Witches, Wolves, & Warlords (Shifters of Bastion Keep #1)

Chapter Ten

Russell's da pulled the van into the parking lot of Moonbeams n' Dreams , then turned around in his seat.

"Alright, pups, everyone out. Let me introduce you to two of the most amazing ladies in Town, aye?"

Russell waited patiently as the others filed out first. Normally he'd have been in the front seat next to his da, or at least in one of the four individual seats in the middle, but somehow, as the three witches and three Usenkos had shuffled around for seats, he'd ended up sitting in the back, squishing Bruin between himself and Ser.

At least Bruin didn't seem like he minded, keeping up a constant stream of chatter with the others, asking about Town.

"So your parents are divorced?" the little witch asked him as he finally left the back seat, then stretched his arms high overhead, exposing his belly as his shirt raised up. Russell wanted to reach out and rub it, but Ser was standing beside him, so he held back.

"Yes." Russell looked over, and his da was leading most of the others to a building that was coated in murals of women and flowers, reminiscent of American hippie fashion. "As Da tells it, Ma fell in love three times when she moved here from the U.S. The valley first, then Da, then me, after I was born. And Ma says that just because one's not true anymore doesn't mean she's about to up and leave."

"She also remarried," Ser said.

"Yes."

"That's good, right? Okay, now let's catch up. I can practically feel the stones I need inside her shop, and I want to see what she has."

Bruin gave him and Ser each a smile, then strode forward briskly.

Ser smelled conflicted, but after a moment without saying anything, he followed, and Russell did as well.

Tubular wind chimes rang mellowly as they entered his ma's shop, and he saw her arriving from the back in a swish of tie-dye and a clacking of beads. He stood up straighter, and she blew him a kiss.

His da gestured, making sure the witches were front and center.

"Moonie, hello. And to you, Lily," he said, nodding to the dwarf woman smoking a pipe beside the till. "Let me present the three newest willworkers of Bastion, witches all."

"Witches! Oh, I looove witches. Let me take a good look."

Russell watched as his ma started waving her hands around them, plucking at imaginary threads. She then closed her eyes, breathed in, then out again with a fierce 'hah.'

"Mmm, I like them. Witches of Bastion, I'm Moonbeam, your local occultist. Any little thing you need, I can get it for you, within ethical reason. Feel free to stop by at any time, or send a list with Roland. We're open every other week, or whenever I do or don't feel like it. Lily, may I?"

The dwarf exhaled a cloud of clove-scented smoke, then nodded. "Aye, course you can, girl."

His ma spun back around, giving the witches a brilliant smile. "As a welcome to the valley, and to my shop, I, Moonbeam, do gift you each a collection of wonders! Choose from baubles, curios and trinkets! Grab yourself a handful of snow globes, or an assortment of herbs! Fill a basket, and all within I shall gift to you, freely and without expectation of return. Now go, run along children."

Russell watched the witches exchange surprised but grateful looks, and then split up to do just that.

"Ah, Moonie, you always spoil them."

"I'm a grown woman, I can do as I please with my money, as long as Lily doesn't say no. But it's a test, too, and will reveal their character. Oh, and Roland, your candle supply is in the back. Feel free to check the quality."

His da noded brusquely. "Aye, I'll do that, and get out of your hair."

He leaned down to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek, then pushed his way to the back supply room. As he left, his ma turned to Russell, opening her arms.

"Hi, Ma," he said, leaning down to give her a hug. She smelled like smoke and incense and good cheer. He lifted his head. "Hi, Mrs. Steelhammer."

His ma's wife just shook her head at him fondly. "You can call me Lily, you know. You won't, but you can."

He smiled at her. She'd been his elementary school teacher, and it had taken him years to manage to get the name to change in his head. Now it was a game. "I know, Mrs. Steelhammer. I'm sorry."

"Aye, that's alright." She patted the counter top, and he took the cue to move behind the counter along with his ma, and together they watched the three witches bustle around.

Bruin, he saw, had gone immediately to the shelf with crystals. Many of the cheaper ones were amassed in small nooks, but there were fancier ones placed individually on tiered blocks, and a few behind a locked case.

"I love your new haircut. Here, look at me."

He did as she requested, leaning down so his ma could see it better. She tilted her head back and forth, then patted him on the cheek.

"Lovely! Our handsome boy."

"Hmm. Beard's a bit shorter, though. Shame. Thought you were growing it out."

He reached out and gave Lily's chin-braid a tug, smiling.

"But you could've asked us to do it," Lily said. "How much did you pay for it?"

