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My shoulders tensed. I knew Val had meant well, and how she’d found Fenris, Lyka, and me had probably frightened her, but I knew my limits. “It wasn’tthatclose,” I insisted, unable to stop the defensive tightening of my shoulders. “Why don’t you trust me?”
“If you died, I’d have lost my mind on the spot. I’m sure of it. I’d have slaughtered Lyka. I would have become as he is, maybe even worse. I certainly have more resources now with all the changes of modernity than he did when he killed Sela. What then, hmm? What about everyone who’d have been at my mercy afterward?”
I pressed my lips together. “I’m not responsible for you!” I hissed, folding my arms over my chest. “And I’m telling you, I wastired, but I wasn’t going todie. It was a risk I was willing to take—and I’d do it again if I had to!”
“But it wasn’t a riskIwas willing to take!” Fenris shot back. “Promise me you won’t ever touch dark magic again, no matter what.”
I recoiled at the ultimatum. “No!” I shook my head. “If something happens to you and I need to get there, I’m going to use whatever resources I need, Fenris.” My scowl deepened. “You might be lord of the shifters, but you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do withmymagic. Not as a witch, and not as your fated mate.”
He bared his teeth at me, and my wolf recoiled, alarmed to see her mate show such fury toward us. My blood ran cold, but I stood my ground.
“Celeste,” he growled, and I swore I saw the wolf in his eyes. “Youwillpromise me.”
Before I could answer, I saw a hint of red creep into his amber irises. I snarled back at him, realizing exactly what he was about to do.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I snapped, ignoring the tremble in my hand as I pointed at him. “Don’t you dare use your alpha command on me, Fenris.”
Fenris blinked, and the red faded away. He even looked startled for a moment, like he hadn’t known what he was doing. But I didn’t care if it was instinct or heightened emotion; I could scarcely believe what I’d just seen on his face. My chest felt too tight for my heart, and the ache there suddenly magnified. I knew it wasn’t just exhaustion, either.
“I—”
“Get out,” I said, jabbing my finger toward the door, barely able to control my emotions. Between the nightmare I was beginning to suspect had been caused by my use of dark magic and Fenris’s reaction just now, I knew I couldn’t keep my cool for much longer. “I don’t want to speak to you right now,your lordship.”
He stood up slowly, like if he wasn’t careful enough, I would disappear like a flighty animal. “Celeste, I…I just want to make sure you’ll be okay,” he said softly. Shame was written plain as day across his face. “I will leave you be while you rest.”
“Good,” I snapped, staring daggers at him. My wolf whined, torn between the betrayal and the instinct to comfort her mate. I shoved her back down, though, refusing to give in. Fenris was in the wrong, and I wouldn’t apologize for telling him off. “Now go.”
He paused for a moment before his shoulders dropped. He nodded, finally turning toward the door. He left the bedroom without saying anything else.
I stared after him, but he didn’t return. Finally, I leaned back, all the tension releasing from my body.
“What the hell was that?” I asked myself.
Someone knocked on the door a little bit later. I didn’t move, just glowered in that direction, but my wolf sighed. It wasn’t Fenris. “Come in,” I said.
Val poked her head in, smiling as she saw me. “Oh, good, you’re awake,” she said, her expression warm as she closed the door. She joined me and sat on the edge of the bed. “You really gave me a fright yesterday, Celeste,” Val said, reaching over to pat my knee. “You’re looking much better now, though. How are you feeling?”
“Sore,” I said, though some of it was heartsickness as much as exhaustion. “But I’ve felt worse before. I’ll be back to normal in no time, I’m sure.”
I wasn’t totally certain of that, in fact, but I didn’t want to worry anyone.
“Glad to hear it,” Val said, putting her hands back in her lap. “I’m starting to run out of ingredients here on Isla Lobo, but Morgan should be returning to the island within the next few hours. I’ve asked her to bring things back from the coven. If you have any special requests, let me know soon.”
I nodded, thinking of my grimoire. I’d have to flick through the spells I wanted to practice to see if there was anything I needed. “I will,” I replied, grateful that Val hadn’t made any comment on my magic use. At least someone here didn’t feel the need to lecture me like I was an overgrown child.
A moment or two later, Abi burst through the door, allowing it to slam shut as she hurried over. “I thought I heard you!” she said, throwing her arms around me in a fierce embrace. “You havegotto stop disappearing on me like that!” she chided me. “How am I supposed to be your badass best friend slash sidekick if I don’t know where you are?”
I chuckled and gave her a squeeze. “You arenotmy sidekick, Abi.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. Stop avoiding my question.”
“I’m sorry I scared you,” I said earnestly. If Fenris hadn’t turned on me with such immediate anger…
I pushed thoughts of him away, focusing on the two women here with me instead. “It’s alright now. It was urgent, but it’s been handled.”
Abi raised an eyebrow. “Well, alright,” she said, releasing me so she could sit on the bed. “I’m not gonna ask anything else, because Mr. Moonie looked like he could have killed a man when you came back last night. There was someone else, though—who was that? He looked totally zoned out. Did you do that?”
I rolled my eyes.Of course Fenris came back looking like he was on the warpath.“No,” I sighed. “I didn’t do that. That’s how we found him. The whole thing is a long, long story. I don’t really want to get into it.” Even if I was still upset with Fenris, I wasn’t going to reveal the truth about his brother. Something was obviously still going on with Lyka, and I was pretty certain it was Sabine’s doing. I didn’t want to get Abi or Val tangled up in it until we knew exactly what was going on with the former Lunar Lord.
