Chapter 117

Dominic

I carried her out of the bathroom, her soaked skin clammy and pale against my chest. Renee hadn’t said a word since I pulled her from the tub, her eyes wide and unfocused, her limbs heavy as if weighed down by whatever memory had seized her. She was trembling so slightly, someone else might have missed it. But I didn’t. I felt every shudder of it through the fabric of my shirt.

“Thank you,” I said to Neil’s mother as I stepped into the bedroom. I wasn't sure whose bedroom it was, but it didn't matter.

Neil's mother was standing there as if she’d already known that I'd be the one to get Renee out and watch over her. She didn’t speak after a moment, just motioned toward a folded pile of clothes on the armrest of the couch.

“She’ll need something warm,” she said, her tone calm but kind. “And dry.”

“I appreciate it,” I said quietly.

“You’ll want to keep her wrapped up. The potion Arielle left will keep her in human form, but her body is still recovering from the shift.” She tilted her head and gave me a long, assessing look. " You could probably use some rest yourself."

"Where's Neil?"

She smiled. "He'll be back in a bit. It's outside. Commuting in the garden."

I sat her down on the bed and tucked her in, brushing a damp strand of hair from Renee’s forehead.

"Will she be okay?"

"Now that she's not going to drown in the bathtub, of course."

"And him?" I winced. " I read that magical channeling can be quite exhausting… Dangerous, in some people's cases."

“He'll be more than fine." She chuckled. "He only needs to ground himself. He gave a lot of himself."

I hesitated before asking, “But he'll be alright?”

“He will be. And I’d thank you not to jump my son in my house, Dominic,” she added, deadpan. "…at least not while I'm also here. Goddess knows I've walk in on enough."

I blinked. “I—what?”

She chuckled. “I’m not blind. I’ve seen that look before. Felt that kind of pull before. You got a taste of his magic and nearly passed out.” She folded her arms. “I’m just saying. Even Call. if the Goddess intends for Mountainhowl, Brightclaw and Blackfang convergence, I’d appreciate a little discretion under my roof.”

My cheeks burned. “That’s not—I wouldn't—”

“I’m teasing you, Dominic,” she said with a sly smile. “Mostly.”

Gods, I wanted to bury myself under a pile of snow and never come out again. She could not be serious. And yet her eyes said that she very much was. Me attracted to a man half my age? No, that wasn't what was happening. His magic however was something different, and that was a wholly inconceivable thought.

Though, I never thought I'd be attracted to a woman young enough to be my daughter either, so I shouldn't be surprised by anything at this point.

“Breakfast is ready if you want it,” she added with a wink, walking toward the kitchen. “There’s coffee too. I suspect you’ll need it.”

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. She disappeared into the hallway, humming a song I didn’t recognize.

I looked back at Renee down on the bed again. Her eyes had fluttered shut, and her breathing was steady now. She looked small, delicate in a way that made my protective instincts bristle. Seeing her like this left me raw.

I retrieved the warm clothes from dresser. They were clearly Neil’s, soft flannel and sweatpants, oversized for Renee but warm. She stirred a little as I dressed her, her skin fevered to the touch. My movements were careful, reverent. Once she was bundled up again, I tucked the blanket over her shoulders and brushed my fingers against her cheek.

"Sleep well."

I headed downstairs. Feeling the desperate need for coffee start to set in. A roll of thunder cracked the sky. I looked up toward the window. Lightning arced across the gray morning, fierce and jagged like something alive.

It was a strange kind of storm. It seemed concentrated, almost like it had set down just behind the house. Like it was summoned.

Rain poured down soon after. But I could see the rain pouring over the city, not just this house. My curiosity got the better of me. I stepped out through the back door and onto the covered porch, where the cold air hit my skin like a splash of icy water. My shoes thudded softly on the wooden deck.

That’s when I saw him.

Neil stood in the middle of the backyard. The flowers that were blooming around him seemed to glow. They weren't entirely just glowing in the light of the lightning overhead. The storm howled around us. The wind was fierce, stirring the treetops, bending them out of the way so there was a clear opening above him.

It was odd seeing him like this. Like I was watching something that I shouldn't be watching, and yet I couldn't look away from. He seemed calm, completely relaxed. His arms were raised slightly, as if in welcome. Rain soaked him, dancing around him, pulled in the spiraling current of the power surging up through the earth.

Lightning cracked again overhead, a bright flash. Then, it ripped through the clouds, striking him.

Drawn to him.

I stared, breath caught in my throat.

He didn't flinch. He was absorbing it. His skin glowed faintly from within, veins pulsing silver and white. His shirt shirt clung to him, soaked through, but that wasn’t what drew my eyes. It was the shifting sigil glowing in a vivid, blood-red hue on his back, glowing through the thin, wet material. A mark I hadn’t seen in decades, maybe longer.

The sigil of the Goddess’s Wrath.

A primal shiver rippled down my spine. He had to be wrong. He had to be, but the mark didn't fade or grow weaker.

No wonder his magic hit me like a flood. This wasn't a coincidence.

The mark on his back, and the one on his chest, twitched, itched, and hummed.

Neil lowered his hands slowly, power still crackling at his fingertips like burning threads of silk. The storm began to ease, the air thick with ozone and the taste of magic. The lightning faded.

His whole body pulsed, and the mark faded slowly.

His head turned toward me, and I knew. He’d sensed me there the whole time.

For a moment, we just looked at each other. His eyes were burning reptilian red, unlike any wolf's eyes I'd ever seen. I didn't know what to make of it. It was off-putting, gut-churning.

The wolf in me snarled, not in challenge, but in something more primal. Possession. Confusion. Curiosity.

I turned back inside before I could act on any of it. Neil's mother hadn't even glanced at me when I entered. Food on the table. I thanked her, ate as quickly as I could despite the sight of the storm outside.

"Spooked, hm?" He scowled at her. "Or…"

"The cinnamon rolls are quite good."

She let out an outright witchy cackle, but she left him alone and Neil didn't come in.

Later, he headed back upstairs, Renee was still sleeping soundly. Her face had a little more color now. She’d probably sleep for hours, if not the rest of the day. I sat beside her, watching the storm continue to rage outside. I took my shoes off, knowing that I wasn’t leaving Renee alone.

I couldn’t ignore what I’d seen. That kind of power didn’t just appear. It was inherited. Trained. Cultivated. A child of prophecy or fate. It was a bit terrifying and exhilarating.

Because so was I. I had known as much in my entire life, like every Brightclaw before me had been marked by the Goddess. Differently, yes, but marked all the same. I turned back to look at Renee before climbing into bed beside her and snuggling close. My mind was a mess. Should I talk to him? I felt like I should. I felt like it was inevitable. The mark on my chest was another thing entirely. I was almost tempted to see if maybe, just maybe. There was a mark on Renee's back as well. It would make everything so much easier.

It would certainly answer why I wasn't so bothered by the idea of her and Neil together.

At the same time, it made me wonder what exactly my part to play in all of this would be. What Renee's part to play in all of this?. Because of what I knew, Renee could only be marked by the Goddess's judgment. And what exactly did that mean?

It had been too long since I looked at the old writings about such a thing. It seemed like I'd have to take a trip to the packhouse library, but not now. I exhaled slowly and looked down at Renee.

For now, I would just stay here with her and keep the nightmares at bay if I could.

Outside, another rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, and the sound of rain lulled me to sleep.