Page 51 of Magic & Secrets
“I know you feel it,” she murmured.
Lying to keep her from feeling so smug, I replied, “I only feel boredom, little one.”
Calla’s smile remained soft yet mocking. A love spell would put me under her control. What greater weapon existed than alovesick Bane Shifter? I would have suspected her of witchcraft if this feeling didn’t also inconvenience her.
I remained distracted as we walked through Pandorium Forest. I barely noticed the sun fading behind the heavy canopy of old growth. The darkness didn’t bother me. I saw as well in the brightest light as in the darkest night.
Up ahead, Calla moved steadily through the darkness. Her hair was loose, tied back only at the top. I suspected the sisters braided each other’s hair. Occasionally, the sunlight would break through the tree canopy and shine against her golden locks. I once again consider how soft her hair would feel against my fingers.
When I thought Calla was dead, I had also wanted to die. Never had I wished for death before, yet the loss of a stranger destroyed me. A love spell seemed unlikely.Could Calla somehow be my mate?What would that mean for our future?
“How did you become an orphan?” I asked as the forest became colder and the moldy scent grew stronger. “Did your mother die in the same situation as her sisters?”
“Yes, our mothers died giving birth to us,” Calla explained, and her voice held a hint of sadness. “They died to give us life.”
“How do you know?”
I recalled how the Murade had used artificial wombs to spawn the Bane Shifters. Did they truly use human women to birth their newest weapons?
Calla glanced at me over her shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“Who told you that was how your mother died?”
Halting suddenly, Calla looked at me and frowned. I realized she didn’t know the answer. Or she hadn’t been given a sufficient lie for this specific question. I felt her struggling to find an answer.
“Did you ever meet anyone who knew your mother?” I asked, circling her as she struggled.
Calla stared dumbfounded by my question. I almost laughed at how confused she appeared. Tapping her nose, I smiled.
“Don’t hurt yourself coming up with a lie.”
“I’m not lying.”
“No, because you can’t think of one.”
Calla shook her head as if I were making absurd accusations, yet she didn’t counter anything I said.
“Shall I lead now?” I asked when she eyed me a bit longer.
“No, I can’t focus when your behind is flashing me with every step you take.”
Chuckling loudly, I startled tiny creatures watching us in the trees. I spun around, trying to spot them up above.
“Don’t worry. They’re only Faeries,” Calla said, walking again and glancing upward. “Lore claims they were once human babies or small children discarded into the forest to die. Pandorium twisted them into their own pack of magical creatures. Besides stealing food and trinkets, they’re harmless.”
Nodding, I followed Calla while catching sight of the tiny things giggling at my interest in them. Their eyes glowed the color of burnt umber, seeming especially bright against their pale-blue skin.
Focusing on Calla, I appreciated her knowledge. What could she teach me if we were alone without concerns for my pack or her sisters? I hadn’t enjoyed my studies at Operation Overlord. The focus was on how to kill, something I already knew how to do. With Calla’s style of knowledge and her fetching presence, I might enjoy learning.
Watching her move ahead of me, I noticed her pause and lift her chin to sniff the air. I mimicked her gesture.
Something was nearby. A new magic lingered in the trees and brushed across the ground. I stepped closer to where Calla hesitated.
“Warlocks,” I whispered to her.
“And something else. A Shifter.”
“No.”
