Feral Heart: A Witch Hospital Romance (The Witches of White Willow Book 2)

by Angela Addams

  “Are you going to be okay?” Mina asked, feeling like there just weren’t any words to express how much she wanted to help and how frustrating it was that she couldn’t. Angel’s selfless gift to Bas had cost her, would continue to cost her until it killed her.

  Angel’s eyes showed compassion, as usual. She patted Mina’s hand. “I’ll be fine, darling. I just need the energy the Sin Eaters can give.”

  “I wish there was something I could do for you.”

  Angel let her hand fall. “Watch over Healer Frank. Don’t be too harsh with him come morning. He will likely be a bear when he wakes.”

  Mina frowned.

  “He will save you in a lot of ways…with work, I mean.”

  Mina cleared her throat then chuckled awkwardly. “With the amount of sleep I’m likely to get, he’ll be dealing with a bear of me.” She started to straighten, but Angel caught her hand and pulled her back down to eye level.

  “You saved his life tonight,” Angel said, her eyes sparkling. “You are an extraordinary witch, Mina Knox.”

  “Not me—”

  Angel cut her off with a soft kiss on her cheek. “You are truly a gift, Mina.”

  And in the next instant she was gone. Disappeared with a swipe of her security card.

  Mina rubbed the tightness in her chest. She knew what giving up sounded like. She’d heard it in her mother’s voice every day that the cancer ravaged her. Living it again… Hell, how would she live it again? Friendship with Angel only came with the promise of heartbreak. She was going to die and Mina’s heart would shatter into a thousand little pieces all over again. And worse, she knew, that Bas would never understand or appreciate the sacrifice his Sin Eater had made to keep him alive.

  She glanced over at his sleeping form, he was resting in peace now that the worst of the infection was gone.

  His muscular chest rose and fell. His arms were at his sides and the cat lay nestled on his belly, purring loudly as he watched his new master sleep.

  If the cat could find something redeemable in Bas, and Angel was willing to give up her life for his, there had to be good in him, right?

  “Ugh.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “This is going to be a long night.”

  She got up and moved to her bookshelf, pulling down her mother’s grimoire as she did. There was a spell she needed to learn for the sanctuary build. No time like now to get it started.

  She flipped the book to the back, a waft of dark magic billowing up.

  If Bas only knew just how surrounded he was by all the things he loathed, she was sure he’d wake up right this instant and give her a piece of his mind.

  She looked over at him again.

  “Wake up, Bas,” she whispered. Hoping that the magic she’d used on him wouldn’t cause permanent damage. As much as Angel wanted to believe otherwise, Mina really didn’t know what the hell she was doing when it came to treating witches.

  If she did, maybe she would have been able to heal her own mother.

  10

  “What the hell happened to me?” Bas moaned as he eased his eyes open, alarmed by the heavy weight on his chest.

  “You’ve been adopted,” Mina’s voice was like a chainsaw in his head.

  “Fuuuuuck, keep it down, would ya? My head is pounding.”

  He craned his neck and looked down his chest then nearly had a heart attack. Zeus was sitting there staring at him, not looking at all impressed or happy.

  “What the fuck?”

  Zeus pushed to his feet, back arched and hissing, fangs displayed in an evil kitty grin, before jumping down, none too gently, to the floor.

  Bas lifted his hand to his chest and rubbed away the pain from the cat’s spring boarding. “You let that thing sleep on me?” He craned his neck in search of Mina. “What the fuck were you thinking? It bit me!”

  Mina came toward him, a steaming cup of something in her hand. “Yeah, because some genius decided to stick his fingers in the cage of a wild feral.” She held out the cup. “I took you for a coffee, black, kind of guy.”

  Bas lifted his bandaged hand. A throbbing, which was not unbearable but definitely sore, went from his fingers to his elbow. “What happened?”

  Mina sighed, crouched and set the cup on the floor next to his cot before walking over to a nearby stool and taking a seat. Zeus had made it to the door of the back room and gave one final glare at Bas before disappearing from sight.

