He reaches for her, and we both pull, but she’s locked in place. I drop my hands. I don’t know what to do. Glancing at Richard, I find him as shocked as I feel, staring at Lou like he can’t understand what he’s seeing.
Lou’s face screws up in anger, nose scrunching as she stares over my shoulder. Her muscles tense. I don’t know what’s happening, but whatever’s behind me must be about to move. I tense too, unsure if shifting and attacking will just make this worse.
But then she roars, and the flames in her palms transfer to her clothing, her hair, to everything, flickering and jerking and dancing with blue light. Even her hair is on fire.
“Beautiful,” Dirk murmurs.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to shout at how he can comment on her beauty, when I realize he means her power. Because that’s what this is. It has to be.
She snarls, lets out an ethereal growl, then stalks to the end of the table. The moment she reaches it, she shrieks again. There’s a rushing whoosh of air that whips her hair up into a pile of blue flame on top of her head.
Then, she collapses to the table in a heap, all the flames gone.
I rush to the edge and pull her into my arms. She’s limp and coated in sweat, babbling nonsensically with her eyes closed.
“She’s a blue witch.” Dirk rounds the table and presses a kiss to Lou’s forehead as he addresses the room, “We need help fast. This is a battle magic.”
I turn to face the room, only to see a group of matching shocked expressions.
“I don’t remember the last time I met a blue witch,” Abemet murmurs as I sweep Lou into my arms. He places a hand on her forehead, feeling her temperature as he turns to Arkan. “Were there any blue witches at HQ after my time there?”
“No,” Arkan confirms. “Not even among the hunters. Most blue witches don’t want to be officially labeled, as they don’t want tae be forced to work with the Hearth. I might know someone who knows someone. I’ll make a few calls through unofficial channels.”
“Need to get her home.” I look at the catatonic woman in my arms. “Lou first. We’ll figure the rest of this shit out later.” I head for the door without waiting for an answer, and nobody stops me.
Ten minutes later, the treehouse swings the doors open as Dirk and I sail through.
“I’ll run a bath,” he offers, jogging toward the bathroom.
I set Lou on the couch and undress her. Her entire body is covered in tiny smoke smudges. When I run my fingers over the black streaks, flickering blue flames follow.
I don’t know what this means. Blue magic is so rare, I’ve never even met a blue witch. It’s said to be a blessing, but I don’t know how much is known about it. And why Lou?
She needs time and space and love to heal. She doesn’t needthisburden. Because that’s what it’ll be when the Hearth finds out she has this power. Blue witches can crush armies and flatten cities. And they’re basically an endangered species.
Worry for her fills me, and I hold her to my chest. She still hasn’t woken up.
Dirk comes back, squeezing my shoulder lightly. “Bath’s ready, mate.”
His easy normalcy spurs me into action. I stand and turn with him, heading for the bathroom. When I enter, the tub’s running, and bubbles are beginning to form.
Dirk shucks his gem and pants off, glancing at me. “I’d like tae go in with her, if it’s alright with you.”
“Of course.” I set Lou carefully in the tub, and he crawls in behind her. When he sits down and pulls her back to his chest, it steals my breath. Seeing them together like this, I don’t think I could want anything more in this world.
“I love you,” I whisper, glancing at Dirk. “And I love her. And it happened so fast, but, goddess, I really do.”
Fuck. This isn’t the right time for this admission. I realize that now the words are out of my mouth.
But Dirk’s lips split into a wicked grin, eyes bright as one brow curls upward. “Och, you love me then? Jest as I hoped you would. Good.” He reaches down and strokes Lou’s arm for a moment, then looks back up at me. “I thought we could keep her safe, mate, but instead, it’s Louanna doing the protecting.”
Dropping to my knees next to the tub, I cover his hand with mine, squeezing Lou’s arm as I consider how fucking hard and fast I fell. That’s not uncommon for shifters; I just never realized it would be so endless, so complete. Leaning over the tub, I rest my cheek on my forearm as I stare at my beautiful mates.
I reach into the water and stroke up Lou’s belly and along the front of her neck. I want her to wake up. I need to hear her sass, to know she’s fine and that she’llbefine. I desperately want to talk to her about what happened tonight.
Lou groans and shifts in Dirk’s arms.
Thank the goddess, oh thank fuck she’s coming to.
