What A Witch Claims

Chapter 7

One week later, at Finds, Designs, and Blooms

"So, Ferdie, we've all been wondering—how's living with Ticia working out?" Sheila asked as she put together the surprise he'd purchased for Ticia.

It seemed everyone he'd run across in the last week was wondering the same thing. The locals knew he and Ticia were living together, mostly at her place since that was where she did her YouTube shows. The two of them were also sleeping together, but other than snuggling, there had been no sex. He'd spent a lot of the week taking erection-reducing dips in the still-cold-from-winter river. He swore his skin had taken on a permanent blue tinge.

Of course, what his inquisitors really wanted to know was why the two of them hadn't completed the third and final bond. That was the problem living in a close-knit magical community. Most of the locals could see by his aura or by smell that he hadn't fully bonded with Ticia yet. His answer to most of the queries had been a growling "fecking mind your own business." Yeah, he'd reverted to being a surly troll.

But Sheila was probably his best friend other than Raisa. What could he share with her without embarrassing Ticia.

"Ferdie?" Sheila touched his arm. "I'm sorry. Was that too nosy?"

"A little." He smiled at the sweet witch. "It's just that everyone is asking. I almost punched Wally in the nose when he asked, because I could tell he would mate and mark Ticia in an instant if he could get away with it. I may yet have to beat him to a pulp."

"I'm sorry, Ferdie. The locals go nuts over Goddess-blessed matings." She added, "And Wally is lonely. He goes to Roger's to consult with the relic almost as often as you used to."

"Yeah." Ferdie ran his fingers through his hair. "I can understand that, but his hints that I'm lacking in the mating department tick me off."

"I'm amazed you haven't already decked him." Sheila hesitated then said, "Maybe you should talk with someone you trust about why the mating isn't going forward?"

"I did." He pulled out a stool at the counter. "I spoke with Roger."

"Did that help?" Setting her work aside, Sheila came around the counter, sat beside him, and took his hand. "No. I can sense it didn't. Ferdie, you know you can confide in me. I won't tell a soul. Not even my mate Bucky."

"I do trust you. And I also trust Bucky, so please don't hide things from your mate. Okay?"

"Is that the problem? Is Ticia blocking the mind and spirit bonds?" Sheila shivered. "I know how that feels."

"No, no." Ferdie squeezed her hand. "In fact, it's just the opposite. Since the emergency meeting, Ticia has been wide open to me. The two bonds are so tightly knit it's gotten harder to respect her mental and emotional privacy, ya know?"

Sheila nodded. "It can be wonderful, or it can be hell."

"Exactly. She is having flashbacks of what the rat bastard did to her. It's been hell." He looked at Sheila. "I can't tell you about what happened to her. It's not my experience to share."

"I totally understand," said Sheila. "It was that horrible?"

"It was ugly. Something no woman should have to deal with. She's working to get past it, but I'm not sure she'll ever totally heal from the experience." Ferdie growled. "I hold her every night and share her nightmares. It's killing me that I can't take those memories away so she never has to relive them again."

"You're doing all you can," said Sheila. "Bucky holds me when I have flashbacks of my husband dying and his evil cousin coming after me. And, yes, the memories won't ever totally go away, but they'll fade as they're replaced with new memories, better ones. Ones you will have a role in making."

Her words were comforting and he hoped that he was already helping Ticia make new and better memories.

"I'm trying." He smiled. "Other than the nightmares and flashbacks, it's been a good week. We've found a rhythm living together. Our interests mesh so seamlessly. We've not had one argument. Ticia shows she loves me in little ways every day. She's even told me I'm good-looking." He shook his head and looked up at his friend. "How crazy is that? I'm thinking she might need glasses."

"Not crazy at all. She definitely does not need glasses." Sheila patted his hand. "It sounds to me as if you are doing the right things. And, Ferdie, when she's ready she'll let you know. The physical bond is pushing her toward you, just as much as yours is pushing you toward her. She just needs to feel safe. She'll get there."

"You really think so?" he asked.

Sheila smiled and stood. "I know so. Goddess-blessed bonds are unbreakable. Sometimes it takes those mating a bit longer." She walked behind the counter. "Let me finish packaging the plants you ordered. She'll love them and you for getting them."

