The Beast And The Blessed by Ashley Breanne
Chapter 62
Natalie’s P.O.V.
Loud talking disrupted my sleep, and I fought the urge to yell at them to shut up. But I was distracted by the sparks shooting through my hand. I knew right away that it was Killian. I had felt them before but never this extreme. Was this how he felt our bond? Was it because of the ceremony when I drank his blood, or was it because I had finally shifted and my wolf was present?
It felt as if I had drunk too much alcohol and had blacked out. I had no memory of last night beyond the first stabbing of pain once I had been crowned the queen.
“Did I do it?” I mumbled in my sleep-infused and groggy voice. The talking stopped, and the sparks danced over my cheeks as Killian cupped my face. “You’re awake. Thank the Goddess, you’re awake!” He pressed a firm kiss down on my lips before pulling back and kissing my nose and cheeks in a flurry of happiness. I giggled as I forced my eyes open. His beautiful hazel eyes stared back at me with joy.
“What did she look like?” I wondered, the smile growing larger as I tried to feel in my mind for my wolf.
Killian pulled back, and the room fell silent.
It was then that I realized I was not in our room. The overhead florescent lights were harsh, and I glanced around the rows of empty beds and the healers who were watching me with sad smiles. My head fell back against the pillow as my hope was crushed.
“No. No. No. No.” The repeated whisper had Killian pulling back slightly, rubbing his hands back over my hair as if he were smoothing it down.
“Baby, you didn’t shift.” His words were the final crack in the damn, and a tear silently fell over my cheek.
“No! I felt her! I was going to shift!” My protests were wasted on deaf ears as I dug harder in my mind to find any trace or proof of my wolf’s presence.
If Killian’s blood and the full moon didn’t help me shift, I had the feeling that nothing would. I was going to be trapped in a human body forever. I would never be strong enough to save Killian on the battlefield, and I would never feel whole. My parents were probably rolling in their graves at my failure.
A flash of resentment toward the Goddess flooded my system. She was toying with me. She was punishing me for something I wasn’t even aware I had done. Was it this life or a past one that I had offended Her so?
She gave me my parents and made sure they would find me and take me into their lives, just to have them turn on me when I failed to live up to their expectations. She gave me a wolf but refused to let me shift. She gave me a mate and a crown, but she would be taking that away too when I failed to save my mate. I would be a human among a field of supernatural creatures. Even if I did save Killian, there was no way I would be walking away alive.
One bite from a vampire, and I would be dead. The poison would be too much for my frail human body.
“We can try again! We have a plan. We just need you to get better first.” Killian insisted. The heartbreak in his eyes had me closing my own. I didn’t need to see how I had let him down too. He deserved a strong queen, and I would do my best to give him that. But I also needed a moment to embrace my emotions before I pushed them back down and stood tall next to him.
“It’s not going to happen. Just forget about it.” I whispered before opening my eyes as Killian used his thumbs to wipe away the tear tracks down my cheeks. “I just need to train harder. I won’t let you down.”
I tried not to imagine the glee my old pack must have been feeling as they watched me fail to shift once again. I would prove them all wrong one day.
I would become stronger in my current form, and become unstoppable. “Woe is you.” Joselin’s bitter voice said as she approached. “We haven’t tried everything, don’t get all mopey.”
My eyebrows lowered as I glared at Joselin unamused. Normally, I found the way she interacted with people to be entertaining, but I really just wanted to punch her right now. “Do tell then. What’s the plan? You want to take my blood and run tests on it? Then what? If Killian’s blood and mark didn’t help me shift, I am fairly positive that nothing will!”
Killian chuckled, but I didn’t find any of this amusing. We should be on our honeymoon of sorts right now, locked in our bedroom and ravishing each other until the real world forced us to return to it. Instead, I was the only one in a bed, and I had a b*itc*hy witch taunting me.
“I want to take you to the Sanctum of Light as soon as you are feeling better. I think it will be good for you.” His explanation only left me with even more questions, and I waited patiently for him to elaborate. Instead, his eyes moved up to the male healer, and the unfamiliar man nodded once before making himself scarce. It was only when we were alone that he spoke again. “There has to be more than just a wolf in your lineage.
Most hybrids have one side dominate the other, and the weaker side fades away over time. I think…”
Joselin cleared her throat loudly, and Killian rolled his eyes with annoyance before continuing.
“WE think both sides are fighting to overpower the other, which is why the dominant one hasn’t come forward yet. The Sanctum of Light is a very powerful place, some believe it is a direct connection with the Goddess, it may help the stronger side to rise up.” I nodded in understanding, but I didn’t fully agree with him.
I truly felt hopeless, but I didn’t want them to know that. Not when I knew it would just cause Joselin to mock me again for ‘moping’.
“I trust you.” I held Killian’s gaze, wanting him to know that I meant it. I may not believe it would work, whatever the Sanctum of Light was, but I trusted that he would only do what he thought was best for me.
That was something I could always count on him.
The idea of being a hybrid was unsettling. Maybe I would take Joselin up on her offer to test my blood. There had to be some way to find out what I was. What I really wanted was for there to be a way to force my wolf forward. If going to this place would help with that, then I would do it. I just wasn’t going to get my hopes up.
“You had me scared to death, my love,” Killian whispered as he pressed a kiss to my lips, but my eyes were wide as I stared at him.
That was twice that he said the word love to me in the past twenty-four hours. Twice now, I felt my heart stop from excitement and happiness.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered and took a deep breath, enjoying the way he smelled. The fact that he was still in his suit pants with the top few buttons of his shirt undone and his sleeves rolled up on his forearms had me ready to melt. He looked like he was ready for a photo shoot. “When can we leave for the Sanctum?”
“As soon as you are feeling up for it. I would prefer to get there and back before the council starts to show up, so we only have a few days.” Killian growled when he mentioned the council, still pouting that they were coming at all. But I knew that we needed the help. If our enemies could curse and cast spells on our people without us knowing or being able to track the spell, then they were stronger than we were prepared for.
My eyes flickered over to the windows, seeing it was still dark out. It had to have been early morning still unless I had slept the day away.
“When the sun comes up?” I asked, knowing I would need some more sleep before being able to travel. Killian pursed his lips before nodding and sliding his arms under me to pick me up.
“When the sun comes up.” He agreed, carrying me away from the infirmary as Joselin disappeared. “For now we will go to bed, my queen. We will leave at sun up.”