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The glare melted into a conspiratorial smile. “The fire suits you. But never call me a shifter again.”
She held the door open for me as I entered, staring into the stern faces of Atlas and Nym.
“Relax,” Kirsi said, hanging an arm over my shoulder. “We’re best friends now.”
I didn’t give away an ounce of what I was feeling. Instead, I slipped off my boots and stepped to the edge of the circle, only looking at Atlas long enough to acknowledge he should do the same.
“It’s not a spell like the ones from receivings. You have to ground yourself by imagining thick roots growing from your feet and winding around the middle of the Earth, anchoring you.”
Following Nym’s instructions, Atlas closed his eyes, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple, though the inside of Crescent Cottage remained chilly. I did not have to cast to sense the apprehension rolling off of him as he set the Yule log in the center of the salt circle.
The two shifters stepped away. Atlas wouldn’t know what to do for this blessing, but I did. I only hoped the goddess didn’t show up as I spoke the traditional incantation.
“Moon above, earth below, Goddess, we call unto thee. As the candles burn, so the year turns, bring us health, luck, and prosperity. Intentions set, power met, blessings be.”
The force radiating from Atlas mixed with my own and sat below my skin. That string between us seemed to tighten, and I wondered if he felt it, too. Far too soon, or maybe not soon enough, the magic from the spell melted around us like warm honey, coating the Moon Coven Yule log. One down, five to go. Though perhaps I would not be here for all of them. I only needed to get through Future’s visit.
“Did Bash leave you a door?” Atlas asked moments later as we walked out.
“No,” Nym answered. “Kirsi and I have a bet. She thinks she can beat me back. But Talon was always faster than Scoop.”
“I could have beaten both of you,” Atlas said, masking the sadness well enough for the others to miss it, though I did not. “My money’s on Nym. Kirsi stops for naps.”
“I’ll kick your ass, Atty.”
“Not on your best day and my worst, Ghosty.”
Kirsi shared a wink before shifting into a giant black panther and tearing off down the road. With a roar, Nym followed, the heavy paws of a white tiger pounding the ground as she caught her lover.
Atlas opened his mouth to speak, but I stopped him. “I know you don’t want to be alone with me. I respect and understand that, if not for this unique situation of you wanting to live, you wouldn’t have to deal with me. However, I’m still a person, and I have feelings. I know why you wanted them to come, but you don’t have to worry about me. I won’t be touching you again.”
“Marley—”
“I’m serious, Atlas. I can’t be the person who puts the broken man back together. Or the unwanted one all the time. That’s the Spirits’ task. I’m here to see this job through, and then be on my way. No touching. No attachments. You don’t need to be uncomfortable around me. Consider it self-preservation for both of us.”
I was in the sleigh, smashing myself all the way over before he stepped away from the spot where he stood, stunned. It wasn’t a punch in the face, like Laramie’s introduction, but hopefully I’d made my point clear.
He didn’t say a word. The sleigh jostled when he grabbed the handle and helped himself inside, but he didn’t move the blankets or furs over his lap. Didn’t even bother to glance in my direction. Simply reached for the reins, snapped them once, and sat as still as a statue as we lurched forward.
After an hour of traveling through the Moon Coven, much of it barren trees and scattered homes, he pulled the sleigh to a stop. At first, I’d wondered if he could feel my nerves building the further east we traveled. But when I cast out of habit mostly, there was no awareness there. Simply anger. The silence between us could not have been louder. Still, there wasn’t an ounce of me that wanted to apologize.
“We’ll sleep here for the night.”
“In the middle of the woods? This isn’t… safe.”
“Afraid your Spirits won’t be able to navigate the trees?” Spoken another time, it would have borne a playful tone. His signature. But this was different. He was different. Whatever fragile thing that might have bloomed between us had broken when I walked away.
I ground my teeth. “My enemies are not of the spiritual world. They are very much of this one. And if you thought outside yourself for one moment, you wouldn’t degrade me for an emotion as relevant as fear.”
“I think the only thing that can break the dome is my power. It’s a magical shield. We are perfectly safe,” he said, staring straight ahead. “But some space would be good for both of us.”
Encasing Raven’s flame in a glass orb, he snatched it from the sleigh and stepped out, yanking all but one blanket with him. “Come on.”
The second that ball of warmth was gone, the chill set in. I reluctantly followed him out of the covered sleigh, sinking into the deep snow. Three giant Atlas strides later, he cast a slightly larger glass dome and released the orb, setting it to float above us. He silently tossed the furs over the snow and topped them with the blankets.
When he left to check on the horses, I cast, enlarging the tiny pillows from my pocket. Atlas opened a box and pulled out a sack of food for the beasts, stopping to drop off dried meat, a few slices of cheese, and another pear before tending to animals.
I waited for him. I’d been harsh. Mean even. Because that’s the only way I knew how to protect myself when I couldn’t run away.
