“Hold still.” Titus dabbed at the scratches on Jenna’s cheek with a gauze pad soaked in hydrogen peroxide. She sat on the counter in his bathroom.
She pulled away. “I don’t like the fizzing.”
He slanted his eyes at her, trying not to chuckle. “That’s what you don’t like? The fizzing?”
“It’s like having tiny bees on my face,” she protested.
He stopped trying not to laugh. “Imagine that. Jenna Blythe, wraith-killing valkyrie, transporter of men’s souls, sword-wielding warrior…bothered by fizzing.”
“I haven’t killed the wraith yet, but go ahead, yuck it up, Merrow. It’s just more fuel for me to beat you in that 10K.”
He kissed the top of her head. “You’re adorable. Sweetheart, I’m a wolf. You know what we’re really good at? Running.”
“So are valkyries. You’ll see when you watch me cross the finish line ahead of you.”
“Well, if you’re in front of me, at least I’ll have a nice view.”
She snorted and swatted him on the arm.
“Hey!” But he snickered, catching her and pulling her in close for a second kiss, this one on the mouth.
When it ended, she held on to him. “Does this mean I’m all healed up and ready to go?”
He inspected her cheek. “I can still see the scratches, but they’re definitely looking better.”
“Good. Thanks.”
“Anytime.” He sighed contentedly. “We should get going.”
“We should.” She seemed as reluctant as he felt. She smoothed the front of his shirt. “Funny, but I care a lot less about having our spells removed than I do about how Ingvar’s going to come out of all this.”
He liked that Jenna wasn’t so concerned about their spells being lifted. But he understood her concern for her fellow valkyrie. “She got the short end of this, huh?”
“She really did.” Jenna hopped off the bathroom counter and glanced at her face in the mirror. “I really hope she’s okay. I want my friend back. And not just so she can tell me how Sola pulled this off.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “Ingvar is in good hands. Come on, let’s go see how the coven is progressing.”
He drove, and while he did, she reached over and took his hand. “Thanks for everything. You’ve been really amazing about this whole mess, and I know I’m not easy to live with. So…thanks.”
He smiled at her. “You’re very easy to live with. You only rearranged my fridge once.”
She laughed. “I have some organizational issues.”
“Some might say it’s a gift to be that organized.” He chuckled. “And some might say you need therapy, but I’m cool with it.”
“Good thing for me.”
He glanced at her and was surprised to see she didn’t look all that happy. “What’s wrong?”
She shrugged. “It was nice having coffee with you in the morning. Nice having a beer with you at night too.”
She was bummed about leaving? He was bummed about it too. “You should just stay tonight. It’s already eleven o’clock. By the time we get through with the spell removal, who knows what time it’ll be? Just crash at my place this evening. You’ll have plenty of time in the morning to pack up. Plus, we could hit the hot tub one last time.”
“That would be nice. I might have to get one for my house.” She smiled. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
He pulled into the drive to Elenora’s estate a few minutes later, feeling much better about the evening. Cars filled the large circular drive on both sides. The coven was definitely in session. That was good. It was all good. And yet he had some trepidation about the removal of the love spell. What would that do to them? Would it take them back to square one, like an emotional reset? Or would they still be crazy about each other?
He found it hard to believe they wouldn’t be. They were pretty perfect for each other. But the chance that things would go back to how they’d been…that bothered him. There was nothing he could do but hope for the best.
He found a spot, parked, and glanced at Jenna. She seemed lost in thought. “Hey. You okay?”
She looked at him and nodded. “We’re still going to like each other, right? I’m okay if we aren’t in love. That takes time, and it’ll come back if it’s meant to be, but I’m worried we’re going to go back to square one, and I don’t want that.”
He laughed. “I just had that same thought. I think the fact that we’re both thinking about it is a good sign.”
“So what do you think will happen?”
“Getting rid of the spell isn’t going to erase the last few days. Everything we’ve been through, everything we’ve learned and come to appreciate about each other, that’s all still going to be there.”
