United. (Book 5 of the Lupus Antiqua Series)

"Hell's bells!" She muttered, avoiding glancing over at Endymion. Abby sighed and picked up the plastic cup she just dropped. She wasn't normally this clumsy but she'd been dropping things and running into things since he'd arrived.

His presence was massive, or at least it felt that way to Abby. She was hyper aware of him all the time and drove her to distraction. Which meant that her coordination went out the window.

Men were so different than women. Then there was the fact that Amara sent him to her to recover; whatever that was supposed to mean. There hadn't been enough time for her cousin to explain.

They'd barely spoken beyond him thanking her for showing him to his bedroom. She didn't really know how to approach anything at all with him. But she was going to have to if she wanted to help him. And she did.

Even though she was actively trying not to read him, she could still tell he was sad and lonely.

"Endymion, can you please tell me why you are here?" She questioned, voice quiet. She looked up to find him watching her. He was sitting in one of the breakfast nook chairs, his cup of herbal tea steaming in front of him.

"Did Amara not say?" He wondered, voice neutral.

"She said she was sending you here to recover and that she hoped I would help you, but there wasn't time for her to tell me more. We have to keep communication infrequent and short, or we'll be caught." She bit her lip to stop the pending overshare.

There was a long pause while he sipped his tea. His mannerisms were smooth and elegant. She'd never seen someone move in such refined ways. It was both alluring and intimidating.

"I was a King once." He stated. "But I abused my power. I am banished and disgraced; cut off from the Moon Goddess and rejected by my mate." He caught her sympathetic expression and growled slightly in annoyance. "Do not think I don't deserve this. I do. But I am immortal and everything I had is gone. I have wandered alone, but with each month that passes my hold on my wolf grows less and less sure."

He paused to let her process that information. And it didn't take long at all for her to realize how bad this was. A true immortal ancient werewolf would have a very powerful wolf spirit. Power meant potential for damage. An out of control wolf meant death. He'd become a menace.

He seemed to realize by her expression when it sunk in for her because he nodded slightly and then continued.

"I can only assume that Amara thought you would be able to help me regain my grip on my wolf. Though I cannot think why. I mean no offense, you are a pleasant presence. But what can you do?" He wondered.

She wondered the same thing, so she didn't feel offended by his frank assessment. If anything his honesty was refreshing. But then, she did have gifts others didn't. She winced. Time to come clean.

"I have some abilities that other True Witches don't have. Perhaps Amara thought they would be helpful." She mused.

"What abilities?" He wondered.

"I'm an Imperium." She admitted, waiting for the fear to enter his eyes. But there was only confusion.

"What is an Imperium?" He asked. She bit her lip and sat across from him, her own cup of herbal tea in hand.

"If I open my sense and don't block you out, I can sense all of your emotions, even the ones you don't know you have. And if I choose to, I can use those emotions as a door into your mind.

Once I'm in, there is no kicking me out because I am anchored there by your feelings, which you can't turn off. There are people who can cut off their ability to know what they are feeling, and call it shutting off their emotions. But that isn't how the mind and soul work. The feelings are there even if you refuse to see them.

No matter how good you are at shielding yourself, there is no keeping me out. And once I've gotten in, I can read your thoughts and memories and fantasies.

I can manipulate them, too. I can craft nightmares from your worst fears, or craft visions from your wildest dreams. I can make you say or do anything I wish. The founding witches called this ability, 'Imperium.'

You've never heard of it because it's incredibly rare. There have only been twenty Imperium in the last five hundred years. It's why I live in seclusion." She stopped, wondering if he would worry now. His gaze seemed to assess her anew, searching her for any sign of the threat she posed, but finding none.

"You live in seclusion because you are an Imperium?" He wondered.

"Yes."

"Why? I should think your Matron would want you with her." He stated. She winced.

"No. If I were always with the Matron, people would assume I was controlling her, along with anyone else I'm near. Not even my own kind feel safe near me.

The only person who was never afraid of me was Amara. Even my own mother fears visiting me. I can upend everything without lifting a finger, so it's better for everyone if I stay out here, where I can't harm anyone." She admitted.

"Surely you can control it. It isn't as if you summon the gift all the time." He stated.

"I don't have to." She whispered. "It's active all the time. The effort isn't in summoning it, the effort exists in not using it. I've been suppressing it since you arrived so as not to slip into your mind." She nearly whispered.

"I can see why those abilities might be of use." He said after a pause. "You could simply enter my mind and remove the problem."

"I could. But I won't." She said firmly.

"Why?" He asked, not in disappointment but in curiosity.

"It would be effective if I did that, but it would cause a new problem. While you would be in control, the issues causing your lack of control would remain unresolved. And while you wouldn't remember the issues, the psychic echo of them would remain.

You would know something was wrong, but you would never be able to remember what. You would walk around not knowing why you felt strange and incomplete. It's dangerous to erase memory. The mind is complicated." She explained.

"So what can you do?" He questioned.

"I can be here so you aren't alone. And if you wish, once you know me better, I can enter your mind, and walk you through the memories connected to the issue. It would be like playing your memories back for you. Like a movie in your head. But I want to warn you, I'll be seeing them too, along with all the emotions involved."

"That is asking for a great deal of trust from me." He said darkly.

"Yes, it is. I only bring it up because unless I can think of something else, that's the only way I can use my powers to help. Unless Amara just meant that we should live together so you aren't so alone. Maybe so I'm not so alone too. Who knows?" She shrugged, sipping at her tea.

"Thank you for being honest with me, Abigail." He murmured. She blinked a little at the use of her full first name.

"Just call me Abby." she smiled. He nodded and returned her smile with a very small one of his own.

"Abby."