Page 61 of A Fable of Riddles and Redemption

He arched an eyebrow. “In your little vine-covered shack?”

“Yes,” she said with a laugh. “And with Anala curled up against me.”

Never in his life had he imagined he’d be jealous of a red panda…until he was. Herrick cleared his throat, trying to cast aside the thoughts of Zorina at his side all night. “I see.”

After traveling for a few more minutes in silence, he asked, “Would you ever consider moving to a home in town?” He wanted to add, ‘with me,’ but the timing didn’t feel right. It was far too soon to suggest that. And certainly not tonight, even if it wasn’t. Besides, he firmly believed that a wedding would be needed first, and neither of them were ready for that step in their relationship.

Hopefully someday…

Zorina bit her lip, the movement barely visible in the city’s partially torchlit streets. “I don’t know. I can’t let Mother’s associates find me.”

“You may be safer hiding in plain sight. Or, we can relocate where Caliban will never find you.”

She shuddered, likely at the remembrance of that creepy man. “I don’t think there is a place where he can’t find me—especially now that he knows about my past…and, as he claimed, linked our souls.”

That thought was too disturbing. What, exactly, did that entail? And how could they avoid it? They both needed a distraction.

Herrick stood taller, flexing his muscles around her shoulders. “I’ll protect you. Let me be your guard.”

Zorina chuckled a little at that. “That’s laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think? Besides, you can’t guard me all the time.”

He stopped their progress and stepped in front of her, taking her hands in his. They had just reached the city’s border and were close to entering the woods. “Zorina, I will do whatever it takes to protect you. If Caliban or any other unsavory character comes after you, I will defend you in every way possible.”

She peered up at him in the dim light, her gaze meeting his as well as it could in the darkness. “Herrick,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

Then, before he could lean down and kiss her a third time, something rammed him from behind.

Anala.

Herrick whirled around to find the red panda going after his bottomless pouch again. “Really?” he grumbled. “Again? Can’t you just leave it alone?”

Anala chirped as she greeted them eagerly, clearly relieved that Zorina had returned. Zorina laughed while Herrick frowned, though he wasn’t really mad. At least now Zorina seems a bit more like her vibrant self. That alone made the inconvenience worth it.

“You realize we’d need a home where Anala can join us, yes?”

The thought of sharing a home with the mischievous red panda did not thrill him, but—

Wait, did she say ‘we’ and ‘us’ in that question?

His eyes widened in amazement as he stared at her.

A slow grin spread across her face. “I was wondering when you’d catch that. I assumed that’s what you meant when you asked about me finding a home in town…”

“You—” His voice came out with a bit of a squeak, and he cleared his throat to try again. “You assumed correctly.”

Her smile widened and turned a bit saucy. “Which means it can’t be within Adael’s official borders where the boundary spell is, but my current home is too small for you.”

He arched an eyebrow at that. While he wanted to add that her shack also looked about ready to fall over or be invaded by vines, he refrained. This time. “Then what do you suggest?”

Zorina lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “Build something new? Here on the edge of town, perhaps?”

Herrick grinned at that, then said, “I quite like that. Ideally, it’ll be right on the border, with parts of our home inaccessible to Anala—places where we can store the things we don’t want her breaking or stealing.”

“Like clay pots with gold coins in them?”

He laughed. “More particularly, the pouch she keeps trying to snag. I can only imagine how much worse it would be when I’m not wearing it.”

“You mean this pouch?” Zorina asked as she grasped it in her hand.