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We walked through the forestsmall talk I stopped once we reached the old boathouse on the border of the lake I led her inside and to the edge of the wall, where the ere open, affording us full view of the beauty of the lake The scent of fragrant lotuses drifted up toward us

"Even in the darkness, it’s so beautiful here in the summer," she remarked "I always look forward to this time of year"

"Don’t you miss your real home? The Sanctuary? I’ve heard that the witches’ realm is ten times more beautiful than this"

She leaned her ar her thick hair so it fell down one shoulder

"Everything is superficially beautiful there," she said "Me? I like raw beauty Everything feels real, genuine, on this island And the people Oh, the people here They have heart So that’s rare to find back where I come from"

"And it’s all worth it even with a shortened lifespan?"

"That’s afaster on Earth than they do back in The Sanctuary We can stay youthful for hundreds, so on hoe look after ourselves, of course"

I stared at her lovely face and wondered how old she really was, but dared not ask

"Do you ever regret your decision to turn into a vaazed down into her light blue eyes

"I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t Not a bit The first few years were rough, yes But now, it’s all been worth it"

"Well, I for one alad that you turned," she said softly "It would have been sad to lose you"

We stared at each other for a few e to stop procrastinating

"Adelle, listen," I said, taking her hands in

The phone in

Oh, bloody hell

Since Derek and Sofia had left the island with Eli and Ibrahim, I’d been entrusted with the phone in case the twins called

"I-I’m so sorry," I said "Just a moment"

Adelle withdrew her hands from mine I turned away from her and flipped open the phone "Hello?"

"Hey, this is Ben"

"Hi, Ben"