The walk took quite a while, and by the time we were done, all of us had managed to fall to the forest floor a few times and acquire new bruises, cuts, and scrapes. Time had morphed and become a fantastical thing. It no longer mattered, really. The only thing that mattered was that we were safe. My feet would normally have hurt like crazy due to the massive amounts of walking we'd done in the past twenty-four hours, but right now they didn't. Probably because so many other things hurt too.
By the time we got to Morgana's house, twilight was painting the sky in brilliant hues of color, and darkness was setting in. The more I looked at Kevin, the more I saw how out of it he was. It wouldn't be a good idea for him to go home right now, especially not on his own, which he kept muttering about.
"I'll be fine," he slurred a little. "Just need some rest. It's...okay. I've...survived...worse."
I figured he might've, but that didn't matter now. I wasn't going to just let him go off on his own. He was a friend of Morgana's, and in my estimation he wasn't in good enough shape to be alone, although I wasn't a doctor. He seemed to have burned out a little.
Morgana opened the door and invited both of us in. Instinctively I took in a deep breath, sniffing the air to determine if we were alone in the house. The air merely carried the scent of the conflict that had happened here not too long ago, with no sign of anyone having been here since. "Hey, Morgana. You think maybe Kevin might need some sleep?" I finally voiced my concern about him openly.
"There really isn't any place for him to lie down on. Let's get some of this cleared out," she said, but it was too late.
Kevin had sat in a chair with a stack of papers on his lap, his head tilted backwards. The deep snores coming from his direction left no question about his state of consciousness. I guess his weariness finally managed to get the upper hand.
"We need to talk," I said softly to Morgana as I helped her move some papers and maps aside. "The talisman must be returned to my people soon, but there’s a huge golden statue out there. I think it's a little too suspicious, don't you think? And I still have to find a way to pay for your services," I continued before she held up her hand to silence me.
"Well, I think I can take care of both problems at the same time. My clients are always looking for some weird things and, to be honest, a solid golden statue with its features in agony will most likely be on the wish list of some wealthy person out there. When it comes to the talisman, I've seen enough what it did, especially to your cousin. While I may not like all my clients, I'd rather have them as repeat customers than dead husks somewhere," Morgana said, pacing back and forth putting papers in correct drawers.
Somehow, I wasn’t shocked. Either because knowing what kind of people had needs for her services had made me more open to the idea that almost anything different had a price in the black market, or because the fight had just made me so numb. And knowing her clients, they probably wanted to keep the purchase of the corpse—errr, the wizard statue—under wraps as much as possible. That left just one thing: I had to return the talisman soon.
"We've fought and gotten banged up, and I'm exhausted. But we need to keep an eye on Kevin. He seems really out of it," I spoke softly, knowing that she cared for him. Outside the forest was quiet, and heavy with the scent of impending rain.
She seemed to pick on it too, her eyes looking toward the window closest to her. "Maybe it's my turn to make sure he'll snap out of it later. I owe him at least that much," she said and returned her eyes to me.
With a nod, I turned my gaze so as not to come across challenging, or too possessive. I didn't care about my pain, but there was hurt behind her eyes that was too much to bear. I knew it would take time for her to talk in detail about what happened with Ezra, but when she was ready, I'd be there. In the meantime, we'd deal with everything one day at a time.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Morgana
I stretched a little as the light from the sun caressed my cheek. I couldn't believe that I'd sleep the entire night away. I looked up to see Cody walking into the bedroom with a tray. I rubbed my eyes, only now smelling the delicious food coming from the kitchen, and frowned up at him. "You didn't have to cook."
"I don't mind." He smiled, then winced a little.
One side of his face was completely bruised, and I could tell that the shifter from McGuire's cabin had socked him pretty hard. I couldn't believe he'd managed to survive that, let alone be in the decent shape he was in otherwise. I felt like I'd been hit by a speeding train, and I hadn't even been as heavily involved in the fight as he had. I'd done what I could to help, but seeing Cody wield the talisman and turn the wizard into a statue like that had been a big deal. He'd exerted a lot of energy to do it, and still managed to bring the two of us and Kevin back to my home.
He set the tray on my lap. It was a yummy breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast, with a side of grapes and some apple juice. All the staples. My stomach growled just looking at it, and I picked up the fork to start digging in. I glanced at him and realized he was just watching me eat.
"Aren't you going to eat too?" I frowned.
"Already did. I was up earlier, and I probably should've waited for you, but I didn't want to wake you. After yesterday, I know you needed your rest."
A crash sounded from the living room, and I nearly jumped off the bed, but I remained still so I wouldn't spill anything. There’d already been enough things messed up in my house.
Cody placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'll go check. Kevin's still here, and he's still feeling pretty disoriented from getting beaten up. I've told him he should probably go to a doctor, but he keeps declining. Maybe you can get him to listen to you."
I let out a breath, feeling a little more comfortable knowing it was him and not McGuire, Jasper, or Rudy. For a moment, I’d wondered if maybe yesterday had all been a dream—or more likely a nightmare—but it hadn't been. I nodded. "Yeah, I can talk to him. There's a doctor in town who handles all sorts of crazy things since there's a large supernatural presence here in Woodland Creek. I'm sure I can convince him to go." I wanted to suggest that maybe he could go too, but he seemed pretty okay. Besides, the two of us were shifters, with a bit better healing rate than Kevin.
"Good. But first, finish up your breakfast. After all that shifting, and not really eating afterward to regain your strength...it's just better for you to eat right now. I want to make sure you're well on the path to recovery too." He started to smile again, but caught himself in time. I could still see the lightness in his eyes, though, and I loved that.
