Healed by Fire (3 page)

It’d been a long time since I’d come out of
my room without my talisman on and many of the children ran their
fingertips along the designs on my arms. I relaxed as their touch
soothed the pack animal within me, but another part of me felt like
a wire pulled taut. Somehow I knew that this feeling wouldn’t
subside until I was near the werewolf prince again.

Selene stepped out in front of the room and
the crowd instantly hushed their chatter. She sat in her chair with
her head in her hands. “We will not be having story time tonight,”
she said softly. The children groaned and the adults looked at each
other nervously. Selene began talking again and everyone silenced
to hear her. “I am calling an emergency council of
all
fully
realized witches to begin immediately. Jessica will be in charge of
the teens and the children. Jessica, please take them to their
rooms now. Everyone else please pick up a chair and form a
semi-circle facing me.”

I reassured the children and then grabbed a
chair from the stack in the back. I started to set my chair beside
one of the other witches, but Selene looked up at me and ordered,
“Sit in the center, Chandra.”

I swallowed the fear I felt and set my chair
in the center. I waited until all of the other witches were seated
before taking mine. I could feel the nervous energy around me and
heard it in the shifting of chairs and the quickened breath of the
witches.

“I have seen something which I need
verified. I have seen something which may tell Chandra her true
identity. The problem we are facing is Chandra herself.”

I stared at Selene in shock. “Me? I’m a
problem?”

Selene smiled. “Your powers are the problem.
I think as a group we may be able to help you suppress your powers
long enough to find your true self, but I am not certain.”

“What about the dragons?” asked Angelina,
one of the witches of whom I was most fond.

Every eye turned to me and I forced myself
not to fidget. “Draco-Blu left earlier to speak to the dragon
Council and see if they would allow me an audience.”

Selene tapped her chin with one long finger.
“I’d like to hear all of your thoughts. My fear is that if we try
and fail, we may permanently injure Chandra or ourselves. However,
the dragons are a much older and much more powerful race and may be
able to do it.”

“Do you have her real name?” asked
Silvia.

Selene avoided looking at me and simply
nodded her head. “I have her first name.”

I stared at her in utter disbelief. “You
know my first name? My true first name?!” I asked in angry
shock.

She looked at me and licked her lips
nervously. “Yes. I have not revealed it to you for fear of harming
you. If you learned your true first name, but could not uncover the
rest of your name on your own, it could destroy you.”

“That’s ridiculous!” I yelled angrily.

“She’s right,” said the softest spoken witch
in the coven, Mauve. “If you hear your first name and accept it as
true, but cannot uncover the rest of it, the memories of your past
could overwhelm you and cause you go into a coma.”

Every witch looked down at their hands in
silence. I’d heard about the story of Mauve’s sister, but hadn’t
believed it was true. Until now.

I looked at Selene. “What about the prince?
Can’t he help me?”

Selene sighed. “I do not know whether the
prince is who he says he is or not and even if he is, I have no way
of knowing if he is strong enough to assist you.”

“So, either I have the prince and the coven
help or the dragons?”

Selene shook her head. “The dragons will
need the prince to help them as well. So, either the coven or the
dragons will help you and the prince.”

“Which prince?” asked Silvia.

“The werewolf one,” I said quietly. “I
forget his name.”

Silvia opened her mouth and Selene placed a
silencing spell on her before Silvia had uttered the first
syllable. “No one is to reveal his name!” The room quaked with
Selene’s command and all of the gathered witches bowed in
submission.

I stood up against her power and glared at
her. “This is ridiculous! I want to know who I am and who he is!
I’ve been alone for too long! I can’t stand it anymore,
Selene!”

“You won’t have to,” said a quiet male
voice.

I’d never seen so many witches use the same
spell so quickly. Before I’d even turned toward the voice, the
speaker was off the ground and imprisoned in an invisible grip in
the air. He was handsome, looked to be in his early twenties with
black skin and white patterns down his arms. I could guess what he
was instantly, but held my tongue until I knew for sure.

