married in September. Her bridal gown was an absolute dream. Silver embroidered tulle with a swirling skirt. Everything would be perfect.
Then why did she feel queasy at the thought? Pre-wedding jitters; had to be.
She closed her eyes and thought of Wes. Grim’s face rose before her instead. She saw the slash of his cheekbones and russet brows, his firm mouth and stubborn chin, his leonine eyes.
Sassy’s eyes popped open. Mother-of-pearl, this was a disaster. It was one thing to have a crush on Grim. Who wouldn’t? He was gorgeous. But this went beyond a crush and bordered on obsession.
It had to stop. She was an engaged woman.
She would march into that lawyer’s office and sell the mill today. Then she’d leave Hannah. Away from the crater, her fairymones would fade. Life would resume its familiar rhythm. She would marry Wes. Have his babies. They’d live in a house near her mother. They’d go to parties and the club.
She would be a model wife. No more talking birds and trees. No more witches or ghosts. No more purple-eyed bad boys who turned into the Incredible Hulk.
No more golden-eyed demon hunters.
It would be awesomesauce.
Then why did she feel like flinging herself out of the tree?
She shook off her doldrums and reached a decision. If this was her last day in Hannah, she’d make it a doozy. She’d climbed her first tree. What else should she add to her bucket list?
She’d ask the funny little man with the unpronounceable name. He would know. Energized and filled with purpose, she scampered to the ground.
“Oh, Mr. Mozzarella.” She put her hands to her lips. “Yoo-hoo, Mr. Mozzarella?”
He appeared. “Do I look like a cheese?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t think of your name.”
“I told you once. It’s Irilmoskamoseril.”
“Too long. I’ll call you Mose.”
“Fine. I’ll call you Glo-Ethel Liver Lump. How do you like them apples?”
“Glo-Ethel is a dreadful name, whereas Mose is perfectly darling.” Sassy beamed. “Like you.”
“Huh.” The little man eyed her. “That’s some smile, fairy puss. You’re quite the charmer.”
“That’s what I’m told.”
“Tell you what, toots. Mose is fine between the two of us. When you summon me, though, you call me by name. And you say it correctly.”
“That’s silly. Mose is much easier to remember.”
“I don’t make the rules, fairy puss.”
“I didn’t say it properly this time and nothing happened.”
“You’re a newbie. I’m giving you a pass. What do you want?”
Sassy clasped her hands to her breasts. “This is my last day in Hannah. I want it to be special. What should I do?”
“How should I know? I’m your nestor, not a tour guide. Go for a swim. Catch a fish. Kiss a handsome prince. Triumph over evil.”
“I freed the fairies, so technically I already triumphed over evil—”
“Whoopee. One down, three to go.”
“—and I can’t kiss a handsome prince. I’m engaged.”
“Sucks to suck. Guess that leaves the river.”
He disappeared.
The encounter with Taryn energized Grim, and he set off through the woods at a jog, determined to cleanse his body and mind of the remaining vestiges of the demon chocolate. Ignoring his pounding head, he quickened the pace to a sprint. His boots stirred drifts of leaves as he leaped over fallen branches and powered his way up and down the wooded slopes. The Dal were seldom affected by heat or cold, but his body soon grew slick with sweat as the poison leaked from his pores. He ripped off his soaked shirt, tossed it aside, and ran faster, legs churning and lungs pumping.
His drunken meanderings the night before had taken him leagues from the Peterson river property. By the time he approached the house, he felt more like his old self. His stomach rumbled and not from nausea. He was famished. A few dozen eggs and a couple of rashers of bacon should set him to rights. First, though, to fetch Sassy from the tree.
He paused to catch his breath, smiling at the image of Sassy dangling from a limb like some scrumptious, unpicked fruit. She was such a merry little thing. It was hard to stay wroth with her. He liked the way her blue eyes sparkled. Sweet did not equal meek, he reflected, remembering that punch in the nose.
He wiped the smile off his face. He was growing soft. Sassy needed guidance and a firm hand—she was too spirited and impulsive for her own good. Once her affairs were in order and she was safely out of Hannah, he would resume his duties.
The call of the hunt had ever been his lode star,