My Lycan Mate of Suicide Forest

This is what was weird: the cell door appeared solid.

August could still see the solidity of the door, but then she could also see its permeability. It was just like what had happened when she reached into Graeme and Greta's chests. She could see their physical boundaries, but then she could see—and reach—beyond that.

August exhaled loudly. "Here it goes," she mumbled.

Graeme stood watching her with his eyebrows threaded, wondering what on earth she thought she could do. He had to remind himself of what Penelope had said: his mate was fae.

In fact, all alyko—and lycans for that matter—had the fae genetics. But whereas lycan individuals had fae genes passed down and hidden in their DNA without being expressed, the alyko members of this lycan-alyko genetic family showed the fae abilities. They were able to control the natural elements in different ways. They could do unexplainable things that appeared like magic.

And according to Penelope, August was an even more potent form of that fae genotype after she caught the virus that reengineered her DNA.

Graeme had promised himself he would trust her and support her while she discovered these new, mysterious parts of herself. So he reminded himself of that now as he watched August concentrating on the door. And he threw up a prayer to the Goddess that whatever his mate was thinking she could do would work for his sister's sake.

August slowly extended a hand toward the solid and yet somehow permeable cell door and watched as her hand was able to reach through it. Graeme sucked in a surprised breath next to her.

"Can you unlock it?" he asked.

She concentrated on the part of the door where the lock was located, but for some reason the metal wasn't something she seemed to be able to grasp and move. She continued to try, and Graeme watched as she bit her lip in concentration. But it wasn't working.

"I'm going to get the key from the elders," Graeme said, seeing her difficulty.

"No," she argued. "Just wait. I can do this."

After failing again at trying to maneuver the lock part of the door, she let out a breath and just walked through. If she couldn't get it unlocked, at least she could check on Greta.

"August!" Graeme called behind her, rushing to the door and trying to go in after her. He groaned and rest his forehead on the door before hitting it with his hand. "Fuck!"

"Is there water that I can use to clean her up?" August called to him. She bent down to check on Greta, and she felt the heat radiating off of her before she touched her. She was burning up, and there was so much vomit all around.

"August," Graeme replied as patiently as he could manage, "that was really impressive, darling, but now you are both stuck in there." His chest was heaving, and he grasped his hair in frustration.

"I'm not suck. But I will figure it out, I promise," she said. "Look for some water."

"Fuck," Graeme cursed as he stepped away to find one of the water spigots and pails they had down here.

"Oh Goddess, Greta," August murmured as she sat next to the girl who passed out on the floor

"How is she?" Sam yelled the question from his cell.

"Um… she has a fever," August called back.

'Goddess, please show me how to help her,' she thought. By seeing the Veiled, August searched to see what she could identify within Greta that she might be able to use to help her.

There appeared to be inflammation, based on what August was seeing, all over. And she didn't know how to help that. It wasn't like the emotional pain or guilt or heartache that she had seen in Graeme and Greta on separate occasions. This was more… physical. But maybe if she could identify the cause of the inflammation, that would help.

"Did something happen, Sam?" August called.

"What do you mean?"

"Before she started getting sick, was there anything that happened that you can think of that might have caused this?"

"Just her morning sickness, which has become more like all-day sickness," he groaned.

Graeme returned with a pail of water and pushed it through the opening in the door. August retrieved it as he laid down on his stomach to watch what she was doing.

"Any rags?" she asked, glancing through the opening at him.

"No," he grumbled.

She nodded and took off the coat he insisted that she wear before coming here. Thankfully she had on several layers. She removed the sweatshirt and tee before putting the sweatshirt back on.

"Rip this for me?" she asked, handing the shirt through the opening.

Graeme took it and bit one of the seams before ripping it into strips and passing it back.

"The only other thing I can think of is a young girl offering Greta water before running off," Sam finally responded. "She's been really thirsty with all the morning sickness."

"Thank you," August mumbled to Graeme, taking the cloth back. She pulled Greta onto her lap and set to work cleaning her with the rags and water. The water would help bring her temperature down as well.

"So possibly something she ingested?" August said to herself. "Why would anyone purposely do something to Greta?"

Graeme growled. "Who the fuck knows with these people."

August focused her vision on what she could see when she searched Greta's digestive area. This was… weird. And it didn't feel like there was something she could just grab and remove, especially if the effect of whatever she ingested had spread elsewhere.

She cradled Greta in her lap and considered how she had taken Graeme's strength to overpower Marius… how she had taken Greta's healing energy to overcome her fever. Now August was the one who needed to give the healing energy… but it didn't feel like that was something she had like Greta. And she didn't sense that healing aura around Greta now.

'I can do this,' August squeezed her eyes shut and focused without the vision. 'Goddess, help me do this. Greta has helped me so much. Let me give this back to her.'