Page 46 of Country and Clove
Aaron pulled back from his mate, his mind reeling. “I think we just found our newest Celestial.”
* * *
Tawny’s house was packed shoulder to shoulder with lycans. Their voices carried over each other as everyone fought to tell their versions of the story. Aaron sat in an armchair with Clove in his lap. He tried to just breathe. She nuzzled against him and he secured his arms tightly around her.
After the horrors they’d just endured, their wolves were both lingering suspiciously close to the surface. Clove had gone down in the middle of that stampede and Aaron dove into the path of the thousand-pound animals without a second thought. He’d heard his bones bend and break every time he shifted into his wolf form, but it was a far cry from being trampled by hooves as he lay on top of Clove. The weight of the animals was too great. He’d heard more than one of Clove’s bones give beneath the onslaught of terrified longhorns. Those sounds, he knew, would haunt him for life.
Thank the stars it was over. Aaron willed his heart to steady itself after feeling like it had been ripped from his chest. The front door slammed and he flinched. God, he was still so on edge. Clove stroked her fingers down his chest and he took another deep breath. He didn’t know what magic had healed them both from such horrific wounds, but he was grateful.
If Clove really was a Celestial, it would explain the instant healing. When Nova’s powers had first emerged, she’d been at the mercy of a violent attack at the hands of one of Creedin’s men. She was bloody and battered when they arrived, but the second her magic came forward, she healed completely. It still didn’t explain how Aaron had healed, unless it had something to do with the mate bond.
Aaron’s phone rang and he exhaled with relief as Gideon’s name appeared. He’d texted the Alpha an SOS after his call had gone to voicemail. His second call had been to Lance. The Beta had assured him that Gideon would be in touch asap.
“What happened?” Gideon’s voice was tense as he bulldozed past formalities and got straight to the point.
“We think Clove emerged as a Celestial.”
“Jesus. Is everyone okay? Those powers only emerge—”
“She’s fine now, but yeah we were nearly trampled to death and then bam, blinding light and all the animals were listening to her. I don’t know, man, the whole thing…I don’t know. That’s all we know so far.”
“Well I can’t say I’m surprised to hear it, though I wasn’t expecting this call from you.”
“What does that mean? You know something?” Aaron sat up and Clove stared at him with her eyebrows drawn. She had lycan hearing, so she was easily keeping up with his conversation with Gideon.
“Brona warned us. She had a vision that two Celestials would emerge at the same moment today. I just got out of the meeting with her.” Clove gasped next to him. She grabbed the phone, pressing it to her ear.
“Ginger. Has anyone checked on Ginger? We’re twins. It would make sense if something happened to me that she…”
The horses began whinnying outside and everyone in the room fell still to listen. Aaron’s gut tightened as all eyes landed on Clove, not all of them friendly.
“Calm down, baby,” he cooed, rubbing small circles beneath the back of her shirt. She took several calming breaths and the panicked animal sounds quieted.
“Brona had the same theory. Neither Hunter nor Ginger are answering their phones, so Dane is headed to check on them.” Aaron could hear the rapid increase of Clove’s heart beneath his palm. He gently pried the phone from her fingers, placing it back to his own ear.
“What do you want us to do from here?” he asked.
“Are you safe there?” Gideon’s voice took on a cold edge.
“Yes,” Aaron said, though a small voice whispered contradictions in the back of his mind.
“Then stay put until we find Ginger and figure out the full scope of what we’re dealing with. I’ll be back in touch soon. Hang in there,” Gideon encouraged, and then he was gone.
Anxious energy was flowing off of Clove. The taint of fear in her scent made Aaron’s wolf pace. He drew her into his chest again, comforting her the best he could. If Celestial powers only emerged under the most stressful of circumstances, then Clove was right to worry about her sister. Nova was being beaten within an inch of her life when her powers emerged, Lark was being tortured, Dahlia had just killed a man in self-defense, and Clove was being trampled to death. Claiming your Celestial abilities certainly came at a price.
Graham was sitting nearby. He’d been quiet, but Aaron had no doubt he’d overheard their conversation with Gideon.
“She’ll be all right.” Aaron pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. He took a moment to appreciate the turn of events. Holding Clove in his arms, as his mate, was like finally finding the one thing he needed to heal his broken soul. He hadn’t even had a chance to tell anyone yet. Not Gideon, not Lucas. Clove hadn’t even called her family. Spending the night together was more glorious, more important, more real than anything he’d ever experienced before.
“It’s unnatural. Get them out!” a panicked man urged, pointing a finger at Aaron and Clove. “They should be dead. But look at them. They’re both alive and well. And what about the animals? Every goddamn animal here has been staring at the house since she walked in. It’s the devil!”
Aaron slid Clove from his lap and stood. Tawny was watching him closely as he closed in on the outspoken man. “Did you just call my mate the devil?” Aaron’s voice was low and bordering on inhuman. A low whistling reached his ears as the wind picked up outside. Damaged shudders slammed against the walls as they were whipped about. The sky darkened and the eyes of every person in the room began to glow. Graham stepped in front of Aaron, placing a hand on his chest.
“Deep breath, lad. We’re all a bit high strung-right now.” Thunder rumbled in the distance. Fearful expressions painted themselves upon a majority of the group.
“The storm is back,” someone said under their breath. A soft hand landed on his shoulder and Clove turned him to face her.
“It’s okay.” She moved into his space, stroking his neck and whispering calming words. Her hand landed on the center of his chest and he drew in a deep breath, placing his fingers on top of hers. The storm outside receded and the winds began to die down. Clove’s presence was so soothing to him and his inner animal. She brought him a sense of peace he thought he’d lost forever. He was acutely aware that the group was quietly watching them.
