21. Allie #2
Greel nodded at us before focusing on Dungar. “No unusual activity in town, but I wanted to update you on the pottery barn. Beth and Ruugar helped me do an inventory.”
“How bad is the damage?” Hail asked, though I could tell he was bracing himself for the answer.
“Better than it looks. The kiln’s pretty damaged, as is a lot of the outer structure. They ripped half the siding off in their search. But some of your finished pieces inside survived.” Greel’s expression softened as he looked at me. “Tourists are asking about you. They’re worried about you both.”
“They’re worried about me?” The concept still felt foreign.
“You made an impression. The elderly couple from Denver especially. Margaret kept asking if there was anything she could do to help.”
I remembered her arthritis-gnarled hands, the tears of joy when she’d successfully shaped her first bowl. That she was concerned about my welfare made my throat tighten with affection.
Greel grunted. “Holly said someone heard about it online. Other artists are sending pieces to help restock your inventory.”
Hail blinked. “Truly?”
“Yes. Potters from surrounding states. They’re organizing it.” Greel almost smiled, a big thing for him. “Holly says you’re almost famous now.”
“I don’t want that.” The tips of Hail’s ears darkened. “I want to make pottery.”
“Too late for that. You’re the orc potter who got targeted by criminals for helping his mate. It’s very romantic. Humans love it.”
I groaned, covering my face with my hands. “Great. Now I’m the damsel in distress who destroyed her mate’s life’s work.”
“Hey.” Hail gently pried my hands away from my face. “You’re the brave woman who stopped run-running and chose to fight for her new home. That’s how they-they see you.”
“Margaret said she’ll be taking art classes again when she gets home,” Greel said. “Learning from you made her want to continue trying.”
The tears came back, but this time they felt different. Cleaner somehow. I’d spent so long thinking of myself as a burden, someone who brought nothing but trouble wherever I went. The idea that my struggle could inspire someone else to pursue something fun was overwhelming in the best possible way.
“See?” Hail squeezed my hands. “You’re not de-destroying lives. You’re changing them for the better.”
“Even yours?”
“Especially mine. You walked into my pottery barn and turn-turn-turned my quiet world upside down in the most wonderful way.”
Greel backed toward the door. “Just wanted to deliver the updates.”
“Wait.” I stood before I could talk myself out of it. “Could you tell them thank you? All of them. I mean, I know I’m supposedly gone from town, so we can’t let them know you’re communicating with me. But I want the tourists, the other artists, everyone who’s helping to know how much this means.”
“Already did.” Greel headed for the door, then paused. “Allie? You’re family now. This is what we do for each other.”
After he left, Hail and I made and ate dinner.
After, we turned off all the lights and crept into the living room, opening a window and sitting beside it, me on Hail’s lap with his warm arms around me. Cool evening air drifted through the opening, and we whispered while Tressa claimed the spot by our feet.
“Look at all those stars,” I gazed up at the vast expanse of sky visible through the window. “I never really noticed them when I was running. I was too busy watching for threats to look up.”
“The first time I saw a night sky like this, I st-st-stood outside until dawn. In the orc kingdom, you never see anything like this. Just carved stone above your head. We have in-in-insects that glow, and I guess they’re our stars, but it’s not the same.”
I turned my head to study his profile in the misty moonlight, memorizing the strong line of his jaw, the way his tusks caught the faint silver glow. “I never thought I’d have this.”
“What?”
“Peace. Someone to watch the stars with.” I stroked the curve of his cheek with gentle fingers. “A home where I could sit by an open window without being afraid.”
He captured my hand, pressing it flat against his chest where I could feel his heart beating steady and strong. “You’ll always have this. Always have me.”
The quiet certainty in his voice made my ribs ache. Here in the darkness, whispering together while the world drifted around us, I could almost forget we were hiding. Almost pretend this was a normal evening with the male I loved, sharing quiet moments and sweet touches.
“I wish we could stay like this forever.” I breathed against his neck, sucked in his familiar scent.
“We will. This connection? It’s ours. No one can take it away.”
Tressa lifted her head, her ears pricking toward the back of the house. A moment later, the sound of hoofbeats reached us, growing closer.
The peaceful bubble around us popped as reality intruded. Hail’s hand moved instinctively toward where his sword rested against the couch, while I held my breath and strained to listen.
The hoofbeats stopped and were followed by familiar heavy footsteps. Dungar’s voice carried through the night air as he spoke to someone, too low for us to make out words but recognizable enough to ease some of the tension from our shoulders.
The back door opened with a soft creak.
“Hail? Allie?” Dungar’s voice was carefully controlled, but I could hear the underlying urgency that made my stomach drop.
We rose, and Tressa padded behind us as we made our way to the kitchen where Dungar was removing his hat to hang it up, his expression tense.
“What is it?” Hail asked, though his tone suggested he already suspected the answer wouldn’t be good.
Dungar met our eyes, his jaw tight. “Will Carmichael and his men were spotted one town over, over an hour ago, though they evaded Fernandez’s team. We suspect he’ll find his way into town. Soon.”