Oath Sworn - K.N. Banet Page 0,45

for her and she was out within a few minutes.

With that, I decided to finally nap myself, and only a nap. I set an alarm for when breakfast would show up, which was normally around eight, then curled into a ball on the other side of the bed, closing my eyes.

I didn’t have any nightmares. Maybe it was because I was one of the monsters she heard roaring in her own nightmare.

10

Chapter Ten

I was up before Carey, a blessing since I had promised to hit up the gas station for snacks and the very idea of disappointing her gave me anxiety now. I could hear footsteps, which told me the alarm wasn’t only useful, but my timing for breakfast was also perfect. I opened the door to the motel room without bothering to get decent and found Brin, took the tray in silence, and left it on the table. He didn’t say anything to me either—another blessing. I wasn’t in the mood for conversation.

Taking a quick shower gave me the chance to look over my injuries again. I had to swallow my shock when I saw there were none. I was healed. That wasn’t right. There was no way I should have been healed already. I thought back, frowning. Did I still have them yesterday morning after the full moon? I had no real idea. I couldn’t remember if I had checked them or not.

But it didn’t really matter, since today the only thing I had was a small scar where the bullet had hit me. Silver burned like that, leaving scars. I didn’t mind the scar or being ugly, but part of me really wished that I wouldn’t have a permanent reminder of everything that had happened.

The gunshot was thankfully the only scar, as the scratches and bites I had gotten were long gone now. I ground my teeth as I figured it was probably Brin that had done this, and I fully intended to ask him why.

With that in mind, I got dressed, opting for one of my favorite pairs of jeans to make me feel normal. I needed normal. I needed anything that reminded me what normal is. I needed anything that reminded me that I did have a life and one day I would go back to it, for good or bad.

I left Carey sleeping, only pausing to write a note in case she woke up before I returned. Once I was in the main office, I slammed my hand on the bell, waiting impatiently. Brin was yawning as he walked out of the back office.

“Do you ever go home to this wife you have?” I asked, snappy and vulnerable.

“Yes,” he answered nonchalantly, as if he didn’t realize I was angry.

“Did you heal me?” I demanded softly. “Without my permission?”

“No. Kind of.” His smirk gave me a firm idea of what the truth was. “I pushed the silver to leave your system a little faster while giving you the gift. Silver likes fae where it hates your kind. It answered my call. It was such a tiny amount to be causing you as many problems as it was, and since I’m meddling already, I didn’t think that was too much.”

“Why me?”

“You could be any werecat. I don’t really care about you. I care about what you’re doing. Get over it. Accept what I offered graciously and move on.”

That had me baring my teeth, a growl vibrating my chest. His eyebrows went up slowly. “I have enough on my plate. I don’t need to be looking over my shoulder, wondering if the fae are trustworthy.”

“Oh, I can answer that. We’re not, not if we want a trade or bargain, but I didn’t ask for those. Look, I explained already, but it didn’t seem to sink in. It’s in my personal interests that you do your Duty. Not this specifically, but in the general sense. You have a reputation to uphold that is much older than you, and that reputation keeps everyone feeling comfortable. We’re allowed to breathe a little easier if we know the werecats can and will do what’s needed to protect our humans from each other.” He sighed, crossing his arms as he looked me over. “Anyone with a human in their lives would relate to what’s going on here and offer assistance. Anyone. Don’t kid yourself by thinking we all just turn a blind eye to werecats and their Duty. That kind of thinking can and will destroy your ability to make valuable allies.”

I