“And don’t forget to feed the cats—yes, yes. I will remember.” Faron waved us out.
Bran and I walked over to his truck. While May’s house was less than a ten-minute walk away, it was icy, and neither one of us felt like slogging through a snow-covered thicket while the temperatures dropped below freezing.
Entering the farm country kitchen was like entering a beloved childhood memory. Even if it was a memory that you only wished for in your dreams, it still felt like coming home, returning to the hearth where all good things happened and the dangers were kept at bay by those who protected you.
I dropped my coat on a side chair and immediately jumped in to help her. Bran stoked up the fire. After that, he headed out to check the mailbox for May.
“So, how are things working out with Faron?” May asked.
“Better than I imagined it would. The men get along fairly well, and sometimes they gang up on me.”
“That’s because you’re such a strong woman that they don’t stand a chance of getting their way if they don’t try to hold their own.”
While Bran was out gathering the mail so May wouldn’t have to make the frozen trek, I asked her a question that I’d been too afraid to voice.
“Do you mind? I wouldn’t normally ask, except…well, I love you. And I love Bran.”
She hesitated for a moment, then squared her shoulders. “Love has a way of its own. Not everyone can satisfy every need. And I suppose, when I think about it, you have enough love to go around, and my son is happy with the situation, who am I to interfere? Love is a good thing. There’s not enough of it in this world.”
I helped her carry dinner to the table—fried chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes and gravy, Brussels sprouts roasted with bacon, and for dessert—a fruit salad and pound cake. Everything May touched in the kitchen tasted fantastic, and it was easy to tell it was made with love. Kitchen witches were truly gems, and their families were usually happy and healthy, and nurtured.
“It’s unconventional, but I hope you realize that I will never hurt either of them, if I can help it.” I paused, then wrapped my arms around her. “And I’ll never do anything to hurt you.”
“Of course, dear.” She glanced over at the door as Bran returned with the mail. He placed it on the counter, and we gathered around the big country table to eat.
“Ma, can you cast a protection spell for the chickens? There are a couple of foxes around and I’d rather not have to go after them,” Bran said. “I’ve set up some extra fencing, but they’re freaking smart.”
“I’ll do that tomorrow morning,” May said. “Those foxes are clever little kits.”
We had almost finished eating when May suddenly froze. “Something’s wrong?—”
Even as she spoke, I sensed Fancypants connect to me. He screamed my name, his voice echoing through my thoughts, and something hit me hard…only it wasn’t me. Somebody was attacking Fancypants. He was so afraid.
“What the hell!” I scrambled up so fast that I sent my plate spinning off the table, where it crashed to the floor. But I didn’t notice. I was already half out of the door, panic spurring me on.
Bran jumped up. “Elphyra?”
“Fancypants! Hold on, I’m coming!” I raced out into the night, slipping on the icy porch. I managed to stay on my feet, leaping down the steps to land in the snow. “Damn it!”
Searing pain sliced through me.
I stumbled, falling to my knees as I slipped into a fog of confusion and anger. We were bound together now. The whirl of fear and anger overwhelmed me, and I curled into a ball in the snow, too confused to move. Bran knelt by my side—I saw him through the haze of pain. He scooped me into his arms. I leaned against his chest, holding onto his shoulders.
“Fancy…Fancy…he needs me,” I whimpered as Bran carried me inside.
“I’ll go,” he said. “Ma, take care of her.”
“She’ll be all right. Put her on the sofa. We’ll be fine. Go start the truck and we’ll be out in a moment,” May said.
Bran deposited me on the sofa. May brushed my hair out of my face and sat beside me. She pressed her hands to either side of my head and whispered something soft, like a chant. A few seconds later, my mind began to clear, and the pain receded. I whimpered again, trying to speak, but she shushed me.
“Come on, let go of the pain. Let it go. It won’t help you or Fancypants,” she said, her voice soft but commanding.
I tried to resist, afraid to let go of the bond—terrified that I wouldn’t be able to help him. But after a moment, she reached into my aura and yanked the pain away, pulling it out by the roots. I let out a brief cry, but within seconds, everything began to clear.
A moment later, I sat up. “Fancypants! May—what’s happening?”
“I don’t know, but I needed to dampen your bond so you can focus. Can you still sense him?” She pulled me to my feet.
