6. Blade
BLADE
Pet?
I knew that word.
I knew some of my mate’s words but the man was new.
No.
Not a man.
Magic.
I knew that word too.
“Pet?” My mate knew it was wrong as well. “Yes. I’m sorry. I didn’t notice the sign and…and he slipped his collar.”
My mate’s pulse had spiked but he was running his hand over my head.
“You want to explain what he is?”
No.
My mate’s frustration was clear…did the witch not know that?
“No.” My mate was honest. Most of my head was fuzzy and angry and confused, but I knew the small angry animals in the trees were honest and that made them good snacks. “I promise to leave as soon as I get to my vehicle.”
He’d talked about leaving and some of his words didn’t make sense but I knew he’d said we were partners. He’d admitted we were mates and mates stayed together.
Even if he was a strange-looking mate.
The witch sighed but carefully held his hands out to the side. He was not honest but he wasn’t prey. “Fucking hell. Okay. You hit the radar as human, but if you want me to walk away, you need to tell me what he is.”
My mate’s hand tightened on my head, so I leaned against his leg. Yes. He was new to having a mate. He was odd. He didn’t know. “I’m human. He’s…my new friend?”
Friend.
No.
Mate.
“He snorted. Regular cats don’t do that no matter how big they are.” The smart strange man studied my mate but didn’t project danger.
I wasn’t sure why, but I knew my mate would not want me to kill him.
Good murder kitty did not kill.
Maybe?
I could repeat the idea but I knew I was missing pieces of…of everything.
Thinking should not be so hard, but at least there wasn’t so much pain.
“I think he’s been trained on those buttons?” My mate sighed as the man rolled his eyes. I knew that expression. Disbelief.
Why did I know that expression?
“Good try.” The smart witch’s gaze studied us again. “Did you do something to him? There’s some kind of magic clinging to him.”
Magic?
I was magic.
Wasn’t I?
Why was I magic?
“You just said I’m human.” My mate’s words tasted dishonest. Good. Prey was honest. “I haven’t done anything to him.”
Honest.
But he was my mate so some would be allowed in my defense.
Somehow I knew that too.
“I’ve seen stranger things than your new friend here, but I’m not letting you go anywhere if you’ve hurt him or put him under some kind of compulsion.” Hands out. Tension. The magic man was hard to understand but he was worried about me?
Me?
I could kill him before he had the chance to grab the dangerous things on his side that would explode if he was angry.
I knew explosions.
“That’s insane.” My mate’s tone made the magic man frown deeper. Maybe? What did insane mean? “I came out to hunt him but we made friends instead. It happens.”
The angry animals in the trees were more dangerous than my mate, but I would keep him safe.
“What?” The magic man stepped back and something around us felt heavy. “Fucking hell.”
The magic had fear rushing through my mate, so I stepped in front of him.
I was faster than the magic man.
I was always faster than magic.
Magic was…dangerous?
There was something I’d forgotten in the fog, but it was clearing.
“Are you telling me you came out to hunt The Beast of Bladenboro and ended up finding this guy?” My mate’s head jerked making the man let out pained sounds. “You realize we’ve been trying to find him for almost seventy years?”
“You can’t kill him.” My mate dropped to the ground, wrapping his arms around me. “I’ll make sure he stops killing…well…things he shouldn’t.”
How?
“That’s not the problem.” The man muttered something about needing to be saved from humans but it didn’t make sense. “He’s not a monster.”
“I think we’ve got different definitions of that word, but I’ll agree that he’s very sweet and we just need to work on boundaries.” My mate petted my head, letting me ignore the confusing words the fog wanted to consume. “He actually saved me. He’s very sweet.”
Frustration was filling the magic man and he felt like the angry tree animals, but he’d be more than a mouthful. “No. He’s a regular male shifter who got accidentally spelled. He’s a panther shifter. He just can’t find his human side and we couldn’t find him.”
“Oh.” My mate wiggled around to look at me. “You’re a person?”
My mate was confused.
Did he have the fog too?
I’d keep it from taking him from me.
“Don’t lick me.” My mate fell back, sighing. “I’ve got more sand in my pants now.”
“Is he actually responding to you?” The magic man was stupid. “Fucking hell. I need the fucking coven.”
Coven.
Angry magic.
I warned the magic man and moved to stand over my mate.
“Fucking hell.” Repeating the strange words, the magic man held his hands out wider. “You clearly remember that word.”
“What did you do to my friend?” My mate tried to push me off but I kept him safe. “Blade. It’s fine. I won’t let them hurt you again.”
“I didn’t do it. The only one still alive that was in the…
group…at the time is like a hundred.” The magic man alternated between prey and danger.
“They had one rogue member with a mental disorder. We’d never seen it in a…
in someone with that much magic. It’s a human thing.
We didn’t know it could happen to her. They’ve been looking for him ever since but no one could find him. ”
My mate sighed and stopped trying to get up. “He’s very smart.”
“He was also incredibly powerful before the incident and the fucking spell didn’t help.” The magic man grumbled but he wasn’t a threat. “How did you manage to…to get to know him?”
“I got stuck.” My mate’s arms jerked and flopped. “He helped then he decided to keep me.”
The magic man muttered something about humans again.
“Okay. I’m going to make some calls and close the fucking park.” Shaking his head, he slowly moved his hands closer to his body. “We’re going to get him fixed.”
Magic.
He wanted more magic.
Magic was dangerous?
The fog kept eating the thoughts but I knew I would keep my mate safe.
Mine.
Yes.
That was better than magic.