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Grant watched Neil. The warlock, with shadows deepening beneath his eyes, murmured soft words. Each word sent a shock through Natalie and into him. It wasn’t so much painful as disconcerting. His wolf wanted the warlock to stop. But he stayed open in the same way Natalie was open.
When Neil stopped speaking, it was as though a rush of air moved through his feet, as well as Natalie’s and kept flowing up toward the ceiling. The air above the pews began to spin, a light appeared and in it was the shape of a man.
Faster the air flowed, the light began to illumine the features. Grant could even see the underground food court where Natalie had bought her almonds.
He could feel Natalie in that moment, well into the past because of Neil’s spell. Then just like that the man’s features came into view.
Holy fuck.
It was Kryder.
His pack’s alpha.
The madman of Savage had been tracking Natalie for how long?
Natalie pulled her hands from Neil and the vision vanished. “It’s Kryder, isn’t it?” she whispered.
“Jesus,” Neil muttered.
“All this time?” She turned into Grant and planted her hands on his chest. “All this time? Grant, was he with me in Cave Creek? Did he put the fae serum in the strawberry pie? Why? Why would he do that?”
It was Neil who answered the question. “It’s the latest trend.” He was sweating and had grown very pale. “To use powerful fae women to fix the future. He intends to use you.”
Natalie’s voice sounded very small. “He took everything from me. Everything I loved.”
But Grant barely heard her words. Instead, he was stunned to find two lines angled across Natalie’s cheeks. They were glowing, iridescent, and it was the sign of the wolf. “Natalie, your cheeks.”
“What?” she looked confused. Tears ran down her face.
He wanted to comfort her, but in that moment, Neil uttered an anguished cry and collapsed unconscious at their feet.
~ ~ ~
Natalie swiped at her tears then dropped to her knees beside Neil. Grant joined her.
She felt for a pulse which she found strong and steady. “He’s alive. What’s wrong with him?”
“It’s the transition process. He’s becoming a wizard. It appears to be a difficult, painful process.”
“What should we do?”
“I’ll get Agnes to get someone to take him back to his house. I know she has a van.”
“Right.”
He stood up and pulled his phone from the pocket of his leathers.
As Grant walked up the aisle and talked things over with Agnes, Natalie took Neil’s hand in her own and spoke quietly to him.
It wasn’t long before Neil’s eyelids began to shift about. His face twisted into a serious grimace and it seemed to her that his muscles began seizing, especially his arms and legs. It reminded her of what it had been like to become an alter as if the process of transitioning to wizard was similar. The thought that anyone in Five Bridges would have to repeat the experience made her cringe.
When Neil’s eyes finally opened, he pulled his hand from hers. At first, she thought it was because of Grant. But she soon realized her attempt to comfort him had added to his suffering.
Grant approached and kept his voice low as he dropped to one knee and addressed Neil. “Agnes is on her way. She’s got a stretcher and intends to get you home. She’s got a warlock driver who will see you safely into Elegance. A wolf, too, so you can cross through Savage without harm.” Revel, being directly across from Elegance, didn’t share a bridge with this territory. The van would have to cross two bridges and clear two separate checkpoints before Neil would be home free.
Neil only nodded. “This will pass.”
“I know.” Grant’s lips quirked. “Thank you for helping out tonight.”
