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Liana gasped loudly and took several steps backwards, grabbing Abi’s hands as she ducked.
I tried not to growl as my wolf pressed forward. Liana’s fear was a new flavor for him, and he was keen to lap it up. Celeste, meanwhile, winced, clearly retreating from my brother’s mind as he thrashed, but to my surprise, he went quiet as quickly as he’d lashed out, his eyes back on Liana as she retreated to stand next to her friend. For a moment, I thought he even looked contrite.
“I think that’s enough for one night,” I suggested to the small group. That had gone far better than I’d expected, but I didn’t want to push our luck—especially with that little outburst. I wasn’t interested in keeping Liana here against her will, either, but I also didn’t have the time to ferry her back to Tallahassee and make sure her memory was appropriately altered. Fated mate or not, I couldn’t risk anyone exposing the paranormal world, especially now. I simply did not have the resources to deal with all this so close to the solar eclipse.
She said nothing, yet Liana seemed relieved by my suggestion as she exhaled.
“He was actually okay, just so you know, though I wouldn’t say I got a really deep read,” Celeste whispered to me as I turned, ushering the three women out. She spoke to the group a minute later. “If everyone’s up for it, we can try again tomorrow night?”
Liana nodded, looking thoughtful, and as I closed the second door, I realized my brother was watching us leave. He hadn’t ever seemed terribly interested in our comings and goings since arriving on Isla Lobo. I considered exactly what that meant as we headed back toward the main wing of my home.
“What happened to him?” Liana asked, pressing her lips together as she looked back at us.
“The scars?” I said, assuming she meant his battered appearance. “Though wolf shifters have enhanced healing abilities, the talons and teeth of other immortal shifters leave permanent scars. When our father was the Lunar Lord, other members of our pack would assault us in the hope that eliminating us would allow them to become the next Lunar Lord themselves.”
“And is that why he’s the way he is? Mentally? Because his pack kept attacking him?”
I frowned. “No. That is the result of two twisted witches attacking him and his mind,” I said, not wanting to get into too much detail—not yet, anyway. “He once bore the curse of the Lunar Lord himself, and the witches used that to drive him mad.”
“That’s awful,” Liana said quietly, pressing her lips together.
As uncomfortable as this topic was, I appreciated that she seemed genuinely empathetic toward what had happened to Lyka. If nothing else, Liana seemed like a kind person, though I supposed I wasn’t surprised, given Celeste’s own sense of empathy.
“That’s why you’re here,” Celeste said. “Your presence could be calming enough that he’ll start working through some of that damage.”
“Is it possible for you to heal him through magic?” Liana asked, giving Celeste a curious look.
She shook her head. “No. Even if he allowed me to meddle in there, I don’t know nearly enough, and I don’t think we know anyone who’s so adept in both psychic magic and healing magic that they’d be able to reverse everything without any input from Lyka.”
“Oh,” Liana said, looking away. “What was he like before the witches got to him?”
I sighed. “He was wise beyond his years,” I said. “My brother was both logical and empathetic, and as Lunar Lord, he was a just ruler. Much more empathetic than my father, especially where the ‘normal’ realm was concerned. He didn’t view humans as a nuisance but as an actual part of our world.” I smiled at the thought of my father. It’d been awhile since I’d really reflected on him.
As we headed back upstairs, I paused at one of the first guest rooms in the hallway. “This will be your room,” I told Liana as I opened the door for her. “Walter has brought your things in and made sure everything is ready for you, but if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask.”
Liana nodded, walking to the doorway, and hesitating there before looking back at the rest of us. “This…has all been a lot to take in, if I’m being honest,” she said, not meeting anyone’s eyes. “Would it be alright if I take the rest of the evening to just…think about everything?”
“Of course,” I said, unsurprised.
Celeste stepped over to give her friend a quick hug. “Have a good night,” she said. “And seriously, if you need anything, anything at all, just come get me, alright?”
“I’ll be fine,” Liana said, giving a quick smile before wishing everyone good night.
As her door closed, Abi leaned in to elbow Celeste on her way further down the hall. “If you don’t mind, I’m gonna go catch up with Gilbert,” she said with a wicked grin.
I rolled my eyes as Celeste laughed. Then it was just the two of us left standing in the hallway. “Let’s go to bed,” I murmured, grabbing Celeste by the wrist to lead her back to the master suite.
Once we were safely inside, I turned to my mate. “Why are you so invested in what happens between Lyka and Liana?” Of course, I was happy to see my brother responding to us, but that did nothing to sate my curiosity.
Celeste shrugged. “I promised you I would do whatever I could to help Lyka recover,” she said, giving me a sad smile. “I just want you to have your brother back. And this seemed like the most promising way to make that happen.”
I turned, strolling back over to where she stood. “I know you can’t shift right now,” I said, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close to my chest. “But perhaps we can come up with another method to work out some of the tension in your shoulders? Help you sleep?”
Celeste tipped her head back against my bulk and smiled up at me, looking thoughtful. “You always want to chase me, huh?” she noted, giving me an amused grin. “I don’t need to be in a wolf’s skin to make that happen.”
Before I said anything else, she quickly wrenched herself free of my arms, darting around me further into the bedroom as she laughed. I grinned in response and then followed, scooping her up as she tried to speed into the master suite. She gave a playful little shriek, pretending to writhe as I toted her to the bed, tossing her against the mattress and pinning her to the sheets.
“Minx,” I said. Her smile was contagious, and I quickly found myself beaming right back at her. “Whatever am I going to do with you?”
