Page 77 of Only You, No One Else

Riley’s immense power surrounded him again, and in the second it took for him to gasp, it somehow pulled his wolf to the fore. Mark had the unsettling experience of looking into his wolf’s amber gaze, somehow together in the mind space they shared. The animal planted its feet and roared. The sound lacked the signature howl of his kind. It was the sound of a different animal. It echoed through his mind, and followed a path from that shared space both sides of him occupied to spill out of his open mouth.

He opened his eyes to see the tear stitch together as the sound tore out of him. Buoyed by the strength his wolf supplied and the power Riley’s spell granted, Mark called on all his strength, allowing the unfamiliar roar to fill every cell. The tear closed all the way, the light it had let through swallowed up by the darkness surrounding them. When that light was just a speck in the endless darkness, Mark’s roar died down, his wolf retreated, and he became a single entity again.

The hum of the Underworld’s call was gone, and foreign pride swelled in his heart. The pride gave rise to something else there, a new piece of himself he hadn’t known was present. A power he could now feel as tangible as his wolf was.

The more you use that power, the stronger it will get.

But why would the Goddess grant him a power such as this? Mark didn’t see any good that could come from travelling to the Underworld whenever he wanted.

It is all about balance.

His questions seeking clarification from Pierce took a back seat to the power drawing him through the darkness once again. The sliver of light gone, he couldn’t see Riley, but his power was unmistakable as it carried them to the safety of the world of the living. Balance or not, the Underworld was not a place he wished to remain in longer than was necessary.

The return journey through the darkness took only a few seconds, and he gasped for air the moment his essence returned to his corporeal form, grasping Caster’s arm for support. He looked for Riley, thankful to see him return to his body. But Pierce did not reappear. Even the sense of him that seemed to follow them around from the moment they’d summoned him was gone.

CHAPTER 51

Caster refused to let Mark go even as he tried to sit up, brushing aside his attempts to make sure he was not harmed. It had been the longest half hour of his life, one that he’d spent with all his attention on the slowed rate of Mark’s heart. The moment its volume increased would perhaps be the happiest of his life. All fear that he had lost the one person he loved beyond reason had disappeared into a relief so strong he was unsure he could stand.

“Where is he?” He heard Cy’s question, but the meaning escaped him as he continued to reassure himself Mark was OK.

“He got what he came for,” Riley said, and Caster looked at his best friend. Riley was paler than he’d ever seen him, which increased his fear that perhaps they had not escaped the Underworld unharmed. “We have one more thing to do…” His words ended on a sigh so uncharacteristic of Riley, Caster’s worry increased.

“Yes, we need to find her,” Edie said, moving to stand next to Riley as if to offer her support. “Amara, Amelia and I will do it.”

“Everyone, get some rest. A few hours at least,” Marcus said. “The house remains protected?”

Riley nodded, still seeming more tired than Caster had ever thought one with so much power could be. But Marcus was right; they needed to take a breath, gather their strength. Even with just the Power of the Water, Ethel could not be underestimated.

“Are you OK?” Mark’s whisper drew him away from the fear and worry still roiling around in his mind.

“Are you?”

Mark nodded, reinforcing his affirmative reply by pushing to his feet. The steady beat of his heart grew stronger with each passing second, and his mind remained closed as it had been before he’d travelled to the Underworld. Caster was proud of him for holding on to that barrier despite what must have been a terrifying experience, but as he led them to their room, there was no mistaking the palpable change in Mark. Something was different.

His hands found Mark’s hair as soon as their door locked out the whole world, keeping the witch and all their problems out of reach for now. Caster wanted nothing more than to reassure himself that Mark was here, still alive, still his.

Mark moaned with each pass of his hand through his hair, his eyes drifting shut.

“No, baby. Look at me. Let me see you.” The words weighed on Caster’s tongue. The darkness of the Underworld was a memory to him, a moment he vowed to banish out of his mind. Yet, he’d allowed the most important person in his life to visit that awful place.

Mark opened his eyes. The amber of his animal battled the brown of his human form, and Caster frowned.

“Are you OK?”

Mark pushed closer to him, his body pressing against Caster’s. The intense battle of need their proximity often aroused rose from the fore, fighting for his attention the longer they remained close. But he wanted to reassure himself of Mark’s safety more.

He pulled at his hand, leading him to the couch. Until he accepted the comfort the piece of furniture provided, Caster had underestimated how tired he was. Some of his fatigue was a consequence of failing to feed, but he couldn’t think about that right now. Mark’s mind remained closed, and as much as he wanted him to be in control of that barrier, the loss of that intimate connection brought him unwanted sadness.

That sadness disappeared a minute later when Mark laid his head on his shoulder, still saying nothing, his mind still shuttered.

“Tell me?”

“I did it.” His voice was a hoarse whisper, as if he too was too tired for the moment. “I closed it. It felt…”

Caster was jarred by the sudden release of a flood of Mark’s consciousness into his own. Thoughts of a strength, more strength than Mark ever believed he could possess, were tinged by confusion. He wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer.

Mark startled him by sitting up. “It doesn’t make sense. Why would I have that power? What good does it do?”