by Renee George
"His name is Casanova. He works for mom's warlock buddy. I got here when the tank exploded. This guy shielded me from the blast. He saved my life. Now, I need your help to save his."
"Can't you just use your magic to get him to the sick bay?"
I grabbed the man's arm and snapped my fingers while I concentrated on sickbay. Again, nothing happened. "For whatever reason, I can't use magic on this guy. He's immune or something?"
My brother shook his head. "I'd be the first in line for that vaccine." He whistled loudly, and Peter Meadows and Shirley Torrence trotted over. "Help Brit get this guy to the ambulance and get them both back to the station."
Shirley and Peter grabbed the guy under the arms and lifted.
"Careful, he has burns all over his back, and they are pretty deep."
I pulled the gurney out of the back of the ambulance and dropped it low, my heart beating faster with each second that passed. "Get him up here," I ordered. "Face down."
Shirley and Peter managed. The man moaned with pain, and it sent a sharp pain to my chest. I put my hand on a part of his arm that wasn't charred. "I've got you, big guy. You're going to be okay." I hoped I wasn’t lying. I don't know why I cared, but I freaking cared. I couldn't use my magic to heal him, I wasn't that kind of witch, but even so, I cursed my failed magic for not allowing me to transport him somewhere where could get immediate attention. I raised the gurney up, and we got it into the back of the ambulance. I put oxygen on his face, because airway was always first, then grabbed a pair of bandage scissors and began cutting off his shirt. Goddess help him, he had jagged shards of metal from the propane tank lodged into his back and his spine.
My instinct was to yank them out, but my medical training stopped me from doing something stupid and destructive. Instead, I dumped sterile saline solution, two bottles worth over his back, packed gauze around the protruding objects, and put burn sheet over him. Peter had already gotten into the driver seat. "Hold on," he said.
Five minutes later, we were at the firehouse. The truck-port was empty since both trucks were at the fire. A classic firehouse pole leading to the second floor split the large space. The chief's office was on the first floor, along with the locker room and the medical room, the closest thing Cauldron had to a hospital. Peter and I rolled the man into the clean room. "He can't heal these wounds on his own," I said. "We need a doctor. We need my mom."
"Or a healer," Peter said. "I heard there's a witch in West Virginia who can heal just about anything that hits us. They call her the Shifter Whisperer. She could probably fix him right up."
I'd heard of the healer named Zelda from my mother. It was hard not to be famous when you were next in line for Baba Yaga. But I wasn't sure Peter was right about this guy. I wasn't able to my magic on him. But what if it had been me? What if something was wrong with my powers? After all, I was half-Shifter, even if I couldn't take animal form. "Call my dad and tell him to bring mom. She'll know what to do."
"Should I ask him to call for the Shifter Whisperer, too?"
"Not right now." I needed to get an IV going on Casanova. Burns could send a person into shock, even a Shifter, and between the burns and the metal shards in his back, I didn't want to risk it. The inside of his wrist was burn-free, so I placed a large bore needle in the vein and hung a bag of Ringer's Lactate, a solution that would help replace lost fluid and electrolytes. Next, I took another pair of scissors and sliced up the back of his jeans, revealing a remarkable unmarred remarkable ass.
The man mumbled something. I wave of relief washed over me. He was awake.
I knelt by the head of the bed near his face. He blinked, his green-eyed gaze making me nervous. "What did you say?" I asked. "Did you want to tell me something?"
He blinked again, then said, "If you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask."
My eyes widened as a half-smile curved his sensuous lips. Then he grimaced. "Ow. Shit. My back feels like it's gone ten rounds in a boxing gym."
"Close," I told him. "Do you remember what happened?"
"Fire," he said. "Then you were there. Too close." He closed his eyes for a moment. "You were too close."
"You saved me," I said. "You put your body between me and the explosion. That was incredibly brave, but also incredibly stupid. Do you have a death wish or what?"
His face was squished sideways on the bed, but still, he chuckled. Goddess, even all jacked up this guy was sexy as hell. "What's your name?"
