Cedar, rain, mint.

Madelynn inhaled deeply as the sweet scent tickled her nose. She groaned, pressing her face deeper into the hardness of Callum’s chest beneath her. Oh god, she was uncomfortable. Her legs had both gone numb, bracketing his hips at an awkward angle, her arms sore as they circled around his middle. She wanted to get up and shake off the sleep, but as she pushed herself up to sit, she couldn’t help but stop and stare.

Callum still slept peacefully beneath her, his light eyelashes reminiscent of snowflakes against his cheeks. His jaw was slack, for once, and all that usual tension in his features was gone. He looked at ease, like that time she’d met him on the balcony. As if all his troubles had been left behind once he’d eased into sleep.

She smiled to herself as she watched him, the steady rise and fall of his chest, the way his hair fell around him like a halo, he looked so… soft.

He stirred under her, shifting slightly, before he grunted and his eyelids fluttered open. Those piercing, silver eyes met hers and his lips pulled into a soft smile. “Good morning,” he said, his voice deep and groggy from sleep. He blinked slowly, then a yawn consumed him. He arched his back and brought his arms up past his head as his joints popped and cracked. His lips smacked lazily as he dropped his hands to her waist, his thumbs rubbing feather light stripes against the skin under her shirt.

Madelynn bit her lip, her hands coming up to rub against his firm torso. She could feel the lines of the muscles under his white, short sleeved shirt, and she resisted the urge to rip it off of him as his eyes slowly trailed down her, then back up to her face. “Good morning,” she responded finally, her own voice still scratchy. She leaned forward, her hands trailing up his chest, finding purchase in his shoulders, and she felt his hands tighten against her hips. She brushed her lips against his before stretching upward, her arms reaching toward the ceiling. His hands trailed softly up her, until his fingers grazed her ribs and she shuddered.

“God, you’re beautiful,” Callum groaned out as his fingers tightened around her, but he smiled widely as her gaze met his once again.

Madelynn blushed at the compliment, but returned the smile. “Thanks,” she chirped playfully, rolling her neck sideways until it popped satisfyingly. She sighed, then let herself fall forward onto him, her face just inches from his. He grinned greedily at her, his hands inching lower on her back, his fingers lingering-

“Would you two at least wait until I’m out of nose-shot before you start reeking of lust?” Madelynn’s head snapped sideways, glaring at Elise. She was still reclined on the bench, her elbow propping her head up as she drew her lips up in disgust. “I was debating climbing out the window as soon as you woke up, scared the whole carriage would burst into flames.”

Madelynn sighed and rolled off of Callum, slipping off of the bench and tumbling loudly to the floor. She landed on her back, groaning, and stared up at the ceiling. “Thank you for your input, Elise,” she deadpanned. “Your timing is impeccable, as always.” However, she couldn’t deny the relief in her legs as she stretched them out, the feeling rushing back to her toes immediately.

“Don’t blame me for your inability to contain your feelings!” Elise shrieked, though a smile graced her features as she leaned over the edge of the bench to stare at Madelynn. “You’ll have all the time in the world to fondle each other once we’re in Thelm.”

Madelynn laughed, scrubbing a hand over her face. “There was no fondling,” she started, glaring up at her friend, “as I’m sure you recall, since apparently you awoke before me!”

Elise gaped at her, her mouth falling open. Then she flopped onto her back with a loud sigh. “All I’m saying is if you feel the need to start climbing up your husband again, at least have the decency to let me tuck and roll first.”

Madelynn sat up, shaking her head at the absurdity that seemed to follow Elise everywhere. She turned toward Callum, who had sat up, his head in his hands as his shoulders bounced with a silent laughter. She plopped down next to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder. “Did you hear that?” she whispered, her hand sweeping up his back. “No more fondling today.” She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and Callum shivered, scooting away from her.

“Lord,” he laughed out, shaking her hands off of him, “you two just feed off of each other, don’t you?”

Elise’s head popped up just long enough for Madelynn to chuck a book at her, and she easily dodged it before laying back down. “How long until we’re there?” she asked, bouncing her black boot against the back of the bench. “I’m starving.”

Callum glanced out the window, squinting against the morning light. Madelynn followed his gaze, leaning forward to get a better look. The view took her breath away. Rolling hills of luscious green grass, trees stretching taller and thinner than she’d ever seen, and a long, sprawling, glistening stream. It was beautiful in an untouched, wild sort of way. He seemed to notice her intrigue and leaned back so she could get a better view. “This is Thelm,” he said plainly, as if it wasn’t the most magnificent expanse of land she’d ever seen.

“I thought your parents lived on a farm?” Madelynn questioned. She’d never seen a farm like this before.

“They do,” he responded, crossing his ankles as he stared out the small window. “A livestock farm.” He shrugged, like he hadn’t left Madelynn’s imagination to explore all the terrible little intricacies of life on a crop farm. She thought it would be like Pit- filthy and vile- she hadn’t considered it could be sprawling landscapes of greenery.

As Madelynn watched the hills spin as the carriage turned, then bounced violently over a rock path. She jolted in the seat as the carriage rocked and bobbled, before coming to a stop- a little wooden cabin visible just past another small hill.

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Callum turned to Madelynn, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “You ready to meet my parents?”

She smiled tightly back at him, her stomach suddenly dropping down to her toes. But, she pushed through it and tightened her fingers around his hand as well. “Ready,” she breathed out.

—--

The short trek to the cabin was short, but grueling. Those rolling hills, no matter how beautiful, turned out to be quite steep and slippery, Madelynn’s legs burning by the time they reached the front door. Her mind reeled. Were they going to like her? What was she supposed to say to them? She didn’t even think to ask Callum if he’d told them she was pregnant, or if he just expected them to play along with whatever game they were trapped in. Would they be tall and stoic like him? Would they think her a harlot for trapping their son in a marriage of convenience?

