Healed by Fire Artemis Lupine 3

by Banks, Catherine

  “You need to speak to Selene and we need to visit the Council,” he said. I swallowed nervously at the thought of visiting the dragon council. They were powerful and would know how to help me, but they scared me more than a horde of vampires overcome by bloodlust. I gripped Draco’s scales, which were textured enough for me to hang onto yet not overly rough and painful after long rides.

  He flapped his wings and zoomed up into the sky. I wished I could spread my wings and fly beside him instead of on his back, but if I did that and a vampire or a vampire ally saw me they would try to capture me or just kill me. Mixed bloods were not welcome in the New Preternatural World.

  “It’s a good thing that I escorted you today and stayed just on the outskirts of the town while you shopped,” said Blu as he glided across the winds.

  I sighed sadly. “Yes, I suppose it is, although I do not like having to be protected to go out.” I lifted my arms out to my sides, enjoying the feel of the wind on my body.

  The concrete jungle that had once been the human world was gone, destroyed by the preternaturals to allow a more organic landscape to emerge.

  We flew over various small towns and villages, children waving to Blu excitedly while the adults cowered in the doorways. Blu’s massive shadow covered two buildings at once, scaring a coop full of chickens and a stable of horses at the same time.

  “Are there any other errands you need to run or are we heading straight back to the coven?” he asked as he tilted sideways, making a large circle over a crystal blue lake below.

  I looked longingly at the lake, wishing to go for a swim. I knew I should head straight back to the coven to report to Selene, but I was shaky and needed to do something relaxing. “I guess we could stop for a short swim,” I said finally.

  Blu roared happily and dove straight down towards the lake, folding his wings in tight against his body. As he plummeted towards the lake, I wrapped my arms around his neck so I wouldn’t separate from him. The impact from slamming into the water almost dislodged me from Blu’s back, but I managed to hang on. I fought the urge to gasp at the shock of the cold water surrounding me and released my hold, kicking my legs quickly to the surface. Blu spun around under the water, heading back towards me and shoved his nose under my feet, pushing me up and through the surface of the water. I flew up into the air thirty feet and then dove back down, barely making a splash as I reentered the water.

  Blu swam in lazy circles, slicing through it with his tail. I splashed Blu’s nose with a small wave of water, inviting play. Blu skimmed his tail across the water, sending a wave to cover me, which sent me back down below the surface.

  Blu laughed hysterically, shooting fire from his nose in his delight. He was one of my best friends because he could go from being the fierce leader of the dragons to the silliest being on the planet and playing childish games with me.

  We played until the sun stood in the center of the sky and both Blu and my stomachs’ growled loudly.

  As we flew in the air towards the coven I closed my eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun drying me. “Thank you,” I whispered. He seemed to always know what I needed.

  He hummed happily. “You are welcome, Hatchling. Now, let’s get you home.”

  We flew the last ten miles in silence, enjoying the other’s quiet, but pleasurable company and the moment of contentment. The coven came into view and I admired my home.

  The coven was a large fortress with thirty foot walls surrounding the one thousand acres property. The walls were really only there to keep out the local wildlife and for the perimeter spell, which alerted Selene to intruders. The main building was fifty feet high and had several hundred rooms, not including the kitchen and common areas. There were three smaller buildings, the larger of which was used for teaching the younger witches. The building to the left of that was the lab which was used for experimenting with new spells. The third building was a mystery to me Selene had told me only that it was used for the witches’ committee hearings. There was also a small stable area where we bred cows for Blu and the other dragons who visited to eat.

  Two gardens took up three acres total on either side of the main building and a forest of twenty acres stood in the back corner of their property. The witches hardly ever used the forest, but I used it frequently.

  Blu dropped down into the courtyard of the coven and roared a welcoming to the witches. Several witches were outside and they bowed respectfully to him. A teenage witch walked to the stable area to catch one of the cows for him. I slipped down his side and leg and smiled at the witches who were outside. I turned to Blu and bowed. “Thank you, Blu.”

