“It just looks like grass to me.”
I shook my head and knelt. The glowing ring was the spot where the flowers had bloomed around her. I needed some of those seeds. They probably still lay dormant in the ground, having been dropped by the blooms as they faded.
I pressed my hand to the grass and closed my eyes, asking permission from the towering stones that stood sentinel around me. It was a wordless process, my soul speaking with the ancient magic inside the granite pillars, and a faint buzz of approval shot up through the dirt and into my palm.
I pulled up the grass, digging into the cool earth and retrieving some of the seeds. Once I’d collected a variety, I held my palm out to show Rafe. “These are the key. They were an integral part of the spell, and they’ll help me break it. I just need to get them to sprout first.”
“You’re incredible,” he said, his voice soft with wonder.
I laughed awkwardly, then stood. “Save that until I actually succeed. Now let’s go home.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Isobel
The ride home passed in silence, and I would have fiddled around with my phone to pass the time, but the battery had died that morning. Of course, I’d forgot my charger.
It was dark by the time we arrived, and the contractors must have finished up at the house, because it was empty.
“I’m going to go check the progress,” Rafe said as soon as he parked.
“That desperate to get me out of your house, huh?”
He just gave me a long look, then climbed out of the car.
I groaned and flopped my head back against the seat. Why had I said that? At some point in the last few days, that joke had clearly worn out its welcome.
Desperate for a distraction from my own idiocy, I headed up to my flat for a shower. On the way, I plugged in my phone to let it charge.
Once I was clean and dressed, I returned to my phone and turned it on. Immediately, it began to buzz with messages and missed calls. What the heck had happened while we were gone?
I pulled up the missed calls and noticed that they were all from Charlie, with whom I’d exchanged numbers before he’d left the barbecue. I called him back, and he immediately picked up.
“Your house is ornery again,” he said without preamble.
“What?” Disappointment surged through me. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that it booted us right out. Popped the floorboards under our feet until we left.”
“Oh, no,” I cried. “I swear, I didn’t know that would happen.”
“I know, I know. It’s not your fault. But the house was moody. Too moody to work in, especially for Lee and Carlos. Worst-case scenario for me is getting drenched. For them…”
He let the sentence trail off because it was easy enough for me to fill in the blanks with how the house could seriously injure the guys fiddling with the electricity and climbing around on the roof.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and squeezed my eyes shut. Damn it. Everything had been fine the day of the barbecue. Plenty of people had walked through and told me how lovely it was. So what was different?
“I’ll try to figure out what’s going on with the house,” I said. “But will you please, please come back tomorrow? I’ll go in first to make sure it’s safe.”
He sighed. “I’ll see what I can do about the guys. It’ll take some convincing, but I think I can have them there at nine.”
“I’ll have pastries and coffee from Margot’s. Anything they like. Just text me. It’ll be the spread of the century.”
“Better than that barbecue?” He laughed.
“Yes. Even better.”
He chuckled. “We’ll be there.”
“Thank you so much.” I rang off, then went downstairs to see Rafe.
He was just letting himself back in. “The guys didn’t do any work that I could tell.”
“I know. I just got off the phone with Charlie. Apparently, the house made them very unwelcome.”
He frowned. “It was fine when I was up there. A bit moodier than the other day, but not terrible. No popping floorboards.”
“That’s not what the guys said.” Worry tugged at my heart. What if I couldn’t get them back in tomorrow? We couldn’t afford this setback.
“Ah.” His expression cleared as he thought of something. “The house probably wants you there when strangers are around. You were there the whole party, and everything was fine.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. You make everything better, and the house knows it.”
You make everything better. The words rang in my head. Had he really just said that?
From the faint color on his cheekbones and the way he was looking away—yes. And he hadn’t just been talking about the house.
“Ah, I’m going to get to bed,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Early morning tomorrow.”
“Sure. Thanks for the help.”
He nodded and headed off, then turned back to me. “Actually, I should be thanking you. Today was…unexpected.”
I grinned. “Tomorrow will be even better.”
“Don’t be focusing on the curse, now,” he said. “We need to finish that house.”
“I know, I know.” And he was right.
As I went up to bed, I typed out a text to Aria. Now that I had the seeds and some dirt from the stone circle, I had almost everything I needed to break the curse. I just needed a bit of her help. We sorted out a plan, and I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.
The next morning, I was out of the house before dawn. I dropped the dirt and seeds by Aria’s house, an adorable little cottage right on the coast within walking distance of town. Her familiar, Boris the badger, lay asleep in the bushes, a half-finished donut by his paw.
Someone had a big night. Poa sniffed disdainfully.
“As if you haven’t done the same.”
I always finish my donuts.
I laughed, then knocked. Aria opened the door, a cup of coffee in her hand and a man’s large T-shirt acting as her dressing gown. Her hair was pulled up in a messy knot, and she had a happy glow on her face. Behind her, a shirtless man was flipping pancakes on the stove. He waved at me, and I waved back, then looked at Aria with raised eyebrows. “No wonder you look like you’re in such a good mood.”
“Callan makes the absolute best pumpkin pancakes in the world. Want to come in and have some?”
“Wish I could, but no time.” I nodded down to Boris, whose little feet stuck out from underneath the bush. “I’m sure he’d be interested, though.”
Aria scowled down at him. “Absolutely not. That little heathen stole the entire box of donuts that was meant for this morning.”
Ah, that explains the unfinished donut. I could hear the respect in Poa’s voice.
I shook my head and looked back at Aria. “Pumpkin pancakes sound like a better deal, anyway.”
“You’re right about that.” She grinned. “Coffee to go?”
“No, thanks. I’m headed into town to get bribery coffee and pastries from Margot’s. I want to be the contractors’ favorite client.”
“Uh-oh, did something go wrong?” I explained what had happened, and she nodded. “I agree with Rafe. It’ll be better if you’re there.”