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“Your new gift,” Zeke explained. “You’re a Judge.”
Remmus’ mouth dropped open, then shut, then opened again. A giggle squeaked from her throat before she could help it, and it instantly succeeded in lightening the situation.
“I felt it the other day, after you’d woken up.” Zeke clarified. “I’m sure the coercion was blocking it somehow, and the poison loosened its hold. Luna would be able to help along those lines, if you let her. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed it?”
“I … have noticed a few things, yes.”
“How do you know?” Ava asked, her hands skimming softly over baby-soft materials while she looked up at the Raeth sovereign standing next to Remmus.
“I’m a Mirror, an Amp, and a Blunt; my abilities work to amplify, project, or stamp out those of anyone in my vicinity,” Zeke clarified. “Basically, I borrow other’s abilities, so I know exactly what those abilities are. It comes in handy.”
“You just became the clan’s resident lie detector, Remmus.” Kaien companionably slapped his best friend on the back. “Welcome to the three-gift club, friend. Just skirt the red rope and go straight to the top, why don’t you.”
Beside her, Nina had stilled on the couch, her every attention fixated on Remmus. Before Ava could ask, the sovereign caught her eye. “Remmus’ psychic signature has changed. I’m re-aligning it in my mind.”
“That’s why it took us so long to come to your aid.”
Still confused, Ava parroted, “His psychic signature?”
“How we know who he is, what he is,” Nina said. “For the eight centuries I’ve known him, it’s always been the same. Slowly weakened by his coercion, but unchanging. Now, it’s as though he’s a different person.”
Chagrined at the claim he’d altered, Ava’s wolf paced beneath her skin. “Is it common for immortals to change that drastically?”
Nina shrugged. “It’s rare. Occasionally, it can happen when a major event takes place, they gain a new ability, or if a mind is psychically altered. Obviously, Remmus is still himself, so it’s not concerning.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ava gave in to the urge and rose to her feet to stand beside her mate, uncaring what the twins thought of her while she linked fingers with him.
“You know, Ava, we didn’t teleport to Remmus. With his changed signature, we couldn’t find him without devoting more time to catalog his new settings.”
“Then how did you find us?”
“They teleported to you.” Nina winked at her. “We knew Remmus wouldn’t have gone anywhere else.”
And somehow, that made Ava feel lighter.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Luna met with them the following day. Due to the general sentiment about Remmus’ perceived vulnerability, the healer agreed their sessions should happen on Blaede clan territory, so long as her sovereign was able to attend. Nero was good friends with both Nina and Zeke, and it wasn’t an outrageous request.
Vibrant red hair was Luna’s defining feature, and in all the years Remmus had known her, she hadn’t once altered the color. Unlike him, she’d never used transfiguration to alter her appearance.
Remmus reached out to take the healer’s arm in a warrior’s welcome. “Luna, it’s good to see you again.”
“I’m glad to see you looking a bit livelier,” she greeted before looking over the assembled muscle behind him.
Kaien had adamantly refused to leave while there’d be rooting around in Remmus’ mind, and Ava couldn’t stand the thought of him being in pain. Zeke and Nina had also stayed, but the couple was chatting animatedly with Nero.
Aidan and Riaz hadn’t wanted to leave their new pack member alone to ‘face the wolves’, as they laughingly described it. Watching their grim expressions now, it was as if they’d rather bite their own tails off than leave Remmus in his moment of vulnerability. Once pack, always pack.
Smirking, he turned his attention back to Luna. If this was the new game, he could play it well. A bit of panache, a whine or two, he’d have them all eating out of his ‘vulnerable’ hands.
“How you wanna do this, great all-powerful Oz?” He quipped to Luna. “Shall I simply curl into the fetal position now, or refrain until after I start drooling on the floor?”
While Ava and the other wolves bristled, Luna either took no offense or didn’t notice. “I’m creation, my faithful Dorothy, not destruction. Even if I wanted to, it’d go against my nature as a healer to harm. Besides, I’d much rather keep the carpets clean.”
“As long as I don’t have to wear sparkly shoes.”
Launching into a high-level overview of what’d take place, Remmus listened raptly. Ava’s fingers snaked through his, claiming him before her alphas and his. And for once, it was nice to have someone on his side, willing to fight for him.
