Page 36 of WitchCurse
My heart hammered, and I was suddenly nauseous, the memories overwhelming. That pain from the first change, locked in a room, abused…it was all too much. I leaned over and threw up in the tub, thankful it was nothing but water, but feeling like my guts were heaving for a long time while Sebastian held me tight.
“Sorry,” I muttered once the dry heaves ended.
Sebastian handed me a bottle of water, taking the cap off for me. I drank deep, trying to breathe.
“This is not what Nick meant when he asked you to face your past,” Liam said, kneeling close. “He called a little panicked, shut down the link between you and Kiran, but kept his end open.” Liam sighed. “I wish you had told me; I know you didn’t remember much. I thought the crash had created the worst of the trauma, but that was only a piece of it. We all expected you to do this a bit more gradually.”
“I never do anything the easy way,” I muttered, feeling that was the whole and unaltered truth.
“No kidding,” Liam said.
“Why didn’t the wolf go after Isaac?” Sebastian asked. I couldn’t help but flinch at the name, my wolf rising a little as it seemed to respond to the question.
“He would never have come back,” Liam said. “The human side would have been lost completely, and eventually the wolf would have died too. Instinct. Survival more important than revenge. Toby’s survival instincts have always been good.”
I needed another shower, and to see Nick and Kiran. Were they okay? I reached out for the bond, finding Nick’s side of it open, filled with warm and soothing thoughts like the scent of Liam’s sweet bread, and Sebastian’s honeyed tea. Kiran slept, but the barrier between him and me was solid, almost like Nick stood sentinel. I understood, my pain would likely trigger a rise of theirs, and they’d lived a lot longer than I had. I could only imagine how terrible Kiran’s memories were.
“I should get cleaned up,” I said, unwilling to move yet out of Sebastian’s embrace. His omega calm easing a lot of the worst of the pain. “I need food. My guys need food.” I rubbed my face. “I need a fucking razor.”
Sebastian laughed, the sound soothing with its lightness. “Let me help so you don’t cut your face off, okay?”
“Sure. Make me pretty for the fae prince and the soldier boy.” I looked at Liam. “And I have some questions about magic and the curses Kiran bears.”
CHAPTER14
Kiran
Rather than the nightmares I expected, I dreamt of Landon’s touch for a time, his gentle and unjudging caress, sometimes rough and demanding. His body warming mine, occasionally holding me down to sink his heat within. Strange that there had been many since him, nights of passion, or at least relief, but none touched me as he had. Before the blight, I’d been beautiful. A prince courted by many, even Zephyr, though most of that had been lies and manipulation.
“You’re still beautiful, and you’ve always had a flair for the dramatic,” Nick said. “Will you someday tell me of him?”
I opened my eyes to find us in the little camper, him at my side, heat roaring around us, his body pressed against me, adding to the warmth, and a book in hand. “Zephyr?” I asked.
“Landon. This man you dream of.”
I flinched, those memories always hidden away, something no one could take from me, even if the years had long faded them. “He was a weekend affair, nothing important.”
“The fact that you still dream of him indicates otherwise.” Nick sighed. “I would never try to take those memories from you, only wish to better understand them. Don’t you trust me?”
Yes? Mostly. We were alone in the camper, no lingering presence of the fox or his mate. Had they made the camper a cage? Would they leave Nick imprisoned with me? I’d have thought they’d have stripped him away from me.
“We are not caged. The door is not locked. Though we may have to leave.”
Was the alpha kicking us out? I sat up and stared at the camper, shocked at the changes. It was bigger, stretching a distance and having several doors that had not previously been there.
“I had to use the magic for something. Creating a mini realm for us was the only option. Ari has provided us a bit of a bubble within their realm, but if it grows too large, we’ll have to move.”
I blinked at him trying to decipher what he was saying. Our space had grown, like an actual fae court. Something we hadn’t been able to achieve since crossing the veil.
“You drank down the fae. Toby says maybe a dozen or so?” Nick reminded me.
The door to the camper opened, and Toby stepped inside, in his human form, and carrying a large bag. His hair was pulled back into a modern-style ponytail, and he was clean shaven for the first time that I could recall. He looked very young in that moment.
“Food,” he said, heading to the kitchen like he lived here.
His gaze turned my way, eyes blue and clear, but the irritation still in them. “I do live here now.” He slid off his jacket to show the dark lines etched around his arms. “Bound, remember.”
“About that…” I began. Did I apologize? It seemed the polite thing to do in this overly sensitive mortal realm, but he had consented, and we’d used that power to get free. Had it been necessary? If we had waited, would the alpha have gotten us out?