An Unusual Mate

Chapter Ten

Kaila's POV

I'm looking around my new sanctuary when I feel Celeste pop in. I sigh, "Celeste, are you sure I have to do this?" She places a hand on my shoulder turning me to face her, "Hun, I know you're scared, the first circle is scary. It's worst for you because your first circle was by someone with no experience. This time you are going to be surrounded by me, Abigail, James, your mate and my twin. No one is going to let you get that overwhelmed this time. Four of the five people around you are angels and three of us actually know what we're doing." I sigh and walk over to the window. I stare out at the lands below and to the lake just out of my sight. "Doing this puts you more in touch with the elements. This is something you want to do before you wake your wolf. If you can't handle this now, you get over powered then, she comes forth and you lost control of her. The same people you want to protect will need protecting from you." "I have faith in you." I hear Luke say as he slips his hand in mine making sparks in my palm. With that I nod and sigh, "Let's do this then." Celeste begins to set up and I notice her putting stones in front of the candles. "Celeste?" "Hush sweet girl let her focus." I jump as Abigail's voice comes out of nowhere. She finally stands in front of me. "Me and Astral, Celeste's brother will be here out of sight until the ritual. James, Celeste and Luke will be here with you in the circle. I'm just here in case Celeste needs help." I nod and she gives me a pointed look. I bite my lower lip as Luke hands me a cup. I look at him shaking my head as he whispers, "Don't do that. This is your destiny and I am here to experience it with you. Your fear is my fear, but I want that wolf by my side and those kids, I want that and I know you do too." I smile and swallow the drink just as Celeste walks over to us. "Young angel, are you ready?" She holds out her hand and I nod biting my lip. "Yes Celeste I am ready." She leads me to the circle and I feel the surge of energy as I step inside. I settle down on my knees looking at her. "If at any point you really can't continue, let it be known, don't think pushing threw will make it better." I nod as she walks over to the yellow candle. Luke kneels right outside the circle nodding at me. "You've got this."

He mouths and I see James teleport in. "From the east I call the first element, Air. Please open my circle." I gasp as she lights the candle and the wind begins whipping around me. I push my wings out bracing myself. I focus on Luke as I nod again. "From the South I call Fire. Please join my circle." I grit my teeth hard closing my eyes as fire rips through me when she lights the red candle. I find myself panting as I press my hands to the floor to steady myself. "I can't do this." I whisper slowly opening my eyes. Then I see Luke and James both nodding at me. "Yes you can baby." Luke mouths as Celeste looks at me, "Young angel?" I take an unsteady breath before nodding. "I'm okay." "From the west, I call Water. Please join my circle." She lights the blue candle and I close my eyes as water crashes over me. My wings are fluttering and I want to go. Suddenly sparks on my arm ground me and I slowly open my eyes to see Luke. "Can you hear me?" I blink again slowly as I look around. Abigail is there holding James back. "Wait!" She is telling him. I fight the pressing feeling enough to slide my hand into Luke's. His eyes go wide and he says, "It's water, she feels like she’s drowning." Silently I thank the goddesses for him as Celeste mutters something and the pressure lessens. I gasp in air as my senses return and I am steady again. "Good job young angel." I look and see Celeste in front of the green candle. Luke releases my hand and steps back out to the edge of the circle as James relaxes. I look deep into Luke's brown eyes as Celeste calls earth. "From the north, I call Earth. Please join my circle." She lights the candle and I find myself smelling grass and woods and I head a gasp. I look at Celeste and she says, "I didn't do that." She points down and the stone is actually glowing. I look around and see the others in front of the lit candles are glowing as well. She steps inside and stands in front of me and the purple candle. "From this place of power I call the final element. Spirit complete this circle!" She yells lighting the candle and I'm suddenly slammed by all five elements at once. I’m overwhelmed and overpowered as my magic grows and I go deaf. I'm trying to release it but all it's doing is making me panic even more. I grit my teeth as I'm trying to force myself to my feet only to find I can't move, breath, and finally I can't see.

