Page 8 of Shift of Heart


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After a ragged gasp of air and a final expulsion of foreign magic, old scar tissue, and bone fragments from his body madethe earth shudder, I cut off the connection and tried to stand, hoping I could at least get back to my bike.

No dice. I managed to get to my feet but only made it a few steps away before I swayed and went to my knees, exhaustion overpowering me. Seconds later, I sank into the earth, the forest’s cool embrace healing my body as my fingers and toes grew roots.

I sank into Mother Earth’s power, the gentle touch of her womb soothing my exhaustion, forcing me into a deep slumber while my magic replenished.

Chapter

Four

Ijerked awake sometime later, a moan of pain slipping past my lips. Roots retracted from my body, reverting to fingers and toes. Unaware of how long I’d been out, I blinked my eyes open, relieved to see it was still dark.

Then I remembered what happened, and a sound of dismay came from me as I sat up. To my extreme relief, the shifter still lay face down. I hurried to my feet, brushing away the leaf litter and flowers that covered me while the earth restored me.

He still lay in a glowing circle of white flowers, the heady scent blowing from their swaying petals not of this world.

I crept over and peered down at his back, relieved to see the skin whole and blemish-free. On silent feet, I snatched up my shoes and basket and hurried back to my bike, but as I ran, I hesitated.

Leaving him here felt callous and uncaring. Should I stay until he woke up to ensure he knew where he was and didn’t need any additional help?

No. I’d already gone against my instincts by getting involved. Waking up before him was a gift from the gods, and I’d be a fool to squander such a boon. I could leave and remain anonymous.With one last glance at the sleeping shifter, I squashed my inner goodwill down and opted for safety.

Tonight, I’d sleep like the dead, and tomorrow I might be good for nothing, but I’d healed him, and that was good enough for me.

A figure saton my porch when I rode up. My feet stalled on the bike pedals until I realized it was Moira. Relief filled me when I pulled into the driveway and hopped off, guiding my bike up the stairs. Every bit of movement ached. The vampire stood, her eyebrows rising when she spotted my disheveled condition.

“I hope you met a handsome stranger with even handsomer friends, and you had a wild orgy in the woods, but something tells me your story is much worse.”

I snorted and winced when even that slight motion hurt. “Definitely worse,” I croaked.

She held out her hands, and I fished through my pocket and dropped the keys into her palm. While Moira opened the door, I unlatched my basket. She took it from me and waited until I got inside and curled onto the couch before grilling me.

At her third question, I held my hand up. “Moira. I get you were worried, but I’m exhausted. Can we talk about this tomorrow?”

Her lips thinned. “At least tell me where you were and what happened. You’re never this late, and we were all worried sick when you didn’t answer your phone.”

I frowned and patted my back pocket. No cell phone. Muttering a curse, I went to the basket and dug through it, but it wasn’t there either.

I must have dropped it in the woods. Worry speared me. If the shifter found it, he might link me to his miraculous recovery. I’d have to go back out to retrieve it.

It’d be best if I did it tonight, but I couldn’t muster up the energy. Even sitting here, sleep was dragging me down.

I explained what happened, leaving out a bunch of information. Basically, Moira got the extremely clean version as I left out losing control not once, but twice, and that I used my strange and disturbing magic to heal a stranger.

The story I told was quick. I went into the woods to forage for tomorrow and found an injured man. I whipped up a healing potion potent enough to get him to his feet and helped him back out to the town square.

Moira’s eyebrows lifted. She knew I was full of shit, but her mojo powers didn’t work on me. Nor could she smell the lies wafting from my body. Part of my new weird magic. Being fae helped. It always confused shifter senses, but the chimera’s magic made me a blank page.

When the silence went on too long, I rose, hissing in pain as my back muscles twinged. I healed extremely fast, but the magic I used had drained me faster than my power could repair.

Moira’s lips thinned. “You know I hate when you lie to me.”

“That’s why I almost never do.”

“Except for tonight.”

I remained silent.

She exhaled and rose. “At least tell me you’re okay.”