1

Emma and Brett watched the team enter the tower, then went about their business.

“Let me talk to the Wendigo first,” he said as they stared at the rip in the northern boundary. He walked the length of the shore, then levitated above the river to the center of the glitch. “Master, are you there?”

After a few seconds, the low voice spoke. “Yes.”

As he had done so often, Brett stammered in the face of his god. “I-I-I w-want to thank you for giving me Emma… For… for helping me and k-keeping your promise.”

Dead silence followed.

“I-I was hoping you could grant her the same pow—”

“Bring her forward,” the Wendigo interrupted.

As he hung suspended in the air, Brett could sense an electrical current emanating from the glitch. “Can… can you transfer them in some other way? I’d rather she not experience any pain.”

More silence.

“And, I-I think you appreciate this,” Brett whispered, “but please don’t give her the persuasion ability. I don’t want her to know I—”

“Bring her forward,” the beast growled.

Brett glanced over his shoulder and motioned for Emma. Water splashed against her bare Grimalkin feet as she walked along the shore.

Brett levitated back to the rocky ground. “He’s ready to take you. This will change everything for you, Emma.” He paused. “But it might be painful.”

The veteran hunter didn’t appear to react to his last statement. She leaned over to kiss him. Her tongue parted his lips and danced inside his mouth. She pulled back and smiled at him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Brett waved his hand upward and Emma’s feet left the rocky shore. He guided her to the black opening.

“Welcome, child,” the beast said in a voice that resonated over the thundering waters.

2

The same red tendrils fluttered out from the ichor void and sliced through the skin on Emma’s palms. She trembled painfully and, as the Wendigo drew the blood from her body, she lost consciousness.

Brett watched helplessly from the shore. Minutes passed as the beast conducted its ritual with the blonde Grimalkin. Twelve wolves gathered along the riverbank and stared curiously at their new pack member floating in the air. The alpha was nowhere to be seen.

“I am done,” the deep voice proclaimed. “Take her.”

Brett used his levitation ability to keep Emma afloat while the tendrils withdrew from her skin. He settled her back onto the shore and immediately started casting Basic Heal. The wounds in her hands closed quickly, but it would be another twenty minutes before she would regain consciousness.

3

“How do you feel?” Brett asked as Emma, lying on the riverbank, became more lucid.

She paused for a long period, appearing to take stock of her physical and mental faculties. Then she smiled and tentatively replied, with a slight wonder, “I think I’m better.” She planted her hands to get up and winced in pain.

Brett quickly extended his arms under hers. “Careful, careful. Those just got healed.”

Emma smiled disjointedly and leaned against his solid frame. She steadied her feet and stood up straighter. “I feel lightheaded,” she said groggily.

He walked her to a large boulder and had her rest against it. “Try eating some salmon and drinking some water.”

She summoned the items from her inventory and consumed the food and water voraciously. After a few minutes, she felt strong enough to stand on her own. Brett tutored her through the new vision and levitation abilities. She learned quickly, elevating heavy rocks from the shore, and peering through the tower walls.

“What do I do with the other one?” she asked.

He looked at her worriedly, fearing the Wendigo had given her the persuasion ability. Fuck! he thought.

“What’s it named?” he asked, but she shook her head. “It just displays as gibberish,” she said as concern rose in her voice.

Brett exhaled with relief. He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Try it out.”

Emma pointed her finger at a midsized rock. It wouldn’t levitate. She concentrated. Still nothing. She glanced at Brett, distressed.

“Keep trying,” he encouraged. “It’s not harming you.”

She focused even harder and was ready to give up when the rock started shaking violently against the earth. Emma lifted her hand, and the stone rose from the shoreline, still jolting erratically. As she kept her arm and energies directed at the rock, she glanced at Brett questioningly.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the rock suddenly exploded, pelting them with hard chunks of stone. They ducked belatedly as stones embedded into the surrounding trees and skipped across the riverbank. Emma and Brett stood up and looked at where the rock had been hovering just moments before. A dust cloud hung in the air. They turned to each other and burst into laughter. They swayed on their feet and clutched at each other as their hysterics continued.

As it eased down, Brett turned to Emma. “Maybe don’t use that one as much,” he chuckled.

