Lycan loved being touched by his Alpha. Usually, touch led to other things, but not here, of course, so the comfort of Seath’s warm hand was all Lycan needed to ground himself.
In a way, the touches leading to sex were easier than this. Lycan understood sex with Seath—it was instinct and following his body, something his body remembered from . . .well, from somewhere. But it was up there, in his mind with the Krav Maga and swordplay stances. He knew how to listen to his body. But this, having someone be there for him, lend him strength both literally and metaphorically was something new. Something different than evenbefore.
Lycan’s mind spiraled for a moment. Maybe he didn’t want to know too much aboutbefore. Now that he was here, now that there was the chance to know . . .maybe he should just stay ignorant of the whole thing.
Seath looked down at him with concern, sensing something. Lycan felt a small smile even then. Seath could feel him on a level Lycan couldn’t even grasp.
Maybebeforedidn’t matter ifnowgave him Seath.
He reached up and took Seath’s hand, squeezing it lightly and Seath brushed a kiss across his head that calmed his racing mind.
Enid, an Elf from the forest Lycan now knew well, hovered to his left, and Serepta to the right. The circle was bigger this time, seven in the inner and thirteen in the outer circle of the stone table. Elves, witches, and Caine made up the full coven.
The Fae visitors had arrived at the cavern, exactly on time, but without fanfare. Lycan had taken care of their arrangements for the night, making sure no iron was in their rooms to disturb them and had buckets of clover, lavender, and ferns added to their rooms for their comfort. He, Jamie, and Min had perfected a menu to their tastes, including refreshments in their rooms upon arrival, after the ceremony, and for their journey home.
Mirelle, the leader of the Fae had thanked him for their accommodations and hoped he would come to breakfast with them the next morning with Seath. Other than that, the Fae seemed content as spectators and to understand the lack of demands that the Pack Leadership could currently handle for the sake of hospitality. They had demanded no audience other than the breakfast the next day.
There was no more ceremony to start the coven than last time, despite how many more people were in the room. But Serepta did clear her throat to command attention when they were assembled. From the edges of the cavern, the Fae simply looked on. They presented themselves as young and ethereal, although Lycan knew they could shape-shift if they wanted. Seath had invited them to engage as they would like, and for now, that was as spectators.
“This work must be gentle.” Serepta’s voice carried across the rock cavern. “We know the threads that bind his wolf, his alter, his other half. We have found his senses but must restore the beast in order to restore his memories. That is the work we do today.”
Her voice turned cold, and a shiver raced up Seath’s spine as she spoke.
“Do not stray from the task. Lycan’s mind is full of spellbinding. Fascinating work to some of us, but dangerous for poking around. We come for the wolf and to restore the two parts of this man. We can observe these weaves, but do not let the spellbinding take you from the task. This is delicate work. Later, we can come for the rest.”
A murmur of agreement passed through the coven and Lycan felt the air pull together, a finality to bind the group, the same as if an agreement had been signed on paper. Whatever role the Fae took today, they were in agreement to the terms.
“Seath, you may offer your touch, but you cannot send him your energy during this coven. He will get weak. Magic will exact a price in a physical toll. Can you watch him pay the price without interfering? Sit by and let it happen? Know your mind, because if you can not, I will remove you from this chamber—fated mark or not.”
It would be difficult. Seath knew that from the first coven, and then, he hadn’t known Lycan as his mate. But, he nodded and murmured his agreement, reminding himself and his wolf that it was the price he paid to be there.
“Know yourself, future Alpha,” Mirelle, one of the Fae, warned from the outside of the circle, “understand what is saving him and what is not in this work.”
Seath swallowed hard. “Future Alpha or not, this is your work, and I will follow the coven’s guide.” That was a hard thing to say, a hard submission to make, but that was the way of courage sometimes.
Bravery could be easily seen in the knight coming to the rescue against impossible odds, and how very much Seath wanted to be Lycan’s knight, wanted to fix everything for his mate and set it to rights. But today bravery meant being able to stand down and let someone else be the knight Lycan needed. Someone far better suited than he for this work.
Enid searched his face for a moment with an Elf-like carefulness, and then her eyes shifted to Serepta with a nod and the air once again caught the binding promise. A faint burning smell passed Seath’s nose, as if he had signed a contract, or an oath, by fire.
He shivered, and Serepta gave him a look that put him in his place.
“Let us begin.”
Lycan stared at the moon high in the rock dome of the cavern, as he felt people delve into his mind. He didn’t know how to describe the feeling. Maybe it was a bit like dough Min threw down on the table to knead. Only the dough was his mind, and the coven the kneading hands and fingers pushing and pulling it in various directions.
Images would flash over his brain, too quick to catch.
Dark shadows and shapes flicked endlessly across his mind’s eye. Last time he saw the intricate lace of his mind, this time that image faded as pulls were made against the threads of that fabric. Images came to him instead.
A few he caught. Staring at the moon from a . . .balcony, perhaps? When he tried to focus, the razor wire of his thoughts cut deep, and he felt a collective gasp of the coven. That had hurt badly and his body sagged into the stone from the feeling.
Not the balcony, then, he would avoid that, but he had caught a few things from the fleeting image. That the moon was close, suggesting . . .a tower maybe? Something high, at least. And the moon had glimmered as well, so water somewhere—that thought was cut swiftly by pain great enough to seize his body and make him sweat in the cool air.
The coven shifted, murmuring amongst themselves and Serepta called a break. It felt like minutes to Lycan, but when he blinked back into himself, he could see the light from the top of the cavern had changed as if it had been hours.
“You now know what you are up against, coven.” Serepta flicked her hand and water appeared on the back table of the stone room, along with a sweet-smelling punch. “Hydrate and shake it out, and then we continue.”
“Are you alright, love?” Seath scooped Lycan into his arms, cradling him in his warmth until Lycan was as buried into Seath’s neck and strong arms as he could get.
