Page 38 of Witchbane

“Fuck.”

He hugged me tight. I loved everything about him. His scent, the feel of his body pressing against mine, even the sound of his breath.

“I wish I had the energy to jump you.”

“You can have me anytime.”

I kissed him. Lingered in his arms a bit, trying to focus on breathing. “This is more complicated than I thought it would be. We can’t let the kitsune rage across Underhill. Last time Underhill kicked me out.”

“Wonder why?”

“‘Cause I was eating its food.” I reminded my mate. “The monsters.”

“Seems like Underhill is a mess. Devouring itself. What happens when Underhill runs out of fae to eat? The forest god said Underhill’s time was almost over. Maybe that’s why it’s on fire?”

“We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere in a cabin surrounded by deadly smoke, during Underhill’s collapse? That’s super,” I groaned. “And just my luck.” I stared at the giant fireplace, realizing I was actually really warm for the first time in ages. The lingering chill that had been sitting in my gut since the kitsune had first awakened, had thawed. “Are you hot?”

“I’m actually cold, which is odd,” Liam said.

I didn’t like that. “Stay close to me.” The last thing I wanted was him turning into one of theWild Hunt. I would rather he be human forever than lost to the darkness.

“Plan on it. How about you? Cold?”

“No. I’m good. Warm. Not too hot. Tired, and I feel like there is something moving around inside me, but other than that, okay.”

“Best news in days,” Liam said.

There was a knock on the door that made us both startle and look up. The fact that neither Liam nor I had heard anyone approach, made my skin prickle. My kitsune perking up as someone else entered its territory.

“Hello?” I called, wondering if whomever was on the other side of the door could hear me, or even understand me. Was it human? Fae? Monsters didn’t usually knock on doors, even if it could get through the wards with the fire roaring beside us. The fae were a kind of monster in my opinion, much like humans could sometimes be. Not always a physical manifestation of actual monstrosity, but a mindset that lacked morality.

The door opened slowly and someone peered in. Then it opened wide and I gasped. What I was seeing couldn’t be right.

“Nicky?”

“Nick,” he corrected again. Gone was the painfully thin young man I’d met the last time, and in his place was a full-grown man. His burgundy hair was still a mess of curls, his face etched in a well-trimmed beard, and he had shoulders wide enough to span the doorway. He looked like he’d spent time bodybuilding, bulking up while he grew into a full-fledged adult. The idea that he’d missed much of his human life brought tears to my eyes. But he looked better; healthy and strong. How was that possible?

He stepped into the hut and closed the door behind him, keeping the swirling smoke outside. “You’re back,” he said.

I felt horrible. How many times had I said I’d save him, only to have left him behind each time? I reached for him and he let me. He felt real. Looked good, and I sucked in air while I tried not to break down. I thought I’d condemned him. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I wanted to get you out of here.”

“I’m alive. That’s all that matters,” Nick said, kneeling down beside us.

“I failed you,” I said.

“It’s not your job to save me,” Nick said. “Never was. Fate works in funny ways.” He reached out and put a hand on my shoulder. The wiggling in my gut stopped instantly, and the trouble I’d had breathing since I woke up ended, letting me gasp giant gulps of air. The kitsune was sitting down and listening. It recognized power and like. Odd, as I knew Nick wasn’t a kitsune, nor had he seemed to be a magical being before. Had that changed in all his years in Underhill?

“I’d hoped you’d have a little better control of this power by now. Can you help me get him up?” he asked Liam.

“I can,” Liam admitted. “But my strength isn’t great.”

“You can feel the kitsune?” I asked Nick.

“You have an entire world of energy churning inside of you, growing. We’ve suspected it would happen. Spent a lot of time studying our last few days together and thinking about it. Underhill’s time was accelerated in preparation. Which has given us more time, and you, less. How long were you in your world before coming back here?”

I shook my head, trying to count the days. “A few weeks?”

“Yes, definitely accelerated,” Nick said.