Page 55 of Witchbane

I nodded. “I’m a man of simple needs.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Liam said. He was working really hard on holding still and not breathing too much as Nick drew careful lines over his chest with a sort of narrow paint brush.

“Will I have lines like these?” I asked, wishing I’d had time to read all the books.

“Some,” Nick agreed.

“The scion is bound to the magic user,” Kiran said.

“It’s fine,” Liam said. “Think of these as tattoos.”

“But werewolves can’t tattoo. They heal it,” I said trying to decipher the lay of the lines.

“Not a werewolf right now,” Liam reminded me. They looked a bit like a lasso, designed in some sort of elaborate swirl, capturing him around the arms, chest, and waist.

“You hate that, don’t you?” I asked. “Not being a werewolf.”

He let out a long steady breath, focusing on staying still but obviously cautious about what he wanted to say. “Yes. Oddly.”

“It makes sense. You’ve been a werewolf more of your life than you were ever ordinary human,” I pointed out.

“True. And it’s not the senses and strength I miss as much as the silence. With the wolf gone, the pack too, my mind is louder than I thought it would be after all these years.”

“Everything else muffled your own worries?”

“I think? Maybe it’s Underhill making them louder. I’m not usually this unsettled.”

For a guy who worked hard to master control, I could see how that would bother him. He spent a lot more time focusing on others so he rarely had to look inward. I wondered if he was in pain or anxious, but all I really got from the edge of his emotions was a steady flow of calm.

“That’s probably your mate bond,” Nick said. “Getting some of Sebastian’s tension from the magic chaos that is Underhill.”

“He is a mess,” Kiran agreed.

I threw a glare his way.

“Not helping,” Nick said.

Kiran huffed as if being there annoyed him. Did he have to be here for this? The last bonding we had was pretty intimate, and I didn’t need anyone to witness that now. Would this be the same? How did it even work? Binding something sounded bad. Like tying someone up. Our mate bond didn’t feel that way. Would this?

“I’m good with this,” Liam said. His gaze on me was steady and a smile played on his lips.

Nick finished up a few final lines before setting his brush down.

“Can I read through the scion book?” I asked, looking for it but not seeing it anywhere.

“Information is scattered through several,” Liam said. “Do you want to wait that long?”

“We are out of water,” Nick added. “The water that could sustain your mate. The only remaining source that bridges both worlds is near the last gate out of this world.”

“There’s still a doorway out of this world?” Maybe I didn’t have to master opening portals as long as I could release this kitsune energy.

“It’s inaccessible,” Kiran said. “One way. Let’s things in, but nothing out. The bulk of the corrupt wait there to feed. However, the last remaining mortal water source is there. I have forbidden Nick from going there. It’s too dangerous.”

Forbidden? I looked at Nick. Did that mean Kiran was in control of what he could and couldn’t do? What did that mean for Liam and me?

“Take off your shirt,” Nick instructed me. “Sit in the circle. The marks you need aren’t as elaborate.”

Liam remained in his spot, looking relaxed and a bit like he was meditating. Slowly I got up and tugged off my shirt, leaving it to the side of the ring. Within the chalk lines, a thick set of intersecting circles seemed to indicate where I was to sit. Liam in one half, me in the other. I took my place and really wished I’d read the books Liam had. Admittedly I felt a lot better having gotten some nightmare free sleep.