by Sara Snow
I couldn't believe that another year had passed. After my first year with Ariel, I had cried when I’d been temporarily released from this alternate reality. After another six months, the reasons for me to be in this alternate universe had become somewhat blurred. I hadn't forgotten my life, but being away from the realities of my world for so long had given me a sense of peace.
Over the course of two years, I'd changed—not just in power, but physically and emotionally as well. My hair was longer, falling below my bottom. My body was more muscular and my skin more tanned from hours of training in the sun. I was more flexible, and my control over my divinity was far greater. Now, I could command the wind as well, although fire was still tricky.
Tien was the one who had suggested I try to control all four elements.
As for my emotional growth, I now trusted myself and my divinity more. At the beginning of this adventure, I'd been a confident girl, sure that one day I'd become a Werewolf Guard. When that dream had crashed and burned, I started to doubt myself—my strength and power. To make matters worse, my divinity kicked my ass each time I used it. I had fallen again—I wasn’t worthy of the responsibility I was being given.
I had been terrified of failing and letting everyone down.
Skye, Will, Cyrus, and others had helped me then, supporting me and giving me the chance to find out for myself that my power was mine, that the Goddess chose me for a reason. They never let me forget that, even though I was the white wolf and the only one who could end the Queen's life, I wouldn't face her alone.
They were putting their trust in me to do my best, and I needed to trust that they'd have my back in this fight.
“What are you thinking about? You’re not here,” Tien asked as we made our way towards the mountain to the cabin and where the portal to the real world was.
“I’m thinking about my final training with Angelisa. Once I’ve learned everything you three can teach me, it'll be time for me to face the Queen."
"You'll be ready, Elinor. You don't need to be nervous, and you won't be doing it alone.” Tien stopped walking when we got to the base of the mountain, and her staff shrunk in size until it was only a rod. “You know, I’m kind of irritated that I won’t be able to join the fight.”
I snorted. “Trust me, so am I. But I'm not nervous. I'm eager to put an end to this.”
We began climbing the mountain, and that in itself was training because the soil kept moving, something Tien insisted would be good for me, and in the long run, it had been. It had taught me balance. Now, after two years, going up and down the ever-shifting earth was child's play. Only my third and final year, the one in which I’d be training with Angelisa, was left. Then, for the last month, all three sisters would coach me. They were all so dedicated to teaching me everything they knew, and I would be forever grateful. And I promised myself I would never forget about all of this—or them.
I’d always wanted to be a warrior. Looking back, I couldn’t believe I was so blinded by my belief that being a Werewolf Guard was the only way I could help people. Now, I knew that there were other ways to do that.
My ability to heal could save countless lives.
“Have you heard anything from Levi?” I stepped into the cabin behind her and closed the door.
"No," she answered. "He hasn't contacted me, which is strange. But I'm sure it's only a matter of time."
She stepped through the portal, and I followed. The sensation made me feel a little nauseous, as it had the first time, but a ghost was waiting by the portal with a glass of water for us both.
“Thanks,” I told the elderly woman and emptied the glass in one swig.
While it was daytime within the alternate universe, here it was night. The garden was alive with the song of insects. I listened to the soothing water of the river separating the castle and garden for a moment and inhaled the fresh air.
Here the magic in the air was potent and easy to draw upon. Witches would find this place to be heaven—no doubt it would triple the strength of their spells.
The ghost floated away, and Tien pulled her damp hair into a ponytail. “I need a bath and food.”
“Same,” I grumbled as I looked down at my dirty clothes. “And new clothes.”
I picked up on Skye's and Cyrus's scent in the garden but decided to take a bath before meeting them.
After Tien left, I made my way through the castle to my room, not running into anyone other than ghosts on the way. Living in this place forever wasn't so bad for the sisters, I was realizing, because they had each other, as well as the company of the ghosts. Still, if I was trapped here, I'd be curious about the outside world as the centuries went by.
I made it to my room, peeled off my grimy clothing, and hopped into the tub. After I dried off and dressed myself, I hurried through the castle to the garden, where I was hoping to see Cyrus and Skye.
"Your hair is longer."
I stopped in my tracks. “Why don’t you have a scent?”
I turned to face Will. He was leaning against the wall a few feet away from me. I was certain I hadn't walked by him earlier; as skilled as he was at blending into the shadows, he wasn't so good that he could completely vanish.
“Angelisa and I worked on a cloaking spell today. She proposed we all mask our scents when we attack my mother’s castle. That way, she won’t smell us coming.” He pushed himself off the wall, and within seconds, he stood before me. He reached out and took a strand of my hair into his hand.
A year had passed since I’d last seen him, and his voice had almost faded from my memory. I wished I could smell his true scent because come morning, I’d be gone for another year.
"I’ve missed you so much," I blurted out, and he wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger. Closing the gap between us, I stepped forward and rested my head on his chest. His heart wasn't beating, though I longed to hear it.
He wrapped his arms around me. “I’ve missed you, too."
“Not as much as I do, you. In this world, I've only been gone a few hours."
