Page 19 of Woven Souls

“Because it mutes them, not erases them,” Theodon explains. “I’m sure if he took that collar off, he wouldn’t shift, but the horns and tail would remain all the same.”

Getting back to her original request, I nudge my head towards the back of the house. “There is an old computer in a room in the back. I’m assuming it will work?”

I glance at Theo, who nods.

“It may be a few years old, but it should work.”

“I can show it to you.” The offer is out of my mouth before I realize what I’ve said.

Willow beams at me. A true smile, not one full of malice or sarcasm. I blink, taken aback by it. I’d always known she was beautiful, but being on the receiving end of this type of smile… I may swoon.

“Wonderful, take me to it.”

I lead the way out of the kitchen. Theo joins us through the house, right on Willow’s heels. I wonder at Willow’s sunny disposition. Why isn’t she mad at us? Or at least berating us? She doesn’t seem like the type who would just let her stabbing go. Has something transpired that I’m not aware of? As we pass the stairs, we run into Jonah, who stares daggers at me. I ignore him as I keep walking.

“You good?” he asks Willow, as if I’m not there.

“Yup. Viktor made breakfast, go eat.”

“Should I be worried it’s poisoned?”

I can hear the real worry in his voice as I turn down the hallway, not waiting for Willow to follow.

“No,” she says, “but he probably put sedatives in it, so eat slowly.”

I roll my eyes.

We head to the back of the house where I lead her to a small home office. There’s a desk, an old calendar hanging on the wall, a chair, and an empty filing cabinet.

“Wow, look at this old thing!” Willow’s laughter follows her as she pushes past me to the computer. “I remember they had these in grade school for us to learn how to type on. Man, it’s a beast.”

My time in the Brotherhood limited my access to such things as technology. The few times we came back from the Third Realm, we’d taught ourselves how to drive and do basic things like use a microwave, but this… this is out of the scope of our know-how. It takes a bit for the machine to boot up for Willow, but finally her fingers fly across the keyboard. I come to stand behind her and watch as she navigates the internet with ease.

“Where are we located?” Willow asks as she works.

“We’re still in the town of Cesspen,” Theodon assures her as he comes to stand beside her.

“You were lucky that the city that this warlock happens to reside in also happens to be where Theodon bought this place.” I frown. “What were the chances?”

“Actually, that doesn’t seem all that weird,” Willow mutters as she stares at the screen. “According to the bit of research I did on the area before Jonah and I got here, Cesspen is a hub for supernatural people who want to start over. There aren’t a ton of humans in the area, for whatever reason, so a lot of nomadic supernatural people have called this place their home. This guy probably got in trouble playing with this sketchy magic wherever he used to live and came running here to start over.”

I blink in surprise. “Really? You found that out on the internet? Where humans can stumble upon it?”

Willow pauses her typing to look up at me. “Well, humans have their own internet. Us supernatural folk have a separate one. When was the last time you surfed the World Wide Web?”

“Never.”

Her brows raise in surprise. “Viktor! I need to introduce you to the wonderful world of porn. I’m sure that will chill you out.”

Theodon clears his throat. When I glance over at him, I catch the smile he’s trying hard not to let slip.

Scowling, I snap, “I’m ‘chill.’”

At this, both Theo and Willow laugh, clearly unable to control themselves.

“I am!”

They laugh even harder. The heat in my cheeks rises as my hands curl into fists at my side. Willow turns her attention back to the computer.

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