Grave Witch, page 17
She jerked.
"Sit before you fall, okay? We'll get you food and water."
Dov came walking with a bunch of keys. When had he come back from the house? "Did you find him? Elijah?"
He nodded. "He stabbed Julian in the belly, so I killed him. Sorry."
Kage stared at him, then at Gertrude, who sighed. "Are you sure it was him?"
"It's what his driver's license said, and the photo on it was of him." He tried one key after the other. "Magic user."
Gertrude filled her cheeks with air and blew it out slowly, then she focused on Kage. "I don't think Oscar's idea of the two of you calling it in will work. Not with bodies scattered around."
"No. We'd better leave and call it in anonymously."
Jacob joined them. "I'll stay. I'll say someone tipped the paper, and when I arrived, there were dead people everywhere." He looked at Gertrude. "Then I get to write the story."
"Not our part in it, and you can't out Kage and Oscar."
"I won't. I'll let you see it before it goes into print if it makes you feel better."
Gertrude nodded. "That would be great."
The lock clicked, and Dov stepped away from the door. "There we go."
Gertrude opened it and walked inside. Kage went to follow, but Dov stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Let her check so no one is feral first."
Feral? Was it a thing?
Gertrude crouched in front of the man who'd growled and spoke too low for Kage to hear. Arnou went over to the other cages, one at a time, and spoke to the people inside. Kage saw head shakes, and a few dissolving into sobs.
When Kage looked back into the cage, Gertrude was in front of Pomona, who was nodding. He didn't know where Gilbert had gone, with the other vampires most likely. He couldn't see a single one.
"Where is Julian now?" He hadn't asked how badly injured he was, which made him wince. How was Donella doing?
"Waiting by the cars. Asher and Noah helped him over there."
"How bad off is he?"
Dov grimaced. "Stomach is in for a few rough days, but he's shifted a few times, so he should be okay. We need to stop on the way for some protein, though."
"I think there are more who need provisions." He gestured at the cage.
"True. We need to get a move on."
Gertrude looked at them from within. "I think we're good to go. Could someone arrange so the vampires go in one car, and check with Leonard if he's okay with going back with us again?"
"They're six."
"What?" Gertrude looked at Kage as if he'd spoken in a foreign language.
"There are six vampires. They don't fit in one car."
"Right. Eh...make sure they're in cars with people from the community."
"I can go in a car with a vampire." Pomona was still sitting on the ground, but she was keeping up with the conversation. "I'll go in whatever vehicle Kage's in, whether there are vampires or not."
"Great." Gertrude opened the door and motioned for her to move. "Go with Kage." She met Kage's gaze, and he nodded. He wasn't sure what he nodded at, but it'd be fine.
"I need Ylva." Gertrude wasn't shouting, but she spoke loudly. It did the trick. Seconds later, Ylva walked into the barn. She stilled and took in the cages.
Kage hooked his arm in Pomona's, afraid he was hurting her, but she clung to him as a person about to drown. "I'm out."
Her whisper brought tears to his eyes. She had a long way to go, but she was out of the cage.
"We have two wolves." He registered Gertrude's voice, but steered Pomona toward the gate. They'd deal with the shifters. Two wolves, which meant the third one was something else. It didn't matter. Gertrude would take care of them. He'd found Pomona, for now, it was all that mattered.
"We'll go to Myrfolk. If you want to head home after, you can but stay there a few days to recover at least."
"Home?" She stared at him with a blank expression.
"Yes, home." Didn't she want to go home?
"I don't know...Are you going home?"
Leave Myrfolk? He shook his head. "No, I work in Myrfolk, and I'm seeing someone. I haven't been back home for many years, I don't..." His voice died away.
"I haven't been home for many years either, and I don't..." She shrugged, only to stumble. Kage grabbed her harder but regretted it when she hissed. Fuck.
"There is time to think about it later."
She nodded.
"The person I'm seeing is a vampire. Are you okay with having him in the car?"
She looked at him a little too long. "Maybe."
"You can be closest to the door, and I'll be next to you."
