My Lycan Mate of Suicide Forest

"The petals show your regeneration," the woman with the raven hair and lichen dress explained further. "Once the last of them goes up, then you are healed. You will even have your blue eyes back."

"What? There was something wrong with my eyes?" August asked.

"You noticed they had changed, didn't you?" the woman giggled.

"Yes, but… I figured that was permanent. I didn't realize it meant there was something wrong," August replied.

"When your genetics began changing after Eliade's catalyst, there was much your physiology had difficulty with. And while you are now adjusting quite well, the process still isn't complete. This is why you had fevers before. This is why you are here now. But your time here will do much to help," the woman explained.

"And my eyes? Why were they gold?" August asked.

"It is as I said," the woman spread her hands as if it were obvious.

"Luna's eyes changed because they couldn't see everything at once," Sage added. "They weren't strong enough."

August's eyebrows threaded together, thinking it through. She still wasn't sure she understood it, but perhaps that was how it would remain. She turned to the root guardian again.

"When I received the mate mark, I felt healed," she said.

The woman hummed appreciatively. "He helped you much. If he were here, this would likely go faster."

"How can he come here?" August asked.

"You marked him as well, didn't you?" the woman's eyes twinkled. August nodded. "Then you two are threaded together in all ways and in all places where your body and soul reside, including here."

"How does he find his way here?" she asked with a stunned expression.

"Call him," the woman repeated what she had said before. "Although for him to come, Sage must leave. There is only room for one other here with you."

"I will go, Luna," Sage said and gave her another smile. "Heal well."

"Thank you, Sage. You have done so much for me. I—I don't know what to say," she bent down and kissed him on the cheek before he turned to walk back around the spring.

As he walked, his corporeal form began shimmering again until he appeared to consist of walking moonlight. He turned to look at her and waved before disappearing back into the underbrush where his stag first appeared.

"See you soon," she called softly, knowing that he would not hear her but saying it for herself anyway.

The crow fluttered up to her shoulder again as she looked at the space where Sage disappeared. When she turned back to the root guardian, she was also gone. August spun around to look for her, but not even the root was bulging out of the earth anymore. She must have gone back up to the top of the hill.

August sighed. "I guess I don't need guardians anymore," she said softly to the crow. "Unless you are also one."

Although she couldn't see him, the crow tilted its head and plucked the shoulder of her dress with its beak.

"Now what?" she breathed. "Are you able to bring him here for me?"

The crow clucked a response and bent its legs before taking flight out over the steam rising from the hot spring. Pretty soon, it had vanished into the underbrush as well.

"Graeme," August whispered. "I wish you were here with me. I am sorry I am always failing to be as strong as you need me to be."

After staring absently into the rising steam before her and realizing she was utterly alone in this place, she took a few steps to test the water with her feet. It felt real. This place felt so real. The water was a beautiful, vivid blue and warm like hot tub water.

She continued walking in, thinking how nice it would be to disappear into the steam. The water soaked into the material of her dress and climbed further up, causing it to stick to her legs before becoming submerged and floating to the surface like one of those flowers that glides on water.

When she had walked far enough in that the water was up to her chin, all of her muscles relaxed and she let out a deep sigh. It seemed like the water was sighing around her as well, and their sighs rose together into the same sky where the petals were disappearing. This was healing, all right.

"How are you even more beautiful in my dreams?" Graeme's deep voice skipped across the surface of the water and penetrated deep into her chest. She gasped and twirled around to face where the sound was coming from, wet sections of her hair gliding in a circle around her.

He was sitting on the ground near the edge of the spring with one leg extended, the other bent where his arm rested. And his smile… his dazzling, sexy smile with white teeth that contrasted against the olive tone of his skin. Her stomach flipped with the realization that his smile was just for her.

Thankfully her face was likely already flushed from the heat of the spring.

"You are here?" her eyebrows pinched together. How had it happened?

"It is my dream," he laughed, and the sound danced around her, causing her lips to curve up into a smile as well.

"No, it is mine," she laughed. "I guess… I invited you. Unless it was the crow."

"I don't see a crow," he looked around, and a section of his long hair fell over his face. "Mind if I come in, Moon?" The smile had slid from his lips to his dark eyes.

"I… would love that Bun-Bun," she replied.

"Ah, now I know you are only in my dream. You said earlier today that you couldn't call me that anymore because you finally saw my fierce side," he raised an eyebrow at her and pulled the white shirt he was wearing over his head, ruffling his hair and revealing every perfect masculine inch of him from the waist up.

"Would the dream me drool?" she whispered to herself.

"Are you drooling, Moon?" Graeme smirked.

"Don't you have sharp vision as a lycan?" she asked.

"Only at night."

Something unspoken passed between them as they gazed at each other appreciatively.

"Then come see for yourself," she finally replied and backed further away from him, disappearing into the steam and sending ripples of blue to lap at his feet.