I stuffed my hands in my pockets to prevent them from visibly shaking to the rest of the world.
“Okay. Here we go.” My stomach felt wavy with unrest. My head felt woozy and my legs seemed as if they had lead weights attached to them.
“Sweetie.” Sophia chuckled and clamped her hand over my shoulder.
“Yeah?”
She gazed up at me and stroked my cheek. “Look at you…you are trembling.”
“Oh.” I felt suddenly sheepish.
She gave me a tenderly sympathetic smile. “I will be with you the whole way through.”
“I know.”
“Don’t set yourself up for disappointments that haven’t even happened yet,” she reminded me again.
I ran a quivering hand through my hair that suddenly felt even thicker than usual. “I’m not…shifting into a werewolf right now, am I?”
“No, silly.” Sophia’s earnest laughter tickled my soul.
“Who is there?” I heard Queen Aurora’s voice chime through the partially cracked door. “I hear voices.”
Sophia stepped in first but gave me a confident smile to encourage my spirits first. “Let me do the talking.”
She patted my hand and spun around, waltzing with ease into the office of Queen Aurora, as if she were the heir to the throne. Maybe she was. Who was I to know?
“Good evening, Queen Aurora,” Sophia said and bowed down as far as her body would allow in front of the crystal woman, who appeared to be sorting through shelves containing rows and rows of shining crystals of magnificent colors.
“Just Aurora will do,” the crystal woman stated humbly.
“Really?” I couldn’t help myself.
Sophia shot me a look.
I cleared my throat and shifted my weight. “Forgive me. But you don’t really—”
“Act like a queen?” Aurora finished my sentence for me with a laugh.
I smiled once I saw her crack one too. I allowed myself to chuckle at my own stiff demeanor.
“Sometimes it’s better to not take yourself so seriously,” she said.
“I guess you’re right.”
I exchanged a glance with Sophia. Her eyes were twinkling with amusement as if she wanted to playfully say ‘I told you so’ to me.
Aurora faced us, clasping her hands together. “Is there something that I can help you with?”
I looked between her and Sophia. “I, uh—”
“We want to ask you if you can help us with a little problem he has.” Sophia took my hand and I was immediately flooded with comfort.
“I can try,” Aurora answered openly.
“Well, you are probably aware of by now, Cameron is a werewolf shifter,” Sophia began. “And the curse was placed upon him by his Master years ago…”
“You want me to try and lift the curse?” The woman shot us both a look of curiosity.
Sophia chuckled respectfully. “If it’s something you can—”
“Something I can do?” she asked.
Sophia looked at me and then back to Aurora, taking a deep breath in between. “Yes. He’s miserable. He has to roam the cold wilderness from midnight to dawn. It’s cold, it’s brutal. It’s dangerous. He is such an amazing person and doesn’t deserve to have this curse weighing on him—”
Queen Aurora lifted her hand and smiled. “My dear, there is no need to go on. I understand exactly what you are saying. The world is a vicious, unfair place.” She shook her head and frowned regretfully.
I gave her an expectant stare. “Does that mean you can help me?”
I looked at Sophia, feeling my anxiety level rising by the minute, but I was so eternally grateful for how she had pled my case for me. She was my advocate, my brightest star in the universe.
Aurora approached us and took our hands in hers. She closed her eyes and muttered something inaudible and impossible to detect. I stiffened, but then when the woman opened her eyes again and I saw kindness and assurance there, I relaxed slightly.
She looked into our eyes, gazing into our souls. I felt the penetrating depth of her piercing look and it filled me with various emotions that ran askew in my mind.
“I will agree to try and help break your curse,” she said to me.
“But?” I asked, knowing somehow that there would be a catch.
She smiled. “You are a clever one, aren’t you?”
I grinned at Sophia, feeling suddenly proud.
Aurora glanced between us and her features suddenly became stoic.
“First you must agree to discovering your full potential. You do not fully understand the true depth and value of your power as shifters. You are both incredibly gifted, and you haven’t even breached the surface of your attainable talents yet.”
I looked at Sophia, stunned, then back to Aurora. “You really have that much faith in us?”
“You wouldn’t be here right now if I didn’t,” she responded without skipping a beat.
I couldn’t help but feel excited, and judging by the radiant glee in Sophia’s smile, I could tell she was also optimistic.
Aurora was only standing an inch or two away from us. I could feel her magical energy surrounding her. She reached to her left and carefully plucked up a couple of small swords. The swords had red crystals imbedded inside the steel blades.
She locked eyes with us and opened her mouth, still holding up the lightweight swords, gripping one in each hand. I didn’t understand their representation, but there was always an open mystery involving this woman.
“A war is on the horizon.” She spoke in an ominous whisper, but I wasn’t afraid. I was calm. There wasn’t a single erratic thought infiltrating my brain as I continued to look at this incredible crystal woman.
“If you are willing to fight with me and my army, I can train you to win in the ultimate rebellion against the Masters and their guards.”
I broke my gaze with the crystal woman and looked to Sophia. She turned her head and nodded at me as if there wasn’t even a question. I knew what we had to do.