Lucius's POV

Seeing her after water was called was nothing compared to this. When Celeste called spirit I saw my mate react as she glowed bright sliver and her wings were vibrating with rainbow colors. "James?!" I look at her brother and he seemed to be struggling. He looked at Abigail and Astral. "I can't move!" Abigail came in front of him grabbing his hands. "Celeste, she's trying to transfer it, James can feel it from here." I look at Celeste who had a hand on Kai's back as she was trying to focus. "You need to bring him in the circle then, she can't focus on me and if I close the circle her heart may give out." Astral floated at the edge of the circle. "Sis!" He was waiting for some reason and I saw Celeste's eyes widen. "Get in here now!" She grounds out as Kai tries to push her away. I get up to go to my mate when Abigail grabs me, “Not yet Lucius. I know this is hurting you. Trust me she's feeling it ten times as worst as she's emitting it. Let them stabilized her first." James suddenly gasp before looking at her. "Abigail, she can't handle this. She can't transfer it!" Abigail looks at him and says, "Are you sure?" He nods before gritting his teeth again before panting. "Celeste, Astral one of you come here." "We're busy!" "No..I know how to help her. The only person she seems able to reach right now is James, one of you force the transfer the other helps me." "It won't work, Abigail!" Astral says as Kai passes out forcing her magic to blast all of us. I jump up and run to Kai. I look around and see Celeste rubbing her chest. As I approach Kai, she's laying there not breathing. I shake her gently, "come on Kai wake up!" She suddenly gasp coughing harshly as she rolls over on her side. She grabs her chest coughing harder. I hear Celeste closing the circle before she and the others come around us. I pull her head in my lap, "you're okay now, I got you." She opens her eyes as she tries to say something. I stroke her hair, "shhhh don't speak. I got you." James kneels beside his as he helps her with her inhaler. Slowly she sits up. "I told you I didn't want to do this." She mutters pressing her head into my chest as she fills my head with images. "You're okay now, no one was going to let anything happen to you." I whisper. I look around. "Celeste, you didn't tell me how strong she was." I look to see Astral rubbing his temples. Abigail says, "You two okay?" Celeste nods, "We'll be fine, she was transferring to us Abigail, it was just she was building faster than the transfer. We needed all of us in that circle." James sighs, "I literally couldn't move through." Abigail looks at Celeste, "if what he was transferring to me isn't even part of what you two got, are we sure she isn't at full power already?" Astral shook his head, "she's too unstable to be at full power. Her magic shouldn't control her the way it's doing. Before she can be marked, we have to be able to handle her in a circle, marking isn't controlled nor is it contained. The angels know when everyone comes into full power. We won't be able to hide her power then. Let's contain it before she is marked."

"So where do we go from here?" I ask looking from angel to angel. Celeste says, "She lost it completely at Spirit, I need to know what happened." Kai drags her eyes open and says, "When spirit entered, all five slammed into me at once. I couldn't breathe, it was like I was consumed by every single element." Astral's eyes widen, "Spirit made you feel all that at once." She nods weakly. "You've heard of this before?" James says. "Yes but never with all five, especially not spirit." He walked over and grabbed a stone and the purple candle. "Abigail, young wolf hold her steady. Celeste come here and James.. get her some blood." "In our room in the mini fridge." I say watching Astral. Celeste moves behind him as he kneels in front of her. "Abigail hold the stone and when I tell you to hand it to her, do that." He looks at me and says, "I'm going to call spirit just spirit and I want you to focus on her. Kaila you focus on me." She drags her eyes open and shakes her head. "No more, please." "I promise it will not be as intense as that was this isn't a circle." James runs back in and hands her a bag. "Drink this, ground yourself then listen to me." He tells her. I feel her energy start to return as she drains the bag. "More." She whispers. "Not yet young angel. I need you to focus." She rolls her eyes before sitting up pushing her wings out to steady herself. "You are determined. Fine I'm focused." She stares at him. "From myself I call spirit to me." He says lighting a candle. She instantly begins glowing and her wings flutter. "Hold her steady." I grab her gently around her waist kissing her neck. Suddenly the glow brightens and I hear Celeste gasp. "The other candles." Kai looks at her and I feel the change in her breathing. She grits her teeth. "Focus on me Kaila!" Astral says tapping her hand. Slowly her breathing started coming faster and I feel her trying to move. "Give her the stone, Abigail." She places the stone in Kai's hands and I feel her energy change as her wings fluttered faster. "Let her up." Astral replies pushing himself to his feet. I move my hands from her waist and she begins to float her wings fluttering faster. Suddenly I feel a warm Misty breeze that smells like the woods outside my house. "This is what she should be feeling." I look around and see that she's perfectly content. In fact she's laughing and her hair is whipping around her coming lose from the ponytail.

