Page 19 of Unbearable Attraction (Hollow Oak Mates #4)

LEENAH

L uka arrived at her cottage just as the afternoon light was beginning to fade, his expression grim enough to make Leenah's stomach clench with anxiety before he'd said a single word.

She'd been expecting him to stop by after spending the morning immersed in her grandmother's advanced necromantic texts, but the weight in his amber eyes suggested this wasn't a social visit.

"Council meeting?" she asked, opening the door wider to let him in from the November chill.

"Yeah." He stepped inside, bringing the scent of cedar and winter air with him. "They wanted a report on the spiritual activity. And on you."

Something in his tone made her pause in the act of hanging up his jacket. "What kind of report on me?"

"The kind where Elder Bram suggested you might be causing more problems than you're solving," Luka said bluntly. "The kind where they gave us one week to find a solution before they vote on 'alternative measures' to protect the town."

Leenah felt the blood drain from her face. "Alternative measures like what?"

"Evacuation. Abandoning Hollow Oak entirely rather than risk lives on a renewal ceremony that might not work." His jaw tightened as he spoke. "Or possibly removing you from the equation altogether."

The casual mention of being forced out of the only place she'd ever truly belonged almost stole her breath. "They want to exile me because I'm trying to help?"

"Bram does. The others are just scared and looking for someone to blame." Luka moved closer, his presence both comforting and frustrating. "Varric's still on our side, but his hands are tied by Council politics."

"One week," she repeated, her mind already racing through possibilities. "That's not enough time to research all the potential modifications to the renewal ceremony. Not if we want to do this safely."

"Maybe safe isn't an option," Luka said quietly. "Maybe we need to focus on what's possible rather than what's ideal."

The resignation in his voice sparked something fierce and defiant in her chest. He was already preparing himself for her to fail, already accepting that they might have to choose between her life and the town's survival.

The protective instinct was sweet, but it was also exactly the kind of thinking that would guarantee failure.

"No," she said firmly. "There has to be another way."

"Leenah—"

"There has to be." She turned away from him, pacing toward the window where her grandmother's journals lay scattered across the side table. "I just need to dig deeper, find techniques my grandmother might not have considered."

"And if those techniques are more dangerous than the standard ceremony?"

"Then I'll deal with that when I find them." The words came out sharper than she'd intended, but she couldn't seem to soften her tone. "I'm not giving up because the Council's getting nervous."

Luka was quiet for a long moment, and when she turned back to face him, his expression held the kind of understanding that made her feel transparent in uncomfortable ways. "This isn't about the Council, is it? This is about proving something to yourself."

The observation was too accurate for comfort. "I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do." His voice held gentle certainty that somehow made her feel more exposed than any accusation could have. "I think you're planning something dangerous, and you're planning to do it alone."

Damn him for knowing her so well after such a short time. "I work better alone. You know that."

"I know you think you do." Luka stepped closer, his amber eyes holding hers with uncomfortable intensity. "But maybe that's because you've never had a real partner before."

The suggestion that her preference for independence might be based on inexperience rather than strength stung more than it should have. "I've had partners."

"Professional collaborators, maybe. People you worked with temporarily for mutual benefit." His voice remained gentle, but his words cut straight to the heart of her defenses. "Not someone who cares more about your wellbeing than the outcome of the mission."

The accuracy of his assessment made her throat tight with emotions. "I need to get back to my research."

"Leenah—"

"I'll call you if I find anything useful," she said, moving toward the front door in a clear dismissal. "But right now, I need to focus."

Luka studied her face for a moment longer, then nodded slowly. "All right. But if you're planning something stupid, at least give me the chance to talk you out of it first."

"I'll keep that in mind."

After he left, Leenah spent the rest of the evening buried in her grandmother's most advanced journals, looking for any technique that might allow her to contact Aiyana directly without going through the overwhelming spiritual chaos of the ceremony grounds.

The answer came in a chapter titled "Direct Spiritual Summoning: Emergency Protocols. "

The ritual was exactly what she needed: a way to pull a specific spirit across the veil for extended communication without the interference of other supernatural entities.

It would give her the chance to ask detailed questions about the renewal ceremony, to understand exactly what would be required and how to minimize the risks involved.

It would also, according to her grandmother's careful notations, require her to anchor the summoning with her own life force. Not enough to kill her outright, but enough to permanently reduce her necromantic abilities if something went wrong.

An acceptable risk, considering the alternative was watching Hollow Oak fall to whatever threats were gathering beyond the weakening barriers.

She spent the next two days gathering the rare materials the ritual required while carefully avoiding Luka's workshop and the places she knew he might be.

Blessed salt from the old cemetery, silver dust from a coin minted before the town's founding, herbs that had to be harvested under specific lunar conditions.

Each component was difficult to obtain without arousing suspicion, requiring careful planning and more stealth than she'd employed since her teenage years.

By the third day, her avoidance tactics had apparently become obvious enough to attract unwanted attention.

"You know," Twyla said conversationally as Leenah tried to pay for her coffee and escape The Griddle & Grind without engaging in conversation, "I've been running this café for longer than most people realize, and I've seen a lot of stubborn girls make a lot of stupid decisions."

"I'm not making stupid decisions," Leenah replied, though her defensive tone probably undermined the claim. "I'm being practical."

"Practical." Twyla's laugh held no humor. "Is that what we're calling it when someone avoids the best thing that's ever happened to them because they're afraid of getting hurt?"

"I'm not avoiding Luka because I'm afraid," Leenah said, though even she could hear how unconvincing that sounded. "I'm avoiding him because I have work to do."

"Dangerous work. The kind of work that might be safer with backup." Twyla's fae-enhanced senses probably allowed her to detect magical preparations the same way other people noticed perfume. "The kind of work that might benefit from having someone around who cares whether you survive it."

"Since when do you know about my work?"

"Honey, I've been watching over this town since before your grandmother was born.

You think I don't recognize the signs when someone's preparing for a magical working that's going to cost them?

" Twyla's expression grew serious. "The question is whether you're doing this because it's necessary, or because you're afraid of depending on someone else. "

The accusation hit close enough to the truth to make Leenah flinch. "Independence is a strength, not a weakness."

"Independence can be a strength," Twyla agreed. "But it can also be a prison you build around yourself to avoid the risk of caring about someone who might leave."

"Luka isn't going to leave." The words slipped out, carrying more certainty than she'd realized she felt.

"No, he's not," Twyla said gently. "Which is exactly why you're trying to push him away before he can prove it."

The observation hung between them. Was she really preparing for the direct summoning ritual because it was the best option available? Or was she choosing the most dangerous path because it would allow her to face the crisis alone, without having to trust someone else with her safety?

"This is what I know," she admitted quietly.

"Lucky for you, learning is half the fun." Twyla's smile held genuine warmth. "But you can't learn if you keep running away from the lesson."

"What if I mess it up? What if I let him get too close and then everything falls apart?"

"Then you pick up the pieces and try again," Twyla replied. "But at least you'll have tried for something real instead of hiding behind work and good intentions."

Leenah left the café with more questions than answers and the uncomfortable realization that her emotional walls might be more transparent than she'd thought.

Twyla's words followed her home, forcing her to examine whether her plan to perform the summoning ritual alone was really about protecting the town or protecting herself from the vulnerability that came with accepting help.

The ritual components sat on her kitchen table, carefully arranged and ready for tomorrow night's ceremony. Everything she needed to contact Aiyana directly and get the answers that could save Hollow Oak.

Everything except the courage to admit that maybe, she didn't have to face this alone.