Page 111 of Witch Unexpected
Being anchor would mean giving up my chance at romantic love, but I could still have a family here with these witches and the alpha wolves.
I was ready to take on the responsibility. Heck, I wanted to.
I smiled at her. “Bring it.”
* * *
I was headedto the infirmary to check on Wren when Elijah appeared beside me. He had a way of moving so stealthily that I never heard him coming, or going for that matter. He’d make a fabulous spy.
I ignored him for a moment, but my irritation needed to be vented. “Come to congratulate me on not dying?” I didn’t bother to hide the bitterness in my tone.
He gripped my arm and pulled me to a halt. “You’re angry with me.”
Anger seemed like an excessive reaction to his absence. I mean, I wasn’t angry, I was annoyed. And yes, I was being unreasonable because he owed me nothing. Even so, I’d come to expect stuff from him. His own fault for stepping into mentor shoes. You wear the shoes, you play the part, right?
“Cora,” he said softly. “Speak to me.”
“Damn right, I’m angry. You said you’d be back, but instead you left me to flounder.”
“And did you?” He tipped his head to the side. “Did you flounder, Cora, or did you thrive?”
Oh fuck, was this one of his Mr. Miyagi lessons? The look on his face told me this was exactly what it was.
“Cora?” he arched a brow.
Fine, so I hadn’t struggled as much as I’d expected to. I’d found new friends, made connections, but I’d almost died several times. “You could have come to help once you found out we had a traitor in our midst. A traitor trying to kill me.”
“I wanted to,” Elijah said. “But my showing up and poking around would have tipped the traitor off.”
Urgh. My irritation was ebbing. “You have all the excuses, don’t you?”
His turquoise gaze tracked across my face. “I’m sorry if you feel I let you down.” He reached up to touch my cheek lightly, sending a shiver through me. “It wasn’t my intention to make you feel that way.” His gaze dropped to my mouth. “I hope you believe that.”
Heat bloomed in my chest—safety and security, and something else I couldn’t quite define. Elijah was back in my orbit, and he was looking at my mouth, and I liked that.
Fuck. I dropped my gaze and shrugged. “It’s fine. Just call and check in next time.”
He slipped something out of his pocket and handed it to me. “Which reminds me, here’s your new phone.”
I took it. “Okay. Great. ThenI’llcallyou.” I flicked my hair over my shoulder and walked off, ignoring the thrill his chuckle sent up my spine.
I had enough shit to deal with, and fuzzy, throbby feelings for Elijah could not be on the list.
No way.
I shoved the warlock out of my mind and focused on the to-do list. Pick up Wren, then head to the cabin.
I had three dire wolf shifters to hang out with.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The infirmary was a clinical yet cozy room containing four beds and screens. Witches didn’t get sick often, and most injuries could be healed with a spell, but there were special cases, and that was what this room was for.
A witch with curly red hair sat at a desk by the window, making notes. She looked up with a smile as I entered.
“Ah, another visitor for our star patient.”
“Cora!” Wren tried to sit up too quickly and winced.
