Page 17 of WitchCurse
The wolf brought us to the bakery, not home. I’d have preferred to return to the isolation of the camper and its haphazard wards. Cramped, yes, but also comforting with its narrow space and simple décor.
I’d fallen asleep halfway, the drive longer than I normally liked to spend encased in iron, but Nick curled me against him and let me nap, only rousing me when we parked. I stared at the building, knowing what it was, and hating the idea of going inside. The mask of glamour needed to blend was exhausting.
A sprawl of the metal mobile beasts, called cars, rested all along the street. A small pop-up of buildings etched down both sides of the road. Nick called it a ‘main street’ to the small town, indicating it was where the mortals gathered. A long flicker of energy and life echoed through the area like a pulse. Not the same as magic, but not all that different either. Was this part of what made the pack powerful? Not fae magic, but life itself? Unity of the pack? This world’s energy ran deeper than Underhill’s. I could see it, but couldn’t touch it. Though it made sense why the fox’s power overshadowed anything from Underhill.
It was far too much philosophy for my tired brain. I set my glamour firmly into place over my face and hands, hoping not much would be required of me inside. Nick opened the door to my side of the car, offering a hand to steady me. The strength of him pulsed beneath my grip, my magic saying I could drink of him and discard him. It would be a sip of what I actually needed, and a loss of what had become mine over the centuries. Not enough gained for the loss, but my growing hunger made me crave things I’d have never otherwise considered. I shoved that thought aside, unwilling to entertain it. I had killed more than my fair share of friends in my lifetime.
“I’m glad you consider me a friend,” Nick said as he walked with me to the door. Dylan held it open for us.
The scent of the bakery walloped us with sugar, yeast, and baking bread. The door to the neighboring tea shop was wide open, letting the aromas of flowers and berries mix with the bakery. I actually craved a bit of that tea, a strong hibiscus with strawberry undertones, laced with honey. Sebastian often brewed a pot, not mentioning the magic spiked in it. Was it the magic I was craving? Or the flavor? The fragrance brought the comfort of home, which I’d been trying to deny for months. Parts of this world felt less alien as the days passed and old memories resurfaced, infinitely different as time had raced forward, but with a lingering sensation of familiarity that I clung to.
Seb appeared with a tray of tea only a few minutes after Nick settled us into a corner. Dylan headed to the counter, requesting a toasted sandwich and soup. I craved chocolate cake and tea, or more likely the heavy hit of magic it had contained, but kept myself curled into the corner, back to the wall, holding tight to the shreds of my glamour.
“Drink,” Seb said, setting the pot and cups on the table as well as honey and a container of creamer. “I brewed it for you.” Magic then.
I sighed and poured a cup with shaky hands. Nick doctored the tea as I liked it, mixing it with a wooden stir stick before tapping the edge of the cup. “Drink. I’m going to get a coffee.”
“Blasphemy,” I grumbled at him and brought the tea cup to my lips. The heat almost burning, not from the actual temperature, but the heft of the magic Sebastian had poured into it. Before running into Zephyr and experiencing the intensity of the wolf’s power borrowed from the alpha, I’d have protested, but even this was little more than a taste of that weight of magic. I marveled at how they took the intensity of this world’s magic and crafted it into something I could use.
“Choosing coffee with a tea shop next door or choosing coffee over tea?” Seb wondered.
“Both,” I assured him. Coffee was a strange invention of this world. Bitter brown water without the delicate touch of herbs. The smell pleasant, but the taste left much to be desired.
“I love coffee,” Seb said. “But tea is more relaxing.” He pointed to the big mass of pots behind the counter. “The bakery always has coffee going. Plenty of folks like both. You both should eat something.”
“What’s the special?” Nick asked. “Smells amazing.”
“Chicken enchilada soup and Liam’s garlic cheese bread. We use rotisserie chicken in the soup, but it’s got a bit of a kick. You can also get a sandwich made from the garlic cheese bread. Chicken and Monterey Jack, I think,” Seb looked toward the kitchen where Liam was prepping food. “Most of the pack have been in since I’m not cooking tonight.” He looked at his watch. “I plan on soup myself when Liam takes a break.”
It was early evening, and the bakery’s new extended hours translated into sandwiches and soups while the days were still cold. The baked case beside the register mostly empty of the sweets normally on display. But the racks of bread were in constant flux. Coming and going, refilled and quickly sold out. The evening brought mostly foot traffic, but cool weather kept everyone inside.
Ari darted over to our table, grin wide, power throbbing against my senses though I knew they had it well behind a dozen shields. The child was a mix of both their parents, Liam’s clear blue gaze in one eye, Seb’s cynical brown in the other, but the bright red wash of hair was all too familiar. My own had been that decadent shade of crimson for a very short span in my youth, lost to time and the lifelong drain of my power by all the sidhe around me. I hoped Ari would get to keep that bright mess of curls. They reminded me a bit of Nick, though his were more a dark burgundy than the bright fresh mortal blood shade of Ari’s locks.
“Uncle Nick,” Ari cried, throwing themselves into Nick’s embrace. Nick hugged the child tight, rocking them and dropping soft kisses all over their hair. His adoration made me take a deep breath. He had been stolen from his world as a child himself, and never gotten the chance to create a family. I had never thought to ask if he wanted one. Not that it mattered as our end was imminent.
Nick ran his hands through Ari’s hair, giving the child a gloriously, unguarded smile I rarely saw on my scion’s face. “Hey, little baby. You being good today? Helping your papas out?”
“Yes,” Ari said. “Papa says I’m really good at kneading the dough now.”
“Ari prefers the sweet stuff,” Seb offered. “You’re really getting good at the sweet bread.”
Ari beamed. “I can make you some, Daddy.”
“Maybe, we should get some for Uncle Kiran. He’s had a rough day,” Seb looked toward the kitchen.
“I’ll get it!” Ari offered and leapt free of Nick’s embrace to bound toward the kitchen. Ari learned fast, and Liam was proving to be an astute teacher, taking less time to untangle principles of magic than Sebastian did, and Sebastian himself was more magic than anyone I’d met other than Ari. But the fox got in his own way more often than not, held back by fear of overwhelming everyone. It was a worry we shared.
“I wish I had that much energy,” Seb grumbled.
“I don’t know what we would do ifyouhad that much energy,” Nick teased. “Poor Liam. He’d never leave the bedroom.”
Seb’s cheeks turned pink. “I can’t help it he’s like speed for my libido. Have you seen him? He’s hot with a capital H.”
“I think that’s natural for fated mates.” Nick stood and patted him on the shoulder. “I’m going to go get some food.” His gaze met mine. “You okay for a minute?”
Did he think me so weak? I quirked a brow in his direction, but he smiled and shrugged before wandering toward the counter. The young wolf was at the register, his expression brightening at Nick’s presence, gaze tracing the breadth of my scion’s shoulders before turning in my direction to examine me.
Toby.Nick reminded me. Not that I had forgotten the wolf’s name, as he clung to us, and I did my best to help him while he struggled with his wolf. Though I had to admit there were unusual waves of magic woven through him, some broken by the tear in his soul that separated him from his wolf. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen from another mortal creature.