Because of the intricacies of my triple-souls, I had to focus intently on which piece I took and what magic I took with it. I was so focused on picking the perfect amount that the pain took me by surprise.
I shivered and my soul burst with shards of light as a searing pain shot through me. It was soul pain, not body pain, and I hadn't realized just how much that could hurt. But all pain is, is mental stimulus, and a large part of what makes us who we are is the collection of energy within our brains. Tearing a part of my soul away was excruciating, and it was all Trevor could do to stand there and witness it. I could feel his anguish over the horror of having to watch me hurt myself to heal him; see it on his face.
But I wasn't really hurting myself; I was balancing us. And my souls—all three of them—knew it. As I pulled a piece of my soul free, the piece of Trevor's soul that had been clinging outside of my goddess soul for all of this time slid in to replace it. Peace settled over me as the nine-pointed star inside my chest shimmered with waves of magic before settling into a shining beacon that glowed through my spiritual form. I smiled at Trevor as his eyes widened. Yes; this was exactly what we needed.
Then I placed a new heart inside his chest.
Trevor's soul shivered as mine had with the severing, but he was experiencing the most sublime pleasure. I could feel ripples of it coming off him; see the bliss in his smile. He seemed to grow then; expanding and brightening with power. I heard the howl of wolves and the cry of other night creatures around us, and then Trevor's soul took on a pale glow; like a full moon in a night sky. He smiled as bright as that moon and then laid a soft kiss on my lips.
When we had been at the cabin, I thought we had reached a place of profound communication that we couldn't surpass. But floating free with him above our bodies—the eyes of our souls connected—Trevor said more to me than he could ever put into words or push into my mind. I was suddenly so very grateful to be there; no matter what steps had led us to that moment. I would do it all again just to listen to his soul.
We slowly let go of each other and floated back above our bodies. We used the cords hanging there to pull our souls down into our physical selves. I settled into my body like I would a warm bed on a cold night. As I sat up and inhaled deeply, I heard Trevor's matching gasp. We turned to each other with serene smiles.
“It worked,” Odin declared.
“It worked,” I confirmed as I stood up and went to my wolf. “How do you feel?”
“I feel amazing,” the Wolf said and then laughed. “I feel—”
The Wolf howled and the sound echoed through the stone room and beyond. The world outside stirred and creatures who should have been sleeping the day away lifted their heads and cried back. The Wolf's skin glowed with inner moonlight and his eyes glinted silver beneath the honey; like an antique mirror. He held his arms out wide and threw back his head; his dark curls snapping with energy. When his arms came forward, they wrapped me up and lifted me off my feet.
“I can feel them all!” the Wolf declared. “In their burrows and dens. In the God Realm and the Human. I feel their hearts beating and their souls stirring. I can touch them and call to them. This is magnificent!”
I laughed and hugged him tighter.
“Vhat did you give him?” Kirill asked.
“My Dark Dominion,” I said. “A piece of my Moon magic. It just felt right.”
The Wolf smiled at me as he caressed my face. “Thank you, Minn Elska. This is the most wondrous gift.” His hand slid to my belly. “Almost as precious as this one.”
Minn Elska. I stopped and stared into his eyes. I saw the Wolf there—I would always be able to recognize the glint of him now—but it was Trevor who stared back at me. I smiled radiantly at him and stroked a hand over his cheek—thanking the Wolf—before I spoke to the man.
“I wish you had told me,” I whispered. “Just smacked me over the head and showed me what a fool I was being. We would have done this sooner.”
Trevor was kind enough not to tell me what I already knew; that he had been trying to tell me. That it had been obvious all along.
“It doesn't matter anymore,” he said instead. “Things worked out the way they were supposed to. Our son, our souls, and this magic inside me; everything is as it should be.”
“That magic was meant to be yours,” I said. “I'm glad that I was the one to give it to you. And now, my wolf is bonded to my goddess soul. She has a home, where before, she was left on the outskirts. I feel stronger. In fact, I think I want to go for a run.”
“I as well,” Trevor agreed.
Trevor shifted into his full wolf form; a silky black wolf with honey-silver eyes. And just like that, the Wolf was back. But he looked different now. Instead of seeing the Wolf inside the man, I was seeing the man inside the wolf, and both of them had changed. I smiled brightly at him—trailing my fingers through his thick pelt—and then shifted too; into a white wolf.
The Wolf brushed up against me, and