He narrowed his gaze at me. "Don't you know, Brit?"
When he said my name, my mouth went dry. He did seem familiar, but I couldn't place him. "You're going to have to help me out."
"Cas?"
I turned to see my friend Shyla standing in the doorway, her face drained of color.
"Shyla, are you okay?" A pang of jealousy left me cold. She knew the guy's name. Had she had a close encounter with him as well. Was he a wolf shifter like Shy? Since my brother didn't seem very interested, maybe this guy had been a perfect match for her.
"No." Shy shook her head and put her hands to her lips. "That's Cassel. What's he doing here?"
"Cassel," I repeated. "Cas?"
I looked at Casanova, who was now staring in the direction of my friend.
"Hey, sis," he said to her. "Long time, no see."
Chapter Four
"This is going to take more than just a bandage and some antibiotic ointment," my mother said. She tucked her stethoscope into her lab coat pocket. She'd apparated into the room seconds after Shyla had arrived, giving my friend no chance to grill her long lost sibling. "He has wheezing in his lungs on both sides.
I was still trying to wrap my head around that the man lying face down on the bed was Cassel Connor, Shyla's older brother.
"I'm surprised you didn't recognize the scar on my ass," he said.
I coughed. "Excuse me?"
"You know, from where you cursed a boil on me when I was fifteen."
My mother cast an accusatory glance my way. My skin warmed. "You deserved it."
"For kissing Rebecca Martin?" He was hopped up on some very strong painkillers right now, which is what had started this trip down memory lane.
"I didn't hex you for kissing Becca." I was a liar. It's exactly why I'd hexed him. My fourteen-year-old-on-the-verge-of-womanhood-self had been obsessed with Cas. Of course, he didn't look anything like he looked now. For one, he was about five inches shorter, and he had been skinny as a bean pole. His aunt used to tease him that if he turned sideways and stuck out his tongue, he'd resemble a zipper. I can't believe the cute boy that left had turned into a smexy-smoking hot werewolf.
"I can't believe you didn't let me know you were coming," Shyla said for the millionth time. "Why wouldn't you tell me?"
"Because I'm here for business, Shy."
"As a bodyguard for Abadose?" She threw up her hands. "When did you become a Shifter shield for warlocks?" She looked at my mother and me. "No offense."
"I'm not offended." I understood Shyla's disdain for warlocks. She had an earned prejudice against warlocks and most witches. After all, one had killed her parents. My mother and I were the only exceptions for her. Considering her parents had died horribly thanks to a warlock, I couldn't blame her. It's the reason she'd had to move to Cauldron when she was eleven. It had taken her six months to warm up to me, and we'd been inseparable since. Cas had left the next year to go live with a cousin on the west coast. Shyla occasionally talked about her brother, but I know his choice to move away had hurt her. Still, I knew a big part of her had to be happy he was back, even if she looked like she was going to kill him.
"Well, I am," my mother said. "Monty is the heir to the Abadose fortune, and a powerful warlock all in his own right, and his mother--"
"--is one of your closest friends," Shyla and I finished for her.
Sparks tickled off her fingertips. "Go home, Brita. And for Goddess sake, do something with that hair before tomorrow."
I smirked. "You mean, like shave
it off?"
My mother's expression started at anger and ended at possibility. "Maybe..."
"No," I said flatly.
"There are really great wigs out on the market today," she mused.
I grabbed Shy's arm. "We should go."
"I'm not leaving Cas."
"I'll be debriding his burns and removing the shrapnel from his back," Mom said. "I'll work better with you out of the room."
"And then he'll be okay," Shyla said.
"If he's not, I'll find a healer to help."
"No magic," Cas said. "It won't work on me."
"Hah!"
Everyone turned to look at me.
"I'm just glad it's him and not me."
Cas turned his glazed gaze on me. "I bet you say that to all the boys."
"I just mean I was worried my power might be on the fritz. But it's you. Not me."
"How are you preventing magic from affecting you?" Mom asked.
Cas, the painkillers in full effect, pulled off a male version of a giggle. "If I tell you I'll have to kill you."
