Moonlit

11: The Warlock and the Werewolf

Noah's eyes fluttered in response to the soft glow filtering through his closed lids. The gentle presence of warmth wrapped around him, comforting and familiar, coaxing him to linger a while longer in the realm between dreams and reality. A steady, comforting pulse echoed in his ear, reminiscent of the gentle rock of the bayou at night.

"Mornin' Sunshine," a groggy voice broke through the serene silence.

"Hurry up, Sunshine. How do you get anywhere with those twig legs?" the voice sprung from the depths of Noah's memories. The voice of the wolf boy he had met that summer in Louisiana.

Noah jolted awake; his eyes darted around the room. The fog was heavy in his mind as he struggled to remember how he ended up in the makeshift medical center attached to the full moon enclosure. Shattered glass sparkled in the morning sun, and the woodstove crackled defiantly against the winter chill. A familiar touch on his head made him tense. "What... What happened?" he stammered.

The strong hand on the back of his head was almost enough to soothe Noah's spiking nerves. "I was hoping you could tell me."

"Callum?" Noah whipped his head around, meeting Callum's lazy smile.

"Are you disappointed?"

Noah's heart raced as fragments of the previous mind flashed through the fog in his mind. His ears twitched nervously, and wildfire blazed across his face. Noah's eyes dropped from Callum's gaze, first to his lips, a frown turned his lips as he noticed burn marks along Callum's chin, down his throat and disappeared under his tattered hoodie. One arm rested over Noah's lap, the other absentmindedly played with Noah's hair.

"Did I?" He reached up and delicately brushed his fingers over the burns. "Did I do this?"

"Looks worse than it feels, darlin'." Callum's tone was convincing, even his smile was genuine. However, Noah saw the way the corners of his mouth quivered, and his throat tightened with every why you lost control of your magic."

Against his better judgment Noah leaned his head against Callum's chest, Callum's breaths froze, but only for a moment before they settled back into a steady rhythm. Callum's arms tightened around Noah. "It's not usually so sudden," Noah's voice was muffled as he buried his face in Callum's chest. "It's more like a brewing storm. Slow, filling me with static, looming closer and closer. Then it erupts. It's painful, but it gives me time to get somewhere safe, somewhere I can expel the build up of chaotic energy."

"I'm so-sorr" his voice cracked as tears filled his eyes. "I'm so sorry. I keep hurting you. I destroy everything."

Callum rubbed long, soothing strokes over Noah's back. He didn't have any words of comfort; comforting was never within his skill set. Seeing Noah like this hurt him more than the burns did, more than the seizing of his heart, and shocks that still sparked against his organs. "What triggers your magic outbursts?"

"It's not any one trigger," Noah admitted, defeatedly. "My magic has always been volatile. It's unpredictable when I use it but if I don't it builds up until I can't contain it. It feeds off my emotions. If I get too jumbled, I can't concentrate on keeping it at bay."

"You liked kissing me that much, huh," Noah could hear the cocky grin on Callum's face. He pushed himself up and glared pointily at Callum. "Careful, darlin'," he leaned in and kissed the side of Noah's mouth, "you might be falling for me."

Noah's ears twitched, the blush deepening as he tried to neutralize his expression. "You're nice to look at," he cleared his throat and hoped his voice wasn't as shaky as it felt. "But then you open your mouth and ruin the whole experience." The warmth in his cheeks spread down his neck.