Page 31 of The Healer and the Wolf: Part Two

Tears fell freely down her cheeks, and I was well and truly baffled. I thought harder, reaching into the depths of my mind to figure out what had upset her so much. I had been so elatedwhen I woke up and heard of our victory, I hadn’t even thought about the greater details of what had happened.

Then I saw it in my mind’s eye. Flashes of green. Vines moving like snakes. Moving like the metal pipes the warlock manipulated. Wait. That couldn’t be right... Could it?

“You did something.”

“I didn’t justdosomething, Leo. I killed him. And it wasn’t like I just ended it. I made it painful. I tortured him! I didn’t mean to. I wanted to save us all. And I’m not sad that he’s dead, I just... I can’t help but feel like a monster for how I did it. I don’t even knowhowI did. None of this makes any sense.”

I put my hand on her shoulder. “Ven, Ven, you’re not a monster. I don’t understand what you could have?—”

“It was the plants! I can’t explain it, but somehow, I… I summoned them. They went wild, and it was like they were listening to me.” She winced. “Well,kind oflistening to me. I didn’t want them to do quite what they did, but it was like they developed a mind of their own. And like I said, I’m not sorry that he’s dead. I... Leo, it was soawful.”

She grabbed my wrist and stared deep into my eyes, her voice utterly beseeching. At the contact, a wave of soothing coolness rolled through my body. It was a pretty strange thing to feel when my partner was so distraught.

Even stranger was that the more she spoke, the more I could remember. How the ballroom had practically turned into the set ofJumanji. How vines moved of their own accord, how thorns flew through the air.

Had Ven done all that? Surely that was impossible. And yet what other explanation did I have for what happened to Alric? If someone else had killed him, I was sure they’d be bragging about it. But then again, if Ven had somehow harnessed some insane green witch powers, wouldn’t someone have told me?

Or had everyone assumed I knew and that we’d kept it a secret for her protection?

There were a lot of discussions to be had.

But first, I needed to take care of my love.

“Hey, hey, Ven, you did what you had to do. We’re all alive because of you. That’s something to be proud of. No more of these tears, okay? You’re not a monster, baby. You’re a hero.”

“Buthowdid I do it, Leo? I’m human. I’ve always been a human! And as far as I know, humans don’t have the ability to spontaneously control plants.”

“Honestly, I don’t know. The only beings I’m aware of who could have anything like that ability are green witches and nymphs.”

“Could I possibly have gotten through this much of my life without knowing I’m a witch?”

“No, I don’t think so. From what I’ve heard it becomes very obvious during puberty. Spells accidentally going off during sleep, prophetic dreams, magic leaking out if they get too angry. Besides, I’d be able to smell if you were a witch, and I can tell you most decidedly that you are not.”

Although I made sure to exude only calming pheromones and keep my tone level, I was incredibly puzzled. That night had been awash with blood and violence, but I had tried my best not to lose control like I had at Chadwicke’s. I’d killed those who needed to be killed and spared those I could, and the only reason I had done that was because of Ven. She had shown me so much generosity and kindness since the day she’d found me in the woods. I knew down to the very marrow of my bones that she made me a better person, and in turn, a better fighter, so it tore me up inside that she thought she was some sort of monster for doing what she had to do with a strange power that came out of nowhere.

“A nymph, then?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure you’re not that, either.”

“How do you know?”

“For starters, they’re green, and they don’t really have feet or a corporeal form. Humans sometimes mistake them for ghosts, but really nymphs are elemental entities that live within a lot of natural structures—large trees, lakes, sacred rocks.”

Ven’s eyes widened, and I realized there was still a lot about my world she didn’t know. Maybe once things calmed down, I’d give her a proper run down, but that seemed impossibly far off in the future.

“I suppose it may be possible that you have nymph blood somewhere in your ancestry, but that would possibly be the rarest thing to happen on this continent. I don’t think they’re able to crossbreed, considering their rather intangible nature.”

“So, you have no idea what I could be or how I did what I did?”

Hating the fear in her voice, I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly.

“No, I don’t, but I’m not exactly a scholar. I’m sure we can find someone who knows what you could be, but for the moment, I’m not worried about it. I’m proud of you.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you saw what I did. I eviscerated that man. Shredded his skin up like he was confetti.”

It was hard to imagine my sweet, thoughtful Ven doing something like that, but at the same time, I didn’t doubt it. My love had a fierceness to her, a never-ending determination to take care of those around her. If some ancient power had randomly manifested in her, it made complete sense that it would be unstoppable against an enemy.

Although I was insanely curious about what could possibly be going on, that took a back seat to making sure Ven was okay—as okay as she could be considering the situation.

---