Everwild (The Healer Series, #1) (14 page)

They nestled together and leaned their backs
against the trunk. Willow’s eyes roamed the forest but she saw
nothing. There was no animal or anything running towards them. She
waited a couple minutes. Her body was ready to take off any moment.
She was more than tense.

“Shit!” Declan cursed and pushed himself off
the tree. “We have to climb a tree. NOW!” he said searching the
tree wildly for the nearest nub to grab. Unfortunately, the tree
branches didn’t start at standing height. They were a ways above
their heads. Before Willow could protest, Declan clutched her at
the waist and hoisted her up in the air like she weighed nothing.
She grabbed a rough branch above her while Declan lifted her feet
up so she could sit on it.

“Start climbing!” he half whispered, half
shouted to her. Willow was not exactly a nature girl and she was
already getting poked from the jutting twigs and leaves. She
scrambled and tried to find big, thick branches to climb, knowing
they would support her weight. She got about halfway up when she
looked down and saw that Declan was right behind her.

“How did you get up here so fast?” She asked
bewildered.

“I’m not out of shape, Willow Tree,” he said
barely breathing heavy. He wasn’t just “not out of shape” but was
in excellent shape! Willow’s insides quivered. Declan was strong.
He not only lifted her up without effort, but he had somehow jumped
high enough to grab the lowest branch and then quickly climbed to
where she was in a matter of seconds. It took all of her effort to
even move up one branch!

“Is this high enough?” Willow asked him
breathless. They were in a thick spot that she thought would cover
them. Unless the perpetrators looked directly up at the base of the
tree, they would be concealed from their eyes. Not to mention it
was difficult to see anything in the pouring rain.

“Yeah,” Declan said and he and Willow sat
together about fifteen feet above the ground. Her stomach did the
whole butterfly thing, and she wasn’t sure if it was the height or
Declan’s body right next to hers.

Shortly after they made the climb, she heard
it. Soft, musical voices carried through the thunder. They seemed
so far away-until she saw the bodies. Willow flinched and the
branch rocked slightly by the movement. She was terrified that she
would fall down and be discovered so she had to hold onto Declan to
keep still. Willow let out a small squeak when she saw them. Declan
put his arm around her waist and pulled her into him with his
strong arms silencing her as she cowered into his side.

What caused her alarm was a large group of
Fey hunters creeping expertly below them. They moved forward in
ranks, barely making any sound. They were spread out sporadically
through the area, so Willow couldn’t count how many there were.
They were beautiful creatures all dressed in dark green and brown,
blending into the environment like camouflage. They had pointy ears
and straight lined faces. Only their hair color differed from the
other. Some had long, flowing blonde or brown hair; others had
short or buzzed hair styles. In any case, they were stunning, even
in the pouring rain.

One of the Fey signaled others close by to
approach. He whispered something to them and they continued on.
They held bows in their hands with an arrow cocked and ready to
fire. The Fey were rumored to wield great magic and influence the
elements, just like a witch or warlock. They probably were the ones
who started the thunderstorm. Some Fey believed they were better
than witches and dominated them in magic. They were also said to be
dark creatures that liked to mess with people and torture them for
the fun of it. The Fey below her were hunting something. They
seemed to have no interest in Willow or Declan. If the Fey sensed
they were here, they didn’t act like it. The Fairy hunters
disappeared from their sight quietly into the trees as the sly
wolves they were and Willow let out the breath she had been
holding.

Willow and Declan stayed in the tree until
the rain stopped. It was only a passing storm that lasted for
merely half an hour, but it seemed as though a hurricane had just
passed through the area. When they reached the ground, fallen
leaves and twigs were scattered everywhere, and plants had been
uprooted and tossed by the wind. The dirt was wet and made it
impossible to walk on the muddy surface. Willow sunk in the ground
with each step she took.

Twilight stretched across the forest, or at
least, it looked like twilight. The Everwild never stayed light for
long. The dimming rays of sun mixed with the blue sky cast oranges,
pinks, and yellows to paint the land. Declan decided it should be
okay to continue going north, even though that was the direction
where the hunters had gone. They would have to be on better guard,
so they didn’t talk to each other, just listened and tried to be as
stealthy as the hunters.

