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“Or what if whoever is ruling his clan now sees it as a threat and wants him dead?” Aerin countered, not wanting to put him in danger.

“I would only list the antiques; I’d say nothing about Gideon to keep him safe, and if someone comes forward to claim them, or to enquire about him, then we can go from there,” Miranda said, clearly her own interest was piqued.

“It’s not my decision to make. I would have to run it past him,” Aerin said, slipping the book into her bag for Gideon. “It’s up to him if the risk is worth the reward.” Now she just had to tell him. If he decided to go ahead with the listing, it wouldn’t be long before someone came forward with answers, and he would be gone, back to his home, where he belonged.

“Let me know what he decides. I’ll keep the plaque and ring for now to get them photographed and prepped for the website, so if he does decide to go ahead, we can get a jump on it immediately,” Miranda said eagerly.

Aerin nodded along reluctantly. Did this all have to move so fast? She thought she’d be happy to have her house back, but a pit formed in her stomach instead. Of course he has to go home, but does he have to leave so soon? Chewing her lip, she realized that she might care for him more than she thought.

Chapter Fourteen

Gideon

Gideon wanted to find a meaningful gift for Aerin to express his remorse for running off without telling her. She not only saved his life in a moment of dire need, but also showed him kindness and patience as he struggled to understand himself and his past. His second crime, interrogating her about her dating life. It wasn’t his place to question her, but sitting on those rafters, watching Wayne pine over her made him want to open her potential suitor’s veins.

Watching her leave the library, he noticed Wayne looking through the stacks at her and couldn’t help but feel jealous. He had no right to be jealous; she wasn’t his, but seeing her with another man made him realize he wanted her to be. Having exhausted the library’s resources, he took a nap in the rafters after cleaning up after himself to kill the hours until sunset.

Although many shops had already closed for the night, the warm glow of lights shining through the windows of The Witching Flower beckoned him. It was the perfect place to find a heartfelt gift, a token of appreciation for someone who had become important to him.

“Are you still open? I wanted to get some flowers for a—” Gideon wasn’t sure how to finish the sentence. A friend? We live together, and we’ve kissed, but I haven’t officially asked to court her. He wanted to kiss her again, but he wanted to officially ask to court her before going any further. Times may have changed, but to him, being respectful meant everything. He didn’t have any family to ask for permission, and he doubted she would want someone speaking on her behalf.

“A friend?” The woman finished for him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen from her messy bun.

Aerin wore her hair like that when she wasn’t having an everything shower. He didn’t ask what everything meant, but how complicated had bathing become in two hundred years?

“Yes, thank you. A friend,” he said, not wanting to explain his complex situation to the florist.

“I’m Hazel,” she said, introducing herself and putting him at ease. “Are you new to the Cove, or visiting?”

“Gideon. I’m visiting, but I don’t know for how long,” he said.

“What flowers would you like for your friend?” Hazel asked, with a knowing smile.

“Something that says I want more than friendship?” he asked, overwhelmed by the array of flowers of every color and variation.

Hazel nodded. “Do you know what flowers they like?”

“No, she never has flowers in the house, but where I come from, men usually give flowers before courting,” he said. Where? More like when.

“Courting?

“Dating,” he corrected.

“Right, well I would go with some roses to start, but red might come off too strong, so maybe pink?”

“Or the blue?” he asked, thinking the darker shades would complement her scales and her blood. He admired the sunflowers, but neither of them were big fans of the sun, so he ruled them out.

“Blue it is,” Hazel said, picking out an array of blue roses. “What about some pink and purple tulips? They symbolise a new beginning.”

“Exactly what we need,” he said, watching her put the bouquet together with a silky blue ribbon to match the roses behind the counter.

“Can I pay in gold?” he asked, pulling some coin from his pocket he had taken from his coffin. “I probably should’ve asked first.”

“Don’t worry, gold works for me, though I’m afraid this is far too much,” she said, accepting the handful of solid gold coins.

“Consider it a gift, then, for your kindness and assistance,” Gideon said, unsure of what it would be worth now, but after seeing her so worried this morning, making Aerin happy was worth any amount of coin.

“Come again any time. The next bouquet is on us,” Hazel said, dropping the coin into the till. Gideon took the flowers from her and said a quick goodbye before letting her attend to the next customer waiting.