Page 22 of How to Woo the Undead

“Ah-ah-no! Hyacinth!” Sebastian warned.

She stopped, scowling as she stared at her maker. With a huff, she dropped the apples from her mouth.Not biting time.Austinnudged her with his elbow and headed toward the edge of the yard. Hyacinth carried her portions, eagerly scampering after him in the tall grass.

She heard the soft huff from her maker behind her. “Where did she get this attitude?”

“Me, probably,” Dahlia snorted, despite the fact she was laid out on the blanket, eyes closed, head in Sebastian’s lap. However, everything after that was lost to the miraculous discovery of an opossum. A bundle of white fur, covered in tiny babies, she sniffed around the massive iron gate. The mother stopped her search for food to stare up at the two tiptoeing toward her.

“She’s not running away?” Hyacinth murmured.

“Most of the forest critters know me.” Austin offered her a soft shrug as he crouched down beside the fence. The mother opossum twisted toward him. Her obsidian eyes glittered up at him as he ripped off a chewable chunk and handed it through the fence. The sound of her chewing into the juicy apple gave Hyacinth all the courage she needed to creep up beside him. As she knelt, she worked her nails into the flesh of the apple. She managed to pry a piece off and reached forward slowly. The opossum finished the piece Austin gave her and immediately snatched the piece from Hyacinth.

A little squeal spilled out of her chest. The opossum froze and Hyacinth scrunched down into herself as an apology. After a moment, their newest forest friend began to munch again on the apple chunk.Don’t scare her. Gotta be soft and quiet. Blink, blink. I can do that.To keep herself from vibrating out of her stitched skin, she worked on more pieces of apple. That’s when she remembered what they were talking about prior to the greatest thing to happen to her that hour.

“But the ghouls know us inside the house, and they still run screaming from me,” Hyacinth sighed under her breath. Shefocused on getting a chunk big enough for the mother to eat but small enough to fit through the fence easily.

“Oh,” Austin grimaced as he snapped a slice of apple into an opossum portion easily, “that’s because Lady Rosemont holds a grudge against them.”

“What’d they do to her?” Hyacinth furrowed her brows. She finally was able to peek up at him out of curiosity. Sliding the apple through the fence, she had to keep her focus on Austin, or she’d scream out in joy at the feel of a little paw taking the apple from her.

“Hid in her closet,” Austin hummed, nodding his head softly.

“Ah, yes,” Hyacinth nodded along with him.Blink, blink, that’s a weird reason to hold a grudge.But she couldn’t judge. She’d not experienced anything that would make her so angry she vowed unending vengeance against someone. Let alone little shadowy creatures that screamed then skittered away clumsily.

“You want to know a secret?” Austin whispered softly, handing over a chunk of apple.

“Yeah,” Hyacinth breathed, studying his face. His red eyes glowed in the moonlight, focused on the creature they were tending to, but she could tell he saw her. It was the way his face softened, and he ducked his head a little as he spoke further.

“I know how to get the ghouls to like you too, if you want me to show you. But you can’t tell Lady Rosemont. She’ll only hit them with umbrellas.” His gaze flickered to her and Hyacinth felt her lungs strangely clench. Austin nodded to her apple pieces, and she gasped softly when she realized she’d smooshed it nearly into a paste. “Push it through the fence, if she doesn’t eat it, other creatures will. Nothing goes to waste. We’re necromancers…”

“Not Necromessers,” she giggled softly, pushing her softened chunks between the iron bars.That’s right, that’s what you said the first day we met.The mother opossum picked up the sturdier pieces before lapping up the juice of the apple off the lush grass. Hyacinth brought her hands to her face. Pressing her tongue flat against her palm, she lapped up the sticky juices. She froze when she found Austin watching.He must like apples too.Happy to share, she offered him her left hand. He stared at it for a moment before studying her face, almost as if asking for permission. It was strange, how he didn’t have to say the words, but she understood.I’m learning faster? Or maybe I’m just learning him?She grinned from ear to ear, nodding before jutting her hand to him again. Sucking her other thumb clean, she didn’t have time to say it out loud.

He cupped the back of her hand tenderly; she stopped everything to watch him swipe his tongue across her palm. Her heart stuttered, confused if it was beating or holding still. Her limbs softened into his touch, eager with no explanation why. When his eyes opened, he found her an inch closer and he stiffened. She couldn’t be sure in the dark, but she could have sworn a dark forest color prickled his cheeks as he laughed sheepishly.

His words came out in a quick rasp, “I like apples.”

“I do too.” She managed to get out of her lungs as he gave her a clean palm back. Her throat was weirdly thick and her stomach tingled. The muscles in her thighs were clenched and for the first time, Hyacinth was hyper aware of every inch of her body. Her skin was hot and stung, but she couldn’t remove the curl of her lips. “Thank you for showing me this. I think, if I could have wished for something on the star, I would rather it be an animal friend.”

“Yeah?” Austin twisted to her, eagerness illuminating his features.

“Do you think the star is still listening?” She followed the glittering lights over their heads to the large moon looming over their heads. “Or the moon? Can you make a wish on the moon?”

“I think so! I don’t know any rules against it.” Austin followed her gaze up into the sky. “I’ll make one with you.”

“What are you wishing for?” Hyacinth took one last lap of her palm as she waited for him to pick one.

“I wish for a friend.” His gaze dropped and landed on her again.A friend? Is that what I was made for? A friend for you, Austin?It warmed her chest as they lingered, frozen in time. The bugs chirping deep in the woods, the subtle crunching of an opossum eating chunks of apple, and the soft murmur of conversation from the others at the picnic. It was something she didn’t have a word for yet, but she knew it was something special.

Hyacinth giggled, throwing her arms to her side. “Wish granted.”

Austin nodded, vigorously. “Then we’ll see about granting yours too.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to meet them. Whoever they are.” She climbed to her feet, dusting her sticky palms on her dress. Then, immediately regretting it, she grimaced.

Austin chortled. “Let’s wash our hands, or else we’ll stick to everything.”

Hyacinth didn’t see the beady pair of red eyes glowing from the trees. But just beyond the fence, someone watched them as the pair walked back toward the Manor.

Chapter Twelve: