
Buck shook his head. “I can’t say that I have.”
“Oh shit!” Chance exclaimed, hunching down at the juncture where the tree met the large branch that extended over the pond. “This fungi right here? This is disease.”
Jetty stepped up next to his boyfriend. “Are you sure it’s not just moss or something from it being over the pond?”
“No, I’ve seen this before. It’s—”
Elyse leaned down next to her son. “Oh my. Chance is right.”
The mother-son duo both had green thumbs, the earth responding to their mystical gifts. If they said this wasn’t normal, it wasn’t.
Chance stood, looking around at the assembled group despairingly. “This isn’t good. Right after we lifted the curse, I had a service come out and check the health of every tree on the property.”
“That’s why you had the one cut down up by the house, right, son?” Marc asked.
“Yeah. It was dying, and there was no saving it.”
That wasn’t good. “But that doesn’t explain the odd energy I felt coming off of it.”
Chance shook his head. “No, it doesn’t.” He looked helplessly to his mom.
She appeared just as confused. Jetty clapped his hands together. “I don’t think there’s anything we can do but have the company come back out and check this one. I know the other one was in way worse shape than this one.” He patted the side of the tree trunk. “Maybe this old girl can be saved.”
Chance brightened. “True. I’ll go to the house and call now.”
“Wait,” Buck said, then glanced down at me. “You came to my side pretty fast after feeling that void, love. Did you see the fungi they’re speaking of?”
“No.” I leaned into him. “I hadn’t reached the branch when I felt that weird…nothingness.”
Elyse clapped her hands together in front of her face as she wiggled her hips happily. “Aww. Isn’t that so sweet?”
Skylar narrowed his eyes in my and Buck’s direction while Mr. Chance and Mr. Jetty exchanged looks of astonishment. What in the world?
Buck chuckled and pulled me firmly into his side. “I think we surprised them.”
“Because I didn’t examine the tree? Why?” Smoothing my hands down over my vest, I continued, “I admit I’m normally a little more on top of things, but this isn’t my normal purview. I take care of the house.”
Marc snickered. “I’m not sure this is about the tree, Mr. Harry. I think they’re shocked that you allowed Buck to refer to you as love and snuggled into him.”
Kingston sighed loudly. “Yeah, yeah. Buck finally got Harry to cave. I’m not sure that’s what’s important here.”
