“Did Charlotte explain the bond to you?”
“Yeah, she did.” I set the chicken down. “And we need to talk about that.” I looked down at Rune. “You too, Rune. This concerns you both.”
“Okay?” Leif looked worried.
“I know Charlotte has this…dynamic with her guys. I mean, it’s obvious they’re in love.”
Leif smiled softly. “They are. Very much so.:”
“But that’s not going to happen with us.”
He arched a brow. “Don’t tell me, you have a crystal ball?”
I bit back a smile. “No. I mean this whole fall-in-love-but-can’t-consummate deal. And then the whole, breaking up of it once the new anchor takes over… Nah, not for me. I saw the pain in Charlotte’s eyes. The wolves will find new mates, and the connection they had with her will die, and that sucks. I’m not putting myself through it.”
Leif looked like he wanted to say something, but Rune rose up suddenly and chuffed at him as if to say, shut up.
I stroked his neck again. “I’m happy to do this anchor thing, but we do it as friends. Really good friends. Nothing more. That way, you can go procreate, and whatever it is you need to do, and it won’t hurt me. It can’t hurt me. You get me?”
“I get you. If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”
It was a weight off my chest. I didn’t want to end up like Charlotte. Fuck that. I’d do this, but I’d do it on my terms.
“Friends.” He held out his hand, and I shook it.
“Also, in the spirit of friendship, be careful with Astri. She has a mean streak.”
He looked surprised. “You picked up on that, huh?” He made a face. “Astri is an acquired taste.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “I haven’t acquired it yet.”
I couldn’t help but smile. There was a boyish charm about this man, two facets—the alpha leader and the playful rogue. I got the impression there’d never be a dull moment with him about.
I polished off some more chicken and licked my fingers clean. “What did you mean when you told her to put her name forward?”
His mouth turned down. “To be bred. Vita Pack families put forward daughters to bear the primal bloodline heirs. Astri is, unfortunately, a strong contender.”
I sipped my diet coke. “Good luck with that.”
He let out a surprised chuckle. “You’re not what I expected.”
Rune rested his chin on my thigh as if to say, ditto.
I massaged his neck, and he closed his eyes. “Yeah, I’m not what a lot of people expect.”
We fell into another eye-lock that Rune broke with a chuff.
Leif ducked his head with a smile and picked up a rib. “I think you and I are going to get on just fine, Cora.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Chapter Sixteen
Bramble walked me back to the mansion. Rune padded alongside us with two other wolves making up the rear. Arne was confident the wards were back up, but the pack wasn’t taking any chances, hence the escort.
Leif had left to patrol, and knowing he was out there somewhere dissolved the knots in my tummy. But there was another knot in my chest. One named Jasper.
I’d pushed thoughts of him to the back of my mind all day, but there was no denying I needed to know he was okay.
God, I was going soft in my old age.
The mansion came into view as we reached the edge of the woodland. The wolves came to a halt.
“They won’t come any further,” Bramble said. “Not without an invitation from Anna.”
“I thought we were allies?”
“We are, but there are boundaries. Always.”
I crouched slightly to eye level with Rune. “Thanks for the escort. I’ll be okay from here.”
He inclined his head and then turned and padded back into the forest to join the other wolves.
“I got some errands to run,” Bramble said. “But I can walk ya back to the east wing first if you like?”
“Nah, I got it. You go.”
“See you at supper.”
“More food?”
“Always. Seven pm sharp.”
“I’ll be there. And then patrol?”
Bramble shifted from foot to foot. “I dunno, Cora. After what just happened, I doubt even Sloane will risk taking you on patrol.”
If I was going to be an anchor, if I was going to give up so much of me, then I needed to see why. “I’ve met the varga and the banshees, and I’ve been attacked by a slau. Might as well say hi to a revenant or two.”
Her eyes twinkled with mirth. “And I thought I was the crazy one.”
“Oh, you’re definitely crazy, but…” I shook my head and exhaled. “I’m so fucking glad you are. I’d be dead otherwise.”
She shrugged and ducked her head. “Yeah, whatevs. No big deal.”
But it was.
And so was what Jasper had done.
It was a huge deal, and I wasn’t sure how to process it just yet.
* * *
Okay, so I might be lost. This place, for fucksake, why weren’t there signposts? Fuck, was this even the right floor, and why was there never anyone about to ask for directions when you needed them?
This floor was all burgundy carpets and dark polished wood. Corridors shot off left and right, and staircases wound up and down. Urgh.
Not even a ghost to set me on the right path. At this rate, it’d be supper time by the time I found my way to my room.
I took a random turn onto a wide corridor with high ceilings and beams. Wait, this looked kinda familiar.
Raised voices drifted toward me, and I slowed my pace. A rectangle of light cut across the hardwood, spilling from an open doorway to my right.
“I’ve explained the situation to you. I’m not sure what else you expect me to do.”
I knew that haughty tone.
“Now, there’s no more to discuss,” Anna continued. “What happened was unfortunate, but a necessity. The Grimswood ancestors did what had to be done to save us all.”
“Oh, I beg to disagree,” a man replied in a frosty tone. “You took what did not belong to you. You tricked The Sons of Adam, and now they are waking, they will require retribution.”
