The old female—the witch?—stared at me for a moment, her brows furrowed, before turning to Xander and putting her hands on her hips.
“Xander.” Her voice was chiding. “Am I understanding correctly that you finally brought a female home to meet your precious Nonna, and you didn’t even tell her who I am?”
So many questions ran through me all at once.
Who was this female to Xander? If she was a witch, did that mean other mythical creatures were real as well? Ones that I thought were long dead and gone from Ithenmyr? Mermaids, dragons, faeries, vampires—did they still exist, too? Moreover, was this Xander’s home? Why had he acted as though going into Thyr was going to be a day trip and nothing more? How come she thought Xander and I were together?
All the questions fought for dominance in my mind, but finally, I settled on the most important one.
“Xander and I aren’t a couple.” I crossed my arms in front of my chest, a scowl on my lips. “He and I are the furthest thing from that. We aren’t even friends. We were supposed to go into Thyr, but apparently, I wasn’t dressed properly, so… here we are. A non-friendly, non-couple, in the middle of the woods.”
I finished my tirade, suddenly exhausted. My feet seemed to be unable to continue to hold me, and I slumped against the back of the nearest chair. My vision blurred, and I blinked, rubbing my hands in front of my eyes. That sent shooting pains down my hands and I pulled them away from my eyes, staring at the red flesh that greeted me.
I’d forgotten about that.
Nonna took one look at my hands and tsked. “Xander. Why didn’t you tell me she was in such a bad state?” The old female lurched forward, grabbing one of my hands in hers. I tried not to flinch when her thumbs ran down the rope burn that still marred my skin.
“I didn—” he started.
“I’m fine,” I muttered, interrupting him as I tried to pull my hand away, but Nonna wouldn’t listen.
“Nonsense, young one,” she chided. “You will let me take care of this right now.”
I frowned, “I’m not—”
Nonna shook her head, speaking in a tone that made it clear she was used to getting her own way. “Xander, don’t just stand there. Make yourself useful. First, you need to wash.” She pointed at his ripped tunic, wrinkling her nose. “Get changed. I won’t have you smelling like you rolled around in a pigsty.”
“But Nonna, I jus—”
She shook her head, shoving Xander. “No buts. I didn’t raise you to question your elders. Now, you will wash. Then, you will make us some dinner. I won’t have you lazing around my home.”
I smirked as I watched the burly male jump to attention. He scurried off to do Nonna’s bidding, leaving his bow resting against a wall before disappearing from sight. Once he was gone, the old female turned back to me. She took my hands in hers, turning them this way and that. I watched as she nibbled on her lip before sighing.
“Hold still, Ana. This will be over before you know it,” Nonna said.
The witch took my hands in both of hers, and I tried to ignore the way her papery skin felt against my hand.
A warm, tingly sensation spread through my hand as Nonna murmured under her breath. As she worked, a soft blue glow began to emit from the witch. It was as though a thousand tiny stars were embedded beneath her skin.
I stared at her, enthralled.
“There you go.” The old female smiled, releasing her grip on my hands.
Snapping out of my trance, I turned my hands over. I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped from me. My hands were immaculate. There wasn’t a single trace of the burns. In fact, my entire body felt better than I had in days.
“Thank you, Nonna,” I said sincerely.
The witch’s lips tilted up, the lines around her eyes crinkling. When she smiled, she looked at least a decade or two younger than I had originally thought. She patted my cheek. “Not a problem, my dear. It’s been too long since someone has needed me to heal them. It was my pleasure.”
All of a sudden, my stomach twisted. My gaze darted around wildly as I searched my pockets. “I can’t… I don’t have any money with which to pay you for the healing.”
Nonna stared at me for a long moment before bursting into laughter. She bent over, clutching her middle as hysterics overcame her. I watched with furrowed brows until she straightened once more.
“Oh my dear,” the witch chuckled, wiping a finger under her eyes. “Meeting you was payment enough. I never thought the day would come where I would meet the female whose aura was tangled with my Xander’s.”
Raising a brow, I tilted my head. “Thank you?” My voice betrayed my confusion as I continued, “I’m not sure what you mean about auras though, Xander and I—”
Just then, a loud crash came from the other room, followed by a steady stream of curses.