Page 18

CHAPTER 18

“H ow is he doing?” Bren sipped at the coffee Elora gave him.

“He’s better.” She sank onto the stool beside Bren. Her body ached and her magic had gone from its usual bright hum within her to a barely detected buzz. She knew it was a combination of all the healing spells she’d performed, the fire protection spell on Jonah’s room, and her general exhaustion, but it still made her uneasy.

“Is he?” Bren asked. “Kaida told me she heard him screaming.”

Elora drank some coffee, hoping the jolt of caffeine would help her tired brain. “Can you tell Kaida thank you again for staying here with Jonah this morning while I was at the potion shop? I didn’t want him to be alone, and with Cece working, I didn’t know who else to call.”

“It wasn’t a problem for her,” Bren said, “but I’ll pass on your thanks. Why was he screaming?”

“I went to the potion store because I needed help from Charissa with the healing spell for Jonah’s hand. I performed the spell as soon as I returned, and it was… painful for him.”

Bren winced. “Jesus, I can’t even imagine.”

“It’s healed now, though, and his head and back are looking better. He’ll need at least another day of his back wounds being coated in Cece’s healing paste, and he’s still pretty tired and low energy from the concussion, but he’s improving. I’m searching for a healing spell that specifically targets his head injury.”

Bren studied her. “You look tired, Elora.”

“Always such a charmer, Bren.”

He caught her hand, squeezing it lightly. “I’m worried about you.”

She smiled at him. “I’m fine, buddy, I promise. Just tired and worried, and my magic is a bit low because of all the spells I’ve done in the last couple of days.”

“Is that normal?” Bren frowned.

“Yes. For blood witches, our magic can be affected by our moods. So, if we’re tired or anxious, our magic can fluctuate. Witches who learn magic by apprenticeship don’t really have their magic affected by their moods. At least not as strongly.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?” Bren asked.

“I’m sure,” she said. “Don’t worry about me, okay?”

“You’re one of my best friends. I’m going to worry,” he said.

“You have enough on your plate with work and with Kaida and the baby,” she said.

“I have enough space for you, too,” he said.

She was feeling a little weepy over Bren’s words, which showed how tired she really was. Cece was well known for wearing her heart on her sleeve, and it was easy to make her cry just by telling her something even slightly sad. But crying wasn’t Elora’s thing. Never had been.

“Thanks, Bren.” She leaned into Bren’s solid strength when he put his arm around her.

He kissed her forehead. “When is your next work shift?”

“Tomorrow. I was supposed to work yesterday and today, but Charissa had someone else cover my shifts so I could help Jonah,” she said.

“Can you afford that?” Bren asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. I have a small emergency fund set aside from my side work doing spells for people. But I won’t have to touch it. One of the first things Jonah did was pay me back the money I spent buying him from that cuckoo witch.”

“Okay, good,” Bren said.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and when Elora yawned, Bren grinned and kissed her forehead again. “Okay, my lunch break is over, and I’m heading back to the precinct. You have a nap. That’s an order.”

She hugged him hard. “Thank you, Bren, for everything.”

* * *

Elora blinked and opened her eyes. She stared at the bedroom ceiling before stretching. God, she felt so much better. The exhaustion had disappeared, and her magic was its usual bright hum.

She stretched again before grabbing her phone and checking the time. It was almost six, and she blinked in surprise. She’d slept for nearly six hours. She rolled to her side to face Jonah. He was awake and staring at her, and she blushed when he grinned. “What?”

“Nothing,” he said. “You’re cute when you sleep.”

She rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not. How are you feeling? Hey - you shaved.”

He scrubbed his hand over his jaw, the beard replaced by his usual dark stubble. “Yeah. I woke up about an hour ago and showered and shaved.”

“How’s your back?”

“Better,” he said. “I don’t think I need the paste anymore.”

“One more day,” she said.

His nose wrinkled, and she had to smother her grin. Jonah’s mild obsession with being clean - both in human and crow form - weirdly amused her.

“You look like you feel better,” he said.

