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“I know you’re busy, being a goddess and all, but I won’t have another chance to talk to you. Please, just let me know that we’re on the right track. I need to know how far you want me to go to defeat my aunt.” I hate feeling like I’m being ignored, even if I know that I can’t expect a literal goddess to drop everything to talk to me.
I force myself to accept that I’m not going to get an answer. My magic starts to swirl in front of me, creating an oval that looks like the portals Trevan has made for us. A bright white light comes from the center of the oval, and I shield my eyes for a moment.
Someone steps through the opening, glowing in a way that makes it hard to see her face. Her dress is a pale silver that seems to be the source of the glow. The brightness starts to fade a bit, but her head is haloed by a circle of that same bright light. I bow my head in respect, knowing that this is the Moon Goddess.
“My dear child, did you think I would refuse to guide you on this journey?” she asks, reaching out to lift my chin with a finger. I don’t feel her touch, but my eyes meet hers.
“I just figured you were busy and this wasn’t a good time,” I say, feeling the stupidity of the excuse. I should have trusted her to appear when I needed her.
“You must rely on the strength of your mates and your powers to defeat Amber. I understand that she is your aunt, and that makes this difficult for you. There will be no other option but to take her life. If you don’t, she will continue to hunt you. And you will be the only one who can kill her. I fear if you hesitate when the chance arises, all will be lost.” Her words send a shiver up my spine. This is exactly what I feared.
Knowing that I have to kill Amber isn’t a new feeling, but I’d hoped that something would change. “I want to separate her from her magic. But that won’t be enough?”
Sadness fills the goddess’ eyes as she looks at me. “No, child. There is no way to do that without killing her. And if you did somehow find a way, that would leave her the ability to reverse it and take your magic as her own. There is no other way. Amber must die so that you and your mates can protect all the innocents.”
ORYM
I appreciate that Ryland checks on me but wonder why he thinks he can’t trust my decision. I don’t want to fight my alpha on this. We have better things to do than argue about something that’s pointless.
We’ve been gone a while. Should we head back? I ask along the bond. We run along the marked trails, racing between the trees and giving our wolves freedom to do as they like.
Probably. James will be back soon. We should be there to explain things to him. That’s all I need to hear for me to turn around and run back toward our home. I know that once this is all over, we’ll be building a new cabin to give us more room, but I enjoy how crowded our small home is. The closeness of it comforts me.
And there I go, thinking about things that aren’t important in this moment. Right now, we have to be focused on the fight with Amber. Nothing else matters if we can’t defeat her. I know that the guys and I think she has to die, but Garnet doesn’t want to do that. I hope that we can find a solution that will give her peace. I hate thinking that she’ll have to do something that goes against her heart.
Ryland slows as we get close to the cabin, and I follow his lead. I wonder if he’s sensing something that I haven’t yet. When he starts to shift back to human, I do the same. “Is everything okay?” I ask, stopping him from walking away.
“I think so. Red’s not answering on the bond, but that doesn’t mean there’s a problem. I don’t want our wolves to interrupt if she’s meditating. You know how delicate that process is,” he answers. I nod, and we walk through the trees into the clearing.
Sure enough, Garnet is sitting on the ground under a tree with her eyes closed and her magic swirling around her. Luca watches with wide eyes and a goofy grin. I can’t help thinking that’s the way all four of us look at her when she doesn’t know.
Ryland and I walk quietly over and stand next to him. She’s been doing this since you guys left. She doesn’t seem upset anymore, so I haven’t bothered her. Concern washes over me for a moment at his mention of her being upset. What could have upset her while she’s meditating?
I’ll stay here to help guard her, if you want to talk to Trevan about the spell. I make the offer and Ryland nods before walking away. I know he’s concerned about protecting the innocent people in our territory. Even if we trust James, this spell will protect them from any vampire feeding without permission. That’s a huge advantage, when we may end up fighting vamps that are being controlled by Amber.
My heart aches knowing that we aren’t done with this fight yet. I want to move on with our happily ever after.
JAMES
I wake from the implant surgery feeling famished. “Why am I so thirsty?” I ask Eli as he removes the IV from my arm.
“Because you’re a new vamp, and your body is getting used to the craving. You’ll get the hang of it. Trust yourself,” he says. I wonder if he means it, since they’ve kept Delilah away from me the whole time I’ve been here. If there was nothing to worry about, wouldn’t she be safe with me?
“So, what now?”
“Well, now we take you home. We tested the UV implant while you were knocked out, and it works perfectly.”
“Eli, I can’t go home yet. I have no control over these cravings,” I argue, grabbing his arm and forcing him to look at me.
“You’ll be fine. The Fae has taken steps to protect anyone you might hurt. And my guys are delivering your supplies right now. By the time we get there, you’ll be all set up. If you can’t trust yourself, then trust me.” I know that my brother trusts this vampire with his life, and I should too. I’m just not sure that they understand how reckless I feel right now.
Within minutes, Dec and I are in the SUV and heading back to the forest. I feel like I’m heading toward my doom. I appreciate their faith in me, but I’m terrified that I’m about to do something I’ll spend an eternity regretting.
As we walk through the forest toward the cabin, I see wolf shifters watching us. They don’t look scared, and I realize I’m not feeling the urge to attack any of them. This is strange, since I’ve felt that urge continuously since I woke as a vamp.
“What did Trevan do?” I ask, following my brother toward my home.
“I’m not sure. Why?” he replies, turning to look at me. “Are you feeling okay?”
