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I was already under her spell.
I cleared my throat and tugged at my pants. “I came to see if you’re okay,” I said.
She nodded. “I’m okay. Going a little crazy being stuck here, but I’m okay. You don’t think I can leave soon?”
I shook my head. “They’re staking out the forest. Gods know how long they’ll be there for. They’re itching to get their hands on you.”
Lorraine’s expression changed from happy to fearful. “Will they find me here?”
“I won’t let them,” I growled.
“I wish this was all over,” Lorraine said softly.
We stood together in silence, her fear and uncertainty thick in the air.
“I won’t let them get you,” I said. “You’re safe here.”
She nodded.
I glanced around the cabin. It looked different. “You’ve done something in here.”
She nodded, her smile returning. “I cleaned up a bit. It was dusty.”
“Yeah,” I acknowledged.
I hadn’t been here in decades. The cabin was a lot homier than before. The fire in the fireplace had burned through the night, and it was starting to die down.
“I’ll get that fire back up,” I said.
“Thanks. I wasn’t sure what to do.” Her cheeks colored. “I’m used to central heating.”
I nodded.
“I wanted to say thank you for last night,” she said.
I stilled. “What?”
“Coming to me and helping me when I was so scared. I know tea isn’t a big deal, but I appreciate it.”
My mind spun. “You’re welcome,” I managed to say.
“I made food, so when you have the fire ready, we can eat something together.”
I nodded, still in a daze.
She offered me a bright smile before she turned to the kitchen. “You’ll be proud to know I made a fire in the oven, and I’m about to make us tea,” she said over her shoulder.
“Sounds good,” I said.
I stepped out the door, my mind reeling. I hadn’t been here last night, not physically. I’d sensed her distress. Her emotions had called out to me while I’d been in the forest last night, and I’d come to her using magic and trickery. I’d helped her calm down, invading her sleep so that she could rest easier.
I hadn’t been here at all.
She shouldn’t have known about it. She didn’t know magic, and she should have woken up this morning feeling better, thinking,What a nice dream.
Something was wrong if she could sense my magic like that, if she could live the dreams I gave her as if they were reality. Humans weren’t supposed to be able to do that. They were simple creatures, stuck in a drab, three-dimensional world where magic meant nothing.
I piled logs on top of each other, stacking them to carry inside. When I returned to the cabin, I walked to the fireplace and redid the fire I’d built for Lorraine yesterday. I mulled over her ability to feel my magic.
