Howl (Witches & Warlocks Book 4) (16 page)

Albert stalks around my house and for the first time, I don’t see the happy go lucky, easy going man I’m used to seeing. He’s all four-star general, with straight shoulders and puffed up chest. Hard eyes and razor sharp questions. He kneels beside the body of his wolf, his pack mate, and lowers his chin. Closes his eyes. Places a hand on the shoulders that look so … wrong … without a head sitting above them. A moment of silence for a fallen comrade.

His questions to me are short and clipped. I give him equally short and clipped answers. Not impolite. Just the facts, and all that. Somehow, I think he respects me for it. But, maybe that’s just me, being proud of how well I’m dealing with the conversation. He asks Noah a set of questions. And then Becca. But that’s when things go downhill.

He takes one look at her, literally leans in and sniffs her shoulder, and turns his gaze to me. Purses his lips and clenches his jaw. I’m gonna go out on a limb and assume that vampires and humans smell differently and Albert is very aware of the change. He lifts an eyebrow and gives me one hell of a hard look. I feel Daya’s eyes on me and wait for the blush to flare across my cheeks. And just keep on waiting. I return Albert’s look with a lift of my chin. Turn to Daya and meet her gaze with confidence. And the warmth that’s flaring in my chest? That’s not embarrassment, that’s pride.

That’s right. Pride.

My life was in danger tonight. That headless asshole on the floor broke into my home. Ruined my things. Waited for me to come back with the sole intent of killing me. And when he tried? I fought back.

And Becca? She would have killed me, too. She wouldn’t have wanted to, but she said it herself. She has no control over her vampire instincts yet. She stood in my living room, eyes black and hungry, salivating at the blood leaking from my wounds and sank her
teeth
into my neck. I would have died. But I didn’t. I fought back.

And now? Instead of crumbling into a shaking mess under piercing questions from my superiors I’m meeting their eyes and answering easily. I’m justified in what happened here tonight and I’m able to use my
voice
to give these people the justifications.

Damn right I’m proud.

Albert’s gonna ask about Becca. And Daya is, too. And I’m probably in for a whole new slew of problems now that my secret’s out, but I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.

I catch Albert’s gaze, lift an eyebrow and shift my eyes to Xavier and back. Trying to find out if Xavier is safe. If speaking freely with him in the room is even an option.

“Xavier,” Albert growls, capturing the younger man’s attention. “What you hear in this room isn’t to leave this room without explicit permission from me.” There’s an undercurrent of authority in Albert’s voice and I start to realize just how terribly I’d underestimated his power.

“Yes, Alpha.” The change in Xavier is amazing. The subservience so out of place on his over-muscled, gym-rat body.

And then he asks me what happened to Becca and I explain and Xavier’s eyes go wide and so do Becca’s. I watch her face as I tell the story. Watch as she understands that she’s truly human again. Watch tears form in her eyes and hope shine on her face. I’d love to smile back, but it’s slowly sinking in that I may not have done her any favors.

The vamp’s have half a claim on her. Or had. How in God’s name are we going to explain this to them? I mean, without getting my super-secret, dangerous ability completely out in the open?

And what about her? Becca’s off grid. She’s had a funeral. Her friends and family think she’s dead. And now, suddenly, she’s not? Where will she live? How will she work? The look on her face says she thinks I’ve saved her. I wonder if she’ll feel the same way when she realizes how complicated this actually is.

I get the whole story out and both Becca and Noah corroborate, fill in the gaps. The half-healed bites on my shoulder and neck are examined. “These are going to need an expert,” Daya says as she pokes around the wounds. “We’ll need to get the poisons out so you can heal fully, but you’re always gonna have scars.”

I stare at her in confusion. “Scars? Even with magical healing?”

Daya nods. “These aren’t normal bites, Zoe. A witch can’t easily override the powers of the vampire or the wolf, just like the wolf can’t easily override the powers of a witch or vampire, and the vampire struggles with the witches and wolves. Our strengths work best against humans. We’re not so strong against each other.”

There’s some more discussion that basically comes down to dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. Albert deems the kill a clean one and Xavier nods his approval. So, the wolves won’t be pressing charges on the witches. Which is good. Daya arranges for someone to meet me at Windsor, a healer, and then starts trying to coordinate getting my house cleaned up.

