Page 85 of Destined to the Lycan
My magic circle!
I couldn’t remember the event of the previous night. But I shouted with joy upon realizing that some way, somehow, I had found my way back into the restraining circle. I jumped to my feet only for my joy to instantly shatter. The taste of iron lingered on my tongue, and streaks of blood had dried around my claws and fingers.
Human blood.
Amara’s blood.
“My Flame,” I whispered, horrified.
I darted out of the room, the wards letting me through as I no longer represented a threat. I raced up the stairs, nearly losing my footing in my haste to reach my woman. I shouted her name, fear twisting my insides upon seeing the damage my werewolf’s claws had left on the railing of the stairs leading to the second floor. I irrupted into Amara’s room, further distraught by the destruction of her dresser before my gaze finally landed on my woman.
A choked sound of relief escaped me when I found her lying peacefully in the bed. She was wearing a different nightgown than the last one I had put on her. That one now lay in a shredded pile next to the dresser. I snorted with conflicting emotions upon seeing a neatly folded pair of pants on top of it.
I addressed a silent thank you to Lyall as I approached Amara. My chest constricted upon finding her skin completely cold. She wasn’t breathing and had no pulse.
My mate was dead.
But more importantly, she was still whole. The vicious scar of my bite on her neck had been properly cleansed. I didn’t have to ask who had done it. Even the sheets had been changed so that she wouldn’t lie on blood-stained blankets.
Once more, I silently thanked the doppelganger. I had no memory of what transpired last night, but the traces of claws on the dresser and my Flame’s lacerated nightgown hinted about how savage I had become. I didn’t know how Lyall managed to get me in my cage while ensuring that I didn’t maim Amara to the point that rebirth wouldn’t be possible. But I was grateful to be alive.
I gently kissed my mate’s cold lips, fetched the pants and put them on, then began the long wait until her rebirth.
Chapter 21
Amara
Iemerged from the most wonderful slumber of my life. An unusual energy coursed through me. I felt strong, incredibly rested, and rejuvenated. The intense brightness that stabbed at my eyes forced me to blink a few times before they adjusted. Although I’d lived in this house for well over a month before I set off on this most improbable adventure, it felt as if I was seeing it for the first time.
The world looked brighter, the colors more vivid with shades I never noticed before. Every detail stood out even more to me, from the patterns of the wood on the floor, to the delicate texture of the plaster on the molding around the corners of the ceiling. The acuity of my hearing also blew me away like picking up the gentle rustling for the sheer curtains swaying to the barely noticeable draft seeping in through the window and the quickly approaching footsteps outside the room, muffled though the sound was.
But the biggest difference had to be how I could now detect the subtle nuances of every scent. And right now, the mostbeloved of all scents wafted to me through the closed door, revealing the identity of the newcomer before he even entered the room.
After a discreet knock, the door opened on Remus. The wave of emotion that crashed over me got my throat too constricted to speak.
“My Flame!” Remus whispered.
His face constricted in a way that made it hard to tell whether he wanted to smile or cry. But in a couple of long strides, Remus rushed to my side and pulled me into his embrace. He crushed my lips with a desperate kiss into which he poured all the love, distress, sorrow, hope, and joy he had endured over the past few weeks.
I held him tightly, responding in kind with all the love and devotion he inspired me. Right here, right now, in this man’s arms, I felt home. He broke the kiss, and I buried my face in his neck, inhaling his scent deeply. Nine Hells! He was so intoxicating. It went beyond the pleasant spicy aroma. It was the emotion that smelling him invoked in me, the way one felt when being wrapped in a warm blanket, devouring a cinnamon roll freshly out of the oven, or coming home during a winter storm to a hot cup of cocoa. Remus embodied warmth, comfort, safety, and love.
He gently leaned back to be able to look at me, tenderness with a hint of worry on his handsome face.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Amazing!” I said with enthusiasm before suddenly feeling self-conscious. “How do I look?”
“Breathtaking, as always,” Remus replied, the sincerity undeniable in his voice.
While reassured, I couldn’t resist hopping off the bed to go to the standing mirror in the corner of the room. A mere glimpse in the mirror confirmed the truth of his words. Ididlookbreathtaking, even though I technically remained ‘identical’ to the original Amara. However, there was something more to me now.
My skin had reclaimed its dark complexion without the gray undertone that had tainted it in the last stages of my illness. It had a mesmerizing glow, as if sun-kissed with golden highlights. A silver ring now surrounded my irises, giving me an otherworldly look. My breasts seemed a bit fuller, but definitely perkier as they stood proudly under the thin fabric of my nightgown. My waist looked narrower and my hips rounder, blessing me with the perfect hourglass figure that would have any woman drooling with envy. Although my body remained utterly feminine, the muscles of my arms and legs were a lot more defined and hinted at far greater power than my otherwise delicate appearance would suggest.
I brushed my curly hair back—which was longer and fuller than before—to expose my ears. I didn’t know how I felt about finding them still almost entirely human. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the rounded tip was slightly pointier than before. However, it remained subtle enough that no one would suspect that I was now a werewolf. Thankfully, my transformation didn’t make me hairy. I wouldn’t have been too keen on that part.
“I do look good,” I said timidly.
“More than good, my love,” Remus said tenderly, wrapping his arms around me, his broad chest pressing against my back. “Over the next few days, we’ll have to teach you how to use your new talents.”
