Chapter Ten
When Broken is Perfect
“This was not the evening I had planned,” Justin teased with Adrian snuggled into his side as they waited for Kit to emerge from the tent.
“I would imagine not.” Thinking back over the day, it was hard to believe all that had happened.
“What do you think is going to happen?” That was the million-dollar question.
Adrian entwined his fingers with Justin’s. “I don’t know, but those two have some power in them.” Adrian knew he should be afraid of that, but he wasn’t. They were here for a reason. All four of them.
“They really do,” Justin agreed. “Kit seems to believe her mom will be fine now.”
“Then she will.” Adrian looked to the tent again. Straining his ears, he thought he heard the beginning of movement, which filled him with relief.
“Agreed. Why do you think they really came here?”
“It looks like we are about to find out.” Adrian signaled toward the tent as the witch emerged without her daughter. The woman’s eyes were no longer nearly black. That was a really good sign.
“I’m Mariah,” the woman began as she walked in their direction. Her movements didn’t appear weak but close to as good as new. “Kit says you are who I have to thank.” The woman sat in front of them before they could rise.
“Honestly, I think Rosemary is who you have to thank.” It was true. Rosemary had not only taught him the art of making healing powders and tinctures, but also left the book to direct him.
“The healer.” Mariah nodded in acknowledgement. “She is why we came here, but I couldn’t find her.”
“That’s because she passed,” Adrian confirmed.
“And she gave you her gifts?” Mariah looked him up and down. “I see. It makes sense now. Is that why your bear is in hiding?”
“What?” Adrian spit out with zero composure. “Can you sense him?”
“I can, but barely.” Either Mariah had a stronger sense of shifters than Justin did, or his bear really was coming closer to the surface and earlier had not been a fluke. “It is as if he fears he will harm you more than help you. Does that make any sense to you?”
None. None at all. Adrian just stared back at the woman.
“It seems odd to me, too. Maybe after I am feeling a bit better I can ask him about it.”
“You can talk to inner shifters?” Adrian had heard of lovers whose animals were able to talk to each other, but it was rare. He had been led to believe it was because of their connection to each other. He had never heard of someone being able to talk to random inner animals.
“I’m a shifter,” Mariah stated, as if it made sense, even though her body language shouted out worry as she picked at her skirt.
“I sense witch.” Justin wrapped his arm around Adrian’s shoulder in a protective movement. “I don’t sense your animal.”
“Ah…the unicorn is unable to sense another of his kind. Interesting.” Mariah spoke low and more as if to work it out with herself than to antagonize.
“You don’t feel unicorn.” Justin’s voice was firm with an accusatory tone. “You feel witch.”
“Part witch,” Mariah conceded. “Are you of Rosemary’s line?”
“I am.” Justin’s tone softened a bit, and Adrian had a feeling he was putting some pieces together. Pieces of what, he had no idea. “Then we will have lots to discuss in the future—but for now, I fear we need to get Kit and leave this place. Can you take me to your home?”
“No, but I can take you to Adrian’s.” It was weird hearing Justin refer to the cabin as his.
“That will do, though some unicorn magic would be good about now.” Fear tinged her voice. “I feel them coming. It looks like my storm worked a bit too well and some angry townspeople are on their way.”
“They probably are.” Adrian swallowed roughly. “The storm you created caused a lot of damage.”
“I meant to keep it right where we were so someone would come looking and find Kit, but I was too weak to control it. I never meant it to be so broad.”
“They did look for her…you. I heard them mention a town meeting—which is, come to find out, a euphemism for taking care of supernatural business.” Adrian looked to the tent and saw two eyes staring back. He waved the young girl to him. “Your Kit here hid the tent when she realized you couldn’t. She has a very powerful illusion.”
Kit ran to her mother and was engulfed in a hug. “Mama, you’re awake. Are you all better now? Is the sickies all gone?”
“Oh, sweet Kit, I am awake, and we need to go. We are going to stay with Adrian and Justin for a bit.” She put Kit down. “Go grab Mr. Teddy and run right back. We will get everything else tomorrow.”
The little girl did as she asked, and they were at the cabin eating the now-cold rotisserie chicken on the front porch in under an hour. Mariah shared their story of how the young mom was struck by an illness she couldn’t take to a traditional doctor and how she came here to find Rosemary.
It turned out she was the great granddaughter of the witch who took Rosemary in as a child, and while they’d never met, Mariah had been told stories about Rosemary her entire life. While they were not related by birth, she called Justin her cousin, and he seemed to like that just fine. Kit did as well, and quickly took to calling him Uncle Justin. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep on her mother’s lap, and they could talk more freely.
“What should we do now?” Mariah whispered over her sleeping daughter’s form.
“Now, we get you two to bed. I hope it is all right if you share a bed. The house is pretty much an episode of an organize your home television show waiting to happen.” Adrian gathered up the plates as he spoke.
