by Elena Gray
“We’ll meet again, gargoyle.”
Before I could blink, the portal disappeared. The shades and reapers joined my uncle while Jax and Roark checked on Quinn. I heard him tell them he was okay before they walked my way.
You’re safe again, Slade assured me through our bond. My brothers will protect you. We’re guardians. It’s what we do.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him what I knew. He was still under the assumption that Samara was alive. Until we brought him home, I couldn’t reveal the truth, no matter how much it hurt to hide it.
“Tell me where you are.” I didn’t realize I’d said the words aloud until Jax frowned at me.
“Kat, are you okay?” He pulled me into an embrace and squeezed me tighter.
I didn’t answer him. I was too busy enjoying the feel of his arms around me.
“I think she’s in shock,” Jax said.
His words vibrated against my cheek before I pulled away and shook my head.
“I’m fine. Really.”
He didn’t believe me. Neither did Quinn or Roark. I could tell by their skeptical expressions.
As much as I wanted to explain that I’d made contact with Slade again, his connection with me ended. Disappointment overwhelmed me and I clung to Jax.
“Is she in shock?” Quinn inquired.
“Perhaps,” Uncle Mathias answered. His hand pressed to my back as he stroked it gently. “I think it’s time for a meeting, and this time, I need to involve a human.”
Jax’s muscles stiffened as our bond wavered. “Which human?”
“Relax,” Uncle Mathias replied. “It’s just Katarina’s Nona. I believe you’ve already met.”
“Why does she need to be involved?” Roark asked.
“The woman is more involved in this than you think. She’s a trusted source and ally. Besides, Katarina needs a positive female figure in her life, and from what I’m sensing, someone needs to get you guys in line.”
Chapter 8
~Katarina~
I never would have imagined myself sitting in the prince of the underworld’s living room with three gargoyle shifters, my grandmother, and Samara the friendly ghost. Meanwhile, a wolf, mage, and shade stuffed their faces in my uncle’s kitchen.
But here I was. This had become my new normal. Thanksgiving should be interesting.
I sat next to my uncle on his stark white sofa. He appeared relaxed on the outside, but I could feel the tension radiating from within. He was pissed, and I had a feeling it was about me and my guardians.
My grandmother had been quietly watching us and that could only mean one thing. She was reading the room. After the observations she had made the last time we met, I could only imagine what she would reveal tonight.
Based on the stare-down she was having with Roark, she wasn’t happy that he’d chosen duty over fate. And through my bond with Roark, I sensed he was intimidated. Not by the prince of the underworld, not by the shades. No, he was afraid of my grandmother. I couldn’t blame him. I’d seen her put my uncle in his place many times, and he was a god.
Quinn rightfully bowed his head when my grandmother pursed her lips and shook her head at him. Our bond throbbed with his shame. Did he regret not listening to her declaration that we were soulmates—that he burned as hot for me as I did for him?
I didn’t have long to dwell on Quinn before her gaze finally settled on Jax. She gave him a knowing smile and winked. Hell’s fire take me now. I wanted to open a portal and crawl through it. Did she know what we had done? For the love of all that’s holy, I hoped not. I prayed she only sensed the change in our energy toward each other.
But either way, I was horrified. Having a clairvoyant grandmother could be a real pain in the ass.
I jumped when Mathias cleared his throat. The tension in the room had me on edge.
Mathias said, “Kat, I didn’t need to explain to your Nona why I requested this meeting. She expected my call.”
My pulse thumped in my ears as I clenched my hands in my lap. This was not the conversation I wanted to have with my family present.
As if sensing my distress, Samara moved next to me. “This is all my fault.”
My grandmother lifted her gaze to Samara and gave her a sympathetic smile. “My dear, you are carrying tremendous burdens that are preventing you from crossing to the other side. In order for others to forgive you, you need to forgive yourself.”
