Chapter 7
SEVEN
Something warm nudged my cheek, and though my eyes were heavy, I opened them to see what it was. It took me a second, even lifting up, bracing myself on my elbow and focusing, to realize what I was seeing on the balcony.
“Is that a fox?” Lorne asked from behind me.
Turning to him, I noticed that Argos was sitting on the other side of my husband, staring at the room’s door.
“What’s with him?” I asked.
Lorne glanced at our cat, then refocused on me. “I told you. I get to sleep because he stays up and watches over me. I firmly believe that his presence helps remind the cottage of what it really is, if that makes any sense.”
“It does.”
“I think the magic is in a fog or something, and it’s not sure where it is or what it’s supposed to be doing.
There’s so much going on here, so many souls inside, and not all of them are good.
It’s this constant confusion, and then, all of a sudden, there’s Argos, and the cottage says, Oh, I know that presence, I’ve felt it before, and memories are triggered. ”
“And when it does, when it has that moment of recall, the barriers, the protections, all the wards go up in response.”
“Yeah.”
“Which is how the outer room is not safe, but this one is your sanctum.”
“That’s right.”
“Argos doesn’t normally watch over anyone.”
“That’s not true. He watches over Amanda’s boys.”
“Funny… I forgot about that.”
“Yeah, don’t forget. You have to remember everything right now. It’s important. I think if we lose any small piece of our memories, that would be bad.”
I nodded.
“And what about the fox?”
“The fox?” I asked, jolting and opening my eyes.
Was there anything more annoying than waking up from a dream, in a dream?
“Why?” I nearly yelled but because Lorne was sleeping, I kept my voice down.
I sat up, and at the end of the bed was Argos doing a good impersonation of a sphinx and, like in my dream, staring at the door.
I could see underneath, in the light that was there, that shadows were moving.
That meant people were in the outer room, but no one tried the doorknob.
Nothing bumped, banged, or even made the wood creak.
It was strange, and when I checked on Argos, his eyes were closed.
He was watching but also resting. The threat, if there was one, couldn’t have been imminent.
Movement to the left caught my attention, and when I looked toward Lorne’s small balcony, a fox was sitting outside the closed French doors.
The same fox from my dream, but obviously not one from the natural world and not at all like the ones I had seen on Corvus when I was with the hunters.
Shimmering in the moonlight, this fox was bright red, gold, and silver, and its tail had to be at least twelve feet long.
I got up, put on Lorne’s dressing robe, and dashed to the doors. Glancing over my shoulder, I noted that Argos had no interest in me or the fox, and opened one side so the animal could enter.
The moment a perfect, dainty paw was set onto the area rug, the fox transformed into a truly beautiful woman.
Young, twenty at the most, her skin was a tawny gold mix, and her hazel eyes caught and reflected the light before returning to hazel as she faced me.
I made sure to keep my gaze locked with hers, as she was naked, but her thick, curling orange-red hair fell like a shroud to her thighs and covered quite a bit of her.
Clearly, I was in the presence of a goddess and went quickly down on one knee.
“My lady,” I greeted her.
“Sionna,” she said, her voice as beautiful as the rest of her, low and sultry.
I could feel the power rolling off her, and instead of trying to hold it at bay, I breathed in the rich, herbaceous scent of her, of forest and musk, spiced bark, fermented berries, and wet earth.
Just seeing the flash in her eyes, I knew she could be deadly, but she had come to talk, not eat me, bones and all.
“How may I serve?” I asked her.
I was surprised when she sat down beside me, curling her long, shapely legs under her, meeting my gaze.
“You saved the vixen in the forest.”
“Yes.”
“Why did you?”
“Because where I’m from, this is my land, and there is no hunting of any kind on Corvus, other than the natural cycle between predator and prey.”
She nodded. “You’re the guardian of Corvus, the witch.
” Of course a goddess would know who I was.
She didn’t have to be told I wasn’t my grandfather, that the mage’s time had passed and mine had begun.
“Your man there, he followed another vixen and her kits to your family’s graves.
He too was saving lives, even as they led him. ”
He hadn’t related that story yet. “Why did they lead him to the graveyard?”
“To remind you, Xander Corey, of that sacred ground, and of the rift you guard that I myself used to come speak with you, after those I love brought me messages of you, your mate, and of the sacrilege that has been committed here.”
