Witchmate (Skeleton Key) (6 page)

A figure cloaked in darkness knocked at the tower door and waited. Tia met him at the entrance, her eyes wide as she examined his appearance. Renald Salgo, his blue cloak wrapped tight around him, hung his battered head. He had claw marks on his face. Blood stained his tan tunic.

“What happened?” Tia asked.

“We burnt out,” he said. “The power boost didn’t last long enough, even between all of us.”

“Where are the others?” she asked.

“Dead.”

“All of them?”

“Yes,” he said, his voice somber with accusation.

“The information was good?”

“Keir D’San was where I was told he would be with a handful of his warriors.” Renald shook his head. “We killed two of them. They killed twenty of us. It was a poor trade.”

Tia put her hands on Renald’s shoulders. “Of course,” she said. “Go home, Ren. Rest. Heal. We will talk about this later.” As Tia closed the door between them, the devastating news should have rocked her to her core, but instead, she felt a sense of elation. They’d turned one of Keir’s people. A trusted advisor. The information had been good, even if the plan to ambush had been flawed. This might be the first step toward turning the tide in the war between their species.

“Tia,” Aerina said from the stair. “Who was that?”

“It was one of the seekers.”

“Any news?”

“Not anything important, but I told them to remain steadfast in their vigilance.”

“Thank you, Tia. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Aerina held out her hands. “Come join me. My bed is cold without you in it.”

Tia’s chest squeezed. She walked quickly to the stair and took Aerina’s hand. “Nothing would make me happier.”

****

Toland pulled Lis into his arms as the sun rose, casting an orange glow inside the room.  He couldn’t get the strange woman off his mind. In all his years with Keir, he’d never seen his friend, his leader, so taken with anyone. That she was a stranger, not a wolfkind and apparently not a witch, worried him. He put his forearm over his eyes, not ready to face the morning. If she chose to leave, and he was almost certain she would, there would be consequences for his
domiscin
.  The mating call was strong, stronger than free will at times.

He twined his fingers through Lis’s pale blond hair, who was still sleeping, a leg looped over Toland’s thigh. Yes. The mating call changed everything. When they’d been young, before their moonrite, Toland had imagined a mate who would bear him many sons. Even after the moonrite, he’d maintained that hope. But the first time he’d seen Lis, he knew there would never be anyone else. The
choosing
, which had everything to do with biology as much as chemistry, had picked for him. In that moment, he knew he wanted to live and die in Lis’s arms. If Keir’s
choosing
happened with Emma Watson, it could spell disaster.

He sighed, his fingers stroking down Lis’s back. Could it be a spell? Could this woman have been enchanted to snare Keir to weaken the tribes? Was it even possible?

“What are you doing?” Lis mumbled.

“I’m thinking.”

“About what?”

“The woman.”

Lis rose up and turned onto his stomach. “A woman, huh?”

Toland smiled but shook his head. “The woman.” He emphasized, “the.” “The one we brought in last night.”

“I knew who you meant.” He patted Toland’s cheek. “What are your fears, my love?”

Toland shook his head again. “I’ve heard tales about golems. Creatures made of pure magic. Do you think…” He let the question hang.

“Those are stories meant to frighten children to keep them in their beds at night.” He crossed his hand on Toland’s chest and rested his chin on top. “Besides, they’re made of magic. I treated the woman. She is flesh and blood.”

She might be flesh and blood, but she was also something else. An alien. A being that none of them had ever seen before.

“Where do you think she comes from?”

“Hard to say. We are only as knowledgeable as our experiences. She is something new.” He shrugged.

“Maybe her arrival is a sign the world is ending,” Toland jested.

Lis smiled, stroking Toland’s cheek. “If this is the end of days, I am glad to spend them with you.”

Toland chuckled. “Me too.” He knew Lis was teasing him. There was no strong belief in his lover’s words, and, yet, Toland had an uneasy feeling. “Keir is in trouble with this one.”

“Did he really ask the woman to be his mate?” Lis’s tone was full of incredulity. “He has balls for days.”

“Yes. This isn’t going to sit well with the elders. Or the middles. Or the youngers. She is an outsider. She might not be a witch, but she’s not one of us.”

“Toland!” Amil shoved her way inside his quarters. “The prisoner. He’s dead.”

