by Sara Snow
My power was still drained, but my body had been restored to good health.
Angelisa glared at Tien, but she didn't seem bothered in the least by it. Then Angelisa’s blue gem lit up, and the diamond on Tien’s forehead did the same.
“Fine,” Tien grumbled and turned away.
I looked at Skye, who shrugged, and Angelisa took a deep breath. Maybe they had been communicating telepathically. Tor had said they were connected somehow.
“She killed four Leviathans,” Tien said from across the room where she was placing her staff on a small shelf on the wall.
“Hmm, impressive.” Angelisa bobbed her head. “You have promise.”
“They were young,” Tien added, and Ariel shook her head.
“Nonetheless, it means we can train you.” The black gem on Ariel’s forehead lit up, glowing purple as she pointed to a female ghost. The ghost nodded its head and vanished through a wall. "We're aware of the situation on the outside world, of the havoc the Vampire Queen's causing. If we weren't trapped here, we'd help."
“I’m sure we would win this war in seconds with you three fighting with us,” Skye said to Ariel, who blushed.
“We’ll have to settle for training Elinor.” Tien rejoined us, her arms crossed over her chest.
“For three days,” Angelisa added, and I frowned.
“Three days?” I repeated. “Time is of the essence, but three days won't be enough."
“My sisters and I can combine our power to create an alternate reality where time moves much slower,” Angelisa explained. “Once inside, Elinor will train with us for years, while on the outside, only three days will pass."
“Wow,” Skye gushed. “That’s amazing.”
Angelisa nodded, and her white hair fell forward over her shoulders. "Thank you. While Elinor is training, you're all welcome to train as well. Our castle is now yours for three days. You can all go wherever you please."
"Thank you. We appreciate your help." Darian placed his fist over his heart, and Angelisa’s white cheeks turned pink.
She looked away, but her cheeks only burned brighter. Tien arched a brow, and Ariel chuckled low. Darian looked from one sister to the next and then at me in confusion. I said nothing, however, holding in my laughter about how utterly clueless he could be sometimes.
"May I ask which of you knows Levi?" I looked at each sister, and they all shared the same uncomfortable expression.
They looked at each other, their gems shining bright, and then Tien turned and walked away. Everyone watched her ascend the stairs two at a time to the second floor. “I’ll get dinner started while the spirits run you all a bath,” she called out as she left. “Enjoy it because, for the next three days, you won't have the time to rest.”
I had a strong feeling she was talking to me. Then she vanished.
"Did I say something wrong?" I inquired, and Angelisa, whose cheeks had returned to normal, shook her head reassuringly.
“No, no, you didn’t. Tien is just a little prickly.”
"Are you speaking to each other telepathically?" Will asked, and Angelisa nodded.
“We are,” she responded, her voice low. "I apologize if it's uncomfortable. It's something we've grown used to doing since we were children. Why are you here, Vampire, and not with your own kind?"
“He’s not like them.” Ariel looked Will up and down. "His scent is different. Or has the scent vampires carry with them changed over the years?"
“I’m with Elinor, and I'm not like other vampires. I’m not with them because I don’t wish to see the world burn the way my mother does.”
Angelisa’s brows rose when he referred to the Queen as his mother. But both women seemed curious instead of judgmental towards Will, and I was happy for that.
Darian, however, looked annoyed, as always, each time Will spoke.
“A General—” Angelisa looked at me next. "And a white wolf. That's a controversial union, isn't it?"
“A lot has changed,” Ariel added and then turned away. "I'll show you all to your rooms. You can tell us of the outside world during dinner and what plans you have for the Queen. At dawn, you'll begin your training with me, Elinor.”
“So was Tien right about you breaking my back?”
She merely looked over her shoulder and smiled before turning back around. I took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself for the task ahead.
Three days in an alternate reality that will feel like years, huh? Let the training begin.
15
Elinor
It felt as if months had passed since I’d taken a proper bath. The moment I had submerged myself in the lukewarm water that smelled like lavender and roses, my tense body had relaxed. I scrubbed at my skin until it was red and washed my hair twice before I felt satisfied.
No doubt I’d be able to take a bath during the three days I'd be here, but I wanted to scrub away the muck from the past couple of days. I wish I could scrub away all the death and pain, too, but that was here to stay.
Once I finished, I got dressed and stood by the window in my room, allowing the cool night air to dry my hair that I had braided over my shoulder. I could see the garden in front of the castle and the looming dark forest beyond it, where the Leviathans were waiting for us.
It was funny how peaceful it was here in the palace when so much death was happening outside of it.
A part of me was eager to begin my training, knowing every second counted towards stopping the death and darkness consuming the world. I watched as a few spirits that lived in the castle floated along in a group of three before vanishing.
The sisters had explained that the spirits we saw in the castle were from people who had accidentally wandered into the territory and become victims of the Leviathans. Those were innocent lives. However, the ones who came with the intention of finding the sisters and using them? They got the death they deserved.
