A Werewolf, A Vampire, and A Fae Walk Into A Bar (Book 1 of The Last Witch Series) novel Chapter 17

I look out the window, my heart pounding so hard in my chest I fear my ribs will break. Panic crowds my mind, filling it, not so much with words, but horrifying images of all the things that could be happening to my baby.

Outside I see only sheets of snow blurring the town I know so well, covering it all in a blanket of white that earlier looked ethereal and beautiful, but now has a sinister undertone.

Rain is hungry. Cold. She needs me.

And someone has taken her.

Fear jolts me into action, turning to rage in a blink, and I raise my voice as I race downstairs as fast as my still-healing body can go.

“Which one of you assholes took my goddamned child?” I scream, storming into the bar so hard the door hinge comes undone. The building seems to shake, startling me for a moment. The storm outside must be worse than I thought, which only makes me more angry and scared for Rain.

The three Sexies and AJ all turn to look at me, and none of them are holding my baby.

Darius is the first to blink over to me, and I don’t even reprimand him for using his superspeed this time. “What has happened?” he asks, his eyes burning into my soul with their dark intensity.

“She’s gone,” I say, tears springing up as a wave of emotion threatens to drown me. “Rain is gone.”

And then, Darius is gone. Presumably upstairs to investigate. I don’t even know. My stupid human eyes can’t track his movements.

I cover my face, sobs shaking me, and feel strong arms wrap around me. “We will find her. Trust us on this,” Rune says, and his words hold power that seem to calm me despite myself.

With a howl, Zev, already back in wolf form, leaps across the bar and crashes out a window. Dude is really going to have to learn to use doors, but that’s a lesson for less urgent times.

“Aren’t you going to help search?” AJ asks Rune, who is still holding me close, like I might fall apart if he wasn’t there to keep me together, and maybe that’s not far from the truth.

“I must stay to protect Bernie. We do not know what we’re dealing with yet, though I have my suspicions.”

“If you’re staying with B, then I’ll go.”

I push against Rune’s chest just enough to create a bit of space between us. I need to clear my head, and whether it’s his magic or natural magnetism, I can’t do that when he’s holding me. “I’m going too,” I say.

“Not a chance, B,” AJ says with a frown. “It’s freezing out there. You just gave birth. You’ll be no use to Rain if you get sick or dead.”

AJ glances at Rune, who nods. But though her words make sense on some level, it feels wrong for me to stay behind doing nothing while my child is in danger.

As if reading my mind, AJ reaches for my hand. “I know this goes against everything inside you. You’re a badass, no question, but you. Just. Had. A. Baby. Most women are still in the hospital recovering and getting fed sad, alcohol-free jello shots. You shouldn’t be dealing with any of this. Let me help.”

“Werewolves and vampires are the best trackers you can find,” Rune says. “And however else I might feel about Darius and Zev, they are powerful, even amongst their kind. They will find your child.”

“And I’ve never been sick a day in my life,” AJ says, and with a start I realize that’s true. I never thought about it before, how odd that was. “Turns out, the cold never bothered me anyway.” She shrugs with an impish smile. “Snow is just water in a different form, and apparently that’s my jam. So, I’m gonna go out there and see what I can do.”

She kisses my cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

Then she glances at Rune. “Get her a shot, make her rest. And protect her with your life or I will carve out your liver and feed it to that wolf out there.”

“Duly noted,” Rune says with a glint in his silver-blue eyes.

With a flick of his wrist, his appearance shifts. It’s subtle, but I take in each detail. The irises of his eyes are larger, more luminescent. His face is more defined, his skin so perfect it doesn’t look real. His hair glows silver, like moonlight.  But the most striking difference is his ears. They are longer, with pointed tips.

“You’re beautiful,” I say with a shaky breath, temporarily overwhelmed by the vision of him.

He lifts a hand to caress my cheek, his gaze consuming me. “Would that you could see yourself through my eyes, to truly know real beauty.”

His words send a shiver down my spine, but the temporary distraction is short-lived as my mind crashes back to why we’re sitting here.

When a new tear slides down my cheek, Rune uses the pad of his finger to wipe it away. “They will be back soon. With Rain.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just am,” he says, as if that explains everything. “The cost of failure is too high.”

“Tell me what’s really going on here,” I demand. Since these guys walked into my bar, it’s been madness. The irony that this is the first pause we’ve had to actually talk is not lost on me.

“Your child is at the crux of a prophecy that will have a profound impact on all of us. Human, vampire, werewolf, fae, and all others. It is said she is the Last Witch that will be born, the last one of your kind who can save us all from extinction.”

“My kind?” I ask, sure the magical alcohol is now playing with my hearing.

“Yes,” Rune says softly. “You’re more special than you know, Bernie. In time, this will all make sense, and you’ll understand the true importance of your beautiful girl.”