He shook his head, and nodded across the room. Lily took another puff off of her pipe.

"Russ, that doesn't narrow it down at all. The prim one has delicate hands, the orc has the same mannerisms of our own stylist, and the one in the bitchin' dress is literally wearing shears on her belt."

"The Green witch," he said. "His name's Bruin."

His ma and step-mom exchanged a meaningful look. They both smelled like they'd caught on to something, and he couldn't correct them, because they were right. They just didn't know all of it, yet. He'd have to tell them soon—

"He's not bad looking," Ma said, looking at the witch more critically as he started putting carefully chosen gems into one of the wicker flower baskets that the store used for shoppers. "And Green magic is good magic, always a need for good Green witches in hospitals and arboretums."

"I like his hands," Lily said with a firm nod. "Good, strong hands, not afraid of work. They look like the kind of hands that would take good care of you, Russ."

—before they got any notions. He sighed.

"He's Ser's mate," he said.

"After only a couple weeks?"

"His promised."

Ma and Lily looked over at where Marka and Markos were perusing the smoke section of the shop, and where Ser was trying to stay out of sight of Russell's moms but still be able to watch Bruin.

"Do I need to challenge him again?" Lily tapped out her pipe in an ashtray, then put it away.

"Oh, don't do that, my flower," Ma said. "He trounced you last time, and he looks even more muscular than before."

"Aye, he did. But I gave him a black eye, and that was worth the week in bed."

"No thank you, Mrs. Steelhammer," he said, gripping her hands. "It's fine."

"It's not fine," she said stubbornly.

"No, it isn't," his da said, emerging from the back.

"Well…" his ma added.

"Moonie!" Da said. "You're not taking his side, are ya'?"

"Family meeting in the back," she said in her rarely used authoritative tone. She then called over her shoulder, "We'll be back in just a few minutes. Keep searching, who knows what you might find!"

Russell brushed through the curtain of beads, then followed his mother into the storage room with its many boxes, cleaning supplies, and shelves of policy binders. He saw his da cross his arms.

"Moonie," Da said. "I love that heart of yours, but first Lord Sergiy ends a relationship with our son for no gods-damned reason, and now, the instant that our boy shows an interest in someone else, all of a sudden he happens to be his mate!"

"Aye, girlie. You know I don't see eye-to-eye with Roland often, but in this case, he's right."

"Woo, that's too much negative energy all at once," she said. His ma looked at her wrist, took off one of the bracelets with a cheap stone on it, dropped it on the ground, then stomped on it with her heel, breaking the stone into smaller shards. The others paused. "There, that's better. Now, where was I? Oh, yes."

His ma folded her hands before her, then turned to look up at Russell. "Son, I hate to be the tough love parent, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do."

Looking down, Russell saw a bit of the fierce side of her that his Da had sometimes talked about, from when she'd served in the American military.

"You like Bruin, right?"

"Yes, Ma.But—"

"You want him to be your boyfriend, right?"

"Yes, Ma."

"Do you think he could like you back? Is he interested in men?"

"Yes, Ma."

"Have you asked him out on a date?"

"No, Ma. I was going to, but then Ser—"

"I don't give a hellhound's puckered anus what Sergiy did or didn't do. If you want to date him, you should ask him, and to hell what the lord thinks. You deserve happiness as much or more as anyone else. Okay?"

He hesitated, and she reached up to brush a hand against his cheek.

"Okay?"

"Okay, Ma."

His ma nodded. "Good. And now for the hard lesson."

His mouth dropped open. That was the easy part?

Preemptively, Ma held a hand up in front of Da. "I love you to pieces, my little bundle of stardust, but sometimes, just sometimes, you let things go too easily."

"Moonie," his da said sharply, and his ma simply leaned towards him, shoving her hand closer to his face.

"Son, you loved Ser, didn't you?"

"Yes, Ma."

"And he turned you away right after you told him that, right?"

"…yes, Ma."

"Why didn't you go after him?"

His da stomped his foot. "Damnation, Moonie, why would you ask our son to go after that, that…"

"Cowardly, mule-kissing, son-of-a-bitch?" Lily supplied. Da nodded.

"Oh, I agree with you both!" Ma said, turning to them. "Sergiy was indeed being a coward. Running away from love. But he'd also just had a lot put on his shoulders, didn't he? Becoming warlord?"

"And our son could have helped him with that, shared the burden."

Ma smiled, and she smelled victorious, like she'd just won the argument.

"Exactly! All of which points to Sergiy being dumb as a doorknob. Which is why he needed Russ to go after him and tell him he was wrong."

