Page 25 of Witch Undecided
“Me too,” he said. “Cozy.”
“Yeah.”
He turned to face me, drying his hands on a tea towel. “We can stay here for a little longer if you want.”
I sighed. “If we do that, I might not want to move.” I smiled up at him. “We’ll shift to the big house whenever the bed gets here.”
He glanced up at the clock. “Look, I have some pack business to attend to; do you want to come with?” He shrugged a huge shoulder. “Mana isn’t as formal as Vita. No lunches or charity events.” His eyes darkened. “My mother passed a few years ago, but my aunt would like to meet you. It would be good for the other pack members to familiarize themselves with your scent.”
“Sure, I’d like that.” I pushed back my seat and stood. “But first I need to check on Wren. I couldn’t find him earlier. I’m worried.”
“I’ll be leaving in an hour,” he said.
“I’ll be back by then.”
I didn’t get far from the cabin when I spotted the redheaded witch Justine and her friend Kel headed my way. And clinging to Justine’s shoulder was a cute furry figure.
“Cora!” Wren leapt off the witch and bounded toward me.
“Wren, buddy.”
He clambered up my leg and wrapped his arms around my neck in a fierce hug. “Wren missed Cora.”
“I missed you too.” I stroked his back. “I came looking for you earlier.”
“Wren was hungry. Dottie fed Wren.”
Justine and Kel approached.
“Thanks for bringing him to me.”
“No problem.” Justine’s gaze slipped over my shoulder down the path toward the cabin.
It struck me that they’d probably never seen the place before. “You guys want to come in for a quick cuppa before heading back?”
Kel looked wistful. “We’d love to, but we have to get back. Sloane’s ordered extra training for all the witches for the next week.”
“It’s for the best,” Justine said. “Brie’s death and the tests we’ve all undergone show we’ve become complacent. We need to train regularly to keep our senses sharp. Wielding miasma doesn’t come easily to every witch. Some of us have to work at it constantly.” She locked gazes with me. “Is it true what they’re saying?”
“I’m not sure…What are they saying?”
“That you’re the new Elite?”
Ah, crap. This was Brie’s cousin, the witch they’d expected would step into her shoes.
No point beating around the bush, though. “Yeah. I am.”
She nodded curtly. “I’m glad we found someone. But I need to know that you’ll do the role justice. It’s an important duty. Not a side gig. You have epic shoes to fill.”
“Justine!” Kel looked horrified. “I’m so sorry, Cora, she didn’t mean that.”
But my gaze was still locked with Justine’s. Yeah, she’d meant it, and I respected that. “No need to be sorry. I get it, Justine. Brie was an amazingly talented witch, and she fulfilled an essential role, because that’s what The Elites are …essentialfor the protection of humanity. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to protect humanity, and I promise I don’t take this responsibility lightly.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “Thank you. And if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
They left me with Wren and headed back the way they’d come.
“Cora,” Wren said softly. “Wren hungry.”
