Radha chuckled as one by one, they made excuses to hurry away. Bryn’s cooking spells were powerful, and the lust spell was one she’d perfected over the months since the demons had arrived.
She tidied away the dishes and set the covered cake on the counter for later. However, she ignored the pinging of her phone announcing email notifications for sales in her online shop. Instead, she wandered around her open living area, admiring her work. Pillows, rugs, wall-hangings. From carding and spinning thread and yarn, to knitting and weaving, casting spells as she worked to bless and protect her surroundings, her home was her creation. A cozy nest she’d made—she’d thought for herself—but now, everywhere she looked, she wondered about improvements she might make that would please the jinn and the satyr.
The door opened behind her, and she turned with a smile. Only it wasn’t Ali.
Nikon gave her a wink. “Don’t look so disappointed.”
“I’m not dis—”
He cut her off with a quick rise of his brows.
Radha rolled her eyes. “I’m feeling a little restless.”
“If you like, we can walk into the village. We need to restock the refrigerator. We need more meat.”
“I thought horses were herbivores,” she teased, knowing his love of beef.
“Only half horse, here.”
Radha gave a glance in the mirror, decided the long work apron she wore over her wrap-around sari skirt would have to do, and grabbed a large tote as she headed toward the door.
Nikon held it open but stared down at her feet.
“What?” she said, staring at her toes. “I’m earthing.”
“As much as you witches like to be barefoot, it’s a wonder you don’t all have calluses as thick as hooves. Or how you don’t find every pebble in your path. And it’s October.”
She slipped past him and skipped down the porch stairs to the grass, chuckling softly. “October in the bayou isn’t that cold. Besides, the Goddess protects us. Without shoes, our feet connect more directly with her. It gives us a recharge.”
His long legs brought him quickly to her side. “Have you ever actually talked to her? Or seen her?”
“I’ve heard her. Not as clearly as I hear your voice, but like an echo inside my head. And I feel her when I stand in the moonlight.”
She gave him a curious sideways glance. Nikon really was a handsome man. Bright glints of red and gold shone in his brown hair. His hazel eyes were more green than brown. With a rugged body and square chin, he looked the part of a guardian. Her guardian. Why hadn’t she experienced more of an attraction for him? Her life would be a lot less complicated with someone like him rather than her tricky jinn. “Do you plan to stay here in Bonne Nuit, long-term?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I like working for Vindlér Construction. Ethan’s a fair boss, and he encourages his employees to move up. I hope to run my own crew someday.”
So, he had ambition. “Where are you from, originally?”
He grinned. “Kentucky,” he said. “I was raised on a farm. Not some little operation. Our horse clan owned a huge tract of land, a grant from some governor when Kentucky was being settled, so we were free to be ourselves, hidden away.”
“Why did you leave?”
He grimaced and glanced up at the sunlight peeking through the tree branches. Many trees were already losing their leaves. “Wasn’t by choice. The council demanded more tribute. More than we could sustain. So, we disbanded quickly, before they had a chance to claim a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the land. Every family took its cut and fled. My father moved us to Oklahoma. When Katrina hit, I was looking for work and saw that Vindlér was hiring more people to expand their operations during the cleanup. That’s how I got here,” he said, flashing her a toothy smile.
“Did you know Ethan was Other?”
He shook his head and smiled. “Not until he shook my hand and gave me a quick flash of his troll eyes.”
She nodded. “A human would have thought it was a trick of the light.?
??
“Ethan had a knack for finding those of us who were living outside of council control, even when we were doing our best to blend in.”
A sudden cool wind sifted through the trees, and Radha was glad of the three-quarter sleeved shirt she wore beneath the apron. The wind blew again, a little harder this time, and she felt something drift across her arm, like a fingertip, only she was standing away from Nikon.
Nikon frowned and lifted his nose, scenting the air. “Something’s wrong.”