Sheila picked up one of the pots and sniffed a blossom. "I ordered more once I picked these up. They're gorgeous and so unique. They'll do well in our sheltered valley."

In full bloom, the passion flowers looked like stars that had gone super-nova. Well, if stars were passion pink and purple. The fragrance was amazing.

Ferdie touched a delicate petal. "She'd mentioned about wanting some for a healing garden she'd plant among my, our, other gardens."

Ferdie had shot an order to Sheila right after Ticia had mentioned the plants. He had a feeling his mate not only wanted them, but also needed them to help her heal.

He sniffed one of the flowers. "The fragrance alone could make a person feel happier. She said the plant has lots of medicinal uses."

"It does." Sheila nodded. "A healing garden is a great idea. I have other plants she might want to add."

"I'll let her know—"

"Ferdie, Ferdie, Ferdie." A couple of fairies zoomed like bats out of hell into the small building where Sheila handled transactions. "He's here."

"Who's here?" Ferdie asked, but his gut already knew. Everyone in the valley was on alert in case Alastair showed up.

"The human who hurt Ticia," the red-headed fairy said.

Ferdie surged to his feet, knocking the stool to the floor. He fisted his hands. Now, he could confront the rat bastard.

"Where is he?" His voice was so low, so mean, the fairies startled.

"At the bridge." The blonde fairy shuddered. "He's pacing and cursing. He can't get past Baba Yaga's bubble but still he stays."

"We would've told him to leave," the red-haired fairy said. "But Kerr told us not to engage with humans. Ever."

The thought of the fairies revealing their existence was horrific. The valley would've been invaded by all sorts of humans, good and bad. The peace and safety of their home would be lost forever.

Ferdie looked at the two fairies now perched on the counter. "Thank you for coming to find me so quickly. I'll handle the human." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the bag of macaroons he'd planned to leave at the fairy houses in the store's gardens. "Ticia sent these for you and your friends."

"Ooh, treats," the two chirruped. "Thank you, Ferdie. Be careful."

"Oh, I will." Ferdie stood. "Sheila, I'll be back for the plants. This shouldn't take long."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I haven't decided yet," Ferdie responded. His first instinct was to beat the crap out of the man who'd hurt Ticia. Making him a eunuch might be overkill, but it was still on the table. It all depended on how things played out. "I'll get rid of him one way or another." He headed for the door.

"Ferdie, wait—" Sheila shouted after him.

But he ignored her and used the magic he'd inherited from his mother to nullify the blocking spell Sheila had thrown up at the doorway.

Finds, Designs, and Blooms was outside the protective spell and near the bridge into Assjacket. Not all that long ago, Ferdie had confronted Bran and his familiar Tod at the bridge as they searched for Raisa. That day, he'd helped the two through the veil, but that had been okay—Bran was a warlock and Tod, a magical creature.

Asshole Alastair was neither. So, Ferdie would send him on his way with a message not to return. Whether the message was a violent dispersal or a mere warning depended on the asshole.

At the bridge, he studied the well over six-foot-tall, gym-fit human with his expensive clothes and equally expensive haircut. Objectively, Ferdie could see why any woman, witch or human, might be taken in. The man looked like a movie star or a model. But as a five-hundred-year-old troll, Ferdie had learned a long time ago that evil often wore a comely guise. And, like Ticia, he couldn't read the human which wasn't unusual some humans had natural blocks.

Approaching Alastair's back, Ferdie said, "You look lost."

Alastair turned. A look of disgust crossed his face, and he took a step back. Ferdie was reminded of why he didn't live outside the valley among humans. There were a lot of short-ugly-man bigots in the world. Thankfully, his mate wasn't one of them.

"Who are you?" Alastair's voice was all arrogance and privilege.

He wanted to reply, "Your worst nightmare." Instead, he said in a bland tone, "A living being such as yourself. I haven't got all day, mister. Do you need help finding your way or not?"

"I'm looking for a place called Assjacket," Alastair said with a sneer. "Do you know it?"

"Yes. Why are you looking for Assjacket? It isn't a place you'd want to visit." He looked the man up and down and pasted an insincere smile on his face. "You're too city for Assjacket. Plus, the folks in these parts don't like strangers."

