7. Kirsten

When I woke up again, I lay in bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling as thoughts whirled around in my head. Jace, having awoken sometime earlier, was moving around downstairs, and I caught the scent of bacon and toast wafting up through the open door. Try as I might, I couldn't recall whatever night terror had overcome me the previous night. I couldn't remember anything. Perhaps that was a blessing. If it was bad enough for me to be thrashing around and screaming, it was probably best forgotten.

Even not remembering, deep down, I knew it had to have been about Eren. In my head, I cursed the man and wished every plague that could possibly be wished upon him and his lackeys who had helped take me. Maybe if my powers became stronger, I could come up with a spell to make his dick rot and fall off. Or I could summon a bear from the woods to attack and sodomize him? Both good options, however unlikely.

Finally, I got out of bed and dressed in comfortable clothes. My self-defense training was starting today. As I walked out the bedroom door, I paused at the threshold and gaped. The door frame was splintered and slivers of wood lay on the floor, like it had been kicked off its hinges.

"Huh," I said, wondering exactly how bad my nightmare had been to require Jace to break the door down instead of using the doorknob.

As I ate the poached eggs, bacon, and toast Jace served up for me when I entered the kitchen, I turned my attention to him. "When are we training?"

He glanced at his watch. "Probably around ten. I'm, uh, waiting on something I need before we start."

"Something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at Harley, who sat across from me.

She was sliding a piece of toast across her plate to soak up the last bit of sauce. "I have no idea what he's talking about. All I know"—she popped the last bite into her mouth—"is I'd love to have this guy cater my next holiday party. Dear Lord." She turned to gape at Jace. "Did you make the hollandaise sauce from scratch?"

"It's fairly easy with enough practice," he said with a shrug. "I'm gonna go get changed. I'll be back in a bit."

Once he was gone, Harley leaned over to whisper conspiratorially. "Kirsten, you better lock that guy down. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a guy who can cook? Shit, most dudes think that a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup is a gourmet meal."

"Yeah, I really should base the rest of my life on whether a guy can make food," I said, sarcasm and irritation dripping from my words.

Harley, unperturbed by my tone, picked up her coffee mug. "All I'm saying is, the guy looks like a fitness model—he's gorgeous, smart, funny—and he can cook? It's like he walked in out of every woman's wet dream." Harley sipped her coffee and eyed me over the rim, a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"What?" I said. "You're gonna say something inappropriate, aren't you?"

"You know me well." She glanced back at the stairs to make sure Jace wasn't around before lowering her voice. "So, uh, is everything as nice as what I can see? He's got big hands, if you know what I mean?" She bobbed her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh my god. I am not talking about this right now," I said, pushing away from the table to start the dishes.

"What?" She gasped. "I thought we were friends. Just give me a little hint. I don't need a lot. No need for tape measures. Just hold up a zucchini or cucumber or something for size reference?"

I slapped her with the dish towel, then started rinsing the plates.

An hour later, Jace led me out to the woods behind his house.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"There's a big clearing about fifty yards in. I figured that would be the best place to do this. Free of prying eyes, and also far enough away that any stray spells you might cast won't hurt anyone."

Waylan walked out of the woods towards us.

"Are we good?" Jace asked.

Waylan nodded. "All good. She's set."

"Great. Check in with the guys watching the perimeter."

"Will do."

As Waylan walked away, I looked at Jace. "She? She who?'

"You'll see in a second."

As we reached the clearing, I saw who she was. Standing in the ankle-high grass in a simple gray flowing dress was Tinsley.

"What?" I gasped. "How? When…?"

Tinsley smiled and walked forward. "Your friend Jace here called me again." She cast him a mock-irritated glare. "Very early this morning, I might add. Asked if I'd be willing to make the drive down to help you master some of your powers."

When I looked at Jace, he grinned sheepishly. "I used your phone. Figured she'd answer for sure if she thought it was you calling. Hope it's all right?"

I laughed as I hugged Tinsley. "Of course it is."

When I released her, Tinsley gave me a serious look. "Are you ready? This is going to be intense."

"Yeah." I nodded curtly. "I am."

Remembering the power I'd felt when I blasted Eren and Poli made me want to master it even more. Knowing I could actually summon that whenever I wanted would give me so much more confidence, would help me push my fear to the back of my mind.

"First things first, defensive spells," Tinsley said.

