Serpent Moon

by Unknown

  “It’s just so weird that she was fine right after she cracked her head. Walked back to the building and talked to Bobby and even Charles before she suddenly collapsed. I just wish I knew what she said. They’re both stonewalling me.”

  “I’ll tell you if you’ll just pipe down. My head hurts.” Eric turned to see Holly’s eyes open and her hand on her forehead, rubbing lightly. He rushed forward to sit down on the bed.

  Lucas turned and headed for the door. “I’ll get Tatya.”

  “Hey, Berrybelle.”

  “Hey, yourself. How long have I been out? I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week.”

  “Just a day.”

  She sighed and threw an arm over her eyes to block out the light. “How’s the cleanup going? Any of the snakes still acting weird?”

  He shook his head before he realized she couldn’t see it. “No. Ahmad’s doing a fine job of snapping those who survived out of it. His form of pack binding involves a lot more ritual than I care for, but he apparently wants to make damned certain he’s got better control over them in the future.” He paused. “So? You were going to tell me what you talked to Bobby and Charles about.”

  She stared into Eric’s eyes for a long moment. “Some of the drug got in the wound on my hand. I started to turn human.”

  Eric nodded. “I know. You’re in my head and then you’re not. It’s been driving me nuts.”

  “Me too. That’s what I wanted to ask them about. Bobby’s a chemist with both magic and schooling. There was still some of the cure left in the vial. I wanted to see if he could reverse it. He said he’ll try, but it’ll have to be the old-fashioned way, with hazmat suits and test tubes. He can’t risk turning human right now—not with three little dragons and a python to raise.” She smiled. “You heard that Asri had the babies and they were born in animal form?”

  Eric nodded, happy for Bobby. But he felt his stomach drop. He couldn’t escape what she’d just said. “So, you really do want to go back? You want to be human again?”

  A small smile turned up her lips and her scent was an odd mix of worry and relief. “Actually, no. I realized when I was fighting Derek and Marduc, that I was still Holly. I would have fought them even as a human.” She paused and curled her hand around his. “But I wouldn’t have had you. Not like that, and not like now.”

  He could feel her heart beating, a distant pulse that made his heart race. “I’m sorry I took the vial. It wasn’t right. I should have trusted you. You were always the one I trusted. The only one I trusted, and . . . well, I didn’t.”

  She shrugged. “I wasn’t acting very trustworthy. It’s hard to blame you. I swore I’d broken off with FMU, and then went straight to them when I was upset. I did ask for the cure, even though it was for a good purpose. But then I didn’t tell anyone about it. Hell, I would have followed me.”

  He squeezed her hand. “But I shouldn’t have taken away your choice. If that’s what you want, then okay. I guess I took the vial because—”

  “I know,” she said softly. “I saw it in your mind when we connected. You were going to hide it and take it if I did. So you’d be human.”

  He shook his head. “So we’d be together. Wolf, human—doesn’t really matter to me. I—” He paused but then took a deep breath. “I loved you when you were a messed-up teenager, when neither us really knew what it meant. And I still love you now that you’re a different person—stronger, tougher. I was damned proud of you out there. It’s not just magic that we have.”

  “Sure it is,” she said with a smile. He felt his heart speed up to match the pulse under his thumb. “It doesn’t have to be magic to be magic. But it might be that it’ll be both again soon.”

  He frowned, not understanding. “I can’t feel you in my head for more than a few seconds at a time. Do you mean that can change?”

  She smiled, and he leaned closer until his ear was next to her lips. Her words were meant only for him. The brush of air against his skin made him shiver. “That’s what I talked to Charles about. We got Amber on the phone and she seemed pretty confident that there’s enough magic between us that a little . . . um . . . jolt might kick it back into gear. I apparently still have some healing abilities. I could feel it when I was starting to wake up. Of course, they could be wrong. But—”

  Holly placed a small kiss on Eric’s ear and started to trail them down his neck, making him groan. “I think now that I’ve saved the world, I’m entitled to a little camping trip. Care to join me?”

  He chuckled and turned his head so his lips were right next to hers. “I’ll bring the roses, Berrybelle.”