Alastair looked down his long, aristocratic nose. "I don't particularly like these parts, as you call them," he replied in a disparaging tone. "But Assjacket is where I need to be. Can you direct me there or not?"

"You never answered my question," Ferdie said. "Why?"

"If you must know, my business partner Morticia MacFebal is supposedly residing there. Though, I can't understand why she'd want to live in this wilderness. " The stuck-up rat bastard looked around and shuddered. "I'll pay you well to take me there and help me find her direction."

"You couldn't pay me enough money to show you there. In fact, no one in this valley will help you. Go back to where you came from. Don't come back," growled Ferdie. "Ticia doesn't want to be bothered by the likes of you." He turned to leave.

"You know her?" Alastair seemed shocked.

"I live with her," Ferdie taunted as he began to walk back to the store.

"Stop, you inbred freak." Alastair grabbed Ferdie's arm.

The rat bastard could've left, whole and intact, but Ferdie had known the asshole would react to his taunt. When Alastair touched him, he was ready.

Turning into the taller man, Ferdie easily freed his arm, then punched the pansy Brit in the gut and kneed him in the nuts—hard. As the man moaned and bent over, Ferdie finished him off with a left cross to the nose, putting a good bend in it, and then a right upper cut to the chin, loosening a few teeth. The man fell to the dusty road and curled into a ball, moaning, coughing, and bleeding from the nose and mouth.

Ferdie bent over and said in a lethal tone, "Stay away. This time, I went easy on you. Next time, I will break every bone in your body and rearrange your face so no woman will want to be with you."

Straightening, Ferdie turned and walked away.

The impact of the bullet hit before the retort of the bullet echoed in the valley. He was falling forward as the second bullet hit. He landed face down on the road. Darkness swept over him for several seconds. Then awareness returned and along with it came pain—relentless, agonizing pain from the shots and from his magic responding to heal him. His instincts told him to get up. The rat bastard had shot him in the back and might not be done. But his body wasn't cooperating, so he lay there, conserving what energy he had so he could protect himself from whatever came next.

As he waited, he could hear the asshole stumbling around on the road. He must have shot Ferdie from his position on the ground. Ticia had said the bastard was a good shot and he mentally cursed himself for trusting a human and for not searching him for a weapon. Lesson learned.

As footsteps came closer, Ferdie heard a siren sounding in the distance. Siren? Sheila, bless her healer witch heart, had called Kerr.

"Bloody hell." Alastair kicked Ferdie in the side.

Pain radiated through his body. Ferdie clenched his jaw and wished he'd broken the asshole's ribs.

"At least, I know Morticia lives here … somewhere." The bastard kicked him again. "I'll be back. With hired help. And if I have to burn this valley down, I'll find her. Too bad you'll be dead."

The asshole shot him a third time, in the head, then shuffled away.

Ferdie had realized the asshole was going to shoot again. Thankfully, he'd recovered enough to pull on his magic to shield his body from further damage.

Too bad, we'll be ready, fuck face.

Of course, the human wouldn't know that. Payback time. He'd break every bone in the human's frail body, mess up his pretty face and then toss him to a demon that owed Ferdie some favors.

In the distance, Ferdie heard a car engine roar to life.

"Ferdie?"

He managed to turn his head and found the red-haired fairy standing close to his head. She petted his hair. "Ooh, your back is bleeding. A lot. I'll get moss to stop the bleeding. But first, drink this." She held a tiny bottle of Diet Pepsi to his lips. "Pepsi makes everything better."

Thank Herne, his healing ability had kicked up a notch. But healing hurt almost as much as getting shot.

He gave the worried little fairy a slight smile. "Thank you, sweetie." As she pushed the bottle between his lips, he managed to suck up some cola. The fairy was right, Pepsi did make everything a bit better.

Running footsteps neared, then slid to a halt. A car, siren blaring, sped out of Assjacket and across the bridge.

"Oh, my sweet Goddess. That scum-sucking bastard shot you in the back." Sheila knelt by his side. "You stubborn troll. You should've waited for backup. Kerr is chasing him now but has to be careful since the West Virginia State Troopers are out on speed patrol."

