Broken Bond - Callie Rose Page 0,43
safety in numbers,” Archer tells me, sliding a hand to mine. We entwine our fingers, and he goes on. “You’ll never sleep as comfortably as you will on nights you’re surrounded by others.”
“Wolves are really on to something.” I sigh lightly, keeping my voice low so as not to wake anyone else. “What do you think witches know about sleeping in packs?”
Archer gives me a sad smile. “I don’t know. They do form covens, so they obviously believe in some kind of social bond. But I doubt it’s the same as the bond wolf packs have.”
I chew my lip, brushing my thumb back and forth over the side of his hand. “Sometimes I want to know more about them, just so I could understand myself better. But sometimes I think I’d rather not know anything. The more I learn, the more real it will make all of this. Ignorance is dangerous though. I can’t afford to just ignore the witch magic inside me and hope it all goes away. It won’t.”
He squeezes my fingers. “We’re going to help you. I’ll teach you everything I can and help you hone your powers, no matter how long it takes. What if we start working on your magic today? And go from there.”
My heart skips a beat. “Today?”
Am I ready to do this? I don’t really feel like I am, but I guess there’s no better time than the present.
Trystan stirs at my waist, lazily rubbing his face against me. “Mm. You smell amazing.”
“Laundry detergent,” I tell him, the heat returning full force to my cheeks. There’s no way he can still smell my momentary flash of desire.
“Yes,” he says, gazing up at me with amusement. “Laundry detergent.” He nips playfully at my side, which tickles so much I squirm and wake up the rest of the bed.
We have breakfast in Archer’s backyard, since the five of us don’t fit well in Archer’s tiny kitchen. It’s shaping up to be a beautiful day, the sun hot and bright and a cool breeze coming in from the mountains. Breakfast is a comfortable, leisurely affair, and it’s the only place I want to be for the next few hours.
Unfortunately, what I want isn’t exactly what I get.
After everyone’s had their fill of sausage and coffee, Archer starts to clear away plates while announcing, “Sable and I are going to go to the training barn today to work on her magic. Who’s coming with us?”
I sink in on myself like a turtle, avoiding looking at any of the shifters so I don’t have to see the disgust in their expressions. None of them are going to want to watch me fail at controlling my magic. Or succeed.
But Ridge says, “I’m in. I wouldn’t miss it.”
Trystan nods, his rich brown hair gleaming in the morning sunlight. “Same. We should all learn as much about Sable’s new powers as we can, honestly. We may not wield the magic ourselves, but if it affects her, it affects us.”
“Good.” Archer beams, looking pleased.
I appreciate their responses more than they’ll ever know, but there’s a notable absence of one voice.
Dare.
I chance a look at him, sitting across the picnic table and staring down at his empty plate. He had a great appetite that morning, and he’s not walking with a limp anymore. Some of his strength seems to have returned, which I’m grateful to Camilla for. But no amount of healing or time is going to change his mind about my witch powers.
“You guys don’t have to go,” I say, my voice barely loud enough to penetrate the sound of Trystan and Archer talking about strengthening the sigil boundaries.
Dare looks up and sees that my gaze is on him as I speak.
He shakes his head, drains the last of his coffee, and then says, “Let’s do it.”
I can’t stop the warmth that floods through me. Even if he’s doing it just to make me feel better, he’s still doing it for me. Maybe that means my bond with him isn’t a lost cause, after all.
The training barn is a large, red A-frame structure with white accents that sits a half-mile outside the village. I’m nervous about coming out here to practice. What if some other East Pack shifters show up wanting to spar or whatever they do in the training barn? But Archer assures me the barn is currently off limits, thanks to the heightened witch threat. His father instituted a ban on venturing outside the village’s limits except to hunt