Chapter 15

Warmth encased her body, making her sigh in relief. She rolled over on her side, frowning at the sloshing noise she made as she did so. Throwing the world to the back of her mind, she reveled in the safety she felt. Never, had she felt this good, felt this cared for. She wiggled into a better spot as the arms around her tightened.

The relaxing sensation flew from her body as her eyes jerked open. She glanced down, looking at the offending appendages that kept her in place before looking around her with a frown. She was in a bathtub?

"Yeah," a deep voice said from above. Snapping her head up, her snout hit the man in the chin causing him to wince. "I didn't know how much water you'd need after being hit by a car."

She blinked up at him, trying to talk, but only making that annoying yipping sound. With frustration, she snapped her mouth shut. The hand that had been rubbing against her back stopped, and only then did she realize he was what was making her feel safe. With a sigh, he glanced towards the bathroom door. "You can come in. She hasn't shifted back yet."

The door popped open and a woman stepped into the bathroom. Molly's hackles rose as she made a threatening noise, not that it sounded threatening at all. The man holding her chuckled as Molly studied the woman. Her hair was that light grey color everyone had been dyeing their hair lately, but Molly knew that this woman didn't wear dye. Which meant she was most likely a shifter, what kind, Molly had no clue.

"Try to sniff her out," the man mumbled. "It might help you figure out what she is."

"I don't need to sniff her, Barron, I know what she is."

Barron's arms tightened protectively. "I won't let you do anything to her, Bryn."

"What the hell?" a different female voice as she pushed her way into the bathroom. The woman dragged her eyes over the two of them before pausing where Barron had his arms around Molly. With her eyes narrowed, she snapped her gaze to Barron. "Who is she?"

Barron banged his head against the cheap linoleum on the wall. "How am I supposed to figure that out when the two of you won't leave us alone long enough for me to help her shift back?"

"I'm not leaving you alone with her," the new woman said, her multicolored hair flinging around her head as she shook it.

Bryn glared at the woman beside her before sending a questioning look towards the man still holding Molly. She could feel some silent force pass between the two of them before Bryn grabbed the other woman's arm. "Come on, Sara. Let's go grab some cheeseburgers. The girl's going to need them when she shifts back."

When Sara didn't move an inch, Barron growled. "Sara, just go."

Something flashed in the woman's eyes that looked like hurt before she pivoted on her heel. Bryn stood there, watching as she left. "You're going to have a problem with that one, little bro."

"No, I won't," he said. "We knew from the start that we weren't right for one another. I always knew it." He paused. "You don't need to be so hard on her, Bryn. She's been through a lot."

Bryn's eyes glowed brighter. "Don't forget, I saw it, Barron, and that woman doesn't deserve sympathy. She deserves only to make up for her mistakes by helping us find everyone we're looking for. Once she's done that, she can return to her mountain and leave us in our woods."

With those words, the grey-haired woman darted from the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Sighing, Barron turned Molly until she was looking at him. She rose her eyebrows at the jeans and long sleeved shirt he was wearing. He grinned and then frowned as if the first emotion wasn't meant to happen. "I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable when you woke up. Were you wearing clothing before you shifted?"

When she nodded, he let out a relieved breath. "Good, you'll shift back into whatever you were wearing before. Don't ask how it happens. It's just as much magic as the shift itself." He paused, running his tongue along his bottom lip. "Now, I'm going to let you go. Do you think you can hold yourself up?"

She hesitated. If she told him no, he'd hold her longer, protect her from the dark world that she had been a part of. She knew it down to her soul. How, she had no clue, but she knew that this man was a protector. He was one of the last true good people alive, and if she just lay here with him forever, he'd keep her safe. He'd keep the darkness from trying to overwhelm her, and she wouldn't have to fight so hard to be light.

Despite all of this, she needed to be human again. She needed to find out where she was and what she was. When she nodded, he eased his arms away from her and scooted back while pulling his knees to his chest. "I don't know if the water has anything to do with you transforming back, so I won't drain it yet." She tilted her head to the side and he nodded. "You either, huh? Okay. Close your eyes." Her stayed open. He frowned at her before reaching out and rubbing his hand behind her ear. "You're going to have to trust me. I don't particularly want to be sitting in a bathtub all night wearing jeans."