“Giles was smart to come in winter when everything is sleeping.”
Her lips curved into a smile, and her eyes glittered, revealing that she was not at all tame. “This would seem to be true, but in the end, his ignorance will be his downfall. Before one seeks to steal, it is best to know who you are stealing from.”
That sounded like good advice to me. “Yes, my lady.”
Her glorious, perfectly shaped red-gold brows furrowed as she studied me. “The gravity of the trespass will be shown to this usurper, but your home,” she said, lifting her hands, indicating everything, “your home must be reclaimed by you, Guardian.”
I took a shaky breath. “I don’t know how.”
“Call to your line, call to your family who watch over you and whose bones lie in the earth. You’re a branded witch, Xander Corey. Your power comes from more than your land. It comes from the history and sacrifice that flows through your veins.”
Without thought, I reached for her, and she took my hand in both of hers and held tight.
I had to clench my jaw so I wouldn’t howl with the energy that clawed its way through me.
It was exhilarating and scary, but mostly, I could feel how I was filled so fast, saw Corvus in a rush as though in flight, and then oceans and forests, mountains and valleys, entire continents passing in my peripheral vision until there was a river and I knew I was seeing her realm.
I felt it then, the same homecoming that washed over me every single time when I returned to my cottage.
Her reminder was gentle and bittersweet.
“Breathe in, Xander,” she directed, and her voice opened my eyes and brought me back to my body in the present. “Can you not taste the night air?”
“I can,” I said, in awe of all she was. “Thank you for your communion, my lady. I know you came very far to speak with me.”
“You have given your life to protect the natural order of your land, the rift, and every bird, stag, flower, blade of grass…and newborn sionnach.”
I knew that word meant fox without being told.
“Heed my words—simply because you have not needed to use your power does not mean it’s not there within you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Xan?” Lorne called softly to me.
When I glanced at him, he was rubbing his eyes. I could bet I knew why.
“Were he not bound to you, I would take him with me,” she said, giving me a mischievous smile that showed her long, sharp teeth. “He is quite fetching.”
“Yes, he is.”
Her eyes flashed bright gold as she looked at me. “Reclaim your home, Xander. The land is the dominion of another, and even now, my missives are received.”
It wasn’t my place to question her, only to offer thanks. “My mate and I will reclaim our home, my lady.”
“All else will fall into place once the first step is taken,” she said, then stood and leaped for the balcony door with the grace of a ballerina, changing back into a fox in mid-arc.
Lorne’s breath caught, and I watched as she leaped again, this one taking her over the balcony railing into the dark night sky, where she became a shower of stars that faded into moonlight.
I was surprised when I stood up that Lorne was lying on his back, arm thrown across his forehead, staring at the ceiling. Closing the French door so the air coming in didn’t turn us to ice, I returned to the bed, walked around to his side, and perched beside him, waiting.
“I’m not awake,” he said after several seconds
“You are awake,” I informed him. “Should I pinch you so you’re sure?”
His gaze met mine. “That woman who changed into a fox, she was really there?”
I couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve spoken to a goddess before, and a god, I might add.”
“Yeah, but…nobody ever transformed into a kitsune right in front of me.”
“Did you see nine tails? Because I certainly didn’t.”
“I—”
“It’s possible you might be mixing up your lore,” I goaded him. “Though I could be wrong. It is very late.”
“You were exhausted.”
“I was,” I agreed, climbing over him, straddling his thighs, my hands sliding over his chiseled abdomen, admiring the beautifully carved lines of the man.
“And now?”
“Now I’ve been restored by a goddess.”
“She was a goddess?”
I waggled my eyebrows, which he could plainly see in the moonlight. “Didn’t she look like one?”
“I—”
“She was very beautiful.”
“Yes,” he said gruffly, and I saw him swallow. “She was.”
“You should go back to sleep,” I said solemnly, knowing I should let him rest, getting ready to move, lifting my knee. “I know you’re tired.”
He grabbed me fast, and his grip was tight, his hands on my thighs not allowing any movement. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” I asked softly, leaning over, my hands now splayed on his chest, as always enjoying how hard his body was.
His breath caught, a shiver ran through him, and I could feel the warmth of his hands through the silk robe. “Yes.”
“She shared some of her essence with me, which was very kind of her.”
“Did she?”