Page 40 of Witchblood

I sighed and stretched, wondering again why everything was so quiet. It would have been nice to wake with Liam wrapped around me, though he’d never have gotten in without me pulling him through the wards again.

Still everything was too quiet. Were there guards outside? Maybe they had startled the night to that eerie quiet.

I peered through the front window. No Toby or anyone that I could see. The lack of noise didn’t have to mean someone was out there. It could have been a bird or another animal startling the night critters. Robin’s absence shouldn’t have made me uneasy. I’d survived without him for an entire year. Sometimes he vanished for days at a time. Gone to whatever other world the fae had, I often thought. It was unlikely to be him prowling around outside. Maybe Liam was out there somewhere, keeping an eye on me without coming to the door like he promised he would.

I turned to head toward the bathroom and it was then I noticed a picture taped to one of the windows facing away from Liam’s house. My heart leapt into my throat.

Please let it not be what I thought. My brain whirred on high speed of all the terrible things it could be. Liam hurt or dead. Dylan injured, Robin slaughtered, Toby bleeding, all at Felix’s machinations. Only it wasn’t any of those things.

The picture was of the little boy I’d fed cookies to earlier that day, covered in blood, but alive and looking scared as he crouched in the corner of some unknown room. Nicky. Someone had Nicky. What about his mom? Had they killed her? I trembled with indecision. Run to Liam? Was someone waiting outside? What about Nicky? Would they kill him if I went for help?

Why take the little boy at all? Dumb question. Anyone who knew me at all would know I’d give up a lot to protect an innocent child. A spark of irritation flickered through me. It was all a game, wasn’t it? The one person who should have known me the best, but always seemed oblivious. He had some things right, but often forgot just how hot my temper could run.

I thought for a minute of how Felix had begun his courting of me and huffed a deep breath across the window. Memories of better times. In the fog the words “Come out back” appeared for a few seconds before fading. Anger welled up in my gut, spark kindling to a full fire.

He knew he couldn’t get to me inside so he wanted to lure me out. Using a child of all things. The Volkov would kill him if I didn’t first. That little boy’s momma had better be okay too. I’d never really been the type to let someone else suffer on my behalf.

Felix was a monster. Blind, stupid, and dumb, but a very dangerous monster.

I stomped toward the door half wishing I had a weapon other than basic magic and a lot of alchemy. Without enough time to brew something all I had were my wards. It would have to be enough.

Nothing moved when I stepped out of the camper and carefully went around the side to the back which faced out into a vast distance of fields and scattered trees. There wasn’t a lot of cover out there, but enough to hide more than a few weres. My wrist burned, the wolf hidden beneath the bramble design lighting on fire in my skin. Felix stepped out from behind one of the nearest ones, and panic began to rise in my chest.

Physical terror, I reminded myself, was uncomfortable, but couldn’t really kill me. I thought of Liam and how he would tell me to breathe, count, rub my back and hold me tight. I could do this. Felix was stronger than me, but I didn’t have far to run for help. I wasn’t alone anymore.

Felix looked the same as always, a well-dressed 6’2 with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. His handsome face had won him more than a few lovers over the years. Rumors of his mother, whom the Volkov never spoke of, stated she’d been one of the most beautiful women of all time. She’d passed not long after Felix had been born. A couple hundred years ago the mother fatality rate giving birth had been sky high from infection and complications.Apanever talked about her. His current wife hated any mention of the past lovers he’d had, even if they’d bore him children.

Felix’s outer beauty did not match his insides. Seeing him with moonlight streaming over him reminded me of that night he’d almost killed me. If I could turn the fear to rage perhaps I’d have a chance of making it through this night. I prayed he hadn’t killed whatever guards Liam had on rotation for the night, or Toby, who might not have been willingly away from my door.

“What do you want?” I demanded. “How many times do I have to tell you we’re done? I don’t want you anymore.”

“I just want to talk. Explain some things,” Felix said.

“There’s nothing to explain. You chose someone else.”

“She means nothing to me.”

I huffed out a laugh. He never changed. “No one ever really does, do they? Where’s Nicky?”

“Who?”

“The little boy you took, asshole!”

“He’s safe.” Felix took a step closer. “I’ll bring you to him.”

“Stop,” I commanded him, putting the pull of the earth in my words. It wasn’t much, and didn’t work at all on a shifted wolf, but it almost always gave a human pause. He did take a few seconds longer to complete his step. Then he sort of shook himself and narrowed his eyes. “We’re done,” I reminded him. “Even the Volkov agrees.”

“You’re not Liam’s. You’ll never be Liam’s. I’ve toldApathat time and again.” He took another step. I should have kept the camper to my back so I could draw on the wards.

“Stop,” I said again pushing a ward through the ground again. To him, he’d feel like he was walking through quick sand or really deep snow. “Just give me Nicky and we’ll forget this ever happened. You’ll go home.” And I would be free of him forever. Only that was just a dream, wasn’t it? “Oberon is here looking for you.” And saying it, I realized it was true. Oberon wasn’t there for me. He was there to put Felix in line, drag him home and out of Liam’s territory.

“I’m not afraid of my brother. He won’t hurt me.Apaloves me too much to ever let anyone hurt me. My mother was his true mate. He would never let anything happen to me.”

“Liam hurt you,” I said. “Beat you in the challenge.”

“It wasn’t a fair challenge. He didn’t have the right. Never had. You belong to me anyway,” Felix said.

“I don’t. Never have and never will. No matter how many times you beat me or rape me, I will never be yours.” I was Liam’s. My heart stuttered at the thought, which rang true. The memory of his arms around me as I slept, giving me safety even in the warded confines of my trailer. Maybe he couldn’t always keep me safe. That was impossible. But he would try. I knew that down to the very core of my being. I wondered where he was. A thousand reasons for him not being at my side at that moment crossed my mind, but I was pretty sure Felix had done something to keep him away. “What did you do to Liam?”