Selene walked towards the intruder slowly,
her skin sparkling with magic. “Who are you and how did you get
into my coven unnoticed?”

The intruder smiled. “I am a friend of those
who have been looking for the woman you are protecting. I have come
to offer her solace from the pain of loneliness that she has been
enduring, until such a time as she can be reunited with her
rightful pack.”

Selene nodded her head and all of the
witches released their spells and allowed the man to drop to the
ground. He landed on his feet as though they’d dropped him one foot
instead of twelve. “Come, we shall speak in my office,” Selene said
softly.

The man bowed his head respectfully and then
walked slowly towards me. I inhaled and my body quivered in
excitement. He stopped in front of me, towering over me at more
than six feet tall, and inhaled loudly. “What do they call you?” he
asked.

I smiled up at him and inhaled again.
“Chandra.”

He looked into my eyes and asked, “Are you
alright, Chandra?”

I kept eye contact, refusing to accept him
as dominant over me. “I am better with your presence. What is your
name?”

He dropped eye contact and recognized me as
dominant. “My name is Theseus. I will return as soon as I am done
speaking to your coven leader. Can you wait that long for a
run?”

The scent of his wolf was stronger the
longer he stood by me. I nodded my head and opened my mouth
slightly wider to catch more of his scent. “Yes, I will prepare
myself mentally while you are speaking to Selene.”

He smiled happily and followed Selene to her
room. I dropped to my knees on the ground smiling happily. A
halfbreed wolf! I’d never thought I’d find another halfbreed
wolf.

It was strange that I wasn’t interested in
him. Why wasn’t I? He was attractive, yet I wasn’t intrigued by him
in any other way than for a pack mate and for our similar
lineage.

Silvia dropped down next to me and looked in
my eyes. “Are you alright, dear? Did he hurt you?”

I laughed and shook my head. “No.” I looked
up at all of the concerned faces of the witches around me. “You
don’t know?”

They all frowned in confusion. Silvia asked,
“Don’t know what?”

I smiled. Of course they didn’t know they
couldn’t smell him like I could. “He’s a halfbreed wolf like me.
He’s the same mixture as me.”

They all looked at me in shock as what I
said absorbed and then they all started asking me questions at
once. I raised my hand and silenced them. “I don’t want to talk
about it. I know what he is because I can smell it and feel it. If
you want to know more, ask Selene.” I stood up and hurried to my
room before they could ask me any other questions.

I was finally going to run with another
wolf! I brushed my hair until not a single knot could be found and
then sat on the floor to meditate and calm my nerves. He wouldn’t
appreciate it if I bit his head off when I changed.

Just as I calmed myself enough to relax,
someone knocked on my door. “Come in,” I said softly.

Selene stepped into the room and closed the
door behind her. “What he says is true,” she stated simply, “He was
sent here to be a companion for you until such a time as we can
figure out who you really are. He is waiting out in the garden for
you.”

Standing up slowly I watched Selene. She was
hiding something. “What else did he say?”

She sighed. “He told me what he knew of your
past and if what he says is true, you’re in more danger than I
originally thought. I hope Draco-Blu comes for you soon.”

I followed her out of the room and out of
the main building. “You are afraid. For me or the coven?” I
asked.

She smiled at me. “Your ability to read me
is a testament to the amount of time we have spent together. I am
afraid for both. If you are who he says, the vampires will stop at
nothing to get you before your true mate does. The vampires are
powerful and I’d prefer they not view me as a threat.”

“I will stay within our boundaries until Blu
returns,” I promised as Theseus came into sight.

Selene smiled. “Go on. Enjoy your run and
your new friend.”

I hugged her once and then changed forms
before running to him. He was twice my size and a dark red color.
Are you ready for our run?
He asked through my mind.

I bobbed my muzzle up and down.
Yes, but
we must stay within the boundaries of the coven.

He sneezed.
As if you needed to tell me
the dangers out there.

