Page 28 of Fated Moons
A large white owl flying low caught Jackson’s attention. It landed on the ground near his feet, its head twisting almost all the way around. The owl opened its wings wide, flapping wildly as it made a horrific noise.
Jackson stood, holding Amanda, her body slowly defrosting.
The owl morphed, growing larger.
Taking a step back, Jackson prepared to run, but the owl stretched into a human form.
Trask.
“Jesus, you scared me,” Jackson croaked out. “How is it possible for you to shapeshift, when it’s morally corrupt for any other witch to do it?”
“Because I’m a wizard fairy. And because I used black magic.” He arched a brow. “I figured it was necessary that I get here quickly and looking at her, I’d say she’s knocking on death’s door.” He waved his hand toward the air. “Her father will be here in an hour. I granted him permission to use black magic as well.”
“You can do that?”
“Yes and no,” Trask said. “Sometimes the only way to fight evil is with evil. Now hold her tight. What I’m about to do is going to hurt.”
“Me? Or her?” Jackson did as instructed.
“Unfortunately, both of you, but it’s necessary.” Trask pulled out a vial from his pocket. “This is going to burn from the inside out. No matter how much it hurts or how much she cries out, don’t let go and whatever you do, don’t shift to a wolf.”
Jackson nodded, clenching his teeth as Trask sprinkled the hot liquid over their bodies. His muscles ignited, and blisters formed on his skin and Amanda’s. Her fingers dug into his back, tearing his skin. He couldn’t care less. He was only grateful she could move again. A sharp, stabbing pain pelted his head. He fought the urge to toss her off his lap, shift, and run until the pain subsided. A deep howl vibrated in his throat. His skin grewdark with wolf hair, but he continued to force his wolf-self to remain inside.
Amanda’s body bucked and jerked in his arms, her fists coming down hard on his chest. A thick black smoke lifted from their bodies, collecting in an angry swirl over their heads, followed by massive amounts of purple and blue fairy dust.
Trask jerked his head back and stared at Jackson. “She’s quite the fairy, isn’t she?”
“She’s been making more and more of this stuff as time passes.”
“Out of the flesh, into the fire,” Trask said, waving his hands around the ball of smoke. “No more shall you haunt the soul of this creature. Be gone with the final shiver of this seizure.”
Every muscle in Jackson’s body cramped. Holding on to Amanda as her body quivered, he tried to control the convulsions tearing through his system. The black smoke hovered over him, occasionally touching his skin, causing a kind of agony that could only be described as his flesh being ripped apart into tiny pieces.
Trask continued to wave his hands around the thick smoke until he’d collected it all and smashed it into the firepit. Flames roared a good twenty feet into the sky.
Jackson no longer felt pain, but he could barely keep his eyes open. His strength ripped from him, leaving him as helpless as a newborn pup.
His arms were still around Amanda, and he let his head drop against hers. A healing warmth blanketed his skin. It prickled like tiny bubbles gliding off his body in a bath.
“What…” Jackson’s throat cracked with dryness. He licked his lips. “What was that?”
“Rest,” Trask said. “Her fairy dust will help. Her father will be here soon. I have to get back to the farm once he gets here, but I’ll be in touch.”
Jackson didn’t have the energy to fight the need to sleep. He let it come to him as he inhaled the sweet smell of his soulmate’s strawberry and coconut scent.
He sucked in a gasp, trying to blink his eyes open. He’d imprinted on a mate. And not just any mate.
Lady Amanda Windsor was his destiny.
Oh, the irony.
7
The sun beat through the windows, warming Amanda’s face. Her chill had long since left her bones, but her body shivered in remembrance. She’d never been so terrified in her life. Not even when she’d been on an airplane that had to make an emergency landing when one of the engines had cut out. One of the few times she thought about using black magic, only those who did always ended up paying a higher price.
That had been the only time she’d been in the same space as Jackson. Only she hadn’t known until after they’d deplaned as, for whatever reason, he’d been seated in coach while she was in first class.
She sat at the small table off the kitchen in Jackson’s cabin. Her father wrestled with scrambling eggs. He’d never been good in the kitchen, but the food was never half-bad.
