Chapter Thirty-Nine
Jay
Iprepare to shift, but Caleb passes me, grabbing my arm and pulling me behind him. “No time! Run!”
Wind whips my hair behind me, stinging my skin. My lungs scream for air with each gasping breath as we sprint away from the noise.
“What is it?”
“It’s a stampede!”
“Of what?”
“Burasi. They migrate for the winter.”
“Will they hurt us?”
He hesitates. “Intentionally, no. But if we get in their way . . . let’s just say they’re not going to bother going around us.”
The Burasi bellow a long squawk, mimicking the hollowness of a conch shell.
“They sound really close!”
Caleb glances briefly behind him while keeping his pace.
I squeal at the loud crackle and then thud as trees are trampled and fall behind us, one by one.
How big must these things be? I wonder. Seconds later, they come into view, and I no longer have to.
Large tusks curl up toward the sky, and their beady, burnt umber-colored eyes point in our direction.
Their massive bull-like bodies could only be hidden briefly by the smoke puffed through their nostrils. The stampede is gaining on us.
“Caleb!”
He looks back, horrified.
They’re going to trample us to death.
“Should we shift?”
“No,” he huffs. “Bad idea. Their diet consists of wolves. Being human is safer.” Caleb grabs my waist and pulls me to him.
His back is pressed against a tree. Gusts of wind as the beasts run past us has my hair flying around my face. He tucks my head into his chest and holds me there. I’m thinking the stampede has to pass soon, but they just keep coming.
“It’s not safe here. They took out all the other trees!” I yell over their hooves.
Caleb’s eyes bounce between looking down at me, up at the tree and at the stampede passing us by. They finally land on the tree. “Climb up.”
With a hand on my butt and back of my thigh, he hoists me onto a branch. I begin climbing with Caleb not too far behind. Every so often, I slow to check Caleb is still there.
Each time, he hollers, “Keep moving!”
We make it to the tallest branch and look down at the Burasi. When the stampede subsides, we look at each other, thankful to be alive.
“Why did you slow down to look at me?”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay!”
His eyes soften briefly before the softness is quickly replaced with mischief. “You don’t have to worry about me. I would’ve died with the best view.”
“What do you mean?”
He smirks. “Taya didn’t give you underwear when she brought you that dress.”
My jaw drops.
“Nice ass.” He winks.
He laughs.
Mortified, I hit him playfully. Only I don’t know my own strength, apparently because he loses his balance.
“Whoa, whoa!” He flaps his arms and starts to fall.
I gasp. “Caleb!” I grab his shirt just in time for me to fall with him.
We crash to the ground, rolling onto the dirt, sides burning.
We groan in pain. Dirt is kicked up around us, causing us both to descend into a coughing fit.
Gasping, I ask, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he chokes through his cough. “It’s not the first time you’ve tried to kill me.”
My laugh comes out as a wheeze. “I’m so sorry.”
He grunts. “It’s alright, I’ve got six more lives left.”
I’m fishing dust from the corners of my eyes when I pause. “Did you just call yourself a pussy?”
“Fuck, I think I did.”
Our laughter grows with every banter. “Isn’t it nine lives?”
“It was, until I met you. This is the third time you’ve nearly killed me.”
“I’m just trying to get you closer to heaven.”
“Oh, thanks,” he says sarcastically.
“Sure thing.”
The dust settles and his laughter dies.
“Agh. I’ve got something in my eye.” He blinks hard, then rubs them again.
“Here, let me see.” I army-crawl to him, prop up on one elbow, cup his cheek and lean down. I whip my head to the side so my hair falls behind me and out of the way of my inspection.
In his gorgeous blue, there’s a tiny speck of dirt on his sclera.
“Oh, yeah, I see it. It’s right there. Can I get it?”
“Please.”
I wipe my hands as best as I can on the fabric inside that hasn’t made contact with dirt and gently fish out the speck. “Got it.”
Successful, he sighs. Blinking rapidly with watered eyes, he says, “Thanks.”
We lock eyes.
