The Faye's Protector- Keepers of Light Book III

Chapter Five

~Claire~

The dim light of the room did little to hide the disbelief on the werewolf's face. The man held up the small vile to the light, his brows pulled tight on his forehead. "And you're sure this should protect my boys from those blood-suckers from smelling them?"

Sighing, Claire nodded her head for the umpteenth time. "Yes, this will mask your scent enough that the vampires won't be able to smell you coming. And, again, the sigils I've written on all of your tags should keep your feet quiet, too."

The man nodded again but he certainly didn't look convinced. A hand on his shoulder stopped anymore questions, though. Ephram looked at the man with a brow raised. "You heard her, now get going. I thought Isaac wanted your group out of here ten minutes ago?"

Grumbling under his breath, the wolf left the room without another word. Once the door swung shut, Claire sighed heavily. She would've fell back against the table but Ephram's strong arms caught her first, holding her close to his chest.

"You're exhausted, you really need to rest for a while. Isaac has no use for a dead witch and neither do I." His chest rumbled as he spoke from where her ear was pushed against it. The warmth of his body was lulling her into a state of calm like it always did. But she had too much to do.

Gently pushing herself off him, she turned back to the table. It was littered with ingredients for the spells that Abby had sent to her. Spells that her father had left in his books for her to find. Ways to keep the werewolves quiet to hyper-sensitive ears. Help them to heal even faster than they already did. Mask their scents. So many ways to help the pack on this side of the Atlantic and Claire was the only one able to do any of it. They needed more help. They needed more witches.

Just the other day, she had spent hours charming tags that could be worn around their necks to silence their footfalls. Ephram was right — she was exhausted. But she couldn't stop. For some reason, the simple magic she was doing was taking more of a toll on her than it used to. She wanted to ask Abby about it but hadn't been able to give her a call recently. That would mean stopping long enough to actually pick up her phone.

"If I don't do this, no one will. This is the only way I can help you guys fight off the vampires. The only way I can help protect anyone. I have to do what I can." She started gathering ingredients for another batch of the scent blocker when Ephram's arms came around her shoulders. Gently, he took the bits out of her hands and turned her around.

When she was facing him again, his hands rested on her chin and lifted her eyes to look at him. Those hazel eyes that she had grown to love so much were full of worry for her. She hated making him worry. "I know, love. I know you need to help. I know you need to feel useful. But you're killing yourself. I can see it; Isaac can see it. Hell, I'm pretty sure even Abby could hear it in your voice last week when you took the time to call her." His thumbs rubbed softly against her cheeks. "You can only help if you take care of yourself, first. Hmm?"

She sighed. He was right, of course. Her own body was trying to tell her that she needed to relax but her brain wouldn't let her. How could she stop when there was so much at stake? Leaning forward, she laid her forehead on his chest and felt his arms circle her waste, holding her close.

"Time for a rest, please?"

As best she could, with her head against him, she nodded. Maybe things would look better and less bleak after she slept a few hours. But not too many hours. She'd set an alarm. Maybe two.

As they headed out of the store room, located in one of Isaac's many safe houses, she wondered if she'd even make it to the room they had been occupying. Then they walked into the living room area and all thoughts of sleep vanished for the moment.