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“Because it is tied into the magic here, through Katie's presence. But the magic of this wellspring and even Katie can only do so much—and neither she nor the wild magic here can react against the living. Not without some form of direction—”
“Such as what I did in that clearing against the vampire?”
“How you survived infusion with the larger wellspring, I’ll never understand.” He paused. “Regardless of that, the fact remains that the larger wellspring urgently needs full protection, and neither you nor your friend have the knowledge to do that. You must convince the council to bring in a council-approved witch.”
Which was exactly what I’d been saying to Aiden.
Belle’s weariness was now beating through me, and the flow of strength down the link between us was gathering pace. “I wish you peace, Gabe, and whatever happiness your situation allows, but it is time for you to leave this plane.”
“Yes.” He hesitated. “May the gods grant you both safety in this reservation.”
I frowned. “What have you sensed to say something like that?”
“Nothing more than you, young Elizabeth. But a major wellspring has been left to its own devices for over a year. Even if it is quickly protected, those aligned to the dark path will know of its presence and be lured to this place. Trouble is coming, if it is not already here.”
And with that almost ominous warning, he departed. Belle took a deep, shuddering breath and released it slowly. Her weariness was as strong as my heartbeat, and I thrust as much strength through to her as I could without completely draining myself.
After several more seconds, she squeezed my hands and then released them as she pushed away from my knees, thereby severing our connection. I silently dismantled the protection spell, and then carefully gathered my spell stones and placed them back into their bag.
Only then did I look up at Aiden.
His face was pale and his expression haunted. His eyes glimmered in the sunshine, and his long lashes were wet. He might have stopped the tears from falling any further, but they remained in his eyes.
“So she’s here?” he said softly. “Katie’s here?”
“Within the wild magic, yes.”
“Can you talk to her?”
“I don’t know enough about either the spell or the wild magic to say either yes or no.” I got to my feet, then offered Belle a hand. “We’ll have to ask Gabe if it’s possible, and Belle’s too weary to attempt that right now.”
“Why can’t you speak to her as you just did with Gabe?”
“Because she’s not a ghost. She’s not even a spirit.” Belle grabbed my hand and hauled herself upright. “She’s something more.”
I could feel his frustration even from where I was standing, but little of it showed on his expression. It wasn’t evident in his aura either—that still ran with grief.
“It’s entirely possible that she’s beyond any form of communication,” I said gently.
He thrust a hand through his short hair. “Even with the video, the council is going to find this all very unbelievable.”
“But you do believe.”
It was a statement rather a question, and he half smiled in response. “Yes. I suspect most of my family will, as she always did have a tendency to think about others m
ore than herself.”
The wild magic stirred, and an odd feeling of contentment and perhaps even joy rolled across my senses. Belle, it seemed, was right yet again. I might not have any connection to the wild magic radiating from the original source, but I’d definitely formed one with this wellspring.
I grabbed Belle’s arm to steady her as she rather wonkily turned around, and then said, “I might not be able to converse with her, Aiden, but I can tell you she has no regrets, and that she’s happy to be here, protecting the place and the people that she loves.”
“How do know when you can’t talk to her?”
“Because I’m sensitive to the magic here, and can feel her within it. To some extent, I can also feel her emotions.” I smiled. “It was her anger that warped my spell in the cemetery. She was rather pissed that someone was attacking her big brother.”
He laughed, even though those tears once again glimmered in his eyes. “She always was a fierce little thing.” He looked around the clearing, as if trying to see his sister’s presence. But werewolves, while often sensitive to emotions, were no more likely to sense the presence of a ghost or a spirit than the average human. And in this case, Kate was neither. After a moment, he added softly, “Thanks, Katie. And while I’m tempted to say you shouldn’t have sacrificed your future for us, I’m well aware that once you put your mind to something, there’s no dissuading you.”
Again the magic stirred, and this time it was filled with amusement and love.