“For someone who’s had three attempts on their life, you’re handling it quite well.”
“I’m not afraid of death.”
A strand of hair keeps falling even as I try to toss it over my shoulder with the rest. “Then what’re you afraid of?”
He’s silent for a moment, then reaches and tucks the piece of hair behind my ear. It stays. The act is so simple, yet I melt all the same.
His eyes drift to my lips.
A magnetic force seems pull us in.
He leans in to kiss me, and I’m about to let him when there’s a creaking sound.
Before I can process the sound of Medein’s door opening, Caleb has already recovered, like we weren’t just about to lose ourselves again. Like nothing ever happened, he’s cold once more.
I need a thermometer to keep up with this guy. It also wouldn’t hurt if everyone wore a bell.
Medein is not standing near her doorway. She’s far enough to tell me she used magic to open it. “I thought I heard you two out here. Come in.”
Her home is fitting for her. The cottage blends in with the elements.
Everything around Medein’s village smells of bonfire, smoke, fresh foliage and petrichor.
Her front door leads directly into her kitchen.
The interior matches the outside—brass-colored pans hang from the ceiling, antique light fixtures clearly passed down through generations, exposed wood and diverse plants in every room.
The smell of something sweet fills the air.
Caleb sniffs. “Is that magic I’m smelling? It smells good.”
“Yup.” Medein removes a pan from the oven and out comes homemade sourdough bread. “Hardest spell in the book.”
Neither of us were expecting something so normal. And I guess Medein picks up on that when she asks, “What? Did you think spells are the only magic I make in the kitchen?”
“I may have thought you’d be in here dancing naked around a cauldron,” Caleb says.
Medein picks up on his joke and gives it right back to him. “That’s okay. I thought when I’d open my front door to wolves that I’d find you gnawing on raw meat.”
I catch myself laughing.
Crap. I really didn’t want to like her. But I do. Even if she is a witch.
Medein moves around her kitchen with ease, knowing where everything is.
Her grace and fluid movements match her personality.
Confident, self-assured and grounded. You can tell by simply observing her that she is the kind of person who gets an idea and decides to do it right then and there.
She doesn’t lie in bed all day or get paralyzed with the anxiety of making a decision.
If she wants it, she does it. I feel calm around her but also a sense of creative energy that makes me feel motivated to pick up a new project.
With the utmost respect, I’m envious. But not the petty kind—the kind where I’d let a playful cuss word or two slip because she looks so good, but I’d still let her know, privately, of course, if she had something in her teeth.
At any event I knew she was going to be at.
I would be inspired to not wear just any old rags because I’d know she would look flawless.
She’s not competing with anyone but rather she inspires me to step up my game. I admire her.
“You bake?” I beam and inhale the smell.
“I do now. I found some old recipes that have been in my family for generations. Thought I’d try them. Here, have some.”
She doesn’t have to tell either of us twice. That first bite of warm, freshly baked bread has us both moaning.
“Wow,” I say.
“Yeah? Do you like it?” she asks, delighted.
“Medein, this is amazing.”
I take another bite and whimper at its taste. I lose myself in the slice so much so, that I’m sure my anxiety will have a field day cringing at my behavior later. “This is better than sex.”
Silence falls. They’re both looking at me.
My chewing slows as I gaze back at them in horror.
Did I just say that out loud?
Yup, my wolf says.
Fuck.
Caleb raises one eyebrow and stares me down.
I didn’t mean it.
…Okay, that’s a lie. I definitely meant it, but I’m open to having my mind changed . . . And with the way he’s staring at me right now, I think he might be up for the challenge.
Thankfully, Medein changes the subject. “So, what brings you two this way?”
“I thought maybe you could help us. Jay was branded. Are you able to remove it?”
“Let me see it.”
I hold up my leg to her along with my breath, hoping we can skip the retelling of how it happened.
That’s why I appreciate when she peers over her counter for two seconds to look at it and doesn’t ask any questions. She just says, “It shouldn’t be a problem, but it’ll cost you.”
“Name it.”