And no one in the valley wanted to draw the attention of human law enforcement.

Sheila placed her hands on his lower back. "Does this help? Ah, you're already healing. Grit your teeth. I'm going to boost your magic a bit."

"Thanks. But ouch." Ferdie managed to struggle into a sitting position since lying on the dirt road wasn't comfortable. "I'll be fine. Just give me a few minutes. The bullets didn't hit anything vital so I should be almost as good as new in a bit."

He smiled at a group of fairies who fluttered around him with offerings of sweets and Diet Pepsi. "Thank you, little ones. But right now, what I'd like most is a nice shot of Scotch."

"Then you'll have one once you get home," Sheila said. "Bucky is bringing some men to help get you there. Don't even think of telling me you can make it on your own. You're getting help whether you like it or not. Okay, the bullets just popped out of the wounds. That had to hurt. Your aura is red-hot."

"Um, Ticia is recording a video right now. Please don't tell her I was shot."

"Why?" Sheila sat on the ground next to him and covered the open wounds with her hand.

He felt a cooling surge of healing magic and sighed at the relief it gave him.

"Ticia feels safe here with the protection spell over the valley, knowing that Alastair couldn't get in and hurt anyone. If she hears that I've been shot, she'll try to leave, but she wouldn't be any safer. I'd follow, of course, but we're better off remaining here where we have backup."

Sheila nodded. "Of course you're safer here."

Ferdie winced as his back twinged with healing pain. "One thing for sure, I won't underestimate him again."

"And neither will we." Bucky appeared with Raisa's mate Bran and Clio's mate Paul, a pooka.

"Balor's balls, mate." Paul crouched behind Ferdie and examined the holes in his shirt. "Bloody wanker shot you in the back. What a pissant. Sheila, let me take over giving old Ferdie a boost in healing. Bucky is having a fit that you are using too much energy for a newly pregnant lady."

Sheila eyed her mate and smiled. "That's my Bucky, always looking out for me."

The pooka, a Nature spirit far older than him and with much more healing ability, sent a blast of restorative warmth through Ferdie's body.

"Thanks, Paul. Almost as good as a shot of Scotch." Ferdie gave the pooka a smile. "But I'm still having the Scotch."

"Let's get you up." Bran bent and put a hand under Ferdie's arm, lifting him to his feet. "I'll transport you to Ticia's aerie."

"No, my house. I need to shower and change."

"Ferdie, she'll know something happened. The mate bond," Sheila reminded him. "No matter how much you're blocking her, and I can sense you are, she'll eventually sense something is wrong. She has a right to know what happened."

"I know. But by the time she comes to find me, I'll be on my feet and in clean clothes." He let Bran wrap an arm around his waist and in a split-second they stood on his doorstep. "Thanks. I should be fine now."

Bran scanned him up and down, "Maybe we should stay for a bit." He looked over as Paul materialized next to him holding onto Bucky who as a beaver Shifter could not transport. "What do you think, Paul? Is Ferdie well enough to be left on his own so soon after being shot?"

"We're staying, Ferdie," the pooka replied.

Bucky nodded. "Sheila insisted. We can help reassure Ticia things are under control. I'm damn sure the fairies are telling her tales even as we speak."

"Damn it." Of course the fairies would rush to tell her—and score more macaroons.

On the bank adjacent to the house, Bucky sat down at the table that Ticia had convinced Ferdie he needed. "Paul, after you help old Ferdie inside, grab the Scotch. He keeps it over the fridge and the glasses are in the cabinet above the dishwasher. I think we could all use a drink."

"I don't need help," Ferdie grumbled under his breath. "And I don't recall offering you Scotch."

Bran and Bucky laughed as Paul took Ferdie's arm and turned him toward the door. "We're not leaving, mate. Get in there and take that shower. Your mate can transport, you know."

"Shit!" Ferdie shrugged off Paul's hand and hurried into the house.

****

At the aerie

"Ticia! Ticia! Ticia!"

Ticia stopped putting away her video camera and turned to find a flurry of agitated fairies flitting about her kitchen.

