Chapter 5: The Burners

SELENE POV

I could still feel Tor's mouth on mine as I sat once again in my chambers in the Alder manor. The moment Tor kissed me played over and over again in my mind. And I kissed him back! A rush of heat rose to my cheeks while my finger brushed over my lips at the memory.

I had kissed a complete stranger whom I had only known for a day and to my surprise, I did not regret it in the slightest.

The sensation of his tongue tangling with mine as he backed me slowly into a nearby tree. The heat of his breath against my skin as we explored one another's mouths. The way he pulled gently at my hair so I could open myself up even further as he deepened the kiss.

We had gotten lost in one another for God only knows how long, until he pulled away from me abruptly, leaving me panting and trembling from pleasure in his arms.

And that was it. He then turned away and barked an order for me to follow and not dare try to sneak off again. I was left utterly confused, furious, and wanting. I gripped the brush tightly at the memory and scowled into the mirror as I brushed out my tousled hair.

While I still felt the best choice was for me to leave, something kept bringing me back. So, I decided to stay for a while to figure out what this connection was between us. A knock on the door broke me from my heated reverie.

"Come in," I called turning towards the door. Ava entered the room with an armful of clothes.

"You look refreshed," Ava said, smiling at me. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Yes." I nodded, returning her smile. "Thank you, Ava," I said softly.

Ava nodded and made her way to the wardrobe and began putting clothes away.

"I brought you some clothes for you to try on. See what fits you and I can see about bringing you more," she said cheerfully.

"You don't have to do that. You have done so much for me already." I'd never been waited on like this before by someone and I couldn't help the discomfort I felt being fussed over.

"Oh, nonsense. Lord Tor insisted that we cater to your every need. And besides, after saving young Keon last night," Ava crossed the room and placed her hands on my shoulders, "we are all so grateful to you."

I covered Ava's hands with my own and returned her smile.

"Thank you, for everything Ava," I said gratefully.

She gave my hand a squeeze before clapping her hands together.

"Well, if I am not mistaken, it is time for breakfast," she said brightly while making her way to the door. Before she left, she turned to me with a sly smile. "Now don't go disappearing on us again." She winked before closing the door behind her.

After trying on a few different dresses, I settled on a soft lilac dress with plush softness that hugged me comfortably. Then, I braided my hair to the side and made my way down to the dining hall.

There were not as many people attending breakfast as there had been for dinner and to my surprise, most of them greeted me with a smile. The same chair I had occupied the night before was empty so I sat down. It wasn't long before someone came along to fill my platter with food and my cup with hot herbal tea.

"Thank you," I said to the young shifter girl.

"You smell like waterfalls," she said with a toothy grin.

I was thrown off for a moment by her words, then laughed.

"Well thank you," I said, entertained by her spirit.

A bright blonde-haired woman approached the girl and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"Now Cid, that is no way to greet someone," the woman scolded. The girl giggled before running with her empty tray back to the kitchens.

The blonde shifter settled into the chair beside me.

"I'm Margo," she said.

"Nice to meet you," I replied. "My name is Selene."

The woman watched me inquisitively a small smile lifting her lips.

"I just wanted to thank you for saving my pup last night," she said genuinely.

I halted the cup I was bringing to my lips.

"You're Koen's mother?" I asked surprised.

She nodded.

"With five pups it is hard to keep track of them all the time. It wasn't until I was putting them all down for bed that I noticed Koen was gone," she said with a shake of her head.

"Oh, wow. Five pups." I said in wonder, my eyes wide as I took a sip of my tea. "How is Koen?"

Margo threw her hands in the air.

"Honestly, I have no idea. He ran off with his brothers into the woods this morning and I haven't seen them since," she said exasperated.

I laughed good-naturedly at the thought of five rambunctious shifter pups running wild in the forest. A couple more ladies joined us at the table and that was when I realized that there were no men attending breakfast. Ava had just sat down next to me when I leaned toward her.

"Is Tor going to be joining us?" I cringed inwardly at the anticipation I could hear in my voice. Ava's eyebrows lifted in surprise, and I was half convinced it was because I had referred to Tor in such a casual manner.

"Lord Tor is in a council meeting with the others." Ava's expression grew dark as she stirred honey into her cup of tea. "The scouts returned this morning with information about the burnings."

The energy at the table grew somber at Ava's words.

"I heard that a pack up North was completely burned to the ground," Margo said grimly, shaking her head. "They are even killing the pups."

Horror filled my stomach at the thought.

"I had no idea," I said softly. "I thought the burners were only targeting witches."

"They are decimating any village rumored to have any type of magical power," Ava said, shaking her head sadly.

My knuckles went white as I gripped my teacup with fury. Those sick b*stards! How could they do this to so many innocent people?

"Someone needs to do something," I blurted out.

"That's what the council meeting is about," Ava said, nodding her head in agreement. "Lord Tor is gathering information to try and track the burners down."

My eyes lifted from my cup. I needed to be in that meeting.

***

I quickly excused myself from breakfast and began walking up and down the halls of the manor trying to follow the tether that always seemed to lead me straight to Tor. After a few dead ends, I could feel the undeniable tug getting stronger as I passed two giant doors.

Backpedaling, I leaned my head against the wood and could hear deep muffled voices, but they were not clear enough to understand what was being said. With a huff, I looked up and down the hallway and when I was confident I was alone, I whispered a charm that would enhance my hearing and placed my ear to the door.

"-word that two more settlements have been destroyed," a low voice said.

"From the information, we have gathered from some of the survivors, the burners seem to come from the west and are making their way across the region," Cassius said.

"Everyone we have spoken to corroborates the same story. The burners seem to be looking for someone. Many survivors report being interrogated about a girl," the low voice said again.

My stomach dropped at those words and my mind replayed the voice of the witch hunter who stood outside of my home as it burned.

'I think we found who we are looking for,' the witch hunter had said with a pleased sneer. At the time I had no idea what he'd meant, but could all this be a coincidence?

Tor's voice pulled me back to the current moment.

"Cassius, I want a hunting party ready to go by tomorrow. There is no way in h*ll we are going to sit back and watch as they continue to destroy our kind. There is going to be h*ll to pay."

Voices mumbled their agreeance and when I heard the shuffling of chairs, I darted down the hallway and slipped behind a corner so that I wouldn't be caught eavesdropping.

When I was sure that everyone had filed down the hallway, I peeked my head around the corner just to bump my nose into a wall of muscle.

"Oh, h*ll," I muttered as my gaze traveled up a broad torso to find Tor hovering over me. He had an irritating smirk plastered on his face with his arms crossed as he looked down at me with amusement.

"You know, you are not as quiet as you think you are," he said amused.

I mirrored his body and crossed my arms over my chest.

"That has been made clear. I need to watch out for those damned dog ears of yours." I said.

Tor raised an eyebrow.

"Dog?" he said affronted. "Be careful little witch." A dark smile crossed over his face. The devilish look threatened to melt me into a puddle right there at his feet.

I cleared my throat trying to brush off the effect he was having on me.

"So, you are sending out a hunting party?" I asked.

"My team and I are heading out tomorrow," he said, nodding his head.

"I want to go with you."