Page 25 of Witch's Exile
11
Deja
"You didn't know you were a witch?" Astrid's eyes, wide with bewilderment, caught mine as she refilled my cup of blackberry wine. "How could you not know?"
"I was raised with ordinary humans," I explained, taking a sip of the tart, sweet beverage. "After my mother died, I was adopted out. They never encouraged my magic and worked to ensure I never knew it existed." Of course there was a lot more back story than that, but I didn't want to overload her with information.
"I'm sorry," she said solemnly. "My mom died too when I was just a kit. Killed by a hunter." She took a long swig of wine. "It still fills me with rage to think of her beautiful red pelt as some human's fucking decoration."
"I'm sorry." I reached for her hand. "If it's any consolation, at least you weren't forced to go against your nature. You knew who you were from day one."
She smiled humorlessly. "I used to hate being a shifter as a kid and teenager, you know? I never fit in with the human kids. I couldn't make friends except with other shifters, and there are few enough of us as it is." She tossed a flaming red lock of hair over her shoulder. "But now I know. We're human and animal, which makes us twice as strong as any regular human. If they're too scared and narrow minded to embrace us in society, that's their own damn problem. Doesn't mean there's something wrong with us. We're perfect as we are."
"Amen," I said, clinking my cup against hers.
She lifted her chin, looking across the cooking fire to where Sal talked to Jacob in a low voice. From the way the boy's blue eyes lit up, my demon was telling him some story about a battle from centuries back.
"I want him to grow up knowing he's perfect," Astrid said softly. "I don't want him to go through the pain that I did-- thinking for years that something was wrong with me."
"You're doing a great job," I told her. "I mean, this operation you're running is an amazing thing to show him what you can do for others. How many shifters do you get through here?"
"Depends on the season," she answered. "It's usually feast or famine. Around spring, we're usually filled up. Too many youngsters out sniffing newborn prey or mating for the first time without being careful. If someone kills a beloved pet or one human witnesses a shift, they're done for. Humans won’t stop until our heads are mounted on walls."
"What kinds of shifters are there?" I was burning with curiosity about her kind.
"How many animals are there?" she answered with a smile. "We see lots of canidae and felines. Horses occasionally. Some birds of prey. Some just general prey like elk and rabbit. I feel sorry for those bastards, hunted by everyone." She took another long swig of wine. "But when someone comes here needing protection, we have a strict no hunting, no fighting policy. Everyone is equal here, either seeking help or working to provide it for our brethren."
"That's wonderful," I breathed, wishing there was something similar between witches and demons. A community where we could all lean on and trust each other. If humans gave us trouble we'd be a united front, not pointing fingers at our neighbors.
"Are your mates foxes too?"
"Only one is, Conan." She looked fondly at Jacob, still enthralled by Sal's storytelling. "Chase is a golden eagle and Orion is a wolf."
"That's so cool!" I giggled, my head now buzzing pleasantly from the wine. "Talk about diversity."
"It's never a dull moment." Astrid wiggled her eyebrows and slapped my knee playfully. "Well, you should know with three of your own."
"Got that right." I chuckled, trying to ignore the tightening in my chest. When would the day come that all four of us would be carefree and happy again? Those two days between my coven ceremony and shadow lessons with Seth, spending every moment I could with the men who owned three equal pieces of my heart, was absolute heaven.
And Seth. I still couldn't wrap my head around how he played into this. He warned me about the hunters and told me how to capture Air. If it weren't for him, I might not be alive right now. Why would he help us? Hopefully Ash was finding that out.
"Where are your other two?" Astrid asked the question in a gentle voice, indicating I didn't have to answer.
"One is taking care of some business. He'll be back soon," I answered. "The other... we had an argument a few days ago and we haven't really spoken since. Things are a little tense between us right now."
She nodded sympathetically. "It's hard as hell keeping three people happy. And when one does something to upset you, you feel like an ungrateful bitch because the other two are right there for you to lean on."
"Yes, exactly," I sighed. "But it's just not the same. I miss him. How he makes me feel. The connection with each of them is so unique. It's not just replacing one warm body with another."
"Coupled partners don't understand it," Astrid agreed. "Yes, the sex is amazing and wild, you feel like a pampered princess sometimes, but it's at least three times harder when things are bad."
"Yep." I drained my second glass of wine, hoping I'd be able to eat soon. "But I still love all three of those sons of bitches anyway."
Astrid threw her head back and laughed so hard, Sal and Jacob fell silent to look at us.
"It's always hilarious to me when non-shifters use that expression." She wiped at her eyes, still giggling.
We talked until the late afternoon sun created long, stripey shadows across the yurt campsite. Sal came over to sit behind me and be my pillow while Jacob snuggled into his mom's side. We laced our fingers at my belly, thinking of our own child as we watched the two foxes interact. It filled my heart with warmth and hope for the future.