“I do. I slept well this afternoon, and I needed it. I hope you don’t mind that I crawled into bed with you again. I was tired, and your room is the only one with the fire protection spell.”

“I don’t mind,” he said before smoothing back her hair.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Elora said, “Will you tell me what happened with your brother and the fae?”

His face paled, and he rubbed his jaw again but nodded. “Yes.”

* * *

“So, you’re one hundred percent confident that your brother is under the fae’s influence and isn’t actually in love?” Elora bit into an apple slice.

About five minutes into Jonah’s story, her stomach had growled loudly. He had stopped and insisted she eat before he would continue. She’d gone to the kitchen, sliced up some fruit and grabbed some granola and yogurt for them both, bringing it back to Jonah’s bedroom.

“Yes,” Jonah said.

She studied him silently, and he said, “Ninety-three percent.”

“What if he is in love with her?” Elora asked. “Then what?”

“Once he finds out what her kind did to me, he won’t stay with her,” Jonah said.

“He might,” Elora said. “Love is powerful, and it sounds like he’s angry and resentful toward you.” She paused. “Sorry, that was rude of me to say.”

He shook his head. “No, I love how honest and blunt you are, little witch. And you’re right. He is angry with me.”

He stared at his plate of grapes, poking at the purple fruit. “But we’re still brothers, and when he’s away from their influence, he’ll remember that I love him, and we’ll work it out.”

“Do you think the blow to your head is why you couldn’t shift?” she asked.

Panic flickered across his face before he smoothed it away. “Maybe.”

“Have you tried shifting since you’ve been home?”

He shook his head. “No, I…no.”

“You should try,” she said gently. “What’s your easiest transformation?”

“Rat,” he said.

“Okay, try to shift into a rat,” she said.

He hesitated, and she took his plate and hers and set them on the nightstand. “It’s better to know, Jonah.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After only a few seconds, that panic returned to his face, and she immediately took his hand.

His eyes popped open as his grip tightened on hers. “I can’t do it.”

“Okay, well, you’re not completely healed, so maybe -”

“It isn’t that,” he said. “In the past, I’ve shapeshifted when I was nearly dead. I don’t know why I can’t shift now.”

She squeezed his hand. “I think it might be PTSD.”

He blinked at her before shaking her head. “I’m fine. I’m not traumatized by the fae kidnapping and beating the shit out of me.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” she said. “You have PTSD from being trapped as a crow for so long.”

“What? No, that doesn’t… I mean… I’m not weak, Elora.”

She slid closer to him in the bed. “PTSD isn’t a sign of weakness, Jonah. Just think about it, okay? You were trapped for years as a crow. Doesn’t it make sense that your brain doesn’t want you to shift in case it happens again?”

“I know it won’t, though,” he said.

“Sure, but trauma does weird things to us, right?” she said. “Logically, yes, you know you won’t be trapped as whatever you shift into, but emotionally, that fear is lurking inside of you, and it’s sending very clear signals to your brain that shifting is now dangerous for you.”

He stared at her before scrubbing a hand through his hair. “Fuck. How am I supposed to fix it?”

“Therapy,” she said.

“I can’t tell some random therapist I’m a shapeshifter,” he said.

“No, but,” she thought for a minute, “we could come up with a parallel story, something that mimics your feeling of being trapped and how it’s stopping you from living life to the fullest, and a therapist could help without having to know the true specifics of your trauma. I mean, it’s not ideal, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

A small smile crossed his face. “Caleb has mentioned a few times that he thinks I should see a therapist. He’ll be thrilled that someone else in my life agrees with him and will probably -”

She could see the moment he remembered his brother was angry with him. The soft smile disappeared, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

“You’ll fix things with Caleb, honey,” she said.

“He thinks I only want to be around him when I’m bored or lonely. He said that I only think of him as my brother when it’s convenient for me.”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“It isn’t true,” he said. “I don’t feel that way at all, and I don’t know what I said or did to make him think that way. I love him so goddamn much, and he means everything to me. He’s the only person in my life who cares about me… at least, I thought he cared.”

