Chapter 24 Healing #2
The spot he chose was rather lovely, with a gentle breeze carrying the songs of crickets and the rustling of leaves.
The night sky was no longer obscured by trees, and Luna admired its vastness, its deep blackness contrasting against countless twinkling white stars and the blue moon.
Luna took a seat near the lake, which mirrored the picture above on its calm surface.
She watched as Damien roamed the area, gathering fallen leaves and dead branches into a small bundle.
Once he had a sizeable handful, he took out a piece of flint from his leather bag and struck it against a stone a few times until sparks erupted, igniting a small flame.
He leaned down, blowing gently on the leaves to encourage the flames to grow.
Luna moved closer and kicked off her boots, stretching her feet towards the warmth.
Damien knelt on one knee, tucked the flint back into his bag, and began sharpening a long stick with a knife from his belt.
Satisfied with the makeshift spear, he approached the lake and waded in, stabbing swiftly into the water.
He caught two fish with a single strike on his third attempt.
As sweet as it would have been to let him make her dinner, she didn’t want him to feel as though he had to.
If she was going to be on the run, potentially for the rest of her life, she needed to be more independent.
Stepping carefully to not injure her bare feet, she found a long stick and held it up in the air as he put the fish over the fire.
“I want to make one as well. Will you show me?”
He openly stared at her, surprise written across his face. Slowly, he nodded and reached for the stick. After making a few cuts, he explained how to shave it piece by piece until one end was sharp—then he handed her the stick and a knife.
She mimicked his movements, slicing the knife smoothly through the wood, peeling away shavings until the stick came to a sharp point. As she pressed the blade down again, her grip faltered. The knife slipped, slicing the back of her thumb.
“Dammit,” she cursed under her breath. Blood of light began to drip down her thumb and flashes of when she first injured herself played in her mind; to when she had escaped the palace grounds for a fun day in the market and had cut up her hands and knees while climbing.
Thankfully, Damien had healed her wounds back then, or else she would have continued to bleed until she died.
Panic seized her now with its cold, icy grasp. She looked to Damien for help, but he hadn’t moved. In fact, he didn’t look the least bit concerned. Didn’t he realize she was at risk of bleeding out?
As if time wasn’t of the essence, he slowly reached for her hand and lifted it up. “You aren’t wearing that old necklace anymore, Luna.”
What did that matter? Her eyebrows drew together as she tried to piece together the information he was saying, but she couldn’t think.
She was going to die. She looked down at her hand and jolted in surprise.
The wound had stopped bleeding all on its own.
How was this possible? The answer dawned on her like a slap to the face; she was a unicorn.
I have magic, she realized. Duh. She wasn’t a sick human whose life was always hanging in the balance anymore.
“Oh yeah, I forgot . . .” A lifelong concern of imminent death just doesn’t disappear overnight.
She breathed in deep, shaking her hands as if to shake away her panic.
“Everyone told me to be careful. To not get injured because I would bleed to death.” She paused, choking on her words.
“They just didn’t want me to see that my blood was different from theirs.
All those rules just to make sure I believed I was one of them. ”
“I’ve only ever known humans to be incredibly selfish,” he replied, a matter-of-fact tone that hinted he had his own experiences.
She agreed; they had been selfish. She should’ve been told the truth, then she could’ve decided for herself whether to reveal who she really was or keep it hidden.
She pushed the thought aside, not wanting to think about how much she’d been betrayed. It was in the past, and there was little point dwelling on it. Changing the subject, she asked, “Do all unicorns have the ability to heal themselves and others?”
“Many magical creatures can, some more quickly than others. Most unicorns can heal each other to some extent. However, it is quite draining on our magic to do so.”
“Will you show me how?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted nothing to do with your magic?”
That was before, back when she thought she could live her life as a human. “Will you show me or not?” she asked rather sharply.
He was silent, seemingly thinking about how to answer . . . or maybe he was giving her time to change her mind—she wasn’t going to, though.