Kaila's POV

After the disaster with the candles I just wanted to sleep. I was done trying to do this. I was covered in sparks from my mate and I was happy to just be alive. Then Astral was there pushing me to try something with him. The blood give me a burst of energy but the last thing I wanted to do was anything involving the elements. Finally his determination won out and I looked at him. "Fine I'm focused." I watched as he lit the candle calling spirit. It was different from the circle. I still felt all five elements somehow but I wasn't overwhelmed. Then I heard Celeste say something about the other candles. My focus shifted for just a second but it was enough for me to feel everything building again. "Focus on me Kaila!" Astral snaps at me tapping my hand. I try to focus to go back where I was but I was struggling and I knew losing my focus for just that second had been a bad move. I suddenly feel something pressed into my hand and it was like everything faded and was literally just me and the elements. I could feel the breeze of air, the warmth of fire, the coolness of water and the smell of the earth all in the peaceful quiet of my soul. I didn't realize I was float or laughing until I opened my eyes. Once I did I quickly landed breathing fast but from exhilaration not panic. "Wow!" I look at Astral. "That was amazing!! How did you...?" I start to ask when he shakes his head. "That was all you young angel. I called spirit, everything you experienced came from you. That's what focus, control, and being one with yourself should feel like. You are one of a few special angels. You have to experience the elements outside of the circle before you can be circled. I called spirit and you reach out to the other four and lit those candles yourself." "So we call spirit to calm her first before calling a circle?" Abigail says looking at me. "Just give her the stone. She was transferring her magic into the stone and absorbing it back the entire time it was in her hands. That's what allowed her to enjoy herself." I feel my mate stand behind me wrapping me tight as James and Abigail come closer. I look at them confused. Astral looks at me, "I'm going to take the stone now, I do apologize for what you are about to feel. You were floating for a good two hours so you are pulling ever bit of strength from the stone." With that he slides the stone from me hands and my body gives out. "Ugh!" I moan as my legs give out, Luke holds me closer and Abigail places a hand on my cheek. I close my eyes as spots begin to play with my vision. "Sis, drink this." I open my eyes slowly as I reach for the bag. I drink it and immediately reach for another. After six bags I'm steady on my feet but tired as hell. I walk over to a chair and realize the sun is setting where it had been sky high when we started. "You sure I was only out two hours?" "Sorta." It had not seemed that long to me but the sun was proof I was out for more than seconds. Then I felt myself sway as I blinked. "She needs to eat." I hear Celeste say as I yawn and sway again this time into Luke's arm. "I need to sleep." I mutter my eyes closing. James laughs, "She's choosing sleep over food? Yeah, she's tired." I feel myself being lifted by Luke and I snuggle into his chest wrapping my arms around his neck.