I released a breath as I thought of my parents and our pack; I hoped they were still safe. I knew I could count on Ione to mind-link with me if it was ever necessary. She was growing into a powerful Enchanted, and I was certain she would someday be one of the greatest. Faelen still hadn’t tried to contact me, and it was all I could do not to panic while I waited to hear from her.
A knock came at the door, and I turned my back to the window. "Come in."
The door opened, and Tien walked in. She closed the door gently and remained just inside the room with her hands behind her back.
“How was your bath? I hope you like the room.”
I couldn’t stop the slightly suspicious look that appeared on my face. “Um, everything is great, thank you.”
“Good.” She nodded. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes.”
"Thank you," I answered.
She avoided looking me in the eye, causing me to suspect she had another reason for coming by. The woman standing before me wasn't the one I had met in the forest.
"Is everything okay?" I asked.
“I apologize for being so hard on you earlier. Forcing you to fight so many Leviathans was uncalled for.”
I was a little shocked at her apology, so it took me a moment to respond. "Ah, don't worry about it. I survived, so it's fine. You wouldn't have let me die if you saw I was going to be killed, right?"
“Of course not,” she answered. “It’s just that, in my experience, you learn a lot about yourself when you get pushed beyond your limits—or I have, anyway. It makes you think harder. You did that when you figured out how to use your divinity against the Leviathans. You weren’t just blindly attacking anymore. You learned to attack with calculation and discovered an alternative way to manipulate your power at the same time. You’ll need that when you face the Queen.”
She joined me at the window, and we both stood side by side in silence for a moment. Her height still astonished me. If anyone ever freed the sisters to walk the earth again, they’d shock and amaze a lot of people with their stature alone. They'd be mistaken for Goddesses, and likely
treated as such.
“So white wolves used to be as tall as you and your sisters?”
Tien’s mouth curved with a smirk. "They were. Werewolves have always been large in size, considering they have to transform into massive beasts, but white wolves were even larger and more powerful than the average werewolves back then." She cleared her throat. "I apologize if saying that was offensive to you. Your height is fine."
I shrugged. “It’s okay.”
She turned to face me. “Will is very protective of you.”
I looked down, my cheeks already warming. “Yes, he means well.”
"I know," she answered. "He made it obvious that he hated my plan to have you fight alone, and if you hadn’t needed me to train you, I think he’d have tried to take me down. He's a powerful man, indeed. Love can be beautiful; it can turn enemies into friends or even lovers, as in your case. But it can be painful as well."
I took a deep breath and nodded. Oh, I knew all too well how painful it could be.
Even so, I wanted no one but Will.
"He's sacrificed so much. And he’s still doing it." I smiled sadly. "I'm worried what might happen to him after this war. His kind already dislikes him, but after this, they'll all want him dead."
"He doesn't seem worried about it, so I don't think you should be." When I looked at Tien, she tilted her head to the side. "You're wasting time worrying about something he must have already thought about and likely has a plan for. Otherwise, he wouldn't be doing this."
She was right. He told me there were places to hide from the Queen in this realm and in others. If he could hide from her, he'd have no problem remaining hidden from other vampires after her death.
“I’m the one that knows Levi,” she said with a slight edge to her voice. “Do you know him well?”
I shook my head. "Not really. I've talked to him a few times—actually, it’s more like I’ve been talked at. The first time was during my Werewolf Guard examination. I can't say our meeting went well." Even though there was a little venom in Tien’s voice when she spoke of him, I didn’t know what their relationship was like, so it wouldn’t be smart for me to speak ill of him, though I wanted to. "Is it true that you're tied to his bloodline?"
“Yes.” The wind blew her hair back from her face. “It was a decision I made because of love and one I've never regretted, until now. Levi’s nothing like the man I loved.”
So I was right. She doesn’t like him, either.
“Why did you seem upset earlier when I mentioned his name?”
She looked at me from the corner of her eye. “We're not close. He's a selfish, power-hungry man."
“So I’ve heard,” I grumbled, recalling what Faelen had told me about Levi conducting experiments on Enchanteds to see if he could steal their divinity.
“Is breaking your connection to his bloodline something you’ve ever thought about doing?”
Tien pressed a finger to the crease between her brows. "I have. It would only take a simple spell. But I made a promise long ago, and I want to stand by it. From the looks of it, however, his bloodline will end with him." Her gem shone bright. "He's tainted the bloodline of upright and respected werewolves.”
She paused for a moment, and I watched with her as a strong wind blew the flowers in the garden around, sending a few petals dancing along with the wind.
“He’s been hurting Enchanteds . . .” Saying the words seemed painful to her, and I understood how she felt. "And honestly, the rest of the Werewolf Council, who no doubt know about it and refuse to stop him, are just as horrible as he is.”
"I agree, and yes, I’ve heard about it. He needs to be stopped. All of them do."
Tien’s face scrunched up with disgust. She turned away from the window and walked towards the bed, then paused, combing her hair back. "I have no choice but to help him when he requests it, but some of the things he's asked . . .” She swallowed hard as her words trailed off. "He ordered me to do something I'll never be able to forgive myself for—something that might prevent me from ascending with my sisters if we ever pass on. A young Enchanted died, and her blood is on my hands as much as his."
