Chapter 17

• Evanna stared at the kettle, wishing it to boil faster. Spotting the basket on the counter, she went over and grabbed a biscuit from last night. She really missed that jerky that Papa Low always had. Since his passing, she’d searched in every book, notebook, and piece of paper trying to figure out how he made it. As far as regrets go, she wished she’d paid more attention to things when he was still alive.
• Choking down the dry mouthful, she grabbed the kettle and decided partially boiled water would have to do. Her head was killing her, every muscle was aching and now she had to explain to Jesse what had happened. She had no idea why she felt it was important to tell him everything, but she always followed her instincts when it came to people so she was going to listen again. There was something about him—something she couldn’t even put into words, she’d never felt this way with another, that she did know. Of course, that presented more problems. She and Leah hadn’t vowed it to each other, or anything while they were running for their lives to find their way back home, how could they, but it had always been a feeling that there would always just be them—it was the only safe way…
• The door opened, and she turned to see Jesse standing there looking at her with a careful expression.