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.