Callum gave her one last reassuring smile before turning to knock on the small, yet ornately carved door and Madelynn prepared for the worst, squaring her shoulders and clenching her jaw.

Almost immediately, the door flew open and slammed against the inner wall. “Come in!” a woman’s voice boomed through the doorway. “We’re in the kitchen!”

Madelynn drew her eyebrows together and balked at Callum. Who’d opened the door? There was no one in sight.

As if reading her mind, Callum grinned in a way she’d never seen before- loose and wide, as if he was just a boy returning home from camp. “My family is much less… conservative with their Essence than I am,” he said slowly, ushering her and Elise inside.

The cottage was as small as it appeared on the outside. The entrance led straight into the family room, where a large, orange floral sofa took up most of the space. Madelynn scanned the area curiously, but was cut short as Callum grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.

He drug her through a slim doorway, her body being pulled faster than her feet, and then was crashing against Callum’s shoulder when he came to a stop in front of a long range with six burners instead of the usual four.

“Cal!” That same woman’s voice shrieked, and a tall, slender woman strode through the kitchen and crashed into Callum with enough force that Madelynn had to step back to avoid being trampled. He wrapped his arms tightly around her upper back while she cradled his face in her hands. “Oh, it’s been far too long!” She had long white hair cascading down her back in loose waves and, as she pulled away from Callum and turned her attention to Madelynn, her deep blue eyes crinkled into a smile. “And this must be your wife?” she asked, her voice soft and tentative.

Callum beamed as he reached out for Madelynn’s hand, pulling her closer. She stumbled as she stepped toward the woman, who towered four or five inches taller than her even in her riding boots. “Mom,” he said, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Madelynn like she was the most important person in the world to him, “this is Madelynn, my wife. Maddie, this is my mom.”

He gestured toward the imposing, but kind faced woman, and she held her hand out as a greeting. “It’s so nice to-”

She was abruptly cut off as the woman took a step forward and wrapped her in a too-tight hug. When she stepped back, she dropped her hands to Madelynn’s. “You’re just as beautiful as Cal said you were,” she said sweetly, tilting her head slightly as she studied her face.

Madelynn smiled tightly, suddenly feeling awkward at the compliment. “Thank you, Ma’am,” she replied softly. Callum looked just like his mother. They had the same white hair, light eyelashes, high cheekbones and sharp jawline. They even had the same dimples. The only difference was her eyes- hers were a deep, midnight blue.

“Oh, drop the honorifics,” she said playfully, squeezing Madelynn’s hands before dropping them. “Call me Lora.”

Madelynn nodded, taking a small step toward Callum so their arms brushed together. He noticed her trepidation and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. His mother turned toward Elise and stepped forward into a hug once again.

“And you must be Elise!” she chirped, before pulling away and grabbing her by the arms, bending at the waist to look her in the eyes. “Callum says you’re quite the healer?”

Elise shot Callum a look of surprise before turning back to his mother. “Uh…” she drawled, then nodded slowly. “I mean, I wouldn’t say I’m anything special. I learned a bit from my High Lady’s handmaiden, but-”

“She saved my life, Mom,” Callum interrupted in a lighthearted tone. “Don’t let her fool you.”

Elise laughed nervously, scratching at her hairline. They carried on around Madelynn, comments about how any friend of his was family to her. Madelynn tried to keep listening, but the words turned to static as her ears started to ring.

Elise saved his life.

Of course, she had. Madelynn’s hands felt clammy, her fingers twitching as though searching for something useful to do—something she never managed in those moments when it mattered most. What had she done? Stood there, frozen and useless, while the man she loved bled and gasped.

The guilt burrowed deep, twisting its sharp edges against her ribs. She’d thought about it every night since. When her eyes closed, it was there, waiting—taunting her. The color fading from his lips. The bruises blooming on his throat. The sickly green Essence seeping from his skin. And now, hearing it aloud, hearing him say it so casually, twisted the knife all over again.

Elise had acted. Elise had saved him. What had Madelynn done?

Her breath hitched, and she forced herself to focus on the grain of the wooden floor beneath her boots. The rhythmic rise and fall of her chest grew uneven as panic licked up the back of her neck.

Callum stiffened beside her, his hand tightening at her waist. “What’s wrong?” he murmured, his voice so low that it didn’t interrupt the conversation between Elise and his mother. His breath tickled her ear, warm and comforting, but it couldn’t chase away the storm brewing inside her.

Madelynn’s throat tightened. She couldn’t respond. What was she supposed to say? That she hated herself for not being stronger? That every time she looked at him, she couldn’t stop seeing all the ways she had failed him?

The weight of it pressed harder against her chest, threatening to crush her where she stood.

Callum cleared his throat, his tone light but firm as he interrupted the conversation. “We’re going to go and find Dad,” he announced, not waiting for a reply as he guided her toward the back door.

Madelynn stumbled as he led her away, her boots scraping against the wooden floor. She heard Lora’s soft, “He’s out back in the barn,” followed by something reassuring about how much her husband would love her. But the words felt muffled, like she was underwater.

The door swung open, and the cool, crisp air hit her face, breaking the spell of her spiraling thoughts. Callum’s hand was still at her hip, steady and solid, but her legs felt like they might give out beneath her.

He turned to face her, concern etched into his features. “Maddie,” he said softly, brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek. “What’s going on?”

Her breath came in uneven gasps as she forced herself to meet his eyes. “I…” she started, but the words stuck in her throat. She shook her head, looking away. She couldn’t do this. Not here. Not now.