Page 85 of Her Beasts

Zev snarled his release, digging his hands into her hips, pumping into her a few more times. Katarina laid on Zev’s chest as we all caught our breath. I felt different, maybe lighter, as magic coursed through me. I kissed her shoulder before pulling out, feeling her shiver. I stumbled back to a chair wondering if this was it.

The magic in the air was enough to have me wondering if this was how we broke the spell. All of us being together, becoming a true pack.

“Are you ok?” I heard Zev ask her softly. “Were we too rough?”

“No, Goddess that was perfect,” she murmured.

I smiled at his tenderness, finally feeling like this was where we all belonged. Aeon was staring at them too with a small smile on his face when he slowly got up.

“Come on, Kitten. Let’s get you cleaned up and we can snuggle in bed.” Aeon lifted her up, shifting her so she faced him.

She wrapped her legs around Aeon’s waist, and I saw her eyes flash yellow as she looked at Aeon. My heart leapt at the change,but it was so quick that I didn’t know if I had imagined it or if it was real. She nuzzled into his neck, when he glanced back at me. He saw it too!

Did we release her wolf? Did we break the spell? I had so many questions, but when I saw Mr. Potter as we left the pack room, disappointment hit me like a sequoia tree. It appears I may have been wrong.

“I thought maybe we had broken the spell as well,” Zev said, in a quiet voice as we followed them upstairs to our room. “The magic was intense, but I think it was just our magic bonding us the same way witches usually do.”

“Is that why I feel energized?”

“I feel like I could move mountains,” Zev nodded. “I read about it after Aeon said that the same thing had happened to him. I suspect we will gain new magic from each other. Though I don’t know how it's going to work since there are four of us instead of two people in all the texts I have read.”

“I think I saw her eyes flash yellow,” I admitted.

Zev looked at me in shock.

“I also suspected this might possibly break the binding they put on her. Maybe this is exactly what she needs to break the spell tomorrow.” Zev looked thoughtful when we entered our room.

This is exactly what we needed. She needed her full potential to break the spell and I could only hope she gained enough of her magic by tomorrow night so that she could set us free. Aeon took her to the bath with a dreamy look on her face and for once I allowed hope to grow in my chest.

I might be free tomorrow. We might all be free, and I didn’t know if there was anything I could do in this lifetime to thank Katarina. I would spend the rest of my life showing her my gratitude for giving life back to me and my pack, a life I had stopped hoping for. Katarina had turned into our hope and forthat I would always do whatever I could to make her eternally happy.

26

KATARINA

Today was the day. One year ago, my father brought me here to break a spell with nothing but the instruction to do so. He told me I had a year to do it, but he hadn’t told me that at the end of that year I would die if I didn’t break it. Who knew that in that year I would find out so much about myself and in the process. I would find love with three men who, at first, hated me.

Last night, after we had all gotten into bed after our incredible sex and our magic had bonded us together, I felt magic beneath the surface of my skin. It was barely noticeable, but I had no idea what it was or how to call upon it. I was exhausted, but my mind wouldn’t stop racing with everything that had happened throughout this year. After we bathed, we all settled into the bed with Zev right behind me, Aeon in front of me with Lucien spooning him. It was the way we had slept since Zev had made me his mate.

It always provided me comfort, but on our potential last night, it only gave me a sense of dread that sat on my chest like an anvil. Zev had a hand protectively on my stomach with the occasional stroke of his hand. I could feel our magic intertwining as the hours passed. Lucien's raging fire and Zev’s connectionto the earth. Lucien's love was just like his fire magic, all consuming, powerful and sometimes it felt overwhelming. One thing I could count on was that his love was always constant.

I couldn’t feel love with Zev. That made me feel relieved beyond words. I knew he cared about me, it was just as powerful, but I also knew his heart wasn't in it. I felt his reluctance and it made me fall for him more even though I knew it might be hopeless. Just like Zev, giving him the last piece of me before the spell seemed like a moot point. It felt like I was hitting the last nail in the coffin.

When they left that morning, I still couldn’t go to sleep. I tossed and turned for the better part of the morning. Mr. Potter must have sensed my anxiety and came to give me something to help me sleep even though I was worried if it was safe for the baby. It took ten minutes of reassuring until I took it, falling asleep about thirty minutes later.

Now after sleeping for almost ten hours and having breakfast in bed. I was soaking in a cleansing bath, trying to have positive thoughts, when honestly all I wanted was a shot of tequila to calm the nerves. I rubbed a hand over my stomach, knowing alcohol was not the right answer. Up until now, I hadn’t really thought of the baby, afraid to get my hopes up too high. Now I was flooded with thoughts of who she would look like or who her father was.

A knock broke my train of thought as Zev came into the room.

“Are you ok?” He squatted by the bathtub.

I nodded looking at my stomach, wanting to ask him a question, but I felt guilty for it. He grabbed a towel, helping me out of the tub and wrapping me up. Zev handed me another towel for my hair. He lingered while I dried myself off, throwing on a big t-shirt while I did my hair.

I looked over at him and saw he looked a little restless.

“Ask,” he said, walking up to me, tilting my chin up to look at him. “I can see you thinking.”

“Girl or Boy?” I whispered, sometimes hating that the guys knew me so well.

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