AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You think she could have given herself amnesia?” Orym asks, stepping closer. I shrug. It’s just a thought, but I felt compelled to say it to everyone.
“That could have catastrophic repercussions. Let’s do what we can and deal with this one step at a time.” Worry creases his brow as he focuses on melting the ice that surrounds Red’s head.
“What can we do to help?” Ryland takes a step closer then stops, not wanting to get in the way. I’m wondering the same thing, because we don’t have magic, and I need to do something to help.
“Just give me space to thaw her out. Have blankets and towels ready, just in case she can’t get to her magic right away. I fear this is worse than I expected.” His somber response kicks us into motion. Ryland heads to the bathroom and grabs towels, Orym gathers every blanket in the cabin, and I move to the fireplace to start a fire.
We will thaw her out one way or another. I hope.
GARNET
Did he say I have magic? Everything gets hazy, and I’m even more confused than I was a little while ago. I still don’t feel cold, but is that connected to what he’s saying? If I have magic, and I did this, I should be able to make it stop. How does a broken wolf shifter have magic, though? None of this makes sense. This guy is going to have a lot of explaining to do when I get out of this mess.
I close my eyes and think warm thoughts. I’m not sure I believe his claims that I have magic or that I did this to myself. And even if I did, I have no idea how to fix it. After a few minutes of trying to melt the ice, I give up. This guy is insane if he thinks I can create or melt ice. I hope I get the chance to tell him just that.
How dare he come in here and tell my family that I have powers? What is he trying to do? Anger ripples up my spine, and I embrace the feeling. More than anything, I want to find out what happened to cause this, and I want to corner this man who seems to have answers. He may even know why I can’t shift. Maybe he has a way to break the curse.
“Step back, she’s starting to glow,” the man says, gesturing for everyone to get away from me. My body warms and tingles, as if I’m sitting on the bank near the waterfall in the sunshine. Everything goes dark, then a bright red light takes over the darkness. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly to block it out.
The light grows more intense, and I cover my eyes with my hands. Wait, how did that happen? He must have found a way to melt the ice. When the light finally subsides, I lower my hands slowly. I’m not sure when I hit the floor, but everything hurts now.
There’s a sharp pain in my chest, and I rub at it as I try to stand up. My legs won’t hold me, so I drop back down onto the floor. Ry wraps a towel around me, then Orym follows with a blanket. Luca brings me a cup of my favorite tea.
“Are you hungry? Do you need anything else?” Luca asks. I can feel his concern along our bond, but I don’t understand the intensity of it. He’s worried about more than just that block of ice.
I shake my head, not trusting my voice yet. I’m wet, and should be cold, but I’m still not. I glance around the room and realize that the fire is probably why I’m not chilled.
“Will you let us help you get into dry clothes?” Ry asks. He’s hesitant and I don’t understand why. Normally, they’d all take any opportunity to get me naked without reservations. I nod, and Orym scoops me up from the floor. Once we’re in the bedroom, Ry peels my wet clothes off of me, and Orym dries me with another towel while Luca digs out some comfy clothes for me to put on.
Dry and dressed, I feel a little more myself. “What is going on here?” I finally find my voice to ask.
“What do you mean, Red?” Luca asks. I hate that it feels like they’re keeping something from me. I sigh, exasperated.
“Why are you all looking at me like I’ve grown a second head? And who is the guy with Grammy? I thought you said my father was coming. Where’s Gunnar?” I blurt it all out at once, and they gape at me. What the fuck is going on here?
“You don’t remember anything that’s happened recently?” Ry asks, taking my hand and easing me onto the bed.
“Of course I do. The four of us are fated mates, and—”
“The four of us? What about James?” Orym cuts me off with his question.
“James? Dec’s brother? What does he have to do with this?” I feel like maybe I have forgotten something important. But I don’t want to admit that, because they all look worried enough as it is. I continue to rub at the pain in my chest. For some reason, when Orym mentions James, it gets worse.
“Oh, shit. This is worse than we thought.” Luca and Ry exchange a look, then Luca rushes toward the living room.
“Would one of you please explain what the fuck is going on here? Apparently, I’m lost and don’t understand things. I need answers. Now,” I growl.
Both men hold their hands up in surrender. I glare at them, but neither responds to my question. Fury bubbles inside me, and I clench my fists as I stand up.
Ry and Orym pull me away from the bed as flames appear, cocooning my hands and running up my arms. The pain in my heart is forgotten as fear takes over. I’m on fire, and I have no idea how, or why it’s not burning me.
“Keep her away from the furniture,” the strange man says as he walks into our bedroom. Who is this guy? “You’re going to need to take a deep breath. Once you’re calm, the flames will subside. We need that to happen before you burn the cabin down.”
With my jaw clenched, I do as he instructs, shocked when things happen exactly as he said they would. The flames coating my arms rescind, and I stare at my hands as if they’re some alien substance that might attack me at any moment.
I fight the tears that threaten to fall. “Will someone please explain what is happening here? I’m losing my mind.” I drop carefully to the floor, hoping the flames don’t come back. Wrapping my arms around myself, I stare up at the people surrounding me.
Grammy sits down next to me and pulls me into her arms.
