Chapter 12: David's Healing Touch

The dank air of the underground tunnel pressed closely toward David's pores and skin as he observed Michael through the darkness. His heightened senses picked up the scents of mildew, earth, and something some distance greater sinister – the lingering traces of darkish magic that appeared to permeate every inch of this cursed place.

As the percent's healer, David became uniquely attuned to the energies around him. The malevolent aura emanating from the mansion above made his pores and skin crawl, but he drove the soreness apart. Jessica needed him, and he might no longer fail her.

Michael paused at a junction, his hand raised for silence. David strained his ears, catching the faint sound of footsteps overhead. They were close now, so close to their captured Luna. His heart raced with a mixture of anticipation and fear.

"Remember the plan," Michael whispered, his eyes sparkling inside the dim mild. "I'll create a distraction. You find Jessica and get her out."

David nodded, swallowing tough. He became a healer, now not a fighter, however for Jessica, he would emerge as whatever she wished him to be. The mild alpha that normally shied far from violence felt a fierce protectiveness surge via him at the notion of her in danger.

As Michael slipped away into the shadows, David took a second to middle himself. He recalled the first time he'd without a doubt linked with Jessica, past the preliminary awkwardness of their fated bond. She had come to him after an especially grueling schooling session, her frame battered and bruised.

At first, David had been hesitant, his touch medical as he tended to her accidents. But as he worked, he felt something shift among them. Jessica had seemed up at him with those piercing eyes, packed with an aggregate of vulnerability and electricity that took his breath away.

"Thank you," she had whispered, her hand covering his. "For usually being right here to place me again together."

In that second, David had felt the entire pressure in their connection. It wasn't pretty enough to recover her bodily wounds – it turned into a sanctuary, a place of consolation and safety in the chaos of her new existence.

Now, as he crept via the enemy's lair, David held onto that memory. He might be that sanctuary for her once more, regardless of what it took.

A commotion erupted above, signaling Michael's distraction was underway. David took a deep breath and emerged from the tunnel right into a dimly lit cellar. The air changed into thick with the heady scent of incense and something steel – blood.

His wolf senses were on high alert, and and David navigated through the cluttered space. Ancient artifacts and arcane tomes lined the shelves, their very presence seeming to pulse with malevolent electricity. He drove down the revulsion rising in his throat, focusing completely on finding Jessica.

A muffled cry from above spurred him into movement. David bounded up the steps, his ordinary warning forgotten in his urgency. As he reached the primary ground, the sounds of preventing echoed from the front of the mansion. The pack. The diversion was working – the maximum of the cultists seemed to have been drawn away.

David observed his instincts, letting the bond manual him toward Jessica. He ought to feel her presence developing more potent with every step, together with a growing feeling of desperation. She became in pain – he ought to sense it resonating through their connection.

Finally, he reached a heavy wooden door in the quiet of a long hallway. Jessica's fragrance turned into strongest right here, mingled with fear and the acrid odor of darkish magic. David's mild nature warred with the primal need to defend his mate. With a growl that surprised even himself, he threw his shoulder against the door, splintering it off its hinges.

The scene that greeted him made his blood run cold. Jessica changed into bound to an altar, her skin light and clammy. The cult leader stood over her, a ceremonial dagger raised excessively. Dark energy crackled around them, the air itself seeming to warp and twist.

"Stop!" David roared, his voice carrying an authority he'd never regarded he possessed.

The cult chief whirled, his eyes extensive with marvel after which narrowed in malicious glee. "Ah, some other of the Luna's lapdogs," he sneered. "Come to observe her fulfill her genuine future?"

David's eyes locked with Jessica's. Despite her weakened nation, he noticed a flicker of desire ignite in her gaze. It gave him electricity, pushing back the fear that threatened to paralyze him.

"The most effective destiny she has," David growled, his form beginning to shift, "is with us."

