I woke to the sound of someone talking. The sound was muffled and I wondered if someone had forgotten to remove the earplugs I’d been wearing when I passed out. I listened more closely as my head began to clear. It sounded like Kaye’s voice, but what was my witch friend doing here?
Had Father Michael sent Kaye to the cemetery? For some reason, that didn’t make sense. Kaye’s powers had waned since her role in the
I cracked open one eye to see the witch speaking with someone on the phone. It always looked strange to see Kaye holding a cell phone. I half expected her to keep in touch using a crystal ball.
“Yes, she’ll be fine,” she said. “She can go home today. Just be sure she continues to rest. No running off to be the hero—not this week.”
I missed what the person on the phone said, but Kaye laughed in return and hung up. If I didn’t want to have to answer questions, I’d better not let her see me awake. My head pounded with a migraine and I was pretty sure that every muscle in my body was bruised. I just needed a little longer to recuperate. Maybe after a nap…
I turned my head away from Kaye and startled, fully awake. Hob perched on the pillow beside my head. He was leaning forward, hands resting on his knees, and squinting at me with beady eyes beneath bushy eyebrows. At my movement he rose into the air, eyes wide.
Mab’s bones. So much for an extra minute of shut eye.
“She’s awake!” he exclaimed. He clapped knobby hands and landed on the pillow again where he danced a jig. “How do ye feel, lass?”
I tentatively lifted my arms, and did an inventory of my wounds. I had plenty of scrapes and bruises and a nasty bump on the back of my head. I was also pretty sure that my wrist was broken. But the cuts, broken bones, and throbbing headache were nothing compared to the burning in my side.
I pulled down the blanket covering me and lifted my shirt to see a large poultice wrapped in gauze.
“I’m okay,” I said, forcing a smile. “But this itches like crazy.”
I rubbed a gloved hand against the bandage and winced.
“Don’t touch that, dear,” Kaye said.
Kaye set the phone down and shuffled over to my bedside. I used the time to take in my surroundings. The old stone and wooden beams of the room were familiar. The welcome smells of herbs, incense, and wood smoke wrapped around me like a blanket. I’d been in this room hundreds of times before. I wasn’t lying where I’d fallen in the cemetery. I was in Kaye’s spell kitchen, near the hearth.
I suppose Hob’s appearance on my pillow should have been a hint. I chalked my confusion up to a sleep- addled brain. I yawned and flinched when the movement pulled at my side. Maybe if I could just get a few hours more sleep…
I started to drift, but Kaye harrumphed and kicked the bed, jerking me awake. She placed tattooed hands on her hips and shook her head. Apparently, Kaye’s recent time as a patient hadn’t improved her bedside manner. If I wanted sleep, I’d have to bust out of here.
I sighed and pretended that the motion didn’t cause me pain. If I wanted to get out from under Kaye’s care, I’d have to pretend I was well enough to return home. She narrowed her eyes at me and I blushed. Right, trying to trick a witch was probably a dumb idea. Kaye was no fool.
With another penetrating look, Kaye lowered herself onto the low stool beside me. She took her time settling her skirts and I tried not to fidget. I didn’t like lying here prone, but I figured Kaye would turn me into a toad, or worse, if I tried to sit up without permission.
I ran a gloved hand over the small wooden frame beneath me. Since the kitchen didn’t have a bed, I figured they’d set me on a portable cot while Kaye nursed me back to health. When Marvin had stayed here, he’d slept in a pile of blankets on the floor. The troll was too big for a bed.
“Is Marvin alright?” I asked.
My heart raced and a cold sweat beaded on my forehead. Marvin had unexpectedly shown up during the Danse Macabre, but I couldn’t remember if he made it out safely. I tried to think back to the end of the cemetery battle, but my memories were hazy.
I remembered Sir Torn arriving, leading the cat sidhe to attack the rat horde. I had uttered the Latin words just as Father Michael had instructed, weakening the compulsion of the endless dance and loosening the hold of the Danse Macabre. Ceff had battled Melusine, keeping her busy while Jinx tried to rescue children from the circle. I had fought with The Piper…and Marvin had appeared, joining the attack. But the details were fuzzy after that.
“He be fine, lass,” Hob said.
The brownie patted the blanket beside me, trying to comfort yet careful not to touch. My eyes watered and I blinked the tears away. I must be allergic to something in Kaye’s kitchen. I didn’t cry over bridge trolls. It wasn’t my style.
“Your friends and subjects are safe,” Kaye said.
Memories of the battle were returning in fragments, but I still couldn’t remember what I’d done to my side. I lifted my good hand and pointed at the gauze taped to my side.
“So what’s up with the bandage?” I asked.
I bit my lip waiting for Kaye’s reply. Hob looked worried and continued to pat the blanket beside me.
“It’s time to remove the poultice,” Kaye said. “I’ll show you how to change the dressings and you can see for yourself.”
She slid on disposable, surgical gloves and removed the medical tape from my skin. I held my breath, heart racing. My eyes slid to the black tattoos climbing up Kaye’s neck, down her arms, and onto her hands; hands that were dangerously close to touching me. My heart raced, leaving me lightheaded and my skin glowing pale yellow.
“I’ll be careful to avoid touching you, dear,” Kaye said.
Kaye didn’t look up from her work, just wiggled a gloved hand at me and continued removing tape from the edges of the bandage. She peeled back the layers of gauze and herbs to expose two round puncture holes. Jagged rips in the skin streamed out from the punctures where the flesh had been torn. A half-memory returned of Melusine shaking her head, fangs caught in my side. But was that truly memory or nightmare?
I tried to lift my head for a better look and grunted as the movement pulled at the wounds. It looked like a snake bite, if the snake was the size of a grown man, or woman.
“Melusine?” I asked.
“Yes,” Kaye said. She still didn’t meet my eyes. “The tips of her fangs caught you in the side as you tried to protect Ceff. If you hadn’t killed her with that silver and iron blade, the lamia would have murdered you both. You are lucky to be alive.”
I lay back against the pillows and squeezed my eyes shut. I’d killed my boyfriend’s ex-wife. I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about that. Heck, I didn’t know how I felt about it. The woman was evil, but I’d murdered her in cold blood, leaving her no chance for redemption. What did that make me?
Not for the first time since discovering my Unseelie blood, I wondered if I might truly be a monster.
“Marvin say ye had no choice, lass,” Hob said.
I knew the brownie was trying to help, so I nodded. But deep down inside I felt broken. Even if Ceff forgave me, which was a big if, I didn’t think anything would ever make me feel better about taking a life.
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry and I felt like my heart was stuck in my throat. I coughed and looked away. Kaye handed me a glass of water and I sipped it slowly, postponing my next question.
“Where is Ceff?” I asked.
I’d been lying here, maybe dying, and Ceff was nowhere in sight. Lamia fangs are venomous; it was a miracle I was alive. I’d never had a boyfriend before, but I was pretty sure they were supposed to sit beside your