She snorted. "It won't stop a vampire."
"He's a sweetheart." And speaking of, Gilbert came walking down the road only to still when he saw them. "That's him."
Pomona looked up. "Doesn't look like a sweetheart. He's huge."
Kage chuckled. "A teddy bear." He could just about make out Gilbert's unimpressed expression, which made him laugh. Gilbert shook his head but didn't move any closer. Kage stopped too.
"Gertrude wants all vampires in one car, but Pomona said she's okay to ride with us." He spoke loudly, though he suspected Gilbert heard him without problem. "Can Leonard take them? If he's okay with going back to Myrfolk again."
"I'll ask." He turned as if to run back to the cars, but Kage kept talking.
"Jacob will stay behind and call the Oakmouth police for the human slaves, so we can't use his car, and Julian and Donella are injured."
"I know, they're already by the cars. Is Jacob staying?" The tone told him Gilbert wasn't pleased.
"Yeah, he wants the story."
Gilbert shook his head but ended it with a shrug. "I'll talk to Leonard. Do you want me to come get you with a car?"
Kage looked at Pomona.
"Yes, please."
Kage was about to repeat her words, but Gilbert was already waving and running away. They stood in the same spot until Gilbert drove past them in a rusty Toyota, only to turn around outside the barn and drive toward them again. Both Donella and Julian were in the car, both bleeding.
"You okay driving a car with all this blood around?" Kage leaned in through the back door to look at Gilbert.
"Yes, honey, I'm fine." He looked fine, so Kage nodded before focusing on Pomona. "Middle seat or closest to the door."
"Door."
He nodded and climbed in and did his best not to jostle Donella. As soon as Pomona had closed the door, they were rolling.
Gilbert met Kage's gaze in the rearview mirror. "We'll stop at the first drive-through."
"Sounds good."
* * * *
Gilbert accepted a cup of tea in Gertrude's living room. It was the same group of people as before, except Ylva and Jacob weren't there, and Dov and Conan were. Jacob hadn't come back yet, but he'd sent a few texts to Gertrude, and Ylva was with the rescued wolves.
Gertrude all but melted into the armchair. "Here we are again."
Gilbert hadn't been in the know the last time they'd rescued blood slaves, but Noah, Jasper, and Asher were nodding as if they understood exactly what she meant.
"I'll call a meeting in the morning." She reached for her mug and cradled it in her hands. "Pomona is in Rue's old room." She gestured at the floor, and Gilbert remembered there was a guest room in the basement. "Ylva took in the wolves. The female is named Channing, and the male is Duko. Then I placed Lynx in the empty house next to the garden. I took the bed from the bedroom in your house, Chaton. It's empty otherwise, so if he's staying, we'll need to sort out some kind of furniture."
Chaton nodded.
"His name is Lynx?" Asher made big eyes. "Imagine if he were--"
"He is a lynx shifter, so get it out of your system before you meet him."
"Am I allowed to meet him?" Asher leaned back on the couch with a huge grin on his face and wound his arm around Chaton's shoulders.
"I explained what the garden and Chaton's house are used for. I don't know if he got it. He was pretty out of it, so maybe we'll have to look for a different arrangement tomorrow if he isn't okay with having people next door all the time, but he's there for tonight, at least. And no, you're not allowed to meet him. I'll speak to him again in the morning to see if his new reality has sunk in. He might have a home to go to. I didn't ask. Didn't ask any of them. I figured food, a shower, and a night in a bed would have to come first. Then we can deal with the next step tomorrow."
It sounded good to Gilbert. He wanted to drag Kage home and crawl into bed. Maybe shower first. He had washed up as best he could, first with wet wipes in the car, then in Gertrude's sink when they got here, but he still had blood in places there shouldn't be blood. The others didn't look any better.
"Okay." Gertrude blew out a long breath. "Maybe Rue and Chaton can come with me in the morning and talk to them again."
Both Rue and Chaton nodded.
"And the cops..." Gertrude scrunched her nose as she looked at Kage and Oscar. "Are you in trouble? Do we need to make something up?"