Lucius's POV

Having watched my mate in control of the elements was great, but it was the aftermath that worried me. The blood have her enough energy to walk across the room, and as I look down at her in my arms, she was completely out. I carried her to our room and settled her in our bed before going to find the others. I took down the mind link block as I let the other ranked members know she was fine and I was available again. I walk back in the room, "So is she always going to be that out of it after these sessions?" Astral shook his head, "It gets easier plus you have to realize, after the drain the circle put on her, she should not have had the strength to tap into all five elements. Especially not as long as she was doing so, so before you go on a rampage understand this, the faster we get a handle on this, the faster you can mark her and make her your full Luna. You want her to have her wolf when you have the ceremony correct?" "I don't care if she doesn't have her wolf, I just want her safe." James jumped in, "She cares, she wants everything that goes into this pack, with Mitchell out there, she's pushing herself like this, no one in this room is doing anything she doesn't want. It may have seemed like he forced her to focus with this last lesson, but if my sister seriously didn't want to try, believe me she would have said so." Celeste said, "when she awakes she's going to feel emotional as hell, she may scream, cry, or even start to shut down. Don't let her shut down, let her feel every emotion she needs too. Then feed her and let her relax until she falls back to sleep. Just be there for her, and tomorrow she'll be back to the loving mate that you know." Astral rubs his temples again, "We know this because all of us are going to feel it. It may not seem like it but all of us put our gifts into this today. I have a splitting headache from trying to absorb her magic." Celeste nods, "My body is sore, so I know what's she's going to feel is ten times worst." I look at Abigail and James, "what about you two?" James blinks at me what do you mean?" I point to Celeste and Astral, "From what they're feeling I'm assuming my mate's going to wake up sore as hell with a pounding headache. How are you two feeling?" I see him looking at me curiously. "You're serious!" "That's what makes him a good mate, he's actually getting the information to help her." Abigail says. James shrugs and says, "I just feel weird." Astral frowned at him, "By weird what exactly do you mean?" "Like I'm here but not." Astral said, "I think you just need blood and food. You don't feel grounded yet. That's actually a good thing. It means you really weren't getting her magic, she was pushing her panic on you." "Abigail?" I look around only to see she's already left. Astral shakes his head, "That's gonna be an issue." Celeste looks at him, "Why did she disappear like that?" "Guilt, she feels guilty." Astral explains "Why" I ask confused. "It's the same as with James, she got Kaila's hay-wired emotions." I slump into the chair, "she was scared and panicking, scared that she'd hurt someone and panicking because she couldn't get a handle on it." I felt a hand on my cheek and I look Celeste in the eyes, "And you young wolf, don't think you got off easy, you took some of that energy too. Eat and ground yourself before you even go back in there. You not going to be any help to her if you aren't yourself. You are going to tell me you feel fine and in a couple hours you are going to be doubting yourself and your decision to even be a part of this. I know because even angels when we don't ground ourselves after intense magic we lose ourselves. That's why I'm telling you, take care of you and don't let her shut down."

After they left, I heeded the angel's advice and went to find something to eat. Even as I was in the kitchen, the feeling of dread creeped up on me and I found myself sliding against a wall questioning everything. My mom walked in and saw me sitting there. "Sweetie, what's wrong?" I found I couldn't speak without crying. I tried mind linking her instead.

-mom I'm fine, I'll explain later-

-you are not fine, what happened?-

-intense magic.-

Her eyes widen, "Mhm, I think I know what's wrong." With that she starts pulling things out the fridge. After a moment she hands me some strawberries. "Eat these while I make you and that mate of yours something to eat." I nibble on a the strawberries before sinking back into my thoughts. The next thing I know I smell waffles. I push myself up off the floor . As I walk over to her I see a platter of fruits and I nibble on pieces of kiwi and watermelon. "There you are!" I look up to see my dad enter the kitchen. "Yeah, I came for something to drink and found my son in the after effects of intense magic." He looked at me and said, "that's why no one could mind link you earlier and why you and your mate missed dinner?" I nodded as I eat more fruit. "I may need to cut more fruit if you going to eat it all from Kaila." Mom laughs. I shake my head, "I'll cut more up you just continue making the waffles." She smiles, "It's good to see you coming back around, but when she starts feeling like that, she may not recognize it." She warns me as she hands me two Tupperware bowls and I see she's made bacon and eggs with the waffles. "When did you do all this?" I ask surprised. "It took you a while to get off the floor. You just don't realize it." She pushes me upstairs, "Get her to eat the fruit first if she seems to have shut down. If she emotional, the waffles." "How do you...?" She laughs, "I've had run-ins with magic before, I know what the aftermath feels like firsthand. You aren't feeling anything near what she's going to feel."

