Page 86 of Magic & Secrets
“There were hundreds of them,” she said, fighting with her boots. “Help me get out of this.”
Calla’s voice broke as she dropped to the forest floor. I knelt in front of her and slid off her boots. Her wet gaze found me.
“I know you’re powerful in here,” she said and tapped at the side of her head. “But in here,” she whimpered, holding her chest, “I can’t bear for you to suffer.”
Stroking her cheek, I understood her fear. I’d witnessed her wielding the magic of an ancient one. But when she was in battle, I only feared the pain of her possible death. There was no returning to my old life. I couldn’t survive losing Calla.
Our lips met, feeding our mate bond and burning through those cold fears. I lifted her onto my hips. Our bodies fit perfectly as we found comfort together.
Calla
AS A VIOLENT, PURPLEstorm built in the distance, Roque and I located a cabin to take refuge for the night. This location was deep within Raims Forest, far from regular patrols by the Murade’s forces.
Behind the cabin, I discovered two skeletal bodies resting side by side and surrounded by acorns, flowers, and branches. Roque frowned at them and looked around for threats.
“Were they murdered?”
“I suspect these were Coyote Shifters. They mate for life. If one of them was dying, the other couldn’t survive. Many Shifters don’t bury their dead but return their bodies to Lavinia by leaving them for the elements.”
Roque stroked the back of my head and sighed. “If you were dying, I wouldn’t want to go on. How would I kill myself?”
I considered his question for a moment before taking his hand and entering the cabin. Everything was tidy as if the former owners left it for the next creatures to claim.
“If you were to die,” I told Roque as I slid off my swords and rested them on a small table, “I would commandeer a boat and navigate away from Lavinia until a storm, sea beast, or the ocean itself claimed me. However, I suspect I would be so weakened by losing my mate that a simpler death would also be acceptable.”
Roque watched me strip down until I stood undressed in front of him. His fingers traced my lips, and his breathing grew ragged with need. The magic between us stirred, filling the cabin with a cinnamon scent.
“You seem different,” Roque murmured, kneeling in front of me and brushing his lips across my breasts. “Can you feel a youngling?”
My hands moved to my belly, where he nuzzled his nose as if seeking out our offspring. Closing my eyes, I felt strange magic blooming inside me.
“It feels a little like you,” I whispered as I mentally reached inside myself. “It also feels like my sisters.” Opening my eyes, I stroked his furrowed brow. “I hope that means our offspring isn’t a monster.”
“How long before it emerges from your body?” he asked, struggling for the right words.
“I’m unsure. It could happen tomorrow or a year from now. Do you know how long you were gestated at Operation Overlord?”
“A few months, I think.”
“Do you know if you were born in human form?”
“I saw Koda right after he was born, since he was one of the last of our kind created. He looked human but shifted into different forms.”
“How long before he was walking and talking?”
“He grew fast. Within a year, he was fully grown.”
“Oh,” I said, rubbing my belly. “That’s far faster than my kind.”
“The Murade likely hurried along our growth,” Roque said and then smiled. “How long did it take for you to be born?”
“Several months. We grew too fast for our mothers. That’s why they died.”
“Do you know for certain if your mother died? The Gathering lies.”
“What difference does it make? If my mother is alive, how does that affect my future or hers?”
“You could find her.”
