Page 76 of Witches Be Damned

The warden was true to his word and graced my team and me with three whole days off missions, allowing us time to recover fully from injury. My men and I lived it up, playing games and my men working out while I read. Doctor’s orders for light workouts only for Pascal, Tor, and me, and I didn’t feel like jumping back into the swing of things yet.

I attended my daily psychological sessions with Dr. Anders as ordered, and for adhering to the rules, the warden seemed pleased. I didn’t want to risk him taking back his kind offer for my men to sleep in my cell for the rest of the week if I broke a command.

Time flew by fast, and by the third day, our time for serenity, relaxation, and fun quickly came to an end. Tonight, the doctor would assess me for my fitness to return to active duty. Depending on his report, I might be back in the field as soon as tomorrow, so I took advantage of my unconventional time off.

Over this period, my men surprised me with their laid-back demeanors when Knoxe normally itched to get the job done. Time together was more important than reviewing evidence to wipe our records clean. The four of us went through so much over the last eighteen months and deserved a little quality time. Our enemies would still be waiting for capture, and judging by the juicy evidence Knoxe scored from the thief avatar, we’d have our hands full.

Dad and I caught up a few times at breakfast for some solid father-daughter time and made plans for our upcoming Christmas break. Boy, that was going to be a shocker for my mother and sister. Get the defibrillator and smelling salts ready. Apart from the dread of that upcoming holiday, it was good to get to know him again, when we spent so long apart.

The warden announced yesterday a scheduled a four-day leave pass for all prisoners to visit family for the holidays, though we were to return prior to the New Year. Perfect time to squeeze in a trip to see my wolf after Christmas with my family. I didn’t want him to be alone over the holidays, even though he had the sanctuary shifters for company. I’d twist my men’s arms to make the trip with me. Raze would be over the moon to see us all.

Serena and Dad didn’t waste time and let the prisoners retreat further into hiding when leads might turn cold very fast. They dove into the information Tor extracted from the thief avatar’s USB, mapping it out with intel Cole provided, and they narrowed down potential locations for the fugitives.

A card clapping down on the pile drew me back to our game ofExploding Kittenswith Knoxe taking out the winning honors again. I gave him a congratulatory kiss, suppressing my competitive nature.

He scooped me onto his lap and murmured, “That all you got?” into my lips. He knew I had plenty more. I was just a little salty, and he teased me about it. “Someone doesn’t like to lose, do they?”

Luckily, he kissed away all my saltiness with long sweeps of his lips on mine, and brushes over my cheeks and ears.

“Who’s up for a game of ping pong?” Tor packed up the cards as if he sensed my interest waning.

“I’m down.” Pascal was always ready for that, and climbed to his feet, straightening his uniform of creases from sitting. “Wanna play, Songbird?” He presented his palm for me to hold.

We often played the game and recited silly lines from spaghetti western movies for fun, pretending to draw our guns and threaten the bad cowboys. You had to find simple means of entertainment in an environment like this when on a strict diet of recreational activities.

I fit my hand into his, and he lifted me from Knoxe’s lap. “How about you play Knoxe first, and I’ll sit with Tor?”

“Bring on your A-game.” Pascal bumped a closed fist with Knoxe, and my heart burst into a flutter of butterflies. I loved watching their budding friendship blossom when before Pascal always felt left out.

“Bring yours,” Knoxe shot back in a play smack talk tone.

I clasped their hands and strolled with them out of Cell Ward A to the recreational area where the ping pong tables were set up.

“Nice view.” Tor whistled, wheeling behind us, occasionally playing bongo drums on my ass, making me laugh.

When we arrived at our destination, I stuck my ass out, letting him play a little tune that got a smile from Knoxe, and Pascal bopping his head.

“That’s a new instrument for you, P-man.” Tor hooked my waist with his arm and dragged me onto his lap. He felt incredible. Warm, familiar, and comforting. My sweet Candyman.

I brushed his jaw, loving the prickle of stubble that sprouted over our time off, and I wanted him to keep. “Is this new look staying?”

He stroked his jaw and pretended to model it in custom Tor style, twisting his head from side to side and flashing some serious Zoolander. “You like it?”

“Love it!” I couldn’t stop touching him.

“I’ll keep it like this then.” Tor’s hand moved to my face, mimicking my gesture.

Knoxe and Pascal commenced their warm-up, the ball clacking on the table, the two of them hollering as they outmatched each other with tricky moves. The sound of their enjoyment spread the butterflies in my chest.

Tor squeezed me, drawing my attention back to him. Attention whore. “How are you, Supergal?”

“Good,” I replied earnestly, grateful for the reprieve, but trying not to get complacent, when come tomorrow, I’d be back into training and out on missions.

He repeated the squeeze. “I mean, how are you really doing?” He brushed my hair over my shoulder.

Oh. He meant how was I acclimatizing to being back. How was I doing without Raze and several other questions?

“I’ll be okay.” I grazed my fingertips over his fuzz, which was giving me scruffy Jensen Ackles vibes. “I appreciate you checking in with me.”

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