I looked back at Aurora and nodded. “I agree.”
“I agree as well,” Sophia stated virtuously beside me, standing gratified and tall.
I stole another look in her direction. Her beautiful green eyes were brimming with wonderment and I could tell that she was willing to do whatever it took to turn the world on its axis to make the overall environment a safe and joyous place for shifters to live in peace.
She rested her head on my shoulder for a brief moment and I embraced the intimate connection that we had. Our chemistry was unbreakable. We had a bond that would defy all the hate in the world and shatter it to pieces.
“Remember,” Aurora whispered with a wild look in her eyes. “Light always finds a way to reach the darkest places.”
There was no denying the truth in her bold words. If she was willing to slash my werewolf curse to ribbons, I wouldn’t hesitate in becoming a soldier in her rebellion army.
33
Sophia
I didn’t know if it would help plead his case, but I began describing the details of Cameron’s werewolf curse to Queen Aurora. I was doing it for both her and his benefit.
I figured that if she didn’t need to know the necessities, she would stop me from continuing or save me the embarrassment of allowing me to ramble on for nothing. I wasn’t exactly speaking for him, but I was serving as his advocate since I was more familiar with Queen Aurora at this point.
“The specific curse that Cameron has ensures that he shifts at exactly the stroke of midnight every single night, and he can’t shift back into a human until the next dawn,” I explained. “This has gone on for years.”
I gave Cameron a sympathetic smile and squeezed his hand with fondness. “He is one of the bravest men I have ever met.”
“I can imagine the situation has not been easy to cope with,” Queen Aurora stated.
“No.” Cameron gave her a diplomatic nod of agreement. “To put it lightly, it has not been easy in the sl
ightest.”
“And…you say that a Master put this curse on you?” Aurora pitched her eyebrow in disbelief.
“No.” Cameron shook his head. “He forced another shifter to do it to me.”
“Ah.” She nodded as if that made more sense. “I will just need to ask you a few questions about your background if you don’t mind, before we get started.”
I exchanged a glance with Cameron and then looked back at Aurora. “We are going to go through with this right now…tonight?”
“I will make that decision at the end of the interview session,” Aurora said and cast an expert look at Cameron.
He seemed to be a little anxious, as if he was worried about screwing up somehow and not answering the questions correctly. I could see in his features that he knew he had a lot riding on this. He licked his lips and appeared to be visibly flustered. I squeezed his hand again to give him a subtle surge of support.
“Yes.” He returned her professional demeanor with one swift nod. “I will provide responses to the best of my ability and memory.”
Aurora’s smiled in satisfaction. “That is as good a place to start as any.”
Cameron took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He squared his shoulders and straightened his posture as if preparing himself to dive into the most painful memories in his mind.
“Now, this shifter,” Aurora asked. “Was it a male? Another a werewolf shifter?”
“Yes.” Cameron nodded.
I saw his expression visibly relax. The questions weren’t going to be as challenging as he had initially anticipated.
Aurora stared at him as if she was taking mental notes. I could tell that Cameron was doing his best to answer her questions. I kept my hand on his arm as a constant physical reminder that I would always be standing by his side to offer up emotional strength whenever he needed it.
“Did this werewolf shifter also endure the curse? Cast by another shifter at a separate time?” Aurora asked.
“Yes,” Cameron said. “And I know that I probably would have been forced to learn the dark Magic to perform the same curse on another shifter but—”
“You escaped your Master?” Aurora finished his sentence for him.
Cameron looked to me for direction. I gave him a gentle nod. “Yes.”
“Very good.” Aurora smiled smugly as if she respected Cameron even more for his admittance.
“I grew up in a tribe outside of a village,” Cameron confessed without even being prompted. “My family was always considered unruly, disruptive, and wild. Because of this, we had to live in the outskirts. We weren’t allowed to live in the village, but one day when I was young, I went down the mountain without my parents’ knowledge. I was too curious for my own damn good.”
Cameron’s features morphed into a frown. I could practically see the begrudging thoughts in his mind just twisting him up into knots.
“That’s when a
“That’s right,” Cameron nodded. He flicked his gaze to the ground as if he was suddenly uncomfortable.
“Do you think that they are still looking for you today?” Aurora asked.
Cameron lifted his gaze and looked at her without blinking. “My family?” He laughed, but it came out sounding more like a scoff. “No.” He shook his head vigorously. “I really don’t think so. They probably didn’t even notice that I was gone for a while.”
I stroked his arm. “Poor baby.”
Even Queen Aurora seemed to be sympathetic.
“It’s really fine.” Cameron reassured us. “I grew up independent, anyway. I kind of had to…take care of myself from an early age. I have known what it’s like to be alone in the trenches for a long time.”
I felt disgusted by the unjust experiences Cameron had suffered. “And then you had to get kidnapped by a Master who put that horrific curse on you that caused you to be isolated even more. It was tragic, really.
Cameron’s eyes drooped in sadness, but he smiled when he looked at me. “I got used to it over time. I have always been a wanderer, an explorer.”