"Especially when he doesn't even like clothes!"

"Namir," Barron growled, his eyes flashing red. "If you pop in here one more time, I'll rip your throat out."

Molly glanced at the dark man who just appeared near the bathtub. He smiled, showing off sharp jagged teeth. "I'd take you up on the offer to see who would win in a fight if our Queen wouldn't frown upon it. Plus, I brought you what you asked for."

In the man's hand was a pair of sweat pants and a white shirt that would be too big on her short frame. When Molly glanced at the man still in the bathtub with her, he shrugged. "I don't know your size, and until you can pick out your clothes, you can wear mine."

She turned her head into his hand in thanks, and he immediately pulled away. Hurt, she sat back into the cold water.

"Don't be hurt, little fox," Namir mumbled. "He is trying to keep himself from you, knowing that your situation here is difficult."

Barron growled. "Leave the clothing on the toilet lid."

Instead of listening to Barron, Namir plopped down to sit on the lid. "I know Ally sent us on this mission together, but I think it might be best if we broke apart."

"No," Barron denied instantly.

Namir held up the hand not holding the clothing. "Listen to me. Sara isn't quite on board with whatever is going on, and I've been in a fight with her. Little fox couldn't last a second, and you know the rules. Mates have to be challenged."

Barron grinned and the look was anything but reassuring. "Ally threw that rule out as soon as she became queen. We are not splitting up. She's not my mate." He paused. "And stop calling her little fox."

Namir reached out to touch Molly. She shrunk away as Barron growled at the man. With a chuckle, he snatched his hand away. "I was only going to talk to her, figure out her name, nothing more. I wonder though, why are you so protective over a stranger if she's not even your mate?"

When Barron didn't say a word, Molly nudged him with her nose. He automatically reached out and pet her forehead, reassuring her the best he could in the form she was in. Namir chuckled. "I like her. Even as a fox, she won't let you hide behind your wall." He tilted his head to the side. "You sent them on a food run but they'll be back in a minute. Ward the bathroom. We need to talk about what I found in the woods."

Magic flowed around them, and Molly sighed at the familiar warmth it brought. "Done."

"Do you want to change before we talk?" Namir asked with a smirk. "I can stay with Molly." The clicking warning noise fell from her throat again, making Namir chuckle. "Don't worry, little fox, my Queen would disown me if I even though about harming you. She has a thing for taking care of the underdogs." He turned towards Barron, his voice becoming serious. "Owen denies it, but he can hear them calling. He'll be fine spending another night here, but the closer we get, the harder it is for him. We'll need to be on the move quickly, and you need this woman to shift back so that she can explain what I found."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing," Namir said with a frown. "When I arrived, there was an abandoned lab. There was absolutely nothing inside except for the smell of Bleach and Lysol. Whatever was going on, wasn't good. They were doing something in there, and we need to find out what it is and who was doing it. We cannot allow people to experiment on our kind."

She yipped. "Yeah, we know you weren't one of us," Barron mumbled with a pat to her head. "We're just waiting for you to change back to tell us exactly how you became one."

Closing her eyes, she felt the reality of his words. She hadn't been a shifter before. Oh, she knew what they were, but she was as far as being one as you could get. She had come from a long line of witches, the harmless one trick wonder type of witches, but still witches. Their kind didn't mix. There wasn't bad blood between the two groups for the most part, but there was still an unspoken barrier between their kind. Shifters stayed in the woods and witches kept to the small towns they protected.

Her eyes opened as she looked at Barron, trying to ask for his help. She didn't know what she was exactly, which meant she had no idea how to change back.

Reaching out, he placed both hands on each side of her face. "Look at me," when her eyes connected with him, he smiled. "Now, think about who you are. Imagine your body, the way it looks, the way it feels to walk on two feet. Don't worry, I'm right here, I got you."

The calming words soothed the anxiety she had felt since she opened her eyes in this strange place with these strange people.  Staring into his eyes, she felt safe as her body began the slow transition back. She had expected the pain that she had felt before, but surprisingly, all she could feel was the warm sensation of comfort.

As her hands became human and her body snapped into place, she smiled at the man still holding her face. "You took the pain."

He nodded, but didn't look away from her eyes. "I thought you said you were wearing clothes."