2

As I exited the pool, I shifted into my wolf and was surprised to find that she, too, had been made more beautiful by the ordeal. She was black with a trail of blond diamond fur patches down her back and on the tips of her ears and paws. She was massive, much bigger and stronger than before.

I could feel magic pulsing through the air as it filled my body with an undeniable force. I’d unlocked my mage, yet beyond that, I carried with me the power of all those souls who had perished. I was their voice, their beacon, and their chance for resurrection.

I wanted to tell Lex I’d found my mage, but then I remembered I’d jumped into the pit with him screaming and wailing for me to stop. He must’ve thought I was dead. I had to get to him and let him know that not only had I survived, I was thriving in a way I’d never thought possible.

I looked around me to find a way out. Magma and lava flowed everywhere. Above me, in a pool of bubbling lava, was the Genesis Pit. The air was hot and thick with the smell of sulfur, yet the spring gave off a misty floral scent. The warring aromas made a heady mix. Beside the spring were tunnels that coursed next to the fiery pits, but were not touched by them.

I considered the mages who must have made those tunnels. Were they a way for survivors to escape? I wouldn’t know unless I ventured forth. With the surge of power coursing through my veins, I pawed my way toward an underground tunnel, one of many that had been carved into the base of the active volcano. I had to find Lex.

My wolf sniffed the air to see if she could catch his scent on the wind whipping in from above. By instinct, she followed the magnetic pull Lex and his wolf had over us. Strangely, the draw to be near Lex was stronger than it ever had been. It was as if he were a missing limb, and my wolf ran through the dark underground tunnels, driven to be reunited with Lex.

There was a lightness in my soul I’d rarely ever felt. As we ran toward Lex, I could sense our happily ever after. He was undoubtedly my mate, and now that I’d found my mage and my wolf was so powerful and strong, nothing would ever get in our way or defeat us. Joy was but a breath away. My wolf raced along the path, following the scent on the breeze swirling above us.

While the distance was long and arduous, our goal was steadfast. My wolf stayed focused on Lex. We followed the wafts of air for miles and miles as the tunnels twisted and winded through the bowels of the volcano.

Suddenly, after so much time spent in the dark, there was a pinprick of light ahead. I didn’t know how long I’d been in the pit, but time had no measure there.

My wolf ran toward the light, and I felt time solidifying again, a sign that I was leaving the magical realm and entering reality once more. Finally, my wolf saw the opening looming ahead of us, and with a burst of strength, she dove for it, eager to rejoin her mate.

Bursting through the entrance, we were bathed in daylight. I was shocked to discover that we reentered the world only a few yards away from where I’d jumped into the Genesis Pit. The distance felt endless, and yet it was only a few hundred feet down.

For a moment, my wolf stood and got her bearings, perhaps also realizing that magic had made us believe we were deeper in the pit than we really were. When my wolf regained her senses, we realized there was a group standing before us, arguing amongst themselves with urgency and panic

“Please, don’t do this. It’s not worth the risk!” Sir Vanoire implored in a stern and commanding tone. “If she survived the fall, she will return to you.”

“It’s been too long. I can’t live without her!” Lex cried out frantically. He was so beside himself with worry, it looked like he was about to jump into the Genesis Pit after me.

It wasn’t like him to consider taking his own life, but he was in a crazed, desperate state of mind. I immediately shifted out of my wolf and ran as fast as I could toward him. I didn’t care that Polonius was there with Sire Vanoire and an entire army of Crypt Claw warriors—I had to get to Lex. I wasn’t sure what the extent of my new powers were, but I didn’t care. I felt stronger and more able to handle whatever would come.

“Stop!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. “Please stop!”

I raced to where Lex was perched on the edge of the lava pit. The sound of my voice made him freeze, and he turned to me.

“Don’t jump, Lex! I’m here!”

“Aria.” The look of relief on his face stilled my terror.

I raced into his arms, and he picked me up and held me. It felt good to be in his embrace again. We fit together perfectly, like our bodies were made for one another.

We held each other for a moment, both stunned that we were reunited. Following my instinct, I looked up and kissed his lips, and he returned my kiss with a passionate one of his own. We were lost in each other until Sire Vanoire cleared his throat, alerting us to the fact that there were several other people standing there, including Polonius.

Lex gently set me back onto my feet and whispered in my ear, “Don’t ever do something like that again.” His words were harsh, but his voice cracked with concern. “I can’t lose you again.”

“You won’t, but my life ending is not a reason for you to take your own,” I quietly scolded him. “Should we ever be separated by distance or death, your life is still worth living. You wouldn’t have survived that jump, Lex. You’re not a mage, and the magma would’ve killed you.”

“If you were dead, there wouldn’t have been anything to live for,” he said softly, his arms rounding my body one more time before we turned to face the crowd.

“It worked,” I whispered to him while we looked at the sea of confused and angry faces. “I’m a wolf mage.”

Lex looked stunned and surprised for only a second before his face broke into a smile. He squeezed me tighter, then focused on the Crypt Claw Warriors, all poised to strike. Beside the formation of angry Crypt Claw were Cheyenne, Sire Vanoire, a few Royal Guards from Navarrah City, and Polonius. We had quite an audience, yet there was no mistaking the passion in our kiss.

That kiss told Polonius, the Crypt Claw, and those from Navarrah City watching that Lex and I were, and always had been, in love.