Bound

Chapter 63 - Lies

Dmitri

That fucking bastard. When I get my hands on him, he is a fucking dead man. Panic is rising in Sky as she tries to piece things together, with little luck as the confusion remains on her face.

"Whatever is in this tea has been messing with you. There is a herb in here that is used traditionally to alter scents. In some rituals, it is even used to remove scents completely. The Hunters have it as part of their repertoire when formulating tonics. I have never seen it used so precisely before, so focused. We suspected Chris was a powerful warlock when he was able to teleport both of you with ease to your house and then out of town, but this shows another level of skill. To target and remove a specific scent is astonishing."

Sky is silently absorbing what Ally is saying. Her exterior seems calm, but her body is telling me otherwise. Her heart rate has increased, and she is fidgeting under the table, the movements so slight it could be missed.

"There are also other herbs in here which on their own would be alright but when combined are used to dull senses..." Ally trails off as she starts sensing Sky's anxiety under the surface, her healer instincts picking up on the energy being given off. "I know this isn't easy to hear, Sky, but we need to discuss this. Are you alright to carry on?"

"I'm fine," Sky says, her answer short and clipped. I hate seeing her like this. She is confused and feels betrayed. After finding out about Benjamin being a werewolf, she told me that she felt alone, lonelier than ever as if she had no one left in her life to trust and turn to. I imagine these feelings are close to the surface again. Chris had been in her life for a while, and she had considered him a friend, a close confidant. This must be shocking and unbelievable. Makes me angrier.

"Part of the herbal mixture I have given you is to manage your pain. I added another part that detoxes your system. I enchanted it to speed the process up. It has removed everything this tea has been made to change. So far, your scent alteration and the energy inhibition seem to have reverted to normal." Ally seems happy about this and offers Sky a reassuring smile.

"When was the last time you had one of the previous episodes? You know, the release of energy that you experienced with Dmitri when you were...intimate?" Raina asks, her question bringing Sky back to life as her cheeks flame red and she shifts uncomfortably in her chair. Andrea smirks next to her as he eyes me. Thankfully Sky doesn't see this.

"Well, not since then. I haven't been in that sort of situation since leaving Willow Falls, so no bursts of energy that put people in a coma-like state. Also, before you ask, there has not been another incident of my body covered in flames levitating in the air. Maybe something good came from me leaving after all." Sky forces a smile which falters when Raina asks her next question.

"And nothing when you have...you know...taken care of yourself?" Sky burns with embarrassment at the question and all the eyes on her.

"Look, I'm not a prude, but after leaving Willow Falls, that was the last thing on my mind, and then once the bruises started forming, the pain overrode all other feelings, even the sexual ones. So no, none of that."

Every part of me, not just a small part, relishes in the knowledge that her last sexual encounter was with me. I have to suppress a smile at the thought, while Sky seems defiantly set on not even glancing in my direction while she is on this topic.

I, too, have been more celibate in the last year than in all my time on this planet. As desperate as I was, I was never desperate enough to sleep with Savannah. I did, however, frequently release myself to thoughts of Sky. Imagining her unique scent in my dreams was no match for reality. When she entered the room today, and her essence drifted through, slapping me in the face, it took every ounce of self-control not to jump up and kiss her.

The clothes I picked for her fitted perfectly, and while she never looked unappealing to me when I saw her days ago, she definitely looked better and filled these clothes out in a healthier way. The jeans hugged her figure, giving me some fresh imagery I would no doubt use later in the shower, especially after being cooped up with her in a room like this for so long. I chose the loose long-sleeve top she now wore in case she was self-conscious of her bruising.

Her hazel eyes are as captivating as ever. Her lips invitingly pink, matching the blush that hasn't managed to subside from her cheeks. Her hair is in a stylishly messy bun on the top of her head. She is just gorgeous. If Sky were a flower, she would be Aconitum. Delicate and dangerous. She is wolfsbane personified, making me weak, eroding my willpower. 

A stirring in my groin and my heart has me tearing my gaze from her. She was messing with my emotions, and I wasn't sure what was going on. I didn't want to want her. She had left me, as easily as if I was nothing. We could have talked about everything, tried to figure something out. The hurt and sadness return, burning through the desire and longing.

"It's just a theory, but I think that is causing the bruising. The pent-up energy you can now feel in your body, fighting against the curse that has not been released. That and something else..." Raina hesitates. "The fact that you two may be mates and were binding back then when you first met." She gestures between the two of us.

Sky's eyes finally dart to mine. Shock now clear on her face. She can't even hide it.

"We can't know for sure because of the curse but you do feel tingles when you touch and the fact that you can see scents might make it possible for a human to bind with a Lycan. You two do still feel the tingles, right?" Raina's question lingers in the room.

Sky is still staring at me, shocked. 

"We do," I say eventually, thinking back to when our hands touched when I invited Sky to dance with me. And then to all the times after that. Yes, they were definitely still there.

"Okay. Well, I am still trying to get information about the curse and the warlock from all those years ago. One of my contacts might have a lead. I am meeting her next week. I'll let you know if I hear anything." Raina breaks the staring competition Sky and I are having.

"For now, you need to stay away from Chris. Dmitri has already moved your stuff back to your house in Willow Falls. We need to apprehend him for questioning. It's good that you remain under Dmitri's protection while we figure out this curse nonsense and try to find Chris. He was not at his house when your stuff was collected, so we used the key we found in your bag to access the property. Sorry, we didn't tell you. In addition, I have cast a protection spell around Willow Falls and Dmitri's pack borders. Only those who belong inside will be able to enter. We can't risk him teleporting in unannounced."

"The good news is that you are good to leave. Ally will give you a couple of days' worth of medicine but after that, you need to try and release that energy build-up and see if that makes a difference to the bruising. If not, give me a shout. Being around Dmitri may also help if you guys are indeed binding." Raina finishes as she gets up, effectively ending this meeting.

Sky says nothing as she slowly gets up. "Thank you all for helping me. I really appreciate it." With that, she turns and leaves swiftly.

This was a lot to take in, and I could understand her wanting to retreat to gather her thoughts. While I had my suspicions about us binding, Raina putting it out there seemed to make it more possible. And if that were true, how would we overcome everything that had happened between us? A reach I wasn't sure we could make.

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