Cage Me: A Wolf Shifter Romantasy (Immortal Vices and Virtues: Shadow Shifter Bonds Book 1)

Chapter 21

Natalia’s question leaves me speechless. I might even be in a bit of shock with that revelation. My head begins to pound, and my heart races as I think back to all the fights that occurred in our home growing up. Worse, the more physical ones that transpired when I became more than just a pathetic pup.

Every single memory begins with me charging forward to stop my sperm donor from laying into my mother or keeping Peter out of harm’s way. Never once had I been the initial target.

Holy shit.

Something specific Lia said last night comes back to me as I try to level out my breathing…you just might find that you’ve attracted all the right people into your life.

I’ve attracted them. Had the unknown shifter used that word on purpose? Does she know what I am or what I can do? Suddenly, I want to go track her down and ask a few more questions.

“So, I understand what all that means on a surface level,” I finally say, “but something tells me you’re not just pointing out the obvious here.”

The witch leans forward on the counter and smiles. “You’re starting to figure me out.”

“More accurately, I’m realizing that the moment you stopped needing me more than I needed you, you decided to have fun with my life.” Not that I think she’s being sinister about any of this, but the more the scales tip in Natalia”s favor, the more changes I can see in her.

Her grin remains. “Just be thankful I don’t intend to take too much advantage of that. Now, for your abilities.” She points to the vial still in my hand. “Drink that when you’re ready. It should enlighten you to the point that you’ll sense the varying levels of your energy. Your human form, your wolf form, and the magic that makes you who you are. Focus on the thrum of your power and, if you’re truly ready, the rest will make sense when it’s time.”

Her words don’t give me a lot of confidence as far as what I’m going to learn, but before I can ask any other questions, she dismisses us.

“Now, get out of my shop.” Natalia points to the front door. “I have work to do, lives to save, and spells to perfect.”

She isn’t wrong about that.

“We’ll see you first thing in the morning, then,” I say as I take Drake’s hand and head for the exit.

He squeezes my fingers as we leave Spells but waits until we’re in the alleyway again before speaking. “Are you going to drink whatever is in that vial?”

Yeah, something tells me he might not be thrilled about this plan of Natalia’s.

I hold the clear liquid up, inspecting it for anything unusual, but there’s nothing to see besides the obvious.

“What she said makes sense,” I tell him, pocketing the vial. “Even Lia said that I attract the right people in my life. Makes me curious, you know?”

His stare focuses on mine, and he reaches up to roll a section of my hair between his fingers. “I do and I won’t tell you not to do this, just like you didn’t tell me not to unlock my wolf when I could have died, but I won’t lie. Her spells make me nervous.”

What he’s not outright saying is that he hasn’t had a great experience with witches in the past and trusting one so explicitly now feels wrong, but he doesn’t need to come right out with those words for me to take them into consideration.

“How about I show the vial to Kasha?” I suggest. “She isn’t a witch, but she’s still familiar with magic. Maybe she can give us more insight than Natalia was willing to.”

His shoulders drop, and the beginnings of a smile start to appear on his face. “That might be best.”

I don’t fault him for his suspicion. While I do trust Natalia, we’ve asked a lot of her and she’s never before mentioned this about me. Considering how long she’s been playing with my blood, getting a second opinion can’t hurt.

“Want to try your ring out?” I ask with excitement. “We could shift and run back to the house. Normally I walk, but I also haven’t been getting out as much as usual these last few days. I can’t imagine your wolf would be upset by the short run.”

Drake’s chest rumbles, making us both chuckle. “No, I don’t think he would be.” He glances at the black ring now placed on his right pointer finger. “Do I need to do anything special, or it just works on its own?”

“Mostly, it works on its own, but I still instinctively think about my clothes when I shift,” I say with a shrug. “I’d rather put forth more effort than have something go wrong.”

“Right.” His jaw tenses, and he looks away from me.

I step closer, forcing him to meet my stare. “What’s wrong?”

“I was just picturing you being naked in public.” He shakes his head. “I understand why you didn’t like me being that way before.”

His admission makes me laugh. “Well, it’s a good thing we don’t have to worry about that any longer.” I grab his hand and lead him out of the alleyway. “Let’s shift.”

Once we have a bit more room, Drake calls his wolf forward first. I watch closely, curious if there are any other differences between us since he’s technically a different kind of wolf shifter from me.

Outside of a brief appearance of a shadow around his body, the process is very much the same as mine. Before I shift, I give his wolf a scratch on the head. “You’re lucky I still like you after you bit me last time.”

The beast growls, but the sound is playful. His tongue drops out and he leans forward. Before I realize what he’s going to do, the damn wolf licks the entire side of my face.

My eyes squeeze closed, and I jump back, pulling my shirt up to wipe off my face. “You’re…”

I don’t even know what to say or do. The action takes me by complete surprise, and when I can see again, he’s sitting in front of me, tongue still out and eyes bright.

