He looked up, his eyes clear of memories but still wet with tears. “Thank you. Thank you for taking me instead of him.”
The words seemed to deflate Sebbie, and he heaved another big sigh.
The man in black laughed behind him. “You’re too kind and forgiving, old friend. But that has always been your nature.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled, then he pointed his staff at the man. “I’ll give you a ride, but I’m telling you right now, when you get over there, you’re telling your Maeverything.”
The man took a shuddering breath, a hint of panic appearing on his face. He shook his head in disagreement, and it was clear he didn’t want to confess everything to his mother.
“I mean it!” Sebbie said. “Every single thing. And I’ll know if you don’t. It’s either that, or this one”—he gestured at me—“will end you right now before you can even cross. And then I have no idea where you’ll end up, but it won’t be with your Ma, that’s for sure.”
The man hung his head, but he finally nodded.
“Alright, Kevin, let’s go,” Sebbie announced. “You can tell me all the good memories you have of your Ma and Da on the way over. You can tell me about the times before things went bad.”
Sebbie gave me a pat, then he led the softly crying man—Kevin, apparently—off toward the boat. I would have followed him, but the man in black put his hand up.
“Sebbie will handle it from here, and I’m not sure what will happen if you get on the boat,” the man in black said quietly, both of us staring after Sebbie and his charge as they boarded.
I growled in response. I still wanted to go with Sebbie. I didn’t care what happened to me.
The man in black looked at me. “Yes, but Sebbie will very much care, especially if what happens here has ramifications in what he thinks of as the real world. He doesn’t… He hasn’t quite come to terms with what he is yet. I know you’re tempted to tell him, but that would not be good for him, or for you. Some things we must figure out for ourselves.”
I had so many questions.
“I know you do, Baiga-hound.”
That was the second time the man in black had called me that.
He smiled. “Sebbie has chosen well. Neither of you are completely mine anymore, however, and that does make thingsslightly more difficult. Your Baiga heritage makes you partly beyond my reach, but I think it will serve you well with Sebbie.”
That was all well and good, but what was I supposed to do?
“For now, I think it’s time you woke up,” the man in black said, and then he snapped his fingers.
My eyes popped open. I was sitting on Sebbie’s comfy couch, his feet in my lap, my hands lightly resting on his legs. He was still sleeping. Crow cawed from outside, and I looked over to see her peering in a window.
“I’m not sure if you should come in,” I answered.
She fluffed her feathers and shook her head, and I could sense the disdain pouring off her.Of course Sebbie would want his favorite crow in the house, was her very clear thought.
I figured it was better to ask, however, and she settled her feathers and begrudgingly agreed.
I wasn’t sure how much longer Sebbie would be sleeping for, and I was even more unsure what to say to him when he woke up.
The man in black had specifically said not to tell him what he was.
That didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t want to keep anything from Sebbie. On the other hand, I understood the man in black’s point. I’d seen it happen with many of my brother’s mates—they ignored what was right in front of them until they were ready to process and deal with it. Far be it from me to rush Sebbie’s process and possibly harm him by doing so.
Still, I would not lie to him. If Sebbie asked me, I would tell him the truth. I would not volunteer information he wasn’t ready for, however. I wouldn’t pressure him, but I would be here if he wanted to talk. That seemed like a fair compromise.
The man in black was another enigma. I thought he was more than likely the King of Hell. Who else could claim hellhounds and grim reapers? Or the ferryman? Although all of that wasa little unclear to me. I knew my own nature well, and I understood why he had said I wasn’t all his—my witch side did not originate in hell. That was separate from my hellhound nature.
Sebbie stirred beneath me, dragging me from my thoughts. He yawned and stretched, opening his eyes. He blushed when he saw me.
“You stayed.” His voice was surprised.
“Of course. I told you I would watch over you. I intend to do just that,” I answered.
