by Tamara White
Pure, unadulterated rage wells up within me. Before I know what I’m doing, I have Maria pressed against the wall, my hand wrapped around her throat and squeezing tight. At this very moment, her death is all I want. Vengeance against the one who killed Emerald.
Maria chuckles, her blue eyes burning bright. “Let... me... go...” She’s struggling for breath, but even so, she puts the power of our blood bond behind her words so I’ll be unable to refuse. Immediately, I release my grip on her and she drops. Then Maria she reaches up to cup her throat tenderly, while eyeing me maliciously.
“I see,” she murmurs, her eyes filled with sudden understanding. “She truly wasn’t just a bond, but someone you loved. Well, no matter. Her life is over now and you can either rule by my side willingly, or I will force you to. You may like to think because I let you go back then that you have the freedom to do as you please, but remember this, Talon. You are mine. I made you. I can destroy you just as easily.”
Turning away, she walks down the corridor without a backward glance.
After she’s out of sight, I drop to the floor, my heart filled with regret. Why the fuck did Emerald follow me here? And why did Nik and Dev let her? Now, she’s lost to us all.
Eighteen
The Decisions We Make
Emerald
“Time to wake up, sweetie.”
My eyes snap open and I realize I’m in the in-between place, with Melanie beaming down at me. “Ah, Emerald, how I’ve missed you. But I’m glad you haven’t died all that often. After all, just because you won’t stay dead, doesn’t mean you should be reckless,” she chides, clicking her tongue in admonishment.
Yeah, because my goal in life is to die repeatedly just so I can keep visiting her.
I sit up with a groan and rub my temples in annoyance. “Am I really dead again?” I ask, but then my memory of what happened starts slowly coming back. I think I was poisoned with hemlock, if what Linc said was correct. Which means I’m definitely dead right now.
I get to my feet and look at the empty space around me. Then my gaze returns to Melanie, who now sits in a chair across from me. I don’t remember that being there.
Then I glance behind me, my eyes widening in surprise. Sometime in the past minute, a chair just appeared there. I take a seat, my heart pounding as I wonder what happens now.
Suddenly, it’s like a switch turns on in my mind, and I realize now is my chance to get answers on how to save Britt. “I need you to tell me everything that might help save Britt from dying. I also need to know about the three men she met in that hell dimension she was in, and what they’ve done to her. I think they’re messing with her and I need to figure out why. Apparently, she doesn’t love her husbands anymore and I’m at a complete loss on what to do. Please, tell me how I can keep her from dying and help keep her marriage intact. Is there a way I can talk to her, even though I’m dead?”
My words come out in a rush, spurred on by my desire to get as many answers as possible before I’m sent on to whatever comes next.
Melanie’s eyes soften and she reaches out her hand, gripping mine gently. “Firstly, you’re not truly dead, my dear. You will go back to your men when this is over, just like any other time.”
My eyes draw together in confusion but I don’t speak yet, wanting to hear what else she has to say.
“And secondly, the men my daughter saw in that dimension will not harm her. If anything, they would give their lives for her. She is tied to them in ways she can’t even begin to comprehend yet. And that it all turned out like this, is my fault,” she admits quietly, her gaze dropping to the ground.
When Melanie looks back up at me, I can see the regret in her eyes. “Which is why I need your help.”
Suddenly, the energy around me shifts and three men appear out of thin air.
I jolt to my feet, the chair falling back as I do. I don’t pay it any mind, though, instead just staring at the newcomers, and knowing immediately who they are.
I now know why Britt said they looked like angels. All three of them seem to glow with this white aura around their massive frames.
The one on the far right stares at me intently, with violet colored eyes and black hair almost as dark as the night sky. He has a sword strapped to his hip, but I know if he tried something, I wouldn’t go down without one hell of a fight. That being said, I would probably be in for the fight of my life. The power in his body looks like it could rival Talon’s, which should scare me, but it only serves to intrigue me.
My gaze moves to the man in the middle, who lifts a hand and waves at me with a shy smile. His blue eyes are unearthly in their hue, not quite the color of the ocean, but more of the aqua you would see in the water around tropical islands. He nervously runs his hand through his sandy ruffled hair when I don’t wave back, the movement drawing my eyes to the bow and quiver of arrows slung across his back. This guy may look unassuming, but I bet he knows how to use those.
When I turn to study the third male, I find a menacing stare greeting me. His eyes look to be black, but from this far away I can’t say for sure. As I continue to study him, I see his aura flicker from the soft white light it started as to a bright, aggressive red. I cock my head, watching with interest as he tries to battle whatever it is inside him. Finally, his aura turns back to white and he looks more relaxed.
“What are you?” I inquire curiously. I’ve never felt the kind of aura he’s giving off. It reminds me so much of the battle I wage to keep control of my beast sometimes. Like there is something dark and dangerous within him, just waiting for the chance to escape.
Melanie chuckles softly, drawing my attention back to her. She gestures back to the seat I’d been in, which is now upright once again. “Sit down, Emerald. There is much to tell you.”
