Filed to story: The Healer and The Wolf PDF Free
I took a deep breath, settling myself and looking inward so I could answer that question honestly. I didn’t like lying to Leo, but I’d never told a single soul about that fateful night. “Right now, I’d like to build a fire.”
“I can do that.”
“We can do that,” I corrected gently.
The smile Leo sent me was so sweet it could have given me a cavity. I didn’t know how such a large, hulking man could make me feel so safe with a single facial expression, but he did. Together, we built a very small campfire. Anything too big would smoke and heat us out of the cave space, even if it was bigger than my own living room.
Once the fire was roaring, Leo and I moved to the chairs and watched the flames crackle. There was something hypnotic about it, soothing in its destruction, invigorating in its power. Fire was one of the many conundrums of nature. I’d feared it for a long time, which wasn’t exactly surprising. In fact, it was those high school bonfires that had first allowed me to see the good parts of it.
“It’s so nice to slow down and just be,” I mused after a long stretch of silence. The quiet between Leo and me wasn’t uncomfortable. It just…
was.
“I understand what you mean.”
“You do?”
Leo nodded. “I’m still figuring things out, but I do remember a time where I felt like there were never enough hours in the day. I was a leader, and I was so busy trying to make sure the members of my pack could live their lives and prosper that I forgot to take any time for myself. I was supposed to take a mate, have kids, you know all of that stuff, but it just felt like there wasn’t enough room for that.”
A leader, huh? For some reason, that made complete sense to me. Although he wasn’t the biggest talker, I’d always sensed a great intelligence behind Leo’s eyes. He was always learning, always observing, and he wasn’t afraid to ask questions-a trait I was particularly fond of.
“I can’t imagine being responsible for so many people’s lives,” I murmured, staring into the flames. Strange how something so beautiful had ruined my life.
At least, that’s what I used to think. Lately, however, it was hard not to feel like things were going all right for once. I had my garden, I had my cats, and although money was tight, we were about to go into a harvesting season, which meant I could really cut down on my grocery budget.
“You are responsible for lives. Yourself, your cats. Mine.”
“That doesn’t count,” I said quickly.
“Why not?”
I didn’t have an answer to that.
“I know some may discount your cats, but I see how you treat them. They’re your family.”
He was right, but I wasn’t used to people acknowledging it without judgment.
“They’re the family I found,” I murmured, flirting as close to the truth as I dared. “I lost the one I was supposed to have a long time ago.”
Leo seemed to know me so well, because he didn’t ask any questions. “So, we’re both missing things we’re supposed to have. My pack and your family.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
Maybe that was why we’d connected so easily. We had the same wounds, even if we got them in completely different ways.
The conversation faded once more, but it was about as far from uncomfortable as it could be. I looked over at Leo, watching the flickering light of the fire play over his strong features. Was I developing feelings for the man? I couldn’t deny that I was attracted to him, but he was from an entirely different world than me. A
magical world. For all we knew, he had a shifter wife and shifter children somewhere who were desperately hoping for him to come home one day.
“Leo…” I murmured, so many thoughts rushing through my head.
“Yes, Ven?”
I had no idea what I was actually going to say, but before I could articulate it, an earth-shaking boom sounded above our heads.
“Holy shit!” I cried.
Leo and I ran to the entrance, although he made it out long before me. Rain was pouring down in a sudden torrent.
“Strange,” Leo remarked, poking his head out. His auburn hair was instantly soaked, which was far more appealing that it had any right to be. “I didn’t smell the storm coming.”
“You can do that?” I asked, wide eyed.
“Most of the time. The air changes. I think humans pick up on it occasionally.”
I thought back to other storms I’d experienced, and I knew exactly what he meant. It was a strange scent-one of ozone, electricity, and moisture in the air.
“We should head back,” he said. “The cave is close enough to the water that the entrance could flood.” He offered his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world, and I stared at his tanned palm. While I had touched his shoulder earlier, holding hands was an entirely different thing. “You ready to run?”
“Sure,” I said with an uncertain chuckle. “But I don’t think I can keep up with you.”
“That’s fine,” he said with a soft smile. “I’ll stick to your pace.”
Well, how was I supposed to say no to that logic?
Face flushing, I put my hand in his. Once more, electricity shot through my body at the touch. The hair at the back of my neck stood on end, making me hyperaware of every cell in my body.
“Ready?” Leo asked, his smile broad and so full of earnest excitement that my stomach flipped.