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“Ash?” she asked, and walked toward me from the kitchen. Her face split into a smile. “You’re right on time.”
“For what?”
“I made a picnic. I found an orchard with the sweetest fruit.”
I frowned. “How did you find the orchard?”
It was one of Rowan’s finest orchards, with fruit that was so deliciously sweet, it was addictive. The fruit affected emotions, and they were all positive emotions. It was one of Rowan’s gifts—not only growing the orchard, but infusing the fruit with happiness or hope or kindness or love. He liked to leave the fruit behind as a present for those who ate from it, so that they always felt something good.
“Philippa showed me,” Lorraine said.
I frowned. Of course Philotes had come to see Lorraine. It was so like the goddess to befriend humans. I should have known.
“Philippa is?—”
“One of your friends. She told me,” Lorraine cut in. “She’s been hanging out here so I don’t get so lonely. I like her.”
“Everyone loves her,” I grumbled. “It’s annoying.”
Lorraine giggled. “Maybe if you were less grumpy, people would like you more.” Lorraine was in a very good mood. All remnants of the darkness and sorrow I’d seen on her yesterday were gone.
“Did you eat some of the fruit?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s really good. I thought we could have a picnic.”
I stared at her.
“You know what a picnic is, right?” she asked.
“Of course I know what it is,” I snapped. “I just… why?”
“We both have to eat, right? Might as well make a thing of it, and the weather is so nice. I have to get out more—Philippa’s orders. And she’s right.”
I shook my head. Lorraine’s warmth was intoxicating, and if I stayed around her, I wasn’t going to be able to tell her off.
“I need to talk to you,” I said.
“Talk to me while we eat. At the stream.”
“No, I mean now.”
“Okay.” She looked up at me with her big green eyes. They sparkled like emeralds. She waited for me to say something. The words were on the tip of my tongue.
I don’t care about you. We’re not together. We’ll never be anything more than we are now.
I couldn’t say it. Her eyes kept sparkling, and a smile danced around her mouth. I couldn’t tell her that I didn’t care about her because it wasn’t entirely true.
I wasn’t in love with her, thank the gods, but I cared about her.
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll have a picnic with you.”
Her face split into a beautiful smile, and it took all my self-control not to grab her and kiss her. She was happy, and she glowed. I hadn’t seen her like this since I’d brought her here riddled with pain and worry.
I liked seeing her like this. I liked that she was in a good space. The fruit she’d eaten to help her feel like this didn’t create emotions from scratch. It only enhanced what was already there.
Lorraine was magnificent to look at, and when we left the cabin, walking to the stream, I couldn’t tear my eyes off her.
How the hell had someone sold her off? How had someone brought himself to hurt her? Gods, I’d only been involved with her for a couple of days, and I was so drawn to her. I couldn’t dream of hurting her. Not even through words.