I slowly take a seat, not taking my eyes off the three men who move closer and fan out behind Melanie.
With the way they look at her with admiration, I guess there must be some history between them I’m missing.
Melanie wrings her hands in her lap, looking both nervous and ashamed. “To answer your first question, Chase is a hybrid, although a different kind than the one you are. He is a mix of Eternal Guardian and Demon.” My mouth hangs open, utterly speechless, but Melanie doesn’t stop there. As for the other two, this is Hunter,” she gestures to the one in the middle with blue eyes, “And Alistair,” she continues, nodding to the violet-eyed man.
“Okay, well, I don’t really care what their names are. I want to know what they are and what the fuck they did to my best friend. I want to know whether to make it a quick death or draw it out as punishment for thinking they can step into Britt’s life, and try to separate her and her husbands.” I glare at the men accusingly. I won’t let them get away with hurting my friend like that.
Melanie sighs loudly and rubs her temples like I’m giving her a headache. Can dead people even get headaches?
“Em, my dear, just relax. I will explain as much as I can in the limited time we’ve got. And hopefully, your men won’t try to set you on fire this time,” she says with a hint of a smile, but this isn’t a time for her jokes. I just want answers about what the fuck is going on.
Melanie’s smile drops as I narrow my eyes at her. “Alright, where to start?” She thinks for a moment while the three men just stand behind her as if waiting for orders.
“Oh, I know,” Melanie chirps after a minute, her eyes lighting up with glee. “How about we start with the fact that my daughter never should have married those four men in the first place? Instead, she was just supposed to help connect them to the person they truly belonged to.”
I try to make sense of her words, feeling a sense of unease. Why would Britt marry men who weren’t for her? Melanie’s statement doesn’t help clarify things at all, instead, only making even more questions to rise to the surface.
Before I can voice any them though, she continues, “Brittany was destined to have three soul mates. Only three, Emerald. But when she pricked yo
ur pinky as children, she changed everything.”
How could that have changed things? What was so special about that moment that made everything go wrong?
“When she met those four boys that were destined to be yours, they were drawn to her instead, because of your blood.”
My head starts to pound and tears sting my eyes. Why is she saying this shit? My blood is what made Britt want to be with her husbands? What kind of bullshit is that?
“That’s not possible. They love each other. It takes more than a little blood to change something as important as who you care for.”
Melanie shakes her head sadly. “In this case, it doesn’t actually. You see, fate had planned for my daughter to meet the four witches destined for you, and they would help her find her own men. Then the two of you would meet once more and with your partners at your sides, be an unstoppable force in the coming war. But Fate didn’t plan on the two of you sharing blood.”
She pauses for a long moment and I feel a sense of dread settling in my stomach.
“Because of that, things are even more complicated than ever. My daughter married the men destined for you, while the three she grew up with and loved for ten years were left waiting for you to summon them and bring them back from this plane.”
“Wait, why am I supposed to bring them back? Why can’t they just come back on their own? Why have they waited until now? And if they can’t come back, then how the hell did they pop in and see Britt in that other dimension?”
The questions pour out of me in a rush, fueled by my desire to make some kind of sense out of all this. Because so far, it sounds so far-fetched that I have no clue what to believe.
Melanie gives me a soft smile, one I assume she means to be reassuring, but I am way past the ability to be calm right now. I’m panicked by all the implications of what she’s saying.
Britt’s mother looks back at the three men with a fond expression. “They need the kind of magic only Merlin possesses in order to bring them back. As for how they visited her in that dimension, that was because of Chase and his second nature. He was born there. Unfortunately, though, until they reform the bond with Brittany, they won’t have access to their full powers.
“I know Brittany is confused right now, but it’s only because she knows in her heart she’s meant to be with these three. They grew up together and the only reason she doesn’t remember that is because I was forced to remove her memories. Shortly before she came to stay with your pack, her father appeared and tried to take her back to his world. I was forced to remove any and all details of his appearance from Britt, but I also had to modify memories of everyone within our coven so they no longer remembered Chase, Hunter, and Alistair being my wards. I did what I thought was right at the time, and just prayed it wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass. But unfortunately, it has,” she says sadly, her gaze coming back to mine.
I just sit there with my mouth open, completely speechless. Holy fucking shit! She wiped memories of everyone in her coven and her own daughter. For what?
“As you’ve probably already seen from Britt’s actions, their mating has already begun. Chase kissed her in that other dimension, without thinking through the consequences I might add.” She sends a glare over her shoulder at the man in question, who looks down at the floor in shame. “Anyway, because of who my daughter’s father is, that kiss ended up triggering her second nature.”
I hold up my hand, quickly shaking my head in denial. “Wait, stop right there! Britt has a second nature? Why wouldn’t she tell me about something like that?” I muse, although I’m not sure if I’m asking Melanie or myself that last part.
Melanie sighs sadly and glances down at her hands. When she looks back up, I see shame in her eyes. “She doesn’t know, Emerald. Right now, I imagine she’s feeling so alone and confused with all these new feelings rising up within her. I know it’s my fault, but I did what I did to protect her. And to protect the boys. It wasn’t until I died that I got to see the big picture though. You two are so vital to the future, with you destined to protect your dimension, and Brittany with hers as well.