“The wolves will help, too,” says Albert and once again, Xavier nods. “The scent of urine and feces, among other things, is strong.”

I don’t even want to know what those ‘other things’ are. And to be honest, I’m really starting to feel awful. My shoulder aches and my throat burns and, while my head doesn’t really hurt anymore, there’s dried blood in my hair, on my face … well hell. It’d be easier to list the parts of me that aren’t covered in blood. One look at Noah tells me he’s not feeling much better than I am. He’s leaning against the wall, but it doesn’t look at all casual. That wall is definitely holding him up. And his skin is pale and his face is slack and the dark circles under his eyes might as well be caverns.

And then there’s Becca.

She’s slowly been backing away from everyone. The hope on her face dissolving into something much darker. She’s flicking a bit of magic to life with her fingers and then squashing it, almost a nervous tick, but more like she’s checking to see if she still has access to magic. I’m afraid she’s figuring out just how screwed she is and I’m afraid she’s about to panic.

“Daya,” I begin.

She looks to me, follows my gaze to Becca, and then glances at Noah. The compassion on her face almost brings tears to my eyes. For the first time since all of this started, I almost feel like she cares what happens to us. Like I’m not just a pawn in her game. Like I’m a person that matters.

“You guys all look awful,” she says. “I don’t trust a single one of you behind the wheel. Zoe, Noah, I’m going to send you on to Windsor. I need to talk to Becca, but I’ll send her along shortly after.”

I barely have time to nod before I’m zipped out of my house and appear in the infirmary at Windsor. There’s a flurry of activity. Nurses fluttering around me and Noah. Changing our clothes. Washing our wounds. Getting us into bed. I fall asleep to the chanting of spells and the hum of magic in my body.

********

The gentle but incessant rumble of a tiny purr box wakes me and I find Mr. Twinklebottom curled up against my shoulder, nuzzling into my hair. For a second, I’m confused, not sure where I am, but that doesn’t last long. The moment my eyes fully open, a nurse leans over me.

“How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy.”

The already deep frown lines around her mouth somehow manage to deepen. “Yes. But besides that. How’s your pain?”

I sigh and dutifully twist my neck from side to side. Wiggle my shoulders. “Minimal,” I say, surprised that there’s still any pain left at all.

She nods. A brisk little thing. “Better than we expected. Let us know if your pain increases as you continue to waken.” And, while I’m trying to figure out if she’s using the royal we or if there’s someone else here with her, she pivots on her heel and walks away.

“She’s a delight, isn’t she?” Noah asks from somewhere behind the curtain that’s cordoning my bed off from the rest of the room. There’s a pause and then he slides the curtain back, revealing a much healthier version of the man I love so dearly. Twinks sits up and stretches, pushing his paws against my wounded throat and I flinch.

“When did he get here?” I ask, indicating the cat.

“Sometime this morning, I think. Daya was here, too. I was mostly asleep.”

“You look all better.”

Noah slides into bed beside me, holding me close in the small space. “Do I?”

I nod my approval and wince again. “This hurts more than I thought it would.”

He immediately hops out of bed and starts apologizing.

“Not you, silly. I liked you where you were.”

He moves the kitten and his brows slide together as he inspects the bite Becca left behind. Then, with clinical efficiency, he checks the shoulder that Ty got a hold of and lets out a long controlled breath.

“Those are definitely going to scar.”

“Is it bad?”

“Nah.”

“Be honest. It’s disgusting, isn’t it?” I’m suddenly desperate for a mirror.

“Nope. Not at all disgusting. Makes you look mysterious and strong.”

And with that, a swarm of nurses overtake my bed and shoo Noah away. There’s more magic, more chanting, more healing. They’re clearly not cool with the idea of me looking mysterious and strong and have made it their mission to smooth the bites over until they’re barely noticeable. I close my eyes and surrender myself to their ministrations and before I know it, I’m asleep once again.

Chapter Twenty

Days pass and my scars fade. Although not completely. Apparently, my mystery is just a part of me now. I’m a badass witch with the badass scars to prove it.