  “You developed an infection. It wasn’t good. Angel and I—”

  “The Sin Eater treated me again didn’t she?” Bas slumped back onto the cot, an arm draped over his eyes. “You people don’t believe in consent, do you?”

  “Hey, asshole, you were dying okay? And yes, she treated you. Selflessly, as usual, and so did I, not so selflessly…I didn’t want to explain to Mother Stone why there was a dead intern down here.” She sighed, her tone changing, losing some of its bite. “The infection was really bad, Bas. It was a close one. Too close. And then Zeus came out of nowhere and healed you. Stopped the infection and reversed the damage.”

  Bas dropped his arm and pushed himself up. “You’re shitting me? The cat cured me?”

  “Well, for the most part.” She motioned to the bandage wrapped around his fingers. “He couldn’t close the wound completely. That’ll take a few days to heal…but nothing more than that. You should have full functionality of both fingers and there’s no internal damage from the infection.”

  He did an internal assessment. Other than the pain from his fingers, there was no other indication that he’d been near death.

  He looked over at Mina. “I don’t want the Sin Eater touching me again. Selflessly or not, I don’t want her to sacrifice on my behalf.” He lay back down, closing his eyes against the hard look Mina gave him.

  “Whatever, asshole,” Mina said.

  He heard the clatter of her getting up and moving the stool back, then the soft steps of her walking away.

  Yeah fine, he was an asshole. But he had reason to be.

  He couldn’t explain it to her.

  No, he wouldn’t explain it to her.

  He heard her stomping back.

  “Okay, I have to know, what the fuck is the deal, Bas? Angel has never done anything to you other than help your sorry ass but all you do is spew this venom in her name. What is it? You too good for her help? Because let me tell you, you were writhing and moaning—” She choked on her words then. “She was working so hard to save you that it cost her greatly. It damaged her significantly. She had to go upstairs to recoup. And she’s dying, you know? She’s at the end of her journey so it won’t take much more to—” She choked on her words again, sucked in a deep breath, then let it out. “And there you are totally acting like it’s no big deal. That you’re so much better than she is, even though she saved your damn useless life.”

  “Enough!” Bas yelled. He pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the cot, his head spinning at the sudden movement. “That’s enough.”

  “You don’t get to decide—”

  “Yeah, I do!” He nailed her with one of his own glares. “You decide if I stay or go, fine, I accept that. But you don’t get to demand information and expect me to answer. I have my reasons. That’s all you need to know.”

  “There is nothing in this world that could make you sound more of a racist, uncompromising, selfish dick. She saved your life!” she yelled.

  “I didn’t ask her to!” he yelled back.

  “No wonder you have the reputation you do. A cold hearted, self righteous…”

  “A Sin Eater stole my mother’s powers,” he spat, delighting in the shock that crashed over her face. “And before you accuse me of lying, go ahead and ask your precious Angel. Go ahead, ask her if it’s possible for a Sin Eater to steal a witch’s magic. I bet she’ll educate you on the truth of that.” He slumped back down on the cot. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to nurse my headache before I get to work on your project.” He laid his arm over his eyes, his whole
body tense while he waited for her to give up and walk away.

  He tried not to think about it but with the Sin Eaters around, it was really fucking hard. And thinking about it, remembering what happened, well, kept him in a perpetual bad mood. So it would be just fine with him if the Sin Eaters disappeared from his sight for good because the constant trip down memory lane was exhausting.

  Edward Grayson had come to his mother when she’d been quite young—a new mother and a widow. She’d been vulnerable and still suffering the unexpected loss of her husband and her father. Both her protectors gone at once. Edward had offered to work with her as she set up her apothecary practice, her desperate attempt to keep her life on track and provide a stable home for Bas. But the Sin Eater hadn’t really been looking to help—he’d been looking to make a name for himself. He’d manipulated Bas’s mother. Had made promises to bolster and protect her, but had eventually done the opposite and stripped her of the latent power that had fuelled many of her innate gifts of magic.

