by Cooke, CJ
“We know, dear. We’ll be leaving at the same time as you. Dominic has a safe place for us. We’ll come back on the blood moon.” She released me from the hug and held me at arms-length, staring at my face for a moment before she nodded and took a step back.
The next person to step up to me was Dominic. “You can do this,” he simply said, clasping my shoulder.
“No pressure,” I said with a smile, parroting what I’d told him what felt like years ago when we first started to discuss this crazy idea of me saving the world.
He smiled, clearly remembering the moment as well.
Then I turned and walked away with my mates, leaving the cottage behind.
Chapter 16
The walk back from the cottage had been quiet, and we didn’t say anything until we were safely shut in our suite.
“We’re going to need to gather supplies,” Kyle said, looking at Liam who just nodded and then left the room.
“So, he’s just going to go and sort that out then?” I asked, turning and watching the door to the suite swing closed.
“This is Liam’s thing. He finds us things,” Sykes said, flopping down on the sofa.
Kyle sat down next to him and then patted his knee. I couldn’t help but laugh as I sat on his lap and he leant back, pulling me with him. Sykes grabbed my feet and pulled them into his lap.
“What time are we leaving in the morning?” I asked.
“Four,” Kyle said. “Most of the wolves will be asleep. Including my father. We can slip away quietly, and it gives us a four to five-hour head start before anyone potentially notices we’re gone.”
“What time is the funeral tonight?” I asked.
“It’ll be at six when the sun sets,” Kyle said, holding me tightly against him.
I cleared my throat as it felt like it was closing up just thinking about Britt. “So, we get back to the room by eight, at the latest, and we can get a full night’s sleep before we head out,” I decided.
Kyle thought for a moment and then nodded. “Most of the pack will be well into the drink by then. We should be able to slip away without anyone noticing. My father won’t hang around long so he won’t notice us leaving either.”
“What time is it now?” I asked quietly.
Part of me was dreading the funeral tonight. It felt like once we had the funeral, Britt was really going to be gone, and I wasn’t ready to let her go yet.
“It’s just after four sweetheart,” Kyle said, running his hand across my back in reassurance.
Sykes pulled my boots off and started rubbing my feet, and I let my grief flow over me. So much had happened over the last twenty-four hours I’d almost forgotten about it. I’d never been to a funeral before. I’d never really lost anyone I cared about before. This was a completely new experience for me. And it sucked. It sucked so fucking much.
Liam came back to the room about half an hour later, laden down with three large backpacks. He sort of fell through the door, as he tried to come in fast and closed it quickly behind him.
“It was not easy getting these up here, on my own, without anyone noticing,” he huffed as he tried to untangle himself from all of the straps. Sykes took pity on him and got up to help him. “Thanks, man. Let’s put them in the closet for now. We’ve got enough floor space to sort out what we’re packing in there.”
As Sykes and Liam went into the closet, there was a knock at the suite door. Kyle looked warily at me and then picked me off his lap and sat me on the sofa. He strode over to the door and opened it, finding Caleb holding a massive box on the other side.
“Erm, come in,” Kyle said.
Had Caleb found out what we were doing already? Or had Dominic filled him in?
Caleb dropped the box onto the coffee table, and from the noise it made when it landed, it must have been heavy.
“Madame Nines sent this over for you,” he said, dropping down onto the sofa. Kyle just looked at him, shrugged and then closed the door. I guess Caleb was staying for a while.
“How’s your side?” he asked, rolling his head to look at me. “You need me to take another look at it?”
This was Caleb, and we didn’t keep secrets from Caleb. So, I lifted one side of my shirt and showed him the flawless skin at my side.
“What? How is that possible?” Caleb said, leaning forward and peering at my skin. When he reached out to touch me, he shook his head and quickly pulled his hand back. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he sat back up, and his eyes flicked across to Kyle. I was quite impressed he’d stayed where he was.
