Page 87 of Wedded Witch
“Does she have any family?”
“Apparently not. They never had kids. She says she can’t stand ‘em.Could never eat a whole one,” he mimics, sounding a lot like her and making me laugh despite the sadness of what he’s saying.
“That’s such a shame.”
Kel shrugs. “Kids aren’t for everyone and family is what you make it. You can be related by blood to a bunch of dickheads, or you can choose your own family. They might still turn out to be dickheads, but they’re the dickheads you chose, so you have to make your bed and lie in it,” he says with a grin.
I laugh and turn my attention back to the puppy as Kel moves away.
I glance up, watching as he moves around the flat with ease, grabbing a couple of pet bowls from the kitchen.
“Do you guys always keep dog stuff around?”
Kel flashes me a grin, one eyebrow raised in that teasing way of his. “Well, we are shifters, so we like to be prepared for every eventuality.”
I pause mid-towel, narrowing my eyes at him. “Are you serious right now?”
He lets out a low laugh, shaking his head as he sets the bowls down. “Nah, I’m messing with you. But we used to have a dog—a real one, not the shifter kind. We found him in the woods near Spells Hollow. Had him for a couple of years before he...well, ran away one day.”
I can hear the shift in his voice, the casual tone falling away, replaced by something quieter.
“He just disappeared?”
“Yeah.” Kel leans against the counter, his smile fading slightly. “We searched everywhere, but he was gone. Not exactly unusual around here. There’s wolves in the woods. Spirits and things too. Never did figure out what happened, just one day he was there and the next gone, but it’s not too hard to guess.”
I nod, a wave of sympathy washing over me. “That must’ve been hard.”
“It was,” he admits, his gaze distant for a moment before he shakes it off. “Anyway, we just never got around to getting rid of his stuff. Guess it’s a little reminder of him.”
I finish drying off the puppy, wrapping him up in one of the blankets. “Well, it’s good that you didn’t. Looks like this little guy’s going to need it.”
Kel watches as I settle the puppy into the makeshift bed, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, maybe it was meant to be.”
I can’t help but smile back, my heart warming at the thought. “Maybe.”
Kel watches me shivering as I finish setting up the puppy in his cosy little bed.
“You’re freezing, Swyn. Go use the bathroom. I’ll grab you some clothes and get the water heated up for you.”
I hesitate, my teeth chattering as the cold seeps into my bones. “Is it safe to take a shower? I mean, with the storm and all...”
He smiles, reassuring but playful. “Yeah, it’s safe. Well, normally it isn’t, but this place has wards in place for protection against the elements, among other things. I’d tell you if it wasn’t. Go on, warm up. You look like you’re about to fall apart.”
I nod, the idea of a hot shower too tempting to resist. “Okay. Thanks.”
I slip into the bathroom, closing the door behind me and letting out a sigh as the warmth from the steam hits my face. The shower is small, but functional, and I adjust the temperature of the water until it's scalding hot.
As I strip off my wet clothes with difficulty because they’ve become a second skin, I shudder at the thought of how close I am to catching a cold.
Colds are viral, Swyn, you don’t catch one from being wet.
The hot water cascades over me, slowly bringing life back into my limbs. I lean into the spray, letting the warmth melt away the chill, and reach for some body wash from the small rack in the corner.
It’s only when the scent hits me—rich and familiar—that I realise a beat too late it’s Ri’s. Tobacco, warm spice, and something dark that sends a jolt through me, right down to my core.
Fuck. Just the smell of him, from a bottle no less, shouldn’t turn me on like this.
I freeze, the water still running over me as my pulse quickens. Why am I using Ri’s stuff? Kel said he’d grab me some clothes, but?—