Page 45 of Rejected Nanny Mate
“Thank you,” I replied, grateful that I wouldn't be dripping wet and cold while I held my daughter. Gwen turned and hurried out of the room, and I watched the woman on the couch for a moment. She looked so fragile, and her breathing was still labored, though at least she was in the warm house now. I'd never seen her before, but something about her energy felt weirdly familiar.
When Gwen came back into the room, she took a deep breath and sat down by the woman's head. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”
She reached out, laying a hand on the girl's forehead. Her eyes closed as she concentrated, and after a few moments, I felt a slight shift in the air. A soft pink glow emanated from thewoman's head where Gwen touched her, and I held my breath, hoping that it was enough to wake her up.
“It's wrapped around her like...like a snake,” Gwen gritted out, “And there's something else...another spell...got it!”
The woman didn't wake up, but her features started to blur, and suddenly, the veil of a spell I hadn't noticed before started to fall away. Her bone-white hair darkened to almost black, her pale skin deepened, and her wide lips took on a dusky red hue. The stranger's face changed, and the scent of magic shifted with it.
“Wait,” I said, sitting forward. “I know her.”
Gwen's eyes flew open, and the spell stopped. She looked down at the woman, then back at me. “You do?”
“Yeah.” I leaned forward, studying the woman's face, and it was just enough to trigger a memory. “I met her two towns over, maybe a year and a half ago...keep healing her, Gwen. Please.”
Gwen looked unsettled, but after a moment, she did as I asked, and the woman's features settled. With that, Gwen poured even more power into her, trying to bring her back to consciousness as I tried to piece together exactly where I knew her from.
As soon as it all clicked for me and I finally placed her, I opened my mouth to tell Gwen to stop, to leave her asleep, but it was too late. The woman gasped, her eyes flying open, and they were an impossibly bright shade of blue. She pushed herself up, eyes darting around until they finally landed on me, and her gaze went panicked. “Joe. Where is our daughter?”
Chapter 16 - Gwen
After the woman spoke, the room went deadly silent, but it still felt so, so loud.
Where is our daughter?
Rose looked so much like Joe that I hadn't noticed it when the woman's glamour magic had first faded, but in the shockwave of her question, I quickly searched for face and saw the echoes of the beautiful baby that I had been caring for. It was in her slightly upturned nose, her bow-shaped lips, and the shape of her eyes.
I sat there, stunned, feeling like I'd been punched in the gut. Joe was the father of this woman's child. His ex-girlfriend or fling or whatever she was. Why did this revelation hurt so badly? I knew that this woman existed, but knowing and being in the presence of her were two totally different things.
I glanced at Joe, but his gaze was locked on the woman, who was still sprawled across the couch, a hand pressed to her head. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter and filled with confusion. “What happened to me?”
“Mia,” Joe said with no hesitation. He'd had no idea who Rose's mother was, but now that she was here in his home, he suddenly was confident. It twisted the knife in my gut even more. “The magic surge attacked you.”
Mia sat up straighter, pressing a hand to her forehead and wincing. “I don't know what that means.”
“It's something that's been happening in my territory. I can explain it later. But why were you here, and in disguise?” Before she could answer, Joe looked over his shoulder at me,“Gwen, can you get Mia something to drink and maybe some medicine for her headache?”
I opened my mouth to speak, but realized there were tears on my face. Joe looked surprised at my reaction, then he reached out to me, and I stepped back. The hurt on his face made me feel worse, but I couldn't stand being close to him right now. It made everything so much more real. “Yeah,” I said, sniffling. “I'll be right back.”
I hurried out of the room and into the kitchen, feeling like I was going to be sick. My body wanted me to curl up in bed and cry for the rest of the night, but my brain was racing through all of the implications of Mia's presence. I got the water and the medicine, and by the time I had returned, I'd dried my face and composed my features. When Joe looked at me questioningly, I just shook my head, telling him wordlessly not to worry about me.
Mia had apparently explained quite a bit in the short time I'd been gone, and she continued after she took her pills. Mia was part of a smaller pack about a hundred miles away, and the Alpha had lost his mind, and his illness was slowly poisoning the pack from the inside out. It was very toxic, and terrible for the she-wolves in the pack. Mia wasn't ready to give up on her family, but she knew she had to do something to keep Rose safe, so she'd left her on Joe's doorstep.
But the Alpha had been enraged that she'd escaped and taken Rose to safety, and Mia had been punished over and over for it. Two nights ago, Mia had cast a spell circle, disguised herself with a powerful glamor, and came back to Brokenclaw territory to beg Joe for asylum from her awful pack.
Of course, Mia was a witch, and apparently a powerful one if she was able to cast a multi-day glamor. The jealousy inme only continued to grow, but I kept my expression neutral. Joe was listening to her intently, his face grave. When she finished speaking, he shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair.
“Damn. That's...that's awful, Mia. I'm so sorry.”
“I'm just glad to be safe.” Mia's blue eyes found me, and I could feel the weight of her gaze. She was obviously suspicious of me, and I wondered if she could tell that I'd been intimate with Joe. “If you don't want me to stay, I understand, but I missed Rose so terribly, I just had to try and see her again before things got worse. You understand, don't you?”
“Of course I do,” Joe said. He looked down the hallway to where the nursery was, and I knew exactly what he was about to ask me. I sighed and went to wake the baby up before he could tell me to do so. It stung less if I could pretend it was my choice, rather than something I was doing because Joe wanted me to.
Rose was still half asleep and flushed when I brought her out to the living room, rubbing her eyes and leaning her head on my shoulder. Mia made a sound halfway between a gasp and a sob and jumped up to take the baby out of my arms, and despite a part of me wanting to hold on, I released her and let her mother scoop her up.
“My Rose,” Mia murmured, rocking her back and forth. “I missed you so much.”
“Why don't we all go sit down?” Joe suggested, putting a hand on Mia's shoulder. “And we can talk.”