“Which brings me to why you’re here now. When you go back, these three will be going with you. I know you’ve blocked Britt’s magic, which is a good idea for the time being because I fear how she will react when she finds out the truth. But because of that, you’ll have to be the one to undo what I did. To return all the memories I took from her.”
So I’m here to fix her mistake and break the hearts of Britt’s husbands in the process? “No.”
Melanie splutters at that. Before she can regain her composure, I stand and glare down at her angrily. “You want me to go back and tell my best friend that the four men she married were meant for me, and not her? Even worse, you want me to give back the memories you stole from her so she’ll fall in love with those three again, breaking her husbands’ hearts in the process? Not only no, but hell fucking no!”
I storm off, over where I thought I first appeared, but who the hell knows with this place? “Now, send me back so I can actually help my friend,” I demand, refusing to look back at Melanie.
“Emerald, please, if you don’t do this, my daughter will die. This is the only way she will survive this.”
The desperation in her voice almost has me turning back to ask if she really means it, but I’m sure it’s nothing but a ploy. It has to be. Simply tying herself to different men than Britt’s can’t possibly save her from dying because of this damn curse. She knows Britt is my weakness, but still, why would she use her daughter in such a way?
“If she has her true guardians by her side when she dies, she’ll be able to leave this place and return to the world of the living. But if she dies without them by her side, then that’s it. She truly will be dead. Only they can help Brittany, at least until the one who laid that curse upon her is dead.”
I frown and turn around slowly, her words having piqued both my curiosity and hope. “She will really live? How can you be sure of that?”
Hunter takes a step away from the group, smiling softly in my direction. “Uh, if you’ll allow me, I can show you each possible outcome for the future, both in how it relates to Brittany surviving the curse and to how your actions might impact the fate of the world. I can show you our past as well, the moment we left Britt. I can also show you our history with Brittany if that would help,” he offers, sounding incredibly nervous.
It makes me wonder how on earth a guy this scared of everything could have ever won Britt’s heart. Still, the extent of what he claims he can show me has me intrigued.
“You’re not going to hypnotize me or anything, are you?”
He shakes his head with a small smile. “No, I have the ability to travel along someone’s fate line, but I do have to tap into your magic in order to do so.”
Then Hunter takes a few more steps until he’s standing right in front of me. He looks at me, as if asking for permission.
I give him a slow nod, but continue to study him intently in case he tries to pull some sort of crap on me.
He lifts his hands and moves them to hover just over my temples and I feel a wave of power building within him. “I’m sorry, but I have to touch you and it may drain your magic for my power to work. Hopefully not, but I wanted to warn you just in case.”
Before I can object, the tips of his fingers touch my temples and I feel as if I’ve been thrown back through the air. Time ceases to exist until I land with an oomph, completely disoriented and with the breath knocked out of me.
Nineteen
Death, real or not?
Blaine
“Em? Can you hear me, sweetheart? Open your eyes!” I practically shout as I shake the girl in Devin’s arms.
I have come to care for her so much in these past few weeks. I’d like to say it was just the blood oath tying us together, but I’ve been oathed before. Even though some do come with feelings attached, it’s nothing like the all-consuming need I feel to be close to this woman
.
Devin gently sets Emerald down on the bed and crawls in beside her, holding her body close like he can’t bear to be separated from her. All the while, Lincoln is raging, looking around as if hoping the one who did this to her will show up so he can take them out. But the only thing we’ve been able to determine is that someone used hemlock, which is a poison capable of killing any supernatural if ingested.
How Em even got it in her system baffles us.
Kellan pushes me to the side and leans down to cup her cheeks, his eyes closing as he does.
“What are you doing?” Nikoli growls from above us.
“Don’t,” I warn Kel, knowing he’s about to snap back.
Ignoring me, he turns his attention back to Nikoli. “I’m not touching her for the hell of it. I’m not a bloody necrophiliac if that’s what you’re getting at.”
I groan in frustration. Why the hell can’t he just act like a normal fucking person? Why does he have to go around and pick fights like this?
“Even when Em dies, I can still feel her emotions. They’re not as strong as when she’s alive, but they’re still there.”
At this, I perk up. He never mentioned that before. But I do know he can’t read emotions from dead people. He explained that it was because their soul was gone at that point, having moved on to wherever it is they go after death. So if he can pick up Em’s emotions now, she may not be truly dead.
Everyone in the room stops what they are doing at that realization, and comes over to huddle around Devin who’s still holding Emerald in his arms. We all watch as Kel once again closes his eyes in concentration. He hums softly and we all wait with bated breath.
After a long moment, a sigh escapes Kellan and he drops back, letting go of Em’s face with a smile. Then he turns back to us all with a massive grin. “I can still feel her. She’s angry, confused, and surprised, but that means she is most definitely alive, sort of. Well, at least not dead in the truest sense of the word. She should come back this time, just like she has in the past.”