On the way to Raisa’s aerie

Oliver joined Amethyst and Kerr, after hunting down lunch with Zelda’s familiars. The three of them then began what Kerr called a long ramble to Raisa’s home on a heavily wooded mountainside overlooking the valley where Assjacket was located.

Amethyst was thankful she’d routinely walked the countryside around Arse-on-Wharfe and stayed in decent shape. Still, the terrain around Assjacket was more challenging than the gently rolling landscape of her home.

“So, how did the interrogations go?” Oliver asked as paced her.

“Questioning, not interrogations,” she gently corrected. “I didn’t sense the artifact’s magic on anybody.” She picked her way over a particularly dicey area of rough rocks and uneven ground.

Amethyst had no worries about losing her footing, because Kerr had become hyper-alert since they’d left the flat ground of town. He matched her slower, more deliberate pace, ready to assist her, if needed. Any other man of her acquaintance would’ve made her feel weak or useless, but not Kerr. She’d enjoyed the morning with him. They’d worked together well—sharing the questioning as if they’d been doing so for years. He treated her like an equal partner, not just an appendage he had to drag along because Baba Yaga told him to. She felt important … treasured.

That’s because to Kerr you are a treasure. Have you talked to him yet? Oliver asked.Using her new mind-talking skills, she replied, About what?

Okay, she knew what Oliver meant. Trust her familiar to push her. While questioning the locals, she’d managed to shove her instant connection with Kerr to the back of her mind.

You’re deflecting, doll, so… Oliver heaved a sigh and spoke out loud, “The connection isn’t going to go away. You have to deal with it eventually.”

“Pushy, cat!” Amethyst glared at her familiar, then glanced at Kerr who wore a look of concern on his face. “Guess we’re having that talk now, rather than later.”

“Oliver’s correct, Ammy.” Kerr’s tone was compassionate. “The connection between us is strong and won’t go away … ever.”

“I’ll just go chase some bugs, shall I?” Oliver raced off into a small meadow filled with late-fall flowers and was soon lost to sight.

“Let’s talk.” Amethyst turned to Kerr and took the hand he held out. They continued up the steep slope on a path only Kerr saw. Seemed Raisa liked her privacy, and visitors hadn’t worn a path to her front door … And she was deflecting again. “How do you know we’re mates?”

“My animal knew instantly. Your scent—your pheromones—responded to mine as soon as you transported into Mac’s yard. My ability to connect with your superficial thoughts has gotten stronger the longer we’re together. Your ability to mind-talk with me will also get easier as time passes. You might not be ready to accept it yet, but the Goddess has chosen you as my other half … my partner. In the Shifter world, that makes you my soul mate. So, you definitely aren’t an ‘appendage.’”

“What you are, Ammy,” Kerr murmured, “is essential to my emotional and mental well-being—and once the mating is fully completed, my physical well-being will be tied to you also. Just as I will be crucial to yours.”

Kerr kept hold of her hand even when the ground leveled off. She liked the feeling of his large, warm hand clasping hers.

“But the mating is not complete … on your side.” Kerr’s voice turned ragged with a strong emotion. “To complete the bond, I’ll need to give you my mark … the mating bite.”

Amethyst took her eyes off the rough ground, trusting Kerr to keep her from harm, and looked up at him. While she could mind-talk now, she didn’t have Kerr’s ability to read thoughts and feelings. So, she’d have to rely on his body language and facial expressions to gauge what he was thinking and feeling.

His expression was grim. His neck and jaw muscles were taut. His brow furrowed. She read him as worried … and somewhat afraid. What could scare a strong man so much?

Then the import of the words on your side struck her. “I can still reject the mating.”

Kerr pulled them to a stop and turned to face her. He lightly grasped her shoulders and touched his forehead to hers.

“Yes.” Kerr groaned as if in pain. “You have to choose to take this final step. Because you’re not a Shifter, you can refuse to accept my mark and leave. You then could live your life as if I’d never existed. Marry and have children” —he choked over the words— “with another man.”

Kerr’s green eyes were almost black with pain. Desperation hung over him like a dark cloud. His intense grief pierced her so deeply that her heart and soul wept. It was evident that telling her the truth, acknowledging her free will in the matter of their connection, had been difficult for him and gone against every instinct urging him to claim her.

Amethyst hated making Kerr feel so miserable, but a part of her rejoiced in his rigorous honesty, absolute trustworthiness, and intrinsic respect for her free will.

Kerr Montgomery was a good man … the kind of man any woman would be happy to claim as her own.

“What would happen to you … if I choose to leave without taking your bite?” Amethyst needed all the facts before she could even begin to make a final decision.

Kerr winced at the question as if he’d been injured. For several seconds, he said nothing. His pain was palpable, beating against her skin and causing her to gasp. She wouldn’t press him further. If she needed more information, she’d ask Oliver or Baba Yaga. “Never mind—”

But Kerr cut her off and answered, his voice taut, “I’d live the rest of my life alone … without my mate … without a chance for a family.”

Amethyst stiffened as the impact of his words drove home the harsh consequences.

Kerr cupped the back of her neck and massaged her tense muscles, soothing her, unselfishly caring for her needs over his own. “A Shifter only gets one chance at a true mate, darlin’.” His voice was soft and uncritical.

Kerr’s gentle touch set her to shivering even as his emotions resonated throughout her body, heart, and soul.

Overwhelmed by his emotions—by her disordered thoughts—Amethyst pulled away.

Kerr released her at once. He stood in front of her, a proud man who’d bared his soul. The only sign of his distress was the pulse beating rapidly at the base of his throat.

“What if I’m not ready to make a choice now?” She stared into his green eyes that showed his feline heritage and found infinite patience—and love.

Tears welled in her eyes at the depth of his emotions.