Samara shook her head and flung her hands out. “How can I forgive myself when all I’ve done is destroy those I’ve loved? Zander and Draven can’t seem to move on until they avenge my death. Slade is dying in a prison somewhere. Kat is now a target because of my powers and she gave up her human life to find me. And now Quinn and Roark are miserable because they are denying their feelings toward Kat, instead of accepting it like Jax.”
Quinn and Roark snapped their attention to Jax. I felt like I was on one of those talk shows with the big reveal of who the baby’s daddy was. This was so not the time for this conversation.
Realizing her mistake, Samara mouthed sorry to me. I dropped my head in my hands and groaned.
Samara, is everything all right?
I lifted my head at the sound of Slade’s voice. Relief replaced my anxiety. He was still okay. Slade was who we needed to be discussing, not my love life. Nothing was more important than freeing him.
My grandmother tipped her head and her eyes unfocused. “Someone else is with us. They aren’t of the spirit realm.”
She hesitated. Her empty stare always unsettled me, no matter how many times I’d seen her do this.
“Katarina.” She blinked as her eyes came back into focus. “I sense a connection to you. Not as strong as the others, but it’s there nonetheless. Is this your other guardian?”
All eyes shifted to me. Roark took a step forward until Jax extended his arm, preventing him from moving any further. I swiped my sweaty palms on my pants and looked anywhere I could to avoid the curious gazes surrounding me.
I stared out the window across from me. City lights twinkled behind the glass. The view was as false as I was. Mathias’s magic changed the scenery to suit his mood. There were no city lights. We were in a warehouse in a vacant part of town with nothing but a brick wall on the other side of the glass.
I hadn’t told anyone that my connection with Slade had gotten stronger and that our conversations had become more frequent. I had no rational explanation for keeping it from them.
“Yes, it’s Slade,” I said dragging my gaze away from the window.
“He’s okay?” Samara asked as she swiped a tear from her cheek.
My stomach churned and I felt like I was going to be sick. How could I have kept this from her? From his brothers?
I swallowed the bile creeping up my throat and nodded.
“Let me talk to him. He still doesn’t know what happened to you, Samara. I was worried if he knew, it might eat away what was left of his soul.”
Samara?
I hated hearing the worry in Slade’s voice. He needed to focus on healing himself, not protecting me. He needed to conserve his energy.
Everything is okay, Slade. We’re having a meeting about how to find you. Samara is with me. Were you able to find anything else about where you are?
I heard him release a frustrated breath. If I pushed through our bond hard enough, I could just make out his face. His beard had grown more since the last time I saw him. Even beneath the smudges of dirt and blood, he was still handsome.
I wish I had more for you, but I don’t.
“Ask him about Rose and Natasha,” Samara pleaded.
Samara wants to know how Rose and Natasha are doing?
The silence stretched so long between us, that I thought I had lost Slade. When he finally responded, I realized why. It isn’t good, Katarina. Natasha is no longer responsive and Rose’s nosebleeds are more frequent. I’ve distracted the guards from them for now, but I don’t know how much longer that will work.
Dread po
oled in my belly. Slade didn’t have to say it, but I knew he was taking the additional beatings to protect them. This nonsense between me and my guardians had to end.
Just hang on a little longer. Please, promise me, Slade. I want to see those violet eyes in person.
Slade’s chuckle flooded our bond with warmth. It was a good sign if I could elicit a laugh from him. It meant he still had hope.
I promise. I’m looking forward to meeting my guardian angel.
It took everything in me to sever my connection with Slade. Once it was done, it felt like a cold blanket wrapped around me. What if this was the last time I spoke to him?
My uncle wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. I tucked my face in his shoulder and unleashed my emotions on his shirt. When my pity party was finally over, I leaned back and accepted the tissue my grandmother held out to me.
“Now do you see why I demanded this meeting?” my uncle rumbled. “This has got to stop. Katarina cannot focus on her magic or training if her emotions are in turmoil. The bond between all of you only makes it worse. If you can’t bury whatever demons are holding you back, then I will no longer allow you to guard my niece.”