For the next half hour, she helped me discover the power that lurked within me. Most of that time was spent in an almost meditative state—legs crossed, eyes closed, searching deep within myself. Sort of like what I'd done when Eren held me captive. Jace remained silent, standing to the side and watching us do witch things.

Afterward, Tinsley helped me conjure what I could only describe as a sort of force field that shielded me.

"You have to be careful with this one," she cautioned. "It takes a lot out of a person and should only be used a couple times. We'll do more today since we're practicing, though. You're gonna be one tired woman tonight," she said. "You're basically using magic to contract the air and water molecules in front of you into something solid. It's impenetrable, but will only last two or three seconds, so timing is important here."

Jace helped by throwing rocks at me on Tinsley's command. I was proud that only one got through the defensive field, thumping me hard in the thigh when my timing was off.

"Shit, are you okay?" Jace asked, looking mortified. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." I winced and rubbed my leg. "No pain, no gain. Isn't that what they say?"

Tinsley showed me a couple other defensive tricks before moving on to offensive spells.

"Have you done anything like that yet?" she asked.

I told her about the dirt tentacles I was able to summon, as well as the weird electric blasts I used on Eren. "I also melted a lock on a door," I finished.

Tinsley raised her eyebrows, impressed. "You really are an eclectic witch," she said. "You've got access to some powerful magic within you."

We practiced those spells, Jace cursing and falling on his ass when the massive tendrils of dirt burst from the ground to wave in the air, like an octopus saying hello.

"Earth magic," Tinsley said with a hint of awe in her voice. "Very rare. Most green witches can only enhance the growing qualities of herbs and flowers for their potions. This is very advanced."

On Tinsley's instruction, Jace acted as the enemy, shifting into his wolf form to run around the clearing, dodging my attacks and helping me hone my abilities. The longer we worked, the more exhausted I became.

"Your best bet," Jace said after a particularly taxing session, "is to aim for the weak spots. Shifters are magical creatures by nature. When we're in our wolf form, that's even more evident. What might work on us in our human form might only sting or piss us off when we're wolves."

"Well, what are the weak spots?" I asked, wiping sweat from my forehead. My hair hung in wet strings as the humid Missouri summer day got the best of me.

"What you'd usually expect. The eyes, throat, underbelly, and well—"

"He means the cock and balls," Tinsley said bluntly.

"Oh! Of course," I said.

Jace's mouth twisted as though I'd already hit him below the belt. "That's for future reference, okay?" He put a hand protectively over his crotch. "Not for training."

Grinning, I raised an eyebrow, then held up my hand, purple lightning crackling along my fingertips. "Well, Jace, how will I know if my aim is true if I don't practice?" I asked innocently.

Jace swallowed hard, eyes wide, as he watched the magic flit across my palm, and he turned his hips slightly, angling his manhood away from me. "I hope you're joking."

Tinsley and I shared a look before we broke out in a fit of giggles. I dropped my hand to my side. Jace didn't look pleased.

"Very funny," he grumbled. "Let's try again."

He shifted, and Tinsley coached me on using the dirt tentacles to catch him as he tried to flank me. In my exhaustion, I let my concentration slip, and the magic broke down right as Jace approached me. Before I could re-energize it, he leapt forward, shifting to his human form and grabbing me gently by the throat.

"You've got to try harder," he said, releasing me and shaking his head. "What if that had been real life? What if Eren had just grabbed you by the throat?"

"I'm trying as hard as I can, Jace," I snapped.

"It's not hard enough. You're slacking off. Just because you're tired doesn't mean you can let your guard down. Again," he ordered.

I gritted my teeth, anger surging through me. I was giving it my all. Maybe he was too blind to see that.

"Stay calm," Tinsley said, her brow creased with worry.

"I am fucking calm," I hissed.

"Now this time, don't let me get close!" Jace shouted before he shifted.

He ran in a zigzag pattern across the clearing toward me. I threw several spells at him but missed every time. Sweat ran into my eye, and I blinked. That blink sent the spell another thirty feet off course.

Jace quickly shifted to his human form again. "For fuck's sake, Kirsten. What was that? You weren't even close. Again," he repeated and shifted again.

Hissing an angry breath through my teeth, I flung my hand out, sending a wave of pulsing energy toward him. In my rage, I couldn't hold back. The air condensed into a ball of kinetic force and slammed into Jace, sending him flipping into the air. He yelped in pain.

Jace tumbled to a stop and shifted back, pressing a hand to his lower back as he walked toward us. "That was better. Now we're talking."

