“Soothe the wild, the pain will end,
Calm and mild, your wounds I mend.”
Over and over I murmured the words in a low, rhythmic chant. The magic spread in a fitful, uneven wave as I moved my hand above the injuries, fighting against the wild magic-it’s called “wild” magic for a reason, it’s unpredictable and hard to control. Like an untamed animal it fought my influence, but with persistent patience I waited it out. I wasn’t sure how long I struggled, but it felt like hours. From time to time I heard the whisper of voices behind me, but they wisely didn’t interrupt me. The cuts and bruises faded, and then, surprisingly, the canine features began to recede. I hadn’t expected to fix those, but I wasn’t going to argue. If my magic was able to go the extra mile, then go me.
My legs were numb by the time I sat back on my heels, finished with my task. In fact I was almost entirely numb, physically and magically, and I wobbled as I got to my feet. I felt a cool hand on my shoulder, steadying me, and was glad to see that it was Portia and not Harrison by my side. “You did good, Kitty,” she assured me.
“Thanks.” With a weak smile, I handed the pendant back to her.
“Oh! Amazing! It’s like a miracle,” Dottie exclaimed. “Thank you.” Pushing past me, she leaned over the shapeshifter and examined him. “Truly remarkable. It would’ve taken days to accomplish this without you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, though it seemed like a lame reply.
“We’ll let him sleep for now, I’d like the ’yotes to be here when he wakes up.”
“Coyotes?” I asked, and she nodded. Most of the shifters who came into the café were coyotes. I took a good look at him. Now that he appeared human the shifter was barely more than a kid, obviously a teenager. Built like a linebacker, but he had a baby face that hinted that he probably couldn’t even grow a beard yet. And someone’d tortured him ’til he was a walking bruise.
“C’mon, I’ll take you home,” Harrison offered. Portia and I perked up at the offer, and then he clarified his statement. “The tower.”
The faeries were quiet on the ride back. I sat with Portia, Faust sat with Harrison, and the silence was heavy and strained. When we neared the ward around the tower, Portia gave me a hug and promised to see me at the ceremony. The two faeries vanished at the same time, leaving me alone with the vampire. Though I half expected him to drag me back into his lap and try to molest me, Harrison behaved himself. In fact, he didn’t even say anything for the rest of the ride, and I nearly fell asleep. Once we were back inside of the tower I thought I’d be escorted back to my room, but instead the elevator opened to his floor.
“After you,” he said.
“Why here? I thought I was going back to my room?”
“Not while you look like you’re going to faint. I want to keep an eye on you until you’ve regained more of your strength.”
“Was tougher than I thought it’d be. The kid’s magic wasn’t playing nice with mine.”
“You did very well today, I was impressed.”
“Thanks. I feel like hell though,” I said, and then yawned. Following him into the TV room, I slipped off my shoes and flopped down into a chair.
“Understandably so. It had to be a very draining experience. Shapeshifters can endure a great deal of damage, which is probably how the boy survived. Most magicians would’ve died long before the coyotes discovered the facility… I’ve never met a witch willing to heal a shapeshifter. They seem to consider it beneath them.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a bad witch. Maureen would’ve done it, though.” Frowning, I looked up at him. Did he have anything to do with Maureen’s death? Did I really want to know the answer to that question?
“What would you like for dinner?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Pizza.”
Chuckling, he shook his head and withdrew his cell phone from within his jacket. I listened as Harrison called whoever it is he calls to feed me. The kitchen? A caterer? His secretary? His villainous sidekick? No idea. When he finished, he took a seat on the couch and turned on the television. After some debate we settled on a movie, but I barely paid attention to it. He kept me talking, making whatever conversation he could, as though I had a concussion and he was attempting to keep me awake. It was a good idea, because my thoughts kept wandering off and my eyelids felt very heavy. When the food arrived he encouraged me to eat more in a way that would’ve made an Italian mother proud. I felt better after I’d gotten some food in me, and I curled up on the couch to watch the remainder of the movie. The vampire sat next to me, his arm around me, and I didn’t argue-it felt bizarrely comforting.
When the movie ended he gave me a speculative look. “Are you feeling better?”
“Much, thanks.”
Zach reached over and touched the side of my face. “You still look pale.”
“I always look pale.” Suspicious, I moved away from him. “No offense, but I don’t trust you not to take advantage of me.”
“I did give you-”
“Your word, I know,” I finished for him. “But you also have a habit of overstepping your bounds, and I do seem to recall being in your lap earlier.”
“Yes, I’m sure it was a most horrifying experience.” The vampire gave me a charming smile, showing off his perfect white teeth.
“Listen, I am actually considering working with you on a limited basis, but strictly business. That’s it,” I informed him matter-of-factly. “No one should have to go through what that poor kid did.”
“Agreed. But it’s a shame not to mix pleasure with business. Do you really find me so unattractive?”
“You’re rich, handsome, usually charming, well-dressed. It’d be an appealing package, but I already have one pushy, demanding man in my life, and that’s my limit.”
“Is he?”
“Is he what?”
“In your life?”
“Oh. Well…” I struggled to find the right words to say. I loved Lex, and I knew he loved me. He just loved his job more. Not unlike my father, who’d loved his magic more than his family, and look how well that turned out.
“You don’t sound very sure of yourself. He did turn down the position of Oberon. That’s not very encouraging.”
“He didn’t turn it down. He said he needed more time to think about it.”
“Did he? If I were in that position, I would’ve agreed immediately.”
“Like hell you would’ve. You’d give up being a vampire to be Oberon?” I asked, skeptical.
“Necromancer. Though I don’t mind it, to be honest most of us consider ‘vampire’ a derogatory term. But if being Oberon meant being partnered with my soul mate, then yes, I would. A soul mate is the rarest of gifts. To deny it would be like second-guessing fate. What will you do if he rejects the offer?”
“I’m going to be Titania, with or without Lex as Oberon. It’d just be easier to work with him.” I tried to sound nonchalant about it, but it was hard to pretend it wasn’t like an ice pick digging around in my heart.
“He doesn’t deserve you.”
“Hmph. You sound like a jealous ex,” I joked.
“Perhaps.” Reaching out, he picked up my hand and held it in his. “You’re a lovely woman, Catherine. I think the higher powers were unfair pairing you with someone who obviously doesn’t appreciate that.”
I tensed, expecting him to give me a magical nudge, but none came. Cautious, I raised an eyebrow. “And you would?”
“I wouldn’t have handed you over to the witches’ council, and I certainly wouldn’t have abandoned you when you were most vulnerable.” His voice was warm and soothing, and I found myself believing him. It was true, after all, wasn’t it? Lex betrayed me, and left me alone and outcast. Somewhere in the back of my mind, my better judgment was trying to warn me that normally I wouldn’t trust a damn word Harrison said, but it seemed faint and far away. There was such sincerity in his eyes.