Witches Get Stitches by Juliette Cross

Chapter 30

~NICO~

My emotions were runningriot through my blood, but the most prominent at this very second was fury at the asshole in front of me.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” I grated out through my teeth, canines still sharp just in case I decided he needed another bite to prove my point.

I wouldn’t even pretend I wasn’t proud of the claw marks running from his shoulder down his chest. Werewolves healed from superficial wounds relatively quickly, even without a witch to heal them. We were almost indestructible in werewolf form, but it still made me smile at the blood dripping down his chest. He deserved it, the prick.

“No witch was going to give us what we needed by asking nicely,” said Shane, his voice dripping with acid. “We learned that shit back in Austin.”

“If you’d just waited, Violet would’ve given you the tattoos,” I snapped back.

“Really? You would’ve let us within five feet of her shop?”

I ground my teeth together, unable to answer that rationally.

“That’s what I fucking thought.” Then he mumbled lower, “Not with what she is to you.”

Violet didn’t respond to that last part, so maybe she didn’t hear him. I glared at Shane, thinking about punching him again.

He just grinned back, knowing Violet and I were still on the precipice of the mating bond. That’s why I wouldn’t, I couldn’t, allow another werewolf male near her without losing my mind.

“Anyway,” he continued, “we knew the only option was to take Violet and get the tattoos the only way we’ve ever gotten shit we needed. By force.”

“But it shouldn’t be that way.” Violet stood beside me, her hand still in mine.

Even as she spoke, she never broke that contact as if she knew I needed grounding right now. And I did. I needed to know she was here and with me and safe, needed touch to assure my inner wolf that all was going to be okay.

“That’s the way it’s always been,” said Rhett, a packmate who’d joined not long before I left. It seemed like so many who’d been a part of the pack were no longer here.

“What happened to everyone else?” I asked Shane.

His frown softened to one of sorrow. “They all left. You know how it is. They battle their inner wolves, fight alongside us to release the aggression when we rumble with other gangs, but the beast keeps coming.” Wearing only jeans, he propped both hands low on his hips. “He keeps coming till they’re on the verge of maiming a friend. Or they accidentally do it anyway. Then they leave. You know this cycle better than anyone.”

My gaze went to Ty, standing off to the side beside his brother, both of whom had remained completely silent. Even when he handed me a pair of jeans to slip on, he barely looked at me. The choking guilt rushed back ten-fold. I barely swallowed the whimper of pain trying to climb up my throat.

Violet squeezed my hand and smiled up at me. “Well,” she said, turning back to the group, “I’m going to change that. Not just me, but my sister Jules is, too. All of my sisters.”

“What?” Shane spat the word like it was a filthy lie.

She looked at me. “Is the spell working? Have you noticed a difference? I mean, I know that you both came barreling in here in a fury, but do you feel a difference otherwise?”

“Absolutely,” I said, blowing out a breath. “To be honest, without it, I would’ve sliced them up the second we arrived. It didn’t matter to me that they weren’t showing aggression by shifting, I would’ve normally let loose and cut them up.”

“Agreed.” Shane rubbed a hand across his chest.

I hadn’t really paid attention to the tattoo that was covered in gauze tape and plastic wrap when I’d come in here. It had all ripped away when he’d shifted. Now that he was back in human form, I could see the red swollen lines around the tattooed emblem of the Blood Moon pack.

“Normally, I would’ve shifted the second they came in here, but I was able to control it longer. Till it was obvious this dickhead meant to try and kill me.”

I rolled my eyes. “You deserved it, asshole.”

“Maybe. But I don’t regret it. I got what I wanted. Plus she was really pretty to look at when she was giving me that tattoo.”

Growling, I took a big step forward. Violet let go of my hand and stood in front of me, pushing at my chest.

“Dammit, Shane. Shut the hell up! I’m already about to drown in the level of testosterone in this damn warehouse.”

Shane laughed, so did a few others, but I didn’t find any of this fucking funny. I knew he was baiting me, but it didn’t keep me from wanting to throttle him.

So far, the grims hadn’t said a damn word. Silent as the grave, which wasn’t shocking. Except for Sean, who typically had the loudest mouth in the room. Something about being with his brother and cousin had mellowed him. Or maybe it was being in a room full of testy werewolves, I wasn’t sure. They were probably just collecting as much intel as they could to upload to whatever data system they kept all their info on.

“What did you mean your sister Jules would help us?” Ty had eased forward, arms crossed, still avoiding my gaze. That familiar pinprick of pain tightened in my chest at the sound of his voice. “Your sister is an Enforcer. How can she help?”

