Page 12 of Hidden Magic

Chapter Six

It took some organizational skills and the help of many people at Sanctuary to make it happen, but Brant was now ready to bring Kat to their little cabin in the woods. Sera had said that a familiar setting would help, and that’s what he was going to do. It was the one place that she knew well, laughed in, made love with him, and he intended to use those buried memories to his advantage.

For that, he needed to be solely focused on her and he’d asked if anyone would be willing to make rounds around the cabin, day and night for their protection. He was astounded and humbled when so many of his fellow Sentinels volunteered.

As he turned onto the small dirt road, his Kat silent and sightless beside him, he decided to follow Valeria’s advice and not dwell on what was.

When the small wooden cabin came into view, he felt something from Kat. Her body didn’t move or twitch, but it was as if her being recognized the place. Or was he losing his marbles before the real work even started?

Parking his car, he hopped out to open Kat’s door. Then, he remembered one piece of advice from Sera. To talk to her, to let Kat hear his voice. Brant didn’t like to talk, he never knew what to say. The beast within preferred to express himself through his actions, but for Kat, he would do anything.

“Hey, sweetheart, we’re home! Isn’t it great? I’m sure you’re happy about it. I’m too tired to move from one place to another. Especially the hospital, that place stinks. And you know the kind of nose I have.”

The lack of response almost made him drop his smile, but he carried on. Gently, he led her like an automated doll inside the cabin. Thanks to his friends, the fire was already blazing in the hearth, he could see food on the counter, and flowers on the table. On the couch were comforters he had seen at Sanctuary. He was touched by their concern and that bolstered his spirits.

Once Kat was sitting at the table, Brant started to see what he could make for supper. Far from being talented in the kitchen, he decided to do something warm for her. Opening a soup can was easy, warming it should be too. He had seen others doing it. Or was it on TV?

“Give me a minute, and I’ll have it ready. You must be hungry. I know you normally do the cooking around here, but I’m game.” His optimism faltered when he turned his back on her. Her eyes, as well as her face, were expressionless. He missed her smile so much and the light that surrounded her when she laughed.

Brant found a small pot that in his opinion would be enough for the can. He placed it on the stove and turned all the knobs before he finally felt the right coil start to heat. It took a few more trials and errors before he finally shut down all the others and placed the pot over it.

Now with the can in his hand, he tried to remember what Kat did to open the metal container. He remembered her doing soup, also opening different kinds of cans, but had to admit he was usually admiring her well-rounded ass, not looking at what she was doing.

Opening and closing all the drawers successively, frustration started to mount. There had to be an implement in there capable of opening the can. Kat never seemed to struggle with anything in the kitchen, so there had to be a way. Picking the implements one by one from the drawer and putting them against the round lid, it took a couple more seconds to detect the smell of something burning that wasn’t wood.

Still struggling, it wasn’t the smell that made Brant turn, but a sound. Kat. Before he realized it, a cry came from her lips, breaking the relative silence. He barely had time to react when he saw her run past, grab a dish towel and throw the burning pot into the sink, before turning the tap on.

Steam billowed, but Brant couldn’t move. From the moment they had found her in the attic, to this instant, it was the first movement Kat had done on her own. Her eyes were still white, and she stood before the sink without moving, but there in front of him, he had confirmation that his Kat was still there, and he was ready to move heaven and earth to get her back.

* * *

The rest of the day went without any change in Kat, at least not to human eyes. The lynx inside him was detecting more and more subtle signs of progress in her. Nothing that confirmed she was coming back, more how she wasn’t as stoic as everybody thought. Maybe it had been there before, but with the stress, the people around, the staff at the hospital and his own worry about her, he’d probably missed the signs.

It was how her body relaxed when they both sat on the couch in front of the fire. Something they had done so many times before when they’d met at the cabin in secrecy. When her head always tilted to where he was standing in the room, never a direct stare, but a hint that she was attuned to him.

Not wanting to push her too far, and seriously doubting his culinary skills, especially after the lunch incident, Brant only made sandwiches for supper. Though, to be honest, he was tempted to test her again.

He was still debating that idea, when he felt Kat tense a split second before someone knocked at the door. Heading back into the living room, Brant relaxed immediately as he sensed Ian on the other side.

“It’s my friend, darling. Nothing to worry about.” With a final pat on her hand, he went to answer the door.

Ian was standing in the cold, the wind picking up in the night, but as all shifters, he didn’t seem to notice it.

“All is good in here?”

Brant gestured for him to enter. “Yeah. And you?”

“Just wanted to tell you that there are a couple of us out here keeping an eye on things, the daytime team has gone, and new guys are out there. I’ll be one of them. Nothing to worry about so far. And also, I wanted to give you an update from Hunter. He came to Sanctuary earlier and shared some information. He didn’t want to come here and disturb you, he understands too well that you are only focusing on Kat and her welfare. He may be human, but he has seen a lot of our world, and helped us so much. And suffered for it, too.”

Brant saw the change in Ian’s face, as if he’d realized he’d said too much and wanted to change the subject. “Any improvement?”

“Maybe. She reacted when I wanted to make soup and left an empty pot on the stove. Jumped right out her chair and threw it in the sink. Even turned on the tap.”

Ian looked at Kat and back at him. “Did she say anything after that? And her eyes?”

Brant brought up the sequence in his mind. “I don’t remember seeing her eyes ... but you have a point. Maybe it was a sign that she’s battling to come out of this.”

“Man, you have to think about that and find ways to trigger her.”

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