  He flicked his forked tongue out across my cheek. “You are welcome, Hatchling. I will return with a summons once I’ve spoken to the Council. I will have Fira visit you in my absence.”

  Blu gulped down the cow the teenager brought out and then burped a stream of flame into the air happily.

  He dropped his head down and I hugged his nose, laying a kiss on the tip of it. “Be safe and may the wind speed your flight.”

  He lifted one of his large front claws and brushed a scale off to land on the ground. “Take this. You may need the magic stored within it.”

  I picked up the scale and felt the power radiating from it. “This is a very precious gift. I will cherish it.”

  He rubbed his nose gently against my body once and then took to the sky. He roared a goodbye and then disappeared from my sight. I clutched the scale to my chest and raced to my room as the pain I’d been hiding intensified.

  My heart hurt and the physical pain of the absence of the alpha was like a hot iron stabbing me in the stomach. I dashed inside the main building and up the three flights of stairs to my room in the west wing. Thankfully, I made it to my room unnoticed and unquestioned. I softly shut my bedroom door and sighed in relief.

  “Who broke my spell?” Selene asked from behind me.

  I growled and spun around, ready to attack. It took a moment for me to realize it was Selene and calm myself. “Sorry. Sorry,” I apologized as I lowered my eyes and stepped back from her.

  Selene was average height and build for a woman, but the incredible amount of power she possessed made her seem bigger and more intimidating. She had black hair that looked like it was streaked with blue in the sun and the deepest brown eyes I had ever seen.

  She stood up from my bed where she had been sitting and placed her hand on my face. I closed my eyes as she closed hers and then she chanted magic words, which weaved a spell to replay the days events in our heads for her to see.

  Selene removed her hand and gasped as the last image of Blu diving into the lake finished. “No. No it cannot be true,” she said in disbelief as she stepped back from me.

  I fell onto my bed, tired from the changes and the magic which had been used against me. “What is it? Who is he to me? Is he really my mate?”

  She shook her head, refusing to answer and then hurried from my room, closing the door behind her. The pain was intensifying so I closed my eyes and let myself sleep in an effort to try to heal myself.

  * * *

  “Chandra. Chandra, wake up! You’re going to miss story time!” a young female yelled at me from beside the bed.

  I opened one eye and looked at the seven year old girl standing with her hands on her hips beside me. She was small for her age, but what she lacked in height she made up for in attitude.

  Once I had been rehabilitated Selene decided that helping children find their powers would help calm the anger and despair that she insisted surrounded me. So I taught the younger witches and the young girl in front of me, Juliana, was one of my favorite students.

  I showered and dressed quickly so as not to keep the impatient child waiting too long. When done, Juliana grabbed my hand and dragged me down the stairs to one of the common rooms already filled with witches. This room was carpeted with soft blue shag ideal for lounging on. Many of the older witches smiled and bowed respectfully to me. I returned the salute and then sat
down among the young children who crowded closer as I situated myself on the floor.

  It’d been a long time since I’d come out of my room without my talisman on and many of the children ran their fingertips along the designs on my arms. I relaxed as their touch soothed the pack animal within me, but another part of me felt like a wire pulled taut. Somehow I knew that this feeling wouldn’t subside until I was near the werewolf prince again.

  Selene stepped out in front of the room and the crowd instantly hushed their chatter. She sat in her chair with her head in her hands. “We will not be having story time tonight,” she said softly. The children groaned and the adults looked at each other nervously. Selene began talking again and everyone silenced to hear her. “I am calling an emergency council of all fully realized witches to begin immediately. Jessica will be in charge of the teens and the children. Jessica, please take them to their rooms now. Everyone else please pick up a chair and form a semi-circle facing me.”

  I reassured the children and then grabbed a chair from the stack in the back. I started to set my chair beside one of the other witches, but Selene looked up at me and ordered, “Sit in the center, Chandra.”

