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Revel stood quietly a second, scanning the whole garden. My hopes sank. I’d dragged him here for nothing.

He turned my direction, his eyes a misty green in the sunlight. If not for his Valian style clothing, with his naturally tanned skin and sun-bleached hair he looked like he might have just walked out of the surf with his board. “You’ve done it again, Whisper.”

“Lion’s bane?” I asked excitedly.

“Without a doubt.” He immediately started breaking the heads off the sunflowers and shoving them into the burlap bags.

Paxton took my hand and pulled me into the shade of the porch. “I don’t know what the hell lion’s bane is or why this big hunk of a man is stealing your sunflowers, but I need some answers, Rafi. I’ve filed a missing person report and everything.” His dark brown eyes were glassy from tears. “I’ve been in complete anguish.”

“I know and I’m so sorry. I haven’t been in the human world.”

A nervous laugh shot from his mouth. “I almost thought you just said you weren’t in the human world, which would make sense considering I’ve been searching everywhere for you and it was as if you’d just vanished into thin air. But, of course, you’re saying you haven’t been in the human world is just a metaphor or whatever—not sure metaphor is the word but please, Rafi, where the hell have you been? And where did you pick up the world’s most beautiful Viking, because I’d like one of my very own.” It hadn’t been all that long, but being with Paxton made me realize how much I missed him.

I pressed my hand to his face. “I can’t promise you a beautiful Viking, but I will tell you, you’ve met the trio in the flesh. At the office.”

He laughed. “Uh, sweetie, I think I’d remember that.”

“You couldn’t. Madigan made sure your memory of it was erased. And when we leave, you won’t remember us being here.” My throat tightened. “I’m sorry, Pax. I wish it didn’t have to be that way.” I glanced back toward the garden to make sure Revel wasn’t watching us. He was making quick work of the sunflower crop. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the handwritten note. I’d planned to put it in an envelope and drop it in the mailbox before we left, but it was so much better getting to hand it to him in person. I would, however, leave with a much bigger hole in my heart after having spent time with him. “Take this letter and put it in your pocket for later. It explains everything, but you can’t ever show it to anyone. Not that anyone else would believe what I’ve written.”

Paxton stared down at the letter in his hand. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s the only way I can think of to let you know what’s happened to me. Once we walk away you won’t remember any of this. But you’ll find the letter in your pocket, and hopefully, that will explain.” I took his hand. “Dear friend. Don’t fret about me anymore. I’m safe.” I hadn’t mentioned any of the things in my new life that made me less than safe, but I assured him I was finally home. “You’ve always loved the cottage, and you have a key. In the letter I tell you to move into it. I hope that you’ll do so. It needs someone like you to take care of it.”

“Got them all.” Revel was standing outside the garden holding the massive sacks of sunflower heads. “We should head back.”

Tears fell again. It wasn’t nearly enough time to spend with Paxton. I turned back and threw my arms around him. We hugged until Revel cleared his throat loudly.

“Love you, Rafi,” Paxton called as we walked away.

I turned around to blow him a kiss, and he’d already spun back toward the garden. He was holding the hose and scratching his head about the beheaded sunflowers. My heart sank down low in my chest. The whole reunion was already erased from his mind.

Revel’s pace quickened as we moved through town. He was anxious to get back. The big sacks were cumbersome but didn’t slow him down. People looked even more shocked and frightened at the big man holding burlap sacks of what looked like numerous heads.

“Well, what do you think?” I asked. “Enough lion’s bane to bring those guys back to health?”

“I think that the return of Raphael Willow to town has been the best damn thing that’s ever happened to Norvale.”

Twenty

Revel and I stood at the riverbank and stared at the rushing water. Sacks full of lion’s bane lay at our feet. The donkeys were not visible from our side, but we assumed they were still standing in the sun grazing. The river looked especially volatile today with frothy whitecaps like a turbulent sea. Occasionally a fish would jump free of the raging rapids as if taking a respite from the energetic current.

“Think we’ll jump it,” Revel said casually.

A nervous laugh shot from my mouth. “Maybe you will, but count me out.”

Revel picked up the sacks, two at a time, and heaved them easily across the river. They landed with a plop on the other side.

“You just need to hop on my back.” He turned to me. His eyes were a wild, earthy green.

“Aren’t you worried I’ll shift or move, throwing the whole trajectory out of whack?”

“Simple solution. Just don’t move. Trust me, that’ll help my concentration, too.” There was a touch of scandalous flirtation in his tone that I chose to ignore. Even after our fleeting moment of intimacy, he’d made it painfully clear that the two of us would never be anything more than village acquaintances.

I looked around at Dante Fell, stupidly hoping I could find an easier solution, other than the useless bridge, to get across. I knew it didn’t exist. We’d gathered a few curious stares from hikers and other people out enjoying the summer day, but I knew they’d forget us completely the second our feet left the riverbank. Besides looking treacherous today, the river seemed extra wide as if its banks had spread out farther.

“How do you have the ability to jump across? It’s an impossible feat.”

“Vamp trash, remember? When the vampires’ blood mixed with Valian blood, they left behind many traits, both good and bad. Eventually Valians lost their taste for blood and their nocturnal lifestyle but the preternatural ability to jump high and far remained for some of us. It came in handy.”