Page 24 of Magic Hunted
“Tell me it’s not your fault.” His soul-light pulsed against mine. There was no judgment. Only acceptance. A strange lightness blew through me, subtle, yet potent enough to lift the heaviness that had weighed on me for so long.
“There you are,” Savvas said when I blinked up at him. He smiled and his eyes lit with the same warmth mirrored in his soul-light.
“What are you doing to me, Savvas?” I whispered.
“Something you should have always been, my heart. Loving you instead of using your goodness against you,” he said.
“You don’t want to love me, Savvas,” I whispered.
“That’s not your choice, my heart.” His lips claimed mine and I let him.
He’d stripped me bare. He’d shown me kindness, desire and worse, understanding. Each moment that passed shattered the walls I’d spent years building to survive, leaving me with no defenses. And even worse, a part of me now didn’t want to fight.
Chapter Thirteen
“I’d give anything to take you to my bed, but all three of us will be present when I make love to you the way you deserve to be loved.” I shivered at the promise in his words, and my core throbbed in agreement. If there was ever a time for my brain to take control this was it. The longer I sat naked in his lap, the less chance I had of that happening.
We were also trapped in a tunnel somewhere deep underground. The elves could find us at any time. The darkness on either side of us could hold more secrets than I was willing to learn. Savvas winced as we stood, his arm wrapping his ribs.
His side was a mess of bruises and a jagged gash cut through several ribs. The area where he’d been struck by the arrow was raw, blood oozing from the wounds that hadn’t properly healed.Why hadn’t they healed?“Savvas! Your wounds!”
He smiled, though he was clearly in pain. “Having you in my arms was more important than any injury.”
I swallowed. Hard. I wanted to tell him I wasn’t important but the heat that flashed in his eyes made words disappear. He kissed me, taking advantage of my shock.
“I’ll heal when I Change. We both should Change. We’ll be quicker on four feet,” Savvas said.
“I wasn’t lying, Savvas. I really don’t know how to Change,” I said.
His gaze settled on me, weighted. “This will be something you’ll tell us when the time is right. For now…” His lips pressed together. “I’ll have to command you.”
I nodded. It would mean pain, but I was used to pain. “Do it.”
He drew in a breath. His pupils split into his panther’s before he barked the word. “Change.”
My bones cracked, muscles reformed. The Change was every bit as agonizing as it was when Ashir commanded it, but soon I stood on four legs instead of two.
Savvas sank his fingers through the fur on my head and looked at me with serious eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
I’d asked him to Change me. There was no need to be sorry, especially if the elves might find us at any moment. I growled, the deep purr rolling like velvet from my chest to get him to hurry up and Change too.
His lips curved, “Spoken like a true mate.”
He kept my gaze as he Changed. The alpha’s Change was usually fast and fluid, but Savvas’ Change looked to be every bit as painful as mine. His head hung and his chest expanded like bellows.
I padded to him, brushing my snout against his. He lifted his head, his eyes glowing with determination. He brushed against me, his fur against mine a decadent sensation before darting down the tunnel.
I hastened after him, staying on his tail when he ducked into a smaller tunnel barely big enough for us to fit. I was thankful for the moss that grew everywhere in the tunnel system. The rock was claustrophobic enough in the dim light, let alone in the pitch black.
Savvas kept up the pace, leading me down tunnel after tunnel. We’d climb one, giving me hope we’d eventually find sunlight, only for the tunnel to drop away back down. There was no telling how long we ran. Hours. Days. I had no idea. We stayed as helplessly lost as we’d ever been. We rested when we needed, snatched sleep when we could go no further, curled together in our panther forms until we woke when scratches sounded along the tunnels and we ran again. Savvas grew slower as time passed, until we only managed a slow trot.
We padded through another tunnel, clumps of moss guiding our way. At one stage we’d tried eating it, we were so desperately hungry, but my tongue had tingled and I’d spat it out immediately. Poisonous.
Thirst became an obsession. I longed to find the river again, if only to drink from, but like sunshine, it remained elusive. I wasn’t sure if I imagined the rush of water, or it was simply blood in my ears. At least any pain from the studs was a simmering burn. I wasn’t sure if that was a side benefit of my panther’s form, but I’d take it.
After hours of walking, Savvas stumbled and his legs buckled. His lungs worked like bellows with every breath. I sprang to his side, prodding him with my snout. His side was wet. Too wet for it to be perspiration. The coppery scent of blood and infection coated my tongue. Oh gods, he was so sick and he’d hidden it from me, pushing himself too far. I buried my nose in his neck and purred, my stomach twisting.
He snarled, the sound fragile and weak, my panther understanding straight away. He wanted me to go on. To leave him here on his own in the darkness, but that wasn’t going to happen. I answered with a snarl of my own. Why wasn’t he healing? Shifters were strong. They never succumbed to wounds. Not like this, but he was so weak. Unnaturally weak.