  Bas didn’t know all the details, like how exactly Edward managed to do it or what had been involved in his act, but it didn’t matter. What that Sin Eater had done was rape. He’d taken from Bas’s mother something that she’d never consent to give. There was no explanation on the planet that would justify it. His mother had once been a very powerful witch and after Edward was done with her, she was not. Broken more than she’d been even after the death of her husband and her father and left to fend for herself with much less power.

  Bas remembered that time in a very vague kinda way, punctuated only by intense emotion, mainly fear, and from the selfish point of view as a child. His mother had been barely able to care for herself, let alone him. She’d spent days crying, turning away clients, letting food rot. She lashed out at her only child when she couldn’t perform the simplest spell. Even when her magic reignited to some extent and the spells started to work again, his mother wasn’t the same. Bas had to learn how to fend for himself in the years that followed. He fended for her too, even when she was at her cruellest. He’d still made sure she was safe and fed and warm. He’d worked with her, learned from her, tried not to show her just how much power he had, but when it became harder and harder to hide, he’d borne the brunt of her anger. She lashed out, turning more and more violent, rages that would send chairs flying and glass breaking, leave welts on his skin and bruises right down to his bones.

  And then the cat had come and changed it all. Echo had found her, just like that, knowing, in his familiar way, that she was a witch in great need. An orange and white stripped tabby, Echo had been similar to Zeus in a lot of ways. Big, sleek, and full of attitude. He’d pulled Bas’s mom out of the deep depression that Edward had left her in and had gradually healed her anger, bolstering her remaining powers in a way that maybe didn’t give her back what she’d lost, but that did get her close enough that it didn’t matter as much.

  Bas never forgot those horrible years, and they definitely had forced him to distance himself in a lot of ways from his mother, but he’d never blamed her for what happened. No, he blamed the Sin Eater, and if he had a chance, he’d kill the motherfucker.

  So yeah, he had a big problem with Sin Eaters because he didn’t believe that they were truly selfless. He believed that deep down there was a gnawing need for them to take from another witch. To strip them of their sins, and sometimes even the very thing that gave them their powers in the first place.

  No, not him. He knew better. Already Angel had proven that she didn’t care about consent and what was rape but the denial of choice? He didn’t want Angel touching him. He didn’t need her help. And yes, he’d rather die than risk losing his powers to her touch. Maybe that made him the biggest asshole on the planet but self-preservation came with a cost and Bas had been doing just fine in his life without the interference of Sin Eaters.

  When he opened his eyes, Mina was on the other side of the room banging away at some herbs in her mortar and pestle but not in a way that made his headache worse. He realized that she’d deafened the sound with a spell. He pushed himself up, watching her back as she moved through the motions of grinding then pounding, then grinding again. He glanced at the coffee she’d made him. He wasn’t ungrateful, not to her. She was behaving exactly as he’d expect someone to behave when they encountered hostility like Bas’s. He got that. But he also felt no need to pander to her either. She was in charge, yeah, she had him by the balls, but he wouldn’t give her what she wanted just so she’d be at peace. Can’t undo a lifetime of hate with a few acts of supposed kindness.

  He sat up then picked up the coffee and sniffed it. Didn’t smell tainted. No poison. Of course, why would she attempt to save his life if she was just trying to kill him? Force of habit really… He had pissed off enough women in his life that it made sense to check for poison. Mina didn’t seem like the type though. He definitely felt as if she were going to kill him she’d do it straight on, no cloak and dagger stuff.

  He took a gulp and felt the lukewarm nectar slide down his throat. It was good coffee. Dark roast. Premium stuff. He cocked an eyebrow in her direction. “Coffee is good. Thanks.”

  She bunched her shoulders but didn’t answer. She just kept pounding, hard and furious, which was comical considering there was still a silencer in effect.

  He sighed, drank the rest of the cup, then got up and stretched. Everything was sore, like his muscles had run a marathon without him.

  “I’m assuming there’s a shower down here I can use?”

