He hears it, his ears twitching. “Who are you?” I ask, even though I don’t expect him to answer.
It’s obvious he is more than a wolf or a creature. Is he one of the monsters? No, that doesn’t feel right either. Is he other? Not from here, yet now he resides here? Why? He’s surrounded by wild, untamed magic and those who eat and destroy it.
“I am Alejandra,” I offer, pressing my hand to my chest. He simply tilts his head again, and I sigh as I look around. “Where are we?” I murmur, talking to myself at this point. “We have to be beyond their boundaries, or they would have found me by now. This gives me time, which is good, though I don’t know the way to the closest civilisation…if there is any near us?”
Looking back at the wolf, I swear I see him understanding and following my conversation, but that’s madness, is it not? Though crazier things have happened.
Then I feel it, his pain. Shifting forward, I lift my hands, my magic curling there. His lips peel back, showing razor-sharp fangs, and I freeze. “I don’t want to hurt you, I swear. I can feel your pain. I’m a healer. May I heal you in thanks for saving me?”
He watches me for a moment before he lowers his head with a whine. Taking that as a good sign, I move closer and, swallowing deeply, I gently press my hands to his side. I’m too close to his mouth to move away if he decides to bite, but I am trusting this creature for some unknown reason. “That’s it, I swear not to injure you. I’m a healer, can you feel it?” I push some of my magic into him, and when all he does is blow out a breath, I close my eyes and concentrate, letting the familiar power flow through me and into him.
Something strange happens though. When it enters him, it explodes in a shatter of glittering silver and purple. The force fills both him and me, like we are locked in a swirling vortex.
With a gasp, my head is flung backwards. My hair floats with the magic surrounding us, and my skin begins to glow as the force keeps building. I know if I don’t hurry, it might hurt us. It’s so strong and has nowhere to escape to.
So, working quickly and ignoring the kaleidoscope of colours, I pass through his body, healing all of his injuries until I find the major one in his shoulder. I have to pump more magic into him then, and it drains me, flowing from me to him, but I keep up the constant stream until something pops free from the wound and it mends.
The force of the magic blows me back, and the last thing I remember is falling backwards with a scream, my eyes closing and chest arching into the air as all that magic slams into my beating heart.
And stops it.
Slate
My mate is magic.
Pure, wild, powerful magic.
She’s so strong and powerful, I have never felt anything like it, except maybe my oldest brother. Even then, his felt darker. This is pure, brilliant, and healing, a rare gift, even for a fae. Is that why she ran? And why…
Why does she want to go to civilisation? It is clear from her words and her tone she is running from her people, but why? I want to ask, but I can’t. I’ve never hated being a wolf so much before, not to mention my human half has the strongest urge to fuck this fae, to hold her, taste her, and rip off her dress to see if her skin glows all over.
Moving closer, I rest my head on her legs as she sprawls in an undignified way. I whine, worrying she is injured, but her chest rises and falls, and I can still feel her here. It seems the healing or the magic simply knocked her out. I felt it, my shifter magic meeting hers in a shower of sparks, exploding violently…yet melding so easily.
Two very different magics intertwining? Unheard of.
It begs the question, who is this woman and why did she call to me? Her name rolls over my tongue, unable to leave my wolf’s mouth, but it fills our head. Branding our mind and removing all others but her. Alejandra, beautiful. I believe it means strength in fae. I can’t drag my eyes away from her, not that I need to rest. Her healing has filled me with energy, the bullet is no longer poisoning me, and old injuries sustained from fighting to survive have disappeared. My scars were removed all from one touch.
And when she did it, for a moment, I felt it.
I felt like I could change back, like I could reach my human side. My fingers grasped it, and almost peeling away the fur, but then it snapped back when she fell. I was so close, so very fucking close to being human again.
Because of her.
Is it possible she could really help me reverse the curse? Could I walk as a man again? I guess only time will tell. Curling tighter around her to keep her warm and safe from predators, I send out my magic to check for any threats.
I feel the fae lingering on the edge of the forest before they slowly pull back. Giving up on her? Maybe. If they try to take away my healer, they will have another thing coming.
She is mine now.
My mate.
And maybe my only shot at a future.
I must fall asleep wrapped around my little mate, because a noise wakes me. It is late evening, I can sense it in the air, and the monsters are stirring. They feel her magic, even though I block her with my own, but they won’t get her. They won’t touch her. I will kill them all, rip them to shreds, and use their fur to warm my fragile mate.
She still hasn’t woken up, so I nudge her with my nose. She needs to eat and drink. She must be exhausted after running from her people and then healing herself and me. She lets out a tiny whimper and rolls away. Snorting, I crawl on my belly and press my cold nose to her neck, making her yelp slightly as she wakes.
Her silver hair is tangled as she sits up, pressing her hand to her heart. Her eyes are wide and confused, and her lips are parted on a gasp. “What-what?” she starts, looking around before watching me with a frown. “What happened? I felt it come back… It hit my heart, and then nothing.” She shakes her head, closing her eyes for a moment, and I can taste her magic in the air as it wraps around her, searching for any injuries. Her pale skin illuminates with it, glowing from an inner light as runes, lines, and swirls appear on her skin before suddenly disappearing.
She is beautiful and luminous, like the moon.
I can smell her sudden fear, but it slowly dissipates, and she tilts her head as she considers me. “You woke me?”
I huff and crawl backwards, turning until I can grab some fruit, and then I roll them to her. She picks up an apple and rubs it clean before smiling. “Thank you, I was getting hungry.” I want to offer her some meat, but unlike my wolf, I am betting she can’t eat it raw, and it’s not easy to cook with paws.
Night is closing in, and I don’t want her alone or out there during it, so while she is eating, I take the bowl in my mouth, careful not to crack it—I found it washed up by the river one day—and slip from the den. I pad on careful, quick feet to the stream close by and fill it before returning, careful not to spill any.
When I step back into my den, she gasps, her magic rising to protect her, but when she realises it’s me, she slumps and smiles. I drop the bowl, spilling some water out, and I nudge it to her with my nose before sitting back on my haunches.
“For me?” she asks softly, before gently picking up the bowl with cautious, delicate fingers.
I incline my head, and she raises the bowl to her lips, sipping it before lowering it again. A droplet of water escapes her lips and rolls down her chin to her chest. I watch it with rapt fascination, inwardly jealous it gets to touch her glowing, perfect skin while I can’t.