“Right.” She smiled. “Which means we’ll still like each other.”
“That’s what I think.” They might even still love each other, but he wasn’t going to push it. What happened happened. And they’d recover from it, because he wasn’t about to give up on something this good. “Come on. Let’s go get untethered.”
The door opened as they walked up, and Pandora greeted them. “Hey, good timing. We’re pretty much ready to start.”
Jenna bit her lip. “How’s Ingvar?”
“That’s what we’re about to start, the separation. One of our members, Kelly, is a nurse, and she checked Ingvar’s vitals, just to see how she’s doing, and discovered she’s pretty dehydrated, so Kelly started her on an IV.”
“Oh. Okay.” Jenna growled softly. “I hate this. I hate what Sola’s done to her.”
Titus took Jenna’s hand, and she gripped his, hard. “She’s going to be okay.”
Jenna seemed to steel herself. “How did she get so dehydrated?”
Pandora’s eyes held all kinds of sympathy. “The truth is, Sola wasn’t taking very good care of the body she was inhabiting. If your friend makes it through this, she’s in for a long recovery.”
“If?” Jenna lifted her chin. “Ingvar is one of the strongest women I know. She’s going to get through this.”
Pandora nodded. “Of course she is. I should have said when. Come on, we’re all gathered in Alice’s practice.”
They followed Pandora back to the room they’d visited when they’d given blood for tests.
It looked a little different now. The rug was gone. So was all the other furniture, except for the large worktable Titus had made. It had been moved to the center of the room and the top cleared off. Now Ingvar and Sola lay side by side on its surface. Ingvar looked paler than normal and lay very still. An IV had been hung from a coatrack beside her.
Sola’s hands and feet were in restraints, and there was duct tape over her mouth. She looked like she was trying to cast spells with her eyes. Her deep auburn curls were a tangled mess around her bitter face. She looked like she’d been pretty once, but Titus wondered if giving herself to the dark side was to blame for that no longer being true. Something had cast an undeniable ugliness over her.
Jenna grimaced. “Duct tape, huh?”
Alice stood at the head of the table. “Yes. We can’t have her casting counterspells in the midst of our work.”
Jenna pursed her lips. “No, we can’t.”
A circle of what looked like salt and silver surrounded the table. Beeswax candles sat at even intervals, their flames flickering and sending the warm scent of honey into the air.
Runes just like Titus had seen on the trees in the circle marked the four directions. Alice had done her homework.
Women stood shoulder to shoulder around the walls. Titus knew many of them. Corette Williams and her other two daughters, Marigold and Charisma. Agnes from the bookstore. Dominique, who was also on the town council.
He nodded at them, hoping they knew how much he appreciated what they were doing for him and Jenna.
Alice lit the single candle at the head of the table. “Let us begin.”
She pointed to Jenna. “Deputy Blythe, please come hold your friend’s
hand. I believe the connection will increase the magic’s power. Step over the circle so it remains unbroken.”
“Sure.” Jenna did as she was asked and went to Ingvar’s side. She took her hand. Ingvar was ice-cold, and this close, Jenna could see just how much of a toll Sola’s control of Ingvar’s body had taken. There were lines in her face that Jenna didn’t remember. And tiny spider veins in her cheeks. Her skin was chalky. “I’m here, Ingvar,” she whispered.
There was no response, but Jenna hadn’t expected one.
Alice spread her arms and began, but as Jenna looked into Ingvar’s face, she was lost in memories. They’d had so many good times together. Some bad ones, too, but getting through the hard moments together had only made their friendship stronger. How many times had they gone into battle together? Taken souls to Valhalla? Celebrated their victories? Cried on each other’s shoulders?
The women surrounding them joined in with Alice’s chanting, lifting their voices as one. The sound washed over Jenna, but she remained in the past.
From battle camp to the battlegrounds, she and Ingvar had been inseparable. So what had happened? Life? Was that one-word answer really enough?
No. It wasn’t. Life happened to everyone. It wasn’t an excuse.
