Page 25 of Magic & Secrets
“Even if you’re right about the mate bond, hunting with them might be a mistake,” Mina said, seeming lost in thought. “I felt wrong during the battle. Clumsy even. Those Lion Shifters should have proven easy to destroy, yet we struggled. With the mate bond clouding our minds, how can we complete our mission, protect the Bane Shifters, and avoid outing our lineage?”
Drawing a bath, I felt optimistic enough to claim, “We might find ourselves calmer now that we understand this magic between us and them.”
“Yes, but the Bane Shifters won’t believe it,” Mina said, choosing to remain negative. “They might also be distracted by the mate bond. They did take a long time to join the battle today.”
“We’ll protect them,” I said as if the entire situation was simple.
I considered Roque, a creature older than this very settlement around me. He had spent most of his life shackled to the will of his human overseers. Then, he hid away from the world for a century. Roque was innocent in some ways. Now, he was bewitched by an unknown magic.
As I cleaned up after several days on the hunt, I considered the ramifications of Ivitithi’s magic being unleashed upon Roque and his packmates. The Bane Shifters might survive under normal circumstances. Yet, the mate bond apparently distracted them.Would meeting me lead to Roque’s demise?
Roque
OPAL OUTPOST PROVEDto be a quiet location. Not a single threat stirred in the woodlands. Except for the hushed steps of the night sentry, the settlement fell silent at midnight.
Despite the quiet, I couldn’t rest. I watched the inn and imagined Calla inside. Would she clean herself after a day of travel and battle? Was her golden hair untied from her braids and hanging loosely? Did Calla rest comfortably knowing I was nearby, or was she going mad with need like I was?
Eventually, I forced myself to slumber and silence my questions. A dream quickly found me. I saw through Calla’s eyes. Not the grown female who enthralled me, but a youngling version. Unlike my earlier dreams, this one brought clarity. I understood what was said. I recognized the faces around me. I was witnessing a memory from her life.
Calla ran through the woodlands, chasing her sisters. They weren’t playing games but training. I heard the harsh tone of a Witch barking at them to remain focused. When the younglings turned toward the Witch, I spotted a familiar castle in the distance.
The Citadel was located within the Arbdorre Territory, north of this outpost. The castle and its land had changed hands many times over the centuries.Who controlled it when Calla was a youngling?
In the dream, I saw how Calla studied her sword. How did such small hands wield something so heavy and powerful?
Running again, the younglings were now chased by a Hyena Shifter. Rather than truly hunting them, he was part of theirtraining. I'd endured similar trials before the Murade unleashed the Bane Shifters upon the world.
The younglings leapt over rocks and downed trees, trying to outmaneuver the larger predator. They stopped in a clearing, thinking they’d lost him. Calla looked at Enya and then Mina. Her dark-haired sister appeared ready to cry.
“Where is he?” Mina whimpered, sounding overly afraid.
Beckoned by her words, the Hyena Shifter leapt from the brush and smashed into the three younglings. Calla cried out as she flew back into a tree. Enya ended up in the air before dropping hard against a rock.
The Hyena Shifter held a mixed form: half human, half beast. He pinned Mina to the ground, snarling in her little face. She cried out, genuinely frightened despite this being part of her training. Her wails sparked waves of fear and rage within Calla.
I stared at Mina held to the ground by the large hand of a predator. My heart raced faster when a magenta mist crackled around Mina.
“No!” Calla called out to her sister. “Don’t lose control!”
The Hyena Shifter howled, staggering back. Mina levitated into the air, wrapped in the magenta mist. Her green eyes shone with the color.
“Mina, no!” Enya cried as she and Calla ran toward their sister.
The dark-haired warrior turned her gaze toward her sisters before screaming in rage.
Jerking awake, I growled at the inn. What had my dream shown me?Was I supposed to view Calla as my enemy?
I refused to do so. Whatever Mina did in the dream was the act of a fearful youngling. Bane Shifters had lashed out at their trainers back at Operation Overlord. My packmate September nearly killed two humans when he lost control of his power as a youngling.
The strange power brandished by Calla’s sister did pique my curiosity. I hadn’t seen such magic before. However, the Hyena Shifter didn’t look seriously harmed as the dream ended. She also hadn’t used the magic during the Lion Shifter battle yesterday.Why had the Murade given her such power if she weren’t meant to use it?
Unable to rest after my dream, I shifted into my wolf form and explored the forest around the settlement. I wasn’t hunting for food as much as solace. Ever since the fetching warrior dropped into my arms, I’d felt as if the world was askew.
I settled in a clearing amongst the oak trees. Every time I closed my eyes, Calla’s face appeared before me. Her voice danced along the wind. Her scent covered everything.
My senses were in a free fall. How could I hunt the enemy today? My instincts misread every signal. I could barely find my way back to the settlement. Only when I concentrated on Calla was I able to track again.
Arriving back in the settlement, I met with Delta and Koda in the main road.
