Chapter 7: Powerful Ancient Magic

Darren had changed back to his human form in the woods and dressed in his clothes again. He made his way back and placed the duffle bag halfway between the forest and the edge of the cliff before watching Sephrina who was looking out over the scenery a good distance away from the edge. He walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders and leaned in next to her ear. "What do you think?"

She didn't say anything for a long moment. "To say it's beautiful would be an under statement."

Darren smiled at her. "Now you know how I see you."

She turned and looked at him with surprise in her eyes as her cheeks flared red. He grabs a blanket from the duffle bag and laid it out before sitting down. Sephrina sit's next to him. He feels a little embarrassed at his comment but tries not to show it on his face. she sits down next to him and looks out over the water. "I need to rest after that run." He breathed in a long breath.

"So what are your plans for today?"

"Well, I was thinking about asking this gorgeous woman some things about herself so I could get to know her more." He smiled not looking at her.

"Well why didn't you ask that gorgeous girl here?"

This made him look at her but she sat still looking over the water as if she hadn't said anything at all. "What?" She looked at him but didn't say anything.

Looking back over the water silence filled the air, only the sound of rushing water from the far waterfall and chirping birds made any sound. "I's your hair a natural red or is it dyed?" He asked trying to break the silence.

"Natural. How long have you been a werewolf?"

"Since I was born I suppose." His eye's lowered to her hand that he wanted to hold so bad and he sees gold and white colors coming from it. "What's on your hand?"

He used this as an excuse to hold her hand as he brought it up to eye level looking at it intently, studying it closer than anything he had ever studied before apart from her beauty. "Tattoo's."

When she didn't ask a question in return he asked another. "When did you get them?"

"I don't remember. I guess it's been a while."

"You didn't have these when we got here. So you had to have gotten them since we been here? Did Lillianna take you to get a tattoo?" He let her hand rest at her side again but didn't let go.

"Yeah, I was going to get some gloves to cover it but then I forgot."

"You don't have to hide anything from me. Your gorgeous as you are, everything about you is." He gazed at her but she kept her gaze on the lake below, her ears turning a slight red. "I am pretty certain that I am all rested up now, do you want to go swimming?"

She sat silent for a moment and he starts to feel like he had offended her somehow. "I don't have a bathing suit."

Letting go of her hand he retrieves the duffle bag and rifles through it before pulling out a bright purple one piece bathing suit and handed it to her. She looked at him with something he couldn't quite name. "So you just happen to have a women's bathing suit?"

it didn't dawn on him right away but when it had he started stuttering and trying to explain himself. "No I just- I got- I don't own it- why would I- I had Lily pick one up for you because she knew your size."

Once he managed to get his words out Sephrina burst into laughter and he knew that he was redder than an apple now. "Lillianna told me you had her pick up a bathing suit for me yesterday while we were out shopping. She picked out the bathing suit, I just told her it had to be a once piece. The look on your face was priceless."

Darren took a deep breath and let it out. At least she knows he isn't some kind of pervert. "Well what do you say?"

"Swimming sounds lovely but I am not jumping off this cliff."

"Oh god no." Looking over the edge he couldn't help but feel his stomach fall out just seeing the drop before he pulled back. "There is a secluded beach not far from here, I was thinking we could go there."

He walked behind the tree's and stripped his clothes off folding them into a neat pile before letting his wolf take over. Making sure to grab the clothes before trotting out from behind the tree's he dropped them next to the duffle bag and laid down. Sephrina packed the clothes away and slung the bag onto her back before climbing onto his back. He started slow down the side of the hill that they hadn't come up on and picked up speed yet made sure he didn't go as fast as before, he hadn't ran with someone on his back before so he was unsure if she could properly hold on. He let his mind wander as they made their way to the secluded beach. He and his wolf weren't necessarily one, they were technically two different being's sharing a single body that could change forms. His wolf had his own personality and he his, but they were so much alike it was hard to see the difference sometimes but they agreed on many things such as Sephrina's beauty.

