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Back For Ever Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Map of the Willowhaven
  4. Map of Rosehill City
  5. Foreword
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. Epilogue
  62. Map of Rosehill City
  63. Also by Jenny Hickman

He rarely speaks about his wife—rarely shows emotion at all, so I am not quite sure what to do with myself. If this were Maddox, I would make fun of him. But with Gryff, it feels as if I should turn and walk away, give him some privacy to work through this and find someone else to help me.

Except there is no one else.

Gryff swipes a fist under his eyes and clears the gruffness from his throat. “I will do it. On one condition: You give me your skillet.”

“That belonged to my mother.” If he takes it, I will have to make the three-day trek to Villers to get another one.

“I do not care if it belonged to the gods themselves. Mine is in shit, and I want yours.”

His is only in shit because he does not know how to properly care for cast iron. My mother might not have been much of a cook, but she knew how to season a damn pan. “If you were a true friend, you would not ask for anything in return.”

“It is because I am a true friend that I am not asking for all of your cookware.”

What other choice do I have? To remain at home, and let one of the other males meet her at the bridge? To let her give them a box of inedible “biscuits” and have them think she is offering them more? “Fine.”

“Then we have ourselves a deal.” His nose wrinkles as he glances down at my trousers. “Do us both a favor and bathe before you meet your Seelie.”

“She is not mine.” But maybe, if I do this right, she could be.

Not forever. That would never work.

But perhaps for a little while…

“She certainly will not be if you go to her reeking of blood and guts. What did you kill anyway?”

“Took down a mountain elk in the northern forest this morning.” After what happened the other night, I had to kill something.

I leave my friend one pan poorer but with a spark of hope in my heart.

* * *

Kerris is not coming. I know that in my weary bones, but still I wait in the mist, clinging to the last vestiges of my dwindling hope.

I hate myself for the way I acted when we last met, like a youngling throwing a strop. The gifts were a pathetic apology. Tonight, I had planned on taking Gryffin’s sage advice and explaining my frustration, telling her what that food could have meant, and gauging if she did understand but was perhaps too shy to speak the truth.

But as I stand on stiff legs and stare into the unending gray, it is clear the opportunity will never come.

I have broken something that was never mine to play with.

21

“Finding one’s mate takes patience and perseverance.”

A Seelie Guide to Matrimony