Mom and Dad were gone when I made it back, my crazy but powerful grandmother securely warded in her bedroom. Even Meira was out, probably with the coven. And Sassafras was missing too.
Probably for the best. I wasn't in the mood to listen to a lecture from a demon boy trapped in a cat's body.
It was a long time before I slept.
***
A soft breeze blows, carrying the scent of honeysuckle and roses. The garden sways around me, bobbing blossoms dipping to the ground as the wind brushes past them.
A lock of my blonde hair slips across my face and, as I lift one hand to brush it aside, my eyes lift and meet his. He is watching me, as he always does, his green eyes full of something I feel stirring in my own breast.
I turn my head to the side, unable to contain the small smile lifting my lips, bending to breathe in the luscious scent of a large yellow rose swelling beside me.
I feel his approach, welcome it. Turn to smile up at him.