She laughed quietly, painfully. “You spun a silver coin on the kitchen table and when it landed on its side, you gasped and said, ‘You’re the little girl who will always be smiling’.”
Indeed, she had been that child…until her parents had been viciously murdered.
Fat drops slid down her cheeks as she said, “When I was fifteen, I begged you not to tell my fortune ever again, because the one you told me ten years earlier didn’t come true. It didn’t last, Jinx.”
At eleven years of age, she’d wanted to scream at him for telling her a lie. Her parents were dead and she’d believed she’d never smile again. How cruel had it been for Jinx to lie to her, when he’d claimed over and over that his predictions were always accurate?
But, of course, she’d never truly blamed him. Yes, as a kid, she’d soaked up his optimism and it had been heart-wrenching when her personal tragedy had proven him wrong. The first time, from what she’d learned. Regardless of his otherwise successful track record, she’d grown wary. Still, she’d adored him and had eventually come around to basking in his warm light again.
Jinx was a man whose compassion and exuberance had won over even the most tainted of hearts—hers.
Jade was not one to put her personal troubles on another, but she’d had a need to believe in Jinx. And, years after her parents’ deaths, he’d done his best to provide her a measure of comfort in an uncertain world.
She said, “I always adored you. And I will always miss you.”
She brushed away her tears. After a moment of silence, she turned away and joined the slayers.
Later, Jade remained on the horse while Walker inspected her cottage to ensure it was safe inside. When he indicated all was well, she slid off the back of the stallion and followed the other slayer through the front door.
As Walker built a fire, Tanner said, “The general told us his patrol discovered a small colony of demons not associated with the alliance up by the Canadian border. But the fire wraith wasn’t among them.”
“Did Morgan say if they had a lead on where he might be?” she asked.
“No. But certainly not anywhere near this village. We’ve seen nothing out of the ordinary since you were attacked. I can’t imagine he’d come back after the king took him on.”
“Likely,” Walker said, “they had an assassination strategy plotted out. They’re too small a band of demons to actually storm the castle, but they found a way to lure King Darien from his protective walls.”
Jade quickly explained, “He thought I’d been working with Lisette and had developed some sort of magical powers. That was the reason he and the general followed me. Turns out, it was the wraith with the powers he sensed, since the rogue demon simultaneously watched me. This turned into a ‘which came first—the chicken or the egg?’ sort of thing.”
She kept her tone dispassionate, not wanting to give anything away, particularly the fact she now had a very personal relationship with Darien. Even if their one night together was an anomaly never to be repeated, she couldn’t dispute a strong connection had formed between them.
Continuing, she said, “Obviously, the fire wraith found an advantage with the fact that the king took an interest in what he thought I was up to.” She added, “By the way, I haven’t been practicing witchcraft with Lisette.”
“That’s good to know,” Walker told her. “I think we’re in the midst of a precarious situation. We don’t need to tip any scales with you and Lisette teaming up.”
“I understand and agree.”
Tanner said, “Maybe you shouldn’t stay here, Jade. You’re too remote. And damn, this house is freezing.”
“The fire exploded unexpectedly the other night and I had to put it out. I swear that wraith must have breathed flames down my chimney.” A couple days had passed, so of course the cottage was almost on par with the temperature outside. Good thing she didn’t ha
ve running water, after all. Her pipes surely would have frozen.
“Why don’t you stay with Michael?” Tanner suggested.
“No, I can’t risk it.”
Not just in the event the fire wraith returned and sought her out at Michael’s house but also because of her past association with him and the fact he’d nearly kissed her. If he truly was of the mind to reunite with her, she had to head that off at the pass. She didn’t need to taunt or agitate Darien with that relationship, nor did she have any desire to encourage Michael now that she knew who innately stirred her senses.
Of course, what had transpired between her and the Demon King could go no further. Yet she clearly couldn’t engage in a romance with Michael at this point. Or at any point. She’d quickly learned about true passion and knew it wasn’t something she and Michael would ever experience. They didn’t share the right chemistry to move beyond friendship.
Unfortunately, she and Darien did possess the right chemistry, but it was something she couldn’t dwell on. Yes, she’d instantly felt a void when she’d left the castle. And lonesomeness had immediately returned to her when she’d entered the cottage. But there was no denying she did not belong on the other side of the village border. She belonged in Ryleigh. And the two worlds that lay on opposite sides of the river should never collide again.
“I’ll stay close by,” Tanner offered, breaking into her dismal thoughts.
She said, “Not in this weather. I’ll be fine. I’ll stay inside.” There was no need to go to the tavern. She doubted even the diehards would venture out in this nasty snowfall. “But do me a favor, please,” she added. “Let Michael and Lisette know I’m okay and that I’ve returned home.”
“They’re not the only ones worried about you,” Walker told her. “The entire village has been on edge since the general reported you’d been taken to the castle.”