"A few hours away from you is agony for me, Elinor. Don’t you know that?”
I looked up at him, and his head dipped. He kissed me gently, but that wasn’t enough for me, and I pulled him in roughly. I had missed his taste, his touch, his voice. I wanted nothing more than to remain in his arms until it was morning.
He pulled away, fake gasping for air, and I smacked him on his arm.
"Don't make fun of me."
"If I wasn't already dead, you'd suck the life from me.”
I untangled myself from him and turned away.
"I'm kidding. You know I like it when you're as hungry as I am." He stood behind me, holding me, then moved my hair from one shoulder. “I like your hair long like this.”
"Then I'm going to cut it," I snapped.
In response, he bit down on my neck—not with his fangs, but still, my body reacted.
"Behave."
“Your smell . . . it’s maddening.”
Before us, a ghost had stepped through a wall, saw us, and turned back around, vanishing back the way he had come. I couldn't help laughing at the look of shock and discomfort on his face.
“Do you see why we need to behave?” I turned to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"We can always go to my room," Will teased, his eyes fading from red to blue. "After you've eaten, that is. I heard your stomach just now."
I placed a hand on my stomach. “Yeah, I’m hungry. Training with Tien was brutal. She’s a beast.” His face grew dark. “She means well, Will.”
“I know,” he grumbled. “But your training must have gone well from what I’m seeing.”
I stepped back and turned in a circle. "You think so?”
He held his hand up, and I punched it. He shook his hand. “I do.”
“I feel different, for sure. Have you been training as well? I can’t say you look any different.”
He held my hand and led me to a window with a benc
h before it. We sat down together, and he lifted my left leg and placed it over his. The sky was cloudy, hiding most of the stars, but still, the world beyond the window was so beautiful. Each time the moon peeped out from behind a cloud, I smiled. It wasn’t as luminous as the full moon, but still, the moon in any phase was sacred to werewolves—a source of power and strength . . . and our greatest weakness.
"I haven't been training, no. I don't really need it." He placed his hand over the back of the bench, and I rested my head on his arm.
"You're thousands of years old. You have all the experience you need, I guess. What have you been doing then, other than helping Angelisa?”
"Just wandering around the castle while the others train. I can't say I like it here. I don't like castles—not anymore."
“They remind you too much of home?”
He nodded. “Yes.”
He turned to look out the window while I studied him. Maybe it was odd for me to admire his flawless skin, but I found it attractive, especially in the semi-darkness. I didn't know what he was thinking about, but the way his jaw clenched had me blushing.
“I can feel your eyes burning into me. You love me, don't you?"
I gagged. "And just like that, you ruined the moment."
His chuckle was deep, like drums in the distance. "Don't be shy about it. I love you, too." His eyes searched mine. "I want this all to end so you and I can start a life together. I never thought I'd say those words, but you have no idea how much I want to be with you, free and clear."
He craved calm. I could tell. He'd lived for so long surrounded by death, decay, and darkness that now he wanted nothing more than peace and a life with me.
“You fed.” It wasn’t a question, just an observation, but he nodded.
“Yes, the sisters provided blood. It’s nice that they weren’t judgmental about me—about us— after learning about my gifts.” He looked down as his claws elongated and black veins appeared on his hand. “I’m not used to being accepted so easily.”
"They're good people." My claws grew as well, and I placed my hand in his.
“Darian is still watching me at every turn, though.”
I sighed, knowing the Werewolf Guard wouldn’t change any time soon. "Darian's a good person, so I wouldn’t worry about him watching you. He’s headstrong and refuses to believe that vampires can be anything but savages, but in the end, he’s not strong enough to be a threat to you. I think he’s just looking out for me.”
"Oh, I'm not worried about him,” he answered. “Were you thinking I fed on another?”
"No, I was just . . . saying." I turned away to stare out the window because, yes, I had been curious if he had bitten someone.
There were no servants here to provide blood. No doubt the blood he'd consumed belonged to the sisters, but I wasn't mad about it. If he had bitten one of them, the jealousy would’ve eaten at me because I knew how intimate it could be when he fed from someone.
“I’ll never bite another to feed as long as I have you.”
“Either way works,” I grumbled, feigning indifference, and he laughed.
“Jealousy suits you. You’re adorable when you look like that.”
"You're a funny guy tonight, aren't you?" A small bolt of electricity leaped from my finger to his arm, and he jumped as it shocked him. "Are you sure you want to call me cute again?”
“You really shouldn’t abuse your power, Elinor." We stared at each other, our smiles wide, and he reached out and pinched my chin. "We don't get moments like this very often."
“We will soon enough.” I was hopeful. “So much so that you’ll grow tired of me.”
Will shook his head, and we remained silent as a few ghosts floated past us, saying hello on their way.
“Are there any vampires that live away from the Queen’s castle and are . . . civil?”
He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, there is a coven far removed from the Queen, somewhere in the north, I think. They live in peace with the humans there, but many vampires think the Petrova Coven is just a myth.”
“You’ve been there?”
“I went there many years ago, yes.”
