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

Chapter 22

Awareness of the world around me returns, and so does my hearing. Drake is screaming at Kasha, but I don’t hear her replies if she even gives any. Rolling over onto my side, I finally catch Drake’s attention and he helps me up.

“Fuck, Spencer.” He gathers me into his arms. His body trembles, and I can barely breathe from his tight embrace.

“I told you I would be okay.” My voice is muffled, but he must hear me because he squeezes harder until I wince.

He gently pulls back. “Are you hurt? What happened to you? I thought you…”

“I’m not hurt.” My fingers stroke his cheek, the heat of his skin seeping into me. “You were just holding on a little tight. As far as what happened, my wolf broke the wall I’d apparently built between the two of us, showing me our true power.”

Considering I didn’t die, I don’t see how it would be helpful to tell him that I almost did. It’s not like any of it was intentional. At least, my wolf didn’t think so.

Speaking of… Wolf?

She spoke so clearly in my mind. With the weight of exhaustion pressing in on me, I hadn’t been able to enjoy that fact in the moment, and I wouldn’t be sad if that becomes something we can always do.

Except, the longer I wait, the stronger the silence becomes.

She’s there inside me, more present than ever before, but her voice is gone.

That’s okay, I tell her. We’re still going to be okay. Better than okay.

Her energy blossoms within my chest, and there’s a slight rumble in my mind that I take as her agreement.

“Your skin,” Drake says, pulling me back to the present, “it was turning grey, like a week-old corpse, and your heartbeat was so faint.” He grabs my hands, holding them firmly. “I had no idea what was happening.”

I smile and chuckle. “If it helps, neither did I. My wolf did all the work. All I had to do was lie there.”

“Sooo,” Kasha says from the porch now. “Are you going to leave us in suspense or tell us what you learned so I can decide if it’s worth enough to not retaliate against your mate for his inappropriate threats?”

My gaze goes back to Drake, but he only shrugs. “I told you, I’m not as kind as you think I am. At least, not to anyone but you.”

That’s something I have no problem accepting about him.

“Help me up,” I say to him, then add, “Slowly.”

While I’m pulsing with new power and strength, I’m still weak from taking on so much all at once. Sleep is what I need next, but I know we have some things to discuss. Though, showing them the changes might be fun as well.

Drake gets me on my feet, and I grab his hand. Energy that transforms to heat moves from my core, up to my chest, then straight to my arm and pools within my palm. I panic for a moment when my skin starts to burn, unsure how to get the power from me to Drake, but I close my eyes and take a deep inhale.

As soon as I exhale, the energy inside me moves through my skin and into Drake’s, causing him to come to an abrupt stop next to me. “What the…”

I open my eyes and grin. Even though I can’t see my handiwork myself, I have no doubt that it’s worked based on the widening of Drake’s eyes and how the silver flecks there start to turn white.

“Where the hell did you go?” Kasha says sharply, her eyes narrowed as she searches the yard.

“How did you do that?” my mate asks, seeming to be transfixed with awe.

Kasha’s arms cross, and she’s now staring at us. “Why can I hear you, but not see you?”

I release Drake and expect her glare to drop, but that doesn’t happen. One glance at Drake and his eyes are still glowing with my energy.

Huh. So, I didn’t get it all right, but I’m sure I’ll figure things out soon enough.

Concentrating, I pull my power back to me, calling it away from my mate and toward the well at my core. My knees want to give out from the extra efforts, but I try to hide my exhaustion.

“Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you,” I say to them with a grin.

Drake’s arm wraps around my waist, and I lean into his touch. “You’re resting after this. Whatever this is, it took too much out of you.”

He’s not wrong, and I know we should be prepared for Kel to show up at any moment, but the more open I become, the more I learn, the less I’m worried.

That witch isn’t coming here. We’re going to her.

Drake half carries me into the house, and Kasha leads us to the couch, which I consider a small mercy because sitting on her wooden chairs in the kitchen sounded less fun than nearly being swallowed by the earth.

Leaning back on the cushions, I sink into their offered comfort and roll my neck. Yeah, I could fall asleep right here in the living room, but I know I have some explaining to do first.

“How about some coffee?” Kasha asks pointedly when I yawn widely. “I have some VitaBrew from Natalia.”

I grimace and shake my head. “Just regular coffee is good. I’d actually like to sleep after this conversation. Not two days from now.”

She laughs on her way back to the kitchen. “You’re no fun.”

“What the hell is VitaBrew?” Drake asks when we’re alone again.

“It looks and tastes like coffee but is like a drug the humans called crack or cocaine. Well, nearly like that. If you don’t know what those things are, you’re better off not finding out.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders, allowing me to settle further into the couch.

Kasha comes back with three steaming cups. “Energy minus the cocaine.”

Drake passes, and that doesn’t surprise me given what I’ve just said, but I don’t hesitate to take a long pull from my mug. With a sigh, I rest back on the cushion and smile. “That’s already better.”

“Now, care to tell us why you seem more like an angel to me than a shifter?” Kasha says with unveiled interest.

