She took it and raised it to her nose, inhaling. “Wolf,” she said with surety.
My mouth dropped open. “How?”
Gretchen placed the hairs into Saben’s outstretched palm, then quickly crossed the room to the spell room. Then I saw Saben begin to grind them in a stone pedestal.
Meeting my eyes, Gretchen held my gaze. “Not just a wolf,yourwolf.”
“What?” I asked dumbfounded.
Jax stepped closer to me offering support as I tossed her words around in my head. “My werewolf, like the hairs were …?”
Gretchen placed two hands on my shoulders. “Call your father, dear. I’m going to need his blood to keep your mate alive. Call your mother too, I need her to confirm my suspicions.”
My breath sucked in at the doom in her voice, the surety at which she felt Gavin’s life hung in the balance. Shit! The blood of an Alpha werewolf made for powerful spell casting. It meant Gavin needed to be hit with the heavy, lifesaving magic.
Nodding, I spoke to my father through the pack bonds.‘Papa, we need you and Mom at the witches’ house.’I paused before I decided to tell the truth.‘My mate is dying.’What else was there to say? My father may not be ready for me to meet my mate, but he wouldn’t want him dead.
I felt his shock ripple through the pack bond.‘We’re coming,’he sent back and I knew they would come as fast and they could.
Gretchen pulled out some scissors and cut off Gavin’s clothes leaving him only in his tight black boxer briefs. I tried not to look, to give him privacy in his time of sickness, but my eyes roamed over his body taking in his tight muscles. Jesus, he was gorgeous. Feeling Jaxon’s eyes on me, I looked away clearing my throat.
‘My arms are bigger. I bet I can bench more than him,’Jax stated and I rolled my eyes.
‘He’s dying, no jokes please,’I scolded him.
‘Sorry, I can’t help it,’Jax retorted.
“Anya, run a cool salt bath. Three drops lavender, one drop sage.” Gretchen gave me a task for which I was grateful. I needed to busy my hands and not let my mind run rampant. I was going over last night in my head. He said I looked familiar, and he touched my wolf’s fur in a sensual way. Did he recognize on some level that I was his mate? Did touching my fur do something to him?
I walked into the large guest bathroom just off the living room and drew the bath to Gretchen’s specifications. I wasn’t a healing witch but I was a witch, so I let my hand swirl over the water, sending magic mist into it with intentions of healing. I stepped aside as Jaxon and Saben lowered Gavin in.
Seeing my unconscious, half-naked mate lying in a witch’s bathtub was a really low point for me. Was this seriously how it was going to go down? No romance or cute conversations. Just … this …
Suddenly, my father stormed into the house, my mother in tow.
“Anya!” he shouted frantically down the hall.
I pushed past the boys to meet him head on in the hallway. Standing there in front of my dad, I felt like crying. My emotions were raw, I may have just met my mate but before I could even get to know him he was going to die. My throat tightened.
At my thoughts, I felt a surge of Alpha power flood the pack bond. My father was lending me his strength, and for that I was grateful. Now was not the time to fall apart. I nodded and addressed them both. “Gretchen needs Alpha blood for a spell.”
My mother pushed past my father and reached for my hand. “Tell us everything.”
Before I could say anything, Gretchen was there wearing knee length cut-off jean shorts and a peace sign t-shirt. She had an eagle feather tied in her hair and ash on her forehead. Whoa. Okay. Shit just got real. Gretchen was in full on hippie witch mode.
“Aurora, I need your help in confirming my suspicions. You of all people will know what the boy is,” Gretchen told my mother.
“Mom?” I looked at her confused, but my mother just stared at Gretchen, something unspoken passing between them and a lightbulb seemed to go off in my mom’s head.
Gretchen moved to my father’s side to take his blood as my mother slipped off her shoes and walked into the bathroom. Upon seeing Gavin limp in the bathtub, shallow breathing, her hand went to her mouth. Her motherly instinct had kicked in and she crossed the room quickly, shoving Jax and Saben aside. She rolled up her pants and stepped into the large bathtub, leaning over Gavin to smell him. Her mouth hung open in shock and as she reached down to grab his hand and smell him again, she was sucked into a vision. I had seen my mother have visions hundreds of times; far off look in her eye, rigid body stance, but never had I seen such horror cross her features. Whatever vision she was having, was not good. I swooped in to catch her as she slowly sat on the edge of the tub, coming out of the vision and looking at me, tears in her eyes.
The entire group crowded at the bathroom door as my mother touched my face. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”
Fear clenched my gut at my mother’s words. What did she see? “What is it?!”
My mom looked lovingly at Gavin. “He is your mate, but he’s a shaman and he’s dying.”
My wolf went apeshit at her words, bones cracked as she tried to force the shift and protect him. I had to push her down hard to remain human.
