Wyrd Calling (Wyrd Bound Book 1) (14 page)

I nodded. "And what made you help me back there, Kit?"

His pale golden-green eyes flashed for a moment as he took a deep breath and allowed it to escape through clenched teeth. "I knew the phoenix that it came from."

I felt a deep pain in my chest when he said it. I was far from an empath, but the pain and guilt he felt over that statement crept through our connection via his arm around me. I nodded.
 

"I plan on sending it on properly. Will you aid me?"

He smiled at me and continued to lead me through the streets of the city until the sun began to set and we were in a wood on the far side of the city. I could hear Alex's voice in my head telling me not to trust a fae, not to get into trouble. I snarled at the mental image and carried on. We came to a clearing surrounded by various brightly coloured flowers. Delicate, tiny, pale pink flowers on the tops of fine stems and bright blue daisies mingled with blood-red roses and shocking yellow tulip-type flowers. The grass that covered the floor of the clearing was a vibrant, almost emerald green. It just needed a neon sign saying 'fairy circle' to complete the blatant lack of regard for hiding its nature. We stood at the edge of it. Kit stepped over the short little purple flowers that crawled between the gaps left by the taller, more ambitious flowers and held his hand out to me. His lips were pulled into a slightly predatory smile, and the faint golden glow highlighted his high cheekbones and made the green in his eyes shimmer just a little. I matched his predatory smile, took his hand and stepped into the circle. I had a long history with the fae. I wasn't worried. A faint beat rumbled through the grass, just below our feet. It was calming, soothing and peaceful. I carefully pulled the feather out and ran a fingertip over it, making sure that not a single piece was of out of place. I put my hands out in front of me, with the palms up and the feather laying across them before looking to Kit. He leaned in and kissed my forehead as he took the feather and placed it in the very centre of the clearing.
 

The beat slowly picked up in tempo as the sun set and we knelt before the feather, watching the blood-red sky slowly give way to the crystalline blues and eventually the rich indigo of the night’s tapestry. I closed my eyes and pulled forward the raging, chaotic heat of fire. It surged through my fingertips and raced forwards. I tried not to giggle at the wonderful pain in my fingers as the flames licked outwards, surrounding the feather. It only took me a couple of minutes to establish a fire. I allowed it to grow of its own accord. The feather twisted, turned and flickered in the flames. It shimmered and rippled as the fire sparked and caressed it. We stood. The fire added a new depth to the elegant, painfully beautiful features of Kit's face as his platinum blonde hair became a blank canvas for the consumption happening before us.

The beat of the Earth rumbled below us, taking on a heavy thundering tone, and so we danced. We circled around the fire, our heads bent low as we closed our eyes and gave ourselves over to the beat and celebrated the feather being returned to where it belonged. We twisted and turned, throwing our heads above us as the tempo increased and us with it. We became a whirling, twisting entity. Our limbs became entangled as we were completely lost to the beat, the process, the reclamation and return of the feather. Nothing else existed during that time, we were nothing more than an extension of the ritual and the beat of the Earth beneath our feet.
 

15

I woke up shivering on the damp grass with the birds squawking around me. I groaned and slowly opened my eyes, not entirely convinced that I wanted to see where I was. I knew I didn't want to face the day. I cracked one eye open and immediately wished I hadn't. Patches of the pink sky peeked between the dense canopy overhead, giving a rosy tint to the dark old bark of the oak trees. That was the nice part. Unfortunately, the Sisters, all three of them, were standing over me. Their pristine white dresses hugged their slender figures while their pale blonde hair fell about their faces as they looked down at me. One had a look of mild amusement. The other two, however, had deep scowls. I stretched and slowly sat up, refusing to take my eyes off them.
 

I reached the conclusion that the one with the look of amusement was my safest option, so I smiled innocently and said, "And what brings you out here?"

The one with the deep green eyes and wavy hair, who also happened to be the one with the deepest scowl, replied, "Do you think this is some game, Thalia? Do you think you can go gallivanting off whenever you damn well please? We gave you a task!"

