Romance Rules for Werewolves (Charming Cove, #3)(50)

“What are you doing?” Rafe asked.

I’d had to lean pretty far over to reach the water, and my bum was unceremoniously in the air. “I wanted to check for dangers in the water.”

“That’s something you can do?”

“Not normally, but this place is special.” I sank my hand a bit deeper into the cold sea. “You’re going to want to veer to the right a bit. I think there are some rocks up ahead.”

He turned the wheel, and the boat drifted a bit to the right. “Good?”

“Yes, that should be fine.” I guided him through the water for the next ten minutes until the haze parted to reveal a small, rocky island covered in trees that sat atop a high hill. I grinned. “We made it.”

He gestured to the small wooden dock that protruded off the island. “Is it a clear path to that dock?”

“It is. You can head directly toward it.” I pulled my hand out of the water and straightened, trying to loosen the crick in my back.

He navigated the rest of the way, slowing the boat as we neared the dock. When he was close enough, he turned off the engine and jumped ashore, stopping the boat before it could drift into the dock. Then he tied off the lines to the little metal bits that stuck off the dock— I had no idea what to call them—and it was all done so quickly and seamlessly that I couldn’t help but give a little clap.

He arched a brow. “Seriously?”

I shrugged. “What? You did a good job.”

“You’re just too much sometimes,” he said, but he was smiling as he said it.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” I stood and took off the life jacket, then put it in the boat’s cabin.

He held out his hand to help me onto the dock, and I took it, unable to help the shiver that raced up my arm when my skin met his. I’d never felt such an electric connection with anyone before. His eyes flashed as they met mine, and I thought he might be feeling the same thing.

He let go as soon as he could, though, and took off his life jacket to throw it in the boat. “Lead the way.”

I nodded and started up the dock, following the pull of the magic. As soon as I stepped onto the rocky land, I felt the magic whoosh up through my feet. I gasped, stopping dead still as it flowed through me.

“This place is amazing,” I breathed. “Do you feel it?”

“I don’t.”

Probably because he was a wolf and not a witch. I closed my eyes and absorbed the power, then opened them and continued toward the interior of the island. It was a rocky ascent up a steep hill, but scrubby flowers grew in the gaps between the stones, and rugged little trees gave me the occasional handhold to keep from slipping. As we neared the top, I spotted some abandoned cottages and made a note to ask Emma why no witches lived in them anymore. They were falling down, so it had clearly been a while since they’d been inhabited.

Maybe the power was just too much to deal with on an everyday basis. It was already starting to make me jittery.

“Do you know where we’re going?” Rafe asked from behind me as I reached the top of the hill.

The land was flatter up here, and there were far more of the twisted, ancient trees that grew no taller than the top of Rafe’s head. They formed a small forest in the middle of the island, and I pointed to it. “There. I can feel the power emanating from the grove.”

I headed toward it, breathing deeply of the magical air. The pearly fog that had concealed the island was thicker in the grove, and up close, I could see that it sparkled with silvery magic. I reached out a hand to touch it, and the sparkles danced around my fingertips. I laughed, filled with the purest joy I’d ever felt.

As we walked through the trees, large, luminescent moths fluttered around us. They were beautiful, fluttering in the air around the gnarled tree branches. The trees themselves seemed to breathe, emanating a wisdom I’d only ever seen in sentient beings.

“This place is special,” Rafe said. “Even I can feel it.”

I smiled. “It really is.”

We reached the middle of the grove, which was marked by a circle of thick green moss. I had to guess that the space had been cultivated long ago by the witches who’d lived here because it was so round and devoid of trees.

“It’s perfect,” I murmured as I walked into the middle of the clearing.

Rafe followed, and I turned to him.

All around, wind rustled through the leaves. They seemed to sing a wordless song that filtered through my soul, making me feel connected to the island and the power within it. I’d thought I might call Poa to me once I arrived—she’d refused to ride in the boat—but there was so much power in the air that it was unnecessary. In fact, I didn’t think I could handle any more power.

Rafe stopped in front of me, and I looked up at him. There was an intensity to his eyes that had nothing to do with the magic. When his gaze lingered on my lips, I couldn’t help but think of the kiss we’d shared that night after the bar. Everything in me ached to stand on tiptoe and press my lips to his. From the heat in his eyes, he was thinking something very similar.

As if to remind me of my purpose, a sparkling shimmer of silver magic darted between our faces. I gasped, laughing slightly.

“You’re the most joyful person I’ve ever met,” he said, and there was the faintest tone of wonder to his voice. It was entirely unexpected.