Page 22 of Unbearable Attraction
"Her ancestor, I think. Or maybe a descendant. Time gets weird with prophetic visions." Leenah tried to stand and immediately swayed as the room tilted around her. "The woman we spoke with today carries Aiyana's memories, her knowledge of how the ritual works."
Luka caught her before she could fall again, his steady strength keeping her upright when her own legs refused tocooperate. "You need to rest. Whatever that vision took out of you, you're not recovering quickly."
"I'm fine," she said automatically, though the protest sounded weak even to her own ears.
"You're many things, but fine isn't one of them right now." His voice carried that protective rumble that was becoming dangerously familiar. "When's the last time you had a prophetic vision?"
"Never. This was my first." The admission made her feel more vulnerable than she cared to examine. "My necromantic abilities have always been limited to communicating with spirits. I didn't even know I could see into the past."
"Must be connected to the ceremony grounds. All that accumulated spiritual energy probably amplified your natural gifts." Luka guided her toward the couch with careful movements, as if he was afraid she might collapse again. "The question is whether experiencing visions is going to become a regular thing."
The thought of going through that kind of disorientation on a regular basis made Leenah's stomach clench with anxiety. She'd built her entire life around being self-sufficient, around handling whatever supernatural complications came her way with competence and grace. Having abilities she couldn't control or predict felt like losing a fundamental part of herself.
"Hey," Luka said softly, settling beside her on the couch. "We'll figure it out. Whatever's happening with your gifts, you don't have to handle it alone."
"I've always handled things alone," she said, hearing the wobble in her own voice.
She'd spent so many years building walls around her heart, protecting herself from the disappointment that came with depending on others, that she'd forgotten what it felt like to have someone genuinely care about her wellbeing.
"This is terrifying," she admitted quietly.
"The visions?"
"The visions, the ceremony, all of it." She curled deeper into the couch cushions, suddenly exhausted beyond measure. "But mostly... mostly it's terrifying how much I want you to stay."
The confession hung between them in the warm lamplight of her living room, more honest than anything she'd shared with another person in years. Luka's expression shifted through surprise before settling into quiet understanding.
"Then I'll stay," he said simply. "As long as you want me here."
Minerva chose that moment to hop onto the couch, settling herself between them with the kind of feline determination that brooked no argument. The cat's warm weight was comforting, a familiar anchor in an evening that had turned her understanding of her own abilities upside down.
"I should probably try to sleep," Leenah said, though the thought of being alone with the possibility of more visions made her heartrate quicken with anxiety.
"Sleep sounds good," Luka agreed. "I'll keep watch, make sure nothing supernatural decides to visit while you're recovering."
She should have protested. Should have insisted she could handle one night alone in her own cottage, just like she always had. But the steady presence beside her, the way his breathing seemed to calm something restless in her chest, made the idea of sending him away feel impossible.
"Just until I'm feeling more stable," she said, the excuse sounding thin even to her own ears.
"Just until you're feeling more stable," he agreed with a small smile.
Leenah settled deeper into the couch cushions, letting herself relax finally. The supernatural crisis wasn't resolved,the ceremony still needed to be performed, and she had no idea what other abilities might manifest as the dark moon approached. But with Luka's steady breathing beside her and Minerva's purring creating a gentle soundtrack, those problems felt manageable.
Somewhere between one breath and the next, her eyes drifted closed. The last thing she remembered was the warm weight of Luka's hand covering hers, and the way his voice rumbled through his chest as he murmured something too soft to make out but comforting all the same.
16
LUKA
Luka slowly emerged from the deepest sleep he'd experienced in years. For a moment, he lay still, absorbing the unfamiliar sensation of contentment that had settled in his bones like warm honey.
Leenah was curled against his side, her dark hair spilling across his chest while her breathing remained deep and even. Her small hand rested over his heart, fingers slightly curled in sleep, and the trust implicit in her unconscious position made something tight in him unfurl for what felt like the first time in over a decade.
This was what he'd lost when the Thornridge Clan fell. Not just the people, though their absence still carved hollow spaces in his heart, but the simple comfort of belonging somewhere. Of being necessary to someone's happiness instead of just useful for protection or manual labor.
His bear rumbled with deep satisfaction, recognizing the rightness of having their mate safe and warm in their arms. The animal wanted to nuzzle into her neck, to mark her with his scent so thoroughly that every supernatural being in Hollow Oak would know she was claimed. Wanted to carry her back to hisden and keep her there until the current crisis passed and all threats to her safety were eliminated.
But even as his shifter instincts sang with possessive joy, older memories stirred like ghosts in the back of his mind.
