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“It’s Rush and Thorne.”

She sat up with a squeak. “Don’t let them inside until I’m dressed.”

He went back to the window. “Clarke and Laurel are also here. And Willow.”

“What?” Willow was Rush’s and Clarke’s small daughter.

Caraway nodded and slipped on his pants. “Maybe Clarke saw something in a vision. Could be why she sent me the portal stone. I’ll go and greet them. You get dressed.”

He put on his shirt and rested his sword by the door then went outside. While he was gone, Anise made quick work of clothing herself, and then straightened the cabin as much as she could. It wouldn’t do to have the owner arrive and see it in such disarray. Thankfully the sprites had redirected the flames from burning the pot overnight. Only half of the wood smoldered. The soup was cold but not inedible. When she was done straightening the room, she put on her boots and ventured outside.

Fresh morning air greeted her. At least it wasn’t snowing. Down on the shore of the lake, Caraway spoke with the two Guardians, while Laurel and Clarke collected stones with Willow by the waterside. Clarke’s red hair was unmissable, and Laurel’s dark bob just the same.

Anise didn’t realize how tense she was until she saw the women were a distance away from her new mate. Her body viscerally relaxed, but the underlying protective mode was still there. It was a wolf instinct. She was sure it happened to the males of the species more, but she still had to make an effort to calm herself down. When she had, a new kind of anxiety entered her system. She didn’t know which group of visitors to go to first. She’d not truly met Laurel, but had served her at the Birdcage elixir den in Cornucopia.

Anise was saved from making her decision when Willow spotted she was out of the cabin, squealed, and ran toward her with unrestrained delight. Anise had not formally met the little girl either but had heard about her stark white hair from Thorne. She was a halfling—half wolf-shifter, half-human—but one-hundred percent tenacious.

Willow’s little legs brought her closer to Anise with every squeal. As she neared, Anise recognized the squeals were words.

“Gray is coming. Gray is coming!” Willow barreled past Anise and up to the cabin porch where she grinned and whirled around, hiding behind a wooden pole, intently watching the horizon of the nearby woods where an old wolf emerged, sniffed the air, and then spotted Rush. He trotted over, sniffed him too, and then yipped before heading up to the cabin to meet Willow.

“He’s getting old,” Clarke noted as she arrived and gave the wolf a pointed look. “He was Rush’s long time companion when he was cursed, and he protected our cabin while Willow was a baby. This might be the last time she will get to see her old protector.”

“Oh, that’s sad,” Anise replied.

Clarke gave Anise a gentle smile. “It is, but it’s the natural order of life for those animals, and humans for that matter. Any creature without mana in them ages so fast. I’m still getting used to the idea that I’m not one of them anymore. Anyway, it’s good to see you, Anise.”

Caraway had said something similar to Anise back at the witch’s lair. If Anise was truly without mana, she’d have aged a long time ago. Somehow, knowing that made Anise feel warm inside. She smiled at Clarke. “It’s good to see you too.”

Clarke gestured to Laurel. “I think you might have met Laurel.”

“Sort of.”

Laurel bit her lip. “Yeah, that’s my fault. I was a bit preoccupied the last time we met.” She made the fae hand-sign for an apology—a fist in circles over her chest. “It was rude of me.”

Anise laughed it off. “You weren’t rude. I was the barmaid. I served you a drink. That’s all.”

“Yes, well, if it’s all the same to you, if I hadn’t been so angry at Thorne, I would have taken the time to give you a proper hello.”

Clarke waggled her brows at Anise. “I see my little gift went to good use?”

“Gift?” Anise frowned.

Clarke tapped a bite mark scar on her own neck. Laurel laughed and tapped her own. Then they both made eyes at Caraway’s fresh mating mark.

“Oh!” Anise blushed. “You saw us getting together in a vision? Is that why you gave him the portal stone for here? How embarrassing.”

“Not at all!” Clarke replied. “Actually, we’re here for another reason.”

Anise cocked a brow.

“What reason?” Caraway asked as the Guardians arrived.

Laurel took Thorne’s hand, and Anise couldn’t help noticing the matching blue markings entwining both their arms. Rush and Clarke had similar identical markings on their hands. They were magnificent. Like water reflections living on their skin.

“I wanted to thank you for helping me out when I first arrived. Waking up two thousand years after my time wasn’t so easy to deal with. And this lout didn’t make it easier at the start,” Clarke said, pointing to Rush who grunted irritably. She laughed. “Anise, you and Caraway were so kind to me that night in the tavern. So—” She shared a conspiring look with Laurel. “We’ve come up with a solution that keeps you two together.”

Thorne frowned. “I told them they were meddling.”