Page 45 of Unbearable Attraction
He placed his palms flat against the wood, letting his consciousness sink into the grain patterns and growth rings that told the story of decades spent reaching toward sunlight. His bear magic flowed through his hands, not shaping or forcing, but listening to what the tree wanted to become.
"Every piece of wood has a natural purpose," he explained, his voice dropping to the quiet tone he used when concentrating. "My job isn't to impose my will on it, but to help it find its true form."
"That's beautiful," Leenah said softly. "And completely different from how necromancy works. I have to bridge gaps, create connections where none exist naturally. You work with connections that are already there."
"Different approaches to the same goal. Finding harmony between what is and what could be."
He felt her attention through their bond, her genuine fascination with his work creating a feedback loop that enhanced his connection to the wood. The oak seemed to respond to her interest, its grain patterns shifting slightly to reveal new possibilities for the piece he'd been planning.
"Try touching it," he suggested. "See what happens when our magic combines."
She moved to stand beside him, her small hand settling next to his on the oak's surface. The moment their magic touched, the wood began to glow with soft golden light. Not the harsh illumination of electric magic, but the warm radiance of living energy finding perfect balance.
"Oh," she breathed, wonder coloring her voice. "I can feel what you feel. The tree's history, its potential, the way it wants to be shaped."
"And I can sense the spiritual connections you work with," he replied, amazed by the expanded awareness flowing through their bond. "There are traces of otherworldly energy in this wood, probably from spirits who sheltered beneath the tree when it was still growing."
They experimented for the next hour, combining his earth magic with her necromantic abilities to create effects neither could achieve alone. Wood responded to their combined touch by developing natural protective properties. A simple carving knife began to hum with energy that could cut through magical barriers as easily as physical materials.
When Leenah picked up a pendant he'd been working on—a simple piece carved from blessed oak—the wood suddenly blazed with protective ward energy so powerful it made the air shimmer.
"What just happened?" she asked, staring at the pendant in her palm.
"I think our bond is affecting more than our emotional connection," Luka said, studying the way the carved oak continued to pulse with protective magic. "It's creating new possibilities for how our individual abilities interact."
"This is what you were making for me, isn't it?" She looked up at him with understanding. "The protective charm. I can sense the purpose behind this piece."
He felt heat creep up his neck. "I started it before we were bonded. I wanted you to have something that might help keep you safe during dangerous workings."
"And now?"
"Now it's become something neither of us could have created alone." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the oakmedallion he'd finished the night after their ritual, its surface carved with interlocking symbols that represented both bear clan protections and necromantic ward work. "This is the one I meant to give you originally."
She took the medallion, and the moment it touched her skin, both pieces began to resonate with harmonized energy. The protective properties of each charm amplified the other, creating a layered defense that could shield her from both physical and spiritual threats.
"They're connected," she realized. "Like we are."
"Seems appropriate." He helped her fasten the medallion around her neck, his fingers brushing against her skin as he secured the clasp. "Partners in everything, remember?"
"Partners in everything," she agreed, and through their bond he felt her gratitude mixed with something like the growing certainty that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together.
"About those requests for your services," he said as they prepared to leave the workshop.
"What about them?"
"I want to help. Not as your protector, but as your partner. Whatever supernatural crises we take on, we handle them together."
"Even if it means traveling to other communities? Dealing with problems that aren't technically our responsibility?"
"Especially then," he replied firmly. "We've proven we're stronger together than apart. Time to show the supernatural world what a real magical partnership looks like."
30
LEENAH
The protective medallion Luka had given her hummed against her skin as Leenah worked in her cottage, its warmth a constant reminder of their growing partnership. Through their bond, she could feel him in his workshop, completely absorbed in carving a set of chairs for the Hearth and Hollow Inn. His contentment flowed through their connection like honey, making her smile as she organized her correspondence.
Three more communities had requested her help with spiritual disturbances. The recognition was flattering, but what made her pulse quicken was knowing Luka would be beside her for each case. Partners in everything, just as he'd promised.
