His eyes met mine over her head and I could see the worry bleeding through them in streaks of yellow. I nodded to show I understood. Louis was not a sorcerer to underestimate. To do so could mean death, and while we’d do everything to save him, we couldn’t risk innocent lives.
“We need to check on our babies,” Mischa said quietly. “If Louis is not actively destroying the town right now, I think we should take a minute to do that, and then we can meet at the town hall to reassess.”
I waved my hands and nodded. “Yes, please. Go and check on those beautiful babies. I will track Louis and keep an eye on him. I’ll send a message to one of you if anything happens.”
The six of them all looked uneasy, and I wasn’t surprised when Jacob informed me that he’d go with me and watch my back.
Jessa gave me a quick hug just before she was about to race off. “Thank you for helping us,” she murmured close to my ear. “Thank you for caring about Louis and … not just giving up on him.”
I squeezed her back for a brief moment, enjoying the hug. You could forget the simple joy in being part of the supernatural community when you’d been gone from it for so long. Supes were very tactile. They loved big and fought hard.
I wanted it back. I hadn’t even realized, until I’d spent time back in the community, how much I’d missed it. We just had to finish the job of saving Louis first.
When Jessa and the others were gone, Jacob’s knowing green eyes met mine. “Been a while since you’ve been around supes,” he said quietly. “Your essence is shining right now in a way it hasn’t since I first saw you.”
Fae could sense energies. It used to bother me, but now I was past caring about their knowledge of my inner energy.
“I was keeping myself isolated as a form of punishment,” I admitted, still raw from my own realizations a moment ago. “I’ve been living in Alaska for decades. In the wilderness. Just three rowdy shifters there every now and then to keep me from going completely crazy.” And the occasional night in town with the humans. “I forgot…” I whispered the last part. “I have forgotten how to live and love and be a supe.”
I sniffled, forcing the emotions down. A large part of me was relieved to know I could let that all go soon.
I could feel again.
I could love again.
There was just one more obstacle before I took a new path.
“Come on,” I said, shaking my head. “Let’s go keep an eye on Louis before he decides to level this town.”
Jacob nodded in his calm way. “I have faith in Louis,” he said as we started to walk. “He’ll find his way back from the darkness. He’s too strong not to.”
His words lingered in the crisp air—it was growing colder again—like a promise. And I prayed it was true. Louis had overcome many battles in his life, but this was going to be one of the biggest. My faith was not as unwavering as Jacob’s, but I wasn’t giving up either. Somehow I had to find a way to repair the light in his soul, to squash the darkness back to where it always used to be. Controlled and suppressed.
I had to figure out how to bring him back to me … so I could finally let him go.
Jacob led us to Louis’s home, and as we walked I tracked dark Louis’s unmoving energy, wondering what he was doing. This had been the first place he went upon returning, so there was definitely a reason.
Once we got out of the main town, we entered the sort of gardens that I’d always dreamed of living in. Louis had built his home in a stunning spot that was less like the forests of Stratford and more like a tropical wonderland. Lots of greenery, lots of wildflowers, and a picturesque waterfall that made me want to strip off my dirty clothes and dive right in to wash the sweat and grime from my body. Being in the land between definitely took a toll on your physical and mental self.
“He’s still here?” Jacob murmured.
“Yes,” I replied, just as quietly. “He’s inside the building.”
We lay low near some bushes. I was actively blocking our energy so Louis wouldn’t feel our presence. I had learned a trick to this sort of magic long ago, because simply blocking us completely didn’t work. It left a magical dead spot that was almost as obvious as having my energy blazing. It was much stealthier to mimic nearby animals, filtering their energy around my own—I only took enough to mask our presence and not to hurt them.
I was always the winner at hide-and-seek in Alaska.
“He’s moving,” I said with some urgency a few minutes later.
I waited for him to appear, trying to prepare myself for seeing him in the flesh. It had hurt to see him in soul form, but there would be ten times the impact with his soul and vessel back together. He didn’t appear though; his energy just faded out of the house and then it was in the center of town.
“He’s gone to the main hall,” I said, scrambling to my feet. “Freaking sneaky bastard.”
Jacob chuckled, and I turned to him. “Never really heard you curse. Have to say, I kind of like it. It makes you a little more approachable.”
I couldn’t help but laugh in return. “I actually have the worst potty mouth. See, I was raised in a time where ladies did not curse.” I made my voice all gentle before grimacing. “I countered that by acting as unladylike as possible, because why the heck did I have different rules than the men? Plus, the only friends I’ve had in the past thirty years pretty much only know four-letter words.”
Jacob laughed loudly. “Me too,” he said, a few more low chuckles emerging. “Jessa’s first word was fuck, and her second was you.”