  I swallowed the fear I felt and set my chair in the center. I waited until all of the other witches were seated before taking mine. I could feel the nervous energy around me and heard it in the shifting of chairs and the quickened breath of the witches.

  “I have seen something which I need verified. I have seen something which may tell Chandra her true identity. The problem we are facing is Chandra herself.”

  I stared at Selene in shock. “Me? I’m a problem?”

  Selene smiled. “Your powers are the problem. I think as a group we may be able to help you suppress your powers long enough to find your true self, but I am not certain.”

  “What about the dragons?” asked Angelina, one of the witches of whom I was most fond.

  Every eye turned to me and I forced myself not to fidget. “Draco-Blu left earlier to speak to the dragon Council and see if they would allow me an audience.”

  Selene tapped her chin with one long finger. “I’d like to hear all of your thoughts. My fear is that if we try and fail, we may permanently injure Chandra or ourselves. However, the dragons are a much older and much more powerful race and may be able to do it.”

  “Do you have her real name?” asked Silvia.

  Selene avoided looking at me and simply nodded her head. “I have her first name.”

  I stared at her in utter disbelief. “You know my first name? My true first name?!” I asked in angry shock.

  She looked at me and licked her lips nervously. “Yes. I have not revealed it to you for fear of harming you. If you learned your true first name, but could not uncover the rest of your name on your own, it could destroy you.”

  “That’s ridiculous!” I yelled angrily.

  “She’s right,” said the softest spoken witch in the coven, Mauve. “If you hear your first name and accept it as true, but cannot uncover the rest of it, the memories of your past could overwhelm you and cause you go into a coma.”

  Every witch looked down at their hands in silence. I’d heard about the story of Mauve’s sister, but hadn’t believed it was true. Until now.

  I looked at Selene. “What about the prince? Can’t he help me?”

  Selene sighed. “I do not know whether the prince is who he says he is or not and even if he is, I have no way of knowing if he is strong enough to assist you.”

  “So, either I have the prince and the coven help or the dragons?”

  Selene shook her head. “The dragons will need the prince to help them as well. So, either the coven or the dragons will help you and the prince.”

  “Which prince?” asked Silvia.

  “The werewolf one,” I said quietly. “I forget his name.”

  Silvia opened her mouth and Selene placed a silencing spell on her before Silvia had uttered the first syllable. “No one is to reveal his name!” The room quaked with Selene’s command and all of the gathered witches bowed in submission.

  I stood up against her power and glared at her. “This is ridiculous! I want to know who I am and who he is! I’ve been alone for too long! I can’t stand it anymore, Selene!”

  “You won’t have to,” said a quiet male voice.

  I’d never seen so many witches use the same spell so quickly. Before I’d even turned toward the voice, the speaker was off the ground and imprisoned in an invisible grip in the air. He was handsome, looked to be in his early twenties with black skin and white patterns down his arms. I could guess what he was instantly, but held my tongue until I knew for sure.

  Selene walked towards the intruder slowly, her skin sparkling with magic. “Who are you and how did you get into my coven unnoticed?”

  The intruder smiled. “I am a friend of those who have been looking for the woman you are protecting. I have come to offer her solace from the pain of loneliness that she has been enduring, until such a time as she can be reunited with her rightful pack.”

  Selene nodded her head and all of the witches released their spells and allowed the man to drop to the ground. He landed on his feet as though they’d dropped him one foot instead of twelve. “Come, we shall speak in my office,” Selene said softly.

  The man bowed his head respectfully and then walked slowly towards me. I inhaled and my body quivered in excitement. He stopped in front of me, towering over me at more than six feet tall, and inhaled loudly. “What do they call you?” he asked.

  I smiled up at him and inhaled again. “Chandra.”

  He looked into my eyes and asked, “Are you alright, Chandra?”

  I kept eye contact, refusing to accept him as dominant over me. “I am better with your presence. What is your name?”