4

They hiked back to their A-frame as the sun began its descent in the western sky. On the way, Emma healed a nasty gash Brett had sustained on his face from the rock explosion. “I think we should call that one Explodo,” Brett quipped, and Emma giggled.

“Not that it matters,” she replied. “I won’t be using it again.”

The wolves trotted ahead of them, scaling the cluttered wooden terrain with speed and grace.

“Your eyes didn’t change,” Brett commented as he helped her over a fallen tree.

She glanced at him. “Really?” She touched her cheek. “Maybe your Wendigo friend has refined his process.”

He laughed. “It’s just as well. I love your green eyes.”

Emma felt herself blush, then thanked him for the compliment. And she couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity of it. Here she was with the man she had feared only days before. Now, they were fawning over each other like newlyweds. Well, maybe not fawning, she corrected herself. But he’s done a lot to make me feel welcome.

They reached the camp and found Warg sitting on the outskirts, staring expectantly at them.

“Looks like he got the eye treatment,” Emma remarked casually as Brett approached the alpha.

In the blue shadows of the woods, the wolf’s eyes glowed red. Concerned, Brett placed his hand on its white fur. Warg growled, a reaction Brett felt more than heard. The tremors shook from the very core of the wolf. He noticed that the animal’s ears were also discoloring. That fur had taken on a reddish-pink hue. Perplexed by the changes, he checked his Creature Description details. Warg no longer came up as a ‘Timber Wolf’. Instead, the name was a series of random letters and punctuations.

Brett turned to Emma, who was standing ten feet away. “I think Warg has become corrupted,” he said with a tone of sadness in his voice.

She put her hand to her mouth. “Oh, no,” she murmured.

He faced the wolf again. He could still feel it growling under his palm. He stared into the animal’s eyes. They shone back at him, a brilliant vermilion. The growl grew more audible and Warg peeled its lips back, revealing long fangs.

Unnerved, Brett backed away from the animal, who remained on the outskirts of the camp.

"What was that about?” Emma asked.

“I don’t know. Warg appears to be changing.” He paused with a troubled expression on his face. “If this keeps up, I’m going to have to put him down.”

Emma moaned disapprovingly but said nothing. Brett could commiserate; killing Warg was the last thing he wanted to do. He loved the wolf.

5

They relit the fire and prepared for dinner. Brett brought out some fruit he had gathered the day before, surprising Emma. They mixed it in with the salmon and as they ate, she moaned approvingly. “This is as close to a restaurant meal as we could get in this crazy place.”

He smiled and whispered, so softly she could barely hear him, “Anything for you, my love.”

Behind them, the wind rustled through the trees. Warg had vacated the camp, skipping down the hill toward the river. They had seen the wolf’s departure in their peripheral vision but had not spoken of it. They ate quietly as the sun fell below the treeline. Rays of pink light pierced through the woods and dappled on Emma’s skin and hair. It made Brett want her even more.

“You look beautiful,” he remarked truthfully, but also hoped it would remind her of his promise and her reward. She smiled at him but said nothing. Brett considered turning on the persuasion ability, then decided he would try to steer the conversation again. “So, how’s it feel to be a new woman?” he asked.

She gazed at him and sighed. “I don’t feel altered anymore. That ringing in my ears is gone too and so is the electrical current that was running through my body.” She placed her warm hand onto his. “I’m back to my old self, and I have you to thank for that.”

The final traces of crimson sunlight filtered through the trees. He nudged closer to her. “You’re better than your old self,” he prodded. “You have new powers.”

Emma gazed at him and smiled. “Yes. However, I probably won’t use that last one ever again.”

They both laughed, and Brett took the opportunity to lean against her. As the seconds ticked by, he could feel the warmth radiating from her body. Then, without provocation or encouragement, he turned and kissed her. Although she was initially surprised, Emma welcomed the gesture, leaning back and moaning against his mouth. Brett wondered if she did that for her pleasure or for his, then realized that he didn’t care.

He pulled back. “I told you I would take care of you,” he breathed heavily.

Emma graced him with a radiant smile. “You have,” she whispered. “Now it’s my turn to take care of you.”

She took his hand, and they stood, facing each other. She did one final assessment of her would-be partner. Brett tried to maintain his composure as wanton lust coursed through his body. Then, with the light gone from the sky and the woods shrouded in darkness, Emma led him into the A-frame and kept her promise.