Page 13 of The Dark Rising
“Heirs before you have told me of it, but not of its location.” I wonder if Mom went there.
“It’s strange they had their own place?”
“I don’t think that, even Gods need their rest. It is said to be that which is between these lands and the ones below, and that Cazier and Zahariss used to spend a lot of time in there, as that was the only place they could be together for longer periods of time.”
“It’s sad that Cazier couldn’t be with his mate, I imagine it would have been difficult.”
“You would be correct.” I follow behind her, watching my step. “Though I suspect they wouldn’t change it, regardless of their circumstances. Nothing worth fighting for is an easy battle, an easy route to take. If you have to crawl and scratch and bite to get there, then so be it.” She looks over her shoulder at me and I swallow, looking away. I feel her words are meant for me, but I’m not ready to digest them yet.
She shuffles forward and looks below a hollowed-out tree trunk. “Ahh, here it is.”
I look over her shoulder and see a small bunch of yellow flowers with drops of black, like water flowing from them. “What are they?”
“These, child.” She plucks three stems and puts them gently in her satchel. “Are the Crying Forever flower. Rare, but full of properties that break bindings.” She nods to my cuffs. “Now let’s get back and prepare, and hope we can get those cuffs off of you.”
Six
Rhea
“Willthiswork?”Joshmurmurs next to me as we watch Anna and Belldame prepare the ground.
We are in a place called Da Bier Dall in Witches Rest. Belldame told us the ground here is magically infused by the moon’s power, and helps enhance spells. Four tall, stone pillars surround the small clearing that’s scattered with wildflowers, resting north, south, east and west. Anna sprinkles a liquid concoction of mixed ingredients in a circle, connecting each of the pillars as Belldame writes incantations on them with the same potion. The yellow-brown color gleams off them in the moonlight as she uses her fingers, dipping them into the wooden bowl she is carrying as she whispers words.
“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try right?” I shrug, trying not to hope for too much. I look down at the cuffs, the redness of my skin around them itches and burns. I just want them off, I want to heal properly. No matter how much Anna covers my wounds, they won’t heal fully.
“You got this,” Colten says as he watches them, Hudson at his side as usual.
“Yeah, and don’t worry about you being naked.” Sebastian winks. “I promise to not look.” He puts his hand to his chest as his tawny eyes fill with amusement. “Much.”
“Knock it off Seb,” Taylor grunts, running a hand through his slightly longer coffee hair. I’m sure it’s annoying him, but he hasn’t mentioned cutting it.
Being naked for this spell wasn’t exactly something I thought was needed. But apparently I have to show my naked flesh to the moon, no boundaries between us as she ponders my worth as we ask her for help. I haven’t been naked around anyone apart from Josh, or Darius, so having new eyes on me is making me feel uncomfortable.
This is my pack, though, I have seen them naked many times when they brought their wolves out, and I have known them for years. Belldame is the closest person I have to my mom, apart from Edward, and we are only growing closer since we had to wait for the potion to rest for it to be complete. So them seeing me naked shouldn’t make me feel queasy, but it does.
It’s vulnerable, bare.
The last time I was naked, Darius cut me with his words whilst his cum ran down my thigh.
“Not long now, child, come, disrobe and kneel in the center,” Belldame calls, and I take a breath before I loosen the linen robe. My hands shake as I try to untie the knot as Josh steps in front of me, halting my movements with a hand on my own.
My eyes flick up to his light gray ones and we pause, my breaths turning ragged. “You’re good, it’s just us.” I nod and he pulls me forward into his chest. He holds me close for a second before pulling back and undoing the knot for me. The robe falls open and he slides the fabric off my shoulders before it drops to the ground.
The warm air of the night hits my bare body and I shiver despite it, goosebumps peppering my skin. Josh’s eyes hold mine, never once looking down at my body, and I can’t be any more than grateful for him not making a big deal of it. It’s why we are as close as siblings, he’s got me and I him. He’s my brother without blood. As soon as these cuffs are off, I can tell him about where Sarah is, knowing he will try and rush off on his own, but I’ll be strong enough to stop him. Then we can work on a plan to get her together, after he’s done being furious with me, and he will be. I dread it.
He slowly unwraps the bandage around my breasts and waist, mindful of it sticking to my still-open wounds on my back with careful movements. I hiss when the last of the material is peeled off, and then breathe a sigh of relief. I know it’s there to help me heal, filled with healing salve, but I don’t like feeling restricted.
Josh rubs my cheek with his own and then steps around me. I move forward, feeling the wildflowers caress my bare feet as I walk to the center of the Da Bier Dall. The closer I get, the more I feel the thrumming of its power beneath my feet. I stop when I reach the middle and look back over my shoulder. My guys all give me small smiles, never once looking at the mess of wounds on my back as I turn around, lowering myself to the ground. I sit on my knees, palms resting lightly on them as I watch the gentle sway of flowers around me. My hair flows freely around my face, coming just below my waist now, the hairs tickling me as the breeze moves them.
I breathe in the scent of wildflowers, earth and the subtle hint of power flowing through here. I raise my face to the moon, letting her glow caress me as I silently pray to her for help.
Anna comes forward and draws an inner circle around me with the jug containing the potion, her brows furrowed in concentration before she stops in front of me. “I will help as much as I can,” she whispers, and I reach forward and squeeze her free hand in thanks before she moves away.
Belldame comes over next, careful not to slosh the concoction around in the bowl she holds as she crouches in front of me. She dips two fingers and gathers the mixture before she reaches forward and paints a line from the top of my head, all the way down to just below my throat. She then draws lines from the tops of my shoulders, down and along my arms until she reaches the cuffs on my wrists. The concoction sizzles as it paints the metal, but Belldame pays no mind as she covers them.
That done, she holds out a small knife to me. “Remember what you have to do?”
“Yes.” She told me earlier and made sure I remembered everything.
