39
REINER
“We’re back, ladies,” I announced as Jim and I walked into the house. He was extremely upset,
and all the way from kindergarten to home, he had not moved from my arms.
Naturally, Becky noticed – after all, Jim was such a bundle of energy that he almost never
wanted to be carried.
“What happened?” she asked worriedly, approaching us and brushing James‘ back. “Puppy, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he grumbled, keeping his little face sunk into my shoulder. He didn’t want to be seen
crying.
“He had a fight with a classmate,” I quickly explained. “The kid cut a girl’s braid and then tried
to blame Jim.”
James made a sound that was very, very much like a growl.
Okay, kid, it’s not time yet to shift and maul your enemies.
“Go get your jacket off, baby,” Becks sighed, leaning in to kiss him on his hair. “Don’t worry,
we’ll fix it.”
Jim obeyed, heading for his bedroom grumbling threats against the other child under his breath. Quick as lightning, his sister was at his heels to console him.
“At three years old?” Becky commented, shocked, as I took her in my arms. Her hands rested, gently, on my hips – and I didn’t even try to hide the sigh of pleasure that escaped me when I
felt her touch me. “Kids do that kind of stuff at three years old now?!”
I shrugged. “They must have wonderful role models at home,” I speculated. Then, I brushed her
chin for her to lift her face. “Feeling better?”
She nodded. “Violet’s fine,” she said. “She was hungry as hell, so I let her eat.”
“And what about you?”
For a moment, Becks seemed surprised by the question – as if she wasn’t used to having someone care about her… or rather, as if she didn’t expect me to care all that much.
Considering what the last four years of her life had been like, and the lies and fears Sheila had put in her head, unfortunately, there was a risk that this was indeed the case.
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48 Point
39
Out of instinct, I tightened my grip around her.
I will eradicate these stupid beliefs and doubts from your beautiful head if it is the last thing I
- do.
“I’m better,” she murmured. “I think my fever is down.”
To make sure, I brushed her forehead with my lips: it was true – her skin was cool.
“Great,” I smiled. “That means I can do this.”
I reached down and captured her lips, already curved into a smile, in a kiss.
My goodness, did I miss you.
It still didn’t seem real that I could do this – that she was still my wife, that we were together
again. That I got to hug her and kiss her.
When I’d woken up with her in my arms that morning, I’d spent a good twenty minutes
believing that it was a dream – that everything that had happened that night had been just a
vivid hallucination.
But it wasn’t – and although I was incredibly relieved to know that Becks had not suffered any kind of s**** violence, the knowledge of what had really happened to her … of what had really
happened to us … made me see red with anger.
And considering that we were about to get examined by a witch to see if any magic had been
used on us to block the bond and if it had had any impacts on the kids …
“You could have done that even before,” Becky chuckled against my lips, wiping away all the dark thoughts that had been crowding into my head. From my hips, her naughty hands moved under my T–shirt, in direct contact with my skin – a feeling that went straight to my c**k. “I
wouldn’t have objected.”
Oh, you naughty little…
“Oh yeah?” I whispered, squeezing her tighter. “So if the kid hadn’t cockblocked us last night
“Daddy? Mommy?”
It was, now I knew, virtually impossible not to be interrupted when living with two
three–year–olds.
Violet and James were right in front of us, looking at us with a slightly confused look on their
faces.
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+8 Point
39
S**t.
It took me a moment to realize that thought had not been solely mine.
“Y–yes, puppies?” Becks did, straining to put an innocent smile on her face.
“What are you doing?” Vi asked.
Becky’s face took on an eggplant hue. “Um…”
“I was giving Mommy a kiss,” I intervened. There was no point in skirting around the subject:
everything, by now, would have changed – there was no point in keeping the kids in the dark.
“Because we’re married, and we love each other very much“.
“Like Anna and Kwistoff?” Violet insisted.
“Yes, baby,” Becks nodded.
The explanation seemed enough for the two of them: they nodded, as if satisfied by the
answer, and returned to their battle stations -the beanbag chair in the living room for Vi and
the set table for Jim.
“I guess we have some explaining to do,” Becks observed. “They’ve been going through a lot of
changes lately.”
“Yeah. And look how well we did,” I chuckled. “We managed to make it all coincide with family
night.”
The joke made her laugh- and thankfully so, because after the tears and despair of the previous night, I desperately needed to hear her laugh and see her smile.
“We’re the best,” she laughed, and we joined Jim at the table.
“UNCLE MARK!” the kids squealed, running up to him as soon as they saw him on the
doorstep.
“Hey, you brats!” he exclaimed, smiling and ducking down to hug them. “So? How are my
favorite little fellas doing?”
“I’m a bit sick” Vi commented, and soon after, Jim grumbled something about the fight with Josh. Even though Becky and I had spent the last few hours trying to calm and soothe him, we hadn’t gotten anywhere: he was furious and indignant at the injustice he’d suffered, and knowing that Josh had been grounded and scolded by the teachers did little to calm him
down.
After all, he was my and his mother’s son – we too had a little tendency to hold grudges.
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+ Paint:
39
“What a little s**t,” Mark commented – causing both Becks and me to roll our eyes.
Great, a new swear word these two will never stop saying, Becky huffed.
And who are the teachers going to b***h at? Us, I added. Not that asshole Mark.
“Bro,” Mark then did, patting me on the back. “Becks, honey, you look as beautiful as death
warmed up.”
Becky nodded, pretending to be absolutely impressed by the joke, then turned to me. “Now I
see who you stole all your hit phrases from,” she commented, lapidary, but with a mocking
smirk on her lips.
“Okay, if you’re able to scold both of us you’re fine,” Mark laughed, then squared us off
knowingly. “Ah, you’re back together. f*****g finally – it was getting boring to see you two looking at each other like lovesick teens.”
–
I felt jealousy and irritation growing in me – but before I could say or do anything, Mark pushed
forward the woman who, up to that point, had been standing behind him. She was in her
fifties, with piercing green eyes contoured with kohl and jet–black hair that fell straight as
spaghetti to her shoulders: her bearing was as noble as her features, and I could sense the
aura of
power surrounding her.
That was no ordinary witch.
“Reiner, Becky, meet Sybille,” she said. “Excellent cardiologist as well as the supreme witch of
Manhattan.”
Just as I suspected. Not just any witch.
“Nice to meet you,” Becks smiled, shaking her hand.
Once all introductions were concluded, Mark rolled his shoulders. “Good,” he said. “Violet, Jim,
with me – you’re gonna learn how to visit a patient today.”
He and the kids moved into the living room while Becks, the witch, and I stayed in the foyer.
“Can we offer you some tea?” Becky asked.
The witch smiled. “I’d never say no to a cup of tea,” she said.
We headed to the kitchen: I got the tea ready, and while the water in the kettle was heating up,
Becks and I gave a quick summary of our situation.
Sybille listened patiently – and when we finished adding the last details, she nodded.
“Give me your hands, she then said, extending her own across the table. “And hold hands.”
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⚫8 Point
39
We obeyed.
The doubt and fear I felt coming from Becky was a good reflection of my state of mind.
“The mate bond between two people is the most sacred and powerful thing there is,” she said. “And what I sense between you is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful bonds I’ve ever felt. Only very powerful magic could fool a bond like this… or two minds as solid as yours, making you believe the bond was broken and deceiving your communications,” she added,
turning to Becky.
I felt myself turn pale. “When you talk about very powerful magic,” I asked, choosing my words carefully – because they had power. “You mean dark magic, don’t you?”
North Wave
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