Rather than celebrate my victory, I took Tinsley's hand. "Come on. I need a break. Let's go."

"Oh, uh, okay, sure." Tinsley followed hesitantly, looking back at Jace as I stomped through the woods toward the house.

"Where are you going?" Jace called after me.

I spun around and leveled a finger at him. "I'm hungry. I'm going to go have lunch and rest. Is that okay with you, Captain?"

Jace's jaw went slack, his eyes wide. My words had come out even harsher than intended, and I'd intended them to be harsh.

Not bothering to wait for his response, I stalked through the woods to the house. Tinsley and I found Harley in the kitchen, making a sandwich.

"Oh good," she said. "Did you bring Jace? I could really go for something better than bologna and cheese…" She trailed off as she saw the look on my face. "My, aren't we in a pissy mood?"

Stalking over, I snatched her sandwich up and took a huge bite, mustard and mayo smearing on my cheek.

"No, sure, have a bite, I'm not hungry," Harley said, rolling her eyes. "What the hell happened?"

Before either of us could say anything, Jace stomped in, and I glared at him.

"Nothing's wrong," I said through a mouthful of bologna and cheese. "It's only the drill instructor over there pushing me until I break. Apparently, my best isn't good enough."

Jace opened his mouth to retort, but his shoulders slumped. He lowered his head as he walked down the hall in silence.

Harley looked at Tinsley. "Um, hi. I'm Harley."

Tinsley gave her an awkward smile. "Tinsley. It's nice to meet you, dear."

A door slammed down the hall, and Harley flinched. "You know what? I think Kirsten could do with getting out of the house for a bit?"

"I think that would be wonderful," Tinsley agreed.

I finished rage-eating the sandwich and said, "Great. Let's go. Where are we going? Nah, scratch that, I don't care. Just get me out of here."

With my car a wreck and Harley without one, we got into Tinsley's small hatchback and headed for town. On the way, Harley and Tinsley chatted, leaving me to stew in my bitterness in the backseat. They hit it off immediately, which did a lot to improve my mood. I liked Tinsley a lot, and knowing my best friend liked her, too, was a nice little boost to an otherwise crappy day.

"Okay, here's my idea," Harley said. "Ladies' night, the three of us. How's that sound?"

Tinsley chuckled. "You know, it's been a long time since I did something like that. Me and a couple friends went to Woodstock '94 back in the day. That might be the last time I had something like a ladies' night."

Harley stared at her. "Woodstock. You mean… 1994?" she asked incredulously.

"Yup. It was a great time. I loved it. I went for Collective Soul on the first day, but we stayed for the whole festival."

Harley looked in the backseat and gaped at me. "Is she serious? How old is this woman? And who the fuck is Collective Soul?"

"Ugh, kids," Tinsley said, shaking her head. She shivered with delight and said, "Ed Roland could sprinkle me with sugar and devour me, and I'd be fine with it."

"Eww. We're gonna table this discussion for now," Harley said. "Back to ladies' night. What about a bunch of terrible junk food, some cocktails, and binging trashy TV. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Tinsley said.

"Yeah," I said. "I could do with putting on three or four pounds and getting a little tipsy."

"Which way is the grocery store?" Tinsley asked.

"I think it's down this next left," Harley said.

My unease grew as we drew near the store. The day before, when we'd given Harley a tour of town, we'd simply driven through the streets. I hadn't been out and among the people of Crestwood since the night of the town hall meeting when everything had fallen apart.

Harley must have seen my distress as we pulled into the parking lot. She reached back and put a hand on my knee. "You good?"

When I explained the issue, she squeezed my leg. "It'll be fine. You've got us with you. I'll kick any wolf in the face who wants to say shit to you. You can bet on that."

Her words were a reminder of how much I needed her here. With my best friend at my side, things seemed a little less awful and overwhelming.

"Okay, let's go," I said, and opened the door.

Inside, Tinsley pushed the cart and Harley walked along, tossing boxes and bags into the cart—chips, cookies, cakes, popcorn, an entire cheesecake from the bakery section, and more. As we moved through the aisles, I noticed a few people casting furtive glances in my direction. They all recognized me. Of course they did. I'd stood on that stage in front of the entire pack.

They'd probably all stay away, terrified that they'd piss off the evil witch. That, or they'd be afraid of saying something that would upset Jace.

"Miss Holly?"

I turned in surprise, finding a woman standing in front of me with an anxious look in her eyes.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to stop by and say hello. Are you doing all right? We've all heard about what happened. Can I do anything for you?"

