Ahmed bent and put his forehead on hers. “I am sorry for the ending, but I am glad you defeated her. Let this be more proof of your power.”
“I’ll defeat her next time too… and no one will stop me from removing her from this world then. I won’t let them.”
Carol looked at Hildy who’d said nothing about her story. Her stunned friend just kept shaking her head over and over. If anyone lost ground today, it was Hildy because her healer friend was going to have to live knowing someone who badly wanted her dead was being protected by the goddesses they both served and had previously adored without question.
The adoration ship had officially sailed out of port now never to return.
Carol gently pulled loose from Ahmed’s hold. She looked between him and Ibarra, who was smiling at her. “Thanks for all the food. Can I have some time alone with Hildy?”
Ahmed nodded and held out a hand to Ibarra, who instantly took it. Carol smiled. She was happy things were progressing well for them. “You don’t have to wait for the new familiar to arrive, you’re free to go. I’ll be fine with the warlocks until then.”
“I felt the change yesterday. The energy binding us is already broken,” Ahmed said.
“I know. I asked for that,” Carol said, patting his t-shirt covered chest. She was pleased to find all lust for him had faded. Ahmed was finally moving into the friend zone.
When it was only her and Hildy left in the room, Carol went to sit at the table too. “I’m sorry, Hildy. If I’d been three seconds faster, the bitch would be dead.”
“Do they hate me? Are they mad at us? I can’t understand why both the goddesses would choose to spare someone who keeps trying to kill us.”
Carol shook her head. “It’s far worse than just sparing her life.”
Hildy lifted a hand. “What could be worse?”
Leaning back in her chair, Carol closed her eyes. “Isobel is to be the mother of the next witch protectress. That’s why they saved her.”
“What!!!?”
Carol slumped down in the chair. “I know. Unbelievable, right? I’m still dealing with it myself.”
Hildy got up to pace. She walked the length of the kitchen. She screamed in angry denial and all the dishes exploded inside the cabinets. Carol winced over the loss but never said a word.
Their heads calmly turned when Ahmed appeared in the kitchen doorway. His concern was significant, but Carol only found it funny. Like Zenos of the One and Emeritus, Ahmed was yet another of the most magically omnipotent creatures on earth. However, her faithful djinn couldn’t do a damn thing about her situation either. No one could.
In her opinion, they were all fucked. But she couldn’t say that—no matter how angry, upset, and hurt she was. Hildy could blow up dishes all day long, but she couldn’t show that kind of weakness. Carol couldn’t even tell anyone the story outside of this room. She was the goddess damned Baba Yaga. How could it be fair that she wasn’t allowed to do her freaking job?
Carol sighed loudly and made a motion to shoo the concerned djinn away. “We’re fine, Ahmed. Hildy’s just having a witch moment. I insured all the china last time I did this myself. We’re good. Maybe you can help me file a claim before you leave.”
“No need. I’ll replace the kitchenware with something better. You can consider it my parting gift to you.”
“Thanks. That would be great,” Carol said, giving him a thumbs up.
When he was gone again, Hildy turned to Carol to glare over the news. “Not even Morgana can change Isobel. The darkness inside her owns her. She bargained away her goodness to get it. Unless there’s a spell to put the goodness back, and I know damn well there’s not, Isobel is going to be coming after us first chance she gets free of Morgana.”
Carol nodded and crossed her arms. “They know that. I don’t think they intend to try and change her. I think they’re going to hold Isobel in their own form of magical incarceration while letting her live out the suck-ass life Gaia won’t turn loose of calling ‘destiny’ or some shit. Apparently, if Isobel fails to produce the next protectress, the whole earth will be out of luck for protection. There will never be another Baba Yaga. Why in hell would Gaia put something like that in place and make Isobel the linchpin? That’s nuts.”
Hildy all but fell into the chair. “This sounds so… wrong.”
