Page 35 of Warmongers and Wands
Sylvie and Ophelia said their goodbyes, both kissing me on my cheek and telling me they’d check in every few days. Six sisters. That was going to be a whole lot of checking in. I fully expected that even Babylon would make a special trip back to Accident just to make sure I was okay, and she generally only came home for Sunday family dinner.
After they left, I turned to my elder sister. “You know, we really need to address the eight-hundred-pound werewolf in the room.”
“Dallas isn’t that fat,” she joked. Actually, Dallas wasn’t fat at all. Very few of the werewolves carried any extra weight. There was a lot of social pressure in the pack to look like you spent most of your day at the gym or running through the woods on four legs.
“I mean it, Cassie. They know we’re here. Hadur said they avoid this area, probably not wanting to become another pelt on the bed, so they know he’s here. Dallas sent Stanley down to get me, so they know I’m here. They’re werewolves. They’ve got an insane sense of smell and they’re territorial. They knew the moment you all drove up here yesterday to look for me. They know you’re staying here in the cabin. They probably knew the moment Sylvie and Ophelia left.”
“Good. Maybe they’ll know not to mess with you again.” Cassie folded her arms across her chest, a stubborn set to her jaw. “Two witches and a demon? And Lucien pacing my floor back home eager to beat the crap out of anyone? They won’t dare mess with us.”
Maybe. Maybe not. An entire pack of werewolves—well, a pack minus the dozen or so that Clinton had in his splinter pack—wasn’t an easy win even with two witches and possibly two demons. They had numbers on their side and even with demon assistance, we could only do so much. If they hit us hard and fast, there was a good chance we’d be dead before Lucien or our sisters could reach us.
Grief over my death would have shattered the family emotionally. Grief plus the loss of Cassie, the strongest witch the town had seen since Temperance Perkins, would mean the werewolves or other supernaturals who wanted to run things their way in Accident would be unchecked.
“Cassie, we’re more vulnerable with you here then with you in the town,” I told her. “Go up to the compound. Tell Dallas about the brakes on my truck being messed with. Put him on notice that I’m here and that any attempt to harm me or ‘rescue’ me will be considered an act of war. Tell him any move against me and Hadur will not only result in the entire supernatural community of Accident including six witches coming down on him, it will result in the entire pack’s expulsion from the protections of the town. No more mountain. No more pack. They’d need to try to live under the radar among the humans with the constant threat that they’d be hunted down and executed.”
Cassie shook her head. “He’ll deny they had anything to do with your truck. He’ll be offended I’d even suggest such a thing, insist with wide-eyes that he sent Stanley to rescue you from the big bad demon. Then he’ll pinch my ass and try to grope my boobs.”
She was right. But I was right, too.
“Of course he’ll deny it, but he’ll know that you know.”
“And I’ll know that he knows that I know.”
“And he’ll know that,” I pointed out with a grin. “Put him on notice. Then go back to Lucien before he wears out your floors worrying about you. You guys can check on me every day or so, but you can’t stay here. You’re driving me nuts. You’re driving Hadur nuts. And my best bet for safety is not your presence, but the fear of a harsh reprisal if anything happens to me.”
She sighed. “Fine. Honestly, I need to get out of here anyway. I’ve got cases at work. And Lucien. And I really don’t want to see you and that demon using whatever sex toys Sylvie brought in that bag.”
“Go talk to Dallas, then come back and let me know what happened. Then go home.”
She nodded and stood. “Okay. You get your way. I’m not happy about leaving you here alone, and I’m definitely not happy about leaving you here with that demon, but you’re a grown woman. And what you said does make sense.”
“I’m the smartest one of the family,” I told her. “So go. Do as I say.”
She grinned. “Fine. And you might be smart about this stuff, but not about romance. I’m worried about you, Wynnie. Be careful. That demon is dangerous, and for all your sass and swagger, you’re too sweet and trusting. Don’t let good sex make you ignore all the red flags. Guard your heart. I don’t know that I trust that demon out there. Be careful.”
She might not trust that demon, but I did. “I’ll be careful,” I assured her, knowing full well that I’d already made my decision about Hadur.
I dove right into the genealogy and the diaries as soon as Cassie left, only glancing up when Hadur returned to the cabin.
“I thought maybe my sisters had scared you back to hell,” I teased him.
“Trust me, if I could have run away, I probably would have.” He came over to the table, then stopped to survey Ophelia’s handiwork on my leg.
“I can get in and out of bed on my own and hobble around the cabin,” I told him. “Although I still might insist that you carry me from time to time, just for the romance of it all.”
“I live to serve, my witch.”
The words still sent a thrill through me, even though they’d changed. Hadur had originally delivered the statement in a voice of desperation with a vow of servitude. Now they seemed teasing, sexy, less about him being my obedient demon and more about him being my partner.
I liked that. I wanted that. Although the other thing still made for some fun sexy-times fantasies.
“It’s very pink.” He knelt down to touch the cast.
“I know. Ophelia’s quite the comedienne sometimes. Wanna sign it?” I grabbed a Sharpie off the table and handed it to him. “You write your name, or some funny saying, or draw a picture. It’s traditional when someone has a cast.”
He uncapped the marker and drew a sigil. Then, with a grin, he encircled it with a heart.
“Is that you?” I asked.
