Chapter
Seven
My wolf’snudge pulled me from sleep just before dawn.
When I opened my eyes, Alice was looking back at me. Even with her hair in a tangled mass and her skin still showing signs of burns, she was so beautiful that my heart leapt.
“Did I wake you up?” I asked. She should still be sleeping. I hoped I hadn’t accidentally touched one of her burns or snored too loudly. I’d been tired enough to snore.
“No,” she said. Her voice wobbled.
I touched her jaw in a spot that hadn’t been burned. “What’s wrong?”
Her chin quivered almost imperceptibly. I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t been touching her.
“I don’t want you to go,” she said.
I hadn’t said a word about leaving. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. And yet she feared I might leave.
She was awake. She wasn’t delirious. She wasn’t hallucinating or in shock anymore. She knew what she was saying, and she wanted me to stay.
I leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss that she returned.
“I don’t want to go either,” I said. “So that’s fine. Just rest.”
I tried to cradle her right hand. She sucked in a breath and flinched. I let go instantly. Her fingers were still puffy and red from the burns.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Is there anything I can do to help you? Can Malcolm??—”
She shook her head. “Malcolm’s drained to nothing. Can you get my healing spells for me? There’s a wooden box in my second drawer in the bathroom. Don’t open it; just bring it to me.”
She sounded much stronger now. Her cheeks had some color. And she’d asked me to get her box of spells instead of trying to get up and get it herself. On the one hand, that seemed like such a small thing, but it wasn’t.
For the first time since my phone rang at work and I’d realized it was her calling for help, I took a full, deep breath.
“Okay.” Very carefully, I unwrapped myself from around her and slid out from under the covers. I missed having her beside me immediately.
I hurried to the bathroom and found the box. It was made of wood, about ten inches square, with a thick lid and a surprisingly heavy clasp. The magic on the box and the lock snapped at my fingers, but the stings were minimal.
When I returned, she was lying on her back with her head on a pillow. Moving carefully so I didn’t jostle the bed too much, I knelt next to her.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, indicating the box. “What are these carvings?”
“Runes to keep anyone from sensing the spells inside.” She took the box and drew three symbols on its lid with her fingertip before opening it.
The box was filled with crystals in a dozen shapes, sizes, and colors. With its lid open, magic rolled out of the box, all of it Alice’s. I wanted to bask in those warm sensations.
That little bit of euphoria didn’t last long.
“This is a powerful healing spell,” she said, holding up a purple crystal in her swollen fingers. Both her tone and her gaze turned steely. “I’m pretty sure it will be enough to heal the burns and the rest of the damage, but it’s going to be painful. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen one used, so I just wanted you to know what to expect so you’re not surprised. Don’t touch me until the spell is done.”
I had both yearned for this moment and dreaded it since Malcolm had mentioned Alice’s strong healing spells yesterday.
I hadn’t seen anyone use a strong healing spell, but I’d witnessed numerous werewolves experiencing their first shifts. I’d gone through my own first shift, though the memory of that indescribable agony was dulled by twenty years and all the times I’d shifted since.
I didn’t know how that level of pain compared to whatever Alice would go through to use this healing spell, but I suspected it might be close.
My wolf stared at me, bright-eyed.Find another way.