She is by far the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. If he had any thoughts about anybody else they vanished at the sight of her. Almost not realizing that he was about to pass the beach he made a hard left and felt Sephrina nearly fall from his back. He laid down almost immediately after he felt her slipping off but when he didn't see her feet or feel her on his back he got up and turned around fully to see Sephrina standing up and shuffling through the duffle bag. She pulled out her bathing suit and stepped behind the tree's. Darren turned to the bag after she disappeared and dug out his swimming trunks with his snout before wading into the water in his wolf form letting the cold water cool off his skin and soak his fur. The thought of smelling like a wet dog came to mind and he shifted quickly into his human form. Pulling on his swim trunks he lets himself sink in the water as he let's his mind wander again.

What if they went skinny dipping? It's a very secret beach, the others didn't know it was really there, it's always been his quiet space so it would be just them. The thought of them being naked together caused other thought's to fill his mind and sent a wave of excitement between his legs. Surfacing and finding where he could firmly place his feet but also to where his shoulders were still under the water he looked to the shore as he took a deep breath in and smiled as he saw Sephrina now waist deep in the water slowly making her way towards him. Reaching down a little to scratch the inner part of his thigh he hit something hard, realizing what it was his eyes widened and he felt heat raise to his cheeks. "What?' Sephrina asked looking up from the water to meet his eye's.

"Nothing." His voice cracked and he cursed himself for not checking it before talking.

"It's obviously something." She looked down at herself. "I don't look like a clown do I?" She chuckled trying to make it obvious she was joking.

"Of course not, you look amazing." He made sure he kept his mouth closed for a minute after that so he didn't say the thoughts coming to his head. "I farted is all." Even more heat rose to his cheeks.

Why of all things would he say that? He just wanted to disappear under the water again and hide for a bit but she was only a few feet away. "I didn't see any bubbles come up around you." She swam past him keeping her distance and started swimming through the water.

He sighed in relief and start swimming after her.

For hours they swam allowing Darren to calm down while having fun playing all different kinds of water games. Sephrina was the first to make her way to the shore. She was about to lay on the hot sand when Darren stopped her. He pulled the blanket from the duffle bag and laid it over the sand. As soon as the blanket had been laid out and was settled onto the sand she dropped to her knees before face planting. "Are you that wore out?"

She turned her head to the side so she could be heard but left her eye's closed. "I haven't gone swimming like that in I don't know how long. Yes I am this worn out. Besides I don't have the wolfly strength or stamina you do so when I do something I am not used to I get tired faster."

This caused him pause and his fathers words flooded his mind and before he could run the words through a filter they flew from his lips like a bird from it's nest. "How do you know your not a werewolf?"

Her eye's opened and for only a moment they were not the green and blue he knew so well, they were a bright gold. He blinked and they were back to normal. He must have imagined it, or maybe the sand was reflecting in her eye's, it's just about noon and they could move to the shade. As the gears in his head turned he realizes that she still hasn't answered his question. Seeming to read his thoughts she took a deep breath in. "I just know my body, if there was anything different about it, a new freckle or even a mole I would know. Something physical as well as spiritual I would know. Nothing about me escapes my own notice."

"You were bitten by an alpha werewolf on the night of the full moon, there is no way that you haven't been affected."

"If you can ask me how I know what I know about my body let me ask this from you." Sitting up she keeps her feet off the blanket. "Why did you bite me?" Darren looks at her dumbfounded. "If you can answer that, then I'll answer your question." He knit his brows together and knew he couldn't answer that question just yet. "Let's not ruin this time we are spending together. I like you and this date has been fun. Let's just have some more fun."

Darren held her eyes and smiled. "Okay, we can do that." She smiled.

They managed to get a conversation started after straining to find something to talk about. After the sun had reached it's peak and just started it's long decent Darren digs through the duffle bag, unzips a side pocket, and start pulling out things to make sandwiches. They make themselves a couple as they continue talking about some of the things that come to mind. Sephrina talks about all the things her and her sister used to do, and Darren tells stories about him and Lillianna. Although Darren tried to hold his thoughts in check he couldn't help a few that slipped through. Making her his, holding her body against his with nothing separating them. How her lips would feel against his, though these thoughts were strong he made sure that he stayed calm through their conversation.

Sephrina stood, grabbed her clothes and walked into the woods. When a few minutes had passed and she hadn't returned he called her name but didn't get a response. He slowly made his way to where she walked into the woods but when he didn't see her right away he started to panic. Without a second thought he walked past the tree line and into the forest more but only made it past the second tree when he saw her in a ray of sun with her back to him, standing absolutely still and completely naked.