“Good question,” added Shane.

“I understand that you’ve had to take what you need because of how you’re viewed, how you’re treated by the supernatural community.” Violet turned to face the men circled around in a staggered horseshoe. “But that has to stop.”

All of them glared at me like I was the enemy, which didn’t bother me one bit. I wasn’t the only one who’d left the pack. But for some reason, Shane, and obviously others, blamed me for it. One glance at Ty reminded me why I’d left, and for good reason. But with Violet’s help, there was a sliver of possibility that things could change for werewolves. Not just me and the Blood Moon pack. But for all of us.

“Are you saying,” I began cautiously, “that Jules could help all werewolves?”

She turned her beautiful face back to me. “More than that even.” Her voice was soft, but easily heard by those in this room with our extrasensory hearing. “It’s not just hurting the werewolves. It’s hurting all of us, the entire supernatural community, whether they realize it or not. It’s not right that this stigma exists. Yes, I get it how your ancestor was first cursed and how this all began. But that was hundreds of years ago, for Christ’s sake!” Ty winced. Violet’s righteous anger permeated the air. “And you’re still paying for his crimes. His sins against a powerful witch who cast a blood spell that tainted the lives of so many. That wasn’t her right. Just like it’s not the right of witches and warlocks and vampires today to be prejudiced against werewolves.” She turned to the three grims. “I’d include you guys in that list, but honestly no one knows where you all stand on anything. And you seem to avoid all of us, not just werewolves.”

“We’re here now.” Gareth stood like stone, an immovable force next to his cousins. Grims were an entity unto themselves.

“True,” she added. “And though I have no idea why you’re here, I want to thank you for helping Nico.”

That earned her a slight nod from Gareth.

“So where do we go from here?” asked Shane.

“First things first, I’m going home,” she said with force. “Tomorrow morning, you’ll call Sean—that’s this guy over there—at the shop and set up appointments for this week so I can tattoo the rest of your pack.”

Shane’s eyes glinted with distrust.

“Seriously?” she snapped at him. “I’m giving you my word. The trust goes both ways. And it’s not like I’m not leaving regardless because my boyfriend here is still humming with murderous rage beneath his docile veneer.”

Shane snorted as he glanced at me, my fists coiled at my sides, teeth gritted. “Docile?”

“Fuck off.”

“Fine, then.” Shane finally glanced around, seeming to notice something. “Where’s Rick, Kyle, and Drake?”

“Sleeping,” said Henry.

“As in, you knocked them unconscious?”

“No permanent damage,” he said without remorse.

“Hell. Rhett, take the guys and check on them.”

Mateo heaved out a sigh. “I’ll help,” he added begrudgingly.

Glad that these grims were on our side, I actually smiled as Gareth walked my way. “We’ll get the Jeep and swing it around here.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll take you back, Mateo,” said Shane, shooting me one of his trademark grins. “I’m pretty sure Nico will insist on having Violet ride back with him.”

“Got that fuckin’ right,” I told him.

The grims jogged slowly out of the warehouse, obviously waiting to trace until they were out of sight. The woods were gray as dawn swept away the night.

Interesting that they trusted me and Mateo enough to use their abilities when no one that I knew had a clue grims could move like vampires and use telekinesis like witches.

“Hey,” whispered Violet.

I cupped her face and pressed my forehead to hers, not moving or thinking. Just feeling.

“I was afraid for you,” I admitted softly.

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

“In a way, it is, though.” She pulled back, her blue eyes glittering by the morning light. “I could’ve been more understanding the first time Shane came to me. Not that he gave me much reason since he was being a total ass that day, but all of this stems from something greater. An intolerance that needs to be eradicated.”

If you’d asked me what had suddenly made my heart constrict and my breath falter, I’m not sure I could pinpoint or define the emotion. What I knew was that Violet had voiced an old pain, an old injustice, which we’d lived with always, thinking we deserved. That the foul deeds of our ancestor had rightfully cursed us all.

But then there was Violet. Ready to stand up against the cruelty and the violation of it all. For me. For my brothers.

Combing my fingers into her hair, I cradled her cheeks in my palms, breathless at how beautiful she was. Not just her face, but her courage and her heart, too.

“Christ, woman. I’m so fucking in love with you.”

Before she could say a word, I slanted my mouth over hers, delving in deep. She didn’t respond at first, seemingly in shock, but then her tongue stroked against mine, meeting my passion. All I could think about from the second she’d been taken was that the woman I loved was missing, out of reach, possibly hurt.