“Are you threatening me?” Anna bristled.
“No, Ms. Winthrop. Consider this a friendly warning.” But there was a definite edge to his tone, and the hairs on the back of my neck trembled.
“Then consider this, if you come for her, then you will be met with the full force of the Grimswood Coven,” Anna said.
“You have no idea what they’re capable of, do you? You may have tricked and taken from them once, but they will not be fooled again.” His tone dropped to a lethal purr. “Their vengeance will be horrific. I suggest you give them what they want.”
“What they want is not an option. She is irreplaceable,” Anna said. “Surely you understand what that means?”
“Then you will suffer the consequences.” His voice deepened, and a shiver of foreboding ran over my skin.
Anna whimpered. “But—"
“Hush!” the man said.
A shadow cut across the light, and my instinct was to run, but I stood my ground and carried on walking toward it.
A man stepped out to intercept me. “Snooping is not an attractive trait,” he said.
He was tall and wiry, and the designer spectacles perched on his nose coupled with the gray pants and dark sweater he was wearing gave him a sophisticated air. Not the mental picture I’d have coupled with the tone I’d just heard.
“Snooping?” I frowned. “Is that what they call walking past a room now?”
He arched a brow. “You were listening to our conversation.”
I stepped closer, allowing a conspiratorial air to bleed into my expression. “Little tip. Next time you want to have a private conversation, close the door.”
His mouth twitched. “Noted.”
“Cora!” Anna stood framed in the doorway.
A quick glan
ce over her shoulder, and I’d deduced the room was an office or study.
“Were you looking for me?” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, and her hands were clasped so tight her knuckles were white.
She was scared.
I hadn’t been looking for her, but there was no way I was leaving her alone with this douche. “Yeah, actually. I was hoping to have a quick chat.” I flicked a glance toward the spectacled guy. “Now. Because it’s urgent.”
He inclined his head. “It seems like our conversation needs to be cut short.” He smirked at Anna. “But I’ll be back. Soon.”
He stepped out of the light and vanished.
What the mother fucking hell?
Anna pulled me into the room and slammed the door closed. “Oh, god.” She pressed her hand to her heart. “Okay. It’s okay.”
“What was that about? No, forget that. What the hell is he?”
She looked at me sharply, mouth popping open as if she’d forgotten I was there.
“Anna?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing for you to worry about. What did you want to talk to me about?”
I wanted to push, but I doubted she’d want to confide her private business with me, someone she barely knew.
“Nothing, actually. I just figured you might want an excuse to get rid of the douche.”
This time her smile was warm and real. “Thank you. I appreciate it. But I can handle Dimitri, as unpleasant as he may be.”
“Okay.” I held up my hands. “I’ll leave you to it.” I reached for the door handle then recalled the actual reason I’d wound up here. “You know, there is something you can do for me.”
“What is it?”
“Show me to the east wing?”
She chuckled softly. “Of course.”
* * *
Jasper wasn’t in my room. I called for him, and he didn’t appear. Before the amulet, I’d call, and he’d be there, but I hadn’t tried summoning him since I’d started wearing the damn thing. Who knew, maybe he was just too weak to manifest? Maybe he was here but unable to make his presence known.
I switched on my othersight and scanned the room, not that it would help. Jasper was a breed unto himself. He could probably hide from me if he wanted to, but I didn’t think he was hiding now.
If he was here, then he was unable to show himself.
“Jasper, if you’re here, give me some kind of sign.”
The silence was thick and pressing. Not a hint of an unexplained breeze, not a whisper of a breath in my ear.
“Jasper’s not here.” Wren scampered into the room and hopped onto the bed. “Jasper was for a little while, but then Jasper faded away.”
Shit. “Is he… Was he okay?”
Wren frowned. “Jasper looked…sad.”
My chest grew tight. “Did he say anything?”
“Oh yes, Cora. Jasper left a message. Jasper said, tell Cora she’s a fool. That amulet will be the end of us both.” Wren scrunched up his face. “He said, she fucking needs me, and it’s about time she accepts that.”
Annoyance flared to life, firstly for the fact that Jasper had made sweet Wren use the F word, and secondly, because… What the fuck? I didn’t need him. He needed me.
But he saved your life.
Because he needed me.
And you needed him to save your life.
Argh. Shut up, annoying voice of reason. I took a deep breath. “If you see him again, tell him we need to talk.”
Wren nodded. “What will Cora do?” His gaze dropped to my amulet. “Wren is wondering if Jasper is right.”
Yeah, me too. “Once I’m officially the anchor, I’ll have access to more power. I’ll be able to take care of myself again.”
Wren stared at me for a long beat with his huge hazel eyes. “Wren doesn’t want Cora to die.” His bottom lip trembled. “Wren doesn’t want a new master.”
Oh fuck, were we back to this again? I climbed up onto the bed beside him and lifted him onto my lap.
“Okay, let me say one more time. I’m not your master. I don’t own you. You’re not a possession.”
He blinked slowly. “But—”
“No buts. You’re free to do what you want. Come and go as you please. It doesn’t matter. I’ll still be here for you. Okay?”