Finally, he took the knife from her. In one quick motion, he sliced his forearm open, and blood of shadows dripped down his arm like ink from a pen. “Do not focus on the blood, or else our magic will fight each other. Focus on the wound and picture it healing.”
She tried to look past his blood, but she must have taken too long because the wound healed on its own.
He ran the knife along his skin again, and blood began to flow.
Quickly, she mentally mapped out the steps she needed to take to mend the injury.
In her mind’s eye, she pictured the practical details of sewing his skin back together.
Her hands warmed, her magic tingling as it pooled along her fingertips.
Glowing now, she held them an inch or so above his arm and released her power, directing it all to his injury.
Light poured from her and, with it, her strength, but she wasn’t done yet.
Breathing heavily, she worked her magic, holding on to it like one would a needle and thread, weaving it along the tissue of his skin until the wound was fully sealed.
When it was done, she slumped to the ground, gasping for air, utterly spent.
Damien was by her side in an instant. Cursing the skies, he pulled her into his arms, holding her against his chest as if she were something dear to him. “We shouldn’t have done that.”
Faintly, she looked up, losing herself in the depth of the forest concealed in his eyes.
A weak smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
His constant concern for her well-being was endearing, but he must have known—just as she did—that she needed to push herself.
“It’s not like I would have let you say no to me. ”
He let out a long exhale; a silent admission that he knew she was right. He ran his fingertips along her jaw, his features softening. The touch was comforting, and she leaned into it.
“I know I pull away but . . .” His voice was quiet, as if he was struggling to find the words for what he was about to reveal.
“I don’t think I possess the ability to deny you anything.
” He bit the edge of his bottom lip, and she wished he was biting hers instead.
“I’d probably give you the moon itself if you asked for it. ”
Luna’s breath hitched. One moment, he kept her at arm’s length, and the next, he offered her impossible things, breaking down every wall she’d tried to rebuild. She studied him, wary yet unable to ignore the quiet sincerity in his gaze.
Before she could respond—perhaps fearing what she’d say—he groaned and turned his attention to the stick she’d been sharpening.
“Let’s save spearing fish for another day,” he murmured lightly, tossing it aside.
Without pause, he moved to the fire, flipping over the fish he’d placed there earlier to cook.
Was he aware of the spell he was putting her under? Perhaps he was fully aware and simply desired to tease her to madness.
When the fish were thoroughly cooked, Damien removed them from the fire and passed one to Luna, along with some bread from their supplies. “We’re making good time. We should be in Kalt Ravine in the next couple of days or so.”
Hm. Apparently they were going back to chatting like a couple of pals.
Fine with her. She could bury the electrifying sensation crawling along her skin that made her want to throw herself at him and kiss him until she was completely out of breath, and then kiss him some more. Yeah, that shouldn’t be too hard to do.
She reached down and grabbed the vine pendant necklace Damien had given her after she was done eating, admiring the metalwork.
Her mother’s ring had small stones embedded throughout the vine, with more details in the metalwork compared to the pendant—but still, she loved it.
It was the first thing Damien had given her, just because.
Though she didn’t know exactly what his feelings for her were, the necklace proved he cared for her on some level.
“They say vines are a symbol of strength,” Damien said between bites of his fish. “No matter where you plant a vine, it’ll always reach for new heights.”
“I like that.” She flexed her fingers. “The vine shape reminds me of my mother’s ring.”
Damien nodded. “They do look similar, except the necklace is cheap metal, and the gems on your ring are actually glass that contains fairy magic.”
“Oh really?” She lifted her hand closer to her face to inspect the gems. Small swirls slowly spiraled inside, confirming what Damien had said. She sighed, returning her hand to her lap. “I wish I had the chance to have an actual conversation with her.”
“You still could.”
Her gaze narrowed on him. “What do you mean?” Nina’s dead. Luna had watched her pierce her own heart at the protection ceremony. No one could survive that, could they?
Damien rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “Did I not mention she’s recovering near Winta and Felix’s?”
“No,” Luna said flatly, her jaw dropping, “you hadn’t.”