Page 30 of Witch Undecided
Chapter Nine
Agroup of children were gathered around the Rover, peering in through the windows.
Wren.
Of course.
They backed away as I approached. “What is it?” the smallest of the group asked.
“Can I pet it?” another asked.
I couldn’t blame them for being intrigued by the living teddy bear in the back of the car. “His name’s Wren. He’s a mogwai and it’s up to him whether he wants to be petted or not.”
Wren stirred and sat up, eyes pinging wide open. The kids broke into a series of oohs and ahs.
Cuteness overload was a thing. I unlocked the door and Wren scrambled into my arms.
“Wren didn’t mean to fall asleep,” he said.
“So cute!”
“I want one.”
“Can I hold him?”
Wren seemed to notice the children for the first time. His body tensed and he shrank against me. “No childrensies.”
“Wren?”
He snuggled into me, body trembling. “No more childrensies.”
“Is he scared?” the little one asked. “We won’t hurt you.”
Wren peeked down at her. “Wren doesn’t want to sing.”
Oh shit. He’d spent goodness knows how long working for Merkle to capture children with his song. No doubt he’d been mistreated by Merkle too. These children were a reminder of that.
“Hey, Wren, buddy. It’s okay. You’re safe. The children are safe. Merkle’s gone forever, remember. He can’t hurt them, and he can’t hurt you. Ever.”
Wren lifted his chin and looked up at me with round, teary eyes. “Merkle’s gone.”
“Uh-huh.”
“No more childrensies to sing to.”
“Nope.”
“Is he okay?” the smallest child asked.
Wren looked down at her but kept a tight grip on me. “Wren okay, little childrensies. Maybe next time Wren play, but not today.” He shook his head. “Not today.”
The children looked past me and then dispersed, running toward various cabins. I didn’t need to glance over my shoulder to know Tor had joined us. His scent and the frisson of excitement racing up my back told me he was there.
“On a scale of one to ten, how pissed are you right now?” he asked in his rumbling, sexy voice.
I sighed and faced him. “Zero.”
His brows shot up.