Toland jumped to his feet. “How?”

Lis was already yanking up his pants and throwing on a shirt.

“Are you certain he’s dead?” Lis asked.

Amil gulped, her eyes full of dread as she nodded. “Someone cut his throat.”

“Who was on watch?”

“Roi.” She shook her head. “He said he didn’t hear or see anything during the night.”

“Damn it.” Toland punched his palm and clasped his fist. “Have you told Keir?”

Amil shook her head. “I can’t find him.”

“Why not?”

“He’s not in his quarters.” She clenched her fists nervously. “He and the woman are gone.”

“Damn it! There’s a traitor in camp. The death of the witch proves it. Get Thadeus and Mika. We need to form a search party, but we shouldn’t alarm the rest of the camp.”

Amile bared her teeth as her inner predator surfaced. She gave him a quick nod and ran out to get the others.

Lis handed Toland a pair of leather breaches. “Do you think something happened to the
domiscin
?”

“Maybe.” Toland dressed. “The fact that the prisoner is dead, and he’s gone could be a coincidence. He might be walking the woman to the edge of the woods. He promised to escort her from our territory if she chose to leave.”

Lis came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Toland’s waist. He kissed his shoulder. “Are you afraid he will choose to leave with her?”

Toland turned in his lover’s arms. “For you, I would have left everyone and everything behind, if it had been the only way I could stay by your side.”

Lis’s eyes softened. “We’ll find him, Tol. He won’t desert us. Not now.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Where are we going?” Emma asked as Keir dragged her through the forest, an iron grip on her hand.

He was taking her toward the edge of his territory where he had every intention of letting her go her own way. Growling, he shook his head. He couldn’t put his action into words. Especially, since what he really wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder again and race back to his camp to lock her up and prevent her from leaving him. Ever.

“Keir. Keir!”

He turned his head in time to see Emma stumbling forward, her feet caught in the underbrush. Still holding her hand, he yanked her up, lifting her off the ground and into his arms. The breath whooshed from her lungs as their chests collided, and her forehead smacked into his mouth.

“Ow,” he said. He tasted blood on his lips.

Emma slid down his legs, her grip tight on his arms. “You’re very strong.”

“You’re very uncoordinated.”

“Are you calling me klutzy? I’ll have you know, I’m very light on my feet.”

Keir eyeballed the leafy plant she’d just tripped over.  It was witchvine. “I can tell.”

“You were freaking dragging me, you Neanderthal. It’s not the same as walking on your own volition.” She paused for a moment. “You’re bleeding. Are you okay?”

He pulled his knife from its sheath, knelt by the vine and cut it loose from the ground. “This is too rare a find to leave behind.” He stripped off the bright pink leaves and coiled the vine, almost five feet long, in a loop that he tied to his belt.

“What is it?” Emma moved in for a closer look. “It looks like grapevine, except…” She leaned over the picked up the discarded foliage. “I’ve never seen any grapes with this color of leaves?”

Keir peered at her. “You really don’t know what this is?”

She pursed her lips petulantly and balled her fists onto her hips. Her chest swelled with indignation. “I wouldn’t have asked if I did.”

God, she was beautiful! “It’s wallen ivy, but we just call it witchvine or witch trap.”

“Why?”

“Because it can neutralize a witch’s power when they come in contract with it.”

“You guys really take your fantasy play to the extreme.” She shook her head. “How much farther to St. Louis?”

“What is this Saint Louis?”

“Come on. You can quit messing around with me already.”

“How am I messing with you?”

“This world you claim to live in, full of werewolves and witches, it’s not reality.” She dropped the leaves in her hand. “And I really, really need some reality right now. If you can’t help me get to St. Louis, I’d settle for the nearest hint of civilization. Some place preferably with cell phone reception.”

“There is no such place as this Saint Louis,” he snapped. Her ignorance frustrated him. Had a witch psychic tampered with her memory? He hadn’t dealt much with psychics. Their powers were only really effective against the younglings, which is why he forbid them from joining hunts or battles until after their moonrites.

How good was psychic magic when it was used against other witches?

No, he thought.
Emma isn’t a witch
. She couldn’t be one of them. Her blue eyes and golden hair were proof. Besides, she hadn’t shown an ounce of magic. If she were a witch, she would have taken steps to protect herself from the lightning wave. She wouldn’t have touched the witchvine leaves.

