Page 63 of The Mating Need
The wizard put a hand over the terrible wound on Troy’s stomach. Troy flinched and moaned, but to her shock, white light poured out of Tristan’s hands and the wound wassealed.
White light, like the kind of light that came from her hands at times… Jenny’s heart skipped a beat as she stared at thewizard.
Could itbe?
She turned her attention to Troy, whose breathing evened out. Blue no longer tinged his mouth. She helped him to situp.
Troy put a hand to his healed stomach. “Thankswizard.”
Tristan shrugged. “No worries. I hate a mess, especially one created by darkness. Sticky and thestench…”
He wrinkled hisnose.
“You’re so eloquent,” Aiden said dryly. “But thanks for healinghim.”
“I’m selfish. We need every good Lupine in this battle against darkness,” Tristan said, standing up and helping Troy to hisfeet.
Aiden barked out an order for his Lupines to leave, but before they did, she thanked them for theirhelp.
One shuffled his feet, looking ashamed. “I’m sorry we said those things and chased you away, Jenny. You freaked us out and life here has been freaky enough lately, with the dead cattle and this feeling something iswrong.”
Another nodded. “We thought it was you. Now we know it isn’t you. So if you want, you can have a home here withus.”
“Thanks,” she saidsoftly.
The cowhands headedout.
She hooked a hand around Troy’s waist as he leaned on her, but already she felt a change in him. A newresolve.
“Good Lupine? Since when have you changed your mind about me, Tristan?” Troy asked, his voice growingstronger.
The wizard smiled. “Never did change my mind, Troy. I waited for you to change yours about life, and your direction in it. You’ve been wandering a long time and using the stars to navigate, but kept searching for your north star to guide youhome.”
Tristan glanced at Jenny. “You finally found it… withJenny.”
Her heart felt full of joy until she gazed around and realized Tristan was not alone. Four other beings stood nearby. One with blond hair, strands tipped in crimson, who dressed in all red. Another had dark hair tipped with tiny crystals and he wore what looked like an Elvis jumpsuit, sequins sparkling in the sunlight. The third wore cobalt blue and had an intenselook.
Instinct warned these were the wizards of the Brehon she’d heard about, the powerful beings who judged and guarded allOtherWorlders.
But it was the fourth that drew her attention themost.
He looked, and seemedfamiliar.
Tall, broad-shouldered, he was bare chested and wore black leather pants. Two leather straps crossed his muscled chest and were held together with a brass ring. Twin swords were sheathed in leather scabbards upon his back. His eyes seemed dark as pitch, flickering with gray shadows like mist. Long, dark blond hair swirling with many colors spilled down his back. An intricate tattoo of ancient Celtic runes covered his right shoulder and rightbicep.
He took her breath away, and not for a goodreason.
Tristan made a sweeping motion. “I asked my fellow wizards to joinme.”
Going through the motions, he introduced all the beings. Gideon in the red ruled over the Fae. The Elvis jumpsuit was Xavier, who ruled over nymphs, ogres, trolls and mages. The wizard in cobalt was Drust, who judged and guarded dragonshifters.
As he turned to the bare-chested wizard, Tristan paused. A sly grin lit hisface.
“I’ll let him introducehimself.”
The tall, muscled wizard turned to her. “I am Caderyn, the Shadow Wizard… mydaughter.”
Troy blinked. “Somehow I get the idea that is not merely a term ofendearment.”
She gasped at the wizard’s nextwords.
“No, it is not. You are my daughter, JennyLogan.”
