Chapter 9
Sammy
My magic was rebelling. Since I’d left Blaze in Grove Holler, it hadn’t been performing like it usually did. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was my magic’s reaction to the bond being broken, or nearly broken. I wasn’t even sure if we were still mated or not.
But what happened wasn’t my fault. My magic had no reason to treat me this way when I couldn’t help what had gone down. Blaze was the one who freaked out.
“Hey,” Livvie called out, grabbing her arm. “You got me. Are you okay?”
I’d been teaching her how to defend herself against an attacking witch. “Yeah, sorry.”
Raising my arms, I prepared to attack again, focusing this time, but Livvie stood with her hands down. “Out with it.”
My irritation flared. “I’m fine, Livvie. Just drop it. I don’t need a mate. I’ve never needed a mate, and I have other priorities. So, I’m fine. Losing Blaze isn’t a big loss to me.” I threw my arms up in the air. “I am fine.”
Livvie crossed her arms. “Uh-huh.”
Narrowing my eyes, I stepped closer and flung a jolt of electricity toward her.
She waved it off easily, giving me a little jolt of pride.
“I still haven’t been able to figure out what’s up with the girl the high priestess found.
” I knew, somehow, with that extra sense I had thanks to being a witch, that we were connected somehow, the girl and me.
“Sammy. You usually give me advice.” She shot a bolt of electricity back at me, which I wasn’t expecting at all. It nearly got me. “But today, I’m giving you advice. Stop fighting your feelings. You, out of everyone in the whole world, should know that fighting a mating bond is, frankly, stupid.”
I clutched my heart, halfway mocking, but also sort of not. “Ouch,” I said dramatically. “Don’t hold back.” I tossed my hair back in an uncharacteristic move for me. I wasn’t a hair-tosser. “Let’s get back to training,” I said. I didn’t need a mate. I’d be absolutely fine.
Fine!
After we finished our training, we parted ways. With a sigh, I decided to walk home instead of popping there. I needed to sleep, but I was still too wired to settle down. Maybe the walking would help.
Halfway there, I staggered and managed to lower myself to the ground before I completely fell as the vision washed over me.
Joan had Blaze. I couldn’t make out her words, but it was clear he was in intense pain.
As he began to scream, my magic raced through me, reacting to my mate’s pain, even in a vision.
When I woke, it was me who was screaming, and my entire body felt like it had been engulfed with flames, even though I looked totally normal.
Still gasping with pain, I moved myself immediately to Grove Holler without any hesitation.
“Bah!” Gage yelled and jumped back. “Damn it, Sammy!” He bent over the big conference table and clutched the sides until his knuckles turned white. “You need to wear a bell.”
I would’ve laughed, but the pain from the vision still lingered. “So I’ve heard.” I wore a bell for shits and giggles at one point, mainly to make Jace laugh, but I wasn’t in the mood for it now. Not in the least. “Where’s Blaze?” I asked.
Gage righted himself and sucked in a deep breath. “He’s gone.”
Fear pierced my heart. Had the high priestess gotten him already? “What are you talking about?” I asked in an even voice, hiding my extreme terror.
“I dropped him off at the airport hours ago. He’s on his way back to Bluewater.” He lowered his eyebrows at me. “To you.”
“Did you actually see him go into the airport?” I asked.
Gage chuckled. “Yeah, of course. I went in with him and walked him to security. What’s going on? What’s this about?”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure. But I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”
He nodded. “Thanks. And hey, please take it easy on Blaze. He’s dealing with everything that’s happened the past few days.”
I waved my hand at him. “I’ll try.”
He stared me down until I sighed and met his gaze. “I’ll really try. I promise.”
Gage nodded once. “I care about him.”
I had to get back and see what was going on, so I smiled once at Gage and moved myself back to Bluewater, straight to Anthony’s place. He was on the front porch saying goodbye to Skye. He gave her a kiss, then jogged down the stairs to me. Skye waved once and went back inside.
“Did you know Blaze was coming back?” I asked.
“I did know he was coming, and I was just about to come tell you.”
He looked me over, no doubt taking in my disheveled appearance. I probably had leaves in my hair or something from my time lying on the forest floor having that vision. “You okay?”
“I will be once I check something out.” I sighed and ran my fingers through my short hair. I did, in fact, have a leaf in it. Lovely.
Anthony eyed me the whole time.
“Oh, stop it.” I glared at him. “You’re freaking me out, staring at me like a creep.”
He held up his hands. “You just seem a little upset. I’ve never seen you this flustered and unsure.
” He chuckled a little, but it sounded more worried.
“You actually seem human for the first time, because you’re always so good at shielding your emotions.
I know you love all of us, but I didn’t until I got to know you a lot better once I became alpha. ”
“Shit,” I said under my breath. “I don’t love any of you.”
He burst out a short, barking laugh. “Yeah, right.”
I sighed, mainly because I couldn’t deny it. Bluewater was my home, and these were my people. Eyeing my alpha, I decided to share something personal with him. “It was you that made me stay.”
He cocked his head. “What? When? Were you thinking about leaving Bluewater?”
“No, no.” I waved my hand at him. “Come. Sit.” I walked onto his porch and plopped down into one of the wooden rocking chairs. Anthony sat beside me and stared at me until I explained myself.
“I was lost for a long time after being shunned.” I thought about my time after Grove Holler and before Bluewater. Those years had been the lowest of my long life.
Anthony nodded but didn’t press me to speak, letting me go at my own pace.
