“I... kind of have a client right now,” Violet began. Her hands were at her sides, and she had to resist the urge to fidget and quickly folded her arms under her breasts. There. It would keep her from moving too much.
Except, then his gaze was locked onto her cleavage when he looked up, and it was his turn to go red. A little color looked good on his face, given how pale he had looked the past few days.
“I uhh... Right. So you prob’ly need to get back to them.”
“Yeah. Umm, sorry. If you—” She didn’t want to invite him back. That would give mixed signals.
Distance. They needed distance.
“Was there something you needed?” It didn’t even sound like her voice. Her words, they were so cold and flat, not at all warm in the way that he made her feel. What was happening to her? Why did she feel like she was fading?
“I uhh... I thought you should know that I’ve been feelin’ a pull.”
A pull? What could that mean?
“You see... the past few weeks, I’ve been feelin’ it more and more. Like... like deep down, somethin’ is tuggin’ me. Tuggin’ me back.”
He didn’t need to clarify as towherehe was being tugged to. The location was clear, despite not actually being named.
“Why do you think that is?” Violet asked as she shifted her weight from one side to the other. She wouldn’t allow herself to fidget.
“No idea. It’s unlike any pull I’ve ever felt, save for my pull to you.”
A thought struck her suddenly, a thought that gutted her. If he was feeling a pull similar to the mate bond... could it be he had a new mate? That wasn’t possible, was it? Then again, a wolf and witch wasn’t supposed to be possible either...
“Do you think you’re going to follow it?” she questioned, her voice cracking a little as she spoke. “The pull. Do you think you’re going to return?”
“Not without you. Not without my mate.”
That was good, right? Yes? No? Shit, maybe.
She didn’t know the answer. All she knew was relief.
“I think the town is callin’ to us, Violet. I think it’s tryin’ to bring us home. Now listen, before you say anythin’—”
“Henrik—”
“No, just listen.” He stopped speaking and stared at her, but she had already stopped after saying his name. She had things to say, knew what she should say in response, but he was the one with the feeling, the pull, and until he got it out, regardless of how stupid his idea probably was... he wouldn’t be letting this go.
“Just... listen. I know that town... I know that you left for a reason, but it wasn’t really your choice, was it? I mean, did you plan to leave me behind?”
“No.”
“No. You didn’t. And then you couldn’t go back. No one blamed you for what happened, Violet, and even if they did... Well, listen. That spell your Ma did, it was there. We have to go back. How are you supposed to move forward, when you’re still out here runnin’ away? How are you supposed to... shit, break this thang on us, how’re you supposed to break it when you’re not surrounded by the magic?”
They were good questions. Valid questions. Understandable questions. Except...
“My mother lied when she said a witch would come into her power in her own time. She was trying to make us feel better. It should have taken me another year or two... and we were there another four after that spell. I was no closer to learning than I was before it was cast. I’m not a real... I’m a dud. I’m—”
“Violet, what are you doing?” It was Sam, calling from the chair. “I want to hear more about your stupid problems so then you can hear all about mine!”
Shit. She had forgotten about her client.
“Don’t go back,” she insisted, and uncrossed her arms to point a finger at him. “And don’t just sneak away at the Full Moon because of the pull.”
“I’m not shiftin’,” he reminded her, as though she could forget. She had to wonder if that was a side effect of their mate bond being held back for so long, the ties between them held tight in magical chains. “And I told you. I’m not goin’ back without you, Little Witch.”
He took a step towards her, then paused, shifting his weight back and forth. She could see it in his eyes, on his face, that he wanted to close the distance between them. Why were they like this, constantly going back and forth, unable to stay away, unable to stay apart, drifting towards one another, then pulling away once more. Why did they seem to... yo-yo, over and over again?