Page 58 of Beast and Remedy (The Last of the Heirs #2)

Beau leans into my touch, kissing my palm before his gaze turns haunted.

“You’ve been handling this by yourself all this time, and I—” He takes a long sharp breath and exhales.

“I was so worried you weren’t going to be alright.

I was so worried everything I was doing wasn’t helping you. And when you started—”

“Shhhh.” I press my finger to his lips. “You helped in so many ways, and I will be forever grateful.” I kiss him tenderly.

He squeezes me, pinning me to his chest.

Entangled in one another, I almost forget my lack of clothing, too preoccupied with his mouth capturing mine.

I crave more and fist his tunic, nipping at his bottom lip as desire grows in my core.

He hums, his hands rubbing my back. “I will be forever grateful for you.”

“Likewise,” I purr, more of my energy returning and wanting to expel it in another way.

His hardness presses against me, and when I trail my hand down his abdomen, he flexes, groaning. “You really want to tempt me right now?”

I draw back with a smirk, running my fingers along his trousers. “Last I remember, you were the one offering to fuck me against a tree.”

He gulps. “Yes.” His eyes roll, head falling back. “Yes, I did offer that.”

Wickedly, I tease him more, plucking the waistline of his pants. “And I’m already naked,” I add before straddling him and whispering. “And wet for you.”

I grind against him, his groan coaxing me on as he clutches the cloak draped over me.

“Are you—are you sure?” Beau asks, observing the trees as he kneads my ass, like he can’t restrain himself. “Your body went through something traumatic. You should take some time to recover and heal—”

“You already healed me,” I muse, snaking my fingers through his hair and yanking him back.

“And one could even argue that my body functioning like normal again is another sign I am more than alright to be fucked against a tree.” I inch down, kissing him and rolling my hips once before breaking away with a devious smile. “I am more than sure, B.”

His eyelashes flutter, but they jolt open to something behind me.

I stiffen, worried we’ve been caught and trying to find a reason to explain why I’m on top of Beau—

“What is that?”

Fascination clings to his voiced question, and I peer over to the floating ember flickering a breath away.

The sky brightens above me, and I need to get answers before the esprit’s time runs out.

Beau’s soft voice reflects his awe. “Is it—”

“L’esprit? Yes.” I twist toward the esprit. “We got the plant from Northtry. But I need to know if we need five or six. And the lavender… How will we get it if their borders are closed?”

“Vi, what are you doing—”

Beau grunts as I nudge him into silence, not wanting his questions to spoil my opportunity for guidance.

The esprit inches toward me, its proximity warm against my exposed skin as it brushes up my torso, twinkling when it reaches my face.

“Five will suffice,” it hums against my ear, and the light drifts closer, inspecting me. “Yet there is more you need.”

“What do we need?” I rush out as it pushes past me, analyzing Beau.

Irritation prickles along the hairs of my neck, the esprit sweeping across Beau’s face and peppering him with kisses .

What the Oblivion?

Beau fails to mask his amusement at my scowl.

“Him. You need him,” the esprit whispers, pulling away and doing a flip in the air and singing again . “And a seer. A seer you must seek.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, its vague meaning leaving me riddled with more confusion. “Please explain. Help me—help us ”—I gesture between Beau and myself—“help us understand.”

The esprit shimmies, circling the trees. “Time is thin.”

“Give me more time, please,” I beg. “I need answers. Answers to everything. Please. Just explain. Make it make sense.” I move off Beau, staggering upright to block the esprit.

It halts before bumping into me and does another flip, drawing toward the shadows of the forest. “Time I shall give, daughter of Johanne. Now, come.”

My heart stops. “How do you know my mother?”

“Come, and all will be revealed.”

Beau laces his fingers through mine and guides me down the path the esprit drifted toward.

But as I cling to his cloak and conceal my nakedness, I can’t even look up as we are lead south, my heart unable to catch up to my body.

Heaviness surges in my chest as my feet sink into the damp soil with every step. My face must convey what my mind cannot grasp, because Beau remains quiet, silently supporting me as the terrain grows rocky.

We must be close to Unterkirch’s border.