“Witches age slower once we reach twenty-five. That’s when we come into our full power, and the magic helps us age gracefully, so to speak.”
His eyebrows flew up. “You’ve never explained that to me… and I’ve always wondered.”
“I know,” I said dryly. “And it’s not your secret to share, if you ever should want to.”
He mimed locking his lips with a key. What a corn dog. Corn dragon. Heh.
“Anyway,” I said, drawing out the last vowels and rolling my eyes. “I was nineteen when I was shunned. I roamed the world for a little more than ten years.”
He opened his mouth, no doubt to do the math to figure out my age. I held up one finger. “Don’t.”
Snapping his teeth together, Anthony saluted me. “Please continue.”
“I felt a pull when I came near Bluewater. I was visiting Canada and the urge to go southeast was more than I could argue with.”
“That’s a pretty strong pull,” he said quietly.
“I think it was you.” I met his gaze. “I was supposed to be your witch. Sort of like a fated mate thing, but without the urge to run off and fuck every five minutes.”
Anthony burst out laughing and threw his head back. “You never cease to amaze, Sammy. I love you, too.”
I scoffed. “Don’t get all emotional or I’ll leave.”
Rocking the chair, he looked out at the amazing view from his front porch. “Knox was here back then. Maybe it was a combination. Your fated mate and… magical mate… were both here.”
I shrugged. “I suppose so, though fated mates aren’t supposed to feel anything until the dragon shifts for the first time.”
“I didn’t know what it was, but I was drawn to Skye. As kids, I just thought she was my best friend, but once I shifted, I knew better.” Anthony smiled as if lost in his memories. “Maybe it’s different with humans.” He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. “And witches.”
“Maybe so. I—” I cut off abruptly when I felt Blaze cross my border.
Anthony sighed. “I feel him, too.”
“Why do you sound sad?” I asked.
He pursed his lips. “I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around Blaze being Knox.”
It had been hard on everyone when Knox and his mom were killed. Anthony’s father had been riddled with guilt. He’d even reached out to the clan they’d been staying near to arrange to have them brought home.
I’d been at the funeral. Who had we buried? Was Knox’s mother alive? There’d been a child-sized casket. The thought that we’d buried some unknown child and woman left me feeling cold. There had been bodies inside the caskets. I’d sensed it and if there hadn’t, the dragons would’ve smelled it.
We sat and rocked as my body reacted to Blaze moving through town, coming closer every second. About twenty minutes after I felt him cross the border, a truck appeared between the trees lining Anthony’s driveway.
As soon as I set eyes on the overgrown fool, my anxiety lessened. He got out of the truck with his gaze glued to me. It roamed my body as if searching to make sure I was safe and whole.
Nobody ever checked to make sure I was safe and whole. I was the one always doing that for other people.
His gaze sent a shiver of longing up my legs and it stopped… well, my panties got wet and that’s all there is to it.
“Give us a minute?” Anthony asked.
With Blaze here under my ward, I didn’t mind walking away.
The high priestess couldn’t get to him here, not with Livvie’s magic and mine combined.
Plus, her grandmother had even added a few layers of her own, weak though they were.
I wasn’t about to turn down help from any witch who was as committed to protecting Bluewater as Olivia was.
Intention mattered in all things, even magic.
Stepping inside and plopping down on the couch in the living room, I didn’t try to overhear their conversation, but I did keep myself open to their emotions.
Confusion, curiosity, anxiety. I felt it all flowing off both of them, but then an overwhelming feeling of hope and longing.
That was distinctly Blaze. I peeked out the window and realized he’d felt those things once he’d turned in the direction of the house. Was he thinking about me?
No. Probably he was longing for the truth about his past. He wasn’t longing for me.
Not that I cared.
But then Blaze walked in. It’d only been a few days since I’d dropped him off in Grove Holler but having him in the same room gave me a sense of relief I didn’t fully understand. I hadn’t been stressed from being away from him, not really.
Maybe I should’ve told that to my magic. It settled when he sat down across from me. I had a feeling I wouldn’t be dealing with any more magical snafus like I’d been experiencing all week, the latest being accidentally zinging Livvie during our practice session.
“Hello,” Blaze said softly.
“You look like shit.” I eyed the dark circles under his eyes and his mussed hair.
“I haven’t been sleeping. You look a little rough yourself.” He nodded toward my rumpled clothes.
Looking down and studying my dress, I was pretty sure I hadn’t changed clothes in a couple of days. “Well, I’ve been busy.” I tried not to sound too defensive.
“Right.”
When I glanced back at Blaze, he had a twinkle in his eye and his posture had relaxed.
Great. He was feeling better because he was in my presence like I was in his. Ugh.
I didn’t want to admit any of this, least of all how light my heart felt while we bantered back and forth about who looked worse.
“Enough,” I said when he pointed out a piece of my short, black hair that was standing straight up. “Why are you here?”
The mood turned serious. “I have questions that need answers. But also, there’s someone here I’m not supposed to live without.”
His words pierced my heart and hope blossomed and filled me. I didn’t let my face betray me. Not even one twitch. My skin burned under his scrutiny, though.
“You’re blushing,” he whispered. “You know it’s true. I don’t want to be away from you, and you like it.”
My damn blood was a traitor, rising to just under my skin. I’d never blushed in my life. “I hope your dick rots off,” I hissed. Before he had a chance to reply, I disappeared, but I couldn’t poof away the sound of his chuckles in my ear.