“I don’t think I know your last name.” I sat up. “You never told me.”
“You never asked,” he said. “It’s Hunter. I don’t remember my human name.”
“Does that bother you?” I’d never been able to sit and speak with him like this, diving into his past without interruption.
I liked it.
I enjoyed our brief moment of peace, worrying about nothing and no one, not having to be afraid that someone might catch us sitting together like this.
"It doesn't bother me. My past as a human is like a dream I had long ago. I don't think about it." He touched the collar of the purple dress Ariel had given me to wear while my new outfit was spelled.
I would no longer wear my Werewolf Guard uniform. Ariel said I needed something more fitting for the role I was about to play. My top would be black with a golden right sleeve, and I’d receive knee-high boots made of leather that would not shred when I shifted.
Will ran his hand down the middle of my chest. I knew he was only doing it absentmindedly and wasn't trying to get me excited, but I couldn't stop the way my skin warmed.
"I've lived many lives, and some remain with me while others fade. It’s the same for all vampires.”
Will I fade from his memory one day?
He’d live long after I was just a memory. Even though werewolves aged slowly, that result would be inevitable. Still, I pushed that thought to the back of my mind. It wouldn’t do me any good to dwell on what his life would be like without me.
“Darian told me about a story he’d heard when he was a boy. A village was overrun, its townspeople slaughtered in one day . . . by one man.”
Will scratched at his brow, and I could see the recollection of that day in his eyes before he looked away.
"The people were caught off guard because they hadn’t expected a vampire attack during the day. This vampire shouldn't have been able to walk in the sun. And I couldn’t help wondering . . . Was it you?”
Will avoided my gaze for a moment, and that was enough of an answer.
"I'm not judging you. I just want to know." And I wasn’t judging him. The man who’d committed those atrocities no longer existed.
“It was me. I remember that place,” he answered. He turned to me, his eyes searching my face for something. But if it was a sign of disgust he was looking for, he wouldn’t find it. "There was a time when I was the monster, Elinor. Darian thinks I still am one, but even monsters can change."
“I know that.” I took his hand and kissed the back of it. “Do you think your mother can change?”
"I didn't say all monsters can change," he laughed.
“Right.”
He kissed me abruptly, pinching my chin to keep me in place. I felt his fang graze my lip, and my stomach flipped with delight. We parted, but he placed his forehead against mine, then took my hips and pulled me closer to him.
“I missed you.” His voice was husky and low, filled with the emotions I had felt in our kiss.
I held his cheeks with both hands and kissed the corner of his mouth. “I missed you.”
He pulled back, and I stared into his eyes, which appeared bluer than usual. They roamed my face before he kissed my forehead. He was so affectionate with me, and I loved it. Most people would never guess he could be this way with anyone. He rarely smiled with others and only spoke when necessary. To the rest of the world, he was a mystery, but I loved how he let me see parts of himself that he never shared with anyone else.
“Show me something you’ve learned.”
I grinned, excited to show him the trick I had picked up while training with Tien. Using electricity created by my body, I allowed small bolts to dance across my fingertips. My eyes flicked between my hand and his face, watching as he shared my excitement.
I screwed my eyes up as I focused on turning
the bolts into a shape. It took a moment, but soon enough, I formed a rose.
"That's amazing. Can you make other shapes?"
"Only a rose for now." I released the rose and commanded the bolts to join, then zapped Will's shoulder. “But I’m working on it.”
He pulled back, wincing, and slapped my thigh. I yelped, but it wasn't painful. I liked it more than I'd ever tell him.
"Zap me again, and I'll make you scream right here for everyone to see." My cheeks burned and he smirked. "I thought so."
I zapped him again, and he tackled me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me onto him. He began nibbling at any exposed flesh he could get to, and my loud cackling laughter echoed around us.
“Okay! Okay! I’m sorry!” It felt so good to just be happy with him like this. “I’m sorry!”
“Are you?” He shook me gently.
“I am,” I answered and cupped his face with both hands.
Our lips met for a brief kiss before we pulled apart. “Elinor Blackwood," he drawled. "Once this is all over, we'll go to Dragon Territory and spend hours, days, months together like this. So you’d better be ready."
I could already see it, the two of us alone at last. “Do you promise?”
“On my life, Little Wolf; on my life.”
18
Ione
I sat up swiftly, my heart racing as the sound of my scream still echoed around me. It took me a moment to realize I was in my room, in my bed, with my mother sitting beside me.
Fresh tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared at her, and she reached out and pulled me into her arms, cradling my head to her chest as I tried to catch my breath. I whimpered, my chest tight and my limbs feeling weak and lifeless.
I swallowed, but my mouth was dry and my tongue rough from all the screaming I'd done while trapped within my nightmare.
“Shh,” my mother soothed me and tightened her arms around me. “It’s okay. Hush, child.”
Her calming words were helping, but not fast enough. The flame of the candle burning on my nightstand danced, causing the shadows in my small room to move as if they were ghosts, and I closed my eyes, trying to find comfort. It was a mistake because I immediately saw the images from the nightmare I had just had.