Felix

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Zoe insisted on making dinner, even though both me and her dad tried to get her to rest instead. It maybe actually was a good idea for her to cook. She had to be emotionally exhausted, and the simple and repetitive movements of cooking might have been just what she needed.

She didn't talk much during the dinner. Instead, me and her dad got a chance to get to know each other. I was surprised over how easy it was to get along with him. Much easier than any of my exes' parents. Well, there really was just one ex whose parents I had met. But with them it had taken a long time for me to feel like they approved of me and it never really got to the point where I felt like they genuinely liked me. But Zoe's dad, or well Noah as he said it was fine for me to call him while laughing over the fact that I had been calling him sir, it was natural to get along with.

It probably wasn't that surprising, really. His personality was very similar to Zoe's. Kind and warm and surprisingly curious. Just like Zoe. And just like Zoe, he didn't know about a lot of things I took for granted and he had even taken forward pen and paper as we talked to write down different things he had to try. Meanwhile, I was just as curious about him. I quickly learnt that he was about 300 years old and that led to a lot of questions.

As soon as Zoe had finished eating, she had moved to sit on my lap. Even though she didn't say anything, I felt how she was content in the situation. I could see how she listened intently and her mouth would turn into a small smile from time to time. It seemed like she was happy to just sit there and listen to us talk for forever.

Noah had just finished washing up after dinner and was getting into a story about when he had moved to the USA in the end of the 1700s when the door burst open.

"The coven is on its way," Ash exclaimed and Zoe straightened up in my lap, fear in her eyes that were mirrored in Noah's.

"They can't know you're here," Noah said and looked from me to Zoe.

"They'll sense if I use magic," she retorted.

"You have to leave. Use nymph magic."

"Then you're coming too! They might hurt you."

"It'll be too suspicious. You two go. I'll be fine."

"No! I came to protect you, not leave you with them!"

I coughed to break through their argument. They both turned to stare at me.

"You said before that if I'm wearing the amulet while holding you, the amulet's power effect you too," I said and Zoe's eyes instantly shined. She gave me a quick kiss before pulling me away to another room. Ash and Pine also ran off again.

"We'll hide, alright? And if they do anything, I'll protect you. I promise," Zoe said over her shoulder, before shoving me into a room. She followed and closed the door. I hugged her to me, held her close to make sure the amulet's power worked on her too.

The room we had entered was, without a doubt, Zoe's bedroom and, like the rest of the house, it felt warm and homey. A complete contrast to my home. Overall, in the house, there were a lot of books, a lot of trinkets, and a lot of paper and parchment spread around. I had stolen glances at what was written on the different papers, but it made little sense to me. The only thing I gathered was that all of them had to do with magic in various ways.

Zoe's room seemed more orderly than the rest of the house. Her thrown around papers and such were at least confined to a desk that stood facing a window. One of the walls was completely covered in bookshelves and all of the books looked old. There were also several decorative items all around the room. They looked old just like the books and I would have called several of them antics, but I assumed that to Zoe they weren't.

What surprised me the most, but also not at all, was a plant that stood in a corner and that climbed up the wall and spread out. It gave the room a slight outdoor feeling, and that felt just like Zoe. But it surprised me she had felt comfortable enough to have something living so close to her, considering everything.

I wanted to look around more, but it was far from the time. We'd only been in there for a few seconds when there was a knock on the door. I held my breath as Noah went to open it.

"Good evening, brother," a voice said.

"Good evening, Priestess. To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked, and it astounded me how calm and level he sounded.

"Oh, me and Scarlet are just here for a little chat."

Scarlet? The name rang a bell, but it took me a moment before I realized that had been the name of the woman I had met in Zoe's hotel room.

"Would you like something to drink?" Noah asked as they moved from the door. "Tea? Coffee? Strawberry juice?"

"I think we'll have some wine," the Priestess answered, and there was an arrogance in her voice that made me certain I would have hated her even if I hadn't known what she'd put Zoe through.

What followed was sounds of Noah getting wine and glasses. No one said a word. The sound of pouring came, then drinking.

"You really ought to buy something better. This can hardly pass for wine. What happened to the wine from before? Only had enough for one bottle?" another female voice said, and I recognize it as the woman I had met before. Scarlet.

"My apologies," Noah said and when no one said anything more, he continued. "What did you want to talk to me about, Priestess?"

"Same thing as last time," she retorted. "You see, I'm getting ever so worried about dear Zoe. She's fallen off our radar again. You wouldn't happen to know where she is?"

"No. I would expect that she is wherever you ordered her to be."

"But she isn't and that witch hunter is still alive! Seems like she really is betraying her own kind for a worthless human mate," Scarlet spat out. In my arms, I could feel Zoe tense up and through our bond I could sense her anger. I pressed my lips to the side of her head to calm her down.

"Now, now, Scarlet. Calm down. I'm sure Zoe has good reasons for her behavior," the Priestess said, and she almost sounded kind. But any kindness evaporated with the threat that followed. "She has, after all, been made well aware of the consequences of a possible betrayal. Of course, if she has betrayed us but shows proper remorse, we might change our minds. So tell me, brother, are you sure you don't know where she is?"

"I don't," Noah said and his voice had earlier been polite, but it had grown cold.

What followed was some quick chanting. Zoe took a deep breath, and I felt the amulet around my neck shudder a little.

"There's no one else here," Scarlet said, clicking with her tongue.

"Well, well, I suggest you find her and find her soon, brother," the Priestess said. "I would hate to have to turn her into a rogue. I wonder for how long she would survive being hunted by all witches."

"As if any of you are brave enough to lay a finger on her," Noah laughed without any real joy.

"How dare you!" Scarlet yelled, which was followed by the sound of a slap.

Zoe immediately tried to move from me and to the scene we were listening to, but I tightened my grip on her.

"He's fine," I whispered in her ear, but the anger I had felt before had steadily been growing to the point that she was shaking.

"You have gotten foolish," the Priestess hissed. "You seem to have forgotten your place. The only value you have is your daughter and although harming her might be difficult, making her an orphan would be easy."

There was a thud and a yelp of pain. Zoe tried to get out again, but without magic I was stronger than her and managed to hold her back.

"If you want to keep your pathetic life, you better pray to the Goddess that your daughter is smarter than you," the Priestess spat before she and Scarlet left.