Page 15 of No Potions Needed

His face paled a bit at the mention of his parents. For a second, I wondered if he wondered if he’d see them again in the afterlife.

“I hope my grandparents have already moved on,” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

“Me too. Them and my parents. I bet they have. Hopefully they got their shit together. Mori, I loved them but my dad was an abusive asshole. He wouldn’t let anyone else hurt me or Mom but he was an asshole and my mom wanted so badly for everything to be normal like the rest of the pack. I love them and I miss them. I haven’t been back to visit their graves since we let but that’s okay. They’re not there. We’ve both seen enough ancestors and other spirits to know they don’t stay at their graves,” Dorn said and I nodded my agreement.

Dorn cocked his head and stared at me for a long time.

“Eh, you know a thing or two about reincarnation, don’t you? Not your own past life, but someone else’s. Yep. I see it all now. Ha! Good luck to him!”

“To who?” Ormund asked.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll both be long gone before that comes home to roost. Not that it’s anything to do with us anyway. Though to all of them,” Dern laughed and the laugh morphed into a cough. Ormund helped him take a sip of water and gave me a look that said I should be kind and excuse myself. I did exactly that because he looked like the sort who would rat me out to Othoni and we all knew how he felt about respecting our elders.

“Good night. Thank you, Dern. I’ll be back soon. Hopefully I can bring Teddy with me.”

“Don’t come back without him,” Dern said between coughs.

Chapter Ten

Teddy

Everything inside me wanted to claim Othoni that first day we met. My dragon spun in circles whipping up the wind inside his inner sanctum. Still, I wanted to take my time and get to know him. There was something achingly romantic about putting off our claiming vows to talk and soothe each other.

Even after the storm blew out its fury Othoni was on edge. He kept sniffing my tattoo where I’d been shot as if the residual scent of gun powdered lingered there. For a long time, we lounged in the bed of my B&B room and didn’t say much at all. It was surreal. He was here in the flesh. He was only here because Dern shot me and demanded Mori’s attention.

“I know there’s a million things we should talk about – where to live, kids or no kids, and everything else but I feel like I have to tell you this before any of that stuff,” Othoni said about an hour after Mori had left. I braced myself unsure of what he had to say and how it might shape our future. “Dern keeps bringing up your carrier and saying she’s part of the story.”

“I know,” I nodded and kissed the top of his head. My gaze got stuck on his lips for a long moment then but I shook my head and continued to speak. “I don’t think he’s lying. My mum met a lot of people in her lifetime. Everyone loved her. Well, everyone I’ve ever talked to anyway. She did so much charity and rescue work and she worked with the Grim Howlers. Not to mention she was a Cromwell and a force to be reckoned with in her own right. I don’t know what his mate promised her but she’s dead now. I feel like I should just send Ormund a letter through Mori saying that she’d forgive him for not fulfilling the promise before she died. I was there when she went. She didn’t carry any grudges into the next life.”

Othoni was quiet for a long moment, and I braced myself for him to say that Ihadto talk to Dern and soon. What he said next caught me off guard.

“I’ve seen spirits here and there. Mostly ancestors but I haven’t known anyone well before they died. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like to walk around with a hole in your world where a person used to be. Hell, it’s nowhere near the same but I have gotten over my childhood dog running through his door. Sometimes I round a corner and still expect to see him there.”

“She’s been reincarnated,” I shrugged.

“That must be even more difficult,” Othoni frowned at me. “I’m not trying to ‘mystic’ you or anything. I just can’t imagine how hard that must be. She’s here and not here.”

“That’s why I’m on Earthside,” I said rolling over onto my side to face him directly. “Nelum is a great guy. He’s awesome and my sire adores him but he’s not my mum. So, I’m here until I can deal with that. Hail in the pit. Maybe I’m here for good now.”

“Would that be bad?” Othoni asked, sitting up. “Being back on Earthside for good?”

“No,” I shook my head. “And now my family will stop badgering me about moving back over there. I have you here. Your family is here. You have to lead your pard some day and that means you have to be here.”

“Ugh!” he flopped back down on his back like the cat he was. “Don’t remind me. There’s still so much of the world I need to see before I go home and let the spirits chain me to the pard.”

“Is that really how it works?” I asked, raising a hand to rub his belly but stopped short. Where had that instinct even come from? I had furry friends. I knew better than to pet someone’s belly as if they were a house pet. Othoni grabbed my hand and put it on his belly. He had abs under his shirt and no body hair I could feel through the fabric but I petted his belly anyway. I pet him until he purred and finally answered my question.

“Not literally but it’s a full-time job. My carrier hardly ever gets to travel and there are still so many rules about who is allowed in the territory. Even more so after what Sergei pulled. You’ll be allowed there of course. We’re allowed to bring our non-feline mates home now. Mori has visited a few times too but my carrier locked up all his magic stuff beforehand. He doesn’t trust anyone anymore and I can’t say that I blame him.”

“You can change those things when you lead,” I said, still rubbing his belly.

“No,” he shook his head. “Mostly developers want to come and visit and that’s a big no. If our plants or minerals are important they can stay right where they are because they’re important to our ecosystems too. My ancestors didn’t send centuries eating enemies – human enemies at that – to keep our space protected just to let some Hemlock or Moonscale investor wipe it all out.”

“I wouldn’t let that happen,” I said before I thought about it. “Shit! Sorry! Look at me already trying to step on your toes.”

“I like it. Well, this time,” Othoni laughed. “Seriously, one day we’ll probably need all the help we can get. That’s why I won’t runaway from leading when it’s my turn. Someone has to keep it all safe and healthy.”

“Do you have a bucket list?” I asked him. “I mean, a bucket list for before you become leader?”

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