Thank the Goddess, a few minutes ago a sudden sense of unease had made her close her video session. If she hadn't, she might've had to edit the little flutterbies out of her recording. She'd find out what the fairies wanted, then she'd go in search of Ferdie. Something was wrong.

"There are cookies for you on the counter."

The fairies swarmed the plate as if they hadn't eaten in a week. Like hummingbirds, they burned a lot of energy. They obviously hadn't fueled up before coming to see her. The cookies were gone in seconds.

"Sh-omething hash happened," the red-headed fairy, the spokesperson of the fairy clan spoke around the partially eaten cookie in her mouth.

"Ferdie was shot!" a blonde fairy cried out.

The red-headed fairy glared at the other one. "I was going to tell her, dummy."

"Well, you had cookie in your mouth." The blonde glared. "It's impolite to talk with our mouths full, dimwit."

"Ferdie was sh-shot?" A wave of fear swept through her as Ticia felt for the chair behind her and sank into it. "Is he …?" She frantically searched for the links between their spirits and minds. The spirit link glowed brightly. "He's alive." But he was blocking her mentally.

Why? Oh, no . He was probably horribly hurt and didn’t want her to know. She jumped back to her feet. "Where is he?"

"Bran transported him to the troll bridge house," the blonde fairy said. "He wanted to shower and change out of the shirt with holes."

"And with blood," another fairy said with relish. "Lotsa blood."

Holes? Blood? Ticia transported. At the troll bridge, she found Bran, Paul, and Bucky sitting outside at the table, drinking Scotch.

"Ah, Ticia—" Paul stood and came to her. "He's fine. He was healing on his own and Sheila and I gave him an extra boost of magic. He didn't want you to see him all disheveled and—"

"Bloody? With holes in his shirt?" She heard the slightly hysterical tone in her voice and took a breath. "Where was he shot?"

"Outside the protective bubble," Bucky said.

Bran shook his head. "My friend, she meant where on his body."

"Yes." She dropped onto a seat at the table. Outside the bubble? "But why was he outside the protective barrier? There's no way Alastair could've gotten inside, correct?"

"Correct." Bucky took a sip of Scotch and shoved a glass toward her. "Have a drink. Put some color in your cheeks before Ferdie gets out here. He'll be upset that you're upset."

Ticia poured herself two fingers of Scotch and took a healthy gulp and grimaced. "Too late. He knows how upset I am. He's blocking me. How badly was he hurt before he began to heal himself?"

Paul looked into his glass, then up. "A human would've died." At her gasp, he hurriedly added, "He's not human. Trolls are tough to kill, and with his demi-god heritage, he has an excellent healing ability. I merely boosted to take the edge off since healing hurts."

She nodded. "Yeah, I know. Now, answer my question, where was he shot?"

"In the back," Bucky said. "I picked up the bullets Ferdie ejected from his body, and they were .40 S&W caliber. So big holes. Had to hurt some."

"She didn't need to know that." Leaving the house, Ferdie strode over. "I'm fine, luv." He turned and lifted his shirt so she could see his back.

Marring his muscular back were two almost healed holes. The redness around them emphasized how large the holes had been originally. Her fingers shook as she lightly traced the damage.

"The wounds are almost gone, thanks to Paul's energy." Letting his shirt fall back into place, he turned. "Luv, don't look like that. I'm not even sore."

Ticia stood and buried her face in his shirt and started crying. He'd been hurt because of her past. She should've been there to help him. If he hadn't been so strong, he'd have died. How could she have faced the future without him?

"Aww, luv. I'm fine. The bastard's a coward and has no honor." Ferdie growled. "Like you, I couldn't read him. He has a natural shield."

Ticia shook her head. She looked him in the eyes. "How did he find you? And why would he shoot you?"

"He didn't find me. I confronted him when I heard he was pacing a rut at the bridge." Ferdie looked over at Bran and smirked. "Sort of like Bran did when he came to find Raisa."

"As for why he shot me, I'd told him to leave." Her troll's hard face held a look of male smugness on his face.

"What else did you tell him?" she asked.

"I told him you didn't want to see him and—that you lived with me."

Goddess help her, maybe she should kill him herself. "Do you wave red flags in front of bulls, too?" she gritted out. "You didn't need to taunt him with our relationship. You could've denied I was here."

