Page 55 of Cage Me

“But do you think whatever is in there is safe for Spencer?” Drake nods toward the spell from Natalia. He’s still riddled with tension that I haven’t been able to calm out of him, not even when I’ve tapped into our bond.

Kasha turns the liquid over in her hands before closing her fingers. Her eyes shut, and there’s a hum of power that ripples through the air right before she looks at us again. “Safe as water from a fresh spring. You might be tired afterward, but you’ll be okay, even if it doesn’t work.”

My head tilts to the side as I accept the vial back from Kasha. “Natalia said something about needing to wait until I’m calm, but keeping my cool probably isn’t going to happen until Kel is dead. Should I even bother taking this now?”

“You’ve spent your entire life hiding who you truly are.” She points at me. “Even now, there’s a wall around you. I think she meant more about that than your overall vibe. If you’re not ready to relinquish the security of said wall, then you’re not ready. There’s not much magic can do about that unless greater measures are taken, but something tells me that’s not an option.”

Her gaze flicks toward Drake, and I grin. She’s not wrong.

I place my hand on his thigh and give it a squeeze. “Doesn’t sound like it can hurt to at least give this a try.”

“Right now?” he asks, still sounding as if he has reservations.

I nod, because I can’t think of any other better time. I suspect tomorrow we will be leaving to head North as Lia advised. Plus, right now, both Peter and my mom are napping. I don’t have to worry about freaking them out if something doesn’t quite go to plan.

His hand settles over mine, and he presses down firmly. “Let’s do this, then.”

Kasha claps her hands and stands, but it’s Drake’s steady gaze that keeps my attention. Any reservations he had just moments ago are gone. I can’t even sense anything lingering through our bond.

“If you’re sure after talking with Kasha, then so am I,” he says with a true smile. “You’re going to be fine.”

My confidence in this whole thing increases tenfold. It isn’t until hearing his support that I realize I’ve had my own doubts this whole time about not being ready.

As much as I know that by understanding my wolf better, we’ll stand a better chance against Kel, Kasha had been right. I’ve spent my whole life hiding who I am and combining that with Drake’s uncertainties, I had no idea what to expect.

But now, I have no doubt that this is going to work. Whatever I’ve been keeping locked away is about to be unleashed, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the idea of possibly no longer hiding myself. At least, not in the ways I have been all these years.

We step out into the yard where Kasha already waits, and the vial of magic in my hand warms. I hope you’re ready for this, too, I say to my wolf.

Her responding rumble tells me that she’s at least not against the idea.

“What does she need to do?” Drake asks. “Drink it and wait or shift?”

Kasha shrugs. “It’s not my spell. I’m only here to watch. The rest is up to your mate.”

I grab Drake’s arm and turn him toward me. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to drink this, and then we wait to see what happens. Natalia would have told me if I needed to shift.”

I’m pretty sure anyway.

He cups my face and kisses my forehead. “Then, I’ll be right here waiting with you.”

My heart swells, and I take a deep inhale, soaking up the strength he has to offer me through our bond.

Uncorking the vial, I don’t hesitate in drinking the whole thing in one big gulp. There’s nothing to taste. If I didn’t know better, I’d think Natalia is fucking with us and that this is just water. Except it’s only seconds later that my skin begins to pebble and my legs grow weak.

“I think I need to sit down,” I say, my voice a bit garbled.

“Lay on the grass,” Kasha says, but she sounds far away. “The earth will help ground you.”

Of course, the half-fae would tell me that. Still, I take her advice and, with the help of Drake, lie down on my back and close my eyes.

The sun’s warmth covers my body, and my heart starts to slow as every part of me feels weighed down. I try to open my eyes but can’t seem to move. Am I sinking now?

It’s like half of my body is being pulled into the dirt and the other is trying to stay rooted to the surface, but none of it is painful. A little awkward, but only because this has never happened to me.

Energy swirls within my core like a bright light growing stronger with every beat of my heart. Slow yet steady.

My wolf is there with me, but instead of becoming weaker like I feel, she’s only getting more powerful as if taking my life force for herself. The thought should scare me, but I couldn’t be calmer if I tried.

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