Page 32 of Magic Claimed
“I would have been fine on my own,” I said.
“But…they’re your mates. They’ll care for you,” Gilda said.
“I told you I wanted nothing to do with them. I told you my secret because you were my friend,” I said, the effort to speak costing me more with each passing moment.
“Iamyour friend,” Gilda said, her voice wavering.
“You betrayed me,” I hissed.
“She did not betray you, Serafine.” Alerick said, his word infused with a low, power-filled growl before he continued in a softer tone. “I sent word to my contacts at the castle when you ran away and learnt that Esoti had locked you in his room. I asked Gilda to help bring you to us for care.”
“How did you run away from us, Serafine? How could you jump that gorge when the strongest Alpha in a hundred years could not make it?” My gaze swung to Jarom, who pinned me with a narrow-eyed stare.
“I followed the golden glowing lines in the forest. I let the light give me energy. Isn’t it obvious?” I said.
I was rewarded when Jarom’s eyes widened and stunned silence filled the room.
“Serafine, can you see any of the golden light now?” Anise asked. The golden lights were always there. It was one of the reasons I loved my hidey hole so much.
“What? Now?” I felt my brow crease. I didn’t understand what she was asking.
“Look about. What do you see?” Anise said.
This was ridiculous. We were talking about me somehow outrunning Alpha wolves and now Anise wanted me to tell her about the glowing dots. I sighed. The sooner I told her, the sooner I hoped they’d leave me alone. I was so damn tired. My eyelids dropped as I glanced about the cozy room.
“I see misguided males who won’t listen, a friend who is not my friend, four walls, and a fire in the fireplace with enough sparks coming off it to light up the entire room,” I said.
Gilda’s shoulders hunched. Anise sucked in her breath. She shared a glance with the Alpha and every muscle in my body locked. “Serafine, may I hold your hand please?”
I sighed, too tired to object. “Sure.”
Anise put my hand between hers and closed her eyes. A gentle warmth flowed into my arm from her touch, easing my muscles and giving me strength, much like the golden light in the forest had done. I sucked in a breath, letting the warmth flow into my limbs.
Anise opened her eyes. Her startled gaze found mine. “You feel this?”
“Yes. Can’t everyone?” I asked.
“No. Only the magical can see or feel magic.” Anise leaned towards me. “Serafine, you are both a shifterandmagical.”
My chest tightened and the air whooshed out. A person was a shifter or magical. Never both. “That…that can’t be true.”
Anise frowned, her eyes unfocussed as though she was sensing rather than seeing, “I assure you, it’s very true, but there’s something else. Something buried deep within you. May I see what it is?”
Surely it couldn’t get any worse, but whatever Anise had seen, I had to know. Whatever it was, if it was causing me these problems, I wanted whatever it was out.
I licked dry lips and nodded. Magic flowed into me from our joined hands. I couldn’t pull my hand away, nor my gaze from hers. The light poured from my arms and into my chest, imbibing my limbs with vitality, giving me strength where before there was none. I felt Anise’s presence merge with mine. She filtered into me, along with the magic much the same as Esoti tried to do, but instead of fighting her, I let her in.
Down, down, down she went, and I followed her. I sensed her essence mingling with mine. She was kind and gentle and truly meant me no harm. She was here to help and guide. A healer who used magic to help people instead of harm.
Together, we burrowed deep until I sensed a glimmer of golden light. The same as the lines in the forest and the bubbly golden lights that lit the darkest corners and burned brightly from flames.
The ball was wound so tight I couldn’t unravel it. The light sensed us and jiggled, asking to be set free. I sensed how powerful and how ancient it was, and wondered how the hell it had ended up inside me.
Anise brought me back through the pathways of light in my body until I became aware of the room and everyone looking at us. Time had passed, but I didn’t know how much. Her face fell open, while her eyes stayed sad. A sick feeling developed in the pit of my stomach. My hold on her hand tightened. “What is it?”
“What do you know of death magic, Serafine?” Anise asked.
Death magic? That was the magic Drisella had named. The back of my neck prickled. “Nothing good.”
