The thought led Hæra to grab Madeleine’s hand. Madeleine hadn’t been eaten by anybody last night, including Hæra, she was alive and well, but touching her still felt necessary. Just to make sure.

Madeleine didn’t pull away. “Your family tried to kill you,” she said softly. “That’s horrible. I’m so, so sorry.”

Hæra blinked. The horror was still in Madeleine’s eyes. It was easy to forget what a different view some humans could take of matters like this. What to Madeleine was an atrocity was simply a fact of life to Hæra. In the moment, of course, she’d known rage and pain, she’d felt such betrayal, but…

But…

You’ve never been what you’re supposed to be, Beathag had snarled, her disgust wounding Hæra as surely as her bite had done.

“Never mind,” Hæra said gruffly. “It brought me here.”

Madeleine bit her lip. “And you’ve been here ever since?”

“Yes. Jonathan used the treasure I gave him to buy the farm, and we run it together. I didn’t intend to be here, but…but…” She leaned forward, holding Madeleine’s hand more tightly. “Do you remember what I said about rainbows?”

For a moment, Madeleine looked uncomprehending. Then her brow cleared. She even smiled a little. “Life is hard, but there are rainbows.”

That smile, tiny as it was, was the emergence of the sun from the clouds. Hæra exhaled deeply to see it. “Yes. That’s the farm. That’s Jonathan. That’s…”

You. She didn’t say it, but they both heard it.

“You know,” Madeleine said after a pause, “I’d be well within my rights not to believe any of this, even if you do have my rosary and a piece of my jacket.”

“Unless I demonstrate? I can, although perhaps not here.” She’d prefer not to change shape while Connor, Jim, and the dogs were all in plain sight. It might raise a few questions.

“Not here,” Madeleine agreed. “And not now.”

“Tonight, then?” It would be much safer to transform under the cover of darkness.

“I don’t know.” Madeleine looked at their joined hands. “If I see you do it, then…it’s real.”

Hæra frowned. “Of course it’s real. That’s the point. I’ll prove it.”

“I’m sure you would. I’m not ready for that.” Madeleine raised her green gaze to Hæra once more. “I know I said I could handle it. But none of this is anything I was brought up to believe. I need time to get used to it.”

“Maybe not. You said you’d need more time to think about our kiss, but here you are.”

It sounded like airtight logic to Hæra. It didn’t seem to strike Madeleine the same way, since she chuckled ruefully.