Wren tucked in his chin. “Cora not understand…”
But I did. “I get it. That creepy asshole, Merkle, fucked with your head. He made you believe all this master crap. But it’s not true.” I hugged him to me. “You’re safe now. Okay?”
“Okay.”
I snuggled back into the puffy pillows and closed my eyes. “You want to take a nap?”
But Wren was already snoring softly.
* * *
Thanks to Wren and his excellent sense of direction, I made it to the dining room by ten past seven without getting lost to find Bramble waiting outside.
She was dressed all in black, sporting some pretty kick-ass boots, the kind that could kick the shit out of someone and look hot while doing it. I liked my footwear comfy, sexy, and functional, so yeah, there was a little boot envy right now. Her purple hair was pulled up in a messy bun, softening the overall assassin look that the daggers sitting snug at her hips gave her.
She was holding a spare holster, which she held out to me as I approached. “I got you a gift.”
“For me?” I faux-simpered. “You shouldn’t have.”
“Daggers like mine,” she said. “Tempered iron.”
I noted that the hilts on these were metal, but the hilts on hers were wrapped in leather.
Wren, who’d been hanging off my shoulder, made a hissing sound.
“What?” I reached out to soothe him with the hand gripping the holster strap.
He shrieked and leaped off me.
“Careful!” Bramble said. “Iron burns fae. It’s why the blades work so well. The slau is a fae construct, and so are the banshees.”
Crap. I slipped the holster around my waist, liking the way it sat as if it belonged there.
Wren whimpered, and I crouched and held out my hand. “It’s okay, Wren. I won’t let them touch you. Hop on.”
He hesitated but then obliged, clinging to my back as I rose.
I turned to Bramble. “So, does this mean fae are working for The Order?”
“More like The Order is making them work for them.” She shrugged. “I don’t know much about what happens in the fae realm, but from what I hear, the place has gone to shit. The Order is probably taking advantage of that.”
The clatter of cutlery registered, and the smell of roast chicken drifted out to tickle my nostrils. Wren’s tummy growled.
Bramble chuckled. “Let’s get you fueled up.”
“Yeah, I need to speak to Sloane about patrol too.”
But the big girls' table at the back of the room was empty. No sign of The Elites.
“They’ll show up,” Bramble said.
We grabbed a table, and ghostly hands served us roast chicken, potatoes, and steaming seasoned vegetables. We ate in silence. Well, Bramble and I did. Wren made loud, appreciative sounds with each mouthful that had several witches cooing and ahhing.
The mogwai was total cuteness overload, and he didn’t even know it.
My thoughts drifted to Elijah. “Have you heard from Elijah?”
Bramble looked up from her food. “He’ll be back when he’s ready.”
When he’s ready? “Does he know about the banshee attack?”
“Yeah, I filled him in.”
She’d spoken to him and he knew, but he hadn’t reached out to me or left a message? Disappointment was a weight on my chest. Fuck it, why was I getting upset? He could do what he wanted. He didn’t owe me anything, except…I wanted him here.
“You okay?” Bramble watched me with a speculative gaze.
I shrugged. “I’m fine.”
“Do you want me to get a message to E?”
And look needy? Hell no. “Nah. He knows where I am
if he wants me.”
She opened her mouth to speak just as ghostly hands began to clear away our plates. She sat back and pressed her lips together, watching me.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Coffee was served, and The Elites still hadn’t shown. Had they left without me?
“Bramble…” I flicked a glance at the big girl table.
She sighed. “Yeah, I know. Give me a second.”
She stood with a scrape of her chair and sauntered over to a nearby table to speak to the redhead who’d waved to me earlier in the day.
She returned a moment later. “They’re in the atrium,” she said.
“Okay, so let’s go get them.”
“We can’t. The atrium is off-limits to everyone but The Elites. It’s their personal training ground.”
“Then we wait outside until they show.”
She shrugged. “Sure, we can do that.”
I went to pick up Wren only to find him slumped in his seat, eyes half-closed. Shit.
“Wren? Hey, can you hear me?”
“Wren sleepy.”
“Food comas are an actual thing,” Bramble said with a chuckle. “The little fecker can sure put it away.” She said it affectionately with an actual smile on her face. “Look at his tummy.”
Yep, it was distended and round, making me want to pick him up and squish him. But squishing him probably wasn’t a good idea because what went in would need to come out eventually. Why rush the process?
He needed bed. “I’ll have to take him back to my room.”
“If I may.” A ghostly maid appeared behind Wren. “Dottie has instructed us to take care of the little mite. I could take him back to your room if you like?”
“Sleeepy,” Wren said again. His eyes rolled upward to look at the ghost. “Patricia… Hello.”
The ghost smiled warmly at Wren. “Hello, little one.”
Having her get him to bed would save time. “Thanks. That would be really helpful.”
Patricia picked Wren up and headed out of the room. She was so ethereal it looked like he was levitating.
We followed a moment later, and a thought occurred to me. “Can the ghosts here walk through walls with an object or a live person?”
Witch Unexpected: The Thirteenth Sign Book 1 Page 13
