Free Entwined Destinies by Robin Briar

of my nethers.
    So the ass-fucking was all in my head.
    I spin around to take a closer look at him. Sure enough, he’s utterly spent. That should keep him out of commission for a little while. Still, that session will go a long ways toward filling up the quicksilver pool again. If nothing else, it was a good start.
    I owe it to Candice and Saffron to replace what I spent. I’m good for it, even if that means using my werewolf to pay off the tab. Still, it’s not like he’s suffering. At least, that’s how I justify it to myself. That, and by placing a pillow under Mason’s head. Sleep well.
    I walk to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. I need to make sense of this hallucination. I really couldn’t shake it off. I’ve never had a vision that was quite so stubborn before. I’m already dreading what my instincts are telling me it means.
    A vision that won’t go away must be close to manifesting in the real world. All visions are subject to interpretation, of course, but a persistent vision usually means that something is going to happen soon. At the very least, I need to keep my guard up.
    It felt like the red-eyed man was actually here. That I could feel his hands on me. I’m still trying to shake the feeling of having him inside me. My brain is half expecting him to walk up behind me, place his hands on my breasts, and bend me over the counter.
    No, Jess, get a hold of yourself. Yes it felt real—very real—but none of it actually happened. It’s merely the product of your overactive imagination melding with a glimpse into the future. That’s all. Don’t make it anything more than it is. You certainly don’t need to be fantasizing about another man right now.
    I look back at Mason sprawled out on my bed, mostly to assure myself that the vision is finally over. It’s him, all right. He hasn’t moved.
    Mason will probably bounce back quickly, like he did the first time, but he’s also been awake all night, not to mention all the driving he did to get here. He may need to genuinely sleep. I could definitely use the time to put my life in order.
    * * *
    Mason’s claws definitely dug into my flank today. I never did get Maintain the Flesh up and running. My coven taught me how to heal myself, but not anybody else.
    “ Mederi Ipsum .”
    Mend Self.
    My flesh stitches back together again in no time. When the magic finishes working, there’s not even a scar left to show for it.
    Candice and Saffron said it was too dangerous healing other people, even with magic, until I learned more about human anatomy. Sure, I get it now. It’s one thing to heal yourself, because you know exactly where the pain is located, but it’s quite another to heal somebody else with magic.
    The patient might be able to tell you where they hurt, but that still leaves a lot of guesswork. There’s no telling how much damage needs repairing.
    Hence the mandatory first-aid courses they insisted I take. Well, I’ve completed all the classes they suggested, and even bought an industrial first-aid kit, but they still haven’t taught me any more healing spells.
    I hop in the shower and clean up. Mason wakes up after I’m done showering, but in a daze. I admire him through the bathroom mirror reflection. He puts on his pendant, a shirt, and pair of shorts, and then falls back on the bed without saying a word. He hasn’t moved since. Probably sleepwalking.
    Poor guy. His stamina might be nearly inexhaustible, but he still needs to replenish his mental capacity, especially after gallivanting around as a wolf on the full moon. Thinking about it now, I wonder if draining him so soon after a full moon might knock him out longer than usual?
    Not that I’m complaining. So much has happened lately that I’ve barely had a chance to deal with any of it myself.
    I sit in front of The Vision of Endymion that I left out for Mason to see, staring at it silently and examining the details. It’s not quite an exact copy, like the one I’m