15. Finley
Finley
Rath led me out into the backyard, not bothering to have me put on shoes or a jacket despite the wind blowing through the woods today. I wrapped my arms around myself, hoping that spring was on its way and that being here in Tennessee, it would warm up sooner rather than later.
“I want you to feel the earth under your feet, let it ground you as you stand there. The world around us is what gives us our magic as much as our species does,” Rath told me as he lifted his face to the sun.
“Close your eyes, let the natural energy around you greet you. This is your home. These woods will become part of your family. They’ll speak to you, alert you of something happening, or if there’s an intruder. ”
If that was really true, then no matter how silly I thought that all sounded, I was willing to give it a try.
Closing my eyes, I lifted my face to the sun like he was, feeling the grass under my feet as I wiggled my toes deeper into its thick turf.
My magic was beating against my hold, almost as if it had a life of its own, ready to charge off into the forest. Unsure if I should release the bindings, not really trusting how it would act, it begged to be let out, vibrating through my veins, trying to greet its new surroundings.
Rath walked up to me, his height blocking out the sun for a moment, letting me know he was close.
“Let it free, nin mel, your magic will do nothing unwelcome in these woods. It has as much of a personality as your wolf does and needs to be handled much the same. Between your wolf and your magic, these woods will be under your complete domain. I have no doubt. Those men in there might be alphas of the pack, but you will be queen of these woods.”
That had my eyes snapping open. “Rathal, are you telling me that I’m some kind of ruler to the Light Elves because I’m so powerful?”
“No, I’m saying you absolutely are our queen because of your power.
There hasn’t been a leader of our people since the previous king and queen died in the war.
None have been powerful enough to lead our people.
This is why we are so divided and living in hiding,” Rath explained.
“You might not want the job, but once you are well and truly exposed to the world, then that is, in fact, what will happen. Our people will flock to you because they won’t be able to help themselves.
Your magic will call to them the stronger you become. ”
Yanking my magic back to me, I slammed down the door, closing myself off from everything and everyone. “No.”
He tried to reach out to me, but I took a step back, shaking my head.
“I’m no one’s leader. You want to know what I am?
A murder, a killer, the danger that goes bump in the night.
No one will want me as a leader once they find that out.
If working with my magic is what will draw them to me, then I won’t use it unless there is no other option.
That way, no one will know that I even exist, and if they hear rumors, then I’ll prove them wrong.
I can’t be what you’re telling me, Rath. I can’t.”
“Oh, my love, if only it were that simple.” Rath sighed.
“If you don’t get a handle on your powers and train, then you will end up hurting someone.
Of course, you won’t mean to, but when it’s been bottled up for so long, it will need an outlet whether you give it one or not.
At that moment when it bursts from you, there is no telling what might happen.
” He wrapped me up in a hug, resting his chin on my head.
He just held me for a moment, letting me get a handle on my reaction to the news.
“Finley, you are so much more than you give yourself credit for. The fates wouldn’t have blessed you if they thought you would fail. ”
“Fuck the fates,” I muttered. “What do they know, anyhow?”
Rath just chuckled. “More than any of us wish them to. Now forget everything I just told you and come let your magic play in its new home. I could feel how excited it was to be able to explore. While you do that, we will work on meditation and helping you find your celu, or source. It’s where your magic springs from. Now come sit with me.”
Slowly, I lowered myself to the ground, crossed my legs, then took a long, deep breath.
Then I dropped my shields so my magic could once again roam the woods.
It shot out of me, making it clear that it was extremely unhappy I called it back so abruptly.
Now, as it roamed the area, I could feel the energy that Rath had been talking about as my magic greeted everything growing in the forest around us.
I knew what types of trees, flowers, and animals that called this place home.
The strangest part of all this was hearing everything greeting me in return, letting me know they were excited to once again have our people back.
They celebrated, knowing my magic would nurture them and in return, they supported and grounded it.
It was almost as if I was seeing the real world that lived and breathed within this forest. My magic didn’t stop at just the area the pack claimed.
It went through the whole national forest.
“Rath, can you feel this?” I asked, keeping my eyes closed, not wanting to give up the tranquility I felt. “You must be pretty powerful yourself for us to be covering so much land.”
“No, nin mel, that is all you. I haven’t let my magic out yet, since we needed to know just what you were capable of.”
My eye popped open and I stared at him slack-jawed. “That can’t be right. How the hell is that even possible?”
“I wasn’t lying when I told you that you were powerful.
This is the reason it is going to be impossible for you to hide your magic away.
It is too much for one person to hold. As you live and learn these woods, they will help store the extra magic that oozes from you.
This place will become a power source, and in return, the environment here will thrive unlike any other.
It is the symbiotic relationship we have with nature. ”
Flopping back into the grass, I looked up at the gray-blue sky with clouds blocking out the sun.
Everything in my life right now seemed so overwhelming, and all I wanted was to go back to the days when I lived in ignorance.
I knew there was no way to go back. It was inevitable that I would come into my magic and I should be grateful that I had Rath here to teach me these things.
Otherwise, I could be so much worse, and who knew what the Organization would think or how they would try to use my powers.
“How do I control something like this? It feels so wild, as if it doesn’t really belong to me,” I shared.
A hand wrapped around mine, curling our fingers together. “Every person’s magic is different, but I have a feeling that your wolf has something to do with its wildness. Open yourself up to me. Let me feel what you are feeling so that I might understand better what you're talking about.”
Frowning, I thought I’d already done that, seeing as we now had a much different connection than the previous day.
Yet I trusted him, and this time, instead of focusing on my shield, I reached out to him through our bond.
