A Witch's Fury (22 page)

“It’s already infected.”

“Of course it is. Did you see how decrepit
those assholes were?”

I paused at that statement. “They must be
from the cemetery, but why didn’t they attack with all the other
zombies, and how did a rogue shifter get a hold of them?”

“I don’t know. Hold still, this is going to
hurt.”

“OWW!” I wiggled on the table, clenching my
hands around a metal lip that cut into my fingers. Logan put a
warm, strong hand on my hip, holding me still as he cleaned.

…

Finally, with my wounds cleaned, I hoisted
myself into the SUV and called Becky while Logan piled the goodies
into the back.

“Boss,” she answered.

“I have a new project for you.” I hated that
she called me that, but I was having a hard time recalling why.

She grunted a reply.

“I need you to find a man named Eli, silver
haired, wolf shifter, trying to kill Logan.”

She laughed, “You need to notify next of
kin?”

I cut a glance to Logan buckling up in the
passenger seat. “We will,” he confirmed.

“Oh hey there, Kitty, didn’t know you were
with boss lady.”

I clamped a hand against my mouth, trying to
fight the giggles. Logan leaned forward toward the center console.
“Kitty?” he repeated in disbelief.

I could hear Becky’s gum chomping. “That’s
what the boss calls you.”

He turned to me, shocked. “You call me
Kitty?”

I smiled. “There are so many bad jokes to be
had right now, but we’re up against the clock. Beck, I need you to
find a pair of executioners who can stay in town for the next ten
months.”

Clicking met my request. “Hmm, Blue asked for
some time off, and I bet I could get Victoria on the assignment if
Blue is around.”

“Do it. We will be there shortly.”

“Can do, Boss.” She hung up on me with a
preoccupied click.

“Kitty?” Logan repeated, a smile tugging at
his lips.

“I fail to see the problem.”

“Only one issue at a time, and we currently
have two on our plate.”

Three if we tossed in Blake and Angelina, but
who was counting?

…

Becky had printed out what she found on Eli
and it wasn’t pretty. Logan skimmed the file after I was done with
it. He gave a low whistle.

“Did you know your boyfriend has a history of
mental illness?” Logan asked Lorraine.

“He said you would say that, you would try to
discredit the true hero he is.”

“Let’s add expert manipulator to his list of
things to keep the fuck away from,” I muttered.

Becky nodded, her fingers flying over the
keyboard. “Not sure it would take an expert, though,” she added.
Brutally honest, one of the many features I like about her.

I laughed, wincing at the throbbing it
caused, rubbing the back of my head.

“You need to sleep, boss,” Becky informed
me.

I groaned, “I look that bad?”

“Yep.”

I patted her back. “You got a plush holding
cell for Lorraine?”

“Yep, complete with fresh towels.”

“Perfect,” Logan growled.

…

We took the file back to Logan’s place and
had it spread out between us on his bed, working until the words
blurred and my stomach clenched from lack of sleep.

“Take my bed. I can’t sleep there tonight,”
Logan told me, standing and stretching hard-packed muscles.

I lay back. “Ugh, can you look at my leg? It
isn’t throbbing, but better safe than sorry.”

“Sure.”

He leaned over, crumpling the paperwork as he
peeled back his carefully applied bandages. “You’ll last for a few
more hours.”

I grunted a response, already slipping off to
sleep.

“Night, Olie.”

…

My phone was vibrating in my pocket, and
while I knew I should answer it, I just couldn’t bring myself to do
it.

Logan’s phone rang next and he groaned before
answering it. Squinting my dry eyes at him, I jerked when he sprang
from the bed.

“What hospital? … Okay, we’re on our way.”
Wasn’t he supposed to be in a guest bed somewhere?

“Yeah,” he said, turning to look at me. “Olie
is here.”

Shoving myself into a sitting position, I
cringed at the tightness in my thigh. The zombie wound was still
healing. As I swung my legs down I rubbed at the back of my neck,
knotted up from the awkward position I had slept in.

“Let’s go. Kass is having the baby.”

Rubbing my eyes, I looked over at him.
“Logan, we need to shower the dried blood and zombie gunk off.”

He nodded, his hands fiddling with the phone.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

I stood and moved around the bed, shoving him
towards the shower. “Go. I have to grab my bag from the SUV.”

