Ayn's Healing

Chapter 8 - Ayn

One morning, after leaving James' clinic, I start to walk the windy path back up to Eagle Rock but before I conquer the first curve, Mia stops her motorbike next to me.

"Let's have lunch in the village and do some shopping," she cheerfully invites me.

After having dealt with all those females fearful of my powers, I am grateful to see a friendly face and so I take the helmet she offers me and I climb behind her.

We share our meal, sheltering ourselves from a sudden spring drizzle under the large umbrella of a cozy streetside cafe. Mia takes the burger and I have the fries, and I ask her how did she meet Timo.

"I think there is no story more standard than ours," she say with a chuckle. "We grew up together and, when he came of age, he knew I was his mate. On the day I turned eighteen he was waiting in front of my door. We didn't make it down for my birthday breakfast...or lunch, or dinner."

She smiles a satisfied smile, full of lustful meanings, but then the corners of her mouth suddenly turn down as she adds: "Everybody thought we would conceive our first pup that day...it's been two years and we are still waiting..."

"Would you like me to prepare something for you?" I ask, touched by her sadness, noticing once again that my healer core is stronger than my fear of shifters and their wolves. I could maybe lean on that if I want to survive this year.

"Can you do that?"

"I can try...I have a remedy handbook from my mother.  She worked for a while in a shifter pack. Maybe I will find some notes from her time there."

"That would be amazing, thank you!"

When we leave the cafe to go on our shopping tour, I try to explain to Mia that my wardrobe from school is perfectly sufficient for me. It contains seven dresses in different colors but with the same cut - long down to my ankles, with long bell-shaped sleeves -, seven white silk shirts, seven gathered black skirts, a couple of black jackets, two traditional Witches' capes, and several pairs of ballet flats.

Mia laughs and tells me I will not survive up there for the year with skirts and ballet flats, so I buy a rain jacket, a snowsuit, and a pair of sturdy boots. At her insistence, I also get some pants, t-shirts, and sweaters, although I don't plan to wear male clothes if I don't have to.

She even offers to teach me how to drive her motorcycle, and thus entices me to buy a biker suit. The only thing she compromises on is allowing me to get a fabric- and not a leather one, but only after I threaten her with a show of my powers if she makes me wear the skin of forest creatures.

After all this effort, I zone out and retreat in my head, trying to guess what would be the best formulation for a fertility remedy suitable for her subspecies. So when she shows me some silky nightgowns and lacy underwear, I grab them, mindlessly and without protest.

***

I wear one of those nightgowns to bed tonight, focusing on how nice it feels on my skin. I slowly drink a very strong lavender tea and meditate on all the healing I have been doing this morning.

I am very hopeful that this self-soothing ritual will allow me to sleep through but I wake up again at two-thirty, drenched in sweat. I turn on the light to check for blood in my bed because I have again fought a pack of very vicious wolves in my dreams.

There is no blood, but also no air in the room, so grabbing a blanket, I step out on the terrace, thinking I can do some star gazing and maybe, just maybe, fall asleep for some hours outside. Where there is a wide-open space and nightmares can't find me.

Much to my shock, Kari's large body is occupying one of the recliners. He is wearing some very short shorts -  revealing some very long and muscular legs -  and a hoodie. His unbraided hair is hanging wavy, way below his elbows. He seems to be sleeping, so I take a step backwards, to go back inside, hoping he didn't hear me.