Chapter57:

Kit was sitting on her favorite bench with her eyes shut, her head tilted back, though precisely why, Eli wasn’t sure. Was she listening? Breathing in the summer breeze? He did know for certain she knew he was coming before he even made it completely over the bushes that served as a barrier between her garden and the outside world. She’d always known when he was near. She attributed it to his unique scent—always sure to tell him it was a pleasant aroma—but he thought perhaps there was more to it than that. It was as if there was an invisible force that united them, and no matter how far away they traveled from one another, as soon as they were nearby, the other felt a sense of calm no amount of stormy seas could displace. “Will my guards be punished for allowing you into my garden?” Kit asked, turning her head slightly to look at him out of the side of her eye, a teasing smile on her face. Eli sat down next to her so that he was facing the other direction, as he often did. “No, it’s al