Sonya began to cry. Tears fell down her cheeks, mingling with the rainwater. She sat down against a nearby stone wall. She would wait for the rain to stop. For now, she couldn’t do anything.
Her mind was spinning too fast and she couldn’t think at all. And her feet were soaked, her toes freezing.
But the rain would not relent; it carried on and on, until the sky grew darker and Sonya was freezing. She wrapped her arms around herself, trembling, and it felt as if no time at all had passed between now and the night she had run away.
What if she never made her way back?
She buried her face in her hands and cried.
She only stopped a little while later when she heard barking. For a moment, she thought she was imagining it. It sounded quite familiar. Then she heard it again, and it almost sounded closer.
Then Sonya felt a snout rub against her face. She opened her eyes, and there was Butterscotch, his fur soaked through. A cry of relief rose in her throat, and she threw her arms around the dog.
‘Scotchie,’ she said, voice trembling. ‘You found me.’
Butterscotch nudged her, encouraging her to stand, and then he led the way home, pausing every few steps to check she was following.
They made it home not twenty minutes later, and when she entered the cottage, she was mightily grateful to kick off her shoes, then enter to a roaring fire. Caden and Dania were sitting on the couch, and when they saw Butterscotch, they immediately stood.
‘Oh, thank goodness!’ Caden cried, his hand to his chest.
‘Where is everyone?’ Sonya asked.
‘Kiri and Azam went out to look for you,’ Caden explained. Just as the words left his mouth, she heard Azam’s voice.
‘Sonya!’ He cried her name from the doorway, then came bounding in as she turned. He was drenched and, once he saw her, his face broke, and then hers did, too. She started to cry.
He bridged the space between them in two strides, pulling her into his arms. ‘You’re okay,’ he breathed. ‘You’re safe.’ He held on to her desperately and she could feel his heart pounding, his hands trembling as he stroked her hair.
She wanted to apologize, but she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t do anything but hold on to him, her eyes closed as she inhaled the scent of rain and tea, the feel of his muscles strong beneath his wet clothes.
‘Are you hurt?’ Azam asked, drawing back to inspect her. He cupped her face in his hands, gazing into her eyes.
‘I’m alright,’ she managed to say.
‘God, I thought—’ He broke off, clenching his jaw. Before she could ask what he’d thought, she felt a tug on her dress. She turned to look at Dania, who was frowning.
‘Why did you get lost?’ Dania asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Sonya replied.
‘She’s here now,’ Azam said firmly. ‘And we won’t let her get lost again.’
There was a surety in his voice that helped calm Sonya’s frayed nerves. She felt much better.
Then Kiri returned, and she breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Oh, thank goodness you’re here,’ she said, coming over to give Sonya a hug.
‘I knew Butterscotch would find you and bring you back,’ Caden said.
Sonya wondered if his shepherd magic meant he was able to tell Butterscotch to find her and lead her back to the cottage.
But she was still shaking, and Kiri rubbed her arms. ‘Let’s get you out of those wet clothes,’ she said.
Sonya turned back to glance at Azam, who was very quiet. There was an intense expression on his face, and she saw that he was shaking as well. She felt there was something she was missing, something obvious. He clenched his jaw, looking away from her. She wanted to say something, but when she opened her mouth, no words came.
Sonya followed Kiri upstairs, and at the top of the steps, she remembered the reason she had gone out in the first place. She pulled the vanilla extract from her pocket. ‘I’m sorry,’ Sonya said, showing Kiri. ‘I went because I was supposed to be quicker, and instead I caused all this trouble.’
Kiri tsked, leading Sonya to her room. ‘Don’t be silly,’ she said, hand gentle on Sonya’s back. ‘We’re all just glad you’re okay.’
