Page 48 of Magic in the Woods
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Dafni
“Just get in here!”
I moaned; the voice was too loud.
“You’ve been out there all night. I can see your feet under the door, you bonehead.”
“Shhh.” The sound left my lips, drool falling out of them.
“Be quiet! She’s just waking up!”
“I’m awake,” I squeaked, my eyelids peeling open slowly.
Brooke brushed the hair away from my face, tucking it behind my ears as I lifted my head. A large body filled the doorway, light pouring in behind their frame. I closed my eyes tight. The light was sending pulses of pain through my brain.
I closed my eyes, flashbacks ofbeforeflooding my brain.
Fingers squeezed my cheeks, my lips popping open.
“Don’t touch her like that.”
“Dafni,wake up.”
My eyes opened, meeting the concrete ceiling. It amazed me how the concrete, riddled with cracks, could support all the dirt above it. My right eye squinted as a face slid in front of it.Brooke.My left eye squinted as a different face slid in front of it.Gideon.
Gideon.
I pushed myself up, pulling my elbows behind me. Both Brooke and Gideon backed away from my face, Brooke’s warm hands pushed me back down into a horizontal position.
Ouch. My head hurt. My stomach hurt. My whole bodyhurt.
“Who did this to you?” I hadn’t been able to turn my head toward Gideon’s voice, but it was his. His usual purr sounded more like a growl, the vibrations must’ve licked his throat as he spoke.
I closed my eyes.Petunia.
“It was Petunia Fox.” Brooke’s voice met my ears loud and clear.
I mumbled at her not to name Petunia. I didn’t need any more drama with any of the witches.
“I thought so,” he said.
I heard the door to our room squeak open. “Get some ice for her head while you’re out,” Brooke yelled.
The door to the room slammed shut.
Soft fingers smoothed the curly hair away from my face. I opened my mouth, willing words from my throat. It’d been too much. My eyes closed.
Time passed before cold ice pressed against my head. That felt good. The sting retreated as the ice numbed the lump.
“You scared me.” The purr of his voice made my arms relax by my sides. “That’s good, kitten. You need to rest.”
However long later, once again I slowly opened my eyes, taking in the shadows in the room. Someone had left the bathroom light on and the door cracked, letting in some light. A large silhouette took up most of the room, with wide shoulders and hair that stuck up straight from their head like they’d just run their fingers through it.Gideon.
My hands met my forehead, squeezing it as the memories from last night flooded my brain.
Kitten.Why did he call me kitten?
