“It would be best if I were near my coven,” Gregory adds.
“Whatever will give us the best chance of finding him,” I concede. I wish we had a definite answer if it was possible or not, but I guess a ‘maybe’ is better than a ‘no.’
After a quick but hard kiss, Grim places his hand on Gregory’s shoulder, and in the next moment, they’re gone.
Calix and Gunnar lead the way off the roof. I take a second to look around, noting I need to ask Grim why he is familiar with this place.
Going down the stairs is easier, but still not wonderful. My stomach is tight again when we reach the final landing before we can go over to the elevator. “Should we worry about these cameras?” I lift my chin at the black domes dotted along the ceiling.
“Nah, they probably only look at them if there’s an issue. No one will even know we’ve been here.” Gunnar pushes the down button for the elevator.
I rub the side of my stomach where it feels the tightest. The baby shifts positions, and I get a jab to my bladder. “Oof, I need a bathroom.”
Calix chuckles good-naturedly. “What’s new?”
“You try having a watermelon dancing on your guts and see how you like it.” I roll my eyes.
“I’ll leave that to you, thanks.” He wraps his arm over my shoulders and pulls me in tight. “Can you wait until we get downstairs, or do I need to break into one of these rooms?” He nuzzles the side of my head a little.
“I can wait.” I sigh. The early stages of pregnancy were kind of fun, weird but fun. Now I’m at the point where I’m just uncomfortable all the time. There’s still a big part of me that doesn’t want to rush things, though, since I’m nervous about the birth and what comes after.
* * *
Grim popsup while I’m just dipping my toe in the water for a bath. I know I’m not supposed to elevate my body temperature too much, but everything aches, and I want a bath, damn it.
“Stars, you each need a bell,” I grumble.
“You’re just distracted. I got home several minutes ago. I also made sure the wolf was returned.” I let out a long breath as the water surrounds me and I become buoyant. I’ve always taken my body for granted, which is not something I can easily do now that I have a belly that could double as a watermelon. Grim’s statement is true though. I’ve become complacent, relying too much on the guys, especially while I’m at home.
We’ve only been home from the hotel for a little while, so I don’t know if his quick return is good or bad. “What did the witch say about finding Antonio?”
Grim perches on the edge of the tub, not caring about the water that has splashed on the side and will soon soak into his pants. “The tracking spell leads back near the school.”
“Shit.” I slap my hand on the water. Dead end.
“But… he doesn’t think it’s attached to the girl. He thinks Antonio is close to the school or was when he made the amulet. I sit up a little, beads of sweat already dotting my upper lip. Grim’s eyes travel over my exposed flesh. “He said the magic is strong on the cord. It’s too heavy to come from the human.”
“Holy hell, he could have been right under our noses. Did he narrow down the location?” I prepare to stand, but Grim stops me with a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“We’re not going until later. The witch is making us a few things to make sure once we get him, he can’t get away.”
I let my arms sink back into the warm water, and allow the thought of finally getting rid of the fucking witch sink in. “Do you think he knows one of us absorbed the spell?”
Grim dips his fingers into the water then traces them over my arm and up to my shoulder. “I don’t know much about witch magic, but I would assume he would have some way of knowing if the spell was activated,” he mutters distractedly.
“What if it had been you or I who touched it? I wouldn’t even be able to eat if it were I, and who the hell knows what would have happened if you weren’t able to reap. I don’t like knowing something like that can happen—hashappened to Kitten. I know it’s making him crazy. The Berserker has been with him for so long.” I let all my thoughts trickle out as Grim moves around until he’s rubbing his strong fingers over my shoulders in a massage.
He kisses the side of my head and mutters, “Yes, I’m very relieved the Berserker took the spell instead of you. You were very close to touching the pendant. Not something we will allow again.”
“I don’t think Gunnar is relieved.”
“He is, Omnia, we all are. I assure you. He can survive without the beast—we all could. But you would slowly starve.” His voice grows hard. “The spell will die with the witch; there is nothing to worry about,” he declares with complete confidence.
I wish I shared it.
Chapter 26
“That’s it?” I inquire. In my warrior’s scarred palm are several little amulets. I’m apprehensive about him touching them, especially considering he still has the marks from the last spell he touched on his hand, but he and Grim have assured me he’s perfectly safe.
