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It’s late. Maybe Mate is asleep,Atlas said desperately when I began to lose hope. I wasn’t sure either of us could handle not finding her here.
Let’s go inside,I said as we got closer. There’s a weird glow coming from the other side of the old pack house.Maybe she lit a fire for heat. We can go through to the back.
We walked inside the house, a faint track of paws on the dusty ground. I tried to mind-link Celeste, but while it didn’t connect, the connection was there to be made. She was here. I could smell her faintly on the first floor and followed it to the stairs, continuing to allow her faint scent to lead us until we reached the alpha floor, but slowed when we saw an orange glow coming from the room at the end of the hallway. I also felt a lot of heat coming through the door. I dropped the bag and shifted. The closer I got to the door, the hotter it got. I was sweating from the intense temperature, but it wasn’t hurting my skin. Not that it would stop me. I could feel the bond pulling me toward her. She was behind that door, and I was concerned about the immense heat coming from under the door. If I was sweating, she could be in trouble or hurt.
I slowly opened the door and froze as my eyes widened. In the middle of the room was my mate, and she was floating above the bed, completely covered in fire.
“What the hell?” I whispered while I watched the love of my life levitating from the burnt bed, unsure how to help her. Her entire body was covered in flames, and she was radiating so much heat that the few items in the room were covered in soot, the windows were broken, and the few plastic things in the room were reduced to tiny plastic puddles. The blaze licked at the bed below her, yet it didn’t spread. She wasn't conscious, but her eyes were open, and little flames swaying where her pupils should be.
She is our Aztec goddess,Atlas whispered in awe and love in the back of my mind. I couldn’t disagree, but I was concerned about her. The amount of heat coming from her was not normal, and I was afraid she might be hurt. Now that I was close, I could sense the drain on her body. Had she been like this for the two days she’d been missing? Had she eaten or drank anything at all since she left me? I slowly approached her, afraid of getting burned but willing to do whatever was needed to keep our mate safe.
We were made for her. It will not hurt us, Atlas assured me.
How do you know this?I asked as I looked around Celeste to see if I could find a weak spot in her firestorm.
Goddess Selene made us for her. To protect her and love her. We wouldn’t be able to protect her if her fire hurt us,he explained.
Okay. I trust you. Here goes, I said, reaching out tentatively through the flames. They licked and danced on my hand but didn’t burn me. Ever so softly, I put my hand on her face, caressing her cheek. Her eyes snapped to us.
Mate, Both Kara and Celeste’s voices flew into my mind. Her body stopped burning, and her body stopped levitating, falling toward the bed. I caught her in my arms, and she curled into my chest, inhaling my scent. I held her tight, my face in her hair. Her delicious scent soothed every part of my soul and healed my broken heart. She was sleeping now, her heart beat strong, and her body returned to normal temperature.
She was naked and dirty from her run, confirming that she had been in this suspended state of burning since she left us two days ago. The power it took to maintain that kind of intense burn would have been enormous. How she maintained it while not eating or drinking, I didn't know.
I sat on the floor in the room for a long time, holding my mate, my goddess, the most important piece of my life. I let my shaky hands roam her body, assuring myself she was alright and relishing the feeling of the bond sparks that I had missed so much. My heart soared as I heard her sweet little moans of contentment coming from her mouth as she slept. Once I was sure she wouldn’t disappear from my arms, I got up, walked with her to the bag, and picked up the phone Maya included in there. It was her own phone, and it was thankfully not locked. It was close to dawn when I dialed Danny, grateful he picked up on the first ring.
“Alpha,” he answered tentatively.
“She’s here. Can you send a car to pick us up?” I said.
“I’ve got the car ready. Maya and I will see you there. Is she alright?” he said, relief evident in his voice.
“I think so. I found her floating in a ball of fire, Danny, but she’s asleep now.”
“Ball of fire?” Danny asked incredulously.
“Ball of fire. If I hadn’t seen it myself, I would not believe it either. My Tuli has a hell of a lot more power than we thought,” I whispered as I wondered what other talents my mate could possess and how I was going to manage to keep her safe.
“We’ll be there in a flash. Make sure you eat,” Danny said before he hung up. With Celeste in my arms, I picked up the shorts and wiggled them on as best as I could. I then dressed Celeste, but she wouldn’t let go of my neck, so I had to lay her on a couch with her arms wrapped around me while I slipped the dress up her body through her feet. Thank the Goddess that Maya chose a loose maxi dress. Not that I was complaining; I didn’t want her to stop touching me. When I finished, I sat on the steps of the mansion and ate a couple of sandwiches Maya had added to the bag and the protein bars. I drank some water and got Celeste to drink some, though she didn’t wake up.
An hour later, one of our SUVs approached. I got up with my mate, still sleeping soundly in my arms. Maya, Danny and Gillian got out of the car, looking relieved to see Celeste. Maya had a fuzzy blanket that she draped over Celeste, and I returned her phone with a heartfelt thanks. Feeling the blanket around her made Celeste snuggle further in my arms, nuzzling her nose into my neck and making a noise of happiness that made my heart soar.
“We need to find out more information about her lineage. There’s no way there’s no record of these types of abilities in her line,” Danny said while we drove back to the pack house, and I described to them how I found her.
“We have followed her mother’s family tree as far as we could, but there was no mention of powers outside of what Alexander said Celeste’s mom had,” Gillian answered.
“What if we’re looking at this from the wrong angle?” I wondered out loud. All three heads looked at me while I caressed my hands through Celeste’s curls, trying to brush out some of the knots in her hair as gently as possible. “We’ve been trying to follow her lineage, but what if these abilities follow the women in her family? That’s much harder to track. Think about it. How often does a luna need to exert power in front of outside packs? If they were careful, no one would know.”
Gillian’s eyes widened with realization. “That makes sense, actually. Otherwise, these abilities would be common knowledge if males possessed them. We’re not known for being bashful of our power.”
“Speaking of power. Does anyone have a lighter? I have a theory to test.” Danny looked confused at my words but handed me a lighter from the glove compartment. Maya was sitting on his lap since Celeste and I were taking up the entire back seat.
I flicked on the flame, took a breath, and then put my hand over it, but I quickly removed it when I felt the sting.
“Ouch!” I exclaimed as I shook my hand out, and Celeste whined slightly in her sleep.
“Alpha?” Maya looked concerned for my mental health. “Did you forget fire hurts?” Her confusion at my actions was so genuine that I had to chuckle.
“Fire bad.” Danny smirked.