“I know,” Carol said. “I know.” She stared hard at her best friend. “And you’re going to have to watch your back for the rest of your life. She’s failed to kill you twice now. I wouldn’t put it past Isobel to send others to do it next time. So, keep up your training and put more security in place. Get Gaia to give some you more magic. It’s the least she can do to help save you.”
“What about you? Isobel will be coming after you too.”
Carol felt all the light leave her eyes. “I want her to come after me, but whether she does or not, I intend to find her before she finds us. I promise you I will kill her first chance I get again—destiny be damned. It’s you I’m worried about. She’s convinced herself you’re an easy target. We’ve suffered her shit enough. One of deserves to live a normal life. Congratulations—you get to do it for both of us.”
Hildy pushed both hands through her hair. “You deserve a normal life too, Carol.”
“What’s normal for a witch protectress? I gave up my chance for normal the moment I agreed to become the Baba Yaga. You get a house and the ability to heal the shifters you love. I get warlocks with man tool names, but that’s okay because I’m good with them. They’re good guys and make me laugh.”
“Man tools? You’re not sleeping with those warlocks, are you?”
“Goddess, no… that’s why I wouldn’t add your brother to my posse.”
“You’re sleeping with Fabio?” Hildy asked in surprise.
“No,” Carol said, chuckling at the hope in Hildy’s question. “But I prefer to keep the option open with him. That’s why I won’t ever take him up on that particular offer no matter how super smart he is.”
Despite the rest of her heartache, Hildy grinned. “He’s loved you forever.”
“He’s loved hundreds of women forever.”
Hildy laughed. “Not the way he loves you.”
Carol huffed. “I guess time will tell.”
“So,” Hildy said. “What happens now?”
Carol lifted her hand palm up. “You go back to healing and do what I suggested. I go back to tracking down bad guys. Apparently, there’s a new breed out there. Even humans are involved. Some have learned how to extract magic from magicals. I can’t allow that technology to keep being developed. Harry and I have to come up with a plan to stop that happening.”
“Harry? Harrison of the House of Merlin?”
“That’s right,” Carol said. “You know him?”
Hildy nodded. “He and Fabio are tight. Harry’s a lot older, but you can’t tell. I think Harry was one of Fabio’s teachers during the short time he was at Oxford.”
“Was that one of the places Fabio got kicked out of?” Carol asked.
Hildy chuckled and nodded. “Yes. Fabio healed someone with something experimental he’d developed.”
Carol snapped her fingers. “Harry’s mother. Fabio healed Harry’s mother.”
Hildy nodded. “Yes. Neither of them talks about it. My brother has a lot of faults, but he’s got a big pair of kahunas when it comes to doing what he thinks is right.”
Carol thought about that for a moment. “I agree.”
“You agree?”
“Yes. I agree. Fabio has a strong dedication to doing what he thinks is right. I’ve seen that for myself.”
“Just like you,” Hildy pointed out. “You do what’s right no matter what obstacles are there. You two have a lot more in common than you realize.”
“Maybe,” Carol conceded, lifting one shoulder.
Hildy stood. “Don’t be a stranger,” she ordered. “If you truly want me to have a normal life, then come visit me. The cubs keep asking about ‘A
untie Baba Badass’ all the time.”
“Which of the little shits named me that?” Carol asked with a laugh.
“Come find out for yourself,” Hildy said. “I love you, Carol.”
“I love you too, Hildy. Watch your back.”
“Don’t forget to unfreeze Fabio.”
“I was thinking of keeping him in the living room. He got frozen with one arm in the air—makes a perfect coat rack.”
“Carol…”
“Kidding,” Carol said, waving her friend away. “Go home. Boink your bear and be happy.”
Carol sighed when Hildy poofed out of sight. Hopefully, her friend wouldn’t end up barfing when she got there. She scrubbed her tired face with a hand and pulled away wetness. Touching her eyes, she felt hot tears of relief gently streaming.
She needed a big masculine hug for comfort but had managed to push most of the good men she knew out of her life. All she had left was fairy dust and a steely determination to survive long enough to protect those she loved.
