Page 7 of WitchCurse
I groaned and struggled to sit up. Nick put the plate down on my tray and slid forward to help me perch against the wall. Once I was sitting, he slipped the tray onto my lap and waited.
Mortal food took strange shapes. Sebastian tugged at the bottom of his shirt, a nervous gesture. “I tried to make it ordinary. But Robin won’t answer my questions about what the fae actually ate. Seems strange to put something shaped like a person on the plate.” He waved his hands at it. “So, a bit of chicken and broccoli? Cake for dessert? I kept the spice level down…”
It didn’t matter at all the shape. But I took knowledge from Nick on how it was eaten, cut the chicken, mix with a bit of vegetable, and eat. I’d have flinched when it touched my lips if I thought it wouldn’t alarm them both. The flavor strange. Not unpleasant. There was no small bit of magic to the dish either. More like the fox had thrown everything he could into it.
I ate slowly, their gaze far too intense for my liking. But Nick sat beside me and cut into the cake. He’d developed quite the fondness for the sweets the fox could create. Even wandered to their bakery often, returning with boxes of things that smelled of sugar and decadence.
Mortal food tasted bland, or muted, only laced with magic was it bursting with flavor. Part of the dying curse or my genetics?
Nick held out a bite of cake. “Would you like to try it?”
I would not reveal its ash taste in front of the fox. He was far too easily hurt by small things. The fox’s mate indicated it was from a troubled childhood. I thought that a bit strange as it compared little to my own youth of battles and cages. But the earthen realm produced much simpler beings. Not weak, I thought staring at Nick and his resolve, but different.
“I made it for you guys. Liam helped a lot.” Seb added. He set the bag on the floor and opened it, pulling out a big cake container, and a handful of books. “And some new books that one of the wolf packs sent. Fae stuff. You might already have them…”
“There’s a touch of magic in the cake,” Nick said still holding out the bite.
Had I not eaten enough of the fox’s magic? But since Nick asked, I opened my mouth and let him feed me that bite. Not a touch. I frowned at my scion who gave me a slight shake of his head. A warning. Crafty was Nick. Respectful, wise, and yet very devious. More than a touch. How much had the wolf helped? He’d become a bit of a wizard with his ability to adapt to the mixed magic he shared with his mate, and this felt…self-indulgent.
“Robin created some of the ingredients,” Seb offered. Puck magic added to the strength of the new realm lords? Indulgent indeed.
The flavor of the cake was rich and decadent, not a familiar one as I couldn’t recall anything in Underhill that resembled chocolate. The intensity of the magic, as though it had been triple concentrated, was like the days of old suddenly burning into my senses. The sort of delight a dying fae might become addicted to.
I swallowed hard, glaring at Nick as he devoured the cake, feeding me the energy through our bond as if it were nothing. We’d talk about that later.
Sebastian stared at me, waiting.
“The food was delightful,” I said.
“Thank you,” Nick told him. I cringed, hating those words as they created a mild bond of magic. Not that the fox or his wolf ever seemed to draw on that tie. They were not words I would ever utter to another fae.
“Anyway,” Sebastian said. “I’ll leave the rest of the cake. And these books aren’t in a language I speak. Liam said it’s an old fae language.”
“I’ll look them over. Add them to the library if that’s okay,” Nick said picking up the first tome. It was huge and very old. The outside almost appeared to be the skin of an old wyac, which had been extinct for a couple thousand years. But I wouldn’t tell them that as both seemed to be a bit hesitant about handling things that dark.
Nick met my gaze, and probably caught my thoughts. I locked them down tighter, which made him frown. The meal had warmed me a little, the pulse of magic slowly spreading through my body. Mayhap it weakened my shields. I would have to work on that. I kept my glamour up, hiding the worst of the rot and dying flesh, and the gray shade beneath muted by magic.
“Sure,” Seb said, getting up. He let his gaze roam the interior of the camper. It still smelled of him. The wards around it strong, though a bit haphazard. In a hundred years he and his mate would be some of the most powerful creatures in all the dimensions. Perhaps already were, though they didn’t seem inclined to embrace ruling. That alone was odd. Everyone wanted power. I wanted power, if only to make people leave me alone. I’d been a pawn to those quests for power my entire life. Which made me always question the fox and the wolf.
“Is there anything else you need right now?” Seb asked. “I know it’s pretty cold out, but the generator is in great shape. It feels good in here. Warm enough?”
“Everything is working fine,” Nick said. “The food is wonderful. I’m hoping to get Kiran outside for a bit today. Maybe some fresh air will help.”
Such a strange idea, as if breathing would break the curse, chase back the rot, or ease the starvation.
Sebastian’s gaze landed back on me. His eyes sharp, but never quite as intense as the alpha. The alpha saw through me. I had waited for him to cast us out or find some spell of binding. Sebastian only looked sad.
“Feel free to stop into town. One of the wolves can drive you. There will always be free cake and tea.” He gathered up his bag and headed for the door. “There should only be a few more weeks left of winter. I’ll see if we can get more blankets and sweaters brought over.”
Mortal things would never truly ward off the chill. Death of the soul, brutal and slow.
“You are very generous,” I said.
Seb looked at Nick who gave him a slight bow of his head, but the fox left and I breathed out a sigh of relief. His presence overwhelming, a temptation of unimaginable levels. When I’d first caught a glimpse of him, young and unbonded, or at least only partially bonded, I had thought he’d be my savior. But that had been stupid. His fire would have combusted me. Not enough of this realm in my blood.
Nick cut another slice of the cake. Impossibly large.
“I’m not hungry,” I told him frowning as he carried the slice over.
