"Do you like me?" I asked. "Do you really like me?"
Imogen nodded. Water gathered at the edges of her eyes. "Yeah," she whispered, in a voice pained enough to crack my heart.
"Then let's...go out, after this," I said. "We'll go on a date. We can figure this out together, and we can take one step at a time. Okay?"
Imogen nodded again. I took her hands in mine. 
Heartwood: Forbidden is the tale of the young, headstrong Ophelia stepping into a world of magic and witches. At first it seems like her greatest challenge will be finding her Familiar or drawing her Implement from a great tree, but then she runs into Imogen, daughter and heir to the Magnolia family, and learns very quickly that romance and magic probably shouldn't be allowed to mix. If Ophelia plays the game well, she might be able to get the girl and still end up on top. But Ophelia has never been good at following the rules... 
Heartwood: Forbidden is created by EOK Gifford-Smith, an EGlobal Creative Publishing signed author.

Heartwood: Forbidden

Imogen let Olezhka and me out at the tree-portal to the Magnolia glade.


"I have to return the car." She told me. "It's only a rental. I'll come check on you when I get back?"


"Have fun explaining the scratch marks." I said, waving her off. "We'll see you soon."


Then, I headed through the magic tree with my talking tiger companion in tow. If I could go back in time and share a single fact about my current life with my past self--that one action would probably be it.


We got back to my apartment in the side of the glade, Olezhka sparing remarkably little attention for the magnificent tree. I thought I saw him give it a disinterested glance once, but when I turned to remark on it, he was already focused on a something else.


The interior of my rooms were not designed with a tiger in mind. Olezhka had to squeeze through the doors. He padded around in circles in the living room, sniffing the walls and floors curiously.


Chapter 22: Home Again but Changed