He nodded absentmindedly, chucking his
clothing on his walk to the bathroom. I averted my eyes from the
golden, firm-skinned man. Sleeping with Logan would complicate
everything. Not that he wanted to, although he had been nicer
lately.

I shook my head, letting myself out the front
door and pulling open the back door of my SUV to get the trusty
military surplus duffel bag there, hoisting it over my shoulder. At
least my head felt better.

Instead of showering in Logan’s room—why I
had decided to review the files in his room was also beyond me—I
opted for the guest room on the first floor. Pushing open the door,
I tried not to dwell on memories of what had transpired between
Blake and me. It felt like a lifetime ago that I was helping manage
Mark’s pain in a hospital and having healing sex with Blake to
recover.

Now I was going to a hospital for a different
reason, a better reason, but I probably wasn’t as excited as I
should be. Kass giving birth to a child only made my own lack of
fertility weigh heavier on me. I was jealous of my friend and I
shouldn’t be. I should be happy.

I should have been a lot of things that I
wasn’t. I was just a broken succubus with an unhinged need to
kill.

…

Logan was waiting for me in the front room,
freshly showered in navy blue jeans that highlighted his firm
thighs, paired with a gray shirt hugging those pecs and biceps. I
was not looking, at all, not even a peek. Yeah, I’m not buying it
either.

In my own jeans and royal blue t-shirt, I
watched him busily texting.

“Ready?” I asked, slinging my bag over my
shoulder.

He grunted what I assumed was an affirmative.
I listened to him lock up and set his alarm as I loaded my bag back
into my SUV.

Kass was having the baby. Excitement was
beginning to wedge its annoying way through my exhaustion and
worry. Checking my industrial watch, I saw we had lost eight hours
between dealing with Lorraine and sleeping.

“I’ll drive,” Logan demanded, snagging the
keys out of my back pocket hurriedly.

“She’s only in labor, it can take hours.” He
wasn’t listening. “I’m not even sure why we are going.”

Logan stomped on the gas, skidding out of his
driveway. “Because we have been asked to. It’s called support.”

…

Logan steered us within the hospital much the
same way he had in the car, recklessly pushing forward. I followed
along through long hallways, the sterile walls occasionally
interrupted by drab artwork.

As we waited to get buzzed through the locked
doors, a small voice screamed my name.

“Hannah,” I whispered, turning around and
running. I recognized the tendrils of pain, fear, and loneliness in
her call, but more than that, as I rounded a corner, I could feel
it.

Lee and Jane were in the hallway with her as
she screamed my name again, fists tightly balled at her sides, eyes
closed, head tipped back. The hallway was crowded. At the busy
nurses’ station all eyes were trained on her breakdown. More
importantly, she was influencing those around her, pushing her own
tiny but intense emotions into those nearby.

“Hannah!” I yelled, still running at her.

Lee and Jane turned, their faces
tear-stained, eyes wild, inner beasts slamming against their tight
control. Dropping down on a knee, I slid between them, wrapping my
arms around Hannah and throwing up shields around us.

“Easy, baby girl, I’m here.”

“Olie, they won’t let me see Kass, and Daddy
went in the room with her. What if she dies like my mommy?” Her
small voice cracked, tears spilling down her face.

Her emotions slammed into my barriers. I
focused on calming my breathing and holding her delicate body in my
arms, her head snuggled into my neck. Logan touched my back before
also placing a hand on Hannah’s.

I was impressed that he could stand the
emotional assault. Then again, he had also been unafraid to touch
me when I was pumping Morgan full of anger.

This close, he could surely feel the emotion
she was pushing out, yet he didn’t seem bothered.

“Hey peanut,” he said, gently stroking her
back.

“Uncle Logan, I’m scared.” Her voice was soft
in my ear as I tightened my arms around her and swayed.

Logan squatted down and wrapped his arms
around both of us, dropping a kiss against Hannah’s hair.

I wanted to promise her everything would be
okay, that I wouldn’t allow anything to happen to Kass, but those
were promises I couldn’t make.

The future is promised to no one.

I kept pushing out tranquility and
peacefulness to Hannah and the surrounding area. Slowly, the
tension dimmed and the probing eyes relented.

