I feel Sel’s eyes on my face from somewhere to my left. Smile. Hop down from the garden wall, and move in the direction of his attention. “That’s me.”

Sel emerges from the shadows, hands in his pockets. “Didn’t know your birthday was in November.”

“Not like I know when your birthday is either.”

He sniffs. “June.”

“Ah,” I say with a smile. Only a couple of months before we met.

He looks over my shoulder. “You headed inside soon?”

I look back to the barn, where the lights are on everywhere. Voices, still talking. “Nah. Just wanted the quiet.”

He nods and makes a thinking sound in his throat. “I have a present for you,” he says. “If you’d like.”

My brows shoot up. “You got me a present?”

He walks closer. “It’s not a…” He looks around, shrugging. “It’s a present, not a gift.”

“Okay.” I breathe a laugh. “Now who’s the mystery boy?”

He grins. “Oh, that’s always been me.” He extends his hand, gesturing back over his shoulder. “It’s on the other side of the barrier. Not too far. And I scouted the area earlier.”

I grasp his fingers, fully anticipating the zip of electricity on my skin. It does not disappoint.

We walk to the golden barrier together, and stop at its edges. He holds up a hand, fingertips hovering over the surface. “There’s one around the main house, I noticed.”

My eyes widen. “You felt that, did you?”

He lifts a shoulder. “I’d want to protect my own, too. Not everybody needs to be in every place.”

I push through the barrier around Volition, and Sel follows. “You’d put a barrier around me if you could, wouldn’t you?”

He smiles, and tugs me close. “Don’t tempt me.” He pulls my arm over his shoulder, and tilts his head. A silent request. I nod, and he pulls me up, then we’re off.

He stops at a dense collection of trees. I peer around him but can’t make out more than a few feet. “I can’t see out here, you know.”

I hear his laughter. “I know. I just stopped because we need to walk the rest of the way.”

I tuck my head against his shoulder and close my eyes. No point in looking up if I can’t see what’s coming at my face—although as we move, Sel’s arm reaches up every once in a while to pull a branch away from our path. I let myself breathe in the scent of his aether, feel the familiar cinnamon and smoke burn at my nose and warm my insides. “Your aether signature is back,” I mumble into his neck. His response is a low, contented hum. Nearly a purr that I feel more than hear.

Eventually, I hear water.

“Is that—”

“Shh,” he says. “You’ll spoil the surprise.”

“Mmn,” I respond.