Chapter 114

Dominic

Fuck.

The second my fingers brushed her skin and my jacket settled over her, a jolt of power surged into my hand: hot, charged, and startlingly pleasurable. I snatched my hand back, smothering the sound, blinking in surprise.

A moan, or probably something equally as embarrassing. By the goddess, I was burning up already. And I had no idea why. I never had a reaction like that to anyone, let alone a man. Or maybe that wasn't exactly him I was reacting to, but so much as his magic, I don't know.

It was unnerving not to know. I was too old not to know. Too old to be sort of fumbling through, figuring out feelings and reactions and what I might want or could want.

I shuddered a bit, backing away. Neil looked up, eyes narrowed slightly. A question in his eyes. My face was burning. I took another two steps back. Heart racing and trying to ignore the way my cock was twitching.

“I—” I cleared my throat. “It seems you have her well looked after. I’ll… just—”

Arielle caught my eye, smug as ever. “Sensitive, are we?”

I cleared my throat again, retreating to the edge of the room while Neil helped ease Renee into sleep. Arielle and his mother gave Renee more potions and then she started to shake, tremble. Her skin going pale. They worked quietly, observing her, but in the quiet, I could feel the tension thick in the air.

Luckily, they were so focused on Renee, I was sure no one was even thinking about the internal maelstrom I was dealing with.

What the hell has that been about?

I didn't want to try to parse it out now, but my heart was still racing and my hand was still tingling. I clenched my fist hating the way the sensation only made the tingling remain.

When the worst had passed and Renee’s breathing steadied, I turned to Arielle. Renee shifted in Neil’s lap, moaning softly, clinging to him. I didn't like it, but my hand was still tinging. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tear her off him or get closer.

Neil’s mother watched me, one brow raised. She winked. Heat crawled up the back of my neck. She'd definitely noticed, and there was no way I was ever going to live that down.

“She's still bound," Neil said, eyes closed. His skin rippling with light that seemed to be pouring into his Renee. "How is that possible?"

"It just means that it's not anchored to something else. It was likely a familial spell. Can you tell how deep it is?"

Neil frowned. "It… doesn't feel malicious, but it is deep."

Arielle nodded, her expression dark. “Mountainhowls… tend to place a few different kinds of bonds on their kids for safety, but they should have broken on their own when Renee had enough magical power and control."

"They clearly didn't, likely because of all the other bonds on her keeping her from gaining either." Neil's mother sighed. "Go ahead, Neil."

"What?"

"Undo them. We'll deal with who placed them later and why later. The longer that they're on, the more painful it'll be for Renee going forward, especially with you pouring into her the way you'll have to."

I could tell that he was hesitating, though I didn't exactly understand why. But he nodded. And waves upon waves of golden light drifted over Renee.

"How long will that take?"

"It depends," his mother said. "Knowing Neil, she'll want to be gentle, so a few hours at minimum." She sighed.

“The other bonds… are they something Philip—”

“No,” Arielle cut me off. “ He might have known about the original ones, but he wouldn't have been able to place more. He doesn't have the talent for that and no, that's not just me being arrogant. This kind of spell work is too advanced for most wolves, even if they had some magical abilities.”

“Who else could have done it?” I asked, frowning.

Arielle glanced toward Renee. “Someone who had access to her. Wouldn't even have had to be long, five-minutes tops if she was young enough.”

My stomach twisted because her tone made it seem like the list was longer than it should be. Maybe even too long to count. Knowing Philip and his blatant disregard for Renee's safety, it was likely a very long list.

I settled in to sit and wait and watch. Try not to squeeze my hand to try and shake the sensation of whatever the hell that was. But as I watch, I starting to wonder exactly what Neil was doing to her. I'd heard of magical channeling. I'd heard it was basically like, which first aid and very hard to do. I knew that once upon a time a Brightclaw might have been capable of it, but over the years our magical ability had simply settled to simply being able to shift. The glow of our claws was the last of the magic that we may have been capable of wielding before. From the way Ariel said it, it seemed like I should still be able to. Maybe I should look into my own medical history to see if that was a possibility. Especially if Renee would need it more in the future.

From the way she was clinging to Neil, it seemed like she would, and I tried to stamp down the shot of jealousy at seeing them together.

Instead, I pulled up my phone and started to search the Panel's online about magical channeling.

Renee

I couldn’t breathe.

Water filled my lungs, my throat. My limbs thrashed helplessly in cold, crushing blackness. Somewhere above the surface, a scream echoed, muffled amd distant. My mother’s voice? I couldn’t tell. Her form was blurred, distorted by the water, hands reaching for something, or someone.

Then came the shadow. A tall, faceless man standing at the edge of the pool. knew, instinctively, that he was the one keeping her under. His hand hovered, unmoving, as if watching her struggle was more satisfying than finishing the job.

Her mouth opened one last time and the water exploded up and out of the pool, pushing me back.

And then, I woke up.

Gasping, shaking, soaked in sweat, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my teeth.

“Easy,” a voice murmured near me.

I blinked and looked down. I was lying on Neil’s chest. His arms were around me, warm and steady. Magic still thrummed beneath his skin, glowing faintly under his skin, seeping into my fingertips where they rested on his chest.

His bare, very defined chest. It wasn’t that maddening heat like it had been before; it wasn't flooding through me, but I could still feel the pulse of it, like a lullaby in my blood. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, utterly relaxed.

And just across the room, Dominic was asleep in the armchair. His head tilted slightly to the side, dark lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. The image made my chest ache. How long had he been here? How long had I been out?

Neil’s mother entered the room holding a steaming mug and smiled at the sight of me. “You’re awake.”

I sat up slowly. “What... what time is it?”

“Late. Or early. Depending on your mood.” She crouched down beside me and gently tapped her son’s temple with two fingers. “Alright, sweetheart. Enough.”

Neil’s eyes opened, glowing, molten red. He said nothing. He didn't even seem fully conscious. For a split second, I was frozen. I’d felt his magic before, but I’d never seen it manifest like that, the power sitting behind his gaze so plainly, like some ancient god looking out through borrowed eyes.

Then, like someone had turned off a faucet, the magic stopped flowing. I sagged forward, feeling a little tired, heavy. The pain was still there, but manageable.

Neil blinked once, then let his head fall back against the cushions with a groggy sigh.

“She okay?” he muttered.

“She’s just fine. Rest,” his mother replied dryly. She handed me the mug. “Drink. Ginger, honey, and just a dash of mugwort. It'll help settle you, then you should get some more sleep.”

I took a tentative sip. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Her eyes were kind but piercing. “We’ll talk soon. You’ve been through a lot."

She disappeared through the doorway, leaving me alone with Neil’s soft breathing and Dominic’s steady presence across the room.

And the echo of the dream that a part of me knew wasn't a dream. Still, I lay down, curling into Neil's arms. He grunted, turned us so I was between him and the couch.

"Be warm," he said, still mostly asleep, but I smiled, letting him adjust the blanket.

Just as I tried it to doze off, I noticed that his skin started to warm heat. Like a furnace. I moaned, curling tighter into him. I was going to ask a million questions about that, but for now, I was just going to enjoy it.