“Hannah, sweetie, can you control your
emotions now?” I asked gently as she pulled back to look at me.
Logan was a warm safety blanket, his distracting chest pushing
against us.

Slowly, she nodded. “Sorry.”

“Its okay, sweetheart,” Logan comforted her,
stroking her hair.

“Uncle Logan and Olivia, you go fix Kass
NOW!”

“Okay sweetie,” Logan agreed, taking her from
me before going over to his parents.

Jane wiped her brow of sweat. “So you deal
with that all the time?”

I smiled, tucking a lock of hair behind
Hannah’s ear. “We struggle with our emotions constantly, to not
influence those around us. It’s a never ending battle.”

Logan handed Hannah to Lee. “Glad you showed
up when you did,” Lee said, nodding his approval. “But I do think
Kass needs you. She has been in labor for ten hours.”

“Ten hours!” Logan bellowed.

My hand shot out a warning, prickling against
his skin.

“I mean, only ten hours? I guess we might go
peak our heads in,” he amended.

I smirked, kissing Hannah. “I’ll be back,
sweet pea. Can you go find me something to eat?”

She nodded and hung her head over Lee’s
shoulder. I may not be able to have children, but I would always
enjoy them.

Blowing out a breath, Logan and I turned to
go back down the hallway. Our steps echoed on the industrial
laminate, my fists clenching and releasing at my sides without my
conscious knowledge.

Logan picked up the tan phone in front of the
locked maternity ward. “We are here to see Kass Moore.

“…Yes, I am aware she is in labor … Kass
requested Olivia … Yes, she is with me … We are a package
deal.”

The door finally buzzed as I peered at him
with a raised eyebrow. “Apparently, only you are allowed to pass,”
he intoned with sarcastic solemnity.

“Come on, you overgrown kitty,” I teased,
pulling him along behind me. “Do you know what room?”

“Three sixteen.”

Skirting the nurses’ station, I landed a soft
knock. “Kass?” I called out tentatively.

“GET YOUR ASS IN HERE!” came the screaming
reply.

As we slipped into the room, Logan pulled on
my hand. “Can Logan come in?” I called, before breaching the flimsy
privacy curtain.

Darren slipped around the peach fabric, his
face pale and haggard. “Let’s get food,” he said, pulling Logan
behind him.

He and Logan made their way down the hallway,
Logan sending me an uncertain gaze. I tried giving him a reassuring
smile, but based on his frown, I wasn’t succeeding.

Passing the curtain, I plastered on a smile
for the sweat-soaked Kass. She lay curled on her side, tears
leaking down her face.

“Hey sweetie,” I began, softening my
voice.

“This is terrible,” she hissed, not turning
toward me.

Resting my hand on her forearm, I slowly
trickled out peacefulness.

“I got pain meds, they’re helping. Darren
leave?”

“He went to get food with Logan.”

“Figures, I can’t even eat, I throw
everything up.” Rolling over slowly to look at me, she whispered,
“I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“Of the pain, of taking care of a little
baby. What if I’m terrible at it? My own mother left me.” Her drawn
brows pulled lower, fear and worry pulsing from her body.

“That is exactly the reason you will excel at
being a mom. Look at Hannah, she already adores you.” I gave her a
small smile.

“I had to send her out,” she whimpered. “I
couldn’t let her see me like this.”

“That’s okay.”

“Hi Kass, it’s time to check on the baby’s
heartbeat,” a chipper brown-haired nurse announced, laying a
monitor low on Kass’ swollen stomach.

“Are you getting any rest?” she asked,
watching the numbers intently.

“A little.”

“Heartbeat looks great, do you need
anything?”

Kass shook her head and the nurse made her
way out.

A new emotion pricked at my awareness, a deep
set contentment. Tilting my head, I looked down at Kass’ belly.

“Do you feel that?” she asked in a hushed
whisper.

I couldn’t help the grin stretching my lips.
“I do.”

“Oh GOD! Get Darren! He is coming!”

Thankfully, Darren must have been close by.
He burst into the room, flinging the peach curtain aside and
clasping Kass’s other hand.

“Logan’s getting the nurse, sweetie,” Darren
comforted, stroking her forehead.