Page 30 of Love At First Roar
Callum set his jaw. Protect Hollow Oak. Protect her. The rest would have to wait.
Yet his lion was already planning the next patrol at dawn.
15
CORA
Morning mist clung to Moonmirror Lake like spun glass. Sunlight tried to elbow through, turning each veil of vapor pearly pink. Cora stood on the narrow shore path, hugging herself against the early chill. A kingfisher cried once before diving for breakfast. Ripples shivered across the water, then went still again.
Callum crouched a few paces away, testing the fresh chalk line he had laid last night to reinforce the lakeside ward. The white ring still glowed faint gold, proof his lion chant remained strong. He straightened, stretching those broad shoulders under a dark t-shirt that fit him unfairly well.
“All clear here,” he said, voice rumbling like distant thunder. “Veil feels steady.”
Cora let out a breath she had not realized she held. “Good. Maybe whoever carved the claim rune backed off.”
He grunted, clearly unconvinced. “Or they are waiting for us to relax.”
She did not argue. Her skin still buzzed with yesterday’s discovery, the Binding Stone runes circling her thoughts like restless moths. She wanted to blurt out everything about thewarlock who might be hunting her, the blood magic that still tugged at her veins but fear kept the confession trapped behind her teeth. Not yet. She needed to understand more first.
Callum lifted his head, nostrils flaring. “You feel that?”
Wind stirred the trees, ruffling the lake surface. A low vibration danced through the soil, as if unseen footsteps approached. The hairs on Cora’s arms lifted.
“Wild magic surge,” she whispered.
“Back,” he ordered, but the ground bucked before they could move. A pulse shot from the lake, a wave of raw energy rolling across the shore. It slammed into them like invisible wind. Cora yelped, stumbling. Callum lunged to catch her, but a second pulse hit and tossed them both off balance.
Water leapt from the lake in a glittering arc, swept them off the path, and dragged them into a shallow cove. Cold slapped Cora’s skin, stole her breath. She surfaced sputtering, hair plastered over her eyes.
Next to her, Callum popped up with a savage growl, shaking water from his face. His blue eyes, bright with amber, scanned for danger. When no further surge came, he looked at her, expression shifting from warrior to exasperated guardian.
“You all right?” he barked.
Cora coughed, then laughed despite the chill. “Better than my dignity.”
He blinked, a startled huff leaving him. “You find this funny?”
“We just got dunked by a temperamental lake. Either laugh or cry.” She pushed soggy curls back, grinning through shivers.
A reluctant smile tugged at his mouth. “Fine. It was a little funny.”
She splashed lightly at his arm. “A little?”
Before he could reply, the water around them stilled, turning mirror smooth. Sun skittered over the surface, throwing coins oflight onto their faces. The hush felt deep, like the world held its breath.
Cora’s laughter faded. She realized how close they were, only an arm’s length, both half-submerged, shirts clinging to skin. Water droplets traced the line of his jaw. His hair, darker when wet, curled at his nape. Her amused grin slipped into something softer.
Callum must have felt the shift too. The teasing spark in his eyes settled into careful intensity. Water lapped quietly between them while mossy scents rose from the bank. Time seemed to stretch, suspended between heartbeat and breath.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it. She waited, unsure what she wanted him to say. An apology? A joke? Something true? The lion in his gaze flickered, wild and searching. She wished she could read him, wished she knew if the flutter in her chest was mirrored in his.
Silence pressed in, intimate and dizzying. Her mind flashed to Elric, to chains of blood magic and the fear that he might already be near. She almost confessed right then, words bubbling behind her tongue, but uncertainty strangled them. If Callum knew the truth, would he look at her like this or with the same caution he held for every threat to the Veil?
She swallowed, breaking eye contact first. “We should dry off before we freeze.”
Callum blinked, like a spell had cracked. He cleared his throat. “My cabin’s closer than your cottage. Clothes, fire, hot coffee.”
Cora nodded quickly. “Lead the way.”
