Page 57 of The Poison Season

When he finally pulled away, he cupped her face in his hands, looking into her eyes with such earnestness she felt something swell in her chest. “Two wishes,” he whispered, and leaned in to kiss her again.

Chapter Thirty-Four

By the time Leelo returned to the festival, it was full dark. The sky was awash with stars, the familiar constellations her father had taught her before he died so clear and close she felt like she could touch them. Most of the elders and children had already returned to their homes, leaving the young adults dancing and singing in small clusters, their voices a little off-key, occasionally breaking off into fits of laughter.

Leelo was still feeling warm and light, though she could no longer attribute it to the wine. It was the lingering effect of kissing Jaren, of knowing that he liked her as much as she liked him. Of knowing that tomorrow was her day off and they would spend it together.

She found her mother where she’d left her, leaned up against the base of an oak tree, sound asleep. Leelo smiled and pulled Fiona’s light summer shawl closed to keep her warm and went in search of Sage. But it was her aunt who found her.

“Where have you been?” Ketty asked, her cold voice a harsh juxtaposition to the night.Shehadn’t been enjoying herself, clearly.

“I’ve been here,” Leelo said, and for once, she didn’t feel bad for lying.

Ketty’s eyes narrowed, the dying firelight dancing in her irises. “Who were you with?”

Leelo felt all the warmth rush out of her. She couldn’t claim she’d been with Sage. That would be too easily disproven, and Leelo didn’t trust Sage to cover for her. Vance was a risk, too. Leelo didn’t even know how long she’d stayed.

She swallowed, trying to get some moisture back into her suddenly dry mouth. “No one in particular. I was just dancing.” She dropped her eyes to her feet. “I might have had too much wine and lost track of time.”

Before Ketty could respond, Leelo felt a hand close over her shoulder.

She turned to see Sage standing behind her. Her cousin’s eyes were as dull as her aunt’s were sharp. “What’s wrong?” Leelo asked.

“Nothing is wrong,” Ketty said. “Hollis proposed to Sage. She has accepted his offer.”

Leelo whirled back to her cousin. “What?”

Sage nodded, but her mouth stayed closed in a firm line.

Leelo found herself at a loss for words. She had known that Ketty intended for this to happen eventually, but tonight? Sage hadn’t even finished her year of Watcher duty. Her eighteenth birthday wasn’t for another six months. Surely it was too soon.

Fiona walked up to them, still blinking away her drowsiness. “What’s this I hear? A proposal?” She was smiling, but in the darkness, Leelo couldn’t tell if it was genuine.

“That’s right.” Ketty lifted her chin, almost as if she were challenging her sister. “My girl will be married on her eighteenth birthday. Mr. Harding has already begun drawing up the plans for their cottage.”

Leelo felt as if the ground was shifting beneath her, and she had to hold on to her mother for support. “You’re moving out?” she asked Sage.

Sage’s eyes flicked to her mother, then back to Leelo. “Yes.”

It was all too much to make sense of. Couldn’t Ketty see that Sage wasn’t happy about this? And if Ketty’s bitterness was the result of marrying a man she didn’t love, how could she possibly want the same thing for her own daughter?

“It’s late,” Fiona said. “We should get home.”

Leelo allowed her mother to take her hand and begin leading her back to the house. The voices of the still-carousing Endlans were drowned by the roar of blood in Leelo’s head, and she realized almost too late that she was going to be sick.

She retched so violently she fell to her knees, her mother pulling her hair back just in time.

“It seems you really did have too much wine.” Ketty’s voice was loud and grating. By the time Leelo wiped her mouth and sat back on her haunches, her aunt and Sage were gone. Fiona helped her to her feet.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“I think so,” Leelo said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. We’ve all had a little too much wine on a summer solstice night.” Mama smiled and linked her arm through Leelo’s. “Where were you tonight, darling?”

Leelo glanced at her mother from the corner of her eye. She should have known she would notice her absence, no matter how much wine she’d had. “I needed to get away for a little while, that’s all.”

Her mother arched a brow. “Isthat all?”

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