Cursed Wolfsbane by E. L. Finley

Author:E. L. Finley [Finley, E. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Foxtrot Writing
Published: 2024-11-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

BRIAR

“Bastian—” I start, but he cuts me off.

“I’m fine, or I will be, but Xander… I’m not sure he will be. Please just at least check on him. I know he’s not your favorite person, but he doesn’t deserve to hurt like this. Please. I think you’re the only one he might talk to right now.” Bastian rambles until I kneel on the floor with him.

I grab his shaking hands in mine and wait until he looks up at me. “I’ll do it, Bastian, as long as you’re sure you’re okay. And I don’t dislike Xander. He’s hurt me, but he’s only been able to do that because I care about him.”

Bastian nods at me, so I drop his hands. Pushing to my feet, I walk to the door. Once I reach it, I pause and take one last look at Bastian. His shoulders shake with silent sobs, and my heart hurts for both of them.

Trusting Bastian to know what he needs most right now, I follow Xander. When I step outside the door, I see Malachi walking out of his temporary room, probably having heard all the commotion. He gives me a questioning look, so I nod back toward Bastian. Dipping his chin in acknowledgement, he heads toward Bastian, and I follow the same path Xander did. Hooking a right at the bottom of the stairs, I walk over to the French doors that lead out to the backyard. I’m guessing he went out this way.

Once I’m standing on the brick patio, I realize I have no clue how to find Xander. He’s long gone, so I can’t just follow him by sight. Maybe I can track him with scent? I’m nowhere near good enough with my wolf nose to do that myself, so I call on Dido. Hey, Dido? Can you help me track Xander?

“I can, child. Do you wish to stay in this form?”

Yeah, if I can.

“You can. Cede control of this body to me, and I’ll find your mate.”

I do as she tells me to. Before I know it, I’m sprinting through the forest, expertly weaving between shrubs, trees, and fallen logs. It’s super trippy being a passenger in my own body, but I’m willing to do it for Xander.

Ten or so minutes later, Dido brings my body to a stop. “He is through these trees. Your body is yours to control again.”

Thanks, Dido. I don’t think I’d have been able to find him on my own.

“Anytime, child.”

Now that my body is mine again, I sound like a stampede of angry elephants rampaging through the forest. Leaves crunch loudly under my feet in the quiet. The only sounds, besides my clumsiness, are the scurrying of wildlife, the flapping of wings, and the calls of the various animals.

Breaking through the tree line, I spot Xander sitting on the edge of a small cliff overlooking a valley filled with trees. His legs are dangling over the edge, and his elbows are resting on his knees. Xander doesn’t turn around at my approach, but he does hear me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.