Mark’s hold on his forearm tightened. “So natural…”
“How long did the transformation take?”
He looked at Caster, “I don’t…”
“Less than a minute.” Caster saw Riley’s astonishment, his need to end this conversation and wrap Mark in his protection, almost unbearable.
“Wow.” He’d carried the same awe in Edie’s voice since he’d seen the magnificence of that transformation.
“He also shouldn’t be that big,” Mikey said, drawing Mark’s attention. He shrugged, “What? It’s true.”
“I did think you were larger than you should be.” Riley smiled, and Mark relaxed, releasing the tight grip he had on his arm.
“Magicae Lupus?”Edie’s question drew him away from the sensation of Mark’s touch. She turned to him. “But that would mean…”
“Oh, honey.” His mother’s awe-filled whisper was not enough to draw his attention away from Edie’s shocked expression.
“What are you talking about?” Mark asked before he could.
“It is only a legend. Could it be?” Adella’s question only increased the tension.
Mark’s tight grip on his arm returned with a vengeance, and Caster couldn’t help the wince. His fear, apparent by the sudden thud of his heartbeat, was worrying.
“You’d better explain yourself.” Caster leveled his best challenging stare at Edie, though the tiny witch didn’t flinch from it.
“My mother used to tell stories of a wolf whose lifeblood was infused with magic. He could transform faster than the blink of an eye and resist the effects of magic.” Adella’s eyes didn’t stray away from Mark as she spoke. “Magicae Lupus.”
“That’s not possible.” Mark’s denial was emphatic, and despite everything he’d seen from him, Caster couldn’t help but agree. A magical wolf unaffected by a witch’s power was a stretch even in his world.
“Do you know if your mother had any contact with a witch, an Earth Witch, while she was pregnant with you?” Edie asked.
Mark shook his head. “My mother hated witches.”
“Isn’t there a way to confirm it?” His mother’s voice was so small, Caster turned to her. Her expression shocked him still. It was a mixture of maternal worry and only what he could describe as subdued joy. Was there something else they weren’t telling him?
“Yes. It is easy enough to find the magic in him, even determine its source,” Adella answered.
“No.” Caster didn’t know what this was, but subjecting Mark to it didn’t sound like a good idea.
Mark turned to him and smiled.I can handle it. Plus, I’m curious, aren’t you?
“Oh, dear Goddess!” His mother whispered through the hushed silence. “It is true, isn’t it?”
“What?” The tight rein on his impatience slipped away with each passing second.
“Magicae Lupuscan only control the magic within them in the presence of theirAnima Alterum,”Adella answered.
It took a second for the individual words to register in Caster’s mind,Anima Alterum, echoing its significance. He shook his head to deny the meaning. Soulmates were not a thing. He chanced a glance at his mother, whose expression was now an indulgent smile.
He didn’t need this. Not now. But even as he denied it, it explained everything with perfect coherence.
The shock of Adella’s explanation was so immense that it took a second for Mark to realize Caster was no longer by his side. He started to go after him as his long strides ate up the distance to the door, but the Queen blocked his path.
“He needs a moment.” She reached for his hands, holding them with a delicate touch that belied the enormous strength characteristic of her species. “I’ll speak with him, hmm?”
His acquiescing nod was hesitant at best. Was this the end of their everything? Is this where Caster drew the line?
“You stay here. Let Edie show you who you are.” Shesqueezed his hands, leaning closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I’ll make sure he comes back to you.”