Page 10 of Enchanting Her Mate

Continuing to close the distance between my hands becomes a strenuous act, and I grit my teeth as I struggle to push against the force of the power inside the orb that is desperate to break free. Every muscle in my body is rigid as I keep my gaze locked on the orb.

I am moments from reaching the orb’s full strength. I can feel it. Soon I shall turn my palms outward and up, shooting the orb into the sky and releasing the wind from the ball I trapped it in.

Before I can, a scream echoes through the jungle, coming from the cliffs on the other side of the cottage.

Alu. She is hurt.

Letting the orb fizzle between my hands, I race through the front entrance and out the side door from the eating room to the balcony and notice her draxilio is flying up from the pool, awkwardly flapping her left wing. She shifts into her flightless form as soon as she reaches the balcony and collapses just outside the door in a heap of limbs.

“Alu! What happened?” I ask frantically as I crouch at her side. Her right arm is cut just above her elbow, and blood is covering part of the intricate black tattoo that swirls from her shoulder down to her wrist.

“Rekko tuv,”she mutters under her breath as she gets to her feet.Stupid rock.“I was swinging from the ropes into the water, but as I reached for one, I missed and landed against a rock.”

“It looks serious,” I say, as I pull the towel draped over the balcony and press it against her wound.

“No,” she says, waving a dismissive hand, “it shall be fine. I heal quickly.”

I wish I had the power to heal others, but that is not magic I possess. I have no idea how to help Alu right now, and that guts me. What if her injury was worse than this?

“Why do you swing on the ropes at all?” I ask as she wraps the towel around her bicep and pins it between her arm and her ribs.

She tilts her head to the side as her brow lifts. “Why would I not swing on the ropes?” she asks. When I do not answer her question, she adds, “It is fun.”

“But look at what has occurred!” I shout, surprising myself with the volume of my voice. “It seems too dangerous an activity. You should not do it anymore.”

Alu chuckles. “Jobaki, I am not going to stop doing something I enjoy because it did not go perfectly one time.”

“It could have been worse, Alu,” I explain. I do not understand why I am not getting through to her. Does she not see the risks involved? “What if your head hits that rock instead of your arm?”

She shrugs at my words then turns on her heel as she goes inside. Over her shoulder, she says, “It would hurt, but I would be fine.”

I find I am somewhat stung by her casual reaction to her injury. While draxilios live a very long time and are hard to kill, and she is immune to fear, I still do not want to see Alu in pain, even if that pain is minimal. The panic I felt at seeing blood running down her arm was almost debilitating.

Perhaps I am growing too attached to my host, and I know it is because we kissed. It is also because there is more I wish to do with her than kiss, and I have a feeling we will reach that place soon. But I must be careful with my heart. I cannot allow it to beat for Alu, as I am not able to take a mate.

We are too different, anyway. How would a relationship between us work? She would be making wild, ill-advised choices, and I would be constantly petrified that one of those choices would lead to her death. I cannot live that way.

There is too much for me to focus on at the moment. I should not be allowing thoughts of Alu becoming my inara to keep me from working on my magic. I wince at the sight of Alu’s blood on the edge of the balcony and grab another towel from the stack by the door to remove it. Once I am finished, I let my gaze wander over the cliffs beneath Alu’s home as the steady rush of the waterfall fills my ears. I realize I have yet to explore this side of Alu’s property.

Glancing back at the cottage, I see Alu tending to her wound in the main room. I feel unsettled by the strength of my worries for her well-being. Perhaps this is a good time to take a walk and hope my nerves settle a bit.

Climbing over the land-facing side of the balcony, my boots sink into the soft soil, and I follow the narrow dirt path that leads away from the waterfall and deeper into the jungle. With my smaller frame, it is easy to duck beneath low branches and sidestep wide, prickly bushes, but eventually, the trail ends, and the trees become denser. I suppose I could turn around and return to the house, but I might find some supplies out here to make a fresh herb bundle for my spells.

I wiggle my way between two close-together trees, and as soon as my boot hits the ground, a dark, thick energy wraps around me and sends me to my knees. A pained moan escapes me as I press against the sides of my head, trying to push the energy away, but it is impossible. I do not know what this is, or where it is coming from, but it is incredibly strong, and far too close to Alu’s cottage for my liking.

Suddenly, blurred images flash through my mind. I see dirt and blood flying through the air as swords clash. The pounding of a multitude of feet race across the soil as a combination of rage and excitement pumps through the creatures’ veins.

Crawling in the direction of home, I find my way out of the ominous cloud and the images fade. My hands shake as I pull myself to my feet and stumble down the narrow dirt trail. Part of me wishes to run inside and warn Alu of this mysterious darkness, but then I remember her injury and how she reacted to it. If I reveal this to her, she will want to investigate it, and the absence of fear will put her in danger by allowing her curiosity to take the lead when caution should be guiding her instead. No, I cannot share this with her. Not yet.

Not until I determine what it is and how to keep her safe from it.

CHAPTER 7

ALU

Jo is quiet after she returns from practicing her magic, and she remains that way through dinner. I do not know what troubles her, but I find that her shift in mood is troublingme. And how can she stand to remain this quiet, even when she is upset? When it is only Mek and I here, I am always speaking to him. He talks back, and though I do not speak bird, I like the way he engages with me.

“Did you not enjoy the way I prepared the vegetables?” I ask, trying to uncover the root cause of her silence.

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