Page 26

WREN

The creek bubbled and babbled as it swept over stones and logs and around the fish swimming there without a care in the world. It was peaceful, a sensation opposite of everything coursing through me.

My head still thrummed with the faint echo of a headache, the repercussions of dropping my emotional shields. But it was better than it had been. The tonic and food Dina had given me had helped, along with the dose of caffeine in the form of an iced coffee that King had brought me.

There was something about that tiny gesture. The fact that King registered that moments of heightened emotions could leave me with a migraine eased a little of the hurt he’d caused in my heart. That was King. Quiet actions over words.

I’d wanted to keep working, but the guys refused. Puck said he’d help Dina for the rest of the day, and the other guys took me home. They’d been mostly quiet until we got there, and Locke had offered a movie or a game. I’d said I just needed a little time.

Thankfully, they’d given it to me. Now that the wards were strengthened, and Locke had laid new alarms around the borders, the Arcane territory was safe. At least for now.

Footsteps sounded, then the crack of a twig and crunching dried leaves—someone not trying to hide their approach. I didn’t reach for my knife, but when I scented the leather and spice aroma that was only Brix, my muscles eased a fraction.

More relief came as he stepped into view in his wolf form. I wasn’t ready for human conversations, but comfort from Brix’s animal half? I would take that.

The jet-black wolf slowly sauntered over to me, blue-green eyes assessing and trying to decide if I was open to his approach.

I flipped my hand over in answer, palm up. Brix read the gesture instantly, his steps growing less hesitant. He moved into my space, stepping between my legs and sitting. My hands instantly went to his fur.

My fingers sifted through the softness—the complete opposite of his human half’s tough exterior. Brix let out a rumbling sound that almost sounded like a purr.

One corner of my mouth kicked up. “You sound like Princess.”

Brix chuffed at that as if to say, “ The hell I do. ”

It only made me grin more.

Brix leaned into me and rested his head on my thigh comfortingly. Gods, it felt good. And I needed it. The simplicity of the gesture, having nothing I needed to explain or talk about…just touch.

We stayed there for a long time, my hands running over his massive, jet-black form as I worked through the days’ events. It was like I was an archeologist on a dig, excavating layer after layer.

First came the fear. I had to work through the terror of Bastian knowing where I was, the horror of possibly being back in his clutches.

Then came the logistics. How had he found me?

Was it Ender’s contact? Someone else? If there was a leak in Crescent Creek, we needed to find it.

Finally, the plan. How the hell did I deal with all of this?

Did I need to run? Hide? Start over yet again?

Something told me that’s what Bastian expected me to do. And if he’d predicted that, he’d have a plan to go along with it. Likely men at all the routes into and out of town. The bus stations and the nearest airport. He’d hope I’d be stupid enough to venture out alone so he could snag me.

But I wasn’t going to play that game. Wouldn’t fall into his trap. I’d take my time. Think through all the possibilities.

The dull ache in my head intensified a fraction, and it took me a second to realize it wasn’t coming from me but from Brix. His emotions raked at my shields as he rested peacefully against me. The ache spread from my head and went straight to my heart.

I understood why. As triggering as Bastian being in Crescent Creek was for me, it had to be equally so for Brix, just in a different way. His would be rooted in fear and guilt, the responsibility he felt for being unable to save his sister.

My empath gift flared inside me, never wanting another creature to feel emotional pain. My hands continued their ministrations, sifting through his fur. I knew it was dumb, reckless even, but I lowered my shields just a fraction, enough to let in a sliver of Brix’s pain.

His emotional wounds slammed into me, trying to widen the opening, but I battled them back. I only allowed a sliver, taking it into me as my hands slid over him in nonsensical patterns. A buzz started in my palms, my gift healing the darkness within him and easing it just a touch.

It wouldn’t be enough to change his makeup or mean he would be free of all the demons haunting him. But it was enough to take the edge off and make sure Brix no longer felt like he was drowning.

A rumbling growl slid from Brix’s throat. I instantly slammed my shields up again as I pulled my hands back. His wolf form began to vibrate. Bones cracked, and his entire being transformed.

A few seconds later, Brix stood before me in his human form, naked as the day he was born but seeming completely unbothered by it. He glared at me, his eyes flashing. He didn’t speak right away, but the entire world slipped out from under me when he did.

“You’re an empath.”