Immortal wolf by Bonnie Vanak

Author:Bonnie Vanak [Bonnie Vanak]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Roman
ISBN: 9780373618217
Published: 2009-09-30T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

T hey stood before the maple tree Raphael had turned crimson. Emily held the kitchen knife in one gloveless hand. Her fingers were delicate and long, he noticed absently. Raphael rubbed his chin.

“Em, do it.”

With a tiny sigh, she sliced her palm, approached the maple and dripped four drops of blood on the bark. As the laceration healed, they watched the leaves turn green.

He marveled at her ability, even while it raised a flood of questions. Questions he’d ask later. If Emily were cursed, why did she have such a rare gift? “That’s how you grow the garden. Your blood brings life to all things dying.”

“And you will end it,” she said softly.

“Not if I can help it,” he said grimly. He ran a hand over the tree’s trunk. “Death is a part of life, and Urien may resent this, and you. He could perceive it as a threat.”

Her lovely mouth twisted with sudden pain as she jammed her glove back on. “Do you think my people hate me because of it?”

Raphael hedged, not wanting to upset her, but knowing she deserved the truth. “I suspect so. The gift you have could be seen as an abomination by your pack.”

“All I know is it made me stand out from them. I didn’t want it. I remember how it used to be growing up. And then I had my first change into wolf, received the gift of blood healing and everything was different.” Emily stared into the distance. “I started to want to heal injured animals, instead of pounce on them as meals.”

Raphael’s jaw tensed. “Most packs don’t embrace different. They’d see it as an intrusion, a potential threat. Which is why I need to see the ancient prophecies to confirm what Urien and Bridget tell me. I need to make sure they’re not contriving all this to get rid of you.”

Confusion swirled in her green eyes. He attempted to explain. “Your pack is traditional. The gift you possess is unusual. And, as Draicon, our wolf selves hunt and kill prey. We don’t heal animals. Tell me why you haven’t shifted in a year? Is it because you don’t want to kill?”

Emily bowed her head and he felt her inner sorrow. “Do you know what it’s like to be outcast, be different after everyone has loved you for so long? I remember the picnics we used to take, the explorations into the forest to gather herbs. Urien used to read our pack’s history to me each night, and Bridget would teach me how to cook with herbs. Then I became an oddity. I just wanted to belong and be like the rest of my pack. I thought if I never shifted, they would see I don’t want to kill, either as wolf or with my touch. Urien, the others, they said my touch always kills and I’m the very nature of a beast, without thought, only base instinct. So I thought if I never changed…”

Her voice drifted off. Compassion surged through him.

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