I stood and looked at her with my arms crossed. "You're more than welcome to just use Alex you know. I'm not attached to this whole, Wyrd Bound, thing."

She and the other miserable-looking one snarled at me, their porcelain complexions shifted to a pale bluish-grey for the briefest moment. I hadn't forced them to show their real forms before. Part of me wanted to push harder so that I could get a better look. The raven reminded me that, as they were the Wyrd Sisters who quite literally controlled the fates of everyone and everything, it would be in my best interests to behave. For once.
 

I sighed and brushed the dirt off my clothing. "What did I do wrong, this time?"

One of them snorted, which was an odd sound coming from such an elegant and refined woman. "You were off cavorting with the fae instead of focusing on the task you were given. That was
after
you took the risk with the murdered demon. You should have stayed away rather than getting close to him and then watching what happened. You should have left with Dan and kept your packmate safe."

I curled my lip, "Fine. Fine. I'll go back to Alex and be a good girl."

I didn't see anything wrong with my actions. I hadn't put anyone at risk, and that feather should have been returned properly. It was only right and respectful. It wasn't as though I was brushing off potential leads or flaunting what I was to all and sundry.
 

They just stood and glared at me before I finally broke and said, "And...?"

The softer one, who appeared to be amused by the entire thing spoke that time, "We put you in that situation for a reason. Stop being a pain in the ass, open your eyes, and focus! You’re good as a Wyrd Bound creature, and you’ve had your little vacation. Stop screwing around and pretending you're a petulant cub. We know better. Just as you know there is no escaping your role or binding to us. Your life would be much easier and happier if you behaved yourself."

Part of me liked the idea of being a petulant cub, especially if it meant pissing them off. The reminder that there was no escaping my shackles to them stung, but I rolled my eyes and sighed, "I'm going back to Alex."

They couldn't help themselves. I barely had a chance to blink, one second I was surrounded by the peace and tranquillity of the woods, the next I was in the bedroom with the cubs shouting and laughing next door. I took a deep breath and took a moment to adjust while biting back the curses sitting on the tip of my tongue. I swore I could almost hear them tittering somewhere.
 

I muttered, "one day."
 

I reminded myself: It wasn't forever. One day, I'd be free of them. I had to be. I had to cling onto that hope. Alex sat up slowly and looked at me, bleary eyed. The blanket slipped down to reveal dark purple bruises on his upper arms and ribs. Dark red slashed his chest and lower arms. I sat next to him on the bed and began running my fingertips over the bruises, slowly pressing soothing energy into the angry injuries. It was an automatic act. I didn’t like seeing him injured. I never had.

 
I wasn't much of a healer, but I could do enough to ease his pain and quicken the healing process. The tendrils of energies slipped through my fingertips and slithered along his warm skin, slinking down into the damaged flesh to ease the pain. It felt odd for a brief moment to share that intimacy with him. I wanted more, but I couldn’t. Thoughts evacuated my mind to try and keep me focused and to save me from myself. There was nothing but the energies, the relaxing peace it brought to feel the pain move from him to me.
 

When the final deep cut just above his hip had been healed as much as it was going to be, I turned and pushed the dark, bitter pain energies down into the ground so as not to keep it all in my own body. I had no doubt that Ark would have something to say about my methods, but I was a battlefield medic at best. I was far from a genuine healer. Alex placed his hand on my knee and rubbed his thumb on my thigh. I wanted to push his hand away, to cut the contact with him, but I needed it. I needed the touch of affection and reassurance.

"Thank you."

I simply nodded. Whether I liked it or not, he was pack. He pissed me off, and the entire situation hurt more than a little, but I would deal with it. He gave me a half-hearted smile and his eyes shone with a vague sense of hope.
 

I shook my head and stood. I didn’t want to hurt him by encouraging that hope. "What happened to you? Are the cubs ok?"

He curled his lip and stood up slowly. "We got into a fight with some ferals. They had a stick up their ass because they felt we were looking down on them as they're ferals and we're shifters. You know what they're like; their delicate egos mean they find offense in everything."