"I will." I sat there for a moment watching as he left the room, softly closing the door behind him. Now that the battle was behind us, where did we go from here? There wasn't anyone waiting in the wings to kill us again...yet. Did we go with it, or should we call it quits before something worse happened?
I didn't think I'd be able to ever call it quits with Cody. He meant so much more to me than I would’ve thought possible.
Our relationship was different than I'd ever had with anyone else. We were a team, a partnership. Ezra and I had been lovers, but we hadn’t had that kind of mutual trust. I couldn't be completely sure if that's what Cody felt for me, though. I guess I'd have to talk with him about it once we got Kevin the assistance he needed.
I finished my food, savoring every bit, but didn't waste too much time. It was better to get our day started. I vaguely remembered Cody saying he wanted to give the talisman back to his grandmother for safekeeping. I thought that was the best plan. After I'd seen what it could do last night, it scared me. The pain the wizard had gone through and sheer terror in his face as he became what he'd craved so much would stick with me for a while.
Letting out a breath, I tried to recover some of my composure, and then I went out into the living room to see Kevin and Cody. I’d taken a shower and put on some fresh clothes, since I'd collapsed into bed last night with no thought at all about being hot, sweaty, and battered. The only thing on my mind had been recouping my lost energy.
I opened the door to the living room and glanced out to see Kevin lying on the couch with Cody on the armchair. They were talking a little here and there, and there was a half-finished plate of food on the coffee table in front of Kevin and a mug near Cody. I thought I smelled the faint scent of coffee, but I knew I didn't have any in the house. Then again, I hadn't remembered having much in the way of breakfast food either.
My heart ached, and I looked to Cody. That must've been something for him to hit the grocery store after what he'd been through. Both of them turned to look at me, and Kevin waved a hand before glancing back out the window.
Cody rose to come to me, but I motioned for him to stay put. "I'm fine. I promise." And that was the truth. I hadn’t thought I could possibly get out of bed, but after my shower, I almost felt new again.
I came closer to them and looked between the couch, where Kevin lay, and Cody. I wondered what they'd talked about, and if Kevin knew that I was with Cody now. What would he think? Would he fault me for moving on after Ezra, even though he'd been the one to tell me that I should? I pushed my worries aside and climbed into Cody's lap, resting my head against his shoulder. I heard him groan softly under me, and I started to rise, but he held me close.
"I'm fine, babe. No worries." He ran his hand over my back in a soothing gesture, and I savored the warmth his body exuded. My eyelids grew a little heavier. I could have totally just fallen asleep in his arms.
Kevin just watched us. He didn't say anything, but the look of satisfaction on his face proved my worries wrong. Why had I ever doubted that he would approve? Maybe he knew how self-destructive I'd been before I met Cody.
"Kevin, you really should see a doctor. I know of one in town who'll be able to help you." I smiled at him. "He handles supernatural patients, so you don't have to worry about being a wizard with him."
"He's that shifter doctor, isn't he? Dr. Desmond Callahan, right?" Kevin sighed and leaned his head back against the arm of the couch. "Geez...like I told Cody, I'm fine. I really am. I just need some rest, and to make a healing potion."
The blood drained from my face at the mention of him making a potion. With his lab being as completely destroyed as it was, I didn't think he'd be able to make anything for a while. Let alone in his current shape.
He blinked at me. "I don't like that look. That look means there's something seriously wrong. What's wrong?" He sat up quickly and nearly tumbled from the couch. I hopped out of Cody's lap to stabilize Kevin. "No, not the lab."
"I'm so sorry. They broke a lot of things in there. I know how much it meant to you." I kept my hand on his shoulder, trying to be a comforting presence, but he was busy scowling.
"Damn it. That asshole. If I could, I'd bring him back to life just to kill him again." He slumped forward and put his head in his hands. "Guess I'll have to get busy. You're not going to be giving up treasure hunting, are you? Please say you aren't. That's the only way I can think of gathering the resources to rebuild."
I looked to Cody, knowing that I didn't need his input, but having his acceptance of my decision would mean a lot to me. He nodded just enough for me to see his answer.
"Yeah, I'm still a treasure hunter. It's in my blood." I pushed my shoulders back, feeling some pain shooting through them as I did so. Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea to get cocky, especially not right now.
"For better or worse, huh?"
I grimaced. I guess he was right. But I thought of it being for better now, especially having someone at my back that I trusted. I'd be more careful now, and I'd likely at least move to a different part of town, so that whoever had given out my information wouldn't be able to share it with others again. I frowned, thinking of the one person who had it, and knew what I did. But Kevin wouldn't ever give it out, would he? I frowned at him, wondering about that. It would kind of make sense, especially if he was all about expanding his basement laboratory. He'd had all sorts of high-tech gear in there. But he'd also had all his stuff trashed too.
If he had, he'd gotten what he deserved. Once I moved, I wouldn't tell him my information again. I'd come to him only when I needed something. That's when I saw the effects of Ezra's death on him. The colder, more jaded person, who was influenced by money instead of friendship. I guess we'd each had our own faults after that. I just didn't realize before how far down he might've gone.
He frowned at me and ran a hand through his hair. He pushed up into a sitting position, not as faint as he'd been before. "Um, yeah. I'm going to head off."
"That's a good idea." I watched him hobble toward the sliding glass door.
Cody looked between us, his brows drawing together. He'd seen the exchange and was curious, but he didn't say anything just yet. When Kevin had closed the door and was walking off toward the woods through the glass, Cody came to sit beside me. "You're thinking he had something to do with this?"
"I don't think he did directly, but I keep my personal information safe. I take my clients through a private email address. That's why I was surprised when I saw you on my doorstep and when I received the call from James McGuire." I placed my hand on his thigh, then looked up into his eyes. "How did you know to come here?"