The candle flames flickered and strengthened as the chanting increased.
Guilt settled in Jenna’s stomach like a knot. Why had she let so many years go by with so little contact? Sure, they’d both been busy. Ingvar even more than Jenna. So really, the blame was on Jenna for not reaching out. She wasn’t going to let this happen again.
“Come on, Ingvar,” she said quietly. “Come back to me.”
The moment stretched out, the chanting around her filled with positive energy and a buoyancy that Jenna recognized but just couldn’t connect to. Her heart hurt too much for her friend.
Jenna held on. Ingvar’s hand felt warmer, but maybe that was because Jenna had been holding on to it.
“I need you to come back. Vikka needs you to come back.” Jenna wasn’t sure Ingvar’s sword would respond to someone else speaking its name, but maybe it was enough to send a little bolt through her.
Anything to wake her up.
But nothing seemed to be working.
Alice sprinkled something into the flame of the candle on the table, sending sparks into the air. The sparks seemed to twist and turn before landing on Ingvar and Sola like tiny fireflies. A glow lit each woman from within, causing them to arch skyward as the light filled them.
Sola howled and fought against the magic. Ingvar looked like she was floating in a warm bath.
Then they went prone again, and the light disappeared. Jenna held her breath, waiting…waiting…
Ingvar’s mouth opened, and she gasped for air. She blinked without any obvious focus.
Jenna leaned down. “Ingvar? Can you hear me?”
The seer’s gaze settled on Jenna. She calmed and took a few more breaths. “Jenna?”
Jenna nodded, smiling. “You’re back. How do you feel?”
Ingvar exhaled. Already, her coloring seemed better. “Tired. And angry. Sola…Sola cast a spell…took control of me…”
Jenna squeezed Ingvar’s hand. “We know. It’s all over now.”
Beside her, Sola squirmed and twitched like she’d been struck with a live wire.
Alice stepped back from the table. Her shoulders dropped. “It’s finished. Well done, my sisters. Well done.” Her eyes fixed on Sola, who was still writhing in protest. “Now, we just need to collect the offender’s blood.”
Ingvar nodded. “Good,” she whispered. Then her eyes rolled back in her head, and she passed out.
The next minutes passed in a blur of activity. Jenna was clearly thrilled to have Ingvar back, but it was obvious she needed medical attention. And soon. But neither she nor Titus could leave until their spells were removed. The full moon was fast approaching.
Pandora, along with her mom and sisters, jumped in to help. They rushed Ingvar to the hospital. Alice, having already taken what she needed of Sola’s blood, went to work finishing the spell that would free Jenna and Titus.
The rest of the coven quickly returned Alice’s practice to its usual setup, then, at Alice’s request and with her thanks, went home. Not only was it late, but according to her, some things were better done without an audience.
Several of the members carried Sola out and handed her over to Deputy Remy, who’d been called back out. He assured everyone that she’d be tucked safely away in the special supernatural holding cells in the Nocturne Falls Basement until she could be dealt with properly.
Then it was just the three of them—Alice, Jenna, and Titus. When Alice was ready, she had them stand facing each other in front of her worktable. She loosely wrapped a white silk cord around their hands. Titus stared into Jenna’s eyes, and she stared back. There was nothing else for them to do.
Alice lit a candle on the table, then held a small metal pot over the flame by its long handle. She added things to the pot. Pinches of this and that. A sprinkle of something. A sprig of something else. Then finally, three drops of Sola’s blood.
As the drops hit and sizzled, smoke poured out of the little pot. Alice fanned it toward them. “Inhale.”
So they did. Jenna coughed at the acrid, bitter smoke. Titus wrinkled his nose. Smoke was one of his least favorite smells. And not just because he was the fire chief.
Finally, the smoke died away, and Alice set the pot on a stand before coming around to their side of the table again. “It’s done. The spells are removed.”
“Just like that?” Jenna said. “I didn’t feel a thing.”
“I didn’t either. Are you sure it worked?” Titus said, then added, “Forgive me. I’m sure it did. I just thought I’d feel something.”
