by Raven Steele
I grinned at Marge, all six feet of her. She looked the same as always, plaid red shirt, high waisted jeans and a long, dark braid.
“I’m back. Where is everyone?”
“Out looking for you.” She stared at me as if she couldn’t believe I was actually there. “Briar’s had the whole pack searching every night since you disappeared. Witches, too. Plus, the Nocturnas, of course.”
I swallowed the guilt creeping up my throat, but Mateo’s reassuring squeeze relaxed me. “We didn’t mean to worry anyone.”
“Where have you been?” Her gaze slid over to Detrand and Adelade. She took them in with equal measure. Mistaking her intent, Detrand stiffened, staring back at her boldly, but she didn’t return his hard gaze. She had no desire to challenge the old vampire.
Just then, the sound of the front door flying open and crashing into the wall made me jump.
“Where is the sneaky little bitch?”
I stepped into the living room at the sound of Briar’s voice. Our eyes locked, and a smile split my whole face, but her expression twisted into anger. “I’m going to kill you.”
She rushed me at full speed.
“Be careful, she’s injured,” Mateo interjected as she tackled me. She managed to wrap her arms around me to lessen the blow before we hit the ground. I fell backwards, landing softly, still grinning.
“Where the hell have you been?” She rolled to land on top of me. “I’ve been searching everywhere! Ever hear of a text or a phone call? Hell, I would’ve taken a damn letter!” She paused. “Why the hell are you smiling?” She looked up at Mateo. “Is she possessed?”
I sat up and wrapped my arms around her tightly, surprising her. “I missed you!”
She jumped to her feet and backed away, eyes narrowed. “Definitely possessed. Or high. Which is it?”
Luke came to Briar’s side, linking his hand through hers, and behind them, Lynx and Loxley left their places by the door, both dressed in black as if they’d been on a stakeout.
Lynx grinned. “It’s her, but she’s different. Don’t you see it?”
My gaze shifted to Lynx, and I hitched a breath at the sight of her. I had worried after seeing her use such powerful dark magic, but seeing her now, I could see she wasn’t lost. Light radiated from her as much as her untapped power. I came to my feet.
“See what?” Briar asked.
“The darkness. It’s gone.”
Briar studied me, even coming close to me to stare into my eyes. “Okay, what happened? I want to know everything. Tell me right now.”
“And I want to tell you, but where is everyone else? Aris?”
Her face fell, and her gaze shifted to Mateo. “Aris is with Angel.”
“He came back?” Mateo and I said at the same time.
“For you, Mateo. He and Aris having been searching for you and … Oz. He came up missing the same night as you guys.”
“Oz?” Mateo groaned and dropped onto the armrest of the sofa. “I thought I saved him.”
“Saved him from what?” Briar asked.
“Korin,” I answered for him. Mateo had exchanged his life for Oz’s, but clearly Korin had lied all so he could capture Mateo to use him as bait for me. I couldn’t imagine what Aris might be feeling right now. Oz was his best friend.
I looked at Mateo. “We’ll get him back. I swear it.” My gaze shifted to Briar and Lynx. “We’re going to get them all back. It’s time.”
Chapter 3
“Are you sure Korin has him?” Briar asked. “Both Angel and Aris went to Winter’s Cove. Not only does Korin deny it, but no one has seen him there.”
Mateo rubbed at his forehead. “He’s probably being kept with Korin’s other humans. It’s behind a secret wall. Only a few know about it.”
His head lowered, his grief flowing through me. Oz had saved Mateo’s life. It was the first time any human had tried to help him, and the event had changed Mateo. Finally he had seen the worth of humans and how both species could help each other. They bonded briefly before Korin had kidnapped Oz.
I rested my hand on Mateo’s shoulder. “I meant what I said. We’ll get him back.”
He looked up at me, fire in his eyes, and nodded.
“Mateo?”
All heads turned toward the front door. Angel stood in the doorway, Aris standing behind him. Mateo slowly rose to his feet.
Angel was across the room and embracing him before Mateo had fully straightened. “Where the hell have you been?”
