Page 48 of Magic in the Moonlight

I’m not giving anything away. If my vortex ability is discovered, it’ll draw too much attention when all we want is anonymity.

At my silence, the man says, “I’m Rymus.”

“Ellister,” I introduce myself, purposely not telling him Hannah’s name.

Rymus seems to understand that, and he doesn’t inquire about her. “Where did you live before?”

“I used to reside in the Night Realm.” Also not a lie. “But my mate loves sunshine. There’s no shortage of that here.”

Rymus grins. “Certainly. Well, it’s good to have neighbors. There are no other farms for at least ten miles in every direction.”

I know. That’s one of the reasons I chose this place. My only concern had been the nearby estate.

He must be the Naturopath.

We’ll probably need his ability if we want any hope of making our crops thrive, so I keep it friendly and offer, “Perhaps we can trade goods once we’ve got things up and running.”

“I’d like that. Good to meet you.” With a parting wave, he takes to the sky again, heading back to his house.

It doesn’t go unnoticed by me that he didn’t dish out any information about a family, if he has one, though I wouldn’t expect him to while assessing a possible threat.

Hannah lets out a breath she seems to have been holding, and her chest rises and falls rapidly as she pins me with panicked eyes. “What was that about?”

“We just met our neighbor.” I’m trying to keep my tone light, but it doesn’t squash her concern.

“Why are you not more freaked out? That whole thing was weird, wasn’t it?”

“It was inevitable that we’d meet him at some point. Now we have, and it’s over with.”

Swallowing hard, she says, “I didn’t like him.” Her heart is beating so fast, making mine match her erratic rhythm. “He looked shifty.”

“Shifty?”

“Yeah. Like he was hiding something.”

“Welcome to being fae. We’re all that way.”

“What if he saw the bite marks?” Her hand goes to her shoulder, then she touches my neck. “I know he saw yours. He looked right at it.”

“Anything could’ve caused the wounds. Blood sharing is so rare, it would be unreasonable for him to immediately conclude that we’re feeding from each other.”

“If you say so,” she says, her trust for me coming through the bond in comforting waves.

Cupping her flushed face, I note how warm her cheek is when I caress it with my thumb. “I’ve been working you too hard.”

“Not at all. I enjoy this stuff.”

“It’s time for lunch anyway. I’ll go catch us something. Why don’t you get some water to make a broth from the carcass?”

Hannah likes being useful, and she smiles and nods at my suggestion. Bending down, I give her a kiss before we part. As she walks away from me, she keeps her hand in mine for as long as she can.

When our fingers break contact, the disconnect makes me ache, but as much as we hate being separated, sometimes divide-and-conquer is the best strategy to be efficient.

For a few seconds, I watch her as she heads for the water pump, but I’m eager to complete my task. I want to get back sooner rather than later, so I start for the forest.

Just as I’ve made it to the shade of the trees on the outskirts of the yard, I hear a disconcerting thump behind me.

I turn my head, and fear bolts through my system when I see Hannah on the ground. Her body is a crumpled lump. She’s on her side, her legs twisted in an uncomfortable way, like she had no warning before she lost consciousness.

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