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“I don’t think so?” Her shoulders lifted. “Most people in the Emporium like my family.”

“Ok, maybe we need to think about this differently.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you said your parents are threatening to kick you out, disown you. All because of what happened to the tree.”

Rane went a deathly shade of pale. “You thinkmy parentskilled the tree?” She shook her head. “No, they wouldn’t do that!”

“Actually, I don’t think your parents would kill their own tree just to have an excuse to send you away. That would cost them too much and damage their business’s reputation. But maybe there’s someone else who wants you to leave?”

“I don’t know who would.”

“Don’t you? What about the boy you were talking to outside earlier?”

Rane’s body went very stiff, but she didn’t say a thing.

“He’s a Nymph too, isn’t he?” I asked her.

She flinched. “Thewrongkind of Nymph, according to my parents.”

“What do you mean?”

“Storm is an animal charmer. He speaks to animals, can ask them to help him,” Rane explained. “Whereas we’re plant charmers. My parents consider Storm and other animal charmers to be the dark sheep of the Nymph race. Theyreallydon’t like his kind.”

“I overheard Storm asking you to run away with him,” I said quietly.

Rane’s cheeks went bright red. “He often asks that.”

“And if your parents sent you away, they wouldn’t be watching you. That would be your chance to get away and run off with him.”

Rane blinked. “Wait, you think Storm wants my parents to kick me out? And so he killed our tree? No!” She kicked the ground with the toe of her boot. “Storm wouldn’t do that. He’s not like that. He’s a good person.”

“We should speak to him anyway, just in case,” I told her. “People aren’t always what they appear to be.”

CHAPTER6

STORM AND RANE

Rane fiddled nervously with a piece of gardening string. “I called Storm and asked him to meet us here. He should arrive any minute now.”

“Before he does, tell me about him.”

Rane’s gaze lifted to the greenhouse’s glass dome. “He has the prettiest turquoise eyes. It’s like staring into a tropical ocean.” She sighed. “And he’s really strong. He can toss a big, full bag of animal feed without any trouble at all.”

“I meant, does he have a temper or anything like that?” I told her.

“Oh.” Her eyes dipped from the ceiling, and when they met mine, she blushed. “No, nothing like that. Storm is a gentle soul. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

Good. Because I still hadn’t learned any self-defense moves—or any self-defense spells.

“Rane!”

Storm stood in the greenhouse’s side entrance. He swung the door shut, then rushed forward, swooping Rane up into his arms.

“Have you thought about what I said?”

Rane stared into his eyes, completely mesmerized. I sighed. So much for our plan to question him together.