He released himself on the cult chief, his commonly peaceful nature subsumed with the aid of the need to guard. They crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs and snarling fury. David changed into no fighter, however, the energy of his love for Jessica, the desperate need to keep her, lent energy to his blows.

The cult chief caught off shield with the aid of the ferocity of the assault and struggled to regain the higher hand. His dagger flashed, scoring a line of fireplace throughout David's arm. But the healer slightly felt the ache, so focused on keeping the madman away from Jessica.

As they grappled, David became aware of an alternate within the air. The oppressive weight of dark magic becomes being pushed back, replaced by something heat and radiant. He risked a glance towards the altar and noticed Jessica struggling in opposition to her bonds, her eyes glowing with an inner mild.

"David!" she cried out, her voice strained but decided. "The dagger – wreck it!"

Understanding flooded through him. The ceremonial blade turned into the point of interest of the ritual, the conduit for the cult's foul magic. With a surge of energy, David wrenched it from the chief's hold close and brought it down against the stone floor.

The dagger shattered with a sound like breaking glass, liberating a shockwave of electricity that sent both David and the cult chief sprawling. For a second, all turned into chaos and blinding light. When David's imagination and prescient cleared, he saw the cult leader crumpled in opposition to the way wall, unconscious or worse.

Ignoring the aches of his battered body, David scrambled to his feet and rushed to Jessica's aspect. His hands, usually so regular, shook as he labored to undo her restraints.

"Jessica," he breathed, gathering her into his hands. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

She clung to him, her frame trembling with exhaustion and residual fear. "I knew you would come," she whispered in opposition to his chest. "I should feel you, all of you, even when everything else becomes darkness."

David's heart swelled with a mixture of alleviation and love so profound it threatened to overwhelm him. He cradled her gently, his healer's instincts taking over as he assessed her condition. There were no critical bodily accidents, however the ordeal had taken its toll. He may want to feel the strain on her frame and spirit from resisting the darkish ritual.

"I've got you," he murmured, urgent a kiss to her brow. "You're secure now. I might not allow whatever happens to you."

As he held her, David felt the nice and cozy tingle of his recovery strength flowing into Jessica. It changed into distinct from his typical healing – this was deeper, greater intimate. He poured all of his love, his devotion, his very essence into restoring her.

Jessica gasped softly, her eyes widening as she felt the connection between them give a boost. "David," she breathed, reaching up to touch his face. "I can experience you... All of you."

He nodded, understanding washing over him. This wasn't pretty much physical healing – it turned into approximately mending the spiritual and emotional wounds inflicted through the cult's darkish magic. David opened himself absolutely to the bond, letting Jessica draw strength from his unwavering love and aid.

As coloration lowered back to her cheeks and the haunted appearance dwindled from her eyes, David felt a finishing touch he'd by no means acknowledged before. This became his true cause – no longer simply as a healer but as Jessica's mate. He would continually be there to position her back collectively, to be her sanctuary within the storm.

The sound of approaching footsteps broke the instant. David tensed, geared up to shield Jessica together with his existence if important. But it turned into James who burst via the entrance, accompanied intently using the rest of the percent.

"Jessica!" James cried, his eyes wild with remedy and lingering worry.

David reluctantly loosened his preserve, allowing James to acquire Jessica into his fingers. He watched as the others crowded around, each needing to touch her, to reassure themselves that she was sincerely secure.

As Jessica was enveloped in the love and safety of her friends, David stuck her eye over James's shoulder. The appearance she gave him changed into packed with gratitude, knowledge, and something deeper – a popularity of the unbreakable bond they now shared.

At that moment, David knew that the whole lot had changed. The gentle healer had emerged as a fierce protector, his love for Jessica transforming him in approaches he became the handiest beginning to recognize. Whatever challenges lay ahead, he could face them with a new strength and reason.

For Jessica, for the love that now burned brightly in his heart, David could turn out to be the rock all of them wished him to be.