All of which we’d find out tomorrow.
CHAPTER 21
EMME
My breaths wheezed in and out, and I spent eight long seconds deciding if my rib was cracked or just bruised. The pain wasn’t horrific, but if the past twenty-plus years had taught me anything, it was that it shouldn’t hurt to breathe.
Slade’s face appeared over the top of mine, his bulk blocking out the cloudy sky above. “You destroyed Horton, Snow. You should be proud of yourself.”
With a groan, I rolled to the side, and for once he allowed me to pull myself to my feet. Through our bond, I could sense that he wanted me to prove to myself that I could get up from the battle. A battle I’d lost, but only by the minutest of margins, since Horton was as injured as me.
“My essence is so much stronger,” I said, lifting my water bottle out of the snowdrift. “I can move—” I gulped down an icy sip— “faster, and my reflexes were so quick that I could track his movements as if they were in slow motion.”
Slade nodded, a pleased expression on his handsome face. “Today you’ve proven to be overall better at shooting, handling your blades, and in general hand-to-hand. Our incomplete bond had been holding you back, little mate. But you’re finally reaching your full potential.”
“All she needs to add in is magic,” Constantine called from nearby, where he’d been patiently waiting for his turn to instruct me. The alpha had stood there in the cold all morning, watching silently, never pushing his time on me.
I gulped down more water, my gaze still locked on Slade, his pleased expression fading to annoyance. I wouldn’t have been surprised to find him debating the importance of Constantine’s existence. Unfortunately, he was still quite important. A conclusion Slade must have also drawn as he exhaled an annoyed gust of smoky air.
My magic had been surging on and off during my training, assisting with reflexes and strength. But it hadn’t burst from its cage. My wolf remained the strongest side of me, standing front and center of the quintet power—and the magic. A magic I still needed to utilize, whether I liked it or not.
Just say the word, Snow. He can disappear as quickly as he arrived.
That was my dragon, giving zero fucks about any shifter outside of our pack. My wolf brushed closer to his beast, allowing our communication to continue internally.Appreciate the sentiment, Scary. But let’s table that conversation for later.
Out loud I added, “Okay, let’s do this magic thing. I want to be my strongest self against Jewels, and I can’t imagine that won’t require magic.”
Finally giving Constantine my undivided attention, I found him looking just as disheveled as the day he arrived. His hair remained tangled, which seemed odd without a beard. I had no idea if he couldn’t grow facial hair or if he just hated it, but it was the only kempt part of him.
He was at least wearing shoes today, which was important during these icy mornings. Even shifters could lose toes to frostbite if they pushed their healing capabilities too far.
His clothing, all of which came from Kellan, was clean and slightly too big. There was nothing about him that suggested he was a strong or dominant alpha, and I wondered if for him the magic tempered the wolf somewhat.
“You hide your true essence well,” I noted flatly.
He shrugged, and it was once again an almost nothing movement. “I’ve had many years of perfecting a forgettable persona.”
“Why?” I knew so little about him, and since I could no longer pretend he didn’t exist, I was ready for information.
His expression softened just enough that it made me feel weird. “Because I shouldn’t exist.”
I almost took a step back like that had been a physical blow. I’d feltthat way about myself many times over the years, like I shouldn’t be here. Having to hide and run meant I never got to find the life I would flourish in—until of course, it was thrust upon me.
Constantine continued, his observant gaze no doubt picking up every one of my reactions. “I spent many decades watching my parents—your grandparents—suffer because of a love that was bigger than their two different species. Once they were gone, I learned to blend into the background and live with humans. They might sense that I’m different, but since they don’t believe in the supernatural, they assume it’s due to my eccentricities.”
He waved his hand over his hair. “Hence the hobo-like appearance I’ve adopted. You’d be amazed at how easily they ignore those of us who are a little…worn out.”
“I lived amongst humans for a near decade,” I reminded him, “and they’re not all bad.”
A lot of the staff I’d worked with in restaurants and cafes had been quite generous and kind to those in need. Those without homes. Those struggling. More than once they’d pooled money to help friends out of bad situations, or to get a coat for someone who didn’t have one for winter. Still, there had been a few who’d avoid and outright mock the humans they believed were beneath them. So, he had a point too.
Humans were multifaceted, just like shifters.
Shifters made their judgements based on power. Everything in life had a hierarchy, and it was never nice to sit at the bottom of it. As an omega, I knew that all too well, but luckily the goddess gave me a kickass pack to boost my credibility.
As if he’d heard that thought, Slade pressed in closer, and I relished the touch of his energy along my skin. “Who were your parents?” I asked Constantine. “What witch line are we from?”
“Alterni,” he said, and I shook my head, having never heard of them before. “It’s one of the ancient lines, just like Termaine. Once upon a time, our two clans were the largest and strongest in the world. Now, though, we’ve all but died out. There’s just us and Jewels left.”
