When sleep finally came, I dreamed of golden eyes and spring breezes.
Chapter
Eleven
Ash and Tess stood at the market gate the next morning. The banshee hadn’t responded to my text from last night, and relief filled me when I spotted her. Tess was the youngest of all of us, early twenties, and was still learning to deal with her emotions in a healthy way. Screaming, like most banshees did when they were angry, would injure us all, and it was one of the few rules I’d laid down when Tess came to work for me. The only time she could use that particular deadly power was in a life-or-death situation.
Our eyes locked. I dropped the basket I held, gave her a hesitant smile, and when an answering one tugged her lips up, I let out a small sigh and hurried over to bring her into a hug. Tess gave a huff of laughter and wrapped her arms around me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered in her ear.
“Me too.”
“No. You were right, and I was wrong, Tess. It’s difficult for me. I have a lot of feelings surrounding what happened to me and what it caused.” I stepped back and held her by the arms. “But I promise, I will try.”
Silvery tears glittered in her eyes. “We should all be ourselves.”
I nodded. “We should.”
Ash’s eyes softened, and he opened his mouth to speak before something caught his attention and a hoarse wheeze sounded from his throat.
Tess’s brow furrowed. I turned only to see Moira waddling up to us in a canary yellow bee suit. Glowing honeybees floated around the hood.
I pressed my lips together. Tess’s soft laughter echoed around us.
“Shut it,” Moira growled as she stomped up to us. The bees angrily buzzed at the words. Her eyes narrowed. “Is there something you aren’t telling me about this suit?” she demanded. “Almost every time I speak, they get angry.”
I grinned.
“Evie! Dammit!”
The bees swirled around her face, bobbing and weaving, their buzzing drowning out the sound of conversation around us.
“If you lie or curse, the bees get...reactive.”
Moira closed her eyes. “How long do I have to wear this stupid suit?”
The bees buzzed again.
“Stupid is not a cuss word!”
The bees did not agree.
“Until the end of the day,” I said through my laughter.
She made a disgusted noise. “Which is?”
I glanced at Ash. “How long before you can grow those apples?”
“Once we finish up here, we’ll go back to the shop. Should be a few hours. No more than five.” He shrugged. “Nature is on its own schedule.”
“Okay weirdo,” Moira grumbled.
The gates to the market opened. I shook my basket at my friends. “You know what to do. Meet back here in an hour?”
Ash gave a little salute. Tess rolled her eyes. Moira swatted angrily at the magical bees buzzing around her.
“Right.” Rolling my eyes, I headed inside.
