I nodded. “Something like that. The curse was eating him alive when I defeated her, and when it exploded, this might have happened. Maybe he’s in a form of stasis from the shock?” My voice rose in excitement. “Marcy said I blew up the wards, which were hers. Well, the magic in his body must have done something equally as big. Now I just have to figure out what—and try to undo it.”
“Oui,” Naomi replied, a hesitant smile on her face. “If there is life inside him, I know you can find it.”
I buried my hands firmly in Danny’s fur and murmured, “Come on, Daniel Walker. Let’s do this.” I grabbed on to my magic and began to push it inside him, careful to go slow. My magic felt strong and heady, and once it hit Danny’s system, it took off on its own, rushing through his body too quickly for me to control. We have to pull it back! I shouted at my wolf. It’s too much—
It hit something.
I watched in awe as my golden signature broke apart, each color bursting alive at the junction of his brain and spine. What is it doing? I asked. Each piece of magic seemed to have a different task to do. The base of the neck was a key connection point for all wolves. One that decided life and death. A broken neck meant there was no communication from the brain to the body. Is that Marinette’s signature lingering there? It was hard to tell because it was so faint. It was possible when the curse exploded inside him that it had done major damage to his spine—damage Danny couldn’t repair because the connection points had been too badly injured. But if the tiniest bit of her residual magic had hung on, he had a chance. It had kept him from dying completely.
As my magic separated, it began to try to heal the damage. All at once there was a popping sound and Danny’s body thrummed below mine. I fed him continuous magic until I swayed.
“Jessica,” Rourke said. “It’s time to pull back.”
“Yeah,” Ray added. “Easy does it, tiger.”
When I let go of him, I felt drained, my magic snapping back into my body in a rush. I fell to the side, exhausted by the effort. “Danny, I hope that was enough.”
Then I closed my eyes.
18
A moment later, a wet tongue lashed up my face. My eyes sprung open. I was so relieved to see Danny awake I threw my arms around his neck. He began to shift back into human form immediately and Rourke helped me up. We all took a few steps back to give Danny some space.
Except Naomi.
She remained locked into place beside him. She wasn’t going to leave him easily.
“Let’s give them some room,” Ray said, ushering us backward. “They’re going to need some privacy so they can… you know… bond or something.”
“They’re not going to bond right here,” Marcy tsked. “But I agree. Let’s give them some space. Hey, speaking of mates, has anyone seen mine?”
“I’m sorry, Marcy. I forgot to let you know. I left him in charge of keeping things clear on the outside. We didn’t know what we would find in here or if this bokor had called in backup,” my father answered. “I just summoned him. He should be here shortly, and he’ll be very happy to see you unharmed.”
“That’s good to know. And you don’t fool me one bit, Callum. He would’ve been of no use to you in here if I were in trouble. It’s smart to keep us apart if you want your second in command to act like a second. I wholeheartedly agree with your choices and hope you keep it that way. But now I need a little mate fix.” Marcy dusted off her hands. “It’s been a hell of a day.”
Instead of being offended, my father tossed his head back and laughed. “You’ve got a good head on you, witch. James is a lucky man.”
I turned to walk away and give Naomi and Danny some space, but she rose and moved forward, grabbing my hand. Her eyes were filled with emotion. I swallowed as she said, “I had no doubt that you could help him if it was within your power. I thank you from the bottom of my soul. I am grateful I am going to get a chance to get to know my… mate, and it happened because of you.”
“There’s absolutely no need to thank me, Naomi,” I replied. “If any one of us could’ve saved him, we would have. We love Danny and we’re all happy to see the two of you together.” Naomi had a yearning in her eyes I’d never seen. Danny was almost done shifting, most likely needing more time since he’d just been on the brink of death. “Go be with him, Naomi.” I nudged her forward. “You two deserve it. But you’ll only have moments before we have to leave.”
I turned to join Rourke and Tyler and we started to walk to where the boats were waiting. “What’s up?” I asked Tyler, whose face was lined with worry, as I linked one arm through his elbow and one through Rourke’s. It felt so good to have my family back, and for the next five seconds not feel like the world was going to crumble.
“I’ve been close to Danny since the day I turned into a wolf,” Tyler answered. “He’s been my friend and mentor all this time. But it never crossed my mind he could die—or that any of us could die, for that matter. We’re supernatural. This is not supposed to happen.” He turned to meet my gaze. “Honestly, Jess, I miss the lake. I miss my home. I miss running through the woods not thinking about anything other than the freedom to run as long as I want.” He ran his free hand around the back of his neck. “This battle is going to be tough and sometimes it feels like no matter how long we keep fighting, we’re never going to get back to normal.”
“I hear you, Tyler,” I said, understanding his position completely. What he didn’t realize was that while he might be able to go back to normal—and I was desperately hoping that was going to happen for him—my old normal was no longer an option for me. “I think all the wolves will get back to normal eventually, but for me, I’d settle for a new normal that didn’t include being under constant attack or running from the next threat.”
Rourke slid his hand around my waist. “I’d settle for getting the hell out of the Everglades. My beast is restless. We circled this island no less than twenty times and couldn’t find a way in. I want us as far away from here as possible.”
“We’re almost to the boats,” Tyler said. “I hear the motors.”
We picked our way through the trees. Marcy was in front of us, my father and a few of his wolves in front of her. My father stopped short and turned. “We’ll head back to our camp first before we depart this place,” he called. “I want to go over what happened in detail. It looks as though you killed the remaining rabid wolves. I’m leaving a few of my wolves behind to make sure their bodies are destroyed. Once my wolves arrive back at camp, we leave.”
I said, “Did you see the wolf the bokor sacrificed for the ceremony? We stopped her before she could steal Naomi’s magic and place it in a fetish, but we were too late to save him.”
“We have him,” my father said gruffly. “Two of my wolves have already taken him away. I’ll send another airboat once we get back. That particular wolf was from the Southern Territories. I didn’t know him that well, but he was loyal to me in the short time he was part of my Pack. When I killed Redman Martin, a few of his wolves joined us—very few, since most of them were traitorous, just like their Alpha. But this wolf was decent. I’ll make sure he’s given a proper burial.”
If I never saw another cypress, I’d be a happy girl. “I’m glad Redman is gone. I’m assuming the wolves of his who chose not to assimilate with your Pack went to the fracture pack and were dealt with.”