“It must all be part of my Valkyrie superpowers,” I said, lowering my shirt back down.
“Yeah, I heard about that. Valkyrie, hey. That’s pretty badass,” Caleb said, clearly impressed.
“Please, I was a badass before you had a label to put on me, I laughed. Caleb just smiled at my response. I would’ve preferred if he’d agreed with me though.
Kyle sat down in the armchair opposite us. “Who told you?” he asked, trying to sound casual.
“Dom, don’t worry, the news goes no further than me,” Caleb said. “I’ve come to see if you need any help getting ready for your escape. Apparently, this has stuff for Aria and some other provisions,” he said, pushing the box with his foot.
“So, you’re part of our secret club then?” I asked. “I thought you’d be all about the pack.”
“Nah, I mean I’m technically part of the pack. But when I went to work with Dom at the school I didn’t leave on the best of terms with Marcus and to be honest, I think when the others leave tomorrow, I’m going to go with them,” Caleb said with a shrug.
“Are you sure?” Kyle asked, concerned. “You wouldn’t have any other wolves around you.”
“Yeah, I think I should be fine. My wolf sees Dom as pack, and if I need to, I can shift with the kitsune. There are some other shifters where they’re going as well, and it won’t be for long. We’re coming back for the Blood Moon remember,” Caleb answered.
“Why is it a problem there aren’t other wolves?” I asked, confused and feeling out of the loop like usual.
“Wolves need a pack, lone wolves can go crazy and sometimes a shifter can lose themselves to their animal,” Kyle said quietly.
I looked at Caleb in alarm. I was ready to declare him my friend, and I didn’t want him to go all rabid and crazy. “That seems like a big risk.”
“Nah, trust me, it’s going to be fine. It’s only two months, and as I said, my wolf sees Dom as pack. I know it’s weird, but I think that would be enough on its own,” Caleb shrugged.
There was a lot of manly shrugs going on. I got a feeling it was their way of downplaying the situation. “Why is that weird?” I asked.
“Wolves tend to only pack with wolves or other strong shifters. It’s unusual for a wolf to consider a mage part of their pack,” Caleb answered.
“Unusual!” Kyle scoffed. “Try unheard of.”
Caleb just shrugged again. “It is what it is, man.” He simply said.
I thought about it for a minute. “You don’t have one of these little mini pack things, do you?” I asked him.
Caleb just laughed at my phrasing, and Kyle looked a little insulted, which only made me grin. “No,” he laughed.
“Maybe it’s a mate thing.” I did one of my own nonchalant shrug things. “Perhaps you’re fated to share a mate.”
Kyle looked at me like I’d gone crazy. “It doesn’t work like that sweetheart. Fated mates don’t happen between different species.”
“Don’t they? What about us? I’m not a shifter,” I said.
“Aren’t you?” Caleb asked. “You shift into your Valkyrie form.”
“I mean, I suppose, but I don’t feel my Valkyrie inside me like how you describe your wolves. It’s still me when I change.” I argued.
Both men looked at me as they thought about what I’d said. I got the impression perhaps this was too heavy of a subject for us to discuss now so decided a change of topic was definitely in orde
r. Reaching forward, I grabbed hold of the box and ripped open the top.
“Well, let's see what goodies she’s cooked up for us this time.”
I tipped the box out onto the coffee table. To say that Madame Nines had thought of everything was an understatement. The best part was there was a fresh set of clothes for me. There were ropes, a first aid kit, lighter, flashlights, camping stove and what looked like ration packs. Kyle sifted through the supplies arranging them on the table.
“We can grab some tents and sleeping bags from the house.”
Caleb looked over the table. “Is there anything else you guys are going to need that I can help out with?” he asked.
Kyle sat back in his chair and thought. “Not that I can think of now,” he said, staring at the collection of survival equipment on the table.
“I’ll be around if you think of anything,” Caleb said, standing and walking over to the door. “Aria, I feel like I should be coming with you, or at least helping in some way.”
