Page 19 of Under a Wicked Moon
Mystical energy sizzled inside her. It made her ache to activate it for use on him. The buzzing in her ears intensified. She hadn’t used this power in a long time, since she’d been in here. Years.
“This once,” she whispered. Because no one would know.
She pulled him in to her and wrapped her arms around his cold body. The chant came on instinct in Gaelic. She whispered,
“Wrap thee in light, bind thee with love,
Protection from pain surrounds like a glove.
Brightest of blessings, surrounding thee this night,
For thou art cared for, healing thoughts sent in flight.”
She thought it over and over. Her hands burned with heat, but she pushed on. Only when he breathed easier did she stop. The magic drew energy from her into him. Stupid to give up energy, but she wouldn’t let him die without trying.
Drained, she sat with his head in her lap, her back supported by the wall, and for the first time in ages, everything inside her was at peace. This acceptance of all parts of her equaled tranquility. Acknowledgment of the magic inside her, instead of warring with it, eased the chronic headache and the effortsuppression cost. Despite exhaustion, she felt rejuvenated.
“You’re safe,” she whispered and moved hair off his forehead to expose his face. His hair had grown since the last time. He now had a beard, not that it detracted from his beauty. It made him more rugged.
“Thank you,” he rasped out.
Crap…
He wasn’t out?
She froze.
“Talk to me. Your words ease me.” His eyelids drifted shut again. “I don’t know what the humans did to me or why I have this thing on my side. So tired…”
In Gaelic, she said, “My secret is I hate violence. I can’t stand the thought of hurting anything. The blood, the hitting…all of it.” She shuddered. “In this place, though, there’s no choice. Be aggressive or die. I’m more of an adopt-the-orphaned-wild-animal person. Not a tree hugger. Trees aren’t nice beings in general, and we never got along. But a baby squirrel or mouse I’m good with.”
She paused to see if he responded. He seemed to sleep. “My family let us run wild as kids. Didn’t treat us like I heard typical lycan girls were regarded. We ran the moors, fished, and learned how to be one with the elements. My sister was the bold one. She’s the one who understood all otherworldly things quickly. I did what I could to keep up, but I was never as good at the magic. She had all the elements at the snap of her fingers, whereas I had a few things I was good at, like healing and communicating with anything in the woods. Except trees. Again, they’re bitchy to me.” She played with his hair again. He didn’t stir, which made her braver. “Nova was so beautiful, with red hair whereas I got brown. The guys liked her. Of course, not lycans. We never got to meet men of our kind who were our age. Then I did one day. He turned out to be a neighbor, or so it seemed. It wasn’t like Iwas a kid at that point, but it also wasn’t as if Nova and I had dates or went out on the town or anything. He was interested in me and not my sister. I was flattered, but naive. In retrospect, in comparison to you who…Ky, you are all that and more. That guy who faked being my neighbor in order to get close to me was a total jerk and not half as hot as you. If I’d known lycans like you existed, that guy would’ve never even turned my head.”
She sighed. “I’m babbling. He and I would meet in secret at night. I trusted him. I told him about our family and the elemental magic we could manipulate. He kind of freaked because it’s taboo. Next thing I know, the Council sent its seekers to investigate. My parents used magic to hide Nova and me. My parents were found guilty of using elemental magic and executed. While my sister and I were running from Council hunters, these humans took us, and I ended up in here. I’m going to find out what they did to my sister before I get out. I haven’t seen her since I was brought here.”
At that point, she expected a reaction from him, but he remained unresponsive. Out. She traced one of his eyebrows. “I swore I would never use my abilities again. They’ve done nothing but get me in trouble. I haven’t until today, but I don’t regret it.”
Her eyelids drooped. A few minutes of rest sounded good.
She jerked awake, unsure how long she’d nodded off, but she wasn’t holding him anymore. Vice versa. He cradled her against him. As Vivi stared into Ky’s deep blue eyes, she couldn’t help but feel that her being here in his arms was so right. Never had she felt both safe and respected.
The fact she now accepted him and had started to like him meant she might give in to what the humans wanted sooner rather than later.
Just as she felt herself drifting, a jolt of alarm went through her. Something was off. The sounds outside the room lacked thebackground hum of humans moving and speaking. A quick scan of the cameras confirmed the lights were on.
“I know you did something to me that has to do with this,” he whispered as he rubbed over the magic mark on her arm. “You shouldn’t have.”
She blinked. Whatever the humans were doing was out of her control. Best to focus on Ky’s words. Too late to be believable, she said, “I didn’t do anything. You’re a super healer.”
A smile kicked up the corner of his mouth. Holy Mother. That smile.
He whispered in Gaelic, “You denied your magic for too long.”
“You heard?”
“I know alotabout magic. Things beyond what you could possibly imagine. It’s a part of how I do my job. My brothers and I hunt magical creatures who threaten people or the world. One thing I picked up is that you can’t ignore its call, not if it’s a part of you. Those who do eventually lose their mind.”
“I’m already losing it.” She moved out of his hold to sit next to him. When she turned, his face was very close. She fixated on his lips that looked soft. Her heart bashed against her ribs as a whirly sensation set up in her stomach. She whispered, “Forget it happened.”