Walking through the forest became tiring. Her
legs felt wobbly. Her mouth was completely dry and her breath came
up short. Declan seemed to realize this and they stopped to rest
for a while. When she was ready to go again, he walked up to her
nonchalantly, took his hands and brushed her hair away from her
face. Willow froze.

All she could do was stare hopelessly into
his beautiful hazel eyes that had subtle hints of blue and green in
them. Declan stared unblinkingly back into her eyes while continued
brushing the tangled mess of hair away from her cheeks. Her senses
were on edge with his every touch. She tried not to lean into his
hands as they caressed her face. It took all her energy to keep her
knees from collapsing under her. Declan smiled. It was another
breathtaking smile which melted her heart. He tucked some of her
hair behind her ear, and then ran his thumb gently down her cheek.
His touch was so soft and tender, that it stunned her and left her
helpless. Even after he removed his hand with a slight frown,
Willow could still feel the prickly sensations he left on her
skin.

Declan seemed like he didn’t realize his
effect on her. She tried to hide her innermost feelings, but ever
since their journey into the Everwild, something was changing.
Feelings that she never wanted to have bubbled to the surface like
lava, and if she wasn’t careful, she would explode. She already
coached herself that he was off limits. He didn’t want her that
way. She didn’t want him that way either…or did she? She could
easily be caught up in his spell, so distancing herself and arguing
with him were better choices-the easier route to take. She wanted
to keep it that way. Yet when he did nice, sweet things like that,
it only made the heartache worse and her lust for him increase.

A terrible howl echoed in the distance. The
warm feeling Declan left on her turned cold. “Did you hear that?”
she whispered shakily. The howl resonated close to where they stood
but carried for miles. A creature was calling for aide.

“Sounds like a wolf,” Declan said and turned
to her. “We need to be careful. Wolves always travel in packs.”

“Something isn’t right, Dec, I can
feel
it,” Willow said trembling. A small tug on her
heartstrings sent her nerves on edge. Someone was hurting. Badly.
She needed to get there to help whoever it was. Her instincts told
her it wasn’t something evil. “I have to go,” she started walking
dazedly towards the sound but was stopped abruptly by someone
pulling her arm.

“Oh no you don’t Willow Tree!” Declan
scolded. “We carry on with our mission. We don’t stop, and we don’t
help anyone in the Everwild. Ever. We don’t know what made that
sound. Now, come on.”

“Let me go!” she jerked her arm from him.
“Stop ordering me around!”

“I can’t let you go!” Declan said frustrated.
“You can’t just go gallivanting into the forest like a hero.
Remember where we are! You’re not even supposed to use magic! So
come on! Let’s go.”

Another howl bellowed in the wilderness, this
time it was like the sound’s origin was really close. Willow winced
at the pain in the voice. She took a step away from Declan. “Don’t
you da—” He began and reached for her, but Willow expertly dodged
him and took off running towards the sound. She heard Declan close
on her heels, but she was small and fast and could maneuver through
the trees better than him.

She ran only a few hundred feet until she
skidded to a stop and gasped. A humongous wolf was lying in a metal
bear trap. Its right hind leg was clamped and bleeding profusely
over the rugged ground. It stained the dirt red. The poor wolf’s
leg was half broken, and the hair was matted and coated with blood,
the clamp hit an artery. He would lose his leg soon and bleed out
if she didn’t do something.

The wolf saw her and locked eyes with hers,
letting out a low throaty growl. He was all black besides a white
streak down his snarling muzzle. The wolf’s eyes were an almond
shape and bright blue, contrasting starkly with his beautiful
coat.

“It’s okay,” Willow cooed softly and held her
hands out. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The wolf cocked its head and stopped growling
when he heard her voice. Willow tried being as soothing as
possible. She took a step forward. The wolf remained cautious of
Willow’s presence, watching her every move. “You’re such a pretty
wolf, aren’t you?” she chided and crouched down, getting closer and
closer to him. The wolf followed her with narrowed eyes. “And
you’re eyes are so stunning.” She was almost able to touch the
wolf, but to keep a soothing air about her she continued talking to
the wolf as she was almost there. “I’m Willow Rose, a Healer. Well,
really, I’m a First degree witch. I didn’t know I was a Healer
until three days ago. I almost lost my life, you know. It looks
like you’re in a lot of pain, huh boy? I know what that’s like. Can
I help you?”

