Cage Me: A Wolf Shifter Romantasy (Immortal Vices and Virtues: Shadow Shifter Bonds Book 1)

Chapter 24

The next morning, I wake at dawn and find myself alone. The sinking feeling in my chest is new, but when I sit up and a piece of paper floats off my chest, the aching eases ever so slightly.

My Dove,

I’ve gone for a run with my wolf.

If I’m not back before you wake, I will be soon.

Yours,

Drake

I flip the note over, but there’s nothing else. I have no clue where he even found something to write on or with, but I tuck the paper into my bag at the corner of the shed before I get dressed.

Today is going to be busy and maybe the end of Drake’s living nightmare. I want breakfast and coffee and to have a chat with my mom.

While I’m not afraid of going after the witch, I also have no intentions of underestimating Kel. What she did to Drake and Natalia’s fear in the beginning are reminders that we can’t be too careful, which means I need to prepare for things not going our way.

It’s not something I’ve allowed myself to think too hard about yet, but I’m leaving my mother and brother behind. I need her to know what resources I have and that she’s safe here with Kasha until she decides where she wants to be.

Now that I’m not pushing everyone away, I hope she’ll find a home here in Crossroads like I have without realizing it, but if she wants something different for her and Peter then I’ve prepared for that.

Going into the house, everything is quiet just as it was last night when we went back out to the shed. My shoulders tremble and my lips turn upward, thinking about the way Drake fucked me against the wall.

I really did get lucky with him as a mate. I should also be thanking my mom for not letting me be an idiot and continue on with the notion that my life would be better without him.

Now that our bond has been solidified, I don’t want to imagine a time in my life moving forward when I don’t have him as my mate and by my side.

There’s already a pot of coffee brewed on the counter when I tiptoe through the kitchen. I grab a mug from the cabinet and pour myself a full glass before heading toward the hallway to go peek in on Mom and Peter. I didn’t get to see him much yesterday and I don’t want to take off this morning without saying goodbye.

Before I can find the room they’re sleeping in, Kasha comes out one of the closed doors, dressed in pajama pants, an oversized sweatshirt, and with her hair tossed up into a messy bun. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her so relaxed with her appearance and I like it. She doesn’t say anything as she nods back toward the kitchen.

Curious, I follow her, drinking my coffee as I walk through the peaceful house. She sits at the table, and I take the chair across from her.

“I didn’t think you’d be up already,” she says with a smirk.

I tilt my head and then realize I didn’t put up a cloaking spell before having sex with Drake while everyone else should have been asleep.

Oh well.

“Important things to do today,” I reply, not taking her bait.

“That there are.” She reaches for the pocket of her sweatshirt and slides a small red velvet bag across the table. “Only open that if things are dire and don’t tell anyone that I gave it to you.”

I raise a brow and take the offering. “What exactly is it?”

“Let’s hope you don’t have to find out.” She grimaces and glances around. “But when Natalia asked me for viloss, I began to wonder about certain things. Just hold on to that and keep it safe. If you don’t use it, bring it back to me. Better yet, if you do use it, try to still bring it back if you can.”

My fingers play with the string on the small pouch. “And I can’t open whatever this is until I’m ready to use what’s inside? Will you at least tell me what it does?”

Kasha’s fingers drum over the tabletop. “No, you shouldn’t look inside. You could jeopardize the…” Her head shakes. “Just don’t, okay? As for what will happen when you do open the bag, that depends on a few factors, but just think of it as the ultimate distraction if all else fails.”

Hmm, a distraction to run or to finish the job? Something tells me Kasha knows more than she’s saying, but she gets up, chugs her coffee, and goes to the sink.

“Cara is waiting for you in the living room,” Kasha adds as she rinses the dish.

Well, that works because I was going to be looking for her.

I hold up the pouch as I stand. “Thanks for this.”

She lets out a light huff. “Don’t thank me yet.”

I’m not sure if she’s trying to convince me not to use whatever is inside, or if she’s really that worried, but either way, I shove the offering into my front pocket, noting that it almost feels like there’s a bunch of tiny pebbles inside, and head toward my mother.

She’s sitting up straight on the couch and there are dark circles under her eyes that I don’t remember seeing yesterday morning.