“There is something you could do for me,” I said. “The Elites, I don’t want to tell them where we’re going, but they’re not going to understand why we’ve gone without them. It’s better they don’t know anything because then they won’t have to lie if anyone asks them. Could you maybe explain things for me once I’ve gone?”
Caleb nodded slowly. “We were going to leave around the same time as you, but we could delay by a day and handle things after you’re gone. It’s the least we can do.”
Caleb swung open the door, and as he was stepping through. He looked back over his shoulder and locked eyes with Kyle. “You look after our girl, okay,” he said before he turned and walked away down the corridor.
I turned back to Kyle, who was just grinning in amusement.
“Our girl?” I asked him.
Kyle just shrugged and then got up and walked into the closet to speak with Liam and Sykes. I heard them discussing camping gear, and then they all walked out of the closet together. Liam and Sykes went to leave the room before I stopped them.
“Wait, what did he mean by ‘our girl’?” I asked. “He didn’t mean ….? He doesn’t think ...?”
The guys all just laughed, and Liam and Sykes walked out of the room off to collect whatever else they thought we could need. I looked over at Kyle and raised my hands expectantly at him, which just made him laugh again.
“I don’t think that’s what he means sweetheart,” he laughed.
Chapter 17
Echo dropped by the room earlier to lend me a dress for the funeral. I hadn’t even thought about what I was going to wear. If I was honest, I was probably just going to wear my fighting leathers.
Now, I was in the bathroom looking at myself in the mirror. I’d showered and dressed and was just standing, staring at my reflection in an aim to try and put off the inevitable. I took a deep breath, trying to find some level of calm. There wasn’t anything I could do to prepare myself for this.
I heard a gentle knock, and Liam spoke through the door. “You nearly ready, Kitten?”
“Yeah,” I said, stepping away from the mirror and opening the door to find Liam standing on the other side.
He looked amazing in black trousers and a fitted, open-necked black shirt. Kyle and Sykes were behind him dressed similarly, and they both looked equally mouth-watering.
“You look beautiful, Kitten,” Liam said, smiling.
I’d left my hair down and wavy. The dress Echo had leant me was a simple long black dress made of a chiffon type material. It had a halter neck and was fitted to the waist before flaring out into a floaty skirt. The back wasn’t too low, but it still fell below my waistline. I was a little worried it was a bit too revealing for a funeral.
“Is this okay?” I asked, looking down at the dress. I turned to let them see the back and glanced over my shoulder at them. “I’m a bit worried it’s too low at the back, what do you think?” I asked.
Sykes spluttered out a cough, “Just don’t look at anyone like that, and you’ll be fine.”
Kyle shuffled on the spot and then cleared his throat and said, “We need to head down, the funeral is starting.”
With his comment, the fleeting feeling of happiness I had plummeted to my stomach. Kyle stepped forward and gently took my hand. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go and say goodbye to our friend.”
I just nodded in response. As much as I didn’t want to say goodbye, this was going to be my last chance. I couldn’t change the fact Britt had died, and I couldn’t bring her back. Kyle was right, it was time to say goodbye.
The house was quiet as we walked through it. It would seem the rest of the pack had already gone to the clearing where the funeral was due to take place. It was a good job I was with the guys because there’s no way I would have found it without them. It was only a five-minute walk away from the house, but it was well hidden between the trees. The clearing turned out to be a little forest glade, and it was so beautiful. I could see why it’d been chosen as a place to let the pack’s loved ones pass on to their next life.
Around the edge, dotted in between the trees, were huge standing stones. They must have been at least nine feet high. They completely surrounded the clearing, like they were keeping watch over those who gathered inside. The ground was covered in wildflowers, apart from the centre, where a pyre had been built and on top lay Britt.
Someone had dressed her in fresh fighting leathers, and she had her katana laid at her side. She was having a warrior’s funeral, and she deserved nothing less. My Elite girls were all dressed in their fighting leathers standing watch around the pyre.
