Liora grimaced and straightened, turning to look at me. I sighed. The soft morning light speared through the trees, illuminating her face.
“This light makes you look like a magickal wood nymph,” I muttered, unable to lie to her, but annoyed she was keeping things from me.
“I think that’s one of the grumpiest compliments I’ve ever received,” Liora said, amusement lighting her gorgeous face.
“Well, I can’t help that you’re standing here looking drop-dead gorgeous in the stupid morning sunlight while hidingthings from me,” I said, shoving my hands in the pockets of my hoodie.
“Thank you? I think?” Liora said. I didn’t respond, having learned that sometimes it was just best to wait her out, and she sighed and dug at the ground with one toe of her trainers. “I can hear him speak.”
“Who?” I paused and then looked at the squirrel.
He waved at me.
“Holy shite.” My mouth dropped open and the squirrel chittered at me, before racing across the yard and bounding up a tree. “Did he just wave at me?”
“Aye. He did. That’s Bracken. It appears he’s my familiar.”
“Right.” Okay, so she had a familiar. What the hell was a familiar? “What the hell is a familiar?”
“A magickal animal or creature who bonds with their witch to help them with things in the magickal world. Or just to be a companion, really.”
“You’re a witch?” I asked, trying to sift through all the questions I had, but zeroing in on the most important part.
“Hello? Earth to Torin? I’m the one who put a spell on you, remember?”
“Aye, I do at that. But I didn’t realize that made you a witch.”
“In your world, who are the people who typically cast spells?” Liora raised an eyebrow in question. Bracken chattered from the tree, seeming to have a laugh at my expense.
“I thought you were an astrologer.”
“I am. But it appears I’m also a witch. Of sorts. I don’t know, Torin. Truly. It’s more like a word used to cover magickals, okay? I’ve still got a lot to learn. And, not much time to talk this morning, I’m afraid. I’ve got a reading shortly.”
“Wait,” I said, before she could turn and go back inside. “How are you? After last night? Did you have bad dreams or anything?” Liora had insisted she was dead on her feet after hershift and had gone right to bed after we’d gotten home, while I’d stayed up for quite a while just in case the Kelpies had shrieked again or if she needed me for anything. But there hadn’t been a sound from her side of the house, so she must have done as she said and tucked into bed.
“I’m okay. It was a bit of a white-knuckle ride home, but I have to admit I’m glad that we didn’t see the Kelpies on the loch or anything like that. I really can’t say what I would have done.”
“You would have done nothing but kept driving. I would have gotten out if needed.”
Liora sighed and tilted her head, bringing her fists to her waist.
“Torin. It’s not your job to protect me.”
“It will be a cold day in hell if you think I’d actually let you get out of a car and face down a Kelpie by yourself. That’s madness, woman, madness.” I shook my head at her.
“And what is it you’d plan to be doing then?”
“I don’t know.” I threw up my hands. “But I sure as hell wouldn’t stand by and let my woman get attacked, would I now?”
“Torin. I’m not…” Liora trailed off and shook her head. “We need to talk about this whole ‘us’ thing.”
“No, we don’t,” I said, feeling my stubbornness kick in. There was no way she got to walk into my life, create total upheaval, and then create distance from me. I wouldn’t allow it. “You feel something for me. And I for you. Don’t deny it.”
“It’s not … I can’t …” Liora wrung her hands.
I stepped forward and cupped her chin. Leaning down until my mouth hovered over hers, I lowered my voice.
“Tell me you don’t feel anything when I kiss you and I’ll back off.”