I shrugged. “These are sort of unusual circumstances, and the last thing I ever want to be is dead weight on this team.”
“Sweetheart,” he groaned. “You are so far from dead weight. Even without magic... you’re the glue that’s holding us all together in the middle of all this supernatural madness. Don’t ever, ever consider leaving us. Okay?”
Pursing my lips, I nodded my understanding. “Okay. But I still need to contribute.”
“You do,” he assured me. “In more ways than you know.”
“Thanks, Wes.” I smiled. “Now, I’m going to stop distracting you and go for a quick walk. It’s looking like a really nice sunrise, so I’m going to call the guys while I walk into town for supplies, okay?”
“Yep, good plan,” he agreed, taking a bite of his breakfast and making a noise of approval. “These are actually tasty, Kit.”
“No shit.” I scowled at him and hung up my apron in the kitchen. “I’ll be back in an hour or so. Learn lots while I’m gone.” I dropped a quick kiss on his cheek, then headed for the door, where I pulled on my coat and boots.
Just as I was opening the door, a muffled grumble announced Seamus surfacing from his bedroom.
“Breakfast is on the bench,” I called out to him. “I’m going to the store.”
“Get more whiskey,” he replied, scrubbing his hand over his face as he peered at my muffins.
“You got it,” I acknowledged, then headed out into the dawning day.
After pulling my phone from my pocket, I tried Caleb first, but when it went straight to voicemail, I dialed River. He answered on the first ring, and his rich British accent purring my nickname gave me butterflies.
“Hey,” I replied, grinning like a lunatic as I wandered down the little country lane.
“I miss you, Kitten,” he murmured, and those damn butterflies went crazy inside me.
I bit my lip and tried to get control of my hormones so as not to sound like a thirteen-year-old talking to her crush. “I miss you too, Alpha. How’s everything going there?”
“Good,” he said firmly, and I wasn’t totally sure if he was saying good to me missing him or that things were going good. “I bought us a house.”
“Wait, what?” I exclaimed, sure I must have just heard him wrong. “You did what now?”
“I bought us a house. You being away made me realize we didn’t have a base. We didn’t have a home...” He trailed off with a sigh.
“But I thought you all had houses? Caleb and Austin have a place in San Fran, and Cole has his horse ranch in Texas.” I racked my brain for where the other guys had said they owned houses. Vali had more than I could keep up with, but I was pretty sure Wesley had bought a house for his mom and little brother, Grant, and River had his family estate.
“We do. But you didn’t.” River was so damn matter-of-fact with these things it was leaving me stunned. “And I for one fucking hate my family estate. So I bought all of us a house that we could call home. If you like it, that is.” Suddenly he sounded less sure of himself. “If you don’t like it, it’ll be no big deal to sell it and find something else. I just thought...”
“I’m sure I’ll love it,” I assured him when he trailed off. “Wherever you guys are, that’s where my home is.”
River cleared his throat, and I heard a deep voice mutter something in the background.
“Is that Cole with you?” I asked.
“Mmm, and Vali. The twins are off dealing with that necromancer twat who was helping Simon.” River paused when one of the brothers said something more in the background. “No, mate. Fuck off. You talked to her last time she called.”
A grin spread over my face, and I stifled a laugh. “Tell them to be careful in those cage fights,” I ordered him. “I swear to coffee, if they end up maimed or dead, there will be trouble.”
River snorted a laugh. “I’ll pass that on.”
“All right, I’d better go; I’m almost at the store, and then I need to get back to Wes. He seems confident he will make some big breakthrough today, so I want to be there to see what it is.” I paused outside the store where the shopkeeper was just opening up for the day.
“I can’t wait to hear all about it,” River replied, his voice warm with affection. “Call me first next time.”
“I will,” I promised, smiling. “Love you guys.”
“We love you too, Kitten,” he said quietly, then hung up.
My stomach still fluttering with butterflies, I tucked my phone back in my pocket and wandered the store with a bounce in my step. Things finally felt like they were starting to look up for us all. Despite the facts that my magic was blocked and Caleb couldn’t find Bridget for an explanation, our team had never felt stronger or more cohesive.
After I paid for the groceries, I began the walk back to Seamus’s cottage while admiring the sunrise. It was a really pretty one, the whole sky stained with red as the sun rose lazily. Seamus had told me days ago that red sky in the morning was a bad omen, but I was pretty sure it just meant that it would rain that day. Or that’s what the shepherd’s tales said.
The solitary cottage came into view as I turned the corner at a pretty moss-covered rock fence, and I stopped to pat the friendly donkey that resided in that paddock.
“Good morning, buddy,” I greeted the long-eared animal. “Brought you a treat.”
Digging into one of my shopping bags, I pulled out a carrot and offered it up to the funny little guy, who took it happily between his huge teeth.
Watching him munch down the carrot, I gave his ears an affectionate scratch before turning back to the path.
I’d barely taken two steps in the direction of the cottage, when the whole damn thing exploded in a giant fireball. The boom of the explosion knocked me back into the fence, and my donkey friend took off across his paddock in a panic. Not that I blamed him.
What the fuck just happened?
Gathering my scattered wits, I dropped my shopping and took off at a run toward the burning wreckage of Seamus’s cottage. I had to have just imagined that explosion. The cottage couldn’t have just blown up because Wesley was inside the cottage... and if it had blown up, then...
“Wesley!” I screamed as I sprinted towards the burning mess that had once been a cute little house made of stone and thatching. The closer I got, the more I was forced to accept what I was seeing was real and not just a weird, hateful delusion.
As much as I wanted, needed for it to be a twisted, fucking joke... there was no denying the heat of the fire as I skidded to a halt in the driveway. Our rental car had its side completely caved in with a heavy block of stone planted in its middle—a piece that had once formed part of the exterior wall.
“Wesley!” I screamed again. Maybe he and Seamus had been outside when it happened? “Wes! Where are you?” My voice came out choked, and my gaze scanned the fields around the cottage, looking for any sign of movement.
They had to have been outside. They had to have been. Because if they’d been inside when that explosion happened....
“Wesley!” I cried out again, this time in anguish as tears streamed down my face. I ran around the burning building to search the backyard, but found no one waiting there for me. They must have been inside.
“I’m coming!” I sobbed. “I’m coming for you!” Because I had to. If he was in there and hurt, then I needed to get him out. Maybe I could heal him. Maybe my magic would work again, and I could just... fucking heal him!
Using the flat sole of my boot, I kicked what was left of the back door open, then cowered from the flames billowing out at me. As I watched, a beam crashed down from the loft space, blocking any access from that point.
“Shit!” I screamed in frustration, running back around to the front of the house. All the windows had exploded out, and my boots crunched over glass as I approached. I tried a window first, but the flames were too strong, so I kicked in the front door.
It swung in, then snapped off its hinges, already on fire. But I could see the kitchen... and I could see what remained of the table I’d last seen Wesley sitting at.
My heart clenched painfully, and a desperate sob caught in my throat. Where was he?