I recalled Faelen telling me that the Enchanted who’d died during one of Levi’s experiments had been a friend. Tien took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling steadily before she turned to face me. Her steel-gray eyes were rimmed with tears.
“I don’t believe that’s true,” I told her. “You couldn’t have known that one day your bond to his bloodline would be perverted like this. What happened wasn’t your fault. He was using you, the same way he uses everyone.”
“Whenever a command is given, I have no choice but to obey it. When I cast the spell that bound me, I never thought about how it could work against me. Until Levi came along, I was never given a command that I wasn’t happy to fulfill. In my own defense, I was young and in love. And I was devoted to Rafael . . .” She smiled. “That was his name, the wolf I fell in love with. But now, I feel like my hands are as bloodied as Levi’s.”
“They aren’t,” I said.
She shook her head, and I walked over to her.
"During the Guards examination, I made a friend, an Alpha-born named Meeka. After her mate had rejected her, she felt broken for years, but she fought her sadness and grew strong. I really admired that about her. Then a vampire attacked her during our exam, and she was infected. Levi tried to force me to kill her."
I could see it all in my mind as if it had only happened hours ago.
“She begged me to kill her. She preferred to die by my hand, a friend’s hand, while she was still herself and hadn’t yet turned. But I couldn't do it." I exhaled. "Levi killed her. But what was so sick about it all was that he used that—my failure to kill her—as the measure of whether or not I’d pass the exam. I failed because I couldn’t do it."
Tien’s diamond glowed, and she whispered words I didn’t understand under her breath, an old language. Then she shook her head. "I'm sorry."
“It’s okay. One day I’ll see Meeka again, and I'll apologize for letting her die that way. But I couldn't kill a friend to become a Guard. I couldn't do it."
“He’ll be punished,” Tien grumbled as she closed her eyes, but I saw a tear escape.
I had refused Levi's orders, but Tien didn’t have that option. She could never deny him, no matter what it cost her. I didn't want to imagine the things she'd been forced to do.
"He'll be punished for the sins he's committed in this life. Even if I never ascend with my sisters, I'll see to it." She turned away to leave, but I stopped her.
“What was he like?” I asked. “Rafael?”
She looked down at her feet. “He was like many wolves back then, stronger, faster . . . no offense to you, of course. Your kind lived longer as well. He had black eyes and a scar down the left side of his lips.” She paused as she held her head up. “But he was so different. He praised all life and believed in loving who you chose. Instead of becoming a warrior, he sought to explore the world. That’s how he found us here. He loved me, and I loved him with everything I had until the day he left to visit home . . . and found his mate.”
Oh no.
“He came back to visit me out of respect, to tell me what had happened. There was nothing for me to do. He had found the one made for him. So I offered to bind myself to his blood, to protect his children and his children’s children.” A tear fell from her eye and she walked away.
I purposely didn’t think about what I would do if I ever found my mate. I already had too many other things to worry about.
This time, I didn’t stop her as she left. I only sighed as she closed the door behind her. Now I understood why she was so prickly. She was hiding so much pain.
I had already promised Faelen I’d do everything I could to bring Levi down for the things he’d done, and now I had yet another reason. He wasn’t worthy of being on the Council, not worthy of having Tien bound to him. Not even worthy to be part of any pack. He was a monste
r, and the more I learned about him, the worse he got.
After closing the window, I made my way downstairs, taking slow steps as I admired the castle. From time to time, I'd come across a ghost wandering through the corridors, minding their own business. At one point, I came across the spirit of a teenage human girl who asked me if I needed help finding others.
I could have told her I was capable of finding them by their scent, but she had looked lonely, so I accepted her offer of help.
“Bryony, how long have you been here?” I asked her, noting the plain gray cloth she was wearing as a dress.
"A little over eight years," she answered, her brown hair floating around her shoulders. "The sisters have been so nice. We can move on whenever we please, but I’d rather stay here with them."
"Yeah, this isn't a bad place to be, if you don’t mind the creatures on the other side of the barrier."
Bryony frowned. "I was being chased by something when I ended up here. It killed me, but Angelisa found my body and gave me a choice—either move on or remain with her and her sisters. Even though I'm dead, I've experienced so much here." She leaned forward. "Once every twenty years, during the blood moon, the sisters cast a spell that gives us all a body for twenty-four hours."
“Wait, really? How is that possible?”
"They are bodies molded from clay, but for one full day and night, we get to feel as if we're alive again. At least, that was what I was told. I haven’t experienced it yet." Bryony grinned. “But in two more years, it'll be time again."
As we made it to the first floor, a ghost was waiting by the front door—a young boy with blond hair and bright blue eyes that were visible despite his translucence. Bryony blushed as she waved at him.
"The sisters and your friends are waiting in the second room on your left," she told me, and I nodded my thanks.
She floated away and joined the boy before they both vanished through the closed door. Even after death, it seemed they had found love. Will's scent drifted to me, and I turned around to see him standing beside the staircase.