The Fallen and the Forgotten

Chapter 22

It was the sound of growling that brought Lane out of the deep slumber she had been in. She had no idea how long she had been asleep, but as she gained consciousness once more, she could feel the pain radiating throughout her body, making her wish she could fall back to sleep.

She could feel a piercing pain in her arms, and the rest of her body was aching as if she had been hit by a metal baseball bat repeatedly. She resisted the urge to open her eyes; instead, she used her powers to heal herself, which meant that within seconds, fire erupted all over her body.

There was no pain, instead, it was quite the opposite. The flames made her skin tingle, and her power began to grow as the aching in her body began to recede until it was just a mere memory. The sound of the fire crackling and the smell of smoke was like a soothing melody that helped her relax, making the healing process more effective.

Lane’s eyes opened when she heard the growl from beside her once more, and she leaned up quickly, drawing on her power to defend herself. Her panic rose when she realized she was wearing only a sheet, which she had burned with her fire, so that now she was left with just her tanned skin being visible to those around her.

Lane narrowed her eyes on the wolf which was standing over her, as if it was protecting her. It was staring at something across the room, it’s stance hinting at it’s aggression and dislike toward whoever it was.

She didn’t really care though, she was too worried about the burnt flesh and hair on the underbelly of the Lupine. She had burnt him, and he hadn’t moved away from his protective stance.

That bothered Lane, because it made her chest feel heavy. She was still processing these emotions that she was feeling, but she recognized the guilt that began to eat away at her. She had felt it enough in her past to be able to remember it for the rest of her life.

Lane moved her hand gently so that she was just barely touching the injured wolf, and she drew upon her powers, gritting her teeth at the pain that came with them. She knew that her powers didn’t make her feel this way, so she must be using those powers she had tapped into the other night when she had healed the angel.

Lane refused to delve into the thought too much, instead she focused passing the power from her hands into the wolf, watching in fascination as the animal began to heal, its skin became smooth once more, and the beautiful red fur grew back.

With a small smile, she began to drop her hands, but quickly placed them back when she felt the painful magic being pulled toward the wolf. Her energy continued to pass into the wolf, and Lane realized that the wolf had been hurt by something more than just her fire.

What had happened to Nybbas while she had been asleep?

That was the thought that forced Lane to tense, and scan her surroundings, her eyes narrowing when she saw two people standing by the door, both watching Lane. There was a woman with long, wavy brown hair and vibrant green eyes who was smiling at Lane. The woman was wearing a white sundress that showed off her flawless tan skin and accentuated her curves.

If Lane was being honest, the woman was gorgeous, and for a second, Lane felt jealous, but it soon passed as her eyes landed on the man standing beside the woman. He was dark, with black hair and equally black eyes that were watching Nybbas in fascination, a small smile was playing at the corner of the man’s lips, and Lane realized he was the reason Nybbas was so upset, and that his Lupine was in control.

The man was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and a black sweater, which made his slightly pale skin look even lighter. He was wearing a pair of dark loafers, and for some reason, Lane found that slightly amusing. This was the kind of man she could picture wearing a black suit daily, a businessman with no sense of humor.