Shadow Kissed (Magic Side: Wolf Bound 4) - Page 29

The loremaster shot her a piercing glare. “Hush now, child, lest the moon mother hears you.”

Sam smirked as Savy pursed her lips.

“Actually, the sanctuary is dedicated to Apollo, Artemis’s twin, so her temple is a minor feature,” Myrto said.

“So typical. The man gets the sanctuary, and his sister gets a shrine,” Savy whispered.

She wasn’t wrong.

“If you’re okay, I will leave you to it,” Myrto said, fretting with a tiny tuft of her shirt. “Can you find your way back to the portal?”

Unease pulsed off her, and I sensed her urgency to get the hell away from us. “We’ll manage,” I said. “Thanks for your assistance.”

“Hey,” Sam said, “Are you going to be okay going back alone?”

“Thanks, but I know this place like the back of my hand. And I can move fast when I want to. Anyway, I’m pretty certain that if more of those things show up, they’ll be looking for you, not me.”

Myrto forced a smile before turning and hurrying off.

The loremaster climbed the two front steps, and Sam darted forward to help her. I stepped up beside Savy, inhaling her citrus sunshine scent. Reaching out, I picked a fleck of stone that was embedded in her neck.

She flinched, and her eyes dropped to my lips. “Let’s hope the Moon shows up.”

Sam took up a spot as a lookout on the stairs, while the rest of us headed toward the back of the temple. The inside of the sanctuary was, frankly, more disappointing than the outside, just a patch of crumbled stone that was probably smaller than the living room in my penthouse.

The loremaster shooed us out of her way as she lit a bundle of sage and sweetgrass and wove it through the air. “I’ve never tried to call the Moon like this—a full apparition. So prepare yourselves, because I have no idea what’s going to happen.”

Savannah gave me a nervous glance.

The loremaster raised her arms to the sky and spoke in an unfamiliar language. “Matrem lunarem invocamus ut se ostendat.”

She pounded her walking stick on the stone once, twice, and on the third time, the air around began to vibrate like a swarm of bees—a low drone that reverberated unnaturally around the space. Then she began to pace in a circle, moving her staff and chanting, her voice in harmony with the atonal drone.

For a moment, there was no change, but then a strange and unfamiliar power began to swell beneath our feet—the magic of the temple.

As it intensified, I took a step closer to Savy, and I caught the sign of subtle movement—not within the temple, but in the sky overhead. It began to spin. We looked up in amazement as stars began to spiral above us, a whirlpool of light. Then the stars faded into pure darkness as a white light crept overhead, bathing us in a silverly glow—the Moon.

Energy pulsed, and a blast of wind rushed past us. I grabbed Savy’s arm to hold her upright. My eyes adjusted to the new light just in time to see a woman in a flowing gown materialize before us. Her magic was dense and rich, like an exotic bloom on a hot summer night, and tasted of vanilla.

“Where the hell am I?” Her silvery blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders as she took in her surroundings—namely us—and she frowned. “Oh.”

Shock rolled over me. We’d actually summoned the Moon.

“Moon mother.” The loremaster, practically panting with exhaustion, bowed her crooked frame. “Thank you for blessing us with your presence. We called upon you to ask of your assistance.”

The Moon looked at us with an expression that betrayed a strong sense of doubt. She twisted her hair.

“I’m flattered that you thought to call on me, but I’m afraid I don’t do blessings for just anyone. Who are you?” The goddess’s pale eyes flicked to the floor, searching. “And where are my offerings? Are there no sacrifices?”

The loremaster balked but moved in stride. “Of course, my goddess. Offerings. Each of us has brought you a favored possession.” Casting me a sharp glance, she hobbled forward and set a stone on the pavement. “This is my lucky stone.”

I arched my brow. Fuck. Apparently, some details of the pagan ritual hadn’t made it all the way down through werewolf lore.

I had nothing important on my person, and the two things I cherished most were here with me now. Savy glanced up at me, and something inside my chest tugged.

Sam stepped forward and placed a bead bracelet on the floor. The loremaster scrutinized it, but Sam just shrugged. “It’s very special.”

I hoped the goddess couldn’t smell lies.

I pawed around in my pockets and withdrew a crumpled hundred-dollar bill. The loremaster nodded with mild approval and looked to Savy, who looked flustered.

With a sigh, Savy kicked off her Swiftleys, shooting me a look that said, I can’t believe I’m doing this. She placed the boots beside the other offerings. “These are my second most sacred possessions.”

The loremaster grunted. “Precisely what is required.”

Savy glared at Sam and me, muttering under her breath, “You’re buying me another pair as soon as we get home.”

I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips. I didn’t let anyone make demands from me, but Savy could ask anything, and I’d give it to her.

Tags: Veronica Douglas Magic Side: Wolf Bound Fantasy
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