Chapter 12 #2
“We’re going to be departing soon,” Ryder said from the doorway. “Once we get going, do you want to test out your magic?”
I totally did. I just hoped it wouldn’t be too explosive.
After nearly forty-five minutes of watching the landscape go by while I sat leaning with my back to Tore’s chest, I deemed that enough time had passed to practice.
Caedmon had gone to get some sleep in one of the cabins, and Dakota had gone to shower in the second.
Ryder, Tore, and Julian were sitting around with me, Ryder and Julian playing a lazy game of chess, neither of them fully paying attention to it as they pointed out various landmarks to me.
“Okay, I’m going to try,” I said nervously, taking a deep breath.
“Just close your eyes and try to focus on your original magic, then expand out from there,” Ryder suggested.
Deciding to take his advice, I closed my eyes and focused on my wolf.
She was bouncing around, looking almost hyper, and I knew it was partly from being so close to our mates and the bonds we’d created with them, but it was also the new magic surrounding us.
There was a thread of purple-blue magic that moved languidly through the rest, like a lazy stream cutting through a fiery orange lake.
I reached forward instinctively, trying to grasp it, and immediately my eyes snapped open.
“Shit,” Julian cursed. The room had darkened, the lights flickering as a blue glow filled it. The sound of ice cracking came from behind me, and I saw across the way that the windows were frosting over. That wasn’t the wow part though.
No, the wow part was the stars that hung suspended above us, a miniature model of them and the moon rotating.
It reminded me of those lights you could buy, the ones that projected constellations on your ceiling.
I felt speechless and in absolute awe that I could produce something so beautiful in a natural pull of power.
Despite being new to me, it felt familiar, like an extension of myself.
“I don’t know what it does, exactly,” I admitted, trying to focus it on something but not finding anything close enough. Ryder appeared in front of me and put a glass of water on the nearby table.
“Maybe it’s elemental, similar to my magic,” he offered.
I eyed the glass of water and gently used my finger to trace the rim. The magic on my fingers was pink, as expected, though lazy rivers of periwinkle now ran through it.
The glass froze.
“Shit,” Tore chuckled.
“What else can you do with your magic?” I asked Ryder, hoping he could provide more inspiration.
“There’s our shifted form, but you already have that.”
I nodded because I did. Although…had my lykos form been changed by Julian’s bitten mark? I hadn’t considered that before. I didn’t know what lykos were supposed to look like.
“Try to interact with my magic,” Tore suggested.
I turned into him, examining his face which was filled with curiosity and excitement.
I had a feeling that Tore liked having magic, and while fenrir wolves didn’t normally have a lot, he was in a much different position. I could tell he found it fascinating.
“I don’t know how,” I said, but before I could finish the sentence, my magic was rushing out to greet him. I let out a pleased noise as his skin shimmered with what appeared to be stars, and despite his breath fogging in the air, he stared at it with wonder before smiling at me.
“What does it feel like?” Julian asked. I was surprised to find a look of envy on his face.
“Cold and exhilarating,” Tore answered.
“I imagine you can turn it deadly fairly easily if needed,” Ryder said, sounding happy about that. I wasn’t sure I felt the same.
“Try it,” Tore said, but I was already shaking my head no as my wolf froze up. I smiled slightly in relief that my wolf seemed to be on the same page as me.
“I couldn’t hurt you even if I tried,” I admitted, turning to include all the others. “Any of you. Not only do I not want to, but my wolf would never allow it.”
“I love that.” Julian flashed me a charming smile, returning his attention to the chessboard for a moment while he figured out his next move.
Ryder was staring at me with a look I didn’t fully understand. “I want you to be able to defend yourself,” he explained. “We need to figure out a way to train.”
“She doesn’t need that.” Dakota stepped out of the second cabin, running a hand through his damp hair and looking around with interest. “We’ll slaughter anyone who tries to hurt her.”
His words should have scared me but instead they came off as…sweet? Was that a word I could use to describe them?
“It may be a good idea anyway,” Tore murmured, his gaze going distant for a moment. I had a feeling he was thinking about Isabella.
“Maybe start small?” I asked Ryder. “Maybe I can try with your sister or Ruby?”
“That’s a good idea,” Ryder agreed, the guys breaking into a conversation about what I would even need to practice.
My magic loved the girls, but I think we’d be able to view it as more of a game. A small prickle of sadness invaded my chest, wanting to see the two of them. I knew there was a very real possibility of leaving Silver Falls, but I didn’t want that to mean the end of our friendship.
I let my magic sink back under my skin, and Tore let out a grumpy sound at its departure before sweeping me up and carrying me into the final cabin. I heard Julian shout something, but I just wrapped my arms around Tore and nuzzled against his throat.
“What are we doing?” I asked, my skin already heating up from the way he was looking at me.
“I’m stealing you away,” he said. “I want to cuddle while we have the downtime.”
That sounded like perfection.
I slipped off my shoes, letting out a small yawn before crawling into the bed. It had been an insane day, and while I was relieved we’d been able to escape after finding the stone, I didn’t think we were out of the woods yet.
Tore tugged his shirt over his head, my gaze zeroing in on the bandage in the middle of his chest. He chuckled at the blatant curiosity that must have been painted all over my expression.
I didn’t know the tattoo process, but he didn’t seem to be in pain at all, and as he undid the bandage, I tracked a spark of magic that made me think it hadn’t been done with normal ink. I sat up as the bandage finally fell away, giving me an unobstructed look at the new tattoo.
Wow.
I broke into a massive smile as I looked up into his gaze, seeing warmth and affection there.
“You…you wanted that on you permanently?” I whispered as he moved to the bed.
I pushed back so that he was able to move over me, his lips gently pressing down on mine.
I could tell he was no longer embarrassed, which was good because there was absolutely no reason to be—I loved it. I more than loved it.
“Yes. I want to be able to look at it and always have a part of you,” he whispered as he withdrew his lips from mine. My hand pressed to his chest, right over his heart, our heartbeats synchronizing immediately. When I pulled my hand back, tears pricked my eyes.
He’d tattooed my handprint right over his heart.