A howl sounded to his left and my gaze fell to the massive black dog that was baring its teeth at him. Sebastian turned and kicked the dog. A loud snap was followed by the dog’s head twisting all the way around before it slumped to the forest floor.
The burned dog was left and tried to scamper away, but Bas was on its heels and swinging the stick through its back. It cut through the beast and brown blood flew through the air, spraying everything within a four-foot radius.
As much as I wanted to collapse to the ground, I channeled all my remaining strength into getting to my feet so I could thank Sebastian. I wasn’t sure what would have happened if he hadn’t come along when he did.
He held up a hand as he turned to face me. “Don’t. I can’t allow these creatures to destroy my home. And, I couldn’t leave Violet to be sacrificed by them. It wasn’t for you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and narrowed my eyes at him. He really was an asshole. I don’t like him at all. Even if he was the sexiest guy I’d ever seen. He had a bad attitude and was rude.
“What is your problem?” I limped over to Violet and contemplated how I was going to get her home. No way was I leaving her here. There might be more of those things out here. “What were those creatures anyway? One looked like a goblin, but I’ve never seen a dog that big.”
He walked over to me and shoved me out of the way with his shoulder before he bent down and picked Violet up. “They were goblins and grimm. You and Violet have been marked for death. Otherwise there would have been no grimm here tonight.”
“What?!” My voice was shrill as I hurried to catch up with him. “I can’t be marked for death. I’m just starting my new life.”
“Someone doesn’t want you coming into your full power.”
I shook my head as I jogged to keep up with his long strides. “I’m a middle-aged widow and mother of three with bad knees and a serious case of hot flashes. Why would anyone want me dead?”
Sebastian stopped so suddenly, Violet was jostled in his arms and I ran into his back. “Ooomph.” That was going to leave a mark. The guy was solid as a brick house.
“You have no idea the power you possess.” His lip was curled up in one corner and there was a growl in his voice, displaying his unmistakable disdain. “Learn from your grandmother’s mistakes. She made many enemies and is no longer here to usher you into this life. There’s no time for you to work through your feelings.”
My jaw hit my chest as I struggled to accept what he’d just said. I snapped it closed and pushed past him as I continued to my house. “You’re just as bad as my late husband who refused to stop and ask for directions when we were lost.”
I was pissed and thinking of every time Tim refused to admit his faults. A gasp left me as I recalled more incidents of me wielding my magic. Anytime Tim and I were lost and arguing about asking for help something happened to the car. One time it was a flat tire outside a gas station. Another time we ran out of gas while a third time the car overheated, despite being brand new.
How had I been so blind before? That was way too many coincidences. I shook my head and paused outside the back door to glare at him. “There is nothing wrong with asking for help. I don’t know how you expect me to know everything when I have never even been told I have magic. I’ll be sure to find a spell that downloads all the information I need directly to my brain, so you won’t be bothered feeling like you should help me.”
A growl rumbled in his chest. “Are you keeping Violet here or should I take her home?”
I opened the door the gestured inside. “She can stay here. I don’t want to leave her alone tonight. She was helping me, and I feel responsible that she was hurt. And, before you tell me it is my fault, I didn’t allow those dark Fae to cross through the portal. I might not know much, but I’m not that stupid.”
He grunted as he passed me and headed for the living room. Apparently, he’d been in this house before. He set Violet down with more care than I would have expected before he turned around and left without another word.
I grabbed a blanket and spread it over my friend while trying to forget the events of the past few hours. An odd sense of betrayal settled in my gut. Why hadn’t my grams told me more about this world?
She knew I would come back, at least temporarily. She should have told me something. A heads up would have been nice, if not basic information like the Fae actually existed and there was magic in the world.
Did my mom know about this? She would dismiss the stories I shared after returning from gram’s house at the end of summer. It was her way of telling you about this world. I never thought about it, but my parents never agreed on sending me so far away every year.
The more I learned the more questions I had. Not just about this world I suddenly found myself immersed in, but about my family. I needed to find that Grimoire and fast. I refused to be so vulnerable again. There was something out there gunning for me, and I was going to stop them even if my magical new beginning was something of a joke at the moment.
Chapter 6
“Knock, knock,” Aislinn called out from the screen door. “I brought treats.”
Please let it be those delicious almond croissants from the bakery. Setting my mug down, I hurried to open the door. Okay, so I didn’t move all that fast. The night before I had fallen asleep on the chair in the living room shortly after Bas left so I could keep an eye on Violet.
Sebastian had shown far more gentleness than I thought possible as he cleaned my injuries. I expected the cloth to hurt as it moved over the torn flesh and was shocked when it didn’t make the pain any worse. I was convinced he did something to make it easier for me. Of course, that might be wishful thinking and I had reached the point where not much could make it hurt worse.
After he bandaged me, I got up to help Violet, but he put me in the chair while he tended to her. She seemed to pass out while he was working. I didn’t blame her. I had been about a second away myself. I tried but couldn’t get up to check on her.
I had hit a wall and didn’t move for eight hours. I fell asleep before Sebastian finished with Violet. And remained in the chair all night so now my back ached, and my neck was sore, but it was the best sleep I’d had in over a week.
I woke up when Violet was complaining under her breath about sleeping on the floor. She wasn’t surprised to hear Sebastian left us where we were without thinking of moving us to a more comfortable location. She went home before I could get up and make her some breakfast, claiming she needed to make sure Ben and Bailey, her kids. Got off to school okay before she showered and got ready for work. I was still in the same chair twenty minutes later even though I knew I would pay for it later.
A smile spread over my face when I saw the pink box in her hand as she stood on my stoop. “Aislinn. It’s good to see you this morning. I could use a croissant after the night I had.”
Aislinn let herself in before I reached her and pursed her lips. “Seems like a lot occurred last night. What happened to you?”
I turned and lead her into the kitchen where I grabbed the coffee pot. “Want some?”
She nodded vigorously. “Yes, please.”
I got sidetracked by the fact that she was at my house so early in the day. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be asleep right now? Or did you have last night off?”