I saw Margie across the clearing. She was surrounded by pack members who were all offering their condolences to her. No one should ever have to outlive a child, and that went doubly so for a grandchild. She looked up from her friends, and her eyes met mine. She didn’t look angry, and she had every right to be, she just looked lost.
In the background, Della stood with her friends gathered around her. It was like she was holding Court like the bitch queen she wanted to be. They had the nerve to titter at something she said, disrupting the sombre atmosphere with their inappropriate laughter.
Professor Octavia was standing off to the side with a few of the other teachers, quietly talking. I caught her eye, and she smiled gently at me. I felt like such an intruder. Yes, Britt was my friend, and I was mourning her, but these people had known her for a lifetime, and they held a bond with each other.
I dropped Kyle’s hand and walked across the clearing to Margie. When I reached her, I dropped to my knees at her feet, my gaze fastened to the ground. I could hear the pack murmuring around me.
“Please forgive me,” I said. “I failed Britt, I failed to protect her, and it cost her, her life.” Tears pooled in my eyes, and I didn’t realise Margie had dropped to her knees in front of me until she placed a finger under my chin and raised my head to look at her.
“There is no need for forgiveness, child. I heard what you did for Britt. I heard how you stood up for her and took her out of the hands of that sorry excuse for a male. How you took her and the other girls under your wing. How you trained them to fight. If you hadn’t done that, she wouldn’t have been able to fight her way out of that damned place. I also know you tried to save her, but you couldn’t reach her in time. And it was because of you she was brought home to me. I owe you more than I could ever repay.” And then she reached forward and pulled me into an embrace. I couldn’t hold the tears back any longer, and I wept against her as she rubbed my back and whispered gentle words to me.
When I finally raised my head, she gave me a sad smile. “It’s time to say goodbye now, dear. This isn’t a sad time. Britt had a short life, but she shone brightly in it. She died a warrior, and now she will pass on to the next life.”
Margie took my hand, and we both walked over to where the unlit pyre sat.
“She looks so beautiful,” I told her.
“Marcus wanted me to dress her in some kind of dress,
but she died the way she lived. Always fighting for what was right. This seemed more fitting. Oh, he was spitting fire when he saw what I’d done,” she laughed.
Marcus wandered up to the pyre holding a lit torch. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t speak about the life that Britt had led. He didn’t even say anything about how much she would be missed. He just tossed the torch on the pyre and stood and watched the flames take hold. Then he turned and walked away. I looked at Margie, and I saw the tears swimming in her eyes. When I looked past her to Kyle, I could see the anger on his face. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but even I could tell this wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
I put an arm around Margie’s shoulder and squeezed her.
“I’m so sorry,” I murmured.
She just nodded. Her emotions had taken her over, and she’d given herself to her grief. Her friends gathered around her, and I stepped back so they could comfort her.
I went to walk back to my guys' side when I felt it. My magic rushed to the surface strong and insistent. It wasn’t like when the demon had attacked the school, it wasn’t an urge to fight, or an insistence danger was nearby. It was warm, and it was comforting, but it was insistent.
I tried to take a step away from the pack towards my guys, but it was like a pull, and I stumbled as I tried to move. When I looked up, I caught Sykes’ eyes, and he immediately knew something was wrong. Sykes nudged Kyle to get his attention, but before they could move towards me my magic surged, and it felt like it slammed into me. My wings burst from my back, and I stumbled to my knees. Strangely my clothes didn’t change, and I still wore the long black dress. Then I just knew, I knew what needed to be done and knew I was running out of time to do it.
Before the guys could reach me, I spread my wings and took to the air. Hovering over the flames of the pyre, I looked down and could see Britt’s body starting to burn away. The heat from the fire was intense, but it didn’t feel like it would burn me. It strangely felt the same way my magic did. It was hot and insistent, but something about it felt more like an embrace, and it made me smile.