I spare a glance to the pack Beau carries and the weapons on his person.

At least there’s that.

The esprit sways as we walk, shimmering and rushing into a small cave.

Beau angles toward me, concern etched in his features, but I ignore it, pressing on after the esprit. It stops against the end of the wide alcove, the top of the space barely tall enough to stand comfortably.

Darkness snuffs out the forest beyond and our vision, until the esprit’s light blooms, glowing brighter and expanding.

I cannot shield my eyes, shock freezing me in place as a figure stands before us, the esprit shifting from a floating ember into a sizzling soul.

The phantom figure places what I imagine to be its hand across its chest. “I am an ancestral soul tethered to nature to guide it and the ruling Protector of Beasts.”

I blink, startled and taken aback. Never in all my years did I think I would see a soul, and now I can’t help but wonder how and why after all this time.

“You can see me now because you sought out your magic,” the soul starts, like it already knew my line of questions. “Do you remember?”

Puzzled, I think back to when I intentionally tried to shift, the memory clicking into place before I nod.

“You showed vulnerability, showed you sought change.” The soul pauses, its flames sparking enough for me to jump. “But still you push back.” It points to Beau, and I arch a brow.

“You will need him for when it gets worse.”

Fear and devastation crawl up my spine, this fucking power grasping to me anyway it can, all to drag me down with another issue. “Wh-Wh-What do you mean?”

“A willing transformation evolves your abilities. Where you’ll gain control to shift at will versus when the moons and seasons demand it. But unwillingness increases the pain and the injuries with each transformation.”

Is that why every shift feels like it’s progressively getting worse than the first?

Why I can’t curate a tonic to aid me through the transition?

The soul points at me with foreboding. “And if you don’t accept your gift, in time, it will curse you.”

Shock knocks the air from my lungs.

“My… my power will curse me?” I squeak, clutching my chest. “How?”

“Should you deny the beauty, the purpose, and the magnitude of power you’ve been blessed with, the magic will bind you forever to remain a beast.”

My knees wobble as my fist grips tighter around Beau’s cloak, shaking my head in disbelief.

A beast. Forever?

That… that can’t be…

“Evolving yourself will prepare you and keep the curse from happening,” the soul adds, and now I really want to collapse.

Beau squeezes my hand twice, distracting me and calming the panic wanting to erupt in my mind as he runs his thumb along my knuckles.

“You said a seer earlier. Do you know where we could find one? Do you know how we can get the lavender?” Beau asks in a gentle voice.

“Where the lavender grows, so too lies the seer you seek. Write to them for entry and gain insight for what is to come.”

Unterkirch… we have to enter Unterkirch.

Sweet Makers.

“And wh-wh-what else is to come?”

My voice wobbles, and terror consumes my thoughts, fixated on ruining me before I even have the chance to leave this cave.

This dreaded cave that sunlight slowly inches into.

“Prevented we are from the Makers to reveal the future. However, preparation is the best we can give . ”

“There’s more of you?”

The sizzling aura surrounding the soul pulses, almost as if laughing at my question. “More than even your mother knew when the same power flowed through her as it does you.”

Beau breathes, “Your mother was a shifter, too?”

Wordlessly, I nod, the grief sinking in. My throat tightens with the mention of Mama and Beau learning of her abilities.

The soul steps close, its phantom hand taking the one clutching my chest and sending a wave of warmth up my arm. It flickers, radiating with love.

“Her presence remains with us still. Always nurturing, always loving. Much like you.” Sparks dance along my skin where we touch, but nothing hurts. “Nurture your magic and yourself how you do for your loved ones.”

It draws closer, heat pressing against me as pinpricks spring across my temple. Is it giving me kisses now, too?

The soul pulses and glitters, but my attention lands on the light stretching across the cave’s interior, our time soon to end.

Beau bows to the soul shrinking back into a floating ember. “Our gratitude goes beyond words.”

I lower my head in thanks, refusing to lose sight of the esprit even as it fades.

It shimmers, vanishing until it is all but a glimmer, a trick to the naked eye as the esprit’s soft voice draws out its final token of guidance.

“Fall into place the missing pieces will be. So long as you find the seer you seek.”