Page 28 of Witchbane

“And you’re not?” He gave me a side-eye. “Who doesn’t like peppermint, but loves mint?”

“They are two very distinct flavors,” I reminded him as we made our way out. “At least I don’t insist on always wearing socks.”

“Cold feet suck. Cold, wet feet are even worse. I hope Toby packed enough socks for both of us.” Liam adjusted the straps on his back and led me deeper into the woods, as if we were headed toward a tundra. His property, the camper, and even the extended field of my wild tea garden vanished quickly behind us, though I knew we hadn’t gone far. It was eerie how fast the world could change from civilization and indoor plumbing to nothing but cold and pine. I vaguely recalled the memory of his transition to werewolf.

“Will this bring up bad memories for you?”

“What?”

“The snow,” I pointed toward the towering peaks and the snow capping them, though we weren’t headed in that direction.

“I’ve lived through a lot of winters. Tell me if you get cold, or too hot and start sweating, both are bad.”

“Since I seem to have some power over ice, I shouldn’t get cold, right?” I sort of always felt cold unless I was snuggled up next to him.

“I’m not sure that’s really your power.”

“I froze the wolves that attacked with Felix.”

“Yes, but didn’t you say Kiran was trapped in ice?”

“Maybe kitsunes all have different elements?”

“Maybe.”

“Where does the ice come from then?”

He shrugged. “Kiran was bound in ice. Maybe yourApathought he could do the same with you? When you were in Underhill before, you said it felt like fire, lava even, when the kitsune broke free. Maybe the only way to bind a kitsune is with ice? The forest god did it this time. We have a lot of questions that need to be answered.”

I couldn’t imagine any god going around randomly answering questions. But I understood it gave us a focus. “I could open a portal. Maybe if I go back to Underhill, I can release it?”

“Not alone,” Liam said. “And who’s to say if you open a portal out here, ghouls won’t pour out of it like water? I’d rather not fight a couple dozen of them at a time. They are fast.”

“Did the pack find all the ghouls?” I had begun to wonder if they’d been in the forest because of the portals, or had come through the portals. Did that mean ghouls were a fae creature? Or had all the carrion dumped out of open portals simply attracted them from some unknown cemetery?

“That we could find, yes. They aren’t exactly the brightest of creatures.”

“A giant and very deadly squirrel with razor sharp fangs and no hair…,” I muttered.

“Heart attack squirrels,” Liam teased.

“It was one time,” I protested.

“Don’t eat ghouls either,” he instructed. “Even if they have a heart attack in front of you.” He snickered while I glared.

“Asshole.”

I hadn’t liked the idea of the pack hunting down the ghouls, but as Liam had pointed out, werewolves were tough sons of bitches, though he hadn’t used that word. I knew he’d been out with the pack a time or two, hunting them himself. As he remarked they tasted gross, like rot, but that fire killed them easily enough.

We hiked a while in silence, not headed in the direction of our secret little cave, which made me sad. I sort of associated the cave with sex now. It had become a little hidey hole of carnal delights, mostly because it’s where Liam and I sometimes wandered to get away from the pack and get freaky.

“You can get freaky with me anytime, anywhere.”

“Perv,” I teased him.

“Right, cause it’s my libido always running at one thousand percent.”

I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment because he was right, it was me, and it was still sort of new. I’d never been so turned on by anyone all the time, like I was with Liam. He was my on switch, and I needed him like I needed air.