the ground so his little legs sank until his belly dragged the snow. He did not mind, my wild little hound. Nor did I, for that matter. The chill was sharp and bitter but there was something about untouched blankets of snow on the village. There was something so peaceful about it. I wrapped my coat tighter around my body and hurried along.
It was Yule. The winter solstice. One of the few times of the year The Coven let civilians participate in their rituals. I’d been counting down the days since the equinox and Samhain. Mother was too nervous about the dangers of the days. The Putnam twins, Althea and Aurelia, were up to something and it had the whole village in a fit. Not to mention the demon attacks had risen and now the humans were at each other’s throats.
The word witch was whispered in the shadows. Except they weren’t talking about us.
Olli pressed his long snout to the snow and charged ahead of me with his dipstick tail curved like a hook. I smiled as he hunted whichever poor squirrel or rabbit dared to exist here. He never hurt them. He simply enjoyed the chase. I stopping trying to make him quit when the Fool Card told me they liked it.
I shook my head. “Olli, slow down. You’re going to slip on the ice and —”
A large person walked around the corner of Mr. Redd’s home and Olli lunged for him. The person, I assumed a man by the sheer size of his shoulders, crouched down and caught Olli in his arms, then stood back to his full height.
He looked up and his gold eyes met mine. My heart stopped. My feet froze in place.
Riah.
Butterflies danced in my stomach at the sight of him, just like they had last time.
His long pale blond hair fell over his shoulder. He stood with my Olli cradled like a baby in his arms, big brown eyes staring up at him like he too was dazzled by Mr. Martin. Excitement rushed through my veins. I’d been looking for him for days, I could not believe he was finally crossing my path.
And then he looked back to me and grinned, his smile as warm as summer sun. He had a pep to his step as he walked over and stopped in front of me. “Hello, Miss Saraphina.”
I smiled up at him, unable to stop myself. “I thought I told you you could call me Saffie?”
“You did…” he sat Olli back down on the snow, then peeked up at me under thick eyelashes and my heart fluttered. “However, Saraphina is too beautiful of a name to not speak.”
“Thank you.” Heat filled my face. I bit my bottom lip and twirled a strand of my red hair around my finger. “It is nice to see you again, Riah.”
He took a step closer. “You as well.”
I looked up and met his gold gaze. “Here I thought you’d left town. I haven’t seen you around.”
“I am sorry.” He grimaced and shrugged. “My father grew ill on the voyage over. I have been tending to him. This is my first outing since we met.”
I gasped and pressed my hand to my chest. “Oh, Heavens. I apologize for teasing you such—”
“No,” he whispered and pressed his finger under my chin, forcing my eyes up to meet his. Then he tucked my hair behind my ear. “You have nothing to apologize for. Plus, I rather like knowing you were looking for me.”
“Well…yes, I was.” Again, heat rushed to my face. I knew I had to be as bright as a springtime apple. “But I am so sorry to hear about your father. How is he faring now?”
He took a deep breath and then let it out. “The worst of it is over. But I fear it may take some time before he is better.”
I hopped forward and hooked my arm around his. “Come with me.”
He chuckled. “Where are we going?”
“To my good friend Elizabeth Bishop’s home. She’ll have just the right thing to help your father heal,” I said with a grin. “I owe you a favor.”
“Oh, that is not necessary—”
“I insist.” I squeezed his arm and smiled. “My Olli is my dearest companion, and you helped me find him so I am ever in your debt.”
The warmth radiating off of his body felt like a fire and smelled like one too. There was something about the way he looked at me, the way his gaze seemed to see all