Kage looked at Oscar, who shook his head. "Nah, I think we're good. Hamilton will be pissed we disappeared without reporting back, but we'll deal with it."
"All right then. I'll meet with Jacob when he gets back, but so far it looks like the Oakmouth police are taking his word for what happened. They've gotten all the human slaves out of the cages and are processing them. It'll be bad press for vampires, and I fear you'll have to be more careful when you go outside the walls." She grimaced. "If you can...have steady feeding partners, I'd suggest you do for at least a while."
Gilbert almost snorted. It wasn't easy to find someone who'd be willing to donate blood every week and get nothing in return. He didn't think anyone living within the walls had money to compensate a donor. He glanced at Leonard. Most likely no one in Oakmouth either. Or Czar, if the stories were true.
"Does anyone have anything to add?" Gertrude looked around the room. There were several head shakes, and Gilbert got ready to stand.
"Can I stay another night?" Leonard looked nervous when he met Gertude's gaze, but all she did was nod.
Asher got to his feet and pulled Chaton with him. "As pleasant as this has been, the shower is calling me." He climbed over Noah's knees and grinned when Chaton sighed.
Before anyone else could climb over him, Noah got up, and Rue followed. Soon everyone was standing, and Gilbert took Kage's hand as they moved toward the hallway. "Are you coming home with me or do you need to go to your place?"
"I need to change clothes before I head into work, but I'll do it in the morning."
Gilbert liked the sound of that. "You should bring some stuff here. Oscar's apartment is mostly for show."
Kage nodded. "I've come to realize."
Gilbert smiled and tugged him away from the others. Dov and Leonard were heading in their direction too, but they did nothing to close the distance, which suited Gilbert fine.
When they reached the cobblestone road leading to his house, he waved at Dov and Leonard as they continued forward. The motion surprised him. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have bothered, but he liked them.
"Ugh, I can't wait until we're in bed."
"Shower first. I can scent blood on me, but I don't know where it is." It was several kinds of blood. All he wanted to smell right now was Kage.
"Yeah, in that case, I'd say a shower sounds like a good idea."
Gilbert grinned. "You'll join me?" He pulled him closer.
"Maybe."
"I think you mean yes."
Kage chuckled. "Of course, I mean yes."
"Good."
They walked up the walkway to the porch, and exhaustion was tugging at Gilbert's limbs, but he was happy. Happier than he'd been in a long time.
"You think we'd be found out if both Christopherson and I come here after work every day?"
Gilbert shrugged. "Why would anyone care where you go?"
"Hamilton hates Christopherson. He wants me to catch him doing something he shouldn't."
Gilbert held open the door for him. "I'm sure it'll be fine. Now neither of you is hiding from the other, you can work together."
Kage nodded. "Yeah. You'd be okay with me coming here after work every day?"
Gilbert pulled him close and kissed him. "I would."
"Good, because right now, I don't know what to..." He gestured around in the air. "I've been searching for Pomona for so long, and now I don't know what to do."
Curling his fingers around Kage's wrist, Gilbert tugged him toward the bathroom. "You'll work with Oscar. You'll solve crimes, find the real perpetrator instead of the closest non-human person, and you'll watch Pomona find her footing. If she's staying."
Kage nodded. "I think she will. It didn't sound as if she wanted to go home."
Gilbert undid the top button on Kage's shirt, then moved on to the next one. "Everything will be fine. Gertrude has had traumatized magic users living with her before. Maybe she can work with Rue to give us more food, help with the crates, but there is no hurry. Rue hid in Gertrude's basement for a year before he started to move around within the walls. The vampires will keep their distance--"
"I don't know if they'll need to. She was fine being in the same car as you."
Gilbert shrugged. "Everyone is different. Maybe she's fine being around vampires, but maybe the others aren't. No one will push them."
Kage nodded before pulling Gilbert down for a kiss. "Let's get naked."
"I'm working on it." He pushed Kage's shirt off his shoulders.
"You're such a good man."
