Page 41 of Unbearable Attraction
His laugh was warm and rich with affection. "Leenah, I fell for you because you're stubborn and independent and terrible at letting people take care of you. This bond doesn't change who you are, it just means I get to be part of your adventures instead of watching from the sidelines."
"Even when those adventures involve risking our lives for centuries-old supernatural politics?"
"Especially then," he said with the kind of certainty that made her believe him completely.
Aiyana's form was beginning to fade as the spiritual energy that had sustained her presence finally dissipated, but her expression held profound satisfaction as she watched them together. "You have chosen well, both of you. The bond you have forged will serve not just your own happiness but the healing of old wounds that have festered too long in the shadows."
"Wait," Leenah called as the medicine woman prepared to cross over to her final rest. "What happens now? How do we know if we're doing this right?"
"Trust your instincts," Aiyana replied, her voice already growing distant. "Trust each other. And remember that true strength comes not from standing alone, but from choosing to stand together."
With that final piece of wisdom, she faded into golden light that danced among the stone monoliths before dissipating into the morning air. The sacred grove fell silent once more, leaving Leenah and Luka alone with the magnitude of what they'd just committed themselves to.
"The Council isn't going to know what hit them," she said with growing anticipation.
"No," Luka agreed with a grin that made her pulse quicken despite their spiritual exhaustion, "they really aren't."
27
LUKA
The Council Glade buzzed with tension when Luka arrived, the spiritual bond with Leenah humming steadily beneath his consciousness. Elder Varric stood in his usual spot, but his rain-cloud eyes held a knowing gleam that suggested he'd already sensed the morning's magical disturbances.
"Luka," the elder said as he approached. "I trust you have news about our spiritual crisis?"
"The trapped spirits have been freed," Luka confirmed. "The immediate threat to Hollow Oak's protections has been eliminated."
"And Miss Carrow?" Elder Bram's voice carried its usual disapproval. "I assume her reckless experimentation proved as dangerous as predicted?"
Luka's bear stirred at the dismissive tone. "Leenah saved this town. Without her abilities and her courage, we'd be watching Hollow Oak's barriers collapse."
"At what cost?" Miriam Caldwell asked, consulting her notebook. "The magical disturbances we detected suggested forces that could have torn apart anyone channeling them."
"The cost was acceptable. The ritual was successful, the spirits found peace, and the threat has been neutralized."
"That's not what I'm sensing from you," Varric observed. "There's something different about your magical signature. Stronger, more complex. You joined the ritual, didn't you?"
Luka met the elder's gaze steadily. "I did what was necessary to keep her alive. The spiritual forces would have killed her without additional support."
"And in providing that support, you created a bond," Varric continued with fascination. "I can feel it from here, the way your life forces have intertwined. Remarkable."
Elder Bram's expression darkened. "What kind of bond? Are we talking about a simple magical working, or something permanent?"
Here it was. "It's permanent. We're spiritually linked, bound together in service of maintaining the balance between living and spirit worlds."
"Bound how, exactly?" pressed another Council member. "What are the terms of this arrangement?"
Luka took a breath. "We've agreed to serve as permanent advocates for spiritual justice in Hollow Oak. The new pact requires acknowledgment of historical wrongs committed by early supernatural families, protection of all sacred sites in perpetuity, and ongoing cooperation with any spirits seeking our help."
The silence was deafening. Five faces stared at him with shock and calculation.
"You made agreements on behalf of the entire supernatural community without consulting this body?" Elder Bram's fury was ice-cold. "You presumed to commit us all to terms we had no part in negotiating?"
"I prevented the complete collapse of our protective barriers," Luka shot back. "While you were debating evacuationplans, Leenah was risking her life to save a town that's ignored its spiritual obligations for decades."
"That's enough," Varric said mildly, but with absolute authority. "We're here to understand what has changed and how we move forward."
The elder stepped closer, his ancient senses probing. "This connection you've formed isn't simply magical partnership. There are deeper currents at work, patterns that suggest something beyond conscious choice."
