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I remember stalking my prey. My stomach was so empty, and I was so hungry, I thought the creature would hear my stomach howling for food. I remember jumping onto it and biting hard into its neck. My claw-like hands tore its throat out. I didn’t go hungry again for three days.
—Nyssa’s Journal
The witches were working overtime, making sure to brew the tea just right. I gave them more than they needed, but it still didn’t mean it would work. I spent more time with Cecil, filling her in on everything that had happened, reminding her to keep fighting, that she had to survive. I even told her about Landus, about what I was, about what most likely was going to happen to me.
She didn’t move. She didn’t talk back. She just lay there, and my anger simmered with thoughts of destroying Baron’s existence.
I had to keep my focus, to remind myself this was all for Cecil. Otherwise, I would scream and tear everything apart. I felt so broken.
“Okay.” Maura came in with her coven sisters behind her. Sandriel held a cup with a sweet-smelling brew inside. I helped them prop Cecil up, cringing at the feel of her cold, rubbery skin. Skin that used to be so warm and soft but now felt so wrong.
I watched with eagle eyes as they patiently and slowly gave the brew to Cecil, making sure she swallowed as much of it as she could.
When they finished, we laid her back down and stepped back. All that was left was to watch for signs of her getting better, but only time would tell. I settled down in the seat that was now becoming so familiar.
“Are you going to stay here with her?” Maura asked as the other witches left.
I nodded, not needing to say anything else. She sighed and then left the room. I knew she wanted to talk to me but I couldn’t think about anything else but Cecil’s health.
The next few hours were long and heart-pounding. My focus stayed on her chest, searching for changes in her shallow breathing, her skin for the color that should be coming back, her face for movement of waking up.
Nothing.
I waited and waited, wishing Landus was here because he would know what to do, how to comfort me. But I pushed him away. Made him believe I didn’t care when he had my heart in his hands the entire time.
The witches came in and out, checking up on her every half an hour for changes. Every time they left the room, their expressions were grimmer. I ignored them because I needed to believe this would work. It had to.
At some point I dozed off and when I jerked myself away and looked back at Cecil, I sobbed.
I let out the tears that I’ve been holding back for a while now. Her warmth was back. Her chest rose and fell with steady, deep breaths. Her skin had some color back in it, not the pale sickly look, but healthy, or at least, healthier. And her face. Not her face, but her eyes. They were open and they were looking right at me. Full of life.
“You look like shit,” she rasped.
I sobbed a chuckle, wiping away the stupid tears before practically crawling into bed to get closer to her. Forcing myself to calm down, I settled on grabbing her hand so I didn’t hurt her accidentally. She felt like Cecil again. Warm.
“You look even worse, Baby-cakes.”
She snorted with a small, weak smile. “I always look like a million bucks.”
I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Her eyes widened because we both knew I wasn’t one for giving comfort but I couldn’t hold back my feelings right now. “In my eyes, you are priceless.”
I could tell she was in pain. She needed Maura or one of the others who could alleviate her pain. I still wasn’t willing to let her hand go yet. Apparently, she wasn’t ready either because she just squeezed my hand.
“I heard everything.”
“Everything, what?”
She shrugged. “Maybe not everything, but enough. You went and found someone.”
I smiled, ignoring the pain in my chest.
“And then you fucked it up.”
The truth in her words were a bit much and I winced.
“Who would have thought you’d become so gullible. My Nyssa, gullible?” She shook her head. “That’s impossible. You need to suck it up and push him down, mount him, and make him listen to you.”
Her words threw me and I laughed. I knew it. She would know exactly what to say.
“It’s too late,” I finally said, calming down.
“Not for something like this, it isn’t. It isn’t too late until he has the full picture and still says no. Not until you’re dead.”
My eyes burned again, and I had to tell myself it was because Cecil was okay, not because of a certain shifter. I shook my head. “Too late.”
“You are such a chicken shit. You’re aren’t my Nyssa. She’d never back down.”
I just shrugged. “I have my reasons.”
Cecil snorted. “Bullshit reasons.” She winced.
I sighed, pulling away. “I’ll go get Maura. She’ll be relieved that you’re awake, and maybe Sandriel will have something for the pain.”
