Chapter 1022

I hold my breath as I watch my cousin cross the newly formed bond in his soul, watch him hold the Goddess fire to the side as he wraps his arm around his little mate, holding her close to his chest, pressing a kiss to her hair. She cries into his chest for a moment, her hands wrapped tight in the fabric of his shirt.

But then he murmurs something soft to her, and she nods, and he smiles at her. And then they get to work.

I watch, my fists tight beneath my chin as Jesse begins to work with the fire, careful not to touch the oil himself. His wolf races across the bond next, eager to help. To my surprise my wolf goes with him, snatching some of the fire out of Jesse's hand and holding it between her teeth, carefully working to spread it around Midnight's soul and get rid of all the oil splashed everywhere.

Tentatively I put a foot out on the bond, wondering if I, too, can use it as a bridge. Both Jesse and Midnight turn their heads when they feel me there. But then Midnight smiles and waves to me and I cross as well, laughing a little at the wonder of it of being welcomed into someone's soul.

But it's not so odd, really, when I think about it. Midnight - she's my cousin now, or close enough. I'm so pleased and honored that she trusts me here. I, too, take a moment to press a kiss to Midnight's hair.

And then I get to work.

It takes hours to burn away the oil of her soul. Jesse, I, and our wolves work in tandem to first clear a circle around Midnight's wolf so that we can stand close. And then I lean over the pit, careful not to touch the corruption, and slowly begin to stroke the flames over Midnight's wolf's sweet fur. The wolf gives pitiful little whines of joy as I dust away the dried oil from her whiskers and her ears, as Jesse vanishes enough of the oil that her haunches appear, and then her shoulders, and then her rump.

We're all very tired by the time enough oil is gone that we can begin to haul Midnight's emaciated little wolf out of the pit. Her spindly legs work hard to help, to push her free. But she's just so...weak. She's been in that pit for long enough that I'm not sure her muscles ever fully developed, let alone enough to run and jump and play.

I cry when we finally pull her free and the little wolf collapses, her tongue happily panting, on the clean soil of Midnight's soul. But when t

look around at my cousin and mate, see that I'm in good company there. We all wipe gur cheeks and continue working - me clearing what's left of the oil from Midnight's wolf, Jesse and our wolves drying up the rest of the pit.

Until, finally, it's all gone.

Midnight sobs, her arms around the neck of her little creamy wolf, whose tufted ears are black and grey at the tips. I smile when I see that she has little grey socks on each of her legs, leading down to black paws.noveldrama

"She's so pretty, Mids,” I say, leaning against Jesse, tears streaming from my eyes again.

"Yeah," Midnight says, hiccupping in exhaustion and stress and sadness and joy. "Yeah, she's...she's really great. I'm so sorry." She buries her face in her wolf's fur, sobbing again.

"You didn't know, Mids," Jesse murmurs, crouching down to stroke her back. "It's okay. You didn't know."

I back away then, letting them have

a moment, stepping back into

Jesses soul and then opening my eyes in the real world. I take a moment to stroke a mental hand over my wolf's head and she ticks my palm, loving me a great deal - just as much as I love her,