The little fucker is proud of himself and, honestly, I can’t be mad.

He’s too damn cute. Though, I don’t say that out loud. The scary wolf shifter might not appreciate being called “cute.”

Instead, I shake a finger at him and feign annoyance. “Bad wolf. No biting or licking when I’m still human. Save that shit for my own wolf.”

He lets out another grumble and I hope that’s his agreement because I’d love not to be blindsided every time he shifts.

Calling my wolf forward, energy moves through my body, and I give in to the power of my inner beast. Her presence grows stronger as my muscles and bones start to contort. Within the next second, I’m standing on all fours.

Drake’s wolf wastes no time coming over, and in the next second, his tongue laps at my wolf’s face. Only she doesn’t back away, she starts doing the same to him.

Well, aren’t they adorable. Wel,, as long as they keep the tongue-lashings to themselves.

The only time I want to be licked is by Drake himself and much further south than my face.

“That witch is a genius,” Kasha says as soon as I finish explaining not only about what Natalia said about my wolf, but everything else we didn’t have time to say this morning about Kel. Still, the hybrid doesn’t seem fazed by the danger.

She holds the vial within her fingers and grins at me. “I knew there was something different about you. I just hadn’t been able to figure out what. You have a very strong energy inside you that now makes a lot more sense.”

“But do you think whatever is in there is safe for Spencer?” Drake nods toward the spell from Natalia. He’s still riddled with tension that I haven’t been able to calm out of him, not even when I’ve tapped into our bond.

Kasha turns the liquid over in her hands before closing her fingers. Her eyes shut, and there’s a hum of power that ripples through the air right before she looks at us again. “Safe as water from a fresh spring. You might be tired afterward, but you’ll be okay, even if it doesn’t work.”

My head tilts to the side as I accept the vial back from Kasha. “Natalia said something about needing to wait until I’m calm, but keeping my cool probably isn’t going to happen until Kel is dead. Should I even bother taking this now?”

“You’ve spent your entire life hiding who you truly are.” She points at me. “Even now, there’s a wall around you. I think she meant more about that than your overall vibe. If you’re not ready to relinquish the security of said wall, then you’re not ready. There’s not much magic can do about that unless greater measures are taken, but something tells me that’s not an option.”

Her gaze flicks toward Drake, and I grin. She’s not wrong.

I place my hand on his thigh and give it a squeeze. “Doesn’t sound like it can hurt to at least give this a try.”

“Right now?” he asks, still sounding as if he has reservations.

I nod, because I can’t think of any other better time. I suspect tomorrow we will be leaving to head North as Lia advised. Plus, right now, both Peter and my mom are napping. I don’t have to worry about freaking them out if something doesn’t quite go to plan.

His hand settles over mine, and he presses down firmly. “Let’s do this, then.”

Kasha claps her hands and stands, but it’s Drake’s steady gaze that keeps my attention. Any reservations he had just moments ago are gone. I can’t even sense anything lingering through our bond.

“If you’re sure after talking with Kasha, then so am I,” he says with a true smile. “You’re going to be fine.”

My confidence in this whole thing increases tenfold. It isn’t until hearing his support that I realize I’ve had my own doubts this whole time about not being ready.

As much as I know that by understanding my wolf better, we’ll stand a better chance against Kel, Kasha had been right. I’ve spent my whole life hiding who I am and combining that with Drake’s uncertainties, I had no idea what to expect.

But now, I have no doubt that this is going to work. Whatever I’ve been keeping locked away is about to be unleashed, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the idea of possibly no longer hiding myself. At least, not in the ways I have been all these years.

We step out into the yard where Kasha already waits, and the vial of magic in my hand warms. I hope you’re ready for this, too, I say to my wolf.

Her responding rumble tells me that she’s at least not against the idea.

“What does she need to do?” Drake asks. “Drink it and wait or shift?”

Kasha shrugs. “It’s not my spell. I’m only here to watch. The rest is up to your mate.”

I grab Drake’s arm and turn him toward me. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to drink this, and then we wait to see what happens. Natalia would have told me if I needed to shift.”

I’m pretty sure anyway.

He cups my face and kisses my forehead. “Then, I’ll be right here waiting with you.”

My heart swells, and I take a deep inhale, soaking up the strength he has to offer me through our bond.

Uncorking the vial, I don’t hesitate in drinking the whole thing in one big gulp. There’s nothing to taste. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Natalia is fucking with us and that this is just water. Except it’s only seconds later that my skin begins to pebble and my legs grow weak.

“I think I need to sit down,” I say, my voice a bit garbled.

“Lay on the grass,” Kasha says, but she sounds far away. “The earth will help ground you.”

Of course, the half-fae would tell me that. Still, I take her advice and, with the help of Drake, lie down on my back and close my eyes.

