Page 93 of Redeeming the Angel

Had wild animals smelled his body down there and tried for a meal before the last snowfall?I shuddered at the thought even though that was the balance of nature.Some luminite clans even made it tradition to feed their own corpses to the wildlife.

But this was a Jagwolfe and he was meant for the trees.Phantom yowled and pawed at the messy gravesite as if in agreement with my outrage.

I looked around and found a suitable stick to dig a fresh hole to replant the tree.

By the time I was done, my fingers were numb from the cold and damp.Still, I felt satisfied at righting a wrong.

Just as I was about to transport myself to the village, where I would hopefully find my fellow luminites somewhere warm, I heard a twig snap in the woods.

Phantom growled and moved in front of me, pressing his fluffy black flank to my shins.I chuckled lightly at his overexuberance in protecting me.It was probably a deer or maybe an elk.As the rut was over, I was in no danger.

But if it was, then I’d simply be killed and able to reunite with Lucian sooner.

When I heard another snap and rustle of the undergrowth coming closer, I tried to shoo the cat away.Most likely it was a young animal sensing my bond and coming to me for help, which happened often when I was in the woods.

Unfortunately, Phantom was an adult cat and I didn’t have my daughter’s bond to communicate more clearly.Even if I did, cats were willful creatures who did what they wanted.Not unlike Xochitl…or myself.

I conjured a fireball, letting it rest in my palm.If the approaching creature was a threat to the cat, I’d simply singe its fur so it would run away.The forest was wet enough that I wouldn’t even be risking a forest fire.

The sound of footsteps joined the snapping branches and rustling bushes.Whatever was coming was big.Phantom’s ears flattened against his head and he hissed.

I held my position, fireball at ready.Instead of the wolf, cougar, or bear I’d been expecting, the dim shape of a man came into view between the foggy trees.I gritted my teeth.If the man wasn’t friendly, he would be singed as well.And if his clothes caught on fire, I’d tell him to stop, drop, and roll.

As the man came closer, his broad shoulders, beloved features, and beautiful golden hair were revealed.I extinguished the fireball and rushed toward him, my heart leaping with joy.

“Lucian!”I shouted and threw myself into his arms.

He nearly stumbled, making me murmur an apology.Phantom continued to growl, and I chuckled lightly at the cat’s overprotectiveness.Lucian probably smelled a lot different, being freshly returned from Luminista and in a new body.

However… he smelled more like musty dampness, pine from the trees he’d passed through, and something else that wasn’t exactly pleasant.

“What were you doing in the woods?”I couldn’t help the scolding edge in my tone.“And you’re so cold.Let’s get back to the castle.We can take a hot shower together.”And wash those clothes, I added silently.

“Kerainne.”His voice was rough and gravelly, but not in the warm, sensual way I was used to.

A pang of alarm crawled up my spine.

“Yes?”Only then I noticed how pale he looked, and how distant his eyes were.

His lips curved in a wavering smile in a futile attempt to reassure me.“You must come with me.It’s important.”

“Come with you where?”I didn’t like this, not one bit.

He grabbed my gloved hand with force that hurt.“There’s no time.We must go.”

“Lucian, please!”My voice shook as he pulled me into the forest.“You can walk and talk at the same time.Tell me what’s going on?”

“I am your mate.You can trust me.”His tone had softened somewhat, but there was still a strange intensity to it that wasn’t at all like him.

He was speaking the truth, though.Ididtrust him.But Phantom didn’t, and continued to hiss and growl.Something was wrong.

I whispered a spell to dispel a glamour in case the man pulling me through the forest was someone else.Lucian paused and blinked as the magic flowed over him, but he remained Lucian.I didn’t know if I was relieved or disappointed.He wasn’t acting like himself.He didn’t even askwhyI’d worked a spell on him.

My boots crunched in the snow and I looked down to see Lucian’s tracks from when he’d been heading toward his burial place.

And that’s when I realized what else was wrong.There were no tracks coming from there, aside from the ones we were making.Sure, he could have gone in another direction when he returned, but somehow I didn’t think so.Which meant that he’d been back since at least last night.Maybe even longer.

“Lucian!”I shouted.“Stop!”

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