Ma, Da, and Lily looked at him. He bowed his head, thinking.

What had he done, back then? He and Ser had been dating for years. They'd shared Sergiy's room at the castle. They'd always known he would be warlord someday, and Lady Usenko had spent years grooming him. And then, not long after he'd turned twenty-one, Sergiy had been promoted. A week later, Russell had confessed his love, and Sergiy had pushed him away, smelling of fear, which he still remembered vividly over how rare of an emotion it had been from his lord.

And he'd let himself be pushed away, hadn't he. He'd just quietly gathered his things, moved to the Sage's Quarter, and went about his days.

"Son?"

"Give him a minute."

He closed his eyes, which helped him think. Was he about to let something similar happen again?

Last fall, when he'd sat in a chair and cracked its back, he'd gotten up, taken it down to the shed, and fixed it up with screws, glue, and a touch of polish. He'd even added in additional screws for bracing. It wasn't like new anymore, but it had become serviceable, and maybe a little sturdier than before.

Or, years ago, when his da had grumbled about having to take a pill each day for his heart, Russell had been there with his ma, talking with his da daily until they broke through his stubbornness. Two years later, they'd all celebrated when he'd been allowed to stop taking them after successfully quitting smoking and changing his diet.

That's what you were supposed to do when things broke. You didn't delay or procrastinate. You just rolled up your sleeves and got to work.

Russell nodded, then looked up at his da with a determined expression, and Da looked a bit surprised.

Ma reached out and took his hand.

"Son, you like Bruin, right?"

"Yes, Ma."

"And you still like Ser?"

"Yes, Ma."

"So you know what you need to do?"

"Yes, Ma."

"Good boy. I love you."

"Love you too, Ma."

He hugged her tight. His da and Lily joined in, not quite understanding, but that was okay. Ma would tell them.

When they emerged from the room a few minutes later, he saw that Lux was at the counter with a basket full of prisms and other items, though the other two witches were still browsing. He walked over to Bruin.

"Hi, Russell. There are so many amazing things here. There's so much that I want, but I also don't want to take advantage of your mom. Can I do half and half? Like, she gives me a basket, and then I buy more stuff?"

"No," he said. "Fill your basket. Also, I must ask you something."

Something in his tone seemed to draw Bruin's attention. The little witch paused, then set his basket full of purple, green, and clear gems down on the ground. Bruin looked up at him, giving him his full attention. Behind him, he heard Ser approach.

"Bruin. I like you. Would you like to go with me to get some ice cream? There is a place at the edge of town that sells frozen yogurt."

He saw Bruin take in a sharp breath, and this close he could smell the mix of emotions. Interest, pleasure, excitement… but also worry and guilt as the witch looked past him. He nodded, having expected that.

"Russ," Ser said, his tone growling. "Bruin's my mate."

"I know," he said, turning. Crossing his arms, he made himself loom big and tall, like Ma and Da used to do when he did something wrong as a child. "That's why you're coming to get frozen yogurt, too."

◆◆◆

Bruin still had to finish his shopping, of course. As Lily rang up his basket for inventory purposes, his Ma waxed over all of his choice items, praising his discerning eye. Russell paid careful attention, trying to better understand the little witch's craft. Apart from the cheap gems, he'd selected a dozen palm-sized drawstring bags, several bundles of dried herbs, and a spool of leather for necklace making.

Then the three of them then said goodbye to the others; Da was staying at the shop, and the twins were going to show the other witches the rest of the city. They'd given him concerned looks at first, but eventually Marcos had nodded, apparently trusting what he smelled off of him.

Half an hour later, Russell, Bruin, and Ser were walking out of the ice cream parlor with their chosen treats; a soft vanilla frozen yogurt in a small waffle cone for Russell, a cup of four different flavors and rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream for Bruin, and for the recalcitrant warlord, decadent chocolate with chocolate syrup and chocolate pieces. They took seats beneath a patio umbrella.

"It's pretty good," Bruin said around a mouthful. "Do you come here often?"

Russell shrugged. "Sometimes with Ma."

"She seemed pretty nice. I know she wouldn't want me to, but I do feel a bit guilty about the gifts."

"Don't. It is Ma's way, to be generous."

"Yours, too," he said. Russell titled his head, and Bruin gestured with his spoon. "You've been pretty selfless with your help. Helping us witches move in? Helping me dig holes for my gems? Carrying our supplies on these ritual walks? And I asked around, the other guardians say the same."

