Was he doing this? Was he doing magic?
He was afraid to move or even breathe. He just kept concentrating on the only three words that made sense at that moment. Keep Winter safe.
Cheryl screamed in frustration, the sound like daggers stabbing his eardrums. “Fine! Try this!” The flames disappeared, but Fox refused to move from where he was shielding Winter. Behind him he could hear glass shatter, and he remembered the old mirror that hung above the fireplace mantel. Cheryl grunted as she waved both hands toward the sofa.
Fox tensed, trying to hold on to whatever had protected them the first time, but he could feel his arms starting to shake from the exertion, and his knees were wobbly. Whatever energy he’d summoned for the first spell was already weaker. Sharp, biting pain lanced through his body from head to toe. The shards of mirror glass dug deep, cutting through his clothes to find flesh and sinew. The shield he’d created worked against fire but not glass.
Fox screamed in pain and Winter roared. He shook the sofa under Fox, but he couldn’t move. Fox blinked and looked down to find glowing blue eyes staring up at him, pain and rage shining in both perfect pools.
“Keep Winter safe,” he whispered, voice shaking in pain.
“No,” his vampire said brokenly.
A horrible cracking sound came from the front porch, and Fox jerked his head up toward the noise. He winced as shards of glass dug deeper into his neck and scalp with that single motion and he froze again. Even Cheryl seemed to stop laughing. They all strained to listen, waiting. The cracking sound repeated as if a giant tree were snapping in half.
Fox was afraid to ask what could possibly be coming their way. There was a new tingling in the air along with the sharp hint of burning sage and sandalwood. He just barely picked it up over the incredible pain cutting through him, but it was there. Another witch.
The door exploded off its hinges, flying out into the yard, where it exploded into tiny splinters around an old woman with black hair and very angry eyes.
“No!” Cheryl screamed.
The other witch sighed heavily. “I have had just about enough of your shit, Cheryl. Cool it.” The stranger casually waved one hand at Cheryl, and a blast of frosty white air shot across the room to slam straight into Cheryl.
A whimper left Fox as he turned his head to find Cheryl frozen, a solid bluish white, her mouth open in a silent scream. The remaining witch quickly shuffled over to Fox, and he flinched. It hurt to move, but he also didn’t want to leave Winter helpless. Even though she was frozen, he wasn’t sure if Cheryl’s spell still held Winter trapped.
“Look at you, poor thing,” the old woman clucked over him. “Evil fucking bitch.” The witch never spoke a single word for a spell. She just waved her hand over him, and all the bits of glass pulled free from his skin. Fox cried out softly, but there was relief with the fresh pain. The glass tinkled lightly in the air, and then with another wave, the glass turned to powder and danced out the door.
“Be a dear, Winter, and help him to the car,” she politely ordered.
Winter pushed instantly to his feet and wrapped one careful arm around Fox’s waist, coaxing him to lean on his strong chest for support.
“Who…” was all Fox could manage. His body hurt and his brain couldn’t take in anything else.
“Oh, haven’t you guessed?” she asked with a light laugh. But where Cheryl’s had been evil and mocking, this one was sweet and tender. She cocked her head and met his stare with an easy smile. “I’m Zelda. I hear you’ve been looking for me.”
Chapter 25
Everything became a blur, and Winter truly didn’t care as long as it meant getting Fox somewhere safe and properly healed again. Following Zelda’s directions, he got Fox stretched out across the back seat with his head settled in Zelda’s lap and then drove them to his loft. He tried asking her questions, but she shushed him and told him to let her focus on healing his boyfriend.
That was all it took to shut Winter’s mouth. The questions could wait. And he had a hell of a lot of questions, but his main concern was Fox.
Once they were parked in the garage, Winter jerked open the back door to help Fox out of the SUV, but his lover was already up and moving much easier than he had been at the cabin.
“Fox,” he started, but the redhead gently brushed his fingers across his lips. They were trembling and he looked positively drained, but the lines of pain were gone from his face.
“I’m okay,” Fox said softly.
“Are you sure?”
Fox nodded. “Tired. Really tired. And thirsty.” Fox wrapped his arms around Winter’s waist and laid his head on his shoulder, snuggling in close.