When I felt him, it was almost as if I took his hand and led him back, opening the door for him to enter.
Rath gasped as I felt him encounter my magic for the first time.
“Finley…” Rath murmured in awe. “Never did I think I would see the day when our people might have a chance to restore themselves to this world, but you, my love, you give me hope.”
While Rath was speaking, I could feel his emotions, the truth of his words, even the hope he was feeling.
It was as if I could feel it myself though I knew it was his.
Now I understood why he’d been so bothered by the fact we didn’t have this connection right away.
For him to know that a bond like this existed but not be given the chance to experience it, I would be upset too.
“Is this how it is for all mated elves?” I asked, turning my head to look up at him. “Will I get this same connection with the others even though they aren’t elves?”
Rath seemed to contemplate my question a moment before answering, “I would be remiss to think anything for you is impossible. They are your mates just as I am, and even though your wolf had picked some, your elvish nature did too.” Releasing my hand, he got up.
“Wait here. I think it’s time we experiment while the woods draw out your excess magic. ”
Curious, I watched as he headed back into the house, returning a few moments later with Lane and Elias in tow. What amazed me was that the twins didn’t follow them out since they were so nosy about everything.
“Please, would each of you take a seat on either side of her,” Rath instructed.
Elias sat on my left while Lane, the other, looking as confused as I was about what was going on.
“Perfect, now pick one or the other, Finley, and I want you to do the same thing you just did with me. One of these men was picked by your wolf, the other by your elven nature, but you are mated to both. This will tell us if they can all have the same bond that we do.”
I moved to sit up, but Rath stopped me. “No, you need to keep your body connected to the earth as much as possible. It will keep you from doing something else to them you might not intend to as you work through this experiment.”
“Well, that’s reassuring,” I muttered, relaxing back into the grass.
Deciding to start with Lane since he was picked by my wolf, I held out my hand to him. “Just relax and trust what your wolf tells you to do. I don’t know how my magic will affect you, but I know that I will never do something that will hurt you.”
“Sweetheart, I trust you with my life,” Lane answered as he kissed the back of my hand. “Just tell me what I need to do and I’ll make it happen.”
Unsure how to proceed, I looked at Rath for help. “Think of it like you are trying to build a pack connection with Finley, but instead of you being the leader pulling her into it, she’ll do that part.”
Now I understood why he picked Lane to experiment on instead of one of the others.
Colt and Zander would have a much harder time having the patience to let me figure this out without them trying to take over.
Closing my eyes, I centered myself, reaching for the mate bond I had with Lane, and much like I did with Rath, I followed it down until I found Lane’s energy.
He, of course, didn’t have magic as Rath did, but in some ways, there was magic in being an alpha and the power they had in that.
When I pushed deeper, I heard a snarl and found myself face to face with Lane’s wolf.
Startled at his sudden appearance and the bared teeth, I froze.
The moment he realized I was the one who was pushing into his space, he settled down, wagging his tail slowly as he watched me with the same gold-flecked brown eyes as Lane.
Slowly I reached out a hand to him and he ducked his head so I could pet him easier.
My fingers sank into his fur, making him step forward and lean against me, begging for more attention.
“Will you come back with me and meet my wolf?” I asked, feeling in my gut that this was what needed to happen.
Lane’s wolf yipped his excitement, prancing in place, ready to go as soon as I was.
Grinning at the wolf, I curled a hand into the thick fur on the back of his neck, which wasn’t as soft as I would have thought and I pulled us both back into my body, tugging on the thread of pulsing music that was anchored in my body.
When I returned, I found it was to a different place than where my magic lived, but when I spotted my wolf sitting there eagerly awaiting us, by the jubilation I got from her, I knew it was right.
Lane was chosen by my wolf, so of course, that is where this would lead to.
The two wolves played for a bit, making me smile to see their simple affection, then he started to lick my wolf’s face, grooming her.
I could feel the love and trust between them and knew this was Lane showing me how much I meant to him.
Pulling back from this space, returning to my own mind, I noticed the bond with Lane was much stronger and seemed to hum with all the emotions I was feeling from him.
He was excited to have this added connection and thrilled to get a better insight into my own emotions.
While I was much better at showing them from when we first met, I still had much to learn.
Grounding myself, feeling the earth and the cool air around me, I opened my eyes once I felt certain I was back to reality.
I found Lane lying on my chest in his wolf form, tongue lolling and tail wagging when I opened my eyes.
It would seem that doing whatever I had done pulled his wolf to the forefront.
My instant reaction was to feel guilty about doing that to him and hope he wasn’t upset with me.
No one but an alpha should be able to pull out someone’s wolf, as I’d just done.
Lane growled at me, catching wind of what I was thinking, and immediately sent me reassurance. Moments later, I had a naked Lane laying on top of me, his hands cupping my face.
“Sweetheart, it’s fine, you did nothing wrong, and I’m not at all upset with you. Neither of us knew what was going to happen and when you called to my wolf, I went willingly. You told me to trust my wolf and there was nothing he wanted more than to follow your call.”
Leaning down, he captured my lips with his own, and through our improved connection, he showed me just how happy he was.
Unable to keep my hands to myself, I let them roam over his muscular back down to the round of his ass, but I stopped myself from progressing further.
This wasn’t what we were here to do, no matter how much my body begged me to continue.
“No one here is going to stop you if you choose to keep going,” Lane whispered against my lips.
I chuckled and pressed on his chest. “How about we come back to that idea later when I can take my time exploring you better?”
Lane groaned but rolled off me in acceptance.