“Sharing is fine. What about tomorrow, though? The town?” Therein lay the rub. Adrian didn’t know the town well enough to know what would happen next. He had only recently discovered their brand of justice, and while he chose to believe no harm would come to the girl and her mother, he couldn’t be sure.
“I say tonight you and Kit sleep.” Justin took the reins, which was great, since Adrian had no idea what to say. “Adrian and I will go and get your camping supplies. They know Adrian, so they won’t think anything of it.” That was a stretch. They kind of knew him, only because of Rosemary’s demise—but everyone could easily think they were camping since Rosemary had kept her house so hidden.
“There’s not much there.” Mariah’s voice still barely rose above a whisper. “Just the tent, the air mattress, and a backpack of clothes. We were forced to travel light after the car broke down and we had to hitch rides.” The story got sadder and sadder. Adrian swore to himself he would help the woman get her car and her life back.
“Before we get you settled in for the night, can you tell me what was wrong with you? I know you didn’t want to say in front of your daughter, so it must have been really bad.”
Mariah looked down at her daughter and gave her sleeping face a small smile. When she looked back up at Adrian and Justin, she swallowed deeply before beginning to speak. “It was—” Mariah’s face showed every bit of her youth.
“You don’t need to share if you don’t want to,” Justin reassured her as he took the plates from Adrian and placed them beside him. He had forgotten he was holding them.
“No, you saved my life, so you should know.” Mariah looked down, as if embarrassed by what was coming next. Adrian wanted to reach out and hug her—and would have if she wasn’t holding her sleeping daughter. “My ex, Kit’s father, was a very powerful witch. He was also an abusive prick and unbeknownst to me, already married. When his wife found out about me, she killed him and put a curse on me.”
“A death curse?” Justin asked as if he already knew.
“Yes. She said I deserved to die slowly for tempting her husband. I was eighteen when I met him. I was waiting on tables, and he was nice and handsome and treated me well at first. I didn’t lure him. He lured me.” Yeah, the bastard deserved his death, preying on a woman barely an adult while he was married.
“But you are okay, now? I mean with the curse and all?” Adrian had a brief moment of panic. What if he’d only bought Mariah some time, and she was going to die soon anyway?
“I am.” The reassuring smile on Mariah’s face reduced Adrian’s anxiety tremendously.
“How?” Justin seemed less reassured.
Mariah looked to Adrian as he answered his question. “The spell you said over the medicine, did you not know what it was?”
Adrian shook his head no.
“It was to raise the dead.”
“I…I can’t raise the dead. That’s impossible.” Adrian had been told numerous times by Rosemary they could help many people with many ailments, but some things would be beyond them. Death surely fit that bill.
“Not really.” Mariah closed her eyes as if to gather her thoughts. “More like, you can raise the nearly dead and only from magical deaths.” Adrian thought back to the tent and his initial thought the poor woman was dead. She really had been nearly dead. “You are a very powerful healer.”
“I didn’t feel powerful,” Adrian confessed. “I actually didn’t know what I was doing.” The truth scared him. If he could heal as powerfully as it seemed, he had a lot to learn. How many people could suffer because of his lack of training?
“If you are this strong already, you are going to be an amazing healer.” Awe filled the woman’s voice.
“You really are.” Justin’s voice was close to his ear. His words were meant for Adrian alone, and somehow that made them seem…more.
“Are you a healer?” Adrian didn’t want to keep prying, but there was so much he wanted to know.
“No, my strength is more in weather, which is mostly banned and hardly useful.”
“It led us to you,” Justin interjected.
“That it did. I’m so glad. I never thought to tell Kit to leave the illusion down. My own lack of foresight almost caused her harm.”
“No, it meant we found you and not someone who might cause you harm.” Adrian tried to reduce Mariah’s second-guessing of herself. She really had done right by her daughter.
It could have been so much worse. That thought formed a pit in Adrian’s stomach. He already loved the little girl, and they had known each other for only a few hours. The thought of any harm coming to her kicked Adrian’s protective instincts on high alert and seemed to bring his bear closer to the surface. Not much, but enough to let Adrian know he was there. Interesting.
“Mama.” Kit was talking in her sleep. “Mama.” Adorable.
“I think we should head to bed. Show me the way?” Adrian nodded and got up from his perch on the porch.
Justin snagged the dishes before he could. The unicorn was so domestic, for a split second, Adrian felt like flinging himself toward him and begging him to take him. Mariah shushing Kit back to sleep brought things back into focus. Adrian led them to Rosemary’s old room and told Mariah where the towels, extra blankets, and bathroom were before wishing them a good sleep. Goodness knew they deserved one.
Justin was at the front door waiting for him. He had a backpack over his shoulder and looked like the morning was new instead of what had turned into an extremely long day. Adrian smiled. That morning he’d woken up completely alone. In one short day’s time, he’d met Justin, Mariah, and Kit. Family. Even his bear seemed to agree with him on that. Adrian allowed himself to hope this was the beginning of a new life.
Hope never hurt anyone, right?