I grinned. “Sorry, sometimes I speak and forget that not everybody has been immersed in as much magic and shifter politics as I have.”
I reached for gauze as well as a washcloth and began washing her face slowly. I gripped her chin softly, and her eyes widened as they met mine, her mouth parting. I wanted to lean down and brush my lips against hers, but I waited, at least for the moment.
I needed to breathe, to get myself under control, and then I’d figure out what to do. To say.
“Where do you want to begin?” I asked softly.
“That’s a loaded question,” she said with a laugh, and I grinned.
“Maybe.”
“You said that witches heal faster than humans?”
I winced, knowing I’d probably sent her mind into another tailspin.
“Am I not human anymore?”
I sighed, put herbal ointment on a cotton pad, and began dabbing the cuts. She winced, and I blew cool air over the wound. “You have always been who you are. It’s not an option anymore.”
“I’ve never been human.”
I sighed. “All of us are human. Though some with extra abilities. I can shift into a bear and there are pros and cons to that. You have inherent magic and face those, as well.”
“I’m not…human.”
“You are. It’s sometimes easier to say human rather than use the other word: mundane.”
“So those without magic or powers or shifting abilities, or who aren’t fae, are mundane?”
“Everyone who’s not fae is considered human. The fae are a whole other thing.”
She shook her head. “This is all so confusing.”
“I know,” I said softly. “It’s probably going to be very confusing for a long while. You’ll get the hang of it, though.”
“You say that, and yet I don’t know if I believe you.”
I rubbed her chin again, needing her touch. Her eyes darkened, and my bear smiled. “Give yourself time. It’s the best you can hope for.”
“I suppose so.”
“Back to what I was saying. Fae are a whole other subset of those with magic and power. We don’t know much about them because they’re so insular. Some live within our borders, but usually, they are the ones outside of their caste system. Beyond their royal lines. Aspen, the fae leader here, is a friend of sorts. Shifters have their own governing laws and bodies and rules of magic. Witches are the most connected to humans, although depending on how the power is passed through generations, the magic is often so diluted that it feels as if they are mundane—at least to themselves. I tend to call them humans or mundanes, but not all non-magical creatures who know about the existence of magic like that word. It depends on the person.”
She reached up to rub her temples, and I wanted to kiss the pain away. I resisted the urge. Barely.
“Either way, I’m a witch with a water affinity and far more power than I even imagined. And, I can heal quickly.”
“You’re going to be okay,” I whispered.
“I don’t know if any of us will be okay until we figure out exactly what’s going on.”
I looked at her then, my thumb rubbing across her unhurt cheek. “What is going on, Sage?”
“What is this?” she whispered.
“You know.”
“I didn’t expect this…this pull I feel. Is it magic?”
“In a sense. It’s not bad. It’s not pulling you against your will or going against your wants and needs. But it’s there. A connection so instant, yet one you have to build on for it to remain true.”
“I don’t know what I want, Rome. I need time. I need to think.”
I nodded but leaned forward, my mouth a breath from hers. “Well, before you think, I need to do this.”
Meeting her gaze, waiting for her to say no in any way, I pressed my lips to hers. My bear growled, pushed at me, needing more. She tasted of honey and sweetness, and an intoxicating magic all her own. Her flavor burst on my tongue, and the man in me growled, needing more. I didn’t lean in. I didn’t grab her and pull her against me. I didn’t throw her on the countertop and make her mine. I didn’t sink into her. Instead, I let out another small growl, a breath, and kissed her again. She kissed me back, and I knew I was lost.
Because no matter what happened, no matter the darkness, or Faith, or magic, or whatever connections faltered, I knew this woman was mine.
No matter that my pack would reject everything and create more agony than was desired, this woman was my mate.
And I would die to protect her.
I would sacrifice anything to have her.
Chapter Eleven
Sage
The following day, I swore I could still feel the burn of Rome’s lips against mine. I had thought about dating again after losing Rupert. It had been more than enough time, according to some people in my past. And I would always love my husband. But before I even decided to move here, I had decided it was time for me to start a new life—including dating and possibly finding happiness again. I had no idea that it might include spending time with a man who could shift into a grizzly bear—one who called me his mate. But I had no clue about a lot of my life right now.
“Where is your head at?” Rowen asked as she paced in front of me, looking down at the book in her hands. We were behind her large home, one right off the main street near all the historical houses I’d loved that first day I walked through.
The night before, I had left Rome’s place, my knees shaking and a goodbye sputtering off my lips as I tried to come to terms with the fact that I had enjoyed our kiss and wanted more. And then Rowen had texted me to tell me that we would be training today.
I was no longer of the belief that I imagined what I saw, what I felt. There was no way I could imagine all of this.
The world that I now resided in was far different from the one I had grown up believing in. And that meant I was finding my path, even if it was a little different.
I was meant to be here. Perhaps I had been all along.
Now, I needed to find my strength.
“Seriously, where is your head?” Laurel asked from beside me. She sat on a large boulder, the trees surrounding her framing her in a perfect, picturesque way. She had one ankle over her knee, her sword out as she polished it. It made a soft, metallic ringing sound every time she ran her supplies over the blade. Once again, I remembered that this was a new life for me. It would take a little bit of getting used to.
“Sorry, I was thinking about last night,” I said quickly.
Rowen gave me a knowing smile. “You mean Faith? Or how a certain bear quickly hurried you off to take care of you.”
“I don’t think it has anything to do with Faith,” Laurel said, her tone teasing.
I knew my cheeks blushed a deep red, and I shrugged. “He kissed me.”
“That’s all?” Laurel asked.
“Shush, let her finish.” Rowen paused, leaned forward. “And?”
I shook my head, grateful I could speak about it at all. I hadn’t had girlfriends in Virginia, and the lack of those relationships was only now dawning on me. “And that was it. We talked, he cleaned my wound after I told him exactly what had happened with Faith, what I explained to you, and then he kissed me. And I guess I kissed him back. I don’t know.”