“Magic doesn’t always work that way.” Alice unwound the cord from their hands and held it up. “But yes, I’m sure it was successful.”
The cord was now black.
“Wow,” Jenna said. “I guess it did.” She looked at Titus and smiled.
He looked back at her. Really looked. Nothing about the way he saw her had changed. She was still incredibly beautiful. And something—everything—about her still made his wolf sit up and howl.
She took a breath. “I still like you.”
He grinned. “I still like you too.”
They both turned to Alice. She looked pleased but also worn out. No wonder. She’d worked so hard for them.
Jenna pressed her hands together in front of her heart. “Thank you so much. We appreciate everything you’ve done on our behalf. But I especially appreciate you helping Ingvar.”
Alice nodded, a soft smile bending her mouth. “You’re welcome. It was my pleasure to help a seer such as her. I hope the best for her. And for you too. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am very tired. Do you mind seeing yourselves out?”
“Not at all,” Titus said. He grabbed Jenna’s hand, happy he could still do that because nothing had changed. “Come on, let’s go check on Ingvar.”
They practically ran out of the house. When they got to the hospital, though, security wouldn’t let them in.
Jenna didn’t have her badge and told Titus she wasn’t sure it would have worked anyway. It was after midnight, and visiting hours were long over. She wasn’t Ingvar’s family, and she certainly wasn’t Birdie.
Titus had a little talk with the security guard, whose brother was on the volunteer squad. The man took pity on them and called up for a report.
Ingvar was sleeping and holding her own.
Jenna seemed to take comfort in that as she and Titus left the hospital lobby to return to his truck. “I should have known we weren’t going to get in.”
“It was worth a shot.” He went ahead of her and opened her door. “Holding her own is good.”
“It’s really good.” She climbed into the truck, her hand on the dash. “This feels weird to say, but I’m suddenly starving.”
He nodded. “I could ea
t. Let’s get something.”
“Can we take it back to your place? I’m not in the mood to be around people.”
He smiled. There was only one person he wanted to be around. “So…dinner in the hot tub?”
“I’ve never heard a sentence I liked more.”
With a laugh, he went around and got in the driver’s side. They decided on cheesesteaks from Mummy’s, since it was open twenty-four hours. He got mushrooms, and she got peppers. Jenna called their orders in as he drove, then he went in and picked them up.
He grabbed a few extra items while he was in there and came out smiling. The bag was bigger than what she’d probably expected, so what he’d done wasn’t going to be a secret for long.
He got into the truck, handing the bag over to her.
“This is way heavier than just two cheesesteaks.”
He started the truck. “I also got fries, onion rings, and two molten lava cakes.”
“I love their onion rings. Good job. But since when does Mummy’s have molten lava cakes?”
“They don’t usually, but they’re trying them out. I figured after everything we’ve been through, we could survive a little chocolate experimentation. Plus, I thought they’d go well with some of that ice cream we still have.”
“I like that kind of thinking. Man, this all smells good.” She inhaled. Her stomach rumbled in response. She laughed. “Drive faster.”
“Hey, I don’t want to get a ticket.”
She shot him a look. “Right. Like the brother of the sheriff has to worry about that.”
“All right, then.” He stepped on the pedal, happy to oblige and pushing her back in her seat with the force.
She let out a little squeal that sounded like pure joy. It made him happy. And she seemed happy. Sure, there could be better news about Ingvar, but Titus believed Jenna would get that tomorrow. After all, Ingvar was in good hands and had already survived Sola. She was a valkyrie like Jenna. And they were strong women. She’d recover.
She had to. They still had a wraith to vanquish.
A few minutes later, he pulled into his driveway. He parked but looked at Jenna before getting out. Even after the day they’d had, she still beamed light and beauty. Removing the spell had done nothing to take away his desire for her. “I’ll grab a couple of Warhammers, then get the jets going. Will you take the food to the kitchen?”
The Werewolf Dates The Deputy (Nocturne Falls Book 12) Page 22