I was about to pull the second flower box out of my storage bag and get to work when I changed my mind.

  Though I had only one flower grafted at the moment, it looked so vibrant that I expected it to produce a few more flower stalks in short order. That would let me spread them around the clearing.

  I had a better idea for what to do with the second flower.

  So, instead of immediately heading off to find my dragoness, I went back to my laboratory. There sat the original flower, also waiting for my attention.

  Perhaps I should have grafted it to a manchineel as well. It would certainly benefit from being connected to the tree, and its potency as an ingredient would increase. However, I had no guarantee the flowers would be safe out in the forest. I hoped that nothing would disturb the one I had grafted, but if a deer or some other creature came along and ate it, there wouldn’t be much I could do.

  For that reason, the flower I was counting on to be one of my main ingredients for Alys’ potion would be staying inside, safe and sound. That meant improving its setup to better see to its needs.

  I drummed my fingers against the table for a moment before deciding to keep things simple. First, I set about making two large balls of nutritional supplements, each one about the size of my fist. While those were being prepped, I dove into something I rarely paid attention to: my poison collection. I needed a potent poison, but one that wasn’t hazardous to the environment or prone to corrupting everything it touched.

  I found my answer in a poison designed to act with stunning speed once ingested or introduced into someone’s bloodstream. It caused the heart to constrict with such force that the muscle literally tore itself apart. The poison could last in extremely long-term storage, even under adverse conditions.

  It was also completely inert when in contact with anything non-living or anything without mana, which made it easy to administer sneakily.

  That made it the perfect choice to lace the nutrition spheres. Once they were practically dripping with poison, I carefully inserted each one into a flower pot. I then buried them in fertile dirt until they were completely covered, making it impossible for someone to come in contact with them accidentally.

  Next, I extracted the two flowers from their current homes. Covering their roots in mana, as I’d done when grafting their sibling to the manchineel tree, I stabbed them into the flower pots. Finally, I guided said roots to spread into the nutrition spheres and the surrounding dirt.

  The flowers now had access to all the good stuff they needed in order to grow. The poison I’d used was a fair bit more potent than even the mutated manchineel trees could currently provide. It would be a while before I needed to bury another dose.

  Flowers repotted, I left the original plant in my lab and hefted the other pot into my arms.

  After considering my options, I decided I shouldn’t go bother Alys after all. There were still about five good hours of work left in the day. She had seemed happy and relaxed as she prepared materials for her next house-building project.

  Instead, I washed off with a quick fifteen-minute bath before heading straight into the kitchen. A quick rummage through what we had there and some of my own supplies (which I really ought to set out soon, so Alys could also use them), left the table covered with ingredients.

  With a smile, I got to work.

  I began by fetching a decently large bowl and a single cup of red wine. It wasn’t the best vintage in the world, but it was what I had available. Besides, it was fae in origin, so it was immediately better than most of the wine mortals could produce.

  Next came two spoons of white wine, though I didn’t really enjoy the taste of that much, along with a finely chopped onion and two minced cloves of garlic. A bit of thyme followed, chased down by a small handful of belladonna berries. I had to rid them of poison quick and dirty on the spot, but I liked the taste, so the hassle was worth it.

  All of that was followed by a bit of salt and pepper. Then, because Alys was a cruel mistress but I loved her, I added one of the small side experiments I’d been entertaining myself with: powdered torture juice to use as a spice. I was careful to put in the tiniest bit, just enough to enhance the taste without destroying me. I did leave the jar out on the table, though, so Alys could add more to her portion.

  I mixed it all up into a nice-looking marinade, then fetched some of the rabbit meat from Kiri’s continued meat deliveries. I knew those were meant to be a source of ingredients for Grafton’s nutritional supplements, but it was rather a waste to put the nicest cuts through the process. I’d been setting most of them aside for Alys and me to enjoy.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The rabbit meat was cut into slices and dropped into the marinade. When I had filled the dish with as much meat as it could reasonably hold, I placed it in the cooling cabinet to sit.

  Stretching, I looked around for something else to do.

  I had to wait for the marinade to work its magic, so cooking was out. But I needed to do something. I’d been stuck in a pattern of indulgent loitering recently. Now that I’d managed to get out of that pattern, I didn’t want to fall right back into it.

  Then my eyes landed on the corner of the room Alys had claimed as an indoor workshop, and I sighed.

  I loved that dragoness, but she was content to leave a mess behind if she knew she’d be going back to it when she had a chance. Sawdust covered the floor. Pieces of wood were laid out all over the place, with a few tools scattered throughout.

  I shook my head and strode towards the corner.

  Cleaning it was!

  —

  “That smells delicious,” Alys rumbled the moment she stepped through the door, sniffing the air.