Gilbert huffed but made sure to get them naked and in under the spray of the shower. It had been a long day, but he couldn't be happier with how it'd ended.
* * * *
Epilogue
Two months later
Kage growled as he exited Hamilton's office. They'd been about to leave for the day, but right as Oscar had grabbed his things, Hamilton had called Kage to his desk. It was the same old same old. What had Christopherson done? Did he try not to question community members? And so on.
It was driving Kage insane. He hadn't cared when his only goal had been to find Pomona, but now, when he had to work here for real...Or he could ask for a transfer, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to leave Gilbert. He liked being in the community, and he wanted to see Pomona find her way again.
He didn't want to be anywhere else.
The other day, she'd walked with Rue through the garden. Their skills weren't the same. Rue could make anything grow, whereas Pomona's skill only worked on fruiting plants. Though, since a lot of the plants they grew were fruiting, she would be a great asset to the community when she was up to helping.
She still mostly stayed in Gertrude's house, but Kage had seen the spark of interest in her eyes whenever anyone mentioned Rue. He didn't think she'd ever met anyone with a skill similar to her own. The story was her parents had named her Pomona because she'd spilled golden magic whenever they passed a fruit tree as an infant. No one was sure exactly what her skill was, but it was always the fruit trees. Or it was what he'd been told, at least.
He pushed open the door and jogged down the precinct stairs and stepped out into the September evening. The days were still warm, but the nights were getting colder and colder. Gilbert was harvesting peas like crazy. Kage loved how happy it made him to pick baskets full of them. Who'd have believed a big, scary-looking vampire would fall in love with growing peas?
"What did he want?"
Kage jumped at Oscar's voice. He was leaning against the building, scrolling on his phone.
"The usual."
"You okay with stopping by the store before we head home? Jasper wanted me to buy red lentils."
"Sure. I need lemons and should probably pick up some other things too." They'd started going to work together a few weeks ago to save on gas. So far, no one was suspecting anything, and it left one of their cars at the community, in case someone needed to borrow it.
They went to the store, and Kage couldn't help but glare every time he saw Miles Parrow. They still hadn't found the motorbike, and they most likely never would, but it pissed him off that one person could cause so much trouble. Or he guessed it wasn't one person alone. Had Hamilton ignored Miles' statement, Kage wouldn't have embarrassed himself the way he had at the community. Though right now he couldn't find it in himself to care. Most of the people within the walls appeared to have forgiven him. It didn't mean he'd think any kinder of Miles fucking Parrow.
They split up in the store and went to different checkouts. It would be bad if people talked, though Kage wondered how much attention people paid to them. It was believable they'd finished work at the same time, and both of them needed to do some shopping.
When Kage exited, Oscar was already in the car. He placed his bag in the trunk and got in.
"I heard Gilbert harvested a lot of peas. Jasper was in the house, adding a new section to the crate system, and Chaton was grumbling about how long it took to shell them."
Kage laughed. He hadn't thought about the shelling of them. "Oh, I can imagine. There's been a lot of peas."
They parked, greeted the guards at the gate, and bid each other a good night as they walked in different directions. Kage cracked his neck and dropped his shoulders as he soaked up the tranquility. Gilbert was sitting on the porch with a cup of tea when he reached the house.
"Hi." He smiled, and Kage's heart somersaulted in his chest.
"Hi." He walked up the steps and bent to kiss Gilbert. "Oscar needed to stop by the store, so I picked up a few things. Chicken good for tonight?"
"Oh, I was going to make--"
"Save it for tomorrow." Gilbert almost always cooked. Kage should make an effort more often.
Gilbert kissed him again. "I won't argue. There is hot water if you want a mug." He gestured at his cup.
Kage hurried inside and put the items he'd bought away before pouring himself a cup and walking out on the porch to sit next to Gilbert. He took Kage's hand and squeezed. "It'll soon be too cold to sit here."
Kage nodded as he looked around. So still. There wasn't a single house in sight, not a single person, and Kage had never felt more at home. "We should get one of those porch heaters."
