Page 50 of A Witch Out of Time
“I doubt Noxy was ever ‘little,’ doll,” Tan snickered. “He’s probably been a giant since birth, fee-fi-fo-ing his way through the Russian forest.”
“Careful, suge,” Asa slung his arm over Tan’s shoulders. “You keep up this merciless teasing and karma’s going to decideVelesis your father.”
Tan’s hazel eyes widened. “Oha! If that happens I will travel to the heavens myself and demand a refund!”
Nox took advantage of their distraction to lean down and harshly whisper in my ear. “Why are you making me do this, Vashka?”
I squeezed his hand, sending him a blast of reassurance even as I enjoyed his rare nervousness. “Because it’s important for you to have closure. And remember, I never said I wouldn’t help you find your way home,Russki.”
He nodded, but the moment we entered the ramshackle hut, I could feel my Darkest Midnight stiffen beside me. Releasing his hand, I allowed him to walk ahead on his own, granting him the space to reconnect while I hung back with the others.
Nox slowly walked across the hut, stepping around the piles of debris and fallen furniture, absently running his fingers along the surface of the wooden table as he passed by. Stopping to gaze at the top bunk above the oven, he placed both palms next to the ladder before resting his forehead against the hard-packed clay—like a reverent pilgrim arriving at a holy site.
The rest of us silently observed him in the dust-filled morning light, respectfully keeping our distance. I could feel Nox’s sorrow through our bond, but also a sense of acceptance and a lighter emotion I wasn’t expecting.
Happiness.
“This may be hard to believe,” Nox turned to face us, a surprising smile ghosting over his lips. “But I was actually a pretty cheerful little kid running around this house. Although Tan’s right—I was never very little.”
He sighed and came back to where the rest of us stood, his expression uncharacteristically open. “I’m just...I’m having trouble with all of this new shit that’s been dropped on me. Especially with finding out the woman who raised me was not actually my grandmother.”
“She’s still your grandmother, Nox,” Asa gently spoke. “You said it yourself—family isn’t by blood. Of course,” he tilted his head and chuckled. “You and I now know we’re actually related, but I say the bond was there anyway before we learned any of this.”
“Weare all one big happy family,” Tan added, pulling me against him. “Including our sexy little witch here.”
I relaxed into his hold as the others closed in around us, allowing myself this moment of peace despite knowing our biggest battles still lay ahead. For so long, I’d cursed fate for every dark path I’d ended up traveling in my life, not realizing it was all leading up to this incredible connection. Fate was the reason my men had found each other years before finding me; why we all fit together so perfectly now. All of us had found the healing we needed through a love that couldn’t be broken.
We deserve this.
I deserve this.
A scratching sound beneath the floorboards snapped me out of my blissful state. Extracting myself from my men, I walked to the top of the root cellar stairs to better discern what I was hearing.
“Don’t worry about it, Vasi,” Nox waved a hand dismissively. “Mybabaalways said that sound was the Domovoy—the house spirit—asking for dinner, but I’m sure it was nothing but rats looking for crumbs.”
Still so stubbornly disbelieving...
“Wait here!” I cried, running past the men and back to my hut before they could question me. Once there, I cut a thick slice from one of my freshest loaves, sprinkled it with salt, and wrapped it in a white cloth before returning to the oldizba.Lifting the cellar door, I placed the bread on the worn floorboards in front of the opening and slowly backed away.
Silence followed before the scratching started again, moving closer as the source of the noise haltingly climbed the stairs. We held our collective breath as a creature finally emerged—its eyes flashing, gray fur bristling, and tail swishing as it sniffed at the offering.
A cat.
Tan laughed. “A pussy for our magic pussy! Brilliant.”
Ignoring him, I solemnly intoned, “Our supporter, come into the new house to eat bread and to obey your new master.”
The cat tilted its head at me, as if considering my words. A moment passed before its form flickered and faded, and the cat was replaced by an old, gray-haired little man with flashing eyes.
“Holy shit!” Nox swore, and the Domovoy shot him a disapproving look. “Sorry,” he muttered, probably remembering that these house spirits turned demonic if a family exhibited too much inappropriate behavior and foul language.
We may have some issues with that in the future...
“Household Lord,” I called the creature’s attention back to me. “I wish to welcome you to join us in my humbleizba,on behalf of Nox, whom you may recognize as the child of this house from many moons ago.” The Domovoy looked past me to scrutinize Nox, and I followed his gaze as I continued. “I have no ancestral spirits of my own, and would be honored if you would protect my home and those who live there.”
Nox was staring back at me in shock. The others wouldn’t understand the symbolism of what I was doing, but he knew. By inviting Nox’s grandmother’s Domovoy to my hut, I was essentially marrying our households together—claiming his ancestors as my own and ensuring protection for those who I considered family.
Apparently pleased by my offer, the Domovoy flickered back into a cat and leaped into Tan’s arms to be transported like royalty back to myizba.“Pussy just naturally loves me!” Tan cackled, stroking the purring cat under its chin as he and Asa left the hut with the spirit.
