My legs were wobbly when I hit the ground, but they held me up. I slowly pulled in my sore wings, not wanting to look at the burned and broken feathers. I was lucky I’d been able to take flight at all. Rowe’s wings disintegrated almost as soon as his feet touched the earth, while I was slower to remove mine. He stood before me and roughly turned me to the left and then to the right, pulling out small crossbow darts still embedded in my body.
“Does Cynnia know?” I asked, finally breaking the silence that had grown so thick I could hardly breathe.
“No.”
“How did you—”
“Because I’m not the fucking novice you take me for,” Rowe snapped at me. “I taught you that spell. Did you honestly think I would ever teach you something you could use against me?”
“How long were you following me?”
“Almost from the moment you took to the skies.” He paced away from me before spinning back around. “Do you have any idea what it was like watching you march into that camp and know that I couldn’t follow you? Do you know what it’s like waiting to see if you could actually make it back to a place where I might be of some help to you?” He grabbed both of my shoulders in his strong hands and gave me a hard shake. “I couldn’t follow you into the camp because they would have sensed me. I had to hope that you had enough smarts to get yourself out again.”
I jerked out of his grasp and took a step back. “I was managing fine on my own.”
“At first maybe, but when I last saw you, you were laying facedown on the ground waiting for those bastards to shove a knife in your back!”
And he was right. I had been managing on my own until I fell. Then Rowe bought me the crucial seconds I needed to escape the naturi chasing us. By some slim chance I might have been able to make it to the clearing on my own, where I could easily strike down my opponents, but Rowe ensured that I made it out of the woods alive, and I owed him.
“I’m sorry,” I said, bowing my head to him. “You’re right. I would never have made it out of there without your assistance.”
Rowe cupped my face with both of his rough hands and kissed me deeply. His tongue thrust into my mouth, claiming possession, reassuring him that I was safe and alive. I kissed him back, sighing deeply as I put both of my hands on his chest. Beneath the palm of one hand, I could feel his heart beating like a frightened hare. Anger gilded his words for now, but behind those words was a looming fear that I had nearly been killed.
Slowly, he broke off the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine. His breathing was heavy, sounding more labored now than when we were on the run. “If you ever do something stupid like that again, I’m going to kill you myself. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I needed to know something,” I murmured, closing my eyes as I took a deep breath. He smelled of summer rain and freshly dug earth. Heat radiated off him, chasing away the chill left by the spring rainstorm.
“What?” he demanded, finally releasing me so he could step away and clearly look me in the face. “What did you have to know so badly that you had to risk your life and mine?”
I was about to argue that I had never intended to risk his life, but I swallowed the sentence before it could leave my throat. If he caught me sneaking out of the house, then there was no question that he was going to follow me wherever I went.
“I wanted to talk to Aurora one last time. I wanted to try to reason with her,” I said. “I thought that maybe now that she had been on the earth for a while, the sickness in her brain could have passed. I thought she might have healed and was thinking more clearly.”
“She’s insane, Nyx! There’s no changing that,” Rowe snapped. “Nerian spent his entire existence on earth and it didn’t stop him from losing his grasp of reality, particularly when it came to Mira. Our only choice is to stop Aurora.”
“I had to know.”
“Why? Why was this more important than your own life?”
“I had to know before we went into battle. She’s my sister, Rowe.”
“Aurora never cared about you,” he snarled, beginning to pace again. “You said it yourself—that she used you. In the few years we were together, I saw how she despised and abused you. Everyone saw it.”
“She’s still my sister,” I repeated, my voice starting to waver. “And there was something else that I had to know.”
“What?”
I hesitated, staring down at the ground as I struggled to organize my fragmented thoughts. As I stood before Rowe, I realized what kind of a liability I was becoming.
“I had a shot at her and I didn’t take it,” I admitted in a soft voice.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It probably would have resulted in both our deaths, but I didn’t do it and I should have. Killing Aurora today in her own camp would have stopped the war. It would have spared you, Cynnia, and countless other naturi. If I had just killed Aurora today, I could have given our people a second chance. But I didn’t. I couldn’t.”
“Nyx, it doesn’t mean—”
“But it does. I don’t think I can kill her,” I admitted, hating to even utter the words aloud.
“She’s hated you since the moment you were born,” Rowe argued, shoving one hand through his hair in frustration. “I have no doubt that she can sense you are more powerful than her. She’s paranoid and jealous when it comes to you. And as you saw tonight, Aurora will not hesitate to kill you.”
I shook my head at him, knowing I would never be able to get him to understand my feelings. “You’re not telling me anything that I don’t already know. But in the end, she is my sister and she is my queen, despite all the promises I have made to Cynnia. I will defend and protect Cynnia with every breath in my body, but I also can’t kill Aurora.”
Rowe heaved a heavy sigh as he reached up and placed one hand against the back of my head. He pulled me forward and pressed a gentle kiss against my forehead. “Then I guess you will have to leave me to the task of killing her.”