Timidly, Willow reached for the wolf. She
held her hand out directly in front of his muzzle, somehow
unafraid. She felt like the wolf was starting to trust her. To
prove it, the wolf closed the distance between them and touched his
nose to her open palm. “There now, that wasn’t so bad, huh pretty
boy?” She cooed. The wolf snorted, almost like it was laughing at
her. Willow ran her hand up his nose to the space between his ears
and scratched. The wolf growled, but it was a good, pleasant sound.
Willow smiled, and then assessed his leg. The bear trap was jagged
and sharp and had his leg trapped pretty good. The white of his
tibia bone was showing. It didn’t look good at all, but Willow
wasn’t squeamish anymore about the sight of blood.

“Let’s get this claw off, shall we?” Willow
asked and moved to unclip the lever that would release the wolf’s
leg.

“Willow what are you doing?” Declan exclaimed
behind her. The wolf whipped its head and shifted his body growling
deeply, revealing a sharp row of teeth in his mouth. Saliva dripped
down his chin in a feral way. Willow was knocked off balance and
landed on her side.

“Declan!” she said in frustration, her effort
to calm the wolf completely backfired by the stupid imposing
warlock.

“Get away from him, Willow!” Declan said.
“That’s a werewolf!”

Willow looked to the wolf’s head, who was now
fixated on her. His blue eyes gazed intently into hers. He looked
like a normal wolf, besides how large he was. He was practically
the size of a grizzly bear. She turned on Declan. “Then why isn’t
he shifting into a human, Dec?”

“Get. Away. NOW!” Declan said rushing up to
her. Suddenly, the wolf lashed out at Declan, jumping up and using
the side of his body to ram into Declan. Declan was knocked flat on
his back. Willow used the distraction to work the trap, undoing the
clip and pulling the lever up. The trap busted open in seconds and
the wolf was free.

Declan came up to Willow, lifted her by the
waist, and pulled her far from the wolf. She protested and wiggled
against him but it did no use. Declan was like a rock. “Let me go!
Let me heal him, Declan!”

“Yes, Declan, let her,” a smooth, male voice
said in front of them. They both turned and saw a tall, naked man
standing in the middle of the forest just a few feet from them. He
had the decency to hide behind a bush to block his lower half, and
Willow stopped squirming in Declan’s arms, mouth gaping at the
gorgeous sight.

The man was young and youthful looking with
jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. He had pouty lips and a
straight nose with high cheekbones. He was tanned and had a lean
stomach, eight pack abs, and defined, bulging arm muscles. He was
breathtakingly gorgeous.

The man’s eyes met Willow’s and brightened
mischievously. She knew those familiar, stunning eyes. They were
the same as the wolf. “Wow,” Willow said breathlessly, still
admiring the hot boy in front of her.

The man chuckled sexily, but then winced as
if it hurt him. Willow perked up, remembering his injury. How the
werewolf was still standing with a broken, shattered right leg, she
had no idea. “Even though I do heal quickly, somehow the idea of
your hands all over me is not something I can pass up,” the
werewolf smirked with a heated look in his eyes towards Willow.
Willow’s knees nearly buckled under her. Declan’s grip tightened on
her waist.

“Don’t,” he whispered desperately in her ear,
“he’s dangerous.”

Willow turned her head and almost collided
with his lips, but pulled back quickly. “Let. Me. Go.” He released
her and frowned, a flash of hurt crossing his features, but he
backed away willingly. Willow sauntered up to the naked man smiling
bashfully.

“Hey there Healer,” the werewolf said
flashing a brilliant smile in return.

“Wait!” Declan said running up to them. He
held out a pair of shorts to the werewolf. “Put these on.”

The werewolf crossed his arms and regarded
Declan coldly. “I would, but sadly I don’t wish to be indebted to a
warlock. I already owe too much.”