There was no self-pity in his voice, just a deep sorrow that shattered her heart. She crowded even closer, practically sitting in his lap as she cupped his face. “Your brother still cares about and loves you, Jonah. He’s just angry right now. And you’re wrong about him being the only one who cares about you. That isn’t true.”

His dark eyes turned warm with something that she couldn’t let herself believe was love, and he pressed a kiss against her mouth. “Thank you, baby.”

“You’re welcome.”

She wanted to kiss him again. She wanted to push him down on the bed and find her pleasure in his mouth and his hands and his beautiful cock. But he still wasn’t fully healed, and even if he were, sleeping with Jonah was madness. It wouldn’t lead to anything but a broken heart for her.

“Elora.” Jonah’s voice had turned low and intimate, and she swallowed hard when the warmth in his eyes turned to a fiery heat.

“Jonah,” she whispered.

His big hand threaded into her hair and held tightly as he angled his mouth over hers and took the kiss deep. His lips and tongue demanded she give him everything, and she willingly surrendered, climbing into his lap and returning his kisses with her own fiery need.

She could feel his erection against her, but before she could slide her hand under the covers, Jonah cupped one breast with his big hand. He squeezed gently, his thumb circling her nipple until it hardened as he trailed soft kisses down her throat.

When he reached for her shirt hem, she said, “Jonah, we shouldn’t. Your back is -”

“My back is fine,” he growled. “Take off your shirt, little witch. I want those pretty pink nipples in my mouth.”

Heat rocketed through her, and she lifted her arms wordlessly when Jonah gripped her shirt. He pulled it over her head and dropped it on the bed, his hot gaze drinking her in.

“So fucking beautiful,” he said before he cupped her breasts. She moaned, arching her back when he teased her nipples with his thumbs again. She wanted to sink her hands into the silky softness of his hair, but worried about hurting him, she gripped his shoulders instead. His skin was hot beneath her fingertips, and she gasped when Jonah bent his head and licked a circle around her nipple.

When his lips closed around her throbbing left nipple and sucked hard, she had no control over how her hips bucked against him. His fingers toyed with her other nipple as he sucked and licked at her left one until she made soft, breathless cries of need.

When he switched to her right nipple and teased it into the same aching hardness, she couldn’t help the soft sounds and moans that escaped her lips.

“You are so beautiful, baby,” he murmured against her breast. “Lie back on the bed for me.”

“Jonah, we shouldn’t,” she said, even as she allowed him to lift her off of his lap and set her on the bed. He pushed lightly between her breasts, forcing her onto her back on the bed.

“We absolutely should,” he said before leaning over her and kissing a soft path across her stomach. His fingers traced along the waistband of her pajama bottoms before slipping under it.

He stroked the soft skin just above her patch of pubic hair. “I want to taste your pussy, Elora. I want to make you come on my mouth. I want your screams of pleasure in my ears.”

“Oh God,” she moaned. “Jonah, I…”

“Will you let me suck on your clit, baby? Let me bury my tongue in you?” He kissed just above her belly button.

“Since you asked so nicely,” she breathed, “yes. Definitely, yes.”

He grinned, his fingers curling into her waistband, and she lifted her hips as he tugged them downward. “That’s my good little witch. Spread your legs wide and let me -”

He stopped, his head cocking as he stared at the open bedroom door.

“What’s wrong?” Elora asked.

“Someone’s in the house,” he said, grabbing her shirt and handing it to her.

“What? Are you sure?” She slipped her shirt over her head.

Jonah nodded. “Yes, I heard -”

Caleb appeared in the hallway outside the bedroom, his face closed off and his body stiff with tension. “I’m just here to get my shit, Jonah. Do me a favour and stay away from - what the fuck?”

He stared at Elora before rolling his eyes and walking away.

“Caleb, wait!” Jonah slid off the bed, snagging his sleep pants and yanking them up over his hips. “Just wait, goddammit.”

He charged out of the room, and Elora pushed her hair out of her eyes before sighing. “Well, shit.”