Page 103 of Demon and the Raven

As we give him ours, the land intoned.

Sitting up, hands on my thighs, I looked at Lorne. “It says you’re welcome.”

His smile couldn’t have been any bigger.

Back inside, we got into bed, and Lorne curled around me, the perfect spoon. I told him to try and sleep, but he was already out.

Sunday morning, I made a pot of lavender and vanilla Earl Grey tea, and when Meijun and Shelby smelled that, it woke them. Not the noise we were making, moving around in the kitchen, but the tea. I loved that.

Amanda had shown up, dressed like she was about to go to the Kentucky Derby or something, after calling to see if Lorne and I wanted food. She, her hubby, and the kids had breakfast out again since Eddie was playing another round of golf with a client afterward, and Amanda, who sometimes took her children to church with Eddie, was skipping it since he was. She was sporadic about going to begin with, and any excuse not to go, she normally took. When I explained that I had company, she said she’d bring enough for everyone. It was her way.

Her kids were excited to meet new people in my kitchen. My groggy, sleep-deprived guests were not as thrilled to face the inquisition in the form of Toby and JJ. No one fired questions faster than small children.

Liam just wanted to take a shower, but before he could get there, he had to introduce himself and explain about being a paranormal investigator. Then he had to tell Toby why he had chosen that as a profession. When Liam looked at Amanda for help, she spit out her juice.

Jeremy got in the shower as soon as Liam came out. Liam put his dirty clothes in his duffel, then joined us at the table. JJ served him apple juice, Toby delivered coffee with sugar and cream options, and Amanda placed a bagel and lox in front of him. He appeared a bit overwhelmed.

“Eat,” I told him. “Food helps.”

Once Meijun and Shelby sat at the table, both wanting a cinnamon roll and tea—Amanda always brought options—I asked Toby to get the bag from the counter, where I’d left it the night before, and give it to Shelby.

When he picked it up, he asked, “May I look inside?”

“You may.”

Toby opened the drawstring, walked over to Shelby, and showed her the contents. “First you smell it,” he explained, holding it up to her.

She glanced at me, and I smiled at her. She then looked at Amanda, who also smiled, and then at JJ.

“You gotta smell it so you know what you’re touching,” JJ told her.

Leaning in, she inhaled deeply. I watched her eyes flutter before she said, “That’s heavenly. What is it?”

Toby looked at me. “Is it casting herbs to keep her safe?”

“And all of them,” I said, indicating Meijun and Liam, as well as Jeremy, who’d returned from his shower.

Toby turned to Shelby. “Is it okay if I hold your hand?”

Her face lit up. “Yes.”

His dark blue-green eyes, the same deep aqua as his mother’s, fixed on her face. I noted that Shelby, with her short dark-brown hair, just enough to curl around her ears, and big brown doe eyes, did look very young.

“So you build a small fire,” Toby told her, “or if you have a big one, that’s okay too, but not like a barbecue and not inside because the herbs pop and spark.”

“Okay,” she told the beautiful little boy with the short golden-blond hair.

“There are lots of spells and lots of ways to say them, and some people think there’s only one right way, but that’s not true. It doesn’t have to be fancy, what you say.”

“The words don’t matter,” JJ chimed in. “As long as they come from inside.”

Shelby smiled at JJ, then looked at Amanda. “These are your kids?”

“They are.”

“I’ve never met kids who—I love it here so much.”

Amanda beamed at her. Anyone who liked her kids, she was good with them.