Ferals have the residual instincts of the animals they’re attached to, but no actual shifting ability. That often gives them an inferiority complex, which makes them easy and fun to pick fights with. I looked him over. The deep purple-black bruises had faded into an ugly brown and covered a good amount of his torso. The cuts were quite numerous and deep.
 

"Did you take on an entire colony of them, or...?"

He looked a little sheepish. "It started with six of them and the four of us. I couldn't help myself; I was pissed off at the situation and worried about you, so I riled them. Another couple of packs were apparently in the area and then the hellhounds joined in, the fae couldn't resist a good fight, and by that point the entire bar was in on it."

I had to laugh. It wasn't like Alex to pick fights, and I was slightly sad to have missed all the fun. "And the cubs?"

"They're not too bad, no worse than me. Nik can really pack a punch. He knocked a couple of big hounds literally on their ass with one punch." He turned and headed into the bathroom. "I was worried about you..."

I shrugged. I didn’t want to acknowledge the sentiment, the caring. "You know I can take care of myself."

With that, I left and headed towards the raucous laughter and shouts. The cubs weren't a subtle bunch. I looked them over as they were apparently recounting the previous night. None of them seemed to be lame or stiff, so it wasn't all that bad. There was a twinge of relief at that realisation. They were still irritating cubs, but like it or not, they were my cubs. I kept things to the point. I wasn’t ready for any sort of a real emotional connection. The run in with the Sisters and then seeing Alex like that had left me emotionally drained.
 

"I heard about last night. How badly are you hurt?"

They all stopped, and Ryan said, "Where did you appear from? Can you teach me to appear from thin air like that?"

I laughed quietly at them. "I have many talents, skills, and connections. How badly are you hurt?"

He winced a bit. "Well, I think I cracked a rib. There are some nasty bruises, and a few cuts."

I nodded. "Strip and show me then. Same for you two."

Dan gave me a cocky look as he undid his shirt. I rolled my eyes and walked to Nik first.
 

They were all fit and well-toned, but I had never been interested in the incestuous pack thing. Some alphas, particularly lone females, did use that as a way to keep the bonds strong and the males in line. I'd always found it quite distasteful. They were closer to my brothers and would never be my lovers. Ryan and Nik were both quiet and kept their heads bowed as I healed them. They moved as I requested without trying to fight me. Dan, however, watched my every move. He remained stiff and cautious. I shrugged it off. I didn’t have the mental capacity or caring to argue with him. They thanked me and brought me a shot of vodka in appreciation. I laughed. They already knew me so well. I almost felt bad for my cool and aloof demeanour. They had been well-behaved, but my mind was elsewhere. I knocked back the shot and curled up on the sofa, exhausted. It had been a long time since I'd done such intensive healing work. I was fast asleep before any thoughts could form.
 

I was surrounded by pitch black with the image of a pale cream mask floating in front of me. It tormented me. Raspy laughter accompanied it as I twisted and turned, trying to get away from the mask. No matter what I did, it remained there, taunting me. Panic began to rise as I fought to free itself of my presence. I woke with a start. Strong arms were wrapped around me and two rough hands were on my shoulder and upper arm. I felt the odd mix of ice cold and blazing hot energies running over me. Pain ran through every inch of me, it lapped at my consciousness as I groaned and opened my eyes. Alex had me in his lap with his arms around me, while his energies ran through mine like small streams. Dan was the owner of the set of hands on my shoulder, he had his eyes closed tightly while he focused. The pain subsided and slipped away leaving me to relax down into Alex's arms and breathe a sigh of relief.
 

Alex looked at me. "You forgot to ground the pain after you healed them."

His voice was tinged with a slight growl and a touch of sadness. I had to laugh quietly. It was such a stupid mistake to make, but exhaustion had claimed me. If I didn’t laugh at myself and accept my mistakes, I’d just crumble. I wriggled to be free of his arms and Dan's contact.
 

"Thank you both."

Alex gave a small nod. He didn’t look at me and pulled his hands away from me. A small stab of guilt struck me. I was tempted to curl up back in his lap and take sanctuary there. To feel the security of his arms once more and hide from the dream that he had saved me from.