Page 30 of Winter Unleashed

I shrugged and pulled my head back to look at him. “I kinda don’t care, I think it will help her figure out what Celeste did if she sees me. And even if it doesn’t, I need to meet her, talk to her. I’m almost positive it will help me with us.”

He kissed my forehead. “Okay. We’ll call her in the morning. You’ll have to come back to my house.”

“Okay. In the morning,” I muttered through a yawn before snuggling into him again and closing my eyes.

The next morning,I opened my eyes to find Liam watching me. I smiled and snuggled into him, not ready to leave the bed or his arms.

“Good morning,” I whispered against his neck.

His hands moved over my back to pull me in closer. “Good morning.”

“Did you sleep well?” I splayed my fingers over his chest, enjoying the feel of his rough hair against my fingertips and the palm of my hand.

“Off and on,” he said, rolling to his back and pulling me on top of him. “You were out like a light. No more nightmares?”

I looked down at him. “No. Is that why you didn’t sleep? Were you worried I’d have a nightmare?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry. If I’d known you wouldn’t sleep, I’d have made you go to your own room.” I looked around the large bedroom with an en suite bathroom, sitting area, fireplace, and French doors that led to a balcony. “Uh, unlessthisis your room.”

“It’s a guestroom.” He laughed a little at my surprised look. “Even if I’d gone to my bed, I would’ve gotten just as much sleep.” His hand smoothed over my back to my ass to pat it lightly. “We should get ready to call Astrid. I let you sleep in. She’ll get cranky if we’re late.”

“Late? We have an appointment?”

“We do.”

“Well, damn, I don’t want to annoy the fairy before I meet her. Again… I guess,” I said, bounding out of the bed. “Do I have time to shower?”

“You do.” His voice deepened as his eyes traveled over my body, leaving a trail of heat behind.

“You can join me, but no funny business, Mr. Fraser,” I said then squealed when he growled and leapt out of the bed.

Half an hour later we were ready, but I stood frozen in the room staring at the door that led to the hallway. Liam took my hand, gently stroking it with his thumb. I looked up at him as I linked my fingers with his.

“Relax, Red. It’ll be okay. Astrid loves you. Smart mouth and all,” he said.

“That was before Celeste fucked with my mind. I’m not fully myself. I can tell, maybe Astrid will too.”

He moved in front of me and cupped my face in his hands. “That’s what we’re hoping for. If she can sense there’s something off about you, she’ll have a better chance at reversing what Celeste did.”

I nodded and nibbled my lip as I let him lead me to his office. I watched him move to the bookshelves. He turned to look at me, searching my face for something. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he frowned and pulled on one of the books. A small panel slid open on the wall beside the doors. I moved to peer inside the secret opening and was surprised to see a hand mirror.

He reached around me to pick up the mirror, and as his scent washed over me, an odd sense of déjà vu hit me. The niggle in the back of my mind shimmered, urging me to remember, but when I concentrated on it the pain struck, dropping me to my knees.

“Red,” Liam said, dropping the mirror to the floor beside me.

“It’s okay. I’m okay. It was the spell. There was something familiar about all of this. The spell in my mind shimmered, so I reached for the memories…”

He gripped me under my elbows to pull me to my feet. He held on to me until he was sure I wouldn’t fall then he led me out to the balcony and settled me on a chair. I rubbed at my temples, staring at the floor until he returned with the mirror in hand. A hawk’s screech filled the air followed by the hoot of an owl. When I looked up, I saw Henry and Walter flying toward us. Henry landed on my lap, something he rarely did, and fluffed up his feathers.

“Hi there, buddy,” I said, scratching his head. “I’m okay.”

Liam said something in a language I’d never heard before. And the mirror turned black. After a few moments, a woman with red hair like mine appeared in the frame.

“Liam? Is she with you?” the woman asked.

I leaned over so she could see me and a second later I was standing in front of her in a dimly lit one-room house. I shook off the discomfort of being pulled through a mirror and looked at the woman in front of me.