“Then you’re not.” Kerr pulled her into his arms and held her close, his chin resting on the top of her head. “I’d never insult you or the Goddess by forcing my bite on you. I’m not that fucking rat bastard Reggie.”

“No,” she whispered, “you’re not. You are a wonderful man. I have a lot to think about.”

“Yeah, you do.” Kerr uttered a chuckle. “That doesn’t mean I won’t try to woo you into accepting my mating bite.”

Amethyst smiled. “We’ll see.”

“Yes, we will.” Kerr tilted her face up and kissed the tip of her nose. “I want you, Ammy. I know I can make you happy. So, I’m gonna use every tool in my toolbox to convince you to accept me.”

Amethyst had a feeling she’d enjoy his particular brand of wooing.

Brushing the back of one finger over her cheek, Kerr said, “The day’s a-wastin’, darlin’. Let’s get to Raisa’s place so we can make it back down the mountain while we still have light. Dusk comes early in the holler because of the mountains.”

Ammy took Kerr’s hand, and they resumed their climb until they reached a small wooded plateau. They then walked into a deeper, more densely treed area.

“How did Raisa build a house out here?” Amethyst looked around and didn’t see a single sign of civilization, such as utilities or a road. She liked nature as much as the next witch, but she also liked flush toilets, hot running water, and electricity.

“Does she even have plumbing?” Amethyst all of a sudden needed to pee, and wasn’t all that thrilled about doing so in the bushes.

“You’ll see.” Kerr stopped at the base of a huge tree. “Look up.”

Amethyst angled her head. “Oh my. It’s a tree house.” A very nice tree house with a porch wrapped around the structure’s entire exterior. The house had glass windows, a metal roof, and even a chimney.

“It’s wonderful,” breathed Amethyst. She’d always wanted a tree house after seeing the Disney movie “Swiss Family Robinson.” Mildred hadn’t approved, so Amethyst never got her wish.

“If you like this one, you should see Zelda’s tree house.” Kerr grinned. “Mac had it built for her. It makes this one look like a shack.”

Amethyst could only say, “Oh.”

Zelda was a very lucky witch, to have a man love her so much to give her such a wonderful gift. Kerr was a lot like Mac, and he’d probably give his mate her heart’s desire also, if he could.

Kerr didn’t say a word. But Amethyst knew he’d caught her errant thoughts, because he nodded.

“How do we get up?” Amethyst looked anywhere but at him. The man read her far too easily. “Or does she shift and fly down to us?”

“We go up. Watch.” Kerr stepped back and yelled, “Raisa! Kerr Montgomery, here. Need to talk with you. Let down the ladder, please.”

A robin’s egg blue front door opened, and the dark-haired Raisa stepped onto her porch. “Hey, Kerr. Oh, and Amethyst. Come on up.” She pushed a button on the railing and a set of steps unfolded from beneath the porch-deck.

Well, that answered the question about electricity. There was yet hope for a bathroom.

Kerr gave Amethyst a gentle shove. “Go on, darlin’. The steps are safe, but I’ll be behind you.”

Amethyst shot him a grateful smile and started to climb. She had no trouble with heights as long as she was going up and didn’t look down. It was going down that always disconcerted her, but with Kerr here, she wasn’t worried. He wouldn’t let her fall.

“Hi, Raisa. Love your home.” Amethyst stepped onto the wooden deck.

“Thank you.” Raisa looked past her to Kerr. “How can I help you two?”

“Merlin’s Foreskin has gone missing…”

As Kerr explained why they were here, Amethyst sought the artifact, using her magic.

Raisa protested her innocence in the background and had no clue how her feather had come to be in Mac’s house. The woman was telling the truth.

“Kerr … I’d never steal something that belonged to the community.” Raisa sounded indignant.

Amethyst shared a smile with Kerr. Raisa had left open “taking” something valuable from a specific person or persons. The raven Shifter, like the pack rats, had a flexible moral code due to her instincts. Ravens, like their cousins the crows, were attracted to shiny objects and impelled to take them.

“Ammy?” Kerr raised his eyebrows.

She knew what Kerr wanted to know without him saying the words. The realization hit her—they’d grown more and more attuned as working partners as the day had passed.

“Merlin’s Foreskin isn’t here,” she replied. “Never has been.”

“Of course not,” Raisa said.

Amethyst looked at Raisa. “Why were you so interested in the reliquary, if you weren’t thinking about acquiring it?”

“I wanted to know if it was actually made of amethyst.” Raisa shrugged. “I’d never seen worked amethyst like that before. I collect gemstones. Legally collect.” The woman glared at Kerr who’d snorted derisively. “I learned my lesson the last time you arrested me, Kerr. Roger is counseling me on my need to take shiny things. He’s helped me immensely.”

“Thanks for your honesty.” Amethyst smiled. “We still had to check. If you’d like, I can give you the name of the artisan who made the reliquary. I’m sure he could make one for you.”

“Would you? Oh, thank you.” Raisa pulled out a smart phone. “Could you type the contact info into my phone?”

“Sure.” Amethyst entered the German dwarf’s name and information and handed the phone back. “Now, I hate to bother you, but I really need a bathroom.”

Raisa smiled. “Let me show you where it is. Would either of you like a soda? Kerr, I think you like Mountain Dew, right?” She ushered them inside her home, which was as adorable inside as it was out.

“I’ll take a Dew.” Kerr shot a grin at Amethyst. “I’m thinking Ammy might not be a fan of the Dew, though.”

“I’ll take a Diet Coke, if you have one. Thank you,” Amethyst said over her shoulder as she entered a cute, fully equipped bathroom with the strangest looking toilet she’d ever seen. Definitely not a flush toilet, but it was still better than a bush or a tree.