Page 39 of Blood and Hexes

Whispers and Secrets

Things were getting too strange for her taste here. If she didn't know better, Diana would have thought that someone had put a spell on her. There was no other logical reason why she'd feel so very fixated on a certain man, who wasn't even talking to her if he could help it.

Having opted to finally leave on Monday, in three days, Diana was delighted to get to attend Samhain in Oldcrest before going. It had by far been her favorite celebration out of all those they used to hold, perhaps because it was the one she'd always been permitted to attend.

Samhain celebrated the end of the harvest season, the beginning of the long nights. It was to offer thanks for the blessings given for a year, and her parents had believed that such thanks were a necessity in her case: each year, she’d been given another reprieve from death. It hadn't been hard to rope Chloe into it. She'd only just mentioned the bonfires they used to have at the lake, and the woman had rushed to her feet. When Chloe Eirikrson wanted to make something happen, she did, and the rest of the hill followed, along with a good part of Adairford.

Diana had suggested having the party outdoors, as the weather was unseasonably mild, so they'd had work to do.

After putting together enough seats and tables to cater to a few hundred people, Diana directed her attention to the thick old oak Mikar had singled out.

She frowned at it, unsure. The healthy circumference of the tree gave her plenty of options. Usually, she let whatever material she touched speak to her, but if she admitted it to herself, she wanted Mikar to be impressed.

Biting her lip, she got to work.

It was a unique tree, and Diana wanted to conserve its spirit. She sliced a plank and left it on the side, then carved four armchairs that she meticulously sculpted, polished, and bent. The plank, she propped on top of two low feet. There. She admired her work. It was a real living room suite, rustic, but suitable for any home. He'd have to treat and wax it, but she knew she'd done good work.

"That's amazing!" Chloe bellowed, coming back at the head of a dozen of her friends, hands full of boxes. She was carrying candles, at Diana's request. "How do you even do that?"

Good question. Diana shrugged. "I like making stuff," was the only reply she had.

“You’re a true artist.”

Diana shrugged off Chloe’s compliment. She didn’t consider herself an artist in general. She wasn't much of a painter, and what she did couldn’t be described as sculptures as such, but bending raw materials to her will until they were something else? That, she liked.

Chloe dropped the candles on top of the table, and moved to sit on one of the armchairs, letting her head fall back. "It's even comfy. How is wood comfy?"

Diana had made sure to incline the back and smooth all edges. She grinned.

"Off," Mikar told Chloe. "That's mine."

Chloe's eyes widened. She looked between Diana and Mikar, then broke into an annoying smirk. "You did this for him?"

Diana didn't like the implication. "I made some seats for the party," she rectified. "He asked for something worth keeping from that tree, for some reason."

"Oh, we're keeping all of these," Chloe said.

Diana couldn't hide her surprise. There were twenty long benches, dozens of stools, and five large tables. "Why?"

"Because it's all gorgeous, and practical, too. We didn’t have seats for the outdoors, which is a shame when we live in a paradise. You're super talented." Chloe sighed wistfully, her hands smoothing the table. “And this suite is something else altogether. I want it!”

"Well, you can't have it,” Mikar told her firmly. "It's mine."

She wasn't used to being told no—not by him. Chloe lifted a brow. "Even though it's my birthday?"

Mikar's jaw went lax. He hadn't known, apparently. Nor had Diana for that matter, but that was less surprising.

No wonder Chloe had wanted to party tonight.

"Your birthday?" Mikar echoed. "How come you didn't say anything?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm not technically aging anymore, am I?"

True. She'd forever be stuck at the age she'd been when she was turned.

"I still celebrate my birthday," Diana admitted. "Well, the big ones, anyway. I throw a party every decade."

"As do I." Mikar nodded. "Every year, no exception. I'll never say no to an excuse to raid Levi's wine cellar."

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