“There’s a rare flower that’s difficult to find. It thrives in the harshest environments and is sought after by the most ferocious of beasts—”
It sounds like Medein had more deterrents to list, but Caleb cuts her off. “Done.”
My wolf purrs at the way he doesn’t miss a beat.
He didn’t hesitate, and it threw me off for a second. He is so eager to undo the wrong that was done to me.
I think it throws Medein for a loop as well, but she quickly regains her composure. “Help me clear the counter.”
Once done, Medein pats the cleared surface. “Up.”
I’m about to climb when Caleb scoops me into his arms and places me on top. He releases me but stays nearby.
Medein’s eyes linger between the two of us, but she blinks the thought away. She takes a look at the carving again, then sifts around her kitchen, grabbing crystals, black stones, a cloth, a mortar and pestle. Then, she moves to her plants in the windowsill and pulls off several leaves.
On the small cloth is a north star, embroidered into the fabric. She places a stone on each point and crystals in the four corners of the cloth. In the center, she places a mortar, which she uses to grind the ingredients.
At first, it seems like a home remedy I could memorize and replicate at home.
Then, she mutters in a language I don’t recognize until the contents glow an enchanted magenta.
When the glow fades, the dry ingredients are transformed into a paste.
She dips her fingers in and rubs the substance over my tattoo.
The magenta glow returns, and once it dissipates, the carving is gone, leaving seemingly untouched skin.
I inspect it further, making sure my eyes aren’t deceiving me. “Wow. It’s gone. Just like that.”
“That’s amazing. How’d you do that?”
Medein shrugs. “Magic.”
I’m about to thank her myself, but Caleb beats me to it. “Thank you.”
“Yes, thank you.”
She smiles. “Don’t mention it.”
I go to hop off the counter when Caleb scoops me into his arms again and eases me onto the floor himself. My back is against the counter, and he’s painfully close to me.
His eyes gaze into mine as he asks, “I’m sure Medein could get rid of other scars. But only if you wanted her to.”
Medein holds up a finger. “Not for free, I won’t.”
“Of course, but I’m not worried about the price,” he says to her. He looks back at me. “What do you want to do?”
It was one thing for him to remember the scars I have and the memories behind them—something I never expected him to care about—especially since I hadn’t even thought about it myself. It was another to offer to cover all costs without question.
I consider his offer, then I decline. Which surprises me because I never liked them. But, I guess I’ve earned them. And because I’ve worn them for so long, they’ve become part of me. Erasing them could never erase what happened to me.
Caleb frowns when I reject his generous offer. I can’t tell why he’s frowning—is it because he wants them gone? I search his face for answers, but I find none.
If he wanted me to remove them, would I?
The thought that I would consider changing myself for a male scares me. I needed a minute to myself. “Can I use your bathroom?”
“Of course.” Medein starts to gather the objects in her arms to clear her counter. She nods to the arched doorway. “Down the hall, and to the left.”
“Thank you.” I weave, trying to get around Caleb. “’Scuse me.”
Once in the bathroom, I splash water on my face.
When I return to the kitchen, the whispering between Caleb and Medein ceases.
It seems like I’ve interrupted a serious conversation.
In an effort to let them finish in private, I excuse myself again.
“I’ll just be outside. Thanks again, Medein, for your help. I appreciate it very much.”
She smiles.
I speedwalk to the door when Caleb says, “Wait. I’ll walk out with you.” He turns back to Medein. “Are we good?”
“Yes. We’re fine. I appreciate your honesty.”
“Thank you for understanding. I’ll have someone come by this week with your payment. I promise.”
“I know where to find you.”
Caleb chuckles. “See you later, Medein.” With a hand on the small of my back, he leads me out the door.
What were they talking about?
The door shuts behind us, leaving us alone in the forest again. He starts walking in the opposite direction of his pack. “Where are you going? Your pack is that way.” I point behind me.
Caleb turns but continues his path while walking backwards. A playful, boyish grin spreads across his face as he says, “I know. I want to show you something first.”