  She stopped in her work and braced her hands on the edge of the table, her shoulders bunching again. “What makes you think I want you down here?” She turned to glare at him. “What makes you think I’ll keep you on my service?”

  He walked over to the sink and rinsed his cup out. “Because you didn’t let me die.” He snorted. “You didn’t even let me suffer for long.”

  She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “That was Angel’s doing. If it were up to me—”

  “I was out of line yesterday.” He was talking about putting the moves on her but figured that kind of blanket admission would cover him in all areas.

  “This is a Sin Eater safe zone.”

  He shrugged. “As you wish, Mina.”

  She let out a long breath and nodded as she turned to face him. “The shower is back there.” She pointed in the direction of her private quarters. “Make it quick. You’ve got work to do today.” She paused, something flashing in her eyes. “If you’re up for it.”

  He grunted. Yes, he was up for it.

  She nodded again then turned back to her work, taking up her aggressive beating of whatever she wanted pulped.

  Bas found his duffle bag where he’d left it and dug around for his toiletries and a clean set of scrubs.

  Mina’s suite was nice, similar to the one the interns had, just on a smaller scale. With a little snooping, he learned that she and that Croft dude were probably in a relationship—his shit was all over her place. Scrubs in his size, which was much larger than hers, a second toothbrush in the holder, even some more manly scented body wash and shaving cream.

  He was in the process of snooping through her medicine cabinet when the sound of the bathroom door opening startled him enough to turn around with a grunt, an excuse at the ready. But it was just the cat.

  A pulse of disapproval pounded into his skull. Zeus narrowed his eyes as he sat in the doorway, looking like he couldn’t be more disgusted.

  Bas glanced down at the bottle of meds in his hand. Sedative. Heavy duty. Used for anxiety and prescribed to Mina. Yeah, she seemed a little wound too tight. More human remedies.

  Zeus growled again. Bas sighed and put the bottle back in the cabinet.

  “What? Gotta know who your enemies are,” Bas grumbled as he dropped his boxers, stepped into the spray of water, then pulled the glass door closed behind him. “And get out of my fucking head, beast. I didn’t invite you there.”

  The cat sent another pulse, a word forming li
ke an impulse. “Tough.”

  11

  Mina couldn’t help but snicker when she saw Bas all geared up in Croft’s Dark Forest hazard suit. While Bas was a fairly big guy, he wasn’t as tall or as bulky as Croft so the suit looked extra humongous on him.

  “You’re going to need to put the visor on too,” she said helpfully as she pointed to the black headgear that she’d left on the harvest table for him.

  Bas grumbled something in response.

  “And you’re sure you know which plants I need?” She’d given him a list of native flowers and greenery that she wanted collected from the forest. It wasn’t the full list…that was too big a job for one man on one trip, but it was enough to keep him busy for a few hours. Besides, he’d volunteered, surprising her over coffee that morning by expressing an interest in checking out the forest. Not the norm for a pure witch to be so adventurous.

  “Yeah, got it,” he snapped before sliding the helmet on. He glared at her one more time then put the visor down.

  He hadn’t wanted to don the required gear and had been grumpy since she’d let him know he wouldn’t be going into the forest without protection. Mother Stone’s orders.

  She helped him latch the basket to his arm then held out the long poled clippers so he could grab it with his gloved hands.

  “Remember, don’t touch anything out there with your bare skin. And if you feel danger, it’s better that you turn tail and run rather than attempting to do any blood casting in the forest. There are creatures that will be drawn to your magic signature alone who would kill for a taste of witch blood.” No one really knew if the Dark Forest had existed before White Willow was built or if it had grown as a result of the witch hospital being there. It was hard to imagine that their founding Healers would overlook such a dangerous place when establishing a house of healing. But the history of the Dark Forest wasn’t in any of the books that Mina could ever find in her extensive research and the only information out there was documented encounters that had occurred in the last hundred years. Before that, nada. It was a huge forest though, spanning beyond Salem for several acres.