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I was feeling pretty damned optimistic once we got home. The bookstore was still standing, Hisashi could never try to leave the pride again, and no one was broken or bleeding. I'd call that a big win, for me.
Con and Kai went off to relieve Halstad of guard duty, and I had to put up with more of him and Oisin's death threats toward each other, but no one ended up stabbed, so again, a win.
That night, Halstad set the wards on the girl's house so we could all go for a midnight run. Shifting was healing, for all of us. And we needed to burn off some stress. Con stayed behind to make us all snacks, since he had no desire to freeze his balls off in the woods at night. But I chose to see that as another win, because snacks.
We all piled into Halstad's Rover. Kai filled the mage in on what had happened. She said she and Con had woken up from a dead sleep in the middle of the night, with the odd sensation that Hisashi was beside them, like a very vivid dream where they could feel the touch of his power. They hadn't thought much of it, and hadn't talked about it, until the next morning. It seemed Hisashi wasn't just tied to me and Oisin, but to all of us.
Halstad gave the fox a strange look as he pulled off the side of the road near the dark woods. But all he said was "you feel okay now, kid?"
Hisashi smiled at him, sly as a fox, still oozing that otherworldly vibe he'd acquired. "I feel great, old man. You?"
The mage grunted and opened his door. "Well, just remember, being tied to someone like that...it can come back to bite you in the ass if something happens to them."
He slammed the door and we all scrambled out into the cold, snow-scented night.
I watched with wary tension as Halstad came to walk next to Oisin. They mostly avoided each other, preferring to not even be in the same room. Oisin didn't pull out his sharp stabby things when the mage came up beside him, but I saw him thinking about it. "Did you get a power boost from the fox's binding?" Halstad said in his gravelly voice.
Kai walked faster, probably not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. I dropped back, ready to shift if I needed to.
Oisin glared at the mage. "Are you implying I orchestrated this? I'm not a mage. I don't go around using other people for parts."
Halstad scowled, but he didn't start swinging. "I was going to ask if you needed any help adjusting. If you're depleted, and you take in someone else's damn magic, it can fuck things up."
Oisin sneered. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?"
I rolled my eyes. "For fuck's sake."
The two men had stopped walking and if Oisin was a few inches taller, they'd be nose to nose. "You just can't accept help, can you, cupcake?" Halstad growled.
Oisin's green eyes glowed. "Not from a fucking vulture. Whose eyes did you carve out to boost your own power in your time of need, mage?"
Halstad ground his teeth together. "My best friend."
Then he turned and tromped off into the woods after Kai.
I stared after him. "Jesus, Buddha, and Odin."
Oisin snorted. "Now you know why you should never trust a mage. If that's what happens to his friends, imagine what he'd do to his lover, all just for a little power boost."
Shimmering magic washed over the fae as he shifted, the glorious stag trotting off into the woods with a haughty snort.
I ignored him. I was pretty sure Halstad didn't plan to add gryphon wings to his Vanhelsing look.
Probably.
I caught up with the others and tried to salvage the night with a good run. I wasn't going to let this ruin my optimism. Kai was carrying a furry ferret when I reached her, cooing endearments to Halstad and teasing him about how she liked short men. There was hope for the mage still. He might be a big thorn in Oisin's side, but I knew, instinctively, he belonged here with us.
Oisin would get over his pissiness, eventually. Maybe once Halstad stopped acting like he was a big, bad, asshole and shared his real self with us. I knew there was more to the mage than he let on. First thing tomorrow morning, I was calling the mage guild to set up an appointment to petition for a mage contract.
Everything was going to be okay.