Russell paused, feeling a warm flutter. Bruin had asked about him? Then he heard a growl, and noticed Ser savagely stabbing his plastic spoon into his ice cream before taking his next bite. He was frustrated, that much was clear.

How to say what he needed to say? While he thought on it, he vaguely noticed Bruin trying to start a conversation a couple of times with Ser, but the man only gave monosyllabic replies, and eventually Bruin desisted.

When they were done, still without any conversational inroads made, Bruin disposed of their trash.He started to return to his seat, but Russell was standing up.

"Let us take a walk," he said.

Ser's patience seemed to have worn out. "Russ, we need to talk about this."

"We do."

Ser began striding down the block, headed to where a facility center sat beside the road that led north towards Bastion Keep. It was a public waystation that restricted traffic during incursions, provided mass transport for some of the castle staff, and also contained showers and lockers for guardians who might want to run down the valley and have a change of clothes for some night-life fun.

"I mean talk about this alone ." Ser glanced at Bruin, who was following a few feet back, looking and smelling increasingly concerned.

"Your mate should be part of this conversation," he said, and Ser stopped short.

"Is he my mate, though?" he said bitterly. "Because it's really starting to seem like one big joke."

"Lord Sergiy," Bruin said. "I'm not opposed to being your mate. I mean, it seems like it would be kind of cool, right? And you took me out on the Town, that's something. Even if you were too shy to call it an actual date, I knew what you meant."

"But then why have you—"

Ser's mouth snapped shut as he cut off what he was about to say, then turned back around and began taking long strides past the facility.

Neither Russell nor Bruin had difficulty keeping pace with the shorter lord. But Russell waited to talk until after they'd walked past the open barriers, and Ser eventually slowed down, then stopped.

"I'm sorry, Sergiy," Bruin said. "I've been really kind of flippant, haven't I. I wouldn't normally tease this much."

"Mm. He is very fun to tease, though."

Ser turned around at the affectionate tone, his face stoic but smelling surprised.

"Well, true. But I know I was really doing it to buy myself time."

"Because, little witch, you like me too. Yes?"

"Yeah. Putting off the decision."

"It really shouldn't be a decision," Ser said, shaking his head. "But fate is whimsical. Or, it wants me to prove I deserve you."

"You haven't been doing a great job of that," Bruin said, glancing down at him, and Ser turned red in the face. "Until today, that is. The hug from behind was nice. You should do that a lot more often, and definitely with less clothing next time. But Sergiy, even if Russell weren't here, and it wasn't a decision at all, I still need to get to know you."

"Me, hmm?"

Russell saw Ser stand up straighter, affixing Bruin in place with a concentrated stare as he took a few steps closer, standing just out of reach.

"I am Lord Sergiy Usenko, drake shifter, alpha to a warband of five packs, and warlord for Bastion Keep."

"That's what you are, not who you are," Bruin managed, but he seemed rooted to the spot all the same.

"What I am and who I am are inseparably intertwined," Ser insisted with a lifting of his chin. "I am a lord that cares about the ones that he's protecting. I am a warlord, and my life is given over to war. My packs trust me to lead them, and as long as they do so, I cannot willingly step down and abandon them. And I am a dragon, who hoards friends and soldiers."

"And mates?"

Ser rumbled approvingly. "Yes. You are mine, witch. I will show you that."

Russell paused, looking down. Bruin was starting to smell increasingly of pain and loss, which intensified as he met his gaze.

It was happening too fast, faster than he could keep up. Had he been too late in asking the witch out?

The witch's scent stabilized, and he knew.

Yes.Too late.

"I'm sorry, Russell," Bruin said."I had a really nice time burying gemstones with you, and the ice cream was delicious, but I can't say no to two kinds of fate, it always turns out to have a purpose. And besides, we were only just getting started, right?"

His voice hitched, and Russell tried to say something, some magic words to keep the witch here, but nothing came to mind. After a moment, Bruin heaved a breath, nodding like he understood him anyways.

"Yeah, I don't believe me either." He turned towards Ser. "Okay. You need a decision, and I guess your dragon side is a bit selfish, isn't it? Tarot sent me here, and your promised mate stuff chose me. I'll choose you back, and we can see what happens. But so help me, if you're a giant dick, I'll dump your sorry ass, so you'd better be worth it. And I'm still going to be Russell's friend."

Tiny little shards, flaking off of his heart. That's what it felt like.

At least he'd tried.

He turned to go, trudging back to Ma's shop, ignoring the far too many different smells in the area for his nose to process, then heard Ser speak.

"No."