“Well,” I glance at both of them,” I kind of am.”

Kasha nearly drops her drink and Drake’s face goes pale, both of them making me laugh.

“I’m still a wolf shifter, through and through,” I confirm, “but an albino wolf is only born when an angel blesses them. I’ll have to ask my mother if she remembers meeting anyone unique when she was pregnant with me, but that’s my understanding of the whole thing.”

“And your camouflage ability?” Drake asks. “You made me disappear out there, but I could still see the both of us.”

“You seem to be the exception when it comes to me using my abilities against you, but with the barrier gone between me and my wolf, I’m realizing I can do so much more than hide my wolf when needed.”

I place my hand on Drake’s thigh and glance between the two of them before continuing. “The moment I was freed from my own restraints, knowledge flooded into me. Things I feel as if I’ve known my whole life but have been blocking out. What Natalia was telling me about being pure? I understand that now.”

“It’s not that I’m ‘good,’ but my energy is original,” I continue, my excitement growing with every new revelation that comes to me. “There’s nothing else like me on this world. I don’t know why the angel chose me or my mother, but I can protect others, hide them from their enemies, just like Natalia has been doing with her spells made from my blood. She unlocked my powers before I even knew they existed.”

Drake’s grin grows wide, and the silver flecks within his charcoal eyes are nearly as bright as they’d been when I shared my energy with him. “I knew there was a reason I wasn’t willing to let you go so easily. You are everything I’ve never known in this life.”

His joy for me radiates through our bond, sending shivers up my spine. How could I have ever thought rejecting him was the best thing for me?

Kasha holds up a hand and starts lifting fingers as she speaks. “So, you’re touched by an angel, you can hide yourself and anyone else whenever you feel like it, your blood protects others from their enemies, and you glow like the sun. Anything else?”

My lips press together as I hold a hand in front of me. “What are you talking about? I’m not glowing.”

I mean she’s not wrong. My wolf does have a glow to her, but that isn’t something Kasha should see now.

Even Drake appraises me, appearing to be looking for something neither of us can notice.

“I’m part fae,” she states, and I realize I’ve never even taken the time to learn what she specializes in.

All I cared about was that she left me alone and never brought people around her home that gave me a reason to be suspicious of her, but the time for not caring about others is over.

“What exactly does that mean?” I ask, and because I’ve never seen her shift, I add, “Do you have a wolf, or do you only have a fae ability?”

“I have a wolf, but our relationship is strained.” Kasha grimaces, and when she doesn’t elaborate, I don’t ask her to. As I’ve learned, bonds with our wolves can be complicated. “For my fae half, I specialize in wind, but I’m also sensitive to the other energies. Yours has always been strong, but now it’s undeniable.”

It’s a good thing I’ve already decided that I can trust her, or I’d be more worried about the excitement in her words.

Before I can say anything else, she raises a brow. “Are you going to hide from the witch now that you know what you’re capable of?”

This piques Drake’s interest, but not mine. I know in my heart that this fight needs to happen. Not only for my peace of mind, but for the rest of our supernatural world. Kel was locked away for a reason and if we can’t banish her like those before us did, then she needs to die. Nothing else is acceptable. I won’t be responsible for anyone else getting hurt.

“No, we’re leaving tomorrow.” My gaze goes to Drake. “Right after Natalia finishes whatever spell she’s been cooking this whole time.”

This has Kasha grinning. “Whatever it is, it’s going to be one hell of a banger.”

“Why do you say that?” Drake asks, seeming more tense than he was just a few moments ago.

“Nat asked me for viloss dust,” she answers proudly. “It’s a powerful hallucinogenic made from flowers only grown in the fae realm. If you give that to the witch, she won’t know up from down. Though, for how long depends on just how powerful she is.”

Interesting and exciting all at the same time.

Kasha gets up. “I have things to do today, but don’t worry, your family is still safe here. Nothing has changed where they’re concerned, and you’re welcome to stay as long as you all need.”

I don’t know how I got so lucky being introduced to a half-fae who isn’t devious or selfish, but I regret not trusting Kasha sooner. I intend to make up for that when all this mess with Kel is done.

When it’s just me and Drake left in the living room, I consider getting up and heading to bed, but I’m too damn comfortable to move. The warmth of my mate envelops me, and the cushions of the couch feel like floating feathers lulling me to sleep.

Except I still haven’t forgotten Drake’s previous rise in tension.

“You know we can’t let Kel go, right?” I ask him, closing my eyes and leaning further against him.

His lips press against the top of my head, and he nods. “That doesn’t mean I don’t wish this wasn’t our problem.”

I have the same wishes, but there’s not a doubt lingering within me anymore. I was made to protect others. While doing so through Natalia’s spells is great, I know I’m capable of so much more now.

That’s not something I can ignore, and I don’t intend to, starting with Kel.

I’m going to wipe her existence from this world once and for all, keeping everyone safe from the danger they likely don’t even know is out there, waiting to strike.

Right after I have a little nap.