“That’ll be nice.”
I nodded and stood up, going over to the door. Looking back and see that she was still awake, I smiled. “I’m glad you’re finally awake. And also, you’re fucking grounded for nearly dying on me. Indefinitely.”
She tried to laugh, which only turned into moaning from the pain. “I am an adult. I don’t get grounded.”
“We agreed a long time ago that I’m a whole hell of a lot older than you, which means you are mine to take care of and so, for your safety and for the health of my heart, you are grounded. Get used to it, Baby-cakes.”
She muttered something under her breath before speaking. “Will you just go get Maura already?”
I nodded and left the room, moving swiftly, not wanting to leave Cecil alone longer than necessary. I was afraid that when I went back into that room, she would be dead or in a coma again.
I quickly searched for Maura and found her in the kitchen, cleaning the counters. Early morning light filtered through the windows.
Has it really been that long already? I shook my head and focused on my tasks.
“She’s awake. Cecil is awake,” I said, swallowing the relief that poured through me. Saying the words out loud made the words so real.
Maura’s head snapped up, her eyes going big. She put down the washcloth and flew past me. I followed slowly behind and by the time I got back to the room, Cecil was surrounded by her coven, who were all smiling, laughing, and crying, happy to see her up and recovering.
Cecil was okay. She was awake.
~*~
“When was the last time you ate?” Cecil’s narrowed eyes dug into me accusingly.
“Ate? What is that concept? I’ve never heard of it before.”
Cecil scowled. She was propped up against the headboard with a massive pile of pillows behind her. She had some more color in her skin, and her wounds were healing exceptionally well. Witches didn’t have fast healing, but they had the spells to make up for it. Surrounding Cecil’s bed was a circle etched into the floorboards and foreign symbols written in chalk against the walls. I could feel the nipping of magic in the air as it did its job. In the next couple of hours, she’d be able to move on her own.
“Go eat,” she said.
“I’m not hungry.”
Cecil glared at me and I smiled back innocently. Being stuck in bed meant she couldn’t do shit. Her eyes narrowed at my smug expression because she knew it too.
“When I’m able to move again, I’m going to shove food down your throat so you better wipe that expression off your face.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I missed your face so fucking much, Cecil. You can do whatever the hell you want to me as long as you’re okay.”
Her face softened. “Were you that worried about me?”
I rubbed at my hair. “Cecil,” I grabbed her hand. “You are the only person on Terra Firma that I care about. The only one. You are my... weakness.” I shuddered at the fact that I even admitted it. “You know I don’t do relationships and people, but you managed to worm your cherubic face into my life, and I would destroy the world if it is needed to keep you alive and well. You are not allowed to die.”
She stared at me for a few moments, taking in my words and feeling the truth in it. Hell, I was willing to die for it.
She pulled me closer until I was sitting on the side of the bed. Her warm hands lifted to my face and she pulled me closer, kissing my forehead. “I love you too, Nyssa,” she whispered, and I shuddered at her words.
Love.
“I’ve loved you since the moment I dragged your ass out of the Woodlands. I promise you won’t lose me. Not yet. It is not my time, and I’ll fight Heaven and Hell to stay here with you.”
I leaned into her warm touch and nodded.
Love.
If I had a sister or a mother, would this be the feeling they gave me?
She pulled away and broke out into a massive grin. “Now go away and eat. You’re not allowed back until you have a full stomach. I can smell Maura’s cooking all the way from here. And when you’re done, bring me back something.”
Laughing, I stood up. “Fine, I will.”
“Good girl.”
I rolled my eyes but left the room and went into the kitchen. Cecil was right about one thing, whatever Maura was cooking smelled amazing.
Two bowls were sitting on the counter and I smiled, knowing Maura had put the soup off to the side for us.
Claiming a bowl and spoon as mine, I hopped up onto a stool and ate slowly. I would down this bowl in seconds if it meant I could be back with Cecil. I wasn’t ready to have her out of my sight just yet. But I knew Cecil and if I came back too soon, she wouldn’t believe me if I said I ate and probably give me a good wallop with her magic.