  I was inclined to agree. The prepared meat had been simmering for half an hour, with the marinade helping to infuse even more flavor into the process.

  “This should be done in fifteen to twenty minutes,” I said, eyeing the meat. I was using a slightly higher heat than I should have in order to speed things along, but if the aroma was any indication, the taste wouldn’t suffer. “You have time to clean up and relax.”

  “Hrrrm,” she rumbled contentedly, then happened to glance at her corner.

  She froze.

  “Thorn?”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you clean up my work area?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t throw away anything, right?”

  The sharpness in her tone was unmistakable. I just scoffed, already familiar with her habit of hoarding pieces of wood ‘just in case they’d be useful for a different project later.’

  “Of course not. Everything is organized in the box I put inside that cabinet. Your tools are in there, too.”

  I pointed, smiling in amusement as she immediately went to check. The happy little noises she made caused my smile to grow. Then I was swept up in a quick hug before my dragoness left to take a bath.

  By the time she returned, I was taking the food off the stove. She sat down, tail and wings twitching impatiently until I was done setting the table. Naturally, she plated herself some of the meat at once, not even waiting for it to cool. I did the same, though I had to set my cutlery aside afterwards until the meat stopped being a danger to my tongue and lips.

  At least I had something to do in the meantime. Namely, I could watch my dragoness enjoy the meal I had made. Her rumbles of pleasure made my smile a near permanent feature.

  Until she caught me looking.

  “What?” she demanded, a flush gracing her scales.

  “Nothing. I’m just enjoying the fact that you like my cooking.”

  “Hrrrmmm. Stop embarrassing me.”

  I grinned for an entirely different reason as she tried to hide her face behind her hand while continuing to eat.

  “Thorn!”

  “Alright, alright!”

  I laughed and turned my attention to my own plate. After all, I didn’t really need to wait as long as a mortal would for the food to cool.

  I was a fae. I could take a bit of punishment.

  —

  The meal was delightful and well worth the wait. This was further proved when my dragoness snatched up the rest of the meat the moment I declared I was finished.

  It was something I’d noticed she liked to do, and I found it incredibly endearing. Despite her near bottomless appetite for meat dishes, she always made absolutely sure I had as much as I wanted before demolishing any remaining food.

  We cleaned the dishes and headed upstairs, but I wasn’t quite ready to let the day wind down. Instead, I drew my dragoness to the edge of our nest, where we could sit on the floor. She gave me a curious look while I reached into my storage bag.

  When the flower emerged, she let out a little gasp of appreciation, then another of surprise as I handed her the pot.

  “Here. This is for you,” I said a little bashfully. “I realize it’s not the normal way of giving flowers to a beautiful lady, but I hope you like it.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Alys whispered, looking even more enchanted by the flower than I was. “And warm… Wait, is this the flower you found back then? When we saw the stag?”

  “I’m surprised you recognized it.” I truly was. Though traces of the flower’s original appearance remained, it had gone through an impressive transformation. “But yes, it is. One of the cuttings.”

  “Of course I recognize it. You were really excited about it,” she said offhandedly, reaching out to brush a finger against one of the golden petals.

  The comment brought red to my cheeks and a surge of warmth to my chest, hotter than anything a natural fire could emit. I didn’t draw her into a deep kiss right that instant, but only because she was busy with the flower I’d gifted her, and I didn’t want to interrupt.

  Then, as I watched her gaze at the flower, I began to realize something.

  More was happening there than met the eye.

  Alys’ mana was nudging the flower, for lack of a better word, and the plant was responding in extremely small, subtle ways. Bits of its own power were leaking out and seeping into my dragoness’s aura. Far from being harmful or disharmonious, however, it all blended into her mana perfectly. I even caught a slight flare in Alys’ mana, as if the flower was energizing it.

  The shift wasn’t particularly notable. I wasn’t even sure if Alys had noticed. Yet it was definitely happening, and it likely had something to do with the look of pure wonder on her face. Nothing malicious, but…

  I sighed.

  Of course.

  Alys was with me that day. We had seen the stag together. If the spirit had crafted that flower on purpose, then it hadn’t been meant for me alone. It was a gift to Alys, too.

  Yet I couldn’t find it in me to be worried or resentful as I watched her enjoy the plant. She liked it so much, I could feel nothing but happiness in response.

  I would deal with the spirits later. Potentially with her grandmother’s support, if they really were targeting my dragoness in any way. I seriously doubted The Molten Expanse would let anyone put her granddaughter in danger without severe consequences.

  For the time being, I just snuck a little closer so I could give my happy dragoness a hug, melting into her warmth and luxuriating in the way she snuggled back into me.