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“How?” she asked.

“Your cure,” I said with a shrug. “Well, your notes led to the cure. Gertrude put it together.”

Her lips parted, but she was clearly lost for words. She stared at her hands as if she couldn’t believe she was truly alive—that the cure had truly worked. Her eyes darted from her hands to my face. The tears welled before she dipped her head to swipe them away. “After all this time,” she whispered down at her lap. “After all this fucking time.” Her shoulders shook silently, her hand over her mouth, and the wet laughter broke free, uncontrolled and mixed with huge teardrops rolling down her flushed cheeks.

She wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing her eyes shut through tears and laughter. “I can’t … I can’t believe it,” she sobbed. “And oh my gods, I can’t stop fucking crying. Don’t look at me.” She waved me off as she turned her head away.

I couldn’t help but laugh, pulling her into my chest. “It’s okay to cry,” I said. “Hells, you deserve to cry all you want to. You did it.” I wrapped my arms around her, and she relaxed into me. She remained in my arms until the tears stopped and the shock of the moment tapered off. “Was it my venom?” she asked at last, her voice slightly muffled against my chest.

“It was,” I said against the top of her head. “I have half a mind to believe that with hybrid venom, there won’t be a need for a sample from every lycan, but I could be wrong.”

She pulled back to look at me, the wheels in her brain turning. “I don’t remember anything after we last spoke. What happened? How badly did I lose control?” She tried to appear brave, but I could scent her anxiety and shame.

I swallowed.

“Tell me,” she said.

“You should drink something. You must be thirsty.” I started to get up, but she grabbed my arm.

“Tell me.”

I settled back on the blankets beside her, and she pulled the sheets over her body again.

“You weren’t yourself. You completely shifted and—” I took a deep breath. “Aura, it’s fine. You didn’t mean it. Magdalena and I are fine. That’s all that matters. And you’re cured.”

Her lower lip quivered. “Are you sure you’re both alright?” she asked, her voice thick with tears.

“I’m sure. A little wounded, but we’re healing. Thank the gods for speedy lycan and vampire healing, right?”

A tear trickled down her cheek.

“Aura, it’s alright. How do you feel?”

“Strange,” she said with an awkward laugh. “Weaker than usual but otherwise alright.”

I wrapped my arms around her, expecting her to at least tense or pull away, but she only snuggled closer to me. We settled into comfortable silence, grateful and at peace. At least while it lasted.

48

BONDED MATES

AURA

There were no dreams to keep my mind occupied. One moment I was drifting off, and the next I was wrapped in the scent of teakwood. Sylvan. My body felt heavy, my eyelids heavier. I fought to get to him. I even felt the heat of him, but every movement felt unnatural. I couldn’t move my limbs or my head. I couldn’t even speak.

The next time my awareness returned, I fought harder. There was no pain, only more exhaustion than I’d ever felt in my life. I pried my eyes open and, very slowly, my vision cleared. I couldn’t remember when I last felt such clarity. Even in my times of lucidity in the past six months, there was always a lingering fog in the very back of my mind. As if it always waited patiently to make a full return.

This time, it wasn’t there.

My gaze fell on Sylvan as I woke, and everything in me warmed with relief. His beard had grown in thick, there were a couple of scratches on his face—they seemed old—and his breathing was steady, his eyes closed. Had I ever seen Sylvan asleep before? There was something oddly comforting in it. I pressed my hand against his face, unable to resist touching him, and he lurched up as though I’d slapped him.

His relief was so tangible I nearly wept. To be so cared about and so cared for was strange. “How long have I been out?” I asked after a while.

“Three days.”

Panic swelled in me, and my mind started racing. “Don’t you need to be back with your pack? And my mother should’ve been back. And the ministry. And⁠—”

“Aura,” he said gently. “You only just woke up and you’re recovering. Give yourself a chance to process one thing at a time.”