“We’ll explain everything,” I said. “There is a lot we need to talk about.”
“There sure is,” Aris said, walking toward me. “Come here, you.” He pulled me into a tight hug and exhaled a long breath. “It’s so good to see you.”
The pain etched into his voice tore at my heart. I melted into his warm, friendly embrace, happy to see him again, too.
“Maybe you should introduce us to your visitors?” Briar said, interrupting the moment.
I turned around. She was eyeing Detrand and Adelade suspiciously. Aris followed her gaze and began to do the same.
Adelade stepped forward and extended her hand. “My name is Adelade and this is Detrand.” She glanced at him as if waiting for him to say hello but when he didn’t, she continued. “We came to help.”
“They saved my life,” I said, my voice soft and appreciative. I would be forever grateful to them for coming and being with me at Cassandra’s, a place I would never have stayed at otherwise.
“You’re a vampire,” Aris said to Detrand. “An old one, too. Why have I not heard of you? I’m on the Ministry.”
Detrand gave him a stark look. “Good for you.”
“I like him,” Briar blurted. She stepped toward him. “Do you hug?”
“Never.”
“Bump knuckles?”
He gave her a confused look.
“Fuck?”
This made him stutter, an action I rarely saw from him.
Smiling mischievously, Adelade sauntered up to him. “You have no idea.”
He turned towards her, eyes heated, then clasped his arms around her. Leaning down, he kissed her.
Angel groaned. “Can we move on, please? I want to know what happened.”
“Me too,” Luke added.
Their kiss broke, and Detrand looked down at her like she was everything in his world. Adelade’s cheeks turned a soft shade of pink.
Something caught Adelade’s eye and she stepped out of his embrace, her eyes shifting behind Briar. “Who’s this?”
I followed her line of sight. Loxley stood, staring wide-eyed back at her. She took a step forward, seemingly unaware of the motion.
“Adelade,” I said, “this is Loxley. She’s a shifter with the Silver Claws pack and a very skilled fighter.”
Loxley cast her a suspicious look. “You look familiar, or rather … feel familiar.”
Adelade grinned. “I think I know why.”
“Have we met?”
“Not in the sense you are thinking of.”
Detrand glanced between them, concern etching the lines on his face. “Everything okay?”
“It will be.” Adelade leaned toward Loxley and whispered, “Let’s go talk.”
Loxley tugged at her long brown hair, eyes still narrowed in on Adelade. “Okay.”
Detrand wrapped his arm around Adelade’s side and led the two of them out of the room. Adelade glanced back at me, flashing a warm smile. “We’ll let you have some time to your friends.”
As soon as they were gone, Briar spun to face me. “So, spill it, woman.”
Her gaze assessed me, taking in the way I was leaning into Mateo, the way he clutched me to his side. It was almost as if we were keeping each other up. Parts of me still ached.
I glanced back at Marge, who had returned to the kitchen and was shoving a chicken leg in her mouth. “Can we go somewhere private?”
“Of course.” Briar motioned her head back down the hall. “Let’s go to my office.”
/> It didn’t take long for everyone to get settled into Briar’s office, but just before anyone could speak, the door flew open, bringing with it a gust of air that lifted papers and an empty potato chip bag on top of Briar’s desk.
Roma stood in the entryway, her clothes wrinkled and hair a tangled mess loosely held back by a long, thin silk scarf. She searched the room, her gaze finally settling on me. She looked me up and down, scrutinizing every inch of me. “You’re really alive.”
I nodded.
She moved into the room and wrapped her arms around me, smelling like jasmine and sweet tea. She pulled back. “I knew you were. Every spell I performed confirmed it and yet, I couldn’t track you. It was very frustrating.”
I inhaled a heavy breath and looked at everyone in the room. “Let me tell you what happened, what Korin and the Phoenix did to us.”
I glanced back at Mateo on the couch and flinched, remembering the horrific condition he’d been in. He came to my side and linked his fingers into mine for support. Just feeling him this close to me gave me the support I needed.
