Filed to story: The Healer and The Wolf PDF Free
I put my hand on her shoulder. “Ven, Ven, you’re not a monster. I don’t understand what you could have?-“
“It was the plants! I can’t explain it, but somehow, I… I summoned them. They went wild, and it was like they were listening to me.” She winced. “Well,kind oflistening to me. I didn’t want them to do quite what they did, but it was like they developed a mind of their own. And like I said, I’m not sorry that he’s dead. I… Leo, it was soawful.”
She grabbed my wrist and stared deep into my eyes, her voice utterly beseeching. At the contact, a wave of soothing coolness rolled through my body. It was a pretty strange thing to feel when my partner was so distraught.
Even stranger was that the more she spoke, the more I could remember. How the ballroom had practically turned into the set ofJumanji. How vines moved of their own accord, how thorns flew through the air.
Had Ven done all that? Surely that was impossible. And yet what other explanation did I have for what happened to Alric? If someone else had killed him, I was sure they’d be bragging about it. But then again, if Ven had somehow harnessed some insane green witch powers, wouldn’t someone have told me?
Or had everyone assumed I knew and that we’d kept it a secret for her protection?
There were a lot of discussions to be had.
But first, I needed to take care of my love.
“Hey, hey, Ven, you did what you had to do. We’re all alive because of you. That’s something to be proud of. No more of these tears, okay? You’re not a monster, baby. You’re a hero.”
“Buthowdid I do it, Leo? I’m human. I’ve always been a human! And as far as I know, humans don’t have the ability to spontaneously control plants.”
“Honestly, I don’t know. The only beings I’m aware of who could have anything like that ability are green witches and nymphs.”
“Could I possibly have gotten through this much of my life without knowing I’m a witch?”
“No, I don’t think so. From what I’ve heard it becomes very obvious during puberty. Spells accidentally going off during sleep, prophetic dreams, magic leaking out if they get too angry. Besides, I’d be able to smell if you were a witch, and I can tell you most decidedly that you are not.”
Although I made sure to exude only calming pheromones and keep my tone level, I was incredibly puzzled. That night had been awash with blood and violence, but I had tried my best not to lose control like I had at Chadwicke’s. I’d killed those who needed to be killed and spared those I could, and the only reason I had done that was because of Ven. She had shown me so much generosity and kindness since the day she’d found me in the woods. I knew down to the very marrow of my bones that she made me a better person, and in turn, a better fighter, so it tore me up inside that she thought she was some sort of monster for doing what she had to do with a strange power that came out of nowhere.
“A nymph, then?”
“Well, I’m pretty sure you’re not that, either.”
“How do you know?”
“For starters, they’re green, and they don’t really have feet or a corporeal form. Humans sometimes mistake them for ghosts, but really nymphs are elemental entities that live within a lot of natural structures-large trees, lakes, sacred rocks.”
Ven’s eyes widened, and I realized there was still a lot about my world she didn’t know. Maybe once things calmed down, I’d give her a proper run down, but that seemed impossibly far off in the future.
“I suppose it may be possible that you have nymph blood somewhere in your ancestry, but that would possibly be the rarest thing to happen on this continent. I don’t think they’re able to crossbreed, considering their rather intangible nature.”
“So, you have no idea what I could be or how I did what I did?”
Hating the fear in her voice, I pulled her into my arms and hugged her tightly.
“No, I don’t, but I’m not exactly a scholar. I’m sure we can find someone who knows what you could be, but for the moment, I’m not worried about it. I’m proud of you.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you saw what I did. I eviscerated that man. Shredded his skin up like he was confetti.”
It was hard to imagine my sweet, thoughtful Ven doing something like that, but at the same time, I didn’t doubt it. My love had a fierceness to her, a never-ending determination to take care of those around her. If some ancient power had randomly manifested in her, it made complete sense that it would be unstoppable against an enemy.
Although I was insanely curious about what could possibly be going on, that took a back seat to making sure Ven was okay-as okay as she could be considering the situation.
“I would say it even if I saw all that, Ven. You shine a light on everyone around you. You’re a true gift to me and pretty much everyone else you touch in your life. I know you can’t see it right now, and I won’t tell you how to feel, but I will be here every step of the way to remind you that you are not the monster that mean voice in your head says you are. You were a desperate person in an impossible situation, and you saved our lives.”
“Thank you,” Ven murmured before squeezing me back even harder. It was the longest we’d had physical contact in ages, and I cherished it. Our situation wasn’t exactly ideal, but I was determined to be the best partner I could be anyway.
“Anytime. And I mean it. Why don’t we go back to the house and get you something to eat? I think you’ll be amazed at how stocked the fridge is.”
Ven let out a shaky laugh. “Jeez, it was already chock-full before I went out to the garden. Is there even more now?”
“There’s enough now that one of America’stiasis bringing us a spare freezer.”
“Holy shit!”
Holy shit, indeed.
The two of us held each other for a bit longer before returning back to the house, still hand in hand, and although she was still quite stressed, I could feel that some of Ven’s internal struggle had eased. I knew there would be flare-ups and other pitfalls on our journey, but I was determined to be there.
Fate had already separated us once. I wouldn’t allow it to happen again.
There were onlytwo warlock brothers left.
I couldn’t believe it. After all the harm their family had caused, and with how impossibly powerful they seemed, only two of the original seven remained. That never would have happened without Ven, and I made sure she knew it. Sometimes my praise embarrassed her a little, but I figured I was making up for lost time. Far too many people in her life had taken her for granted, and I wasn’t about to continue that pattern.
So far, no random plants had burst into life in the house, and no vines had tried to strangle us. After our little talk, I asked around, and it turned out three or four of my battle companions had seen her use the ability and assumed we’d been keeping it secret. I played it off like we had, but on the inside I was as puzzled as ever. Not for the first time, I wished I was a bit more educated on magical beings. I knew wolf shifters inside and out because I was one, but as for every other magical type? I only really knew their weaknesses and how to kill them. Not exactly a great way to exchange culture.
With our expanded numbers, we were able to cast out a lot more tendrils to look for leads on the remaining two brothers. They now definitely knew someone was hunting them down, because the last two had disappeared, and no one had a clue where they might have gone. It was frustrating, but not entirely unexpected. Their own hubris had allowed us to take down three of them in such a short time. If they had done their due diligence, they’d have stopped us after we took out Chadwicke.
“Any report from the eagle shifters?” I asked Ricky as I pored over a couple of the reports from our scouts. The reports were detailed, but it had some southern and Latin slang I wasn’t familiar with. I could usually puzzle it out with context clues, but it took me a little longer and demanded more concentration.