Before I could ask what he meant, he took
off at a full run. I yipped excitedly and chased after him. I
pounced on top of him, knocking him to the ground. He rolled and
jumped at me, but I dashed out of his reach and then dashed back to
nip at his tail. He growled and snapped at me, but I was already
ten feet away with my front half down on the ground and my bottom
half up in the air. I wagged my tail happily.
You’re pretty slow
for a halfbreed.

He lifted his lips in a wolf smile.
I
haven’t shown you my true speed yet. I’ve just been letting you
enjoy yourself.

Likewise.

His back paws dug into the ground as he
prepared to charge me and I sprang forward, darting right past him
and nipping his flank before circling him and returning to my
original spot. In truth I had no idea how fast other werewolves or
halfbreed wolves were since I’d never been around them, but I knew
I was fast.

In a blink of an eye he dashed forward and
nipped my flank. I spun around, but he was behind me again and
nipped my tail. It was time not to hold back anymore. I followed
his movements and then leapt up and over him when he tried to nip
me again. He slid as he tried to stop and then I slammed into his
side, slamming him to the ground and stood over him.
You’re
fast, but not fast enough
. I darted away and yipped happily.
Catch me if you can!

For two hours we ran and played in wolf
form, only stopping only to drink from a shallow stream which wound
its way through the center of the coven’s property. I watched the
fish swimming through it, going with the flow of the current and
wished for a free life to swim where I wanted.

After I had quelled the burning in my throat
from our vigorous play I took off running again, but the beat of
wings and the pressure of wind alerted me to the presence of a
dragon.

“Run, Chandra!” yelled Fira, Blu’s son.

I spun around just as Fira gripped Theseus
in one of his front red claws. I changed forms in less than a
second and shot Fira in the nose with my fire, stopping him just as
he was preparing to toast Theseus. Fira dropped Theseus and I ran
forward to catch him, but he changed forms and released his wings
just in time to soften his landing.

Fira roared at me. “Why did you do
that?!”

“He is a friend, Fira, not an attacker.
Besides, my fire does not hurt dragons so stop acting like I’ve
harmed you.”

Fira dropped to the ground and shook out his
body. “No, your Sidhe fire does not harm us, but it is never
pleasant to have unfamiliar fire touch your body.”

“I had to stop you from killing him. Thank
you for your protection and concern, but Theseus here is a
friend.”

Fira looked at Theseus a moment and then
snorted. “A wolf-Sidhe halfbreed like you, Chandra. How
interesting.”

Theseus looked from me to the dragon and
then back at me. “You know dragons?”

Fira dropped his head and allowed me to pet
him. “Yes. I am friends with the dragons. Well, at least Draco-Blu
and Fira here are my friends,” I answered.

Theseus started to walk towards me, but Fira
growled. “I do not trust him, Chandra,” Theseus said.

I stopped petting Fira and looked at
Theseus. “I do not care if you trust him or not. Fira is my friend
and has been protecting me for the past ten years. You will have to
learn to accept the dragons or you will have to leave.”

Theseus stared at me in shock. “You would
send me away? You would live in solitude again?”

I shuddered and whispered, “I would not like
it, but I love the dragons and I will not dishonor their protection
of me just for companionship. Besides, you are only coming to me
now while they have been protecting me for a decade. Who would you
trust more?”

Fira yawned. “I need to return to the nest.
Will you be alright for tonight?”

I nodded my head and placed a kiss on the
tip of his nose. “Thank you, my friend.”

Fira growled once more at Theseus and then
took to the sky. I watched him, longing to fly with him and then
turned to Theseus who was watching me with an intense curiosity. “I
am sorry if I offended you,” I said softly.

Theseus smiled and then wrapped his arms
around me in a hug. “You are loyal, which is a wonderful quality,
especially in these dark times.”

I relaxed into his hold and inhaled his
scent loudly.

“Well isn’t this cute? Two halfbreeds
comforting each other,” snarled a menacing voice.

I spun around and growled at the vampire
standing before me. “How did you get in here?” I cast a Monitum
spell, which created a butterfly that flew to Selene to notify her
that I was in trouble and quickly moved back from the vampire,
pushing Theseus backwards with me.