Chapter 76
Beryl:
I knew that Nicholas didn’t know about my little library escape area, so that’s where I headed. I had to gather myself and think. Was that really my mate? How could he hurt me like that? There were so many thoughts running through my mind.
As I settled myself into the comfort of my tiny secret corner of the library, weeks of habit took over and I began to drift off to sleep. It was as though the moon goddess was beckoning me to her.
“Beryl, my dear...” She spoke to me gently. “Your distress is taking you over. You need to release some of it. Tell me what happened.”
As I told her my tale, she nodded knowingly. “I suspected that something of this nature would occur. Think back on all the times you’ve seen your mate lately. Has he seemed himself?”
I pondered this for a moment, temporarily relieved from the pain. “No, he really hasn’t. He’s been cold and aloof, completely unlike himself.”
“Consider this then: your mate becomes distant, a dissenting pack is presumably in league with the treacherous Amy, and dark magic is at play in all of this...” Her words trailed off as she watched my face.
I considered her words and tried to think logically, I sat my hurt aside and thought of Nicholas as he’d been the last few weeks. I pictured him in my mind, but now, when I thought of him, I could see the dark aura that surrounded him.
“He’s been spelled somehow, hasn’t he? Someone is using dark magic against him.” I looked up at her, hopeful that I was right.
“I believe so. There is an abundance of dark magic weaving throughout your life, that much I can see. But you will have to use the magic I've taught you to see the darkness around your mate. You have the ability to banish that darkness with your light, you just have to push past your pain and trust that your mate is true to you in his heart.”
I thought about this, and the overwhelming hurt that I’d felt when I saw Nicholas’ arms wrapped around Clara’s lithe body. I closed my eyes against the pain and nodded. For my mates, for my pack, I could push through the hurt and save Nicholas from the clutches of darkness.
“Thank you.” I whispered to the moon goddess, but she was already pushing from the dream realm, waking me from the sleep I had escaped into.
As I shook myself, opening my eyes, Nicholas’ face appeared before me, followed by Cheney’s and Brian’s. Brian looked as me sheepishly, knowing that he had shared my secret.
“Beryl, I am so sorry...” Nicholas started, but I held my hand up, looking him over. I concentrated and began to see the dark wispy edges from around him. I nodded to myself, and started to form the light that the moon goddess had shown me was always within me, in the palm of my hand.
“What are you...” Again, Nicholas spoke, but I shook my head at him, and he quieted. The three of them watched as the light in my hand grew brighter. Their eyes widened, but they stayed still.
I leaned forward and put my hand on Nicholas’ cheek. His mouth fell slack in shock, but he stayed still and quiet and the light grew brighter around us. I saw the tension in his shoulders soften as the light overtook the darkness that surrounded him.
He closed his eyes and sighed, a small smile forming on his lips. He leaned into my hand as the light wiped away the last remnants of the darkness that had had a hold on him.
“There.” I sat back, taking my hand from his face. His eyes opened, again wide with wonder. “What, what was that?” He whispered.
“Light magic. Someone had used dark magic on you, and I wiped it away.” I watched his face, feeling the sting of his kiss with Clara soften within me. I knew in my heart that had he not been under a spell, Nicholas would never betray me.
“I am so sorry, my love. What can I do to make this up to you?” He was on his knees, begging me to the forgiveness I had already granted him. I smiled then, leaning forward to plant a solid kiss on his lips.
His shocked look made me laugh out loud. Cheney and Brian were looking shocked and confused as well. “What you did, yes, it hurt me. If it had been you that made the choice to betray me, then I’m not sure I would be able to forgive that. But you weren’t in control, the dark magic, Amy, or whoever was weilding the magic was in control.”
He sagged under the weight of my words, realizing that we were going to be ok. I could see the relief and overwhelming gratefulness in his eyes. We were really going to be ok.
Nicholas:
On the way to Beryl I was a jumble of emotions. I couldn’t land on how I was feeling. I was jumping from excited, to terrified, and everything in between. I knew what I had done had to have crushed her. If the roles had been reversed, I would have been outraged, and devastated.
What could I possibly say to her to make her understand? What could I do to show her that it wasn’t me? I kept playing scenarios over and over in my mind, the entire way to her.
Brian led the way, having been there multiple times before. Apparently, he would sit with her while she slept, just keeping watch sometimes. They were close, intellectually, in ways that she and I weren’t. We all had our own special connections and commonalities with her.
She was perfect in that way, fitting each of us perfectly, while remaining herself at the same time. This was playing through my mind, and how on earth I could ever make this up to her, when we entered her small alcove.
Watching her sleep for a moment made things that much clearer to me. It didn’t matter what happened now, I would spend the rest of my life making this up to her, no matter what it took, I would prove myself to her again.
What happened after she opened her beautiful eyes was still a miracle to me. I didn’t deserve her, nothing about her. I loved her more than I’d ever loved anything in my life, and I was beyond grateful for her and ger light magic. We were going to be ok.
