If he keeps this up around the house, it strikes a few items off my to-do list. And that energy saved can be redirected into keeping my eyes wide open for a misstep, any fleeting glimpse of his true intentions here. He’s slowly ingratiating himself back into the good graces of some around town and within the safety council, but he isn’t fooling me. I’ll discover his ulterior motive and expose him as the pretender he is.
A door opens somewhere upstairs, ending my pain-induced rumination. Goodness me, here comes another witness to my embarrassing predicament. Probably more than one since it’s getting on in the morning. I bite my lip, staying silent, as Tallie marches down the staircase and through the foyer in matching pink leggings and bra top. They contrast brightly and beautifully with her moss green skin. Her curved eyebrows shoot up as she spots me laid out on the sofa.
“Ada! What’s going on? Are you alright?” She rushes over and squats down next to me, eyeing my elevated foot.
“Wasn’t my best morning,” I try to make light.
“Do you need anything?” she frets, leaning in for a closer look at my purpled ankle.
“My friend is on her way to heal me. Let’s hope she’s quicker than a hiccup.” My wry laugh fills the room.
“I just thought to myself I should ask if you want to join me on my run. But I guess I’ll be going solo today,” she remarks, flashing me a regretful look.
“Do an extra lap for me.” I wink, letting her know there’s no hard feelings. I wouldn’t have gone anyway, but I won’t ruin her illusion I’m some sort of avid jogger.
“Hope your friend gets here soon and that you feel better,” she says with a whoosh of breath as she straightens to her full height. I shoo her off since I don’t want to keep her.
I attempt to read a few emails on my phone to distract me. Luckily, Thea lets herself into the house, and I can quit pretending like I can get any work done in this state. “Hello! I’m here for my house call,” she trills from the foyer.
“I’m in the living room!” I call out while pushing myself back up to a seated position, gritting my teeth at the mistake.
“Oh my, Ada. I can already tell you’ve done a number on that poor ankle. Black and blue are not your best colors,” she jokes as she steps into the room and sits on the coffee table.
“I’m inclined to agree with you.” I snort.
“Let’s get this over with then. I may not get you back to a hundred percent today, but this will surely feel much better,” she assures me. Her large dark brown eyes flash with sympathy.
I cringe when she reaches for my ankle. Even the light contact aggravates it. She brushes over my skin lightly, summoning her magick and murmuring quietly to herself as she concentrates on her spells. Her hands heat up my already hot, swollen ankle as the magick weaves through me. It’s an uncomfortable sensation at first like exposing a burn to the scorching midday sun. The pain steadily ebbs, and the swelling noticeably reduces. She doesn’t stop until the discoloration turns from blackish to purple to green to yellow, healing before my eyes. When she’s done, she smiles at me and moves her hands away.
“Give it a test run! But don’t actually run, please,” she encourages with a chuckle as she scoots over to give me space. Guess I really won’t be going with Tallie anytime soon.
Still resting on the stack of pillows, my ankle swivels without painful resistance. Like she said, it’s not completely healed, but it’s close. Sitting up straighter and swinging my foot off the pillow, I place it gingerly on the ground next to the healthy one. So far so good. She holds out her hands to hoist me up from the sofa. My ankle takes my weight well enough. After a fewsteps, I feel confident I can walk without difficulty, only minor discomfort.
“So much better! Thank you, Thea. You’re a lifesaver,” I gush as I turn around and walk back toward her.
“Oh, don’t be silly, this was nothing. But you’re quite welcome. I’m so glad you called me. You may not be fleet of foot quite yet. The ankle looks good, and the sprain is mostly healed. I knitted together the partial tear in your ligament, but it still needs a few days rest to fully recover. I’m on my way to the clinic after this for my shift. I’ll deliver some pain relief salve afterward. In the worst timing ever, the last of my jars at home ran out the other day and I haven’t restocked. Promise me you’ll use this as an excuse to laze about and take it easy today? Maybe read a good book and drink a glass of wine later to relax? In fact, I’m officially prescribing it.”
We’re both giggling as we embrace in a brief hug. Her delightfully spiky black hair tickles my cheek as she pulls away.
“Thanks again, and I’ll follow your advice to the letter. I’ve already picked out the book,” I declare.
“The saucier the better!” She winks as she steps out the door onto the porch. We wave goodbye as she hops in her automobile to drive to work.
After shutting the door, I slump against it, relief coursing through me now that there’s only a dull ache in my ankle, hardly noticeable at all. Footsteps from the kitchen startle me, reminding me of my plan. I dub it Operation Unsteady the Yeti. Mayhap it needs a better name in the future, but for now that’s what I’ve got.
No sooner than I’ve pushed myself away from the door, do I see his form darken the entry to the kitchen. “Breakfast is ready. I had not realized your friend would heal you so quickly. I was about to ask her to join us. I made more than enough. And I do not believe anyone else will be coming down soon,” he observesas he turns his head toward the stairs, listening for signs of life and evidently finding none.
“I haven’t seen anyone but Tallie, and she’s out for a while. Thea works quickly. She’s one of our best healers. Don’t feel bad though, this was a detour on her way to work. She probably couldn’t have stayed. Someone else will appreciate the food,” I respond with a shrug, my tone matter of fact.
“How is it? Your ankle? Do you need help to the kitchen?” he asks solicitously as he joins me in the foyer, his gaze sweeping downward at my healed ankle. It takes all my willpower not to roll my eyes.
“No assistance needed, thank you. I need be careful with it for a few days, that’s all.” I offer a faint smile, putting my plan into place.
He narrows his eyes as they fix on my mouth and then back up to meet my gaze. It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking. But it seems to work. He nods and smiles back at me with a flash of sharp white teeth.
“That is good news. We should eat before the food gets cold,” he says, using a casual hand to gesture for me to go first.
The aroma of breakfast wafts toward me before I even reach the threshold. And once I do, the kitchen smells divine. It sparks a longing in me, to a time when this house was full of life. So much love and happiness. When was the last time someone cooked just for me in this kitchen? It’s hard to pinpoint, but likely it was fifteen years ago in the days leading up to, mayhap even the day of, his return to the North Clan.
