AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She was gone before I could finish, disappearing in a cold snap of air that left a chill running down my spine. All I could do now was wait for the excruciating minutes it would take Delila to find Celeste.
My wolf writhed as he agonized over the possibility of someone luring our mate into a trap. I hadn’t thought that Delila could end up in the wrong spot, but now I found myself wondering about that possibility as well. Shemightend up with Celeste, but without enough magical strength to make it back.
I did not plan enough for this!I bristled, starting to pace down the hallway. I made it to the end before wheeling around on my heel and pacing back toward the entryway.I shouldn’t have trusted her to—
I halted the thought right there. No matter what, I had to assume Celeste was acting in good faith. Using dark magic was incredibly dangerous, yet I couldn’t believe that she was working with the Solar Sovereign. She must have truly believed her aunt was in danger.
You cannot allow your paranoia to rule you, or you will not make it to this eclipse, I thought, and continued to pace.
I was only vaguely aware of Val and Walter in my periphery, then finally that all too familiar snap of cold air burst into my home again. I whirled around as Delila appeared, supporting not one but two women. I didn’t recognize the older witch slumping to the floor. Though not covered in blood like the other woman, Celeste was unconscious, her head slumped against Delila’s side as the witch avoided dropping her on the ground.
In the space of a breath, I was next to her, scooping my fated mate up without a word. I could hear Walter and Val behind me, speaking to Delila, but I didn’t take in the words. I didn’t care. I strode down the hall and up the stairs, pacifying my wolf’s rage with the knowledge that ourkhuyawas back in our arms, still in one piece. As I shifted Celeste’s weight in one arm to open the master bedroom, she stirred, her dark lashes fluttering open.
She exhaled softly as I glanced down. I closed the door before crossing the room and setting her down gently on the bed, carefully arranging the plush pillows beneath her head. “Fenris?” she murmured, sounding half-dazed, as if she weren’t sure she was dreaming.
“I’m here,” I murmured quietly, settling my racing heart. I removed her shoes first, discarding them carelessly on the floor. “Are you hurt?”
She didn’t answer me, just licked her lips. Celeste opened her mouth, but seemed to forget how to speak—or was simply tootiredto try. The exhaustion was written all over her face. She sank back on the bed and took a deep breath.
Deciding not to take her safety for granted, I carefully removed her clothing. Though I didn’t see any blood, that didn’t mean she wasn’t injured. I paused once I’d removed her top: an angry burn mark stared back at me, partially obscured by her bra. I frowned, but then a soft noise escaped Celeste. When I glanced back, her silver eyes looked wet.
“I’m so sorry,” she finally whispered, voice thick with emotion. Her lower lip trembled as she tried to hold herself together. She sniffed hard. “I’m so sorry,” Celeste said again, refusing to meet my eyes.
A moment later, I realized that a hint of fear rolled off her. It wasn’t residual. It was new. She was afraid ofme. Of myreaction.
The sting of that epiphany was so sharp, even my wolf took notice, recoiling as he recognized the impression his earlier fury had made on our fated mate.
“Who did this to you?” I asked. I didn’t need to see it all to know this wound was a magical brand. It took all my willpower to keep the venom out of my voice. After all, it was not Celeste who’d branded herself. The last thing I wanted was for her to shrink any further.
She sniffed, losing the battle against her emotions, and as she bit her lower lip, fat tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving wet trails as she looked away at the far wall. She didn’t even try to get up. Didn’t try to explain, either. She said nothing.
I took a deep breath, sitting down next to her. My hand hovered for a moment before I placed it over hers, giving a gentle squeeze. “You can tell me,” I whispered, as if raising my voice might send her into retreat. “Celeste, please. Who hurt you?”
Again, she sniffed, but this time, she finally turned to look at me. Or near me, rather. Tears kept rolling down her cheeks, and I moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders, holding her close.
“Forget my questions,” I said quietly, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Rest now.” She was safe, and there was nothing more important than that.
Celeste shuddered, then leaned her weight against mine as if savoring the warmth. I resolved to hold her as long as she needed it. I had no idea how much time had passed before she suddenly cleared her throat.
“I made a mistake,” Celeste said, so soft, I could barely hear her. She still refused to meet my gaze, but she’d moved enough to sit more upright. “I can’t—I can’t tell you what happened,” she said a few breaths later. “I can’t—I’m so sorry. I’m so,sosorry, Fenris. I made a mistake. I made such a big stupid—”
“Celeste,” I murmured, taking her chin in my fingers. I tipped her head up gently until our eyes met. I couldn’t allow her to keep berating herself like that. Her fear had only grown, and my wolf recoiled further. There was little I wanted more than answers now, but if Celeste couldn’t tell me in this moment—
I blinked.
If shecan’tanswer me, that means she’s under a command, and there is only one being powerful enough…the Solar Sovereign.My blood practically boiled at the thought, and it took all my focus to simply remember to breathe instead of tearing off, intent on hunting them down for hurting Celeste.
But my rage wouldn’t help her. If this had happened even two months ago, I might have sent her away, banishing her to an island not unlike Lyka’s until I could complete my bloody task. I had no idea what else the Solar Sovereign might have commanded my fated mate to do, and this meant a far greater risk than Sabine’s possession.I cannot do that to her.
More than I feared betrayal, I loathed the idea of any harm coming to Celeste. Icouldn’tcause her even more pain than what she’d already suffered. I couldn’t live with myself otherwise.
I took a deep breath while my wolf retreated. For once, we were on the same page when it came to regulating our fury.
Unfortunately, Celeste seemed to take this differently and sniffed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll figure out how to make this right, Fenris. I swear I will. Please trust that I will. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll fix it. I promise.”
“Celeste,” I said firmly. “We can talk about it later.”
She was clearly exhausted and weak from the amount of magic she’d used. I hated seeing her like this, hated knowing this was the toll dark magic took on her. I wanted to scold her—after everything that’d happened, she’d gone and used it again, but she was clearly repentant. If anything, scolding her would just make this worse.