“Do you honestly think you can?” I asked when he pulled back and I could look him directly in the eye.
“She’s tried to kill both me and you. I think that’s enough to sign her death warrant. I can’t leave someone that wants me dead walking around.”
“What about the Fire Starter?”
Rowe gave a sharp bark of laughter before pressing another quick kiss to my lips, leaving me feeling more than a little confused. “Mira’s the only real challenge left in this world, and it seems that we’re allies instead of enemies for now. I guess the Great Mother had a plan for the Fire Starter after all. Otherwise, I’m quite sure I would have succeeded in killing her already.”
With a shake of my head, we started walking across the field, back toward Savannah. We wouldn’t enter the city again until the sun was preparing to set. I didn’t want to be anywhere near Cynnia’s hidden location until I knew there was another layer of protection in place. Exhaustion weighed on my shoulders. I was both physically tired and emotionally sick. When the final battle came and went, at least one of my sisters was going to be dead. In the end, I could only hope that the Great Mother had a plan for us all.
Thirty-two
The first sound to greet me the next evening was the soft warble of Danaus’s cell phone. A smile lifted the corners of my mouth as I rolled over, shifting my legs in the smooth cotton sheets. The fabric felt good against my naked body, and a deep feeling of security swept through me as I thought of Danaus guarding me throughout the day. Opening my eyes, I found the hunter sitting in a comfortable chair at the foot of the bed, facing me. He had just closed his cell phone and was shoving it into his pocket again. There was no smile to greet me after the soothing evening we had shared. Just his usual stone-faced looks that warned of more trouble.
Pushing out of the chair, he walked over to stand beside my shoulder. “Get dressed. Barrett is on his way over.”
A soft sigh escaped me, but I knew that the lycanthrope would be visiting soon, considering the des
truction that had consumed the city. We had yet to talk in person since Daniel’s arrival back in Savannah. I was curious to know if his people managed to get anything off the computer towers they had stolen. We needed to know what the Daylight Coalition knew.
“Go get something to eat. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” I said, throwing back the covers.
Danaus nodded and headed toward the bedroom door. “I’d keep the shower a quick one. Barrett was already in the car when he called. He should be here any minute.”
Frowning, I stumbled toward the bathroom. The night was not going how I had hoped it would start. I’d hoped Danaus would crawl back into bed with me for a while.
I jumped in the shower and back out again with hardly enough time to get wet. Barrett was knocking on the front door as I pulled on a pair of jeans and threw on a T-shirt. Jogging down the stairs, I met him in the doorway to the parlor. His expression was twisted with grief and anger, causing my stomach to sink. What could the naturi have done this time?
I found myself shaking my head as I paused on the stairs. A part of my mind screamed to run back up the stairs and away from the news that he was about to deliver. Instead, I steeled myself. “What happened?”
“Daniel is dead,” Barrett announced in a rough voice, balling his hands into helpless fists at his side. “Daniel and his whole family were slaughtered in their home.”
“How?” I whispered in shock, and then violently shook my head. “You said you would have people guarding them. How could this have possibly happened?”
“I lost four of my own people in the fight!”
“Why would the naturi have attacked Daniel and his family?”
“It wasn’t the naturi. The Daylight Coalition is back in town, and in greater numbers than before. We may have taken out one of their headquarters, but apparently they were able to get out a message to the other branches as to who the culprits were. They sent more people to Savannah. The four shifters guarding Daniel and his family were torn apart with gunfire and knives, while the Crowleys were—”
“Enough!” I shouted, holding my hands near my ears. I didn’t need to know the gruesome details of their deaths. Daniel had done everything he could to protect the lycans and nightwalkers of Savannah. He didn’t deserve this death after his sacrifice. And neither did his wife Anne or their five sweet daughters. I sank to the steps, sitting on the edge of one as I pulled my knees against my chest. Daniel had shown me their picture once. Five girls with blond hair and bright, loving smiles for their father.
Lily had been carelessly slaughtered because of her association with Danaus and me. Now another family with children had been killed because they were associated with nightwalkers and shifters. I couldn’t stand it any longer.
Shoving back to my feet, I stomped down the last of the stairs to the ground floor. “What are we going to do next? Do you have any idea where they are hiding?”
“No. The police of Savannah are in an uproar—they’re out for blood and I’ve noticed more patrols in the area. Tell your people to keep a low profile and stick to the shadows. These cops have itchy trigger fingers.”
“And Archie?”
“He’s doing what he can with the lycans currently in his care. He’s getting a lot of pressure to get some positive IDs on them and he’s stalling as long as he possibly can. My own people have been informed of the deaths and are out for blood as well. I’m trying to hold them together and keep them from hunting on their own, but that’s not going to last very long.”
Pacing into the parlor, I shoved one hand through my wet hair to push it back from where it was crowding around my eyes. The war that was brewing had opened up to include a new set of players we hadn