The sun’s warmth covers my body, and my heart starts to slow as every part of me feels weighed down. I try to open my eyes but can’t seem to move. Am I sinking now?

It’s like half of my body is being pulled into the dirt and the other is trying to stay rooted to the surface, but none of it is painful. A little awkward, but only because this has never happened to me.

Energy swirls within my core like a bright light growing stronger with every beat of my heart. Slow yet steady.

My wolf is there with me, but instead of becoming weaker like I feel, she’s only getting more powerful as if taking my life force for herself. The thought should scare me, but I couldn’t be calmer if I tried.

In fact, I’m tempted to take a nap right here within the cocoon of the earth, blanketed by the sun’s rays.

Not just yet, the voice I know belongs to my wolf says. We have work to do.

Hmmm.I want to say more. At least I think I should, but I’m just so tired.

You’re not tired, she says. You’re in a state of rest, thanks to Natalia’s spell that has allowed me to form a deeper consciousness within your mind.

Alright. I stretch the word out with a yawn.

Spencer!she snaps with a sharp growl that almost feels as though she’s slapped me. Wake up.

I shake my head. At least that’s what I visualize doing as I sink further into the comforts of the earth around me.

If you keep doing that, you’re never going to see Drake again.

This time, her words send a panic through me that clears some of the fog from my mind. What do you mean?

You’re technically dying right now,she says so casually that I expect her to laugh, but the weaker I become, the more I don’t think that’s too far from the truth.

What did Natalia do to me?I try to scramble for the surface, to escape the darkness I so easily succumbed to, but the harder I fight against the weight pressing back, the farther away I feel from my mate.

She doesn’t understand everything there is to know about us, my wolf says sourly. Her intentions were sincere, but there is more at play than even she realizes. Because of that, you weren’t properly prepared. Though, this really is the only way. It would have happened eventually. I only didn’t fight back because I still have an anchor to our reality with Drake’s wolf. He’s the only reason we’re not dead already.

Well, isn’t that just awesome and a fact that makes me want to murder that fucking witch. Her and her theories.

Natalia isn’t to blame, my wolf corrects. She must have assumed that you and I are more bonded, but your need for concealing yourself all these years has put a wall between us. It’s time to shatter that barrier.

Another yawn rolls through me. But I’m so weak.

I just need you to stay awake and to remember where we belong, she says confidently. Picture Drake, your mother, and your little brother. Remember how much they need you to stay awake.

Not that I’m afraid of a little pain, but is this going to hurt?The way she’s talking, I feel as though I should be bracing myself for something I’m not prepared for.

Her energy drapes over me, relieving me of any uncertainty. There shouldn’t be any pain. You just need to keep your awareness intact.

I feel confident I can do that, but then another yawn escapes me, and I tell her to hurry up. I don’t know how long I can ignore the inviting nature, waiting for me to join its warmth. Not that I hear any other voices, but whatever waits for me, whatever is calling me farther into the earth… There are promises of peace, and I can’t remember a moment in my life where that’s truly something I’ve ever had for longer than brief flickers.

This doesn’t mean you can’t still have peace, my wolf reminds me, her presence growing stronger. When I break this wall down, you’re going to be consumed by my energy. That should be enough to jolt you back to the surface. Just be ready.

I have no clue what wall she keeps talking about. I’ve never sensed a separation between us, but I take her word for it. The faces of my mate and my family rotate through my mind while I ignore the echoes of harshness around me.

The first time I saw Drake and all the pain I sensed in his eyes that had me running away. The day Peter was born and how complete my heart finally felt, but also how terrified I was of the world he was being brought into. The warmth of my mother’s smile as she cared for my broken wrist when I was only nine.

Each memory that flashes through my thoughts grows stronger, more powerful, reminding me of the love I have waiting for me if only I can just hang in there long enough for my wolf to?—

A shock zaps my chest, and my eyes fly open, only it’s not Drake’s face that I see, it’s my wolf’s. She’s standing over me in all her glory, not a single part of her being held back.

Her brilliant white coat is glowing with the force of a thousand suns behind her. It should be blinding, but I’m like a moth to a flame, unable to stop myself from reaching for her.

Wolf. The reverence she exudes fills my entire being with pounding energy. She is light, she is strength, she is…pure.

No, we are.

Images flash through my mind that I shouldn’t have knowledge of. People I’ve never met and then my mother. They’re strangers, but they feel like family just as my wolf is to me.

I’m inches from grasping her fur, the need to touch her overwhelming, when her paw lifts up and slams onto my stomach. My body folds in half, and I suck in dry air, coughing until I’m choking from the amount of power consuming me.

Fight, Spencer, she reminds me. Never stop fighting.

Her light begins to fade, as do the images, and for the first time in my life, I finally know who I am, who we are.