This time all three guardians crossed the room until they stood in front of us. I nearly doubled over from the rage flooding our bond. My uncle’s hold tightened on me as if he sensed my discomfort.
“You have no say in who guards her,” Roark growled. “Only the ancestors can sever that bond.”
Mathias pressed a kiss to my forehead before he stood and took a step toward Roark. “Do you forget who I am? I can sever this bond right now if I choose to.”
Jax’s eyes began to shift, the bright emerald green darkening. By the clench of his jaw, he was struggling to keep the dark magic at bay. I needed to defuse this situation, fast.
I sprang from the sofa and placed a hand on my uncle’s chest. “Please, Uncle Mathias. I need them. I’ll never be able to find Slade without them. It’s our bond that’s keeping him alive.”
My uncle finally tore his gaze from Roark and glanced down at me. His chest rose and fell beneath my palm. “This madness has to stop, Katarina. I will not risk your life because they can’t accept the path that has been laid out for them.”
“It wasn’t your love for me that got me killed.” Samara’s voice shook when she spoke. “It was my own stubbornness. Whether you loved me or not, I would have found a way to deceive you.”
Roark scrubbed his hand over his face, then turned toward Samara. “I hate that this has happened to you. If I could forfeit my life right now to bring you back, I would.”
“But you can’t. What’s done is done, and the only one to blame is whoever killed me. Katarina is right, she does need all of you, but if you keep pushing her away, then the bond will eventually weaken and break. Is that what you want?”
Roark’s gaze met mine. I expected to see a storm brewing in his eyes. Instead, all I found was doubt. He didn’t believe in himself.
My grandmother stood from her chair and approached Roark. She placed her hand on his arm and said, “Sometimes the people we love the most are the ones we protect the hardest.”
Roark tore his attention from me and transferred it to my grandmother. He studied her for a moment before placing a kiss on her cheek. Avoiding everyone else in the room, he strode toward the window and braced his arm against the glass.
I hated what I was doing to him. To all of them.
My uncle’s hand closed over mine while he addressed my guardians. “I will concede for now, but I am sending Nicholai with you. He will ensure Katarina gets the training she needs to be a reaper. He will also be my eyes and ears. If anything else goes wrong, I will end this.”
I didn’t miss the way Roark’s muscles tensed. He knew better than to push my uncle any further. Whatever we had between us, we would need to call a truce. Roark didn’t need to love me, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t still be friends.
My grandmother tugged me from my uncle’s side and wrapped her arms around me. Her words a whisper for my ears only. “You must fight for what you want. Trust your heart not to fail you.”
Nicholai, Draven, and Zander entered the room, signaling the end of my love life intervention. I was thankful for the interruption. It meant we were finally going to discuss how to find Slade.
Draven and Zander flanked Samara. Seeing them together caused an ache in my chest. What must it be like to be so close to the one you loved and not be able to touch them? I glanced at Roark and Quinn from beneath my lashes. Who was I kidding? I knew exactly what it felt like.
Pushing my hair off my face, I addressed the room. “We’re running out of time. Rose and Natasha can’t withstand what their captors are doing to them any longer. We need to find them, no matter what lines we have to cross to do it.”
Samara pressed her hand to her mouth at the news of her friends. Draven and Zander both reached for her, only to have their hands pass through.
Zander jerked his hand back and raked it through his hair. “I’ve been to every pack leader within the realm. My own pack has been secretly asking questions, in case there are members afraid to come forward with information. No one has seen or heard anything.”
“I’ve talked to my mother,” Draven added. “She has called upon every witch and mage in the realm to find them. Whoever is hiding them must be powerful.”
I should have felt relief that Draven’s mother was still searching, but I couldn’t rule out the possibility that the high priestess knew more than she let on. Could she be protecting someone in the coven?