And so I began. I told them about going to the church. About finding Mateo beaten and bloody, near death. I explained how Korin had shown up with Naburus, threatening to kill Mateo by burning him alive. I swallowed hard at the part where I admitted to unleashing the Kiss of Eternal Night and killing Naburus. I explained how they’d almost killed us. How they drained my body of all my blood. Voice wavering, I spoke the truth when I said I thought I would be joining Mateo in the afterlife that night.
The room fell deathly silent.
Lynx jumped up, leaving Aris’s side, and gave me a gentle hug. “I’m so sorry you went through that.”
Tears stained her cheeks, sparking my own. I inhaled several hitched breaths, trying to control my emotions, but when I looked at Briar and saw the heartbreak in her eyes, it made it impossible. Tears spilled over the rims. I stared upward and forced myself to breathe steady. I hated that they were seeing this side of me. I needed to get my emotions under control!
Mateo caressed my side with slow, deliberate strokes. His touch helped me to relax.
Sensing my discomfort, Briar schooled her expression and quickly said, “What happened to Korin?”
After a deep breath, I said, “I almost killed him as well, but the Phoenix stopped me.”
Lynx paled and lowered onto the top of Briar’s desk. “The Phoenix was there, too?”
“What did that bitch-man want?” Roma snapped, her hands fisting.
“He wanted me to give up the Kiss.”
“Why?” Angel and Briar asked at the same time.
I paused. Mateo nodded at me encouragingly to continue, to tell the one secret I’d been keeping from Lynx and Briar since the day I met them.
I looked back at Briar and Lynx. “There’s something I need to tell you. Something I probably should’ve told you before now, but I honestly believed I could stop it.”
“Stop what?” Briar asked.
“The prophesy.”
A cold and weighted silence settled over us, until Briar broke it.
“Are you for real? Prophecies are for shit. We make our own destiny.”
Angel rapped his knuckles against the wall, startling us all with the loud sound. “Listen to her, Briar. This is real.”
I looked over at him in surprise. Did Angel know about the prophecy, too? I didn’t know how that could be possible. I glanced back at Mateo for some kind of confirmation. He shrugged a little, just as surprised.
Briar scoffed, eyes wide. “Fine. Whatever.” She swirled her hand through the air. “Continue.”
I began by explaining how Detrand had discovered it, then passed it along to me, believing it was about me.
“I think,” I glanced back and forth between Lynx and Briar, “that its words are about us three. It took me decades of deciphering it, and searching the globe, but then I met you two.”
Briar snorted. “You mean you weaseled your way into Lynx’s house, flashing your bling and good looks and body.”
“I don’t know what bling is, but I’m impressed you were checking me out.”
Briar blinked quickly, as if her brain was having a hard time processing my last comment. “Like, how are you the same person? I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.”
Lynx grinned. “Well, whatever. I’m happy that you found us.”
“What does the prophecy say?” Roma blurted. She was sitting on the edge of the sofa, twisting her hands together.
“Yes,” Lynx added, returning to her seat next to Aris, who had been oddly quiet. “Tell us.”
I cleared my throat and all eyes were on me again. “The prophecy, handed down for centuries from those who lived during Trianus’s first awakening, reads: When the crimson moon rises on the eve of Litha, three dark souls will give their blood to bring forth the great Trianus, Lord of the Underworld, from the dark abyss. A Komira, sealed by the blood of three Alphas, a vampire who abandoned the Kiss of the Eternal Night, and a witch blessed by the sun and the moon. Bonded by fire and ice, the three will bend a knee and bow to the new Prince of Darkness, true and faithful servants, as he takes his place as ruler over mortal lands once again.”
The room fell silent. I glanced at Briar and Lynx and waited for their reaction. Briar rubbed at her mouth, deep in thought. Lynx only stared straight ahead, her expression unreadable.
“I could’ve stopped it,” Briar said, looking at me, “if you’d told me. I could’ve prevented this prophecy.”