Lukas opened the door, poked his head into the room, and stared at me. "Can I talk you?"
"Uhm, I think Mom needs--"
"Go talk to your brother," Mom said.
I rolled my eyes at Lukas. "Fine."
"Uhm, hi, Lukas," Shyla said, but too late, since my brother was already stomping in the direction of his office.
Mom shook head. "You wanted to work for your brother," she said. "Go. Work."
"I didn't want to work for him. I wanted to be a firefighter, and it just happens that the only firehouse in Cauldron is run by my bro."
"Semantics," Mom said.
"Besides, it's my day off. I don't work for him on my day off."
"And yet, you placed yourself right in the middle of a field of exploding gas tanks." She glowered at me. "On your day off."
"Goddess, don't have a coronary mom." I exchanged looks with Shyla. She looked almost as unhappy with me as my mom. "I'm going."
But, for a reason that completely escaped me, I didn't want to go. Something inside me told me that I was exactly where I needed to be. It didn't stop me from leaving, though.
My brother, his hair curly and brown like mine and dad's, sat behind his desk, his brow furrowed with disappointment. "What in the world possessed you to use magic to translocate to the scene of a fire?" he asked before I'd even shut the door behind me.
"I spent the entire evening getting my hair mangled by Mom. I needed the distraction."
"What you need is a swift--"
He was cut off by a bellowing warlock, his remaining entourage on his heels. "Where is my man?" Now that he wasn't rotating on a stick, I noticed that Abadose was tall and his shoulders broad, not as broad as Cas's, but still substantial for a non-Shifter. In the light of the firehouse, his hair looked more red than dark brown, and his face with its high cheekbones, aquiline nose, and narrow chin was ruddy with his outrage. "Where is Cassel Connor?"
Lukas was around his desk, and we were both out the door to intercept the guy.
My mother hustled out of the sick bay wearing bloody gloves. "Monty," she said with a plethora of fake enthusiasm. "So nice to see you. What brings you to the Cauldron Fire Station?"
He took a deep breath. "I've been informed that a soldier of mine has been seriously injured and no one has even attempted to contact me. That's what brings me to the fire station."
Soldier? Were we at war and no one bothered to tell us? "Why do you need soldiers?"
He looked at me, his expression bland. "I am a team leader for one of the Council's elite squads. Cas is my second."
I gulped. The Council had a reputation for torturing witches and warlocks who stepped out of line. Mom hadn't told me Monty worked for the Council. My eyes widened. Motherflipper on a twisty wand. I'd hexed him. If he knew, would he turn me in? And what did it say about Cassel and his three Shifter buddies, that they were willing to work for such a powerful and not nice group of witches and warlocks? I focused my gaze on mom. She'd gone wide-eyed as well.
"Do come in and see him," she said. "I'm sure he'll be happy to be surrounded by his, er, friends."
Since Monty had red hair, like my mother, it meant he was a healer. "I should take a look at him."
"My magic isn't having any effect on him," Mom said. "I've had to stick to traditional medication."
"That will be the thistle sigil," Abadose said. "All my men have it." He snapped at a blond Shifter. The guy lifted his shirt, and I resisted the urge to whistle at his very ripped chest. He pointed to something that resembled a stick drawing of a flower. "That's the thistle sigil," the warlock added. "I placed them myself. It protects the wearer from all magic."
"How come you don't have one?"
"How do you know--" His neck reddened. "Oh." He absently rubbed his jawline. "A witch or warlock who wears the sigil would be no better than a human. It will make us immune to magic."
"And that's bad how?"
"The immunity would be complete. As team leader, I need my ability to be effective."
I wrinkled my nose at his smug tone. "I get it. No magic." That sounded like "no fun." Although, in my case, the sigil might fix a lot of issues in my life.
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed, then met my gaze. "You're Brita, aren't you?" He smiled charmingly, took my hand, and brought it to his lips. He looked at the dirt and soot under my nails and stopped just short of actually kissing my fingers.
