I didn't want them to go away.
"We better get going" Rowan said.
He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. I didn't read anything into it. It was the least I could do for a boy who tried to save my life. I stared at him, trying not to notice how really good looking he was…maybe he just changed and I never paid attention. His hair was a little longer and the front hid his dark eyes.
We walked outside my house and Rowan reached to get his cloak from the front step. It was black velvet, with closures in the front. He slipped it on and we crossed the street, walking toward the grove.
At the start of an unmarked trail was an enormous oak, its canopy a protection into a secret realm. Decaying leaves covered the path, hardly ever walked on. When I first explored it, I was afraid I would get lost, the many trails leading deeper through the forest. A slight incline led us through a narrow path. The trail opened up into a grove of low lying shrubs and a meadow filled with hundreds of wildflowers. Past the meadow I could see pine trees emerging, touching the sky. Beyond them were the stone borders outlining the Courtyard of the Undead.
It was dusk when we approached, and a dim light settled on the field between the grove and the courtyard. Queen Anne's lace and billions of yellow wildflowers veiled the field. Rowan leaned over, scooping up a handful and stuffing them inside my clenched hands.
I smiled inside as he ran his hands gently through my hair, pulling me closer into a kiss. I almost forgot where we were, it was so perfectly calm. Everything weighing on my mind suddenly became clear. How tranquil a life could be. I never knew until now. And then all the thoughts of Dantalion started flooding my memory. Rowan could tell by the look on my face the moment was lost.
"Ya know Laurel, it doesn't have to be that hard, life I mean. You could just forget about everything else."
I looked away, staring at the pine trees outlining the Courtyard, where Dantalion's spirit was bound to my soul. Something that could never be broken.
It started getting dark and we met up with Erin and Lucia outside the courtyard's stone border. The High Priestess, and the other eight coven members were already down at the circle. People from campus started arriving soon after. Candles flickered at all four points from the wall representing the North, South, East and West. A huge bonfire burned in the center of the circle. The embers broke into the sky and you could see the huge arbor in the distance where the roses of summer had once been in bloom.