Page 29 of Witch Unbound
I breathe through my mouth. “Sloane, you need to back up.”
She steps forward, lifting her chin to glare at me. “Or what, big guy? What the fuck you gonna do?”
I take a step back.
“Sloane, calm down.” I bite out the words, keeping a tight leash on my beast.
Her eyes narrow and she bares her teeth, fangs sliding out of her gums with a snick. A low growl emanates from her mouth.
She’s about to attack.
I’m forced to lock my limbs to prevent myself from attacking first. Sloane isn’t just a witch, she has a beast of her own to deal with, one she needs time to master, and I’ve foolishly prodded it awake. I need to help her get it under control.
I hold up my hands placatingly. “Sloane, we’re friends. Good friends, but right now you’re not yourself. We can talk about all of this when you’re calm.”
“About what, Tor? About the fact I feel sick to my stomach that I have to feed off the living? About the fact that Cora’s blood is like nectar and I didn’t want to stop. Fuck, I could have drunk her dry, and—” She balks, hand coming up to cover her mouth.
My chest tightens. “But you didn’t.”
She’s breathing heavier now, eyes wide, as if battling some inner turmoil. She senses it, realizes her beast is trying to take control.
“It’s okay, Sloane. It’s okay to care about her.” I keep my tone calm and even, and the timbre soothes my own beast. “Just breathe and come back to me.”
She focuses on me and slowly lowers her hand.
“Tor…” She squeezes her eyes shut.
“It’s okay. You’ve got this. You’re in control.”
She nods and regulates her breathing. The fangs retract and she sags. “Fuck.”
“I’m sorry, Slo, I didn’t—”
The summer house door is flung open and Cora rushes in, followed by Leif. She grinds to a halt in the middle of the room and stares from me to Sloane and back again.
“You’re okay?” she asks.
Sloane and I lock gazes and an understanding passes between us. The beast is something that we share, and it’s something I’ll need to help her learn to control. Especially if she’s to be with Cora.
“Yeah, Cora, we’re fine.”
For now.
Chapter Eight
CORA
With the Order having gone to ground after our raid on their club, our main focus was Razor Smile, but Elijah and the other coven witches had that under control. Poppy and Jessie were helping in the search, and Sloane was busy figuring out how to control her hunger, with Tor’s help. Rune was on Wren duty, and Leif was on patrol, which meant if I was going to go after Jasper, now was the time, before some new bloody threat raised its head and became a priority I couldn’t ignore.
Bramble and I made our way through Grimswood Manor, avoiding ghosts as they hung holly, wreaths, and fairy lights.
Shit…was it that close to Christmas?
“Only three and a half weeks away.” Bramble clapped her hands with glee, looking like an excited child. “Cora, you are gonna love it. No one does Yuletide like the coven. There’s feasting, music, and dancing. It starts a whole week before. It’s a shame the packs can’t enjoy it.”
“Why’s that?”
“The damn varga activity is fierce in the lead-up to Yule, but even worse, for the three nights directly preceding Yule, the varga run free. It’s the only time of the year where the rules don’t seem to apply. The packs usually patrol non-stop. Last year two humans were killed close to the town and the Magiguard had to step in to help clean up.” She sighed. “Yule isn’t a time of celebration for the packs, it’s a time of vigilance.”
