The Moon Phase Trilogy | Protected

Shaun sat in the burn ward waiting area with bandages wrapped around her hands. She wasn’t sure why, since her hands weren’t going to get better if they covered them up. Your burns are second degree, close to third degree. Thankfully, we don’t need to do surgery. But I need you to keep these bandages on for a week. Come back here in two weeks and I want to see how your burns have healed. You are going to need to change the bandages every morning and every night. The lead healer’s explanation kept playing on repeat in her mind. It didn’t make any sense to her.

“Nerilyn...why didn’t he do surgery?” Shaun asked.

“We tend not to do operations for burns. His healing powers are overpowering to some. One reason why he is our Isaz, or in werewolf terms, our Theta/Iota. As long as you change those bandages before bed and when you wake up with the special healing ointment he gave you, you should heal nicely within a week or so.” She explained. “You have someone to help you with your burns you are unable to reach, yes?”

Shaun was about to respond when she noticed Meraki walked in the waiting room casually. His hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched over ever so slightly and his handsome eyes not bothering to look at her. Her cheeks flushed just thinking of how hot he possibly was topless. Blu made a thirsty comment and Shaun lowered her gaze to her feet as she coughed on her own saliva. “You okay, Shaun?” Meraki wondered.

“Yeah, it just went down the wrong tube,” she chuckled, nervously. ‘So uncalled for, Blu.’

‘No it wasn’t. I know your thoughts and some of them are so not clean with him or our mate.’ She could hear the smirk dripping off Blu’s response. ‘So you are starting to feel something for Grant...’

‘I am not! I haven’t seen him in a few days. How would I develop feelings for someone I barely know and haven’t seen?’

‘We are werewolves, our mate does that.’

Shaun argued in her head with Blu for a half hour while Nerilyn filled out discharge paperwork. Meraki awkwardly sat next to Shaun, cutting in. ‘Breath. You look uncomfortable. We can all sense that.’

“Um, thanks...” Shaun whispered, chewing the inside of her cheek. “So, is it really that obvious?”

“Yes.” Nerilyn commented without looking up from her clipboard. “Every magic species has a certain aura with their feelings. Werewolves usually have a teal color with their emotions. It changes shades depending on how they are feeling. Vampires usually have red. It does the same thing with how they are feeling, just like the werewolves. Witches usually have purple. With all the other species, it’s the same thing, just a different color. All healing witches can see the auras of every species. I’m sure the healers or therapists of your species are the same way.”

“I’m not sure about that one. To be honest, I had no idea that was a thing.”

“It certainly is. That’s how we know who our healers are. Now, let’s get you out of here so I can go back to sleep and Tori can help you get back to where you need to go.” Nerilyn turned to Meraki, “Thank you for all the help.”

“My pleasure. I should be looking for a dear friend of mine. I’ll be back soon to help out more!” He jogged off with a wave and a toothy grin.

Shaun’s tension eased and Nerilyn raised her brows, “Tense?”

Shaun felt like lying, but after learning about the auras, she knew it was pointless, “Mm. I’m not sure why I was so tense when he was around though. I mean, my Selene he’s attractive, but it wasn’t because of that. It’s because of something else.” She paused, “It’s like I can sense one of my friends or all of my friends are in danger.”

“In danger from what?” Astoria pipped in. She snuck to where they were.

A clipboard clatter could be heard from Nerilyn. The girls turned their heads towards her as the young healing witch stood there frozen. Shaun took a deep breath in, flaring her nostrils. She caught a frightening familiar scent and coughed as she let out her breath. “H--he can’t be here...” Nerilyn stuttered.

“I thought this place was hidden? And I thought he only went after werewolves.” Shaun commented.

“Not anymore...”

Astoria stood there in utter confusion, “What the hell is going on?”

“We need to go...now. Everyone is in danger if we stay here for much longer. Nerilyn, let the others know somehow. Astoria and I will leave the way Meraki left.” Shaun grabbed the young powerless witch by the arm and led her out of S.H.E.D. safely.

“I can’t just leave Nerilyn! What if she gets injured?”

“She will be fine.”

“How do you know that, Shaun?” Astoria pleaded and abruptly stopped in her tracks as they got close to the exit.

Shaun looked at her with glossy eyes, “I don’t....” She turned away as her strong exterior began to crack in front of a girl she barely knew.

Astoria’s heart shattered at the thought of losing her best friend to an unknown enemy. “I’m not leaving her alone. I refuse to do so.”

“Tori, we need to get out of here. It’s too dangerous to go back! Nerilyn will be fine. She can defend herself, can’t she?”

“She has healing powers. What can she do to defend herself with that?”

“I don’t know! I’m not a witch, Tori! You are! Don’t you know anything about other witches powers?”

Astoria lowered her head in defeat, “I don’t. Because I don’t have powers, my school doesn’t really give me magic classes. So I have no clue as to what Lyn really does as a healer. What powers she poses as a healer. I’m just a useless witch, if I can even call myself that.”

Shaun took Astoria’s shaking hands into hers, “Tori, you are a witch. You will get your powers soon. I know you will. My best friend didn’t find out about her wolf until this year. And she just turned eighteen in October. You’re just a late bloomer, like she is.”

“You sound just like my doctor,” Astoria smiled softly.

Shaun tilted her head. She was about to say something when she heard heavy footsteps coming toward them. She grabbed the young witches arm and took off again. “We can continue this when we get somewhere safe.” She breathed. She guessed Astoria nodded in agreement, since she didn’t have a second to actually see her response.

“Where are we going anyway?”

“A vampire’s mansion.”