Page 87 of Wolf Bonded (Rejected Moons 2)

“CanItalktoyou?” I ask Emlyn.

She’s sitting on the roof of Giuseppe’s, her legs dangling over the edge. “Come on up,” she says.

I hear a touch of moodiness in her tone, and my concern grows. I jump to grab the edge of the roof and haul myself up.

She’s staring into the distance, watching the setting sun. “Hey,” she says.

“Hey,” I say. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. Just getting some space.” She glances at me. “You’re not going to tell me it isn’t safe to be outside, are you?”

“No,” I say. “Actually, the ward I set up should shield you up here pretty well. No one would notice you on the roof unless they were specifically looking for you.”

“Which you were.”

“Exactly.”

“How come?”

I sit beside her, so close that our shoulders are touching. “You know Milo and Nate are worried about you, right?”

She sighs. “I know. Milo already talked to me.” She glances at me. “Are you here to tell me I shouldn’t have done it? Because I’m not sorry. He needed to die.”

“No, I’m not going to tell you you shouldn’t have done it,” I say. “I’m glad you did it. I’m surprised, though. And I do think we should at least talk about what happened.”

“I didn’t mean to do it,” she says. “It’s not like I planned to call down lightning.”

“Okay,” I say. “Whatdidyou mean to do?”

“I don’t know,” she admits. “I took in a lot of moon energy on purpose, of course. I needed it for the fight.”

“The moon was barely a crescent,” I say. “Even that part is surprising to me. That you were able to get so much. All I did was hold the wolves at bay during that fight, and it really sapped me. And Milo was out of combat magic after one strike. You did more than any of us.”

“It’s because I’m good at elemental magic, like you said,” she suggests. “I have an affinity for it.”

“You do,” I agree. “But I’m a natural at defensive magic, and Milo’s gifted as a healer, and neither of us was able to do as much as you did during that fight.” I examine her. “You were pulling from the moon, weren’t you?”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Not just letting the moon’s power into you—drawing it in, like you were sucking it through a straw.” I hesitate, then add, “Like you were drinking it.”

She goes rigid. “What are you saying?”

“Hey.” I rest a hand on her shoulder. “You were in a fight for your life, Emlyn. I know you didn’t plan it or anything.”

“You’re saying I used Moon Drinker tactics?” she breathes.

“I don’t want you to get worked up,” I say. “But I want you to be aware of it. When you use moon magic, you should be absorbing moon energy the way you absorb sunlight. Not the way you absorb oxygen. You shouldn’t be gasping for it. You should be letting it fill you as much asitwants to.”

She shivers. “I didn’t mean to overdo it.”

“I know that.” I wrap an arm around her. “And no harm was done. So it’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“Did you tell the others?” she asks. “Does Milo know? Does Nate?”

“No,” I say. “No reason to tell them. Nothing bad happened. It’s not a big deal. Just something to be mindful about.”

She laughs. “I never thought I would see the day you would be telling me to use more caution.”

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