Finally, he took her hand. “You honestly believe what you’re saying, don’t you?”

“As I said before, I believe what I can see and feel. Or as the people in Missouri say, show me.”

Keir nodded. He let go of Emma’s hand. “Don’t be afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Me.” He focused his energy into taking his third form, his wolf. He felt every aspect of the shift, from his bones reshaping, his muscles changing, the fur sprouting out of his skin, and his fingers shrinking into clawed paws. When he’d achieved complete transformation, the process only taking seconds, he shook his fur and leveled his gaze on Emma.

She stumbled back but didn’t scream or run. In this form, he was nearly as tall as Emma, so it was to her credit that she managed to speak. “That’s not… You can’t be… I’m in a coma. It’s the only explanation.”

Keir made a whimpering noise because he thought a bark or a growl would scare her. Cautiously, he took a step toward her.

Emma swallowed hard but nodded her head. “Okay,” she said. “This is happening. Jesus.” She held out her hand, and he approached her with slow ease until his muzzle met her fingertips. She jerked her hand back. “That felt real.”

Keir lowered his head to her, and she reached out and put her hand between his ears. After a moment, she stroked the fur on his face.

He blinked.

“I believe you,” she said breathlessly.

He shook himself again, and in a few seconds, he was once again a man standing in front of her. She pressed her hand against his chest.

“Where did your clothes go when you changed?” she asked.

“The witches have their magic, and so do we.” He couldn’t hide his smile when he noted a look of disappointment on her face. “I’m happy to lose my clothing if that will make you happy.”

Emma rolled her eyes, but her lips quirked up at the corners. “Shut up.”

“It’s no problem,” he said. “I’m happy to accommodate your every wish.”

“I bet you are.” Emma picked up her bag. “So, werewolves are real. Freaky.” She looked around. “So, I’m not in Missouri anymore. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yes.”

“Great.” Her exasperated tone pleased him. It meant she really did believe. “How in the hell did I get here?”

Keir shrugged. “That is the question.”

“Yeah, it is.” Her gaze snapped up, and their eyes met.

****

A million thoughts raced through Emma’s mind. The sun had started to rise, and with it, a dense fog rolled in.

Keir nodded toward the diaphanous mist heading their way. “This happens every morning. It will not last long.”

Emma rubbed her upper arms. The thin material of her shirt did little to keep her warm. “Do you think we can have a fire?”

“I didn’t bring a fire starter with me.”

“You’d never make it as a boy scout.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a disposable lighter.

“What is that?”

“My own brand of magic.” Emma struck the ignitor, and a tiny flame danced around the small horseshoe opening. “Ta dah.”

Keir’s expression soured. “So you are a witch? An elemental.”

“No.” Emma scoured the landscape for dry twigs. “Just prepared.”

“I’ve seen elementals create fire from nothing. If you can do this as well, it proves you are one of them.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake. If I’m one, then so are you.” She shoved the lighter into his hand. “Press the safety button on the front, then spin the wheel with your thumb, and hold down on the lever below it to keep the fire going.”

Keir examined the lighter as if examining poisonous snake. Wary-eyed and with a healthy dose of respect.

“Just do it,” Emma encouraged.

Keir struck the lighter wheel. Sparks flew, and he dropped the lighter. Emma picked it up and handed it to him.

“Again,” she said. “This time, don’t let go.”

Keir second attempt was successful. He stared at the orange flame for several long seconds. Occasionally, he would open his mouth as if to speak, but then he’d shake his head. He seemed mesmerized, almost hypnotized by the fire.

“This is truly amazing. I’ve manifested fire.”

“Watch out,” Emma said. “People might think you’re a witch.”

Keir let go of the trigger and the fire sputtered out. “You’re not funny.”

“I kinda am.” The heavy morning haze surrounded them now. Emma shivered. “I hope you’re right about this not lasting long. It’s giving me the serious heebie-jeebies.”

“It’s quite harmless,” Keir said as he stepped closer to Emma. He put his hands on her shoulders and stroked his palms down her arms. The warmth of his hands seeped into her weary bones. “What is your plan now, Emma?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. If I can’t get back to St. Louis, or to my own…world, for lack of a better word, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“You can come back with me. Be my mate.”