“You said that Slade was missing a piece of his soul. Maybe I can help with that,” Nicholai said.
Stepping around my grandmother, I approached him. Hope flared in my chest. “How?”
“Your uncle told me that your connection with Slade has grown stronger,” Nicholai continued. “You stand a better chance, as a reaper, to find his soul. Where other reapers have tried and failed, they don’t have the bond with him that you have. You just need a little training. I’m hoping that your magic will aid us in tracking him.”
How could he know about my connection to Slade when I’d only just told everyone? I glanced from Nicholai to my uncle. Of course. They had their own supernatural communication system like I had with my guardians. Soon, I would be able to reach all of the shades and reapers.
There was only one problem with Nicholai’s plan. I didn’t have total control over my powers yet. But I knew someone who could help me, and she had a spell that just might locate Slade’s soul.
Chapter 9
~Roark~
I gripped the long sword in my hand and shifted my stance near the window. As grateful as I was to be in our home on the Stone Isles, I was on edge. Three things I didn’t know for certain. How had the demons got access to the portal, who’d sent them, and why?
Though I rarely used a weapon, I knew it would aid me if we experienced another attack. I wasn’t the only one who chose to carry extra protection. Quinn had dusted off his mace and strapped it to his side. Jax’s sais were inside the holster around his waist. The three of us made a pact to keep the weapons close by and use them along with our elemental powers. We agreed to take turns watching the grounds, guarding Katarina, and sleeping. Two of us had to be awake at all times.
After our meeting at Mathias’s office, he’d used a portal to return all of us back to our realm. Nicholai had come through the portal as well. He would begin training Katarina later today.
I hadn’t said much to anyone since we’d come home. My mind continued to turn over everything Katarina’s grandmother had said. I hated to admit it, but maybe I was wrong. I would never want to put Katarina in danger. There was no doubt that I would sacrifice my own life to keep her safe. The ancestors had chosen Katarina to take Samara’s powers and they’d chosen us to be her guardians. What if it was because she was our fated mate, and by denying our destiny, I was solely responsible for destroying us?
Samara joined
us not even ten minutes after we returned. Zander left to track a couple leads one of his pack mates gave him, but Draven decided to accompany her to our realm. He stood on the opposite side of the room and split his attention between listening to the current conversation and viewing the grounds from the window.
Katarina sat on the sofa in the den, leaning against Jax. Quinn stood in the doorway, about to head to bed yet too engrossed in the conversation between our former ward and our new one. Samara hovered near Katarina. I hadn’t paid attention to what they were discussing, but if the frown on Samara’s face was any indication of the subject, it couldn’t be good.
Checking the grounds once more, I focused on what Katarina was saying. “You mentioned something about a spell you thought could help us find Slade. Can you tell me how to do it?”
“No,” Samara answered. “It’s far too advanced for you. When I cast it, I spent a lot of energy. I’m not willing to risk your life.”
“But we’re risking Slade’s every minute we’re not out searching for him. If you have a way to help us find him—”
Samara shook her head. “Even if I thought you could handle it, I can’t give you the spell because I never memorized it, and I don’t have access to it. It’s in my Book of Shadows.”
Jax stroked Katarina’s arm as he asked, “Where is the book? We can at least attempt the spell. I’ll help Katarina cast it.”
“I wish I could tell you where to find it, but I can’t. I don’t remember.” Samara shook her head and grumbled, “My memory is shit. I’m useless to you guys.”
“Stop,” Katarina commanded. “You’re being too hard on yourself. Look at what you’ve been through. You can’t expect to remember everything.”
“Maybe not, but I should be able to recall more than fragments of my memory. I’m so frustrated I want to scream.” Samara tried to kick the sofa, but her leg disappeared into the fabric. Without her flesh and bone, she was nothing more than a hologram. I didn’t need my bond with her to know that being a ghost angered her.