But, scars or not, the healers have deemed me healed and I’ll be heading home tomorrow. To be honest, I’m kind of dreading it. Daya swears my house is as good as new. Better actually, because, as she put it ‘they’ve taken the liberty of adding a few pops of color.’

As long those pops aren’t blood colored, I might be fine. I don’t know if I can handle being in that living room again, not after what I saw happen there. I still see Becca with that head in her hands…

Ugh.

I can’t let myself give those thoughts power.

Regardless, I’ll be heading back to the house. Hopefully it’s as clean as Daya swears it is and I’ll be able to sleep peacefully again. But today, I have a meeting with her and I’m more than a little nervous. We managed to skip the need for a formal summit. Albert didn’t press charges and his wolves didn’t feel the need to challenge his decision.

Apparently, there still isn’t anyone in Lucy’s old position, so the vampires could care less about what happened. I’m not even sure if they even really believed the stories about Becca being a hybrid and Daya’s being really close-lipped on the subject. And for that matter, so is Becca. I know she’s somewhere here in Windsor, hopefully freer than she was the last couple weeks. Hopefully fitting back in. Finding some friends. Finding some guidance. Hopefully things are better for her. I’d like to say I know the answers to these questions, but I haven’t seen much of her while I’ve been here.

Which is fine. I guess. I’m not sure if a friendship is in our future.

I’m ushered to Daya’s old office and take a seat on one of the couches while I wait for her to show back up. There’s so much up in the air right now. Like, who will take Daya’s place here at Windsor? Who will take Lucy’s place with the vampires? Why have there been so many summits between the leaders and why did Daya mention the Overseer a few days ago? I’d like to think that none of that really has any effect on me. That I could just fade back into my life and forget all the politics of the supernatural union, but I know that’s too much to wish for. Whatever happens is sure to affect me. That’s just the way it goes, I guess.

Daya ambles into the room, filling the large space with her even larger energy. She swoops in for a hug and it surprises me, but after an awkward heartbeat of a moment, I return it, wrapping my arms around her ample shoulders.

“You’re looking so much better,” she says and peeks at the scar on my neck. “That one’s barely noticeable. I don’t think you’d see it if you didn’t know it’s there.” She fluffs my hair over my shoulder, hiding the mark. “Our healers are so talented,” she says with pride.

“They really are.”

She tugs on my shirt, revealing the slightly uglier scar on my shoulder and grimaces. “At least that one will be hidden by your clothes most of the time.”

I just nod, and fight the urge to remind her about bikinis and tank tops. Rather than sit down at the desk, Daya lowers herself down into the loveseat.

“It’s strange, being in this office. It looks so solemn and serious without my stuff here. So bland and official.”

I smile and wonder if she ever considered it’s better this way. “Do you know who’s going to be taking over your position?”

She glances at me, sizes me up and then hides her true reaction behind a wide smile. “Why? You want the job?”

“God no,” I say, half-laughing but totally serious. “I’ve been a witch for all of a few months now and how many times have I almost died? I don’t think I’m very good at this. Definitely not boss-lady material.”

Daya laughs with me, but there’s something clicking away behind her eyes and I don’t like what I see. “Not yet,” she says. “But we’ll have to see what happens.”

“I can’t imagine how that would go over. Zoe Tate. Vampire Slayer. Witch princess.”

“Witch princess?” she asks, through a clenched jaw. “What do you mean?”

Well, that reaction was a little strong. I laugh it off and pretend not to notice. “I never knew any of the proper titles. I always called Barnabe the witch king, and now that you’ve taken his place, I call you the witch queen. If I took your job here, I just made a leap and went for princess.” Daya visibly relaxes and forces a laugh. “I know,” I hurry on, “not a very funny joke.”

Daya shrugs. “You’re fine. But we really do need to get you caught up on all your lore. You’re rather handicapped with your lack of knowledge, aren’t you?”

She couldn’t have set me up for a more perfect segue if she’d tried. I explain to her about trying to use the library to teach myself the things I didn’t know. I skip the part about discovering all the Overseer stuff in case that was at all relevant to all the summits recently. Sometimes it’s better to keep yourself seeming small and insignificant.