“I’m serious, Max. I treated you poorly and for that I am responsible, there’s no way around it.”
I cup the hand that’s holding my face and kiss his palm. “You’re making it right. That’s all that matters.”
“Thank you for telling me about the vision. Maybe we can talk more about her. I would like to––I would like to remember more of her.”
“I’d love that. To be honest I was a little terrified just now.” We both laugh a little, then he pulls me closer and rests his forehead against mine.
“I never want you to be terrified of me.”
“But I’m terrified of everything.” I’m only half joking, but either way he makes a face like I’ve said something really dumb.
“No you’re not. You’re one of the bravest wolves I know.”
He kisses me under the stars. When we pull back he looks up at the blanket of twinkling lights once more. “It’s funny,” he says. “I can feel her. I feel more connected to her here than anywhere else. I wish I hadn’t stayed away so long.”
“We can come back,” I say. “Every year.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, this place is freaking paradise. Of course we can come back.”
“I’d like that.”
I wrap my arms around his and hug him tightly, resting my head on his shoulder.
“Max, do you want to try the mind-link again?”
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US
We sit by the fire facing each other. Jasper pulls his pack to him and rummages around in it before grabbing out the hessian bag full of whatever he bought at the crystal and incense shop in town. He tosses his pack aside and opens the bag.
“Whatcha got there?” I ask, rubbing my knees a little nervously.
“Just some things that are supposed to help with the mind-link.”
Almost ceremoniously he pulls items from the bag, one by one, and starts placing them around us. The first is a large crystal, the pastel-pink color of Turkish delight, which he sits between us.
“This is rose quartz,” he says. “It’s good for removing emotional blockages and balancing chakras.”
“Blockages and what? You think we’re blocked?”
He smiles at me, the fire dancing in his eyes. “No. It’s just an aid, to help open the channels of emotional connection.”
I quirk an eyebrow at him and he tilts his head, his expression softening.
“Don’t read too much into it.”
“Okay, what else you got in there Mary Poppins?”
He pulls out another crystal, this one a little smaller and a deep, stunning purple. In the darkness of the night the surface reflects the fire and the stars like oil.
“This is amethyst. It’s supposed to help us communicate on a spiritual level.”
He places the amethyst to his right and goes back to the bag. The next crystal is blue and semitransparent.
“Chrysocolla.”
“Gesundheit.”
