章 17: Chapter 17 Down time
Feeling the bed shift, Rowan's eyes drift open, a wave of calmness hitting him as he looks into those vibrant green eyes he's grown to adore. "Hi," he murmurs out as he stares at Selena. "Hello, handsome," she chuckles back, giving him a peck. "I didn't mean to wake you." She whispers gently, stroking his hair as he slowly comes to his senses. "How are you feeling?" she inquires, concern filling her voice. "I'm doing good," he mutters, stretching out his limbs and feeling the stinging pain in his chest fade to a dull throb. "I feel a lot better now." He says with a smile.
"Good to hear. Now get your ass up and take a shower; you smell like blood and dirt." She teases him as he rolls out of bed with a grunt, his body protesting. "That's probably because I was covered in both blood and dirt yesterday," he joked, looking over his body. He was shirtless, covered in fading bruises and scabbed cuts. His legs were encased in blue jeans, and he could smell the blood that caked his hair and skin. Selena rolled her eyes at him. "Go take a shower before I force you in." She commanded him with a playful smirk. He chuckled, giving her one last kiss before heading towards the door.
As soon as he opens the door, the smell of soap, food, and perfume hits his nose. He can smell the familiar scents of honey and cinnamon drifting in the air, and he takes a moment to enjoy the smell. As he walks down the hallway, he notices the soothing aroma of incense drifting from the bathrooms and the soft sound of running water coming from the showers.
Stepping into the bathroom, he is greeted with a wall of steam. "Well, I definitely needed a shower." He muttered, walking to the stalls and choosing the furthest one from the entrance, slipping off his pants and underwear and throwing them into a laundry bin before stepping into the stall and closing the glass door behind him. He fiddles with the knobs as he adjusts the temperature before letting the warm water rain down on him. He relaxes as the heat of the water flows through his sore muscles, washing away the grime and dried blood from his body.
Walking down the hallway, Selena heard a gruff voice from inside a room. "How are you feeling, love?" Draven asks his wife and daughter, both in human form, once again as the chains of shadows and runes binding them were broken. "Yes, dad, I'm fine for the last time." The young teen rolls her eyes over her dad's overprotective nature. "We are fine; we don't even remember what happened just waking up here after a nighttime patrol," his wife informs him, patting his hand. "Really?" Draven looks at her. "Nothing at all?"
"No, my love." She responds, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Can I interrupt here?" Selena said, grinning as she peeked her head in the door, seeing her old friend safe and sound. "Please do, Selena." The young girl groaned out, embarrassed, at her parents kissing. "Hey there, little pup, miss me?" Selena teased with a bright smile, walking further into the room. "How are you doing, Sammy?" Selena said, sitting on the bed with Draven's wife.
"Fine, considering we woke up chained to the ground like wild animals." Sammy pouted. "Well..." Selena trailed off. "Don't," Draven said, glaring daggers at Selena. "You are dogs." Selena stated it with a smile. "Wow, just wow, Selena," Sammy laughed, playfully slapping the shapeshifter's arm. The moody teen cracking a smile at the older woman's antics.
"Just calling it like it is." Selena said with a shrug. "Fucking cat." Draven said, rolling his eyes as Selena stuck out her tongue at him. "Now now no need for such language; it's like we are back at school." Sammy told them off as they all laughed. "How is your little mate?" Draven asked the black panther shifter. "He is fine; it took some time for..." She started but was suddenly cut off as the other women grabbed her shoulders. "Mate, what does he mean, mate?!" Sammy yelled, shaking her as she looked at Selena, shocked. "Oh, come on, Sammy. I can't be single my whole life." She grins back like a cat who caught the mouse.
Sammy's face turns a shade of red as she thinks of how to reply. "You! I have to meet this guy now." She goes to sit up only to be forced back into bed by her husband's big hands. "No, you need to rest; besides, there is no rush to meet the kid. He is probably still in bed himself after the beating he took." He explains, pushing down on her shoulders to keep her in place. "Well, he's taking a shower right now, but ya, the meeting can wait till you are all better." Selena said, waving it off as Sammy sighed dramatically.
"I'm getting old, even though the lonely cat has found some one," she sighs jokingly, Selena glaring at the woman. Her green eyes narrowed, staring into the opposing deep blue eyes of Sammy as she raised a challenging brow. "Your lucky, your injured," Selena muttered while rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I love you too, Selena," Sammy chuckled.
Rowan stepped out of the shower, seeing a fresh pair of clothes appear on the counter next to the sink. 'Do I even want to know how this got here' he thinks while drying himself off and pulling on the black tank top and pajama bottoms. They fit perfectly, and surprisingly, the material is soft to the touch.
He walks down the hall back to his room, seeing it empty of a certain cat. 'Where did she go?' he thinks as he glances around. Before giving up, his chest was still aching to be running around looking for her.
He sits on the bed as his stomach growls loudly. 'I wonder when the last time I ate was.' he thinks as the door to the room opens, a plate of food floating in beside an old witch with graying hair and violet eyes, her back bent over with age. "Who are you?" He says he is struggling to his feet as a wave of force gently pushes him back into bed. "My dear boy, there is no need to stand on my account. Now eat." She said with a small smile on her wrinkled face, the tray of food dropping onto the bedside table.
"I am Mina, the head healer of this coven." She introduced herself as an armchair magically popped into existence behind her as she sat down. "Forgive me for my old age; those little chairs would kill me." She chuckles to herself as she gets herself comfortable. "So you are Rowan?" she asks, her voice filled with kindness and wisdom. "Yes," he says awkwardly. "Well, my boy, it is nice to meet you, and you are an odd one. Your soul is like a forest, covered in shadows, and the shadows are darker than any I have ever seen." her eyes glowing in the dimly lit room as they locked on to his. "I have never seen a curse like the one Zarek put on you," she began explaining.
"The curse he has put on you is leaching your soul for power, sapping you of your vitality and spirit. Engulfing your heart and changing it into a cold, unfeeling crystal. One of my fellow witches and a few elder council members have worked out a ritual to stop the curse's growth." She went on to inform him. "A ritual?" he asks nervously.
"Yes, but it is only a temporary measure." She replied, nodding her head slowly as she closed her eyes in concentration. "For the curse to be fully lifted and your life saved, we have to find a suitable heart for you—one that is not human but compatible," she said with a slight chuckle. "An interesting challenge in its own right, but we will figure it out," she said, her voice strong and filled with steel.
"I see." He replies with uncertainty, looking down at his chest as he can feel the presence of the curse lurking under his skin, flowing through his veins, spreading from his heart like poison. "So how will this work? Are you going to remove my heart and put a new one
in me?" he asks the witch, his eyes wide with worry at the prospect of having his heart replaced.
"Yes, like that human surgery, but it helped with a bit of magic," she said with a small smile at his fearful look. "I will be keeping an eye on you throughout the operation." She assured him, sensing his hesitation at the idea of undergoing such a procedure. "But don't worry about that yet; you need to live through the sealing ritual before we even start talking about the future."
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