I enter my room to find Kaila sitting up on the bed staring at the wall. "Hey baby." I say as I enter, "I brought food." She doesn't reply or move. I walk over to her and place a hand on her shoulder, I feel the sparks but nothing from her. I kiss her forehead getting nothing. I frown and open the Tupperware of fruit, "Here, I need you to eat this." I manage to feed her a strawberry. She chews slowly and I know she's shut down almost completely. I just keep feeding her fruit and talking to her until as she finishes the fruit she finally looks at me. I pull her to my chest and am bombarded by wave after wave of emotion. I feel her trembling in my arms and she being pushing away from me trying to fight me as she screams. After a while, she sits there and I begin feeding her. I smile seeing that my mom made red velvet waffles. "Mmmmmm red velvet." She moans a few seconds later. I laugh and I look at her seeing her eyes are clear and she seems like herself. "How are you feeling?" I ask. She looks at me, "now, I feel emotional but I think that's the waffles... Thank you." "My mom made them." "Why?" I shrug, "she found me feeling guilty and overthinking everything." She frowns, "Intense magic backlash... It's a bitch." I nod and say, "back to you?" She shrugs, "Nothing a nice soak in the tub with my mate and some aspirin won't fix." She kisses me intensely and all thoughts of food are gone.

Kaila's POV

I roll over feeling sore as the sun shines in the room. I sit up suddenly as I realize I'm alone in the bed. "Luke?" I sigh as I get up and walk to the bathroom. As I enter, I see he's run a bath for me. It's then I see the note on the counter,

Just went to take our dishes down, soak and relax. Be back soon

Love you always, Luke

I smile sinking into the tub as my eyes close. I must have drifted off because next thing I know I feel sparks on my cheek. "Mmmm this feels good." He laughs, "I thought it might, I wanted to do this last night but..." My face feels flush as I think about how he took care of me. After feeding me, he tried to put me back to sleep but I wasn't hearing it. Last night he'd made love to me in a way that I'd never forget. He took his time getting to know every part of me. I hear a slight moan before my eyes fly open and I see him staring at me with eyes black with lust. "You need to relax so I'm going to..." He gets up to leave and I pull him back. "I'll relax more with you in here with me." I pout at him and he groans. "Nope not going to work this time. Besides, I need to go to the office today." I sit up suddenly, "Can I come?" He thinks about it, "If you'll behave, you can come." I nod happily and he says, "I need you to relax and enjoy this bath. I'm serious after yesterday and last night you have to be sore." I smile and relax back in the tub until the water cools. As I dry off and start dragging a brush through my hair I feel my headache returning. I walk back into the room, digging through his massive ass walk in closet till I find a baby blue pants suit and my white pumps. I dig around in a drawer finding underwear and when I'm dressed, I work on taming my curly hair. Finally I'm ready as I apply my lip gloss and pop two aspirin. He walks in the room and licks his lips in appreciation. "Damn baby, you lucky I have to go in or we wouldn't make it out this room." I giggle and grab his hand. As we walk downstairs, I see his mom so I go over and hug her. "Thank you." She smiles, "It was no problem Hun. Remind me to tell you about my experience with magic backlash one day." I nod and Mike is waiting for me as I step away. I get outside and am enjoying the sun when I feel Luke slide his hand in mine. We get in and as we leave my headache comes back stronger than ever. I gasp and lean into Luke as I slip into a vision.