  He dropped eye contact and recognized me as dominant. “My name is Theseus. I will return as soon as I am done speaking to your coven leader. Can you wait that long for a run?”

  The scent of his wolf was stronger the longer he stood by me. I nodded my head and opened my mouth slightly wider to catch more of his scent. “Yes, I will prepare myself mentally while you are speaking to Selene.”

  He smiled happily and followed Selene to her room. I dropped to my knees on the ground smiling happily. A halfbreed wolf! I’d never thought I’d find another halfbreed wolf.

  It was strange that I wasn’t interested in him. Why wasn’t I? He was attractive, yet I wasn’t intrigued by him in any other way than for a pack mate and for our similar lineage.

  Silvia dropped down next to me and looked in my eyes. “Are you alright, dear? Did he hurt you?”

  I laughed and shook my head. “No.” I looked up at all of the concerned faces of the witches around me. “You don’t know?”

  They all frowned in confusion. Silvia asked, “Don’t know what?”

  I smiled. Of course they didn’t know they couldn’t smell him like I could. “He’s a halfbreed wolf like me. He’s the same mixture as me.”

  They all looked at me in shock as what I said absorbed and then they all started asking me questions at once. I raised my hand and silenced them. “I don’t want to talk about it. I know what he is because I can smell it and feel it. If you want to know more, ask Selene.” I stood up and hurried to my room before they could ask me any other questions.

  I was finally going to run with another wolf! I brushed my hair until not a single knot could be found and then sat on the floor to meditate and calm my nerves. He wouldn’t appreciate it if I bit his head off when I changed.

  Just as I calmed myself enough to relax, someone knocked on my door. “Come in,” I said softly.

  Selene stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. “What he says is true,” she stated simply, “He was sent here to be a companion for you until such a time as we can figure out who you really are. He is waiting out in the garden for you.”

  Standing up slowly I watched Selene. She was hiding something. “What else did he say?”

>   She sighed. “He told me what he knew of your past and if what he says is true, you’re in more danger than I originally thought. I hope Draco-Blu comes for you soon.”

  I followed her out of the room and out of the main building. “You are afraid. For me or the coven?” I asked.

  She smiled at me. “Your ability to read me is a testament to the amount of time we have spent together. I am afraid for both. If you are who he says, the vampires will stop at nothing to get you before your true mate does. The vampires are powerful and I’d prefer they not view me as a threat.”

  “I will stay within our boundaries until Blu returns,” I promised as Theseus came into sight.

  Selene smiled. “Go on. Enjoy your run and your new friend.”

  I hugged her once and then changed forms before running to him. He was twice my size and a dark red color. Are you ready for our run? He asked through my mind.

  I bobbed my muzzle up and down. Yes, but we must stay within the boundaries of the coven.

  He sneezed. As if you needed to tell me the dangers out there.

  Before I could ask what he meant, he took off at a full run. I yipped excitedly and chased after him. I pounced on top of him, knocking him to the ground. He rolled and jumped at me, but I dashed out of his reach and then dashed back to nip at his tail. He growled and snapped at me, but I was already ten feet away with my front half down on the ground and my bottom half up in the air. I wagged my tail happily. You’re pretty slow for a halfbreed.

  He lifted his lips in a wolf smile. I haven’t shown you my true speed yet. I’ve just been letting you enjoy yourself.

  Likewise.

  His back paws dug into the ground as he prepared to charge me and I sprang forward, darting right past him and nipping his flank before circling him and returning to my original spot. In truth I had no idea how fast other werewolves or halfbreed wolves were since I’d never been around them, but I knew I was fast.

  In a blink of an eye he dashed forward and nipped my flank. I spun around, but he was behind me again and nipped my tail. It was time not to hold back anymore. I followed his movements and then leapt up and over him when he tried to nip me again. He slid as he tried to stop and then I slammed into his side, slamming him to the ground and stood over him. You’re fast, but not fast enough. I darted away and yipped happily. Catch me if you can!