Page 80 of Witchbane
The child’s tiny hands cupped my face. They were adorable, beautiful like Liam, even if they had a bit of my coloring.
“You’re beautiful too,” Liam said. “Ari, can you feel Daddy?” Liam put his hand over his heart, “Here?” Then to his head, “And here?”
The child peered at me, those stunning eyes gazing deep, and I could feel Liam’s words. The tiny tug of the fox pup nestled inside me, bond tied to Liam and my mate bond. Their thoughts weren’t as clear as Liam’s, more a scattering of pictures.
Learning, the pup told me.Much to learn.But the child’s hands on my face felt like a caress of the pup’s fur on my skin, a comfort not a fear.Help me learn?came a question from the pup.
“Yes,” I promised the pup—Ari, out loud, not sure how it all meshed yet, but since my mate was at ease and the pup felt warm and safe, so did I. I could teach them lots of wonderful baking things and how to make tea, and to pick the leaves at the height of flavor perfection.
And how to get home,the pup added.
Home, I thought and was instantly rewarded with memories of the kitchen in Liam’s pack home, filled with smells of wonderful things baking, and the sound of the pack gathering. Home was the small camper out back, quiet and safe. A mostly friendly cat sitting up in a space high upon a shelf. Home was the laughter of a teenage girl who teased her father and called me Dad, even if that felt weird. It was also a mass of random wolves, some grumpy, some sweet, all devoted to my mate.
And you, Liam added, reminding me of the pack and how they sought me out for tea, cake, and an ear to listen.
Yes,the tiny voice echoed through me, finding each memory and gliding along with me.
Home was also the bakery and the tea shop, even the auto repair shop in which Sean sometimes let me hang out when Liam was working and I didn’t want to be home alone. Home was the tiny Main Street filled with fun shops and the long roads of orchards and distant mountains. Home was also curled up in bed with Liam, blankets wrapped around us in a den of warmth and happiness.
“You saw the portal?” Liam prompted. “Before you vanished, I felt it. Do you remember the etching in magic?”
Odd how his words brought the memory vividly to the forefront of my brain, for half a second I feared I was back in that battle, feeding on the gore of Underhill. But I could see the opening between worlds, and recall the weave of magic that bound them together.
Yes,the child nodded,that’s it. I see.A brightness began to expand around me. My gut churned with fear, and internally I reached for them, my mate and my… child, trying to hold them with me. But since it was a dream, it flitted away like a butterfly.
I blinked, opened my eyes and found darkness. A musty smell filled my lungs; vampires? I remembered a familiar face knocking me into unconsciousness. Hugo.
Had that been real?
How did I return to the courtyard and my family?
Family. What an odd thought, yet very defined. Liam, as my mate, was family. But the child.Mine. That too was defined, clear, visceral. That baby, whatever they were, belonged to me. My fox and my kitsune were in agreement. Family. Home. Protect.
A sluggish, groggy slowness rolled through me. The feeling of being drugged. Such an odd, yet distinct sensation. Like my limbs didn’t want to move, and my brain started and stopped in tiny chugs of energy. It made me think of those old childhood stories about the train who chanted, “I think I can.”
My chest felt tight, breathing restricted not by any shackle or chain, but whatever drug I’d been given. Everything began to hurt. It was that tingle of nerves waking, a painful walk of ants through every one of my muscles and joints while my body came back to life. I sucked in a deep breath, focusing on filling my lungs and slowly letting it out, mentally working through the pain. I moved one limb at a time, wincing at the clutching uncertainty of whether it would do what I asked.
But everything worked, even if my muscles felt like jelly. I could move them. The vine was gone, for which I was grateful. I even flipped though my kitsune sight, trying to see if any dredges of it remained, except it was gone. The room itself was dark to the kitsune sight, not woven from magic, at least not the type the kitsune could eat.
I was surprised at how easily it awoke inside me. Stretching, and offering to take control, though we both seemed to need a nap. I could feel the mate bond pulsing, and the pack tie bounding into the distance, but felt weirdly disjointed from all of it. There were wards on the walls and door. A vague glowing of symbols I only half recognized.
A dark room with brick walls and barren wood floors. Somewhere cold, as there was a slight chill in the air. My feet were bare, but I was wearing a T-shirt and some sweats. Not mine, as I didn’t recognize the feel of them or their scent. No blankets. And the bed beneath me was more a cot than a bed, a small space.
Briefly I remembered my time in Hugo’s grasp. Was I back there? In his Chicago house? Narrow and enclosed, dark, musty, and yet there was a smell I recognized. Couldn’t put my finger on it. Too many drugs still churned through me. I battled the tides for a few minutes. Rising and falling waves of the drugs swept through me. Parts went numb, fingers, toes, my lips, then painfully awakened, like my body was fighting the drugs rather than memories.
Hugo had used drugs. It was part of why it had taken me so long to escape him the first time. I didn’t believe for one second I’d never gotten free. The bond between Liam and me was too clear, firm and so solid it felt like a tether. I prayed it guided him to me, fast.
I could feel the pack bond too, a cord of a hundred strands reaching into the distance. Some less solid than others. But Carl’s was strong, clear, he felt me, and he was headed in my direction. I had no idea where the fuck I was, it gave me a bit of hope that I wouldn’t be stuck in this drugged nightmare for long.
My right leg began to fall numb and I tensed at the odd sensation of distant needles. Focusing on it brought sparkles to my vision and I sucked in air, trying to stay awake. I had to get up and move. Find Liam. Get home.
My left leg deadened next, with the right still barely beginning to tingle with nerve awakening. It hurt a lot. And pops of color shattered my sight. The kitsune sat waiting, ready to take over. But I worried it would rage. Could I control it, or would it turn into a demon? Not a bad thing if I were surrounded by vampires. I had no idea where I actually was. And the kitsune feasting on mortality didn’t sound like a good idea.
The fox was close too, but weakened by the drugs. I closed my eyes for a second to try to catch my breath, and that was all it took for unconsciousness to take hold again.
Chapter 22
Iknew there was something a little off, but couldn’t for the life of me, remember what. Inside my camper everything felt normal. All my stuff was in its place, the entirety of my design complete and familiar. The books and shelves of herbs were an expanding part of my home. The newly finished walls decorated with shelving units still smelled faintly of paint.