Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
We stayed in the ruins of Minka’s home for over an hour. Surprisingly, one couch had survived the chaos, and I helped Cernunnos over, picking his legs up so he could settle on the cushions. I took that time to go through every inch of Minka’s house.
She’d left her Book of Shadows behind. I picked it up, hissing at the oily feel of her magic clinging to the leather cover and parchment inside. Minka was going to be so pissed when she woke up and realized it was gone.
I didn’t dare flip through the pages right now. Instead, I tucked the book into my bag and kept digging to see what else I could find. She had a cabinet full of difficult to source ingredients I happily plundered, and a notebook filled with her spidery scrawl.
I took that, too.
I also plucked a hairbrush from her bathroom sink—the better to spell her with if she somehow managed to get out of that cell Ethan planned to throw her in—and brand new bottles of very expensive shampoo and conditioner I confirmed were only that.
No funny business on any of her bathroom products.
Somehow that made her feel a little more human.
Which made me feel a little less.
Anyhow. Waste not. Want not.
The rest of the house looked as normal as a dark witch’s home could be, or so I assumed, as I was not a dark witch and didn’t hang around with anyone who was. I’d always disliked witches, though I put on a good front when I was in Joy Springs.
Once I finished my search, I came back into the living room to see Cernunnos sitting up.
“You look a little better.”
“Are you ready?” He held out his hand.
“I am.”
Once he was standing, I braced his big body against my hip. Cernunnos was warm, heavy, and very male. This might be sexy if he wasn’t bleeding all over me.
“We can wait a little longer if we need to,” I assured him.
“No,” he growled. “Your mother isn’t done with her carnage. We need to track down the weapon’s maker and find out what it does and why she has it.”
“Back to my apartment?”
Cernunnos shook his head. “I need to return to my land to finish healing. Will you come?”
He speared me with that ancient, swirling gaze. My mouth went dry.
“Um. I guess?”
He rolled his eyes. “You can’t return to Rowan’s lands brimming with my magic. You’re bound to blow the place up.”
“Fine.” I slapped my hand in his. “I know how to purge this. I’m just not in a spot where I can safely do so.”
He gave me an odd look. “Whyever not? There hasn’t been a hint of the police since we arrived, which tells me either everyone hated Minka, or she has this place glamoured and under a sound ward. This is the perfect opportunity to let go.”
I swallowed hard and shook my head. “There are mitigating factors.”
Cernunnos frowned but shook his head. “We’ll talk when we’re back on my lands.”
A moment later, we wobbled out of existence, Cernunnos’s hold on his power tenuous enough to make me nervous.
We stood in the god’s living room. Without saying a word, Cernunnos went straight to the kitchen, dug a knife out of a drawer, and cut the rest of his shirt away.
I sucked in a breath at the massive, jagged slice bisecting his abdomen.
He grunted in pain as he sat down on a stool and examined the wound. “Moira. Come here.”
I grimaced but walked toward him, a sick feeling in my gut at what he might ask me to do.
He flipped the knife over and held out the end. “Take it.”
I hesitated. “This feels like it’s about to turn into some Wild West field doctor shit.”
Cernunnos was not amused. “The material is resistant to my magic.”
“You can’t push it out by yourself?”
“Correct.”
I stared down at the knife. “So you want me to dig it out.”
“Also correct.”
“Are we close enough for me to dig shit out of your skin with a knife? Shouldn’t this be something Evie does?”
He exhaled. “Is Evie here right now?”
“I feel like this is going to change our relationship forever.”
“Moira. Can you please shut up and help?”
Ah shit. I did not want to do this. “Fine.” I crouched down and took a look at the wound. “Whatever it is seems like it’s stuck deep inside.”
I rose. “Better if you’re lying flat. Let’s go to the couch.”
And that is how the former fae king and I bonded.
But it took a lot of teeth gritting and name calling first. Cernunnos was kind of a baby without his magic. The thought made me grin.
Once I’d managed to get every single iron shard out of his wound, the jagged edges began to close up almost immediately.
Cernunnos let out a small sigh. “Thank you.”
I handed the knife back. “Let’s maybe not tell Evie about this.”
“Deal.”
After a quick wash up, I made tea and brought a mug over to him. “This weapon’s maker. Any idea who she is?”
“Weapons are common. Those able to take someone of my caliber are not. There are only two makers I know of capable of creating something like this. The more concerning question is how your mother was able to acquire one.”
He frowned. “Speaking of. Is your mother still alive?”
I told him where she was. Cernunnos gave me a long look, and I squirmed at the disappointment in his swirling eyes.
“She’s my mother,” I said quietly.
He sipped his tea. “I wondered for a time whether Evie would try to kill Cliona.”
“Totally different scenario. My mother is 100% guilty.”
“Still. She perceived Cliona’s actions to be unforgivable. Evie has always reacted vehemently when someone threatens the people she loves. What your mother did to you is arguably far worse, and yet, you stayed your hand, even when her death was almost assured.”
I made the wrong decision. We both knew it.
“Thank you for trying.”
Cernunnos shrugged. “Without that weapon, your mother would be dead.” He paused and sipped his tea. “How does that make you feel?”
“I feel nothing,” I answered honestly. “The world would be a better place if she was not in it. But to kill her myself…” My voice trailed off. “I’m not sure I could.”
“There is a strong bond between a mother and daughter, no matter how bad the relationship is. Part of that societal, part is ingrained in our DNA. Even I would hesitate to strike a blow against family.”
He wasn’t blaming me, but I could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Do you trust the Shifter Lord to keep her secure?”
“As much as I trust anyone,” I admitted. “He has a lead-lined cell, and I’ve ensured he knows how dangerous he is.”
“He’s an arrogant male.”
I snorted. “And you are not?”
Cernunnos flashed a smile. “Perhaps so, but after having iron shards dug from my skin, I will temper my arrogance next time.”
I changed the subject. “You know where these weapons makers are.”
He inclined his head. “One lives in Emberwood. You might know her.”
When he spoke the name, my hand jerked, sloshing tea over the edge.
“Are you serious?”
“The Maker has asked for privacy and takes no commissions. She is all but retired and wishes to put those days behind her.”
“Shit,” I muttered. Evie wanted the same thing and ended up being dragged kicking and screaming back into a world she wanted no part of. I hoped I wasn’t about to do the same to someone else.
“As soon as you’re ready to take me back, I’ll speak with her.”
“Eat with me first,” Cernunnos said. “I’ll take you home right afterward.”
When I nodded, he smiled. “And do not think I’ve forgotten about your vampiric gift, Moira. We will speak of it later.”
Of course he hadn’t. Dude had a mind like a steel trap.