He nodded. “I’ll see if I can unravel the charm’s magic and pin down its intent.”
“Aiden said we weren’t to touch anything—”
“I don’t need to touch it to unravel it, as you well know. Besides, it’s never a wise move to leave unknown magic active—especially in a case like this, when the hunters unexpectedly leave their prize behind.”
All of which was certainly true. “Just try not to blow yourself up this time.”
He snorted. “I’m not as arrogantly confident as our heretic hunter, so you can rest assured I’ll unpick the magic very carefully indeed.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I thought Chester’s caution was the only thing that saved you both?”
He snorted again. “I had to give that impression, didn’t I? The rangers don’t need another reason to distrust a witch right now.”
Which was fair enough. I swung my pack off my shoulders and handed it to him. “There’s an assortment of potions and blessed items in there if you need any additional magical help.”
“I wouldn’t have thought it’d be in your best interests to give me free access to such items,” he said, amusement evident but with an odd sort of seriousness. “How do you know I won’t pick apart your magic rather than the charm’s?”
“Aside from the fact I have nothing to hide when it comes to my magic,” I replied evenly, “you’re not the type to go behind my back to do something like that. You’d tell me flat out what you were doing, why you were doing it, and then curse me when the results weren’t exactly what you were expecting.”
He laughed, a sharp sound that ended in a wince. “That is all certainly true. You’d best head up before that damn ambulance drives past us.”
By the time I’d scrambled up the hill, my breathing was little more than short wheezes. While the hill was certainly steep, it was more to do with the fact I was damned unfit. I somehow made it across to the fence and leaned against it heavily. As I sucked in air to ease the fire in my lungs, I decided—not for the first time in my life—that I really needed to do something about my fitness levels.
Two ambulances soon came into sight. I waved them down and was almost immediately escorted into the back of one to be checked and treated while the crew of the second ambulance went into the paddock to help Ashworth. Despite the fact I had little more than a cut on the chin, the medics insisted I go back to the hospital for observation. Apparently, abrasions and bruising like mine were classic signs of “seat belt syndrome” and it was possible there was deeper internal damage even if I was feeling perfectly fine right now.
While the last thing I wanted or needed was to be in hospital over Christmas, I didn’t particularly want to drop dead either.
The tow truck and Aiden arrived at the same time. Ciara wasn’t with him, which meant she was either still on the way or he’d called in an off-reservation substitute. He climbed out of his vehicle, his gaze sweeping the area and the two ambulances before coming to rest on me. Relief briefly surged across his expression before it settled into one of annoyance.
He strode over, talked for a couple of seconds to the paramedic who’d treated me, and then climbed into the back of the ambulance and sat down on the attendant’s seat opposite me. His nostrils flared as he did so, and something flickered across his expression—something that looked a whole lot like relief.
It said a lot about the current state of my brain that it took me several seconds to realize why—he’d been searching for the scent of sex and hadn’t found it.
Annoyance, anger, and all manner of other unreasonable emotions surged, and I couldn’t help snapping, “So are you going to return the favor?”
Confusion crossed his expression. “What favor?”
I touched my nose. “You now know I didn’t have sex last night—so did you?”
Amusement twitched his lips. “What happened to the two of us being free agents and not owing each other anything?”
“Nothing happened to it. I’m just asking you what you were apparently afraid to ask me.”
He laughed and caught my hands in his. “Liz, I’ve already told you more than once that until you came along, there was no one currently within this reservation I was sexually interested in. Why would you think that has changed?”
“Because I’m not a wolf,” I said bluntly, “and I have no idea what really goes on in these two-day celebrations of yours.”
“Lots of things go on, but the ones you’ve no doubt heard about—the drinking and sexual hookups—are not mandatory nor, for the most part, even encouraged. Especially when you’re the head ranger and on call twenty-four seven over that period.”
“Well, that’s good to know.” I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “But just so you know, I don’t like sharing. If you do ever become attracted to another wolf, tell me first.”
“How about you stop worrying about the future and just concentrate on enjoying the present?”
“I’ve spent a good portion of my life worrying about the future, Aiden. It’s a damn hard habit to break.”
“Then I guess it’s something we’ll have to work on together.” He kissed my fingers then released me and leaned back in the chair. The warmth in his expression faded. I was again facing the ranger rather than the lover. “Why didn’t you call me before you went chasing after the hunters?”
“Because I didn’t know what the wild magic was trying to show me. It could have been nothing.”