His eye's studied her body, thigh length red hair, a smooth back, hourglass figure, round ass, and thick thighs, he could feel himself harden at the sight of her. She turned to the side and his eyes flew back to her head. She hadn't noticed him. He closed his eyes covering them with his hand. "Sephrina?" He called and turned around pulling his hand away from his eyes.

He hoped that he desperately sounded like he didn't know where she was. He heard something shuffling around. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I just got here. I tried calling for you but you didn't answer and I got worried."

He heard her footsteps and she passed him. "I'm Okay, let's go."

He followed her with a jog, "Hold on what's wrong?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder but got tripped up and fell pulling her down with him. He felt the hard ground beneath him and Sephrina on top of him. She stiffened and buried her head in his chest. "Darren."

"What?" He asked concerned.

He felt something press against his member sending excitement and embarrassment through him. "What did you see?"

He breathed in and was going to try to lie but couldn't go through with it. "Your back. Side. Your whole backside." She took a deep breath in before letting it out slowly. "I'm sorry I-" He felt something press against him and he groaned.

Realizing the sound he made he felt himself flush and was about to try to get up when Sephrina lifted her head and connected her lips with his and he swore that spark's flew. They were soft like he had imagined, although this is not how he had imagined their first kiss going. He kissed her back his excitement growing as he wrapped his arms around her and depend the kiss. When they broke it was for air but it ended their kiss,, the only thing keeping him from begging her to come back was where the kiss had come from. "What was that for?" He asked.

Her cheeks dusted pink as if a pink rose had caressed them. "I like you."

"I like you too." He said breathless.

She got up and he quickly adjusted himself so his shorts weren't pitching a tent when he got up. Following her back to the beach he wanted to grab her and pull her into his chest and kiss her again. All the things that he could do with her started flooding his mind but he shoved them away and tried to focus on gathering everything up. "Let's start walking back on foot and maybe later you can change into your wolf." She suggested.

He agreed and they started walking back up the hill. "So... Does this mean we're dating?" Darren asked.

"I don't think so." He felt his heart start to drop. "We haven't made it official and neither of us has technically asked the other."

Smiling he turned to her. "Sephrina, will you be my girlfriend?"

Sephrina smiled back. "Yes I will. Now it's official." She chuckled and it made Darren's smile grow.

Today had been a great day for him, he had an amazing date and officially started being in a relationship with his destined mate. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and they walked up the hill in a comfortable silence. When they got to the top of the cliff side where they had stopped that morning. Darren got closer to the edge but Sephrina stayed back. He looked over the edge and down to the rocks and water below. After stepping back Sephrina carefully tried her footing. "If your scared of height's then you shouldn't."

She looked over the edge and tears fell from her eye's as fear took to her expressions. Worry sprouted in Darren and he pulled her back and into his arms. She stiffened in his embrace and a blinding light exploded from between them but he only held onto her tighter wanting to make sure she was still there, that he could still feel her in his arms. It gave him comfort. Squinting against the light he tried to see what was happening but couldn't see anything except the light. Closing his eyes again he waited until it subsided but he couldn't understand what he was feeling. There were foreign feelings flooding his, a sense of anxiety, fear and something he couldn't put into words took over and he made sure he could still feel Sephrina in his embrace.

After a few more minutes, just as fast as it had started it ended and he felt Sephrina slump into his arms. Lowering themselves to the ground he lifted her head so that he could see her face. She looked like she was in a daze as she looked back into his eyes. "What was that?"

He felt a growing of power vibrate him from his bones and another light started glowing. Holding Sephrina closer, preparing himself to be blinded again he waited. This glow however was different, A green glow came from Sephrina and a golden glow came from him, both of them emitting the light right above their hearts. Once the light faded he looked at Sephrina who was holding her head, pain etched into every detail of her beautiful face, distress bloomed in Darren's chest like a flower but it didn't feel like it was his distress. Ignoring the feeling he placed his hands over Sephrina's to pull them back to him when he suddenly wasn't kneeling next to her anymore. He was on a horse racing through the forest, the desperation tp flee, to get away and get safe was strong.

