Page 58 of Brody
I watched Rozi as she arranged our plates, noting the care she took with the presentation.For all her pragmatism, she had an artist’s eye for beauty.The firelight caught in her hair, transforming the caramel-blond curls into a halo of gold and amber.My throat went dry at the sight.
“Sparkling water?”I offered, finding a bottle that was cool to the touch despite having no refrigeration.
“Please,” she said, settling into one of the chairs.“This looks… amazing.”
We sat across from each other, the table small enough that I could feel the heat of her legs near mine and could catch every subtle shift in her expression as she cut into the perfectly cooked steak.The first bite drew a sound from her throat that went straight to my groin, a low, appreciative moan that was pure sensual pleasure.
“God, that’s good,” she said, eyes closing briefly.When they opened again, they held a warmth I hadn’t seen since Kenya.“I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”
“The forest takes it out of you,” I replied, fighting to keep my voice steady despite the way her enjoyment of the food affected me.There was something profoundly satisfying about providing for her, about seeing her take pleasure in something I’d helped create.My wolf preened with primitive satisfaction.“Especially when you’re navigating Fae pathways.”
Our conversation flowed more easily with each bite, each sip of wine.The barriers between us didn’t disappear, but they softened and became more permeable.We talked about neutral topics at first, the unique properties of the Ridge, theories about Fae architecture, the strangeness of the plants we’d encountered on our hike.But gradually, as our plates emptied and our glasses were refilled, we moved to the sofa in front of the fire and the conversation shifted to more personal ground.
“How many times have you visited the COL?”she asked.
“This will be my second time.The first time, I came here with Quinn and Mack.”
“Only once?Why?”she asked.
“Between pack duties and running the Brewstillery, there isn’t enough time for me to make this arduous trek.Besides, the last time I came here, I took enough of the COL water to make my tonic.”
She took off her shoes, tucking her legs under her for a snug and intimate position on the couch.“So it’s not the quantity of the COL water, which means it’s very potent.”
I nodded.“Exactly.On my last trip, I filled two flasks, and I still have plenty for my tonic.The problem has never been how much water I have.”
“It’s finding what Una was missing,” Rozi said thoughtfully.“The plants that grow in symbiosis with the spring.”
“Without them, the effects remain temporary,” I agreed, absently rubbing my left hand where the tremors had been getting worse.“The water opens the pathways, but without the right botanical stabilizers…”
“The neural connections collapse again,” she finished.“That’s why we need to collect samples of everything growing near the COL tomorrow.The answer has to be there.”
“Una knew it intuitively,” I said.“But you’ll be able to identify exactly which compounds create the stabilizing effect.”
Rozi nodded, her expression determined.“And once we know that, we can modify the formula to enhance those specific elements.”The firelight caught the gold flecks in her eyes as she looked at me.“We’re close, Brody.Closer than either of us has ever been to a real solution.”
“I’m so happy you’re here, Rozi.It’s kismet.”
“Yes, well…” Something shifted in her expression.“Thank you for sharing the COL secret with me.”
The simple acknowledgment shouldn’t have affected me so strongly, but warmth spread through my chest all the same.For a moment, neither of us spoke, the only sound the gentle crackling of the fire and the soft chorus of night creatures outside.
The firelight cast golden highlights across Rozi’s mahogany skin, making it glow like burnished bronze.“Una spent her whole life studying plants and creating remedies, searching for something that could help shifters.She died never finding the COL.”
My wolf stirred beneath my skin, acutely aware of Rozi’s proximity beside me on the couch.Her scent, jasmine, vanilla and something uniquely her, filled my lungs with each breath, making it hard to focus on anything else.The mate bond hummed between us, a constant reminder of what I’d foolishly thrown away years ago.
“How detailed was her botanical research?”Rozi asked.
“Everything she knew was in her journal,” I replied, remembering how Una’s hands had looked holding it, strong, capable hands marked with decades of harvesting and brewing.“She would carry her journal everywhere.One day, I jokingly said to her, ‘Grandma, I think you love that journal more than me,’ and she looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘No, boy.I love you more.’”I smiled at the memory.“Her words were like a healing balm after my dad dumped me on her.”
Rozi’s expression softened for just a moment, her carefully maintained walls cracking ever so slightly.“She took you in?Just like that?”
The memory washed over me with painful clarity.I hadn’t talked about this in years, not even with the pack.Yet here I was, opening up to the woman who had every reason to hate me.
“I remember every detail of that day,” I said, my voice dropping lower as the past pulled me back.My hands clenched involuntarily, knuckles whitening.“My father packed a single bag for me, just threw some clothes in, didn’t even fold them.Drove for hours without saying a word.I kept asking when we were coming back home, and he just… stared straight ahead.”
Rozi’s eyes never left my face, their honey-brown depths reflecting the firelight.I caught the subtle hitch in her breath, the way her body unconsciously leaned toward mine as if drawn by the raw emotion in my voice.My wolf noticed too, a hopeful whine building in my chest that I forced down.
“When we pulled up to Grandma Una’s cabin, he told me to get out.He just grabbed my bag, took my hand, and walked me to the door.”My throat tightened around the words.“I remember the sound of the doorbell, this old-fashioned chime that seemed to echo forever.”