I couldn’t tell whether or not he was just trying to pretend to be unaffected to veil the way he really felt inside and downplay his emotional damage, or if he really was just that tough from the inside out.
Either way, I wanted him to know that he never had to feel alone or unwanted ever again, that I would always be his rock, his companion to reach out to when he needed a solid foundation to lean on.
Aurora was quiet for a number of minutes that seemed to drag on for an eternity. She studied us both contemplatively.
“Follow me,” she finally said, her voice erupting through the silence and startling me.
I had to remind myself that I needed to be prepared for anything and everything that came my way.
Cameron looked at me. “We need to follow her,” I said assertively.
He nodded and we walked hand in hand, a few strides behind Aurora.
She led us to a grotto with high ceilings. The air was humid and steamy. The slate floor was slick and wet. In the center of the room was a small, circular structure that resembled a hot spring.
“What is that?” I asked and pointed to it.
“It is a hot spring,” she confirmed. Her eyes trailed over Cameron. “He needs to get in it. He needs to be completely stripped down to his naked being. Once inside the water, he needs to submerge his entire body.”
“Are you serious?” Cameron stared at her with his mouth hanging open in bafflement. “I have to get…naked? In here?”
“That’s right.” Aurora stared at him without batting an eye. Her casualness seemed to rattle him even further.
“I don’t know…” He chuckled nervously.
I grabbed his wrist and tugged it. “You want to get healed, don’t you?” I made sure to lock eye contact with him and not let go.
“Well, yeah…”
“Then you need to follow her instructions,” I said.
Cameron sighed and glanced up at the ceiling as if he was contemplating a way to disappear into the floor.
“It is the only way, I’m afraid,” Aurora said, but her voice didn’t sound as regretfully apologetic as I hoped it would.
I continued to use my own, slightly less brazen coaxing tactics on Cameron. “I know it probably seems like a ridiculous thing to do but think about how free you will feel once you are released from this terrible burden. You can move on with your life.”
My testament seemed to be the hitch that kept him trucking. He took a deep breath and hastily pulled his shirt over his head. He shoved his pants down and tossed them aside with a little kick of his ankles.
He stood before us naked. I felt an intense attraction to him in that moment. He was so brave and gorgeous. I looked at Aurora, preparing myself to feel proud that he was mine and not hers, but she seemed to be indifferently gazing at his naked body as if she were a doctor and he her patient.
Once Cameron submerged himself in the water up to his neck, we watched as Aurora began placing various crystals of different shapes, sizes, and colors all around the pool itself. Then, she did something that neither one of us was expecting.
I gasped when Aurora began removing her clothes too. She stood there in front of us, naked, with her huge breasts perky and round and an ample amount of pubic hair covering her private area like a little bush.
I was in utter shock as she began to climb into the hot spring with Cameron. I was too appalled to even say a single word. I wouldn’t have been able to speak if I tried. Then again, I had no idea what the curse lifting entailed, and it wasn’t my place to intervene.
Aurora stood in front of Cameron. He stared at her expectantly and I noticed a little flicker of terror in his eyes mixed with hope. I prayed that the flame of hope inside of his mind would be enough to keep his optimism burning bright.
Aurora lifted her hand out of the water and placed her flattened palm
on Cameron’s forehead. Immediately on contact, Cameron’s body went limp and his eyes rolled back in his head.
I heard a squeaking sound escape from my lips, and I took a step forward, but Aurora lifted her other hand and held it behind her, wordlessly halting me in my tracks.
Cameron fell backward into the water a second later. I shouted out, but Aurora’s chanting was drowning out my panicked breathing. After a few agonizing minutes of watching Cameron’s limp body sink under the water, he burst through the surface once again. His arms and legs flailed out around him and he swatted at the water.
He was coughing and sputtering, sending water sloshing everywhere. I raced to his side and helped lift him out of the water after Aurora removed her hand from his forehead.
I held him and patted his back to help him get all the water out of his lungs. Aurora exited the pool and began to dress herself once again.
Cameron was hunched over, sitting on the edge of the hot spring still naked.
“The curse is now lifted,” Aurora intoned.
Cameron and I watched her in awe as she vacated the room a few seconds later without another word, her back turned away from us. Her robes dragged on the ground and her shoulders portrayed elite elegance. After a moment or two, she disappeared up the stairs and was gone. She vanished into the shadows as mysteriously as she had entered.
“How do you feel?” I asked Cameron, focusing my attention back to him. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he said but I wasn’t sure I believed him. “I feel a little fuzzy, but otherwise no different than before.”
“Do you remember anything from when you were unconscious?” I asked.
Cameron shook his head. “No.” He gave me a disappointed look.
“It’s almost midnight,” I observed, feeling a little nauseated with uncertainty.
Cameron’s face suddenly went ashen.
“I won’t leave you,” I quickly promised.
He nodded and licked his lips. He was shivering. His teeth chattered.
“Let’s get you back in your clothes,” I said and reached for them, helping him tug his shirt back over his head.
“Thanks,” he said, but his eyes darted around the grotto anxiously as if he was looking for the fastest escape route. “I want to go outside, just in case.”
Dark Swan 2 Page 24