13
She sent Ahmed away before the next familiar arrived. Harry and the warlocks were back so she felt as safe as any witch protectress could with so many man tools at her beck and call.
Ahmed had cried when he left for good, and she’d cried too. He’d been gone now for an hour. Her life hadn’t felt this empty in a very, very long time.
Standing in the shower, Carol let the tears fall as they wanted, but she was relieved they were finally slowing to a trickle. One of the hardest things she dealt with in her job was working so hard not to feel sorry for herself.
When the water ran cold, she left the shower and wrapped the biggest towel she owned around her. She padded to her bedroom and found a reclining red-haired warlock with nice shoulders waiting in bed for her.
“It took me a while to find the unlock mantra. Thanks for the lesson. I heard everything you said, by the way. The statue spell doesn’t seem to come with a silencer. Either that or the evil bitch was a piss poor spell caster.”
Carol pulled the towel tighter. She was vulnerable, and the warlock’s venomous words about Isobel tugged at her heartstrings in a way no sexy pillow talk could.
“I don’t know if Hildy ever told you, but Isobel was supposed to be the third Baba Yaga. It was originally decreed there would be three of us. When Isobel fought us during the Baba Yaga test, Hildy defeated her. Not wanting the job, your sister talked Morgana into giving all the power of the three us to only me.”
“That explains a lot. My sister is a brilliant witch and one of the best women I know. All she wanted out of life was to heal shifters and be your friend. You make her a better witch than she’d be without you in her life, Carol. Hildy and Morgana both knew you were the only reasonable choice for witch protectress. Surely by now, you’ve accepted that is the truth of your life.”
“I’ve tried. Believe me—I’ve tried hard. But days like yesterday make me think I’m not as bad-ass as I pretend to be.” As the confession left her mouth, tears streamed down her face again. “Thanks, jerk face. You turned on the freaking waterfall again.”
“You’re physically strong, but you need more emotional strength. I can help you find that,” Fabio said gently. “Come here.” He patted the space beside him.
“You going to take advantage of my weakness?”
Fabio laughed. “And risk being turned into something horrible for the rest of my life? Well, maybe sex with you would be worth it, but I’m not feeling that ruthless today. You need to rest, Great One. I want to make sure you get to do it—Witch’s honor.”
Trusting his willpower more than she trusted her own was the most ironic thing she’d ever felt, but she still walked to the bed and climbed in beside him. Fabio tucked her close to his side and pushed her hair back to look at her face.
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world. Sleep now. I’ll watch over you.”
Carol felt the tension seep away when he kissed her forehead and the corner of her eye. She moved closer and put her face into the curve of his neck. He smelled like cinnamon and something distinctively masculine that sent a safe message to every part of her.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I didn’t unfreeze you sooner. I was still thinking about… us.”
“You think too much,” Fabio said roughly, moving to where he could search her gaze. “I’m here for you. Don’t be stubborn. Just say yes to having me in your life. Things tend to work out the way they’re meant to. Destiny works like that.”
“I don’t trust destiny anymore,” she whispered.
“As the Baba Yaga, you must learn to trust people, Carol. No one can do everything all alone. Life doesn’t work like that, not even for the greatest witch protectress ever born.”
She needed so badly to hear the words he was saying that when his lips touched hers, Carol let herself wallow in the pleasure of his kiss. Goddess, the man had talent on top of talent and not only in his lips. He knew just the right pressure to use when he touched her, just the right amount of passionate encouragement to give to coax a response, and that little nip on her lips sealed her fate. And she didn’t even mind that he was going to get what he wanted from her after all because she wanted it too.
Fabio’s talented hands sweeping the towel away from her body indeed seemed like the best idea anyone had had in ages.
And hours later—hours and hours later—she still hadn’t had enough of him.
Now she had to figure out what she was going to do about it.
The next morning Carol walked into the living sipping her coffee. She eyed the statue of Fabio and smiled. He had a confused look on his face, but other than that, he seemed fine.
