Page 32 of Winter Unleashed

“What? You don’t like my home?”

“I do… both of them. Is this what you house really looks like or is it the old hollowed-out tree trunk?”

“I change it so often depending on my mood or my needs, so I’m not sure I even know anymore.” She winked at me and motioned for us to sit. Once we settled in our seats, I took Liam’s hand again. Astrid noticed and made a small sound in her throat. “You won’t remember this yet,” she began, “but you told me not too long ago you don’t love this man. How do you feel now?”

I turned my head to look at Liam. Little wrinkles had formed around his eyes as he glared at Astrid. The creases eased when he turned to me. Then his eyes lit up and his lips pulled into a small smile. “It’s okay, Red. I don’t expect you to have fallen for me already.”

Love was something I never thought I’d feel or have with anyone besides my friends. My mom died while giving birth to me. Then I’d felt nothing but pain and loathing from Brent, the man I’d thought was my father, until he’d killed himself when I was thirteen. After that, I’d had to protect myself against the attacks from my fellow shifters.

Even with Isaac and Stella in my life, It hadn’t taken me long to realize I’d spend my life fighting not loving.

I’d had flings. Plenty of one-night stands. But I refused to get close to anyone because I’d always known they’d eventually hurt me. No one would want to be with the cursed outcast of the Season Shifters.

But the way Liam looked at me, the warm tingles I got in my chest when I looked at him… I knew things had changed.

“All I can say is that for the first time in my life, I can imagine being in love with someone… with you,” I said to Liam while still staring into his eyes. “To me, though, we just started things, so it can’t be love yet. But whatever it is, it’s way bigger than lust.”

An emotion I couldn’t quite put a name to, flickered over his eyes, but before he could say anything, Astrid cleared her throat and handed me a glass of what looked like water. “Drink this,” she said.

“What is it?” I asked, taking a sniff of the clear liquid. The thick syrup smelled delicious, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to drink something a practical-joke-loving fairy handed me.

“It’s a potion. It will help me probe your mind.”

“A potion?” My voice was barely audible.

She nodded. “It’s the safest way to do it. No matter how relaxed you are, your instincts will kick in to fight against my probing. If you refuse, that’s okay, but what I must do will hurt more without it.”

“Hurtmore?” My eyes flicked up to her.

“Yes. It will hurt no matter what, but this will take away some of the pain.” She pursed her lips for a second then nodded. “And in the name of full transparency, there’s a chance this might not work, and the pain will have been for nothing.”

Liam placed his hand on my lower back, rubbing gentle circles with his thumb. “Red, if you don’t want to do this, I’ll understand. We can wait to see if Astrid comes up with something else. Or we can wait until you’re ready to try repairing our bond. We can take as much time as you need. I don’t want you doing anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

“You’d wait?”

He lowered his lips to mine. The kiss was soft and comforting. “I waited almost two thousand years to find you the first time. A few more weeks won’t kill me.”

His features were so full of concern and pain I knew I couldn’t refuse Astrid’s efforts. If it hurt a little or a lot, I wanted, needed to see it through.

Not caring if Astrid watched, I touched my lips to his, kissing him until his eyes were full of passion instead of pain.

“I want to try it. If what I feel when we kiss means anything, it’s that there’s more to us than I can see. There’s no way I could feel what I do for you in one day. Something is there, it’s out of my reach, and I want it back. I want you back.”

He kissed me again, holding me so tightly his fingers bit into my skin. “In all the years I’ve been alive, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If you never remember, if we never re-bond, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you we don’t need it. You’re it for me. Period.”

My heart squeezed, and all I wanted to do was make him happy, give him whatever he wanted. But the thought of being mated so young scared me, and I wasn’t sure how to get over that. For now, sex was out of the equation and a mystery potion was in.

“Okay… Here goes nothing.” I took a tentative sip. The flavor exploded in my mouth. “Yum. It tastes like strawberry ice cream.”

“Interesting,” she muttered. “A potion’s flavor is unique to the person drinking it. Strawberry ice cream hasn’t come up before.” She gave me a pointed look. “Finish it.”

“No problem.” I chugged the rest of the potion, tilting my head back to get even the last drop. Once I could get no more out of it, I licked my lips and handed her the glass. “Should I feel anything?” I asked, trying to pick up any weird tingle or twitch.

“No,” she said as she placed her hands on top of my head and closed her eyes.

Liam leaned in to kiss my cheek. “Squeeze my hand if you need to.”

The pain came on so quickly I didn’t have time to squeeze his hand before I blacked out. When I opened my eyes, I was in Astrid’s bed. Liam sat in a chair beside it, holding my hand.

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