"No." He cupped her face. "He knew you lived in or near Assjacket. And he needed to know you had moved on from him."

She breathed out and nodded. "Okay. How did he trace me here?"

Ferdie shrugged. "I didn't bother to ask. I told him to go. He didn't like hearing you were mine. H grabbed me as I was walking away. So, I knocked him about a bit. I left him with a warning and he shot me in the back." He picked her up and sat in the chair she'd vacated with her on his lap. "Is there any Scotch left for me?"

"Drink mine." She handed it to him. "I hate Scotch."

"Why did you have one then?" He took a hefty sip.

"Bucky said I needed one."

"She'd had a shock," Bucky said.

"Ferdie?" She rubbed her hand over his tee-covered chest. So many muscles. So warm and alive, thank the Goddess. "What else did he say? Why did he leave and not stick around to see who else might show up to take him to me?"

"Sheila called Kerr, and the dick wad heard the siren. He ran." Ferdie sipped some Scotch. "He said he'd be back. But we'll be ready for him this time. Him and whoever he brings with him."

"Ah, Blessed Goddess. I'll leave. You tell him I'm not here." She shoved at Ferdie. "Let me up. I can't transport on your lap because you'll end up coming with me."

"As if I'd let my mate go anywhere alone. Anywhere that psycho might find you, alone and without backup. Sorry, luv, but where you go, I go."

The look on her mate's face was fierce. "Ferdie, you could've died. If he had shot you in the head or the heart." She stopped talking at the look on his face, then inhaled sharply. "Where else did he shoot you?"

"In the head."

Ticia gasped. "And you survived?"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Ferdie gave her an affectionate squeeze. "I was prepared for him by then and had enough extra magic at that point to cast a protection spell over my body."

"Good job," Paul said. "We'll have to chat about who your mother's family was. I might have met her or some of them. I ran into your father once."

"Ferdie—" Ticia began.

"We're not leaving. We're safer here," said Ferdie. "The valley has more than its fair share of strong witches and warlocks and Shifters. Even if he brings a battalion of humans, we can easily neutralize them."

"Don't discount the fairies," Bucky said. "They are vicious in a battle."

Paul nodded. "We've defeated some very bad magic practitioners here. Plus, Baba Yaga is the equivalent of a nuclear arsenal when she's unleashed. This is her valley. Her successor lives here. Her lover lives here. She'd be involved in any attack." He smiled at Ticia. "Leaving would be the biggest mistake you could make."

She sighed. "You're right. I wasn't really thinking. When will he be back?"

"When he finds someone who he can pay to help him, I guess." Ferdie chuckled. "He mentioned something about burning the valley down to find you."

Ticia felt the color bleed from her face. "Ferdie, that's not funny. Why are you laughing?"

"You must not use defensive magic much. One repelling spell and he and anyone helping him would be toast," Bran said.

Ticia liked the image of Alastair roasting. Screw harm none . Ferdie had held back from killing Alastair because of her white witch beliefs—and he could've died. She rubbed her cheek against Ferdie's damp hair and wrapped her arms around his board shoulders. He was warm, breathing, and felt as strong as ever. She damn well planned on keeping him that way.

Bran continued, "We should have Baba Yaga add a repelling spell to the protective bubble and enlarge it to cover up to the hilltops."

"I'll have Clio ask her," Paul said. "She and Sheila have a special relationship with the wily old witch and can get in touch with her at any time."

"That takes care of that, then," Ferdie said. "It'll take the human a while to get hired help. We'll get the avian Shifters to keep watch over the ways into the valley. Let's call another meeting of the locals to make plans for defense and offense."

"I'll talk to Kerr," Bucky said. "We need to figure out how he found Ticia's location and plug that hole."

"It had to be our registration at the trade show," Ferdie said. "You might start there."

Bucky nodded.

Ferdie rose still holding her. "Transport us home, luv. I need a nap. Healing is exhausting. You could use a nap, too."

Ticia would let him have his nap. But after? She would claim her troll. No matter how he downplayed it, he could've traveled to the Otherworld today. Who knew how many tomorrows they had left? Shit happened. It was time to stop reliving her past and begin her new life with her troll.