"Yes, I'm Brita." I was proud of myself for not jerking my hand away like it was being held by a snake.
He let go of me and turned his attention back to Mom. "If you'll take me to my man."
My man. His men. The words didn't sit well with me. He didn't own them. They weren't possessions. Especially not, Cassel. I heard a harsh, rumbly noise as he walked into the medic room and looked around. Lukas stood next to me. "What's that all about?"
"That guy is a pompous ass."
"I'm not talking about him. I'm talking about you. I've known you since the womb, and never once have I heard you growl."
"What?"
"You just growled. Like, loud enough, that I'm not the only one in the room who heard it."
That's when I noticed that the rest of Abadose's guys were staring at me like I'd grown a third nostril. "Take a picture. It lasts longer." All three of them took out their phones and took pictures of me. "Smart alecs."
My brother laughed. They laughed. I gave them the double birdie. They laughed some more. A pained groan from the sick bay had me walking in that direction. I got there in time to see Cassel on his back, which had to be painful all on its own, but I was mortified to see Mom's scalpel against his chest.
"What are you doing?"
Shyla, who hadn't left, grabbed my hand and squeezed. "Cas can't shift into his animal form with that abomination on his chest. If he can't become a wolf, he can't be healed." She sounded angry. Apparently, the weird tattoo blocked all magic, Shifter magic included. It sounded like a lousy trade-off to me.
Mom deftly sliced around the sigil.
"You'll have to cut one centimeter into his muscle," Abadose said. "All the ink has to be removed for the spell to be broken."
"Thank you," Mom said. I could hear the irritation in her voice. I think the shine was wearing off Monty. My stomach lurched as she excised a four-by-four-inch area of flesh from Cas's chest. When it was completely removed, he surged upright and growled. His green eyes glowed brightly as he stared directly at me. "Get out," he roared. "Get her out of here!"
Chapter Five
Shyla, still holding my hand, dragged me from the room.
I stumbled into the truck-port, and Lukas helped Shyla keep me upright.
"What happened he asked?"
Shyla shook her head. "I don't know. Cas freaked out."
"I feel light-headed."
"You should eat," Lukas said. "You always feel better when you eat."
"I'll take care of her," Shyla said.
My brother smiled. "I know you will."
The strong scent of fresh clover faded the farther away from the medical room. Shyla walked me outside the garage doors to a picnic table around the side of the building on a manicured lawn. "Are you okay, Brit? You look all pale and stuff. It is not a good look for you." She patted my head. "Your hair has seen better days as well."
"No," I said. "It hasn't. My hair is always terrible."
"You have a big chunk missing in the back. The ends are burnt. You should have transported yourself farther from the flames."
I turned to stare at her. "Really? You're going to lecture me, too?" I rested my chin on my palm. "Just go back inside and flirt with Lukas. You know you love him."
She smacked my arm. "Shut up."
I smacked her back. "You shut up."
"Do you think Cas is going to be all right? Why would he do that to himself? If he had been able to shift at the fire or even use part of our gifts, he might not have been so badly hurt. Why would he let that fop put that damn tattoo on his body?"
It was a good question but one I was helpless to answer. "I wish I knew."
"Do you think your mom is still going to make you play Cerridwen in the parade tomorrow?"
"Yes. She is single-minded of purpose. She will make me put on the medieval gown and tend to the cauldron of rebirth as Abadose the bard Taliesin, who was both Cerridwen's lover first until she ate him, and he was reborn her son."
"I always find that part of the story disturbing."
I rubbed my arms to ward off a shiver. "You and me both." My mind kept drifting to Cas. His wounds were pretty bad. Would Mom and Abadose be able to heal him now? I didn't think so. "I have a bad feeling, Shy."
"About what?"
"Your brother. I need to get back inside. I need to be there."
"He wanted you out," she said. "He didn't want you in the room."
Her words created an ache so deep inside me that I feared I could never reach it, and if I couldn't reach it, I couldn't get rid of it. He'd wanted me out of the room. But why? Why would he care if I was in there or not? "I need to be there," I said again.