“Have you been up all night?” I ask her as I sit.

Kasha had said she spelled both Mom and Peter to not be overwhelmed with grief, but maybe whatever magic she used didn’t do its job right.

Mom shrugs as she reaches for my hand. Her fingers are cold, and she shivers next to me. “What’s going on?”

Instead of answering, she leans her head against my shoulder and presses her side flush with mine. “You’re so warm.”

“Kasha!” I shout, only staying where I am because I don’t want to further upset my mother.

When she enters the living room, she receives my full wrath. “What the fuck did you do to my mother?”

She reaches a hand out to touch Mom’s clammy face, and it takes everything in me not to snarl at her.

Kasha must sense my overprotectiveness, because she says, “I need to feel the magic inside her to know what’s wrong. The spell worked just fine on Peter, so calm your ass down.”

Easier said than done.

With reluctance, I let Kasha inspect my mother who has her eyes closed, resting against me.

“I think it’s the bond she shared with your…father,” she finally says after a tense minute of silence. “The spell is suppressing the ache of her bond, and this feels as though it’s fighting back.”

“Well, make it stop,” I practically growl, hating that my mother is in pain and there’s nothing I can do to help her. Again.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Kasha says with awe, “but it’s not my magic. It was a potion from Natalia. I can give her a call—wait.” She holds up a finger. “I think I have something else that will work.”

My first thought is to take my mother and get the hell out of this place, but I’m not supposed to be pushing people away any longer. I have to remind myself that Kasha isn’t the enemy. She hasn’t tricked me into being here and she’s promised to take care of my family.

I feel confident that she will honor that even if it costs her own life.

Instead of stopping her from leaving the room to go get whatever she thinks will help, I hold my mother tighter and brush her hair back from her face. “It’s going to be okay, Mom.”

“I know,” she murmurs. “No matter how bleak things get, you’re going to be okay. You’re my angel.”

That’s the first time she’s ever called me that and I tense, remembering yesterday’s revelations. Has Mom known this entire time that I was blessed by an angel?

I try to sit her up, but she burrows closer to me, seeming to be soaking in my warmth. I call her name several times, but she doesn’t respond.

I start to pry her off me, but Kasha returns. “Sorry. I had to search a few boxes, but this is a cleansing spell. It works like a healing one but strips the body of anything foreign. Whatever I gave her before should get taken out by this.”

I take the vial of mint green liquid from her and lean my mother’s head back onto the couch. She’s so cold that her body is almost stiff. My throat tightens as I try not to pay attention or hate myself for not checking in on her yesterday. If I had, maybe I would have…

Shaking my head, I open the potion and part her lips. “You’re going to be fine, Mom. I’ll make sure of it.”

With her not really lucid, I’m not sure how I’m going to get her to swallow, but I don’t worry about that too much as I tilt the spell into her mouth. Holding her jaw shut, I watch to see if her body will act on instinct and sure enough, she chokes a little, then I see her throat move.

“How long does this take to work?” I ask Kasha while keeping my eyes on my mother.

“Maybe a few minutes.”

I hate to do this, but I release Mom and stand. I need to know my brother isn’t having a reaction as well. They were both supposed to be napping together yesterday. If Kasha didn’t notice anything wrong with my mother, I doubt she would have with Peter.

“I’m going to check on my brother. I’ll be right back,” I say to Kasha and without needing to be asked, she gets up and takes my spot.

I move quickly through the house and use my wolf senses to scent for Peter. When I open the door to his temporary room, he’s lying on his side, holding a pillow in front of him and the blankets kicked down to the end of the bed.

I grin. Some things never change.

His coloring is normal, and when I press the back of my hand over his forehead, his skin is warm, not cold and clammy like Mom’s. My shoulders relax, but I still bend closer, listening to his heart. The steady beat holds me captive for several seconds as I close my eyes and breathe him in.

Kasha was right before. The bond must be why Mom is having a bad reaction to the spell.

I cover Peter back up and quietly exit the room. Getting back to the living room, I find my mother sitting up on the couch, her eyes shining with tears, but the awareness is back in them and that’s most important to me.

“Spencer.” The hollowness in her voice slices at my chest and I go to her, wrapping my arms around her.

