“Why are you smiling?” Niall asked Aisling as he slid into the chair across from her in the library.

“Today is Twinkie day.” Aisling grinned.

That wasn’t strictly true. Aisling was smiling because she was thinking about Niall. She was replaying her favorite moments of the last few weeks – painting a mural of Widdershins on the wall of the drawing room, shooting arrows at the ugly dog statuettes, cleaning the kitchen together after another one of Niall’s culinary disasters. They had made no progress in their investigation of how to stop the fae, but she didn’t even care. Niall made everything so much fun. He saw the house as more than a prison – to him, it was a source of joy and wonder. Aisling hadn't felt either of those things in such a long time.

And she felt something else too, a tugging in her chest whenever he caught her eye, a quickening of breath whenever he smiled, a sudden bereavement whenever he left the room. Her body ached for something she couldn’t quite describe, and it wasn’t just because of the electric energy that surged between them, drawing them closer whenever they were together, urging them to touch.

If only … if only he weren’t fae. If only it was okay to kiss him.

“Twinkie Day? Is that some kind of witch holiday?” Niall grinned. “I thought they all had weird German names that sounded like sexually transmitted diseases.”

Aisling swatted his arm. “You’re ridiculous. Twinkies are a kind of candy, back in the human realm. They’re little spongy loaves of happiness. My aunt had two packets in the cupboard when she set up the food regeneration spell, and today is the day when they come back.”

She’d marked it carefully on the calendar. The food regeneration spell worked on a pretty reliable timetable, even if it was gradually wearing down.

“Sounds intriguing.” Niall grinned at her. “I’m definitely interested in trying this Twinkie.”

“What gave you the idea I would be sharing?”

“Because you’re a thoroughly nice person, and because if you do, I’ll teach you how to fight with a sword.”

Ever since Aisling had seen Niall twirling around the entrance hall, sparring invisible enemies with one of the ancient swords that usually hung from the wall, she’d been bugging him to teach her. So far, he’d steadfastly refused, although he couldn’t give her a good reason. She’d happily give him a Twinkie in exchange for sword-fighting lessons.

“You’re on. Follow me.” Aisling bounded to the kitchen, Niall hot on her heels. She threw open the pantry door, eager to tear open her sugary treat.

Aisling scanned the second shelf on the left, where they always appeared. There was only one last granola bar, and a single, banged-up apple. But no Twinkie boxes.

“Where are they?”

“Maybe they fell down?” Niall offered. Aisling ducked down below the shelves, running her hand between the sacks of flour and baskets of onions and potatoes. She found a lot of dust and crumbs, but no Twinkies.

Maybe I got the day mixed up. She scanned the calendar hanging on the back of the door. Nope, they should definitely be here, along with a fresh box of tomato soup and some canned green beans …

Aisling scanned the next shelf. The beans and soup hadn’t arrived, either.

Feeling panicked now, Aisling shifted all the boxes on the shelves. Maybe they’d been moved to another shelf … but no, there were no Twinkies in sight.

Come to think of it, the entire pantry was looking a little bare. Yes, there were two of them eating the food now, but that didn’t explain the barren shelves. Aisling checked the calendar again, panic rising in her chest. There should’ve been more potatoes arriving last week, and a whole bunch of canned food that was all missing.

“Aisling, what’s wrong?”

“There should be two bags of potatoes,” she said, pointing at the corner of the room, where there was only dust. “They were supposed to regenerate last week. I’ve been so preoccupied with … with …” Her cheeks flushed as she thought of all the dreams she’d had about Niall, and what she wanted to do to him, and him to her. “I didn’t notice that the food supply has been depleting.”

“Maybe we just need to ration it, eat less to allow the regeneration to catch up—”

“That’s not it.” AIsling ran a finger down the chart. She hadn’t been ticking items off the way she usually did, ever since her and Niall … became her and Niall. But she could see that she had missed at least four key regeneration days, with nothing to show for them.

“No.” She pounded her fist against the door. It figures, just when the universe sought to give her something to make her stay in the Hollow actually meaningful, it took that away by allowing them both to starve to death.

“Can I help?” Niall asked.

“Unlikely, unless you’re an expert at fixing witch enchantments?”

“I’m not, but you are.”

“Excuse me?”

Niall indicated the empty shelves with a sweep of his hand. “You’re a witch, Aisling. All of this runs in your veins. I know you think you don’t have the skill to do this kind of enchantment, but I think you can.”

“I’ve never been taught any of it. I was too young when Grandmother June died, and Mother never wanted us to touch magic after that. She taught me a little, but nothing like this.”

“You don’t have to be taught. You’re clever enough to figure it out on your own.” Niall grabbed her hand, the energy leaping from his fingers and rocketing up her arm. He dragged her to the other side of the pantry, where the regeneration spell was set up.

It consisted of a small wooden box, surrounded by several crystals glued into place on a white cloth scrawled with sigils. It hummed with a faint blue aura. Aisling stared down at it, completely lost. It was like staring at the papyrus of hieroglyphic script hanging in Grandmother June’s bedroom – completely alien to her.

“Do you sense anything?” Niall asked.

Aisling shook her head. What did he expect her to do? She reached out and touched her finger to a green stone. It gave her a jolt so painful she yelped and leapt back, clasping her finger.

“It stung me,” she cried out.

“Is it supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know!” She sucked on her finger. “This is hopeless.”

“It’s not hopeless. You’re being awfully defeatist for the girl who’s lived in this house for her whole life. Now, come on. Where would you find the answers you needed?”

“In Grandmother June’s spellbooks,” Aisling said. “But she doesn’t have a diagram of this spell. We’ve already looked for it, when it started to slow down. She wouldn’t have had time to draw one before the fae showed up at the house … but there may be some other information I can use, a similar spell or some information on crystals.”

Niall patted her arm. “Atta girl. It figures your solution to a problem is to read a bunch of books. Come on, let’s go to the library.”

He linked his hand in Aisling’s, and dragged her out of the kitchen. Aisling’s heart flipped as they navigated the hall together, the energy of his touch coursing through her body. Who are you really, Niall? Why do you make me feel this way? And why, when you are the enemy who has kept me trapped here, am I so desperate to trust you?