“So mote it be,” I whisper to the moon. “So mote it be.”
I am still whispering it as I fall asleep.
* * *
Sweet Dreams Spell Jar
To sleep with peace, deeply and easily gather the following items:
A jar to hold the spell, but it must have a lid
Blue celestite chips for sleep
Dried chamomile for peace
Rosemary for focus
Jasmine for waking happily and rested
A little sugar for sweet dreams
Add each ingredient in the order above. As you add them make sure you tell each item their purpose. Then light a soft blue or white candle and seal your jar.
Sleep well, sleep deep. Those sweet dreams are for you to keep.
So mote it be.
Chapter Fourteen
Ryker
I didn’t doubt that Idalis was my mate. It’s not the kind of knowledge that can be doubted. Not the kind of feeling that can be second-guessed for long. It’s far above the level of thought.
But if I had doubted, all of those doubts would have disappeared as she came for me, over and over again, and with me, staring into my eyes as if she had never seen anything more intriguing or precious.
When I finally come inside her one final time and find myself dragged down to the depths of a peaceful sleep, I have the feeling the night will last forever. It’s as if the moon has stopped time for us, and I don’t need to worry about the sunrise, or the following days, or my place in the army waiting for me even now.
I don’t have to worry about anything.
I’m no longer cursed, and I’m no longer alone. For the first time, I close my eyes in a perfect world. Idalis lies next to me, her heart beating fast but settling slowly as sleep takes her under as well.
I would linger in this night forever if fate would let us.
Instead I sleep, deep and dreamless, somehow aware of her next to me. My wolf reaching out for her every so often to be sure my mate is safe and sound.
She is. She will always be safe beside me. Time has made me a great warrior and perhaps that’s what I needed to be so I could live up to be fated to the powerful witch.
I’ve a few shallow dreams that are mostly fragments. Sounds and scents. Memories of Idalis in the candlelight above me and under me, the tiny flames reflecting in her gorgeous eyes.
The world has not been stopped by the moon after all. The night moves slowly through its remaining hours. I don’t care about the world outside the cottage, but my wolf has an understanding that is rooted deeper into the ground, and he keeps watch, as he always has.
I wake slowly wishing a new day would hold off. The gods could not stop the new day from coming, but it is waking up slowly as well. The sunlight that caresses Idalis’s windows is gentle. It is early yet.
Idalis sleeps deeply in my arms, her breathing slow and steady. There is no worry in her. No tensions. She’s let all her weight fall onto me in the night.
For a while, I simply lie there, savoring the moment. My mate. My beautiful and powerful mate. How have I gotten so lucky?
Many men have trusted me with their lives during my time in the army. I’ve taken that trust as the sacred bond that it was. I didn’t think I would experience a bond more sacred. I would have sworn there would never be one.