I poured my emotions into that kiss, trying not to frighten her with my intensity. When I bit her bottom lip and licked the tiny drop of blood, she moaned into my mouth. My body trembled, needing to get her home—my home. To mark her, make her mine.

She broke the kiss, breathing heavily. “Nico. Let’s get out of here.”

“Right.” Grabbing her hand, I headed toward the opening.

“Wait. My tattoo machine.” She pulled me back toward the table where Ty was packing some things in a duffle bag. “And you need to talk to him,” she whispered vehemently.

Funny that it hadn’t even dawned on me that I hadn’t wondered how she’d tattooed Shane. Apparently, those fuckers were wilier than I’d realized.

Nodding, because she was right of course, I strode over with her, ready to finally talk to the kid I’d scarred for life. What brilliant words did I come up with when I finally mustered the courage to speak? “Hey.”

Ty glanced up, surprise in his eyes, then he smiled. Fucking smiled. Somehow, that made me more nervous.

“Hey yourself.”

Then he went back to wrapping Violet’s tools in bubble wrap while she joined him. Well, we were off to a brilliant start.

“You know, Ty,” I said quietly, “I really am sorry for what happened.

“For an incredibly intuitive werewolf, you’re kind of an idiot.” He said it with a smile, no malice whatsoever.

“Huh?”

“I agree,” said Violet, tilting her pretty smile up at me.

“I’m sorry, but what does that mean exactly?” I tried not to sound aggravated, but the kid just called me an idiot.

Ty stopped wrapping and stood straight, shoulders back. He was more filled out than the last time I’d seen him. Broader chest but with muscle still left to fill in. Must be almost eighteen by now. He was just over six feet, not quite as tall as me, but could still grow a few more inches. And yet, his gaze was as steady as any grown man’s.

“I never blamed you for this.” He pointed to the scars along his jaw. “You never gave me a chance to say so, but I know it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t your intention. So do us both a favor and drop the guilt trip you’ve been giving yourself.”

His brown eyes held mine, a gentleness in the young man. It had always been there, but there was also something more now. Confidence. Self-assurance. What comes from knowing yourself and liking who you are. No sadness. No regret. No trace of malice toward another. Toward me.

Finally, I held out my hand for him to shake. His stern expression loosened into one of relief as he shook my hand.

I jerked him into a hug and whispered, “Thank you, Ty.”

“How about you thank me by keeping in touch?” He pulled back, and I caught the first glimpse of sorrow in his eyes. “You were my friend before that all happened.”

Glancing at Violet who watched our exchange with obvious joy, I cleared my throat. “Give me your phone.” I held out my hand to him.

He paused for just a second before pulling his phone out of his back pocket and handing it over. I’d changed my phone number when I left Austin, trying to cut all ties like the stubborn asshole I was. In my attempt to protect myself from emotional harm, I’d told the pack they didn’t matter anymore. I’d thought I was doing them and myself a favor when I was really just hurting them more. No wonder Shane believed the only way to get what he needed was by taking Violet. This whole shitshow was as much my fault as his.

After taking Ty’s phone, I added my name and number to his contacts then passed it back. “Call or text me anytime.”

“Thanks.” In a flash of memory, I saw the happy-go-lucky kid when he’d first started to come around the pack and follow me around like a puppy.

“Come by the shop while y’all are still in town.”

He nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to hold back his smile. “I will.”

I wanted to ruffle his hair like I used to, but he was becoming too much of a man for that so I patted him on the shoulder then hefted the duffle bag onto my shoulder. Violet grabbed the smaller bag and tucked her hand back in mine.

As we hustled toward the exit, the Jeep already out front, I leaned down to Violet. “When we get in the car, I need you to call your sisters and tell them you’re all right.”

“I planned on it.”

“Then I need you to tell them you’re not coming home.”

“Oh?”

We walked through the gouged-out garage doors. Tugging her against my body, I wrapped my hand around her nape, giving her a firm squeeze. “I need you at my house.”

“But I really need a shower and—”

“I’ll take care of that. At my house.” Sweeping down, I nipped at her lip again. “I’ll take care of you, Violet.”

At the slow rumble of her name that poured out of a growl from my lips, she whimpered.

“Just say yes,” I commanded.

“Yes,” she said softly, looking at me with the most submissive expression I’d ever seen on her face.

It annihilated me. Decimated me. And filled me with the insatiable need to tuck her close and hold her in my arms until I was sure she was indeed mine.

As if sensing my sudden desperate desire, she stepped closer, cupped my jaw and whispered gently, “Take me home, Nico.”

Without another word to anyone, I did just that.