Piers walked me back to the pavilion alone. Shenka was already gone, chasing after Tallah, and Sassafras stayed with Mom. I wondered where Gram and Varity had gotten to, worry spiraling into a normal tornado of "holy crap what now" and "sigh".

"I hope you think about what I said earlier," Piers said as I stopped at the entry.

Huh?

Oh, right. The love thing again.

He bent, kissed my forehead, warm and tingling as his sorcery nuzzled against mine. It was the ...