Page 13 of King of Forest and Fur

“Are you?”

He looked over his muscular body as Leila’s eyes shot to the ground again.

“I’m okay,” he answered after a quick assessment. “A couple of wounds, but they’ll heal quickly.”

Leila noticed a deep red against his white skin, forcing her eyes to look at his arm.

“Are you sure? That one looks nasty. I can try to heal it for you,” she offered, taking a step closer.

“No, really. It’s all right. Shifter healing is quick and efficient, especially for battle wounds that aren’t too grievous.”

She gave him a skeptical look until she noticed the gash was already smaller than seconds ago.

“I told you,” he said, amused.

For a moment, she had forgotten he was naked. But when she looked at his crooked smile and saw his bare broad carved shoulders, she was quickly reminded.

“Uh, um… I assume it’s normal for you to be naked?”

He chuckled, not even embarrassed. “Yeah. After shifting. The transition always rips our clothes. Plus, it's natural to be in the nude.”

For some reason, the way he said it so matter-of-factly made her feel like she wanted to give in to her primal yearnings as well.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?” he asked her.

“Oh, uh, no.”

His eyebrow rose.

“Maybe a little,” she admitted.

Leila hadn’t wanted to offend him. She wasn’t sure about the customs of shifters, especially when it came to their royalty.

Luckily, Rehn didn’t seem fazed by her discomfort.

He looked around and spotted his shredded clothes.

“I would get dressed for you, but I don’t think these would hide much anymore. Too bad you can’t go back in time so I can be prepared for the attack and disrobe.”

He was joking, but it gave Leila an idea.

“Here, let me see them.” She reached out for the tattered clothes.

Rehn hesitantly handed her his rags. “I was just kidding.”

She rolled her eyes at his unneeded explanation and concentrated on the material.

Her eyes closed as she raised her hands as if offering the clothes to the sky. She searched for the surge she had felt in her office. The one that had led to the magic.

There it was. She could still feel it softly pulsing inside of her. Channeling it with intention, she felt her chest begin to vibrate. It rattled down to her hands like a giant tremor, then, a soft purple flash, much more contained than the one before.

She felt giddy when she realized what she was holding out to Rehn.

“Thank you,” the king said, amazement in his voice. He pulled on his freshly mended clothes. “How did you do that?”

“Past-manipulation. I think.”

“You think?” Rehn pulled on his shirt.

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