Page 51 of Touched By Moonlight

Judging from the lines of pain etching his face, it was not. I tugged his hand toward me and examined his thumb. Swollen to twice its size, it was already bruising. Perhapsbroken.

Maybe he would have tried to jerk it out of my grip, but I held fast. Stephan was strong. I wasdetermined.

Grayson had assured me the property was protected from outsiders, warded against anyone seeing any kind of display of power. Even trace elements of magick werecontained.

My magick had already healed the earth. I let my powers rise, gathered them as a human might meditate. A lyrical chant echoed in my mind – the ancient voice of my people who had used their magick for good, long before darkness and greed permeated thecolony.

Closing my eyes, I recited the chant in my mind, envisioning Stephan’s thumb whole and healed, the bones knit together smoothly. Healing power seeped out of me like sweat. I felt a little drained, but not much, as if I had jogged a shortdistance.

When I opened my eyes and released him, Stephan stared at hishand.

His thumb was normal, no sign ofinjury.

Gone too, was the suspicion and anger. Instead, his features smoothed out, and he grinned, the typical boyish grin I likedbest.

“It feels great. Wow. Thanks,Sienna.”

Healing physical injuries never presented a challenge. How I wished I could heal his internal ones as well, the scars that ran deep and kept him apart from the rest of the pack atmealtimes.

“How did you do that?” Something shone in his eyes. It looked like hope. “Grayson said you were Fionn Fae and had special abilities, but I didn’t know about the healingpart.”

I wonder how many people the alpha had told about my origins. “You know what I am and you’re willing to let me stayhere?”

He gave me a shy look, the bashful werewolf returned. “I like you, a lot. And you mean a lot to Grayson. He told us about the dreams you shared. If he wants you here, then I’m happy to have you aswell.”

Then he gave me a cocky grin. “And have you in other ways as well, like thismorning.”

Warmth filled me. “It was a great way to wakeup.”

Curious about the reaction Grayson might have, I asked him. “Grayson doesn’t mind sharinglovers?”

“He leaves it up to the woman. We share everything here, as long as there’s mutual consent. This isn’t like otherpacks.”

I asked him about others in the pack. Stephan shrugged. “Grayson wants to make everyone here feel welcome. Accepted. We have wolf shifters, witches, elders, all sorts here. You might call us a pack of vagabonds.” He gazed into the distance, his expression sad. “I sure as hellam.”

Sympathy wouldn’t work with someone as proud as Stephan. Instead, I turned my attention to the sculpture hidden beneath the cloth. “From what I saw of this, a true artist created this. Wanderer or not, you have a gift,Stephan.”

Another shrug. “I like working with wood. It brings out my human side. My wolf side can be… notnice.”

“What’s wrong with being a wolf? Your wolf has advantages your human side doesnot.”

He began putting away tools into a drawer, arranging them in a row. “You saw my wolf side. It’s a beast, a savage. I can’t even eat dinner with the others. Talk about a lack of tablemanners.”

Stephan might not want me here, but I sensed he needed to talk, and this was a delicate matter he hadn’t been able to discuss with others. I pulled up a stool and sat. “Wolves devour their prey. You live in a wolf shifterpack.”

He frowned, studied his thumb again. “For a Fae, you’re prettyunderstanding.”

“I am Fae, but I’ve also seen the dynamics of packs in my, uh, travels. How you were eating is perfectly natural andnormal.”

The drawer slammed shut with a bang as he heaved it closed. Stephan turned to me. “Normal for a wolf shifter. But damnit, Sienna, I can’t consume food as a human! Something went wrong with me when I turned 21 and shifted for the firsttime.”

Never had I heard of such a dilemma. “Ouch. I can see where this could beproblematic.”

“Oh, I can drink just fine. Beer, water, you name it. But as a human, if I try to eat more than a few bites, I get sick.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Talk about being a lousy dinnerdate.”

“Is this why you joined Grayson’s pack?” I asked as gently aspossible.

He nodded. The sadness in his beautiful eyes made my heartache.