“I like the smell. Iron’s no danger to me. I’m not a fairy, anyway. They all died. It’s a pity—the lore of my kind says they were delicious.” Hæra sniffed her palm again. “Ah well, I’m off to wash my hands.”

And she walked off, full of swagger and jaw-dropping observations, seemingly unaware of both.

Madeleine’s mouth hung open, and she snapped it shut. Okay. Hæra’s palm was warm, her skin smelled incredible even when it had iron smudges on it, she walked as if she owned the ground beneath her feet, and she made Madeleine’s body hot and unfamiliar to herself, but that was…fine. Madeleine would deal with it. She’d had a month’s practice by now.

She’s remarkable, Madeleine’s damnable inner voice whispered, she’s extraordinary. And heaven help her, that wasn’t wrong.

Within moments, Hæra returned to the living room and seemed not to notice that Madeleine hadn’t moved an inch. “You’re doing some shopping in the village today? For these decorations you want?”

The village. Oh, right. There was a world beyond this cottage, a future beyond this moment. Madeleine had forgotten. “Uh, yes,” she said. “I’m sure you have to work, but you’re…”

Hæra’s amber eyes looked softly into her own.

“Welcome to come,” Madeleine whispered.

By now, she didn’t need to say it. Hæra was always welcome. Madeleine never tired of her company: her questions, her observations, her candor. You could say she was a breath of fresh air—if the air was a sharp wind that blew in from the sea.

Together, they’d rambled all over Jorsay, although Hæra was still leery of spending time on the shore. Madeleine had accompanied Hæra during her work on the farm, learning more about sheep than she’d ever planned to. They were always in company, and Madeleine—an introvert by nature—found that when they parted at the end of each day, she was already looking forward to the next one.

Hæra’s first smile of the morning had become the sunrise.

Now Madeleine looked up at Hæra, who was remarkable and extraordinary and all the rest, and she fought not to sway forward, though her body longed to. She thought: Take me in your arms, like you did before. Hold me close so I’ll forget all the rest.

I want so much to forget it.

Lord in heaven, Madeleine was in so much danger. She prayed the Act of Hope every night, along with other prayers that seemed to be losing their efficacy by the hour.

“I’ll go anywhere with you, you know that,” Hæra said. “I expect we’ll need the car.”