Confusion assaults him. The horse fell from under him and he was thrown from the saddle. The image faded and he was back to holding Sephrina. He pulled her close to him and backed them farther away from the cliff side. The scene changed and he was now running full speed towards a different cliff nearly flying off the side when it came almost too quick. Whipping around to the open space behind him knights riding horses raced through the forest and shot at him with bows and threw spears, a few carried swords. He turned and against his will he jumped off the cliff side, his stomach dropped as he fell getting closer to the sharp rocks below. "No!" Was it him that screamed?

The image was torn from him and he was back to the cliff side with the lake under them. His arms were empty, Sephrina sat about ten feet away resting against a tree, her hand held up as if she was trying to keep something at bay and she broke out in a viscous sweat. "Sephrina?" His voice felt and sounded distant as if he was somewhere else.

Her arm suddenly drop and she groaned in pain. His sense's went from his ears barely being able to hear anything as if they had just popped, his vision blurry as if he was under water, and his body weak like all his muscles had disappeared to his ears rapidly clearing, his vision sharpening back up and his strength returning so swift he could barely make out what had happened. Lillianna and Josh's wolves came sprinting up the path nearly knocking into him. They shifted back and dressed quickly, josh in a pair of basketball short and Lillianna in a tank top and leggings. "What the fuck Happened?" Josh asked

Darren turned to him, worry and confusion taking over every one of his senses. He stood carefully and walked over to Sephrina who was breathing hard. "Darren. Now." Lillianna demanded

"We need to get her to the house." Darren tried changing the subject.

"No." They both stated simultaneously.

Darren turned to them rage starting to fill him. "Tell us what happened first." Lillianna demanded.

"How did you get that thing on your chest?" Josh asked.

Darren looked down and saw a gold mark in the shape of a heart with an infinity sign laid over top of it in blue and green. "It's something to do with some kind of magic."

"Did she put it there?" Josh asked looking to Sephrina.

"No. She was trying to protect me."

"How do you know that?" Lillianna asks.

"Just because I do. She hasn't done anything for me to think otherwise."

"I know she is your mate but-" Darren growled a warring at Josh as he speaks. "-we just want to make sure your safe. We know you would never hurt her or any of us on purpose, we just aren't one hundred percent on her. We worry about you bro."

"We will get her to the house and you explain everything that happened. Got it." Lillianna's voice was stern.

Darren nodded as he picked Sephrina up. She wrapped he arms around his neck still trying to catch her breath. Her body felt on fire. "She isn't strong enough to ride on my back all the way down. Someone would have to hold her."

Lillianna and Josh looked at each other protectively. To ride on a wolf's back is considered one of the most intimate things among wolves and with them being mates they didn't like the idea of the other on another's back. "I could shift and Lillianna can hold her on my back."

Darren wanted to object not wanting Sephrina to ride on another males back but when she started slipping from his grasp he agreed. Once they were ready he carefully placed Sephrina onto Josh's back, Lillianna holding onto her tight. They went ahead to the house and Darren made sure he had all of their things in the duffle bag before shifting, grabs the duffle bag and runs as fast as he could to catch up with them. Once they were all back at the house he shifted back first and hurriedly put some short's on before grabbing Sephrina from Josh's back letting her arms hold onto him around his neck as he takes her inside. "Tell me what's wrong." He says in her ear as he walks.

"Memories from... Past lives... Pain of dying."

Her eyelids fluttered closed as she fought sleep and panic filled Darren at the last part of her words. "What do you mean dying? Your not dying?"

"Mhm. Sleep now" She hummed as she started going limp in his arms.

"No. Your not allowed to sleep right now." She didn't respond. "Sephrina."

He managed to get her in her bed but panic still filled him. He took off her shoes and covered her with only her sheet's. Sitting on the edge of her bed he watched her chest rise and fall rhythmically as her words rang in his ears. Is she feeling the pain of death or Is she actually dying? Josh and Lillianna enter the room more dressed than they were outside. "So tell us what happened." Josh's voice almost didn't make it to Darren's ears.

After telling them the details, barely taking his eyes off Sephrina, he felt like he was about to cry. "She can't..." He choked on the last word and tears spilled from his eyes.

"If I have learned anything about Sephrina, it's that she is stubborn. She'll wake up after some rest." Lillianna laid a hand on his shoulder.

Darren didn't say anything but he felt her hand leave his shoulder and heard the door close.