Her concern took me aback. Deep down, I thought many of Jace's pack had probably hoped Eren would keep me. Thought they'd want me out of town and away from their beloved leader. If this woman was acting right now, then she needed an Oscar.

"I'm okay," I finally choked out. "I'm good. Thanks."

"All right, then, dear," the woman said and patted my arm. "Just so you know, we trust Jace. If he trusts you, then I, and all of us, know you're meant to be here."

After that, more people came over to me. In twenty minutes, my mood had improved greatly. Maybe everyone didn't hate me after all.

Tinsley nudged me as we lined up to check out and whispered, "Not to frighten you, but who's the walking cinder-block wall who's been eyeballing us? I think he followed us here. I also saw him in the parking lot pulling in at the same time we did on a motorcycle." She gave a little smile. "I hope you know him. He's been checking me out the whole time we've been here."

Turning, I saw who had caught her attention. The man was standing by a magazine rack, pretending to read as he cast surreptitious glances our way every few seconds.

"God." I rolled my eyes and waved at the man. "Hey, Tank. How's it going?"

He flinched, almost dropping the magazine. His face went red. Did he really think he'd been being subtle? The man was gigantic.

"Uh, hey, Kirsten," he said feebly. "Jace wanted to make sure you guys were safe. Got me watching out for you."

"It's fine." I waved him off. "Thanks." It would have been easier to be pissed, but Jace was only looking out for my safety.

"I'll just go sit in my car," Tank said, heading for the door like a kid who'd been caught doing something bad. As he did, he cast another quick glance at Tinsley. If I weren't mistaken, Tank was crushing on my witch friend.

After we'd checked out, Harley pushed the cart toward the door.

"Jackson? Jackson, slow down, honey," a woman called out behind us.

A boy of about eight sprinted past us, a small bouquet of flowers in his hand and a huge smile on his face. He skirted around our cart and pelted through the door. His toe caught on the threshold, and he tumbled forward. The flowers dropped from his outstretched hands as the little boy fell to the ground.

"Jackson!" the woman shouted as she ran to the boy.

I joined her, picking up the flowers and kneeling beside the crying boy. His palms and knees were scratched and bloody.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"It hurts, Mama. It hurts," he moaned, holding his hands toward his mother.

"Oh, baby, it's all right," she said, pulling tissues from her purse.

Trying to get the child's mind off his hands, I said, "Hey, buddy. Jackson? My name is Kirsten. Who are these flowers for?"

Sniffling, he turned tear-streaked eyes to me. "Cindy. Mama let me get them. She's at the park, and I was gonna give them to her. I wanted to ask her to be my best friend."

That was possibly the sweetest thing I'd ever heard.

"You sound like a very sweet young man." Glancing at his mom, I asked, "How fast will he heal?"

The woman looked a little flustered—if I had to guess, she wasn't sure how to talk to her alpha's mate. "He hasn't had his first shift yet. He'll take as long as a human does. I'll need to get some bandages and disinfectant."

Words tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. "Would it be okay if I healed him? I'll have him patched up in a few seconds. He has a very important date with a lovely young lady. We don't want him to be late, do we?"

Her eyes darted over her son, and she pursed her lips. I saw her hesitation.

"Please, Mama? Let the witch lady fix it," Jackson sobbed. "It hurts, and I don't want to be bloody when I give Cindy the flowers."

The witch lady? So, even the kids in the pack knew who I was. Of course they would. There had been several at the meeting.

His mother smiled apprehensively but nodded. "Okay. That should be fine, I suppose."

With a sigh of relief, I took the boy's hands. "Can you look at me, Jackson?"

He did, and a few seconds later, the same cool sensation I'd noticed when I healed Kyro flooded through my hands.

The boy squealed. "It's cold, Momma. Oh, wow."

"Are you all right, baby?" she asked, a fearful tone underlining each word.

He nodded, his tears already drying. "It feels good," he said with a giggle.

I did his knees next, and when I was done, it was like nothing had happened.

"There you go," I said. "How's that?"

"It's good!" He jumped up and threw his arms around my neck quickly. "You're so cool. Even cooler than Jace! Can we go see Cindy now, Mama?" he asked his mom.

She picked up the bouquet of flowers and stood. "I think we still have time." She put a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that, but it means a lot."

"No problem," I said, my heart filled with warmth and happiness. I was now even more certain that I was meant to be a healer.

