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Waving back at her, I turned and headed out of the camp, pleased to hear the suspicious whispers were giving way to productive chatter and the sounds of witches gathering supplies and preparing potions.
Chapter 23
Fenris
Snowmass Pack Lands
Snowmass, Colorado
Time Until the Eclipse: 5 Days
While Celeste went to speak with the Thalassa witches and warlocks, I went to see how my brother fared. He’d been a bit removed from the rest of the encampment as a “lone wolf,” though I knew Liana was visiting him several times a day. I hadn’t seen him out with Cody and some of the other wolf shifters preparing themselves, so I wanted to make sure he was still doing all right. It hadn’t been long since he’d returned to himself, and this was a high-stress situation. If my brother was slipping back, I wanted to make sure I knew before it got too difficult to reverse.
I pushed open the tent, only to see the back of Liana’s head. She turned and gasped as she mumbled some apology.
I sighed.How many couples am I going to walk in on?
“Excuse me,” I muttered, about to retreat from the tent when Liana stood, brushing her clothing off even though there was nothing there.
“I was just leaving,” she squeaked, refusing to meet my gaze. “I was getting dinner for Esme.” Without another word, she slipped past me and hurried out of the tent, leaving my brother and me to stare at one another.
I watched him watch her leave as I seated myself across from him.“I am surprised you have taken it this slow,”I said with a drawl, feeling pleased.“Part of me thought you’d try to bite her at the first chance.”
Lyka gave me a reproachful look.“Of course I have thought about it,”he said, shaking his head,“but she is not a shifter. The last thing I want to do is frighten her because I have moved too fast.”He sighed and shook his head.“Besides, I do not want to hurt her. I have felt far more myself than I have in…forever, but what if that changes? It is too soon to really know.”
I couldn’t argue with that, not when I was on the lookout for any sign of the feral creature that had been my brother for centuries.“We have time,”I said simply.
He shrugged. “I can barely communicate with her. We kissed. That’s all we have done.”
I gave him a wry look.“I swear you two are kissing every time I see you, brother,”I grumbled.“I think you can at least assume she is interested in you.”I shook my head, not wanting to tease Lyka too much about his blossoming love life. After everything that had happened to him before, he deserved happiness, and if he wanted to take his time to get there, far be it from me to rush him.“Many of the shifters who’ve gathered to support us have left for Peru on foot in the past few days,”I informed him, changing topics.“We’ll need to leave soon as well.”
Lyka glanced at me.“They’ve gathered to supportyou, Fenris,”he said.“You are the Lunar Lord. I am a ghost.”He looked amused.“Would you like me to head out on foot and meet you at the ancient moon temple? I am sure I could find my way.”
I paused, studying him for a moment. He was so much more confident, so much more the brother I remembered growing up with than the listless shell of a shifter who’d been living on Isla Caida. Despite the mounting stress, he still seemed clear-eyed—he still seemed likeLyka.I knew Celeste was still checking in on him, and clearly, Liana’s presence hadn’t hurt, either.
“Not yet,”I said.“I would prefer to have you here to bounce ideas off. Celeste is much more empathetic than I am, but she has not had to fight before. Not like this.”I grimaced.“You are the only one who really understands.”
Lyka rumbled, nodding slowly.“I do understand,”he said, sounding a bit far away, but his mind didn’t wander as I shared what the Order of the Stars had reported, detailing how we planned to move individuals to the ancient temple and the surrounding jungle as the eclipse loomed ever closer.
As I finished, he hummed.“This is a solid plan,”he said.“If you want me to stay behind, I will, but I’d prefer to fight by my brother’s side, if you felt comfortable with that.”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?”I said, wrinkling my nose.“A mad witch attacked you not once, but twice in the past month. That’s to say nothing of how they tortured you before that.”The last thing I wanted to do was cause an otherwise preventable relapse by exposing Lyka to more attacks. I was confident that Sabine was not the only psychic witch the Solar Sovereign employed.
Lyka grunted.“Is anyone really up for a war?”he asked.“But truly, Fenris, I would not offer if I felt I’d be more of a banethan a boon to you. I am confident that if you wanted my help, I’d be able to provide it to you.”
I sighed.“I appreciate that. Truly,”I said, pressing my lips together.“But I don’t have an answer yet. I’ve only just gotten you back, and I do notactuallywant to mourn my brother if the worst was to pass.”
Lyka studied me, and for a moment, I was afraid he’d try to argue with me. Instead, he reached over the table to give my arm a pat.“I understand,” he said, nodding.“If I were in your position and you were in mine, I am sure I would feel the same. Whatever you decide, I will abide by.”He paused for a moment.“I suggest you remember, though, that I have a few more centuries on you, little brother. And for all the loss and triumph we experienced in the Celestial Pack, I experienced that much more.”
For some reason, that reminder just made me chuckle.“I will keep that in mind,”I said, keenly aware of how savage Lyka could be when pressed.“I’ll at least give it serious consideration. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to see how Celeste fared speaking with the witches.”
Lyka nodded and motioned toward the exit, wishing me well as I went. Once I was outside, I lifted my head and scented the air, realizing that Celeste wasn’t too far from my current location. Following the smell of orange blossoms, I found her also searching for me. She turned, her expression lighting up, and there was a swell of warmth in my chest as she regarded me with such open joy. It meant everything that mykhuyawas sohappyto see me, especially when we’d gotten off to such a poor start. I knew our first meeting had been less than ideal, and I wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d written me off altogether for it.
I was glad that instead, she’d been able to look past it.Though I suppose she did stab me with a silver earring,I recalled, snorting at the memory.Neither of us were at our best.
Celeste reached me and smiled. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.” I sighed happily, leaning down to kiss her instead. “What is the situation among the covens?”
