Page 36 of Witchbane
He shook his head. “Didn’t see any actual fire. Only smoke. The smoke doesn’t feel like regular fire. And this fire,” he pointed to the fireplace, “was warmer than the one outside. I don’t know if it was going or not. It was already there when I opened the door.”
“This fire is a magic ward.”
“Yeah, figured that out when the smoke sort of stopped at the edge of the path leading to the cabin.” He was quiet a minute, then said, “I can feel it’s not natural. The burning wood doesn’t change. I watched it while you slept. The fire doesn’t seem to generate any smoke, and despite the rolling masses of it accumulating outside, none of that has come in through the doors or windows, or even passed that invisible wall outside.” He touched my face. “I can feel you in my arms, but not in my head. Not tucked around my heart.” He sucked in a hard breath like that last bit hurt. “I know you’re here…”
“I can feel the mate bond,” I promised, but didn’t tell him it had gotten soft and the strands to the pack were missing. “We’re still bound. I’m not going anywhere without you. I’m a fucking idiot for thinking I could. You’re the best thing I’ve ever had.”
His smile was tight as he held me. He caressed my cheek like touching me made me more real. Since his touch calmed the kitsune, I leaned into it.
“How’s your stomach?” Liam asked. “Nauseous?”
“Other than feeling like the kitsune wants to eat the world? It’s closer to the surface,” I admitted. “Not free exactly.” And I still got the impression that letting it go meant another chow down on some fae power. “Not as restless. It acts like it’s hungry but there’s already not enough space inside me to fit all that power.” In his arms there was always an unnatural energy. A spark between us that echoed our bond. It was predatory, sexual, and intense. “You could distract me with some snuggles, probably.”
“Probably?” He chuckled and kissed me. “Only probably?”
I gripped his hair, keeping his face close. “I love you.”
This time the smile was genuine. “I treasure those words,” Liam said. “I know how hard won they are. I love you too.”
The kitsune relaxed further. The forest god had said I needed my mate with me. It made sense. All power was a balance and even without his wolf, Liam balanced mine. Maybe because the kitsune couldn’t keep pulling energy from him and his pack? All that really mattered was that he was there with me.
Okay, getting out of this weird little cabin stuck in the middle of a massive Underhill fire was a good idea too.
“The sign didn’t say anything else? There weren’t any signs last time I was in Underhill, but this isn’t the same hut I stayed in with Nicky.”
“Only to wait. Wasn’t sure what else to do. I’ve heard things pass by. Big things.” Liam cradled me in his arms. “Everything has been quiet for a while. I think I napped a little too.”
“Stay close to me.”
“Plan on it,” Liam promised.
I thought about my last two visits to Underhill. At least I had Liam with me this time. “What does it look like outside? Forest? Water? Sky? Could you see anything beyond smoke?”
“It’s forest-like, I guess. The trees are shorter and sort of like big bushes here. Maybe it gets too hot? Makes me think of the desert, except it is actually green, and the brush is closer together than you’d find in most deserts. No water that I’ve found so far, but we arrived not far from here. I saw the roof and headed this way, then ran into the sign.”
“Was it on wood? Or paper?”
“Wood. Carved rather than written, less likely to wear off is my guess. Looked like it had been there for a while.”
“How will someone know we are here?” I tried not to think about if it were a good someone or a bad someone.
“Maybe they sensed us crossing the wards? I felt it when I stepped over with you.” He paused, his arms tightening. “More than stepping out of the smoke, but like crossing into calm and silence? Outside it was crackling.”
“The fire,” I assumed.
“Probably,” he agreed.
“Could you feel your wolf before you crossed the wards?” I wondered. Nicky had said a werewolf had been unable to enter his village too. Maybe it wasn’t about the werewolf, and more about locking down the power like I did with my camper?
“No. The wolf was gone as soon as we entered the portal. The pack gone, the wolf… it’s worse than when I enter your camper. The wards in your space give the wolf silence, a place to rest and reflect. This is like it has been stripped away from me. My strength was gone, and I could barely hold you.” He sighed. “I need to work out more. Obviously, I rely too much on the wolf. Carl has been telling me for years I need to bulk up.”
“I like you the way you are.”
“I could be like one of those guys on the covers of bodybuilder magazines,” Liam offered.
“Gross. No thanks.” And he couldn’t. His body wasn’t made that way. He could try to bulk up all he wanted, though it was unlikely he’d ever achieve that sort of muscle mass any more than I ever would. “Be you. Cause you’re mine.”
He sighed sweetly. “I remember seeing you in the shop that first time. How your nostrils flared, catching my scent. I thought the chase was over. I’d waited a long time… But you ran.”