“I thought about telling you many times, but I couldn’t.” I shook my head. “Those Alphas needed to be killed. They were evil, and trying to bring more evil into the world. Besides, I felt the strength inside you. I knew you had to become a Komira.” She scoffed at this, but I continued. “The world needs you as a Komira. You’re one of the good ones.”
“She’s right,” Angel said. “You had to become what you were meant to be.”
Luke snarled at him from across the room. “What do you know?”
Briar lifted her hand to silence him. “So now what? You gave up the Kiss, which I get. I would’ve done the same to save the person I loved.” She didn’t look at Luke or Angel when she said it.
“It’s up to me,” Lynx whispered softly. Her eyes met mine. “But are you sure the prophecy is about me specifically? I mean, I get the blessed by the moon part because of who my parents are, but what does it mean to be blessed by the sun?”
I shifted my gaze to Briar, unsure how to answer. I knew the answer lied in her real father’s heritage, but I knew nothing about his identity.
Briar answered for me. “Maybe that’s a question for your mother.”
Lynx stared at Briar, her eyes widening. “Do you think there is something she’s holding back from me?”
Briar turned back to me, an awkward silence in the air. “I think there are many things your mother has not told you. You will find the truth there.”
She nodded, biting her lip.
“What about the Abydos?” Briar asked. “Doesn’t the Phoenix need the blood to perform the spell?”
“She does and for now it’s protected, but as the prophesy comes closer to fruition, she grows in power. Look what she could do after you killed three Alphas. She could become anyone.” I looked around nervously. Sometimes I forgot how dangerous that was. Maybe she was here now among us. I studied my friends, looking at each of them, but nothing felt off.
Lynx frowned. “What power did she gain by taking the Kiss from you?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe nothing, or maybe everything. Time will tell the consequences of my actions.”
I could feel Mateo’s protective eyes on me, warming me with a fierce heat. “Now is the time to strike,” he said. “We’re in a prime position to get rid of Korin and the Phoenix.”
“How so?” Lynx asked.
“Because he believes we’re dead,” I answered. “We can use that to our advantage.”
“First up,” Mateo said,
“save Oz.”
“And Rocky and the others that were taken to the cathedral,” I added.
Briar groaned. “I don’t know what you see in that human piece of shit. Hell’s Peak is literally a hell hole because of him.”
“He’s an important ally,” I explained. “He’s our connection to the human world, specifically humans who don’t mind getting their hands dirty and who aren’t afraid of supernaturals.”
“Where do we start?” Aris asked. His hands were curled into fists, like he was itching for a fight.
I turned to Mateo. “Are you sure Oz is at Winter’s Cove? Could he be with the rest of the prisoners at the cathedral?”
He thought about this, rubbing at the back of his neck. “I guess Korin could’ve moved him. It’s possible.”
I set my jaw. “Then we start there. We hit the cathedral and take back what’s ours.”
Chapter 4
No one said anything for what felt like a very long time. I knew what I was asking was extremely dangerous, but we had to start moving forward in this war, otherwise we were playing into the Phoenix’s hands. Besides, no war was ever won by doing nothing.
“What do you suggest?” Aris asked.
“That’s what I want us to figure out together.” I looked deliberately at Briar. “Last time we went in there, I was reckless and nearly got us killed. We have to have a plan that works for all of us.”
“Damn straight,” Briar mumbled, then gave me a meaningful look. “I want to bring Loxley in here for this, don’t you think, Samira?”
I nodded my head, remembering it was Loxley’s blood that got us through the magical barriers to the cathedral. Briar stood and left to get her. I took this quick moment for some much needed deep breathing and schooling of emotions.
When Briar returned, she was explaining everything, not only to Loxley, but Detrand and Adelade too, who followed not far behind them. The room grew crowded as they joined us.
Roma, who was in the middle of re-tying back her stray hair with her scarf, said, “I can make more of that potion that got you guys through the barrier.”
I locked eyes with Loxley, whose face reddened. No matter what, I wouldn’t disclose her secret. Without her blood, we would never have made it into the cathedral. Roma’s potion had been useless. Not only was it useless, it was probably dangerous to ingest. Maybe we could make her think we were using it again.