She ran one hand over him, remembering last night fondly. Chanting the release spell quietly, she stepped away as he came out of his suspended state.
“About freaking time you unfroze me,” Fabio said.
Lifting her shoulders, Carol shrugged. “Be grateful I didn’t leave you like that and use you for a coat rack.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Fabio said.
Carol lifted one eyebrow. Fabio glared. “You’re a grump in the morning,” she told him.
“Only after being frozen out by a bitch the night before. That doesn’t happen to me often.”
“I don’t imagine it does,” Carol said calmly, handing over her coffee. He took it in shock because he’d expected her to be offended. Point to her that she didn’t slap more tape over his disrespectful mouth. “Come to the kitchen, Warlock. I’ll conjure us up some breakfast. Wait… Ahmed got me some croissants from Paris. We’ll have those.”
“Did Francois make them?”
“Yes,” Carol said in surprise. “You know Francois?”
Fabio stopping sipping and gulped. “Uh… yes.”
“Let me guess… you slept with his daughter?”
“Both of them,” he mumbled into his coffee.
Carol rolled her eyes. “You really need to make amends for that shit before it comes hunting you down. How many little Fabios have been left behind without a daddy?”
“None,” Fabio said firmly. “I always wrap up.”
Carol sputtered. Her mouth dropped open. “Always?”
“Always,” he said firmly.
Rolling her eyes about him not having done it with her, Carol turned her back and smiled. “Well, I guess I should be grateful for that at least.”
“So…” Fabio said, looking around. “Why am I still here?”
Carol put croissants on two plates. She brought them to the table. “Sit,” she ordered, grinning when Fabio instantly obeyed. His gaze never left her.
She poured more coffee and brought the extra cup to the table, swapping it with him to get hers back. “I kept you here because I wanted the company this morning. Yesterday was a hell of a day.”
Fabio set down the coffee. “So, you waited to unfreeze me on purpose? Is this your idea of a date?”
Carol took a bite of croissant and thought about it.
“I suppose you could call it that. I like you—at least a little bit. I thought it might be fun to get to know you better. Your sister keeps nagging me to give you a chance.”
“Why does everything you’re saying make me so nervous? This is what I’ve wanted forever. I was not prepared to be intimidated by you saying yes.”
Carol laughed and went on eating.
Fabio ran a hand over his head and smoothed down his hair. He reached for his coffee again and saw something sparkling on his hand. Lifting his hand to investigate, he smelled the sparkles to see if he could identify the stuff. “This smells like fairy dust. Shit… did that crazy witch put fairy dust on me? That stuff can enchant a guy.”
“Don’t worry,” Carol said softly, reaching over and moving his hand to his coffee cup. “You’re safe here with me. Isobel won’t be back for a good long time, and even then, I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
“Carol… something’s changed between us. I feel like I’ve missed something important.”
Carol nodded. “Lots of things have changed, Fabio. I’ve decided you’re someone I want to trust. I make no promise, and I don’t have a crystal ball. Destiny often sucks, and I’ve got a job to do regardless. However, I would really like knowing there’s a warlock not on my posse who cares about what happens to me.”
“That’s why you didn’t add me to your posse. You think we might be together someday.” Fabio said firmly.
“I was protecting the possibility—that’s not the same as a commitment. Now drink your coffee, and we’ll do something fun afterward. I need to pop out to the yurt and see the guys. Harry’s calling to me.”
Fabio nodded and sipped his coffee instead of answering.
Carol blew him a kiss and transported away.
She and her warlocks spent the better part of an hour talking business. Harry carefully avoided asking about the elephant who wasn’t in the room with them because he was sitting in the kitchen still.
Carol decided she’d tell Harry what she could later. There was no fairy dust to spare on nosy warlocks who wanted to know every little detail. She’d give him an abridged version and ask him to never speak of it again. Harry had been good about keeping her confidences so far.
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