She cries against my shoulder, and I nod at Kasha, mouthing my thanks.

The fae-wolf exits the room, and I continue holding my mother. Now that I’ve bonded with Drake and can’t imagine living without him, I can better understand her grief.

It doesn’t matter that Samuel was our living nightmare. Her heart belonged to him the moment she accepted the bond. What hurts the most and still makes me angry on her behalf is at one point in her life, she trusted him to take care of her and he broke that trust, over and over again.

She deserves better, and I hope one day she finds her second chance at happiness. For now, I won’t fault her for grieving not only the mate she lost, but I’m sure the life she never should have been forced to live if he’d been a better partner.

We sit like that long enough for me to sense Drake return, but I assume Kasha tells him what I’m doing because he doesn’t come find me. Though, he stays close enough for me to sense his energy. The run did him good. I don’t know how long he was gone, but his essence is calmer, which we both need right now.

Mom’s tears finally dry up and she sits up, a crooked smile on her face. “I’m supposed to take care of you, but it seems our roles have reversed.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” I give her hand a squeeze. “You kept me safe, and now it’s time I return the favor.”

She sniffles and shakes her head. “It was my honor, but I’m not sure I did you any good by hiding you.”

I can’t lie and say that there haven’t been moments when I’ve resented her for my upbringing, but not any longer. I make sure she knows as much.

“I’ve become the person I was always supposed to be,” I say with confidence. “I needed to know the risks, and if you’d let me be myself, I might have trusted the wrong people and gotten hurt in the process. But because of you, I’ve figured out how to put my faith in the right people.”

She swipes at her cheeks and nods. “I hate that this hurts so much.”

“He was your mate even if he was a piece of shit.”

A sob gets caught in her throat, and she covers her face with both hands, but when she pulls them back down, her stare is stronger than I’ve seen it in maybe forever. “I let you down so many times, but I won’t anymore, Spencer. I promise.”

“Everything is going to be okay.” I offer her a smile because I don’t know what else to do. These conversations have never been my specialty, but I know we need to talk about several things. “Crossroads can be the place you start over. I’m not holding on to the past, and you shouldn’t either. It’s time for us to move forward with our lives. We deserve that. So does Peter.”

She nods, squeezing my fingers between her shaking hands. “I think you might be right.”

“I’m leaving today, and I might be gone for a day or two,” I tell her. “Kasha will take care of you here, but if you need anything, there is plenty for you to trade with in my shed. Take whatever you need.”

I can’t tell her that there’s a chance I won’t be back. She’s fragile, and I won’t put those thoughts on her when I don’t even want them myself. But there is something else I need to know before I go.

Looking away because I’m not sure I want to see her reaction, I finally ask, “Did you know an angel came to you when you were pregnant with me?”

She gasps and jerks back. “What?”

At least her shock is genuine.

“I learned yesterday that I was angel-touched,” I tell her, finally meeting her wide stare. “It’s why my wolf is the way it is.”

More tears fill her eyes, and she starts to laugh softly. “How could I have not seen that all these years? Of course you’re angel-touched.” Her hand covers her mouth, and then she freezes. “Oh.”

“Oh? Oh what?” I ask, desperate for any information she can give me.

Her body relaxes, and she falls back onto the couch. “There was a woman. She found me crying in town one day. I don’t even remember what I was out getting, but it was the morning after the first time Samuel hit me. I broke a glass and… Anyway, she hugged me and, at the time, I thought my desperation for love was just getting the better of me, but now, I understand. Her touch not only healed my physical wounds that day, but made sure my baby would have the ability to survive the hell we lived in.”

Mom’s grief is outshined by the memory and, at least for the moment, she’s not hurting.

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” I say sincerely. I hate to leave her now, but time isn’t on our side. We need to find Kel before she gets any stronger or decides to come here. “I’m going to say goodbye to Peter, and then I need to leave, but I’ll be back as soon as I can be.”

She sits back up and hugs me with more strength than I’ve felt from my mother in far too long. “I love you, Spencer. You’re going to be okay.”

It’s not the first time she’s said that, and I hope like hell she’s right, because it feels as if I’ve only just started living. I’m nowhere near ready to be done.