More miles disappeared as Zio led Devan through forests and open countryside. They climbed north into territory that hadn’t seen a southern wolf in centuries. Stride by stride, the shackles of war and responsibility slipped away. With Devan a heartbeat behind, for the first time in forever, Zio tasted freedom. He ran on and on and on, until a familiar landmark came into view.
He skidded to a stop and dropped his head to let the bag he carried around his neck fall to the ground. Then he shifted back to his human form and turned to face Devan.
Blue eyes gazed back at him, wide and gleaming in Devan’s black-and-white face.
Zio combed his fingers through soft fur. “I’m gonna walk the rest of the way. Come with me?”
Devan tilted his head sideways, absorbing Zio’s touch, then a shimmer took him away.
He returned, very human and very naked.
Zio smirked, noting that the cold air had no effect on Devan’s body either. “Ready?”
Devan shrugged. “Of course.”
Zio shouldered his bag and grabbed Devan’s hand, tugging him over the rocky terrain until they came to a sheltered path on the hillside.
“I hear water,” Devan said. “Is there a spring nearby?”
“You’ll see.”
Moments later, the pathway opened out again, revealing the gentle waterfall that tumbled down the hill. It was no Niagara Falls, but for northern England, it was glorious.
Devan stretched his arm under the spray, cupping crystal clear water in his hand. He brought it to his face and took a sip. “This water is magic.”
“I know. Emma brought me here a long time ago.”
“Did she use it in her work?”
“I don’t know. She talked a lot about stuff like that, but I didn’t always listen.”
“Why not?”
Zio shrugged and joined Devan by the water. “I didn’t know how much it mattered.”
“But you do now?”
“Of course I do. Without it, everyone I care about would’ve died three times over.”
Devan hummed and dripped water down Zio’s back. “I never realised how exhausting it was to use my gifts twenty-four seven. Some days I feel almost human.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Zio stepped closer to Devan, his shoulder catching the spray from the fall. The water was shockingly cold, and he gasped.
Devan smirked. “See? Magic.”
Zio caught a palmful of water and tipped it down Devan’s chest. A tiny shudder passed through Devan, and Zio felt it in every bone. “Magic enough to let us forget anything else exists while we’re here?”
“Maybe.”
Devan dropped his hands to Zio’s hips and pulled him flush against him. Desire flared. Zio gasped again, but this time it was heat, not frigid cold, and his cock rose to meet Devan’s.
They hadn’t been truly intimate for weeks. A few near misses had barely scratched the surface, dampened down by circumstance and responsibility. But as Devan brushed his lips along Zio’s jaw, ties that bound them to the rest of the world faded to black. Wants and needs roared to life. The alpha orders forbidding Zio from bonding to his mate dulled to a distant hum.
“Zio.” Devan’s whisper broke through. “We can’t fuck—I can’t control myself—but we can do this, we can just be... for a little while, please?”