“Do the females here actually fall for that ‘be my mate’ line?”

“There is only one mate for a werewolf. You are mine.”

“Oh.” Emma didn’t really understand any of this. She was still struggling to believe she wasn’t in Missouri anymore. She’d seen Keir’s transformation, felt his soft fur under her fingertips. Even so, her brain wanted to find ways to explain it all away. Other than the lightning when she’d first entered this place, she hadn’t seen any evidence of witchcraft. It made her want to rationalize the shapeshifting as another hallucination. Only Keir was real.

“Right now, I’d like to get off my feet. Rest for a while, maybe eat something. You didn’t happen to bring any power bars with you.”

“I don’t know what these power bars are.” He pulled his knife once again from his belt. “But food, I can provide.”

“I’ll think better on a full stomach.” Impulsively, she rose on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. “Thanks.”

A flush of pleasure colored his cheeks. “I’m happy to be of service.”

While Keir disappeared into the woods to hunt, Emma scissor sat on the ground with her ankles crossed. She checked her dying cell phone one more time. No service. Could this all be happening? The coma theory seemed more and more plausible.

****

Renald was back in the early morning hours. “Their
domiscin
is gone. He’s left the camp. None of his warriors know where he’s gone. He didn’t even inform his second and third of his departure.”

“Is he alone?”

“No.” Renald shook his head fiercely. “He is with a woman. Not wolfkind.”

“A witch?”

“No, Sister Tia. She isn’t a witch either.”

“Not possible,” Tia said.

“This is what my informant has told me.”

Tia waved off the nonsensical part of the information. “Keir D’San is defenseless.”

“His people will be searching for him, and they have the advantage of scent tracking.”

“Gather your best elementals.”

“That will be difficult, considering how many died on our last outing.”

“Do not fail me, Ren. Not when we are so close.” She stroked her fingers through his shoulder length black hair. His gray eyes pale with power. His energy sang through her body. “Not when I need you the most.”

“I won’t fail you, Tia.”

She smiled. “Thank you, dear one. Take a few spiritualists with you. They might not add to the fight, but they can add to the collective magic. Use wind and fire to burn away any trace of Keir D’San and the woman. Find them. Trap them. Bring Keir to me.”

“And the woman?”

“If she is useful in subduing the
domiscin
, bring her in as well. Remember, though, he is the first priority.”

“Yes.” Renald’s expression softened. “I would do anything to please you.”

Tia nodded. Renald was in love with her. He had been since before their
naming
. When Tia had developed elemental magic, and Renald had developed spirit magic, they’d been separated into their respective disciplines. It had only been the last year that they’d reunited. In her own way, she cared very deeply for Renald. “I know you would and you do, Ren. You do. Now go, before the queen awakens.”

****

Twilight had always been Keir’s favorite time of day. The way the sun penetrated through the densely forested woods created a masterpiece of vibrant colors full of light and shade. Already, the fog was burning off as the rising temperature began to warm the air around him. However, in all his years, he’d never felt so uplifted by the change from night to day. Emma’s influence, he mused.

He could still smell her scent, a mixture of strawberries and lilacs, though how she could smell like both astounded him. She hadn’t agreed to be his mate, but she hadn’t said no either. Her silence on the subject gave him hope. Illogically, he hunted with great enthusiasm, eager to provide Emma with a meal, as if filling her belly would somehow make her realize she couldn’t live without him. He knew his logic was flawed, so when he’d spotted the elk, he ignored the large beast and set his sights on a rabbit.

He shifted to wolf form and automatically pawed at the ground. He watched the small beast nibble at the dense spikes of a white clover flower. In his animal form, he could smell the sweetness every bite released. He waited. If this was to be the small creature’s last meal, let it be one of peace and tranquility. A warm morning breeze kicked up, an anomaly in the deeper parts of the forest. The wind blew low, disturbing his fur. He noted that the leaves in the trees barely rustled. After a few minutes had passed, the smell of sweet clover disappeared. Keir deeply inhaled, his nostrils flaring. Nothing. Not even the scent of the rabbit less than forty feet away lingered on the air. He yawned, trying to taste any traces in the wind. Again, nothing.