She glanced around, looking a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry about everything that happened the other night. That's not the kind of pack we are. I hope you can forgive us."

"Oh, don't worry about that," I said, waving her off. "You two better hurry. There's a special someone who's waiting for those flowers."

Jackson tugged on his arm. "Come on, come on."

They went on their way, and as I watched them go, I realized all my anger and irritation had dissipated. I felt better than I had all day.

Back at the house, Harley cornered Jace in the kitchen.

"Okay, Mister. For the rest of the afternoon and all night, the living room and kitchen are ladies-only areas. I don't care where you go, but you can't stay here."

Jace goggled at her. "I'm being kicked out of my own house?"

"You can sit in your bedroom or the garage or something. That will suffice."

Jace smiled at her. "I guess I've been outvoted. All right, I'll let you all have some fun." He caught my eye and nodded to the hallway. "Can I talk to you real quick?"

I joined him as Harley and Tinsley unpacked all the groceries. Harley was already talking about making sundaes.

"I'm really sorry," Jace said, keeping his voice low. "I didn't mean to push so hard. I was being a dick, and I apologize."

"Thank you for that," I said. "I'm doing my best, and I wanted you to see that. I wasn't slacking off, so you thinking that pissed me off."

He winced as though I'd pinched him. "Yeah, that was shitty of me. It's not that I thought you were slacking, I was just getting scared. I kept thinking what would happen if Eren actually did attack you. If, for some reason, your magic didn't work or…" He shook his head. "If anything happened to you, it would kill me."

I put my hand on his chest, touched by what he'd said and the emotion in his eyes. "It's going to be okay, Jace. Seriously. We're doing all that we can."

He gazed into my eyes, and for a second, I thought he would kiss me. But then the moment passed, and he took a small step back, putting distance between us.

Just like that, irritation surged through me. "Why won't you kiss me?"

Jace blinked in surprise. "Uh, well, I… I didn't think you wanted me to. You're mad at me, and I'm giving you space. Plus, we never really got to talk about our fight." He shrugged helplessly. "I didn't want to overstep. Not until you were ready."

His words rang true. With everything that had happened, we hadn't had time to discuss anything, really. We did need to have a long talk about that.

"Okay." I nodded. "You're right. After this whole girls' night thing, we can talk, get everything out in the open. Does that sound good?"

"That would be great." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder to the rear of the house. "I'll give you guys some privacy. I'm gonna head over to Waylan's place to watch a baseball game with him and Langston. You guys can have the run of the house."

Harley didn't hesitate to make good on that offer. Within twenty minutes, ice cream was scooped into balls, popcorn popped, and frozen pizza rolls and cheese sticks in the oven. A trashy reality TV show played in the background. It looked like the premise was women wearing as little clothing as possible, trying to seduce men who were somehow wearing even less. It was turning into one of the better nights I'd had in months.

"Question," Harley said, pointing with a spoon streaked with ice cream and chocolate fudge at Tinsley. "Did you notice that big cutie checking you out today? Our bodyguard?"

Tinsley rolled her eyes and used a tortilla chip to scoop salsa into her mouth. "I noticed, yes. He'll need to make the first move, though."

I nearly choked on my popcorn. "What? You like him?"

Tinsley shrugged. "When you've lived as long as I have, you learn to take things at face value. No offense to humans, but their lives are so short, so they have this idea that everyrelationship needs to be the end all be all." She smiled slyly. "Sometimes, you just need to have fun. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen. That's my take."

Harley shook her head in wonder. "Went to Woodstock? And talks like that? You're not a witch, you're a hippie!"

"I will admit, this Tank guy is no Ed Roland, but he's cute. Really nice butt."

"So," Harley said. "Let's say Mr. Tank comes knocking tonight and asks you to throw down? What do you do?"

Without missing a beat, Tinsley said, "If that's the dog I get to lay down with, I'll be happy to catch some fleas."

I burst out laughing, my wine almost coming out of my nose. All three of us dissolved into girlish giggles like we were teenagers at a sleepover. It was the first time since Nana died that I was truly at peace. Suddenly, everything else didn't matter. I wished Jace was here so I could share that moment with him.

As though he'd read my thoughts, my phone pinged with a text from him.

Hope everything is good. I was just thinking about you and wanted to check in.

I stared at the message for a long time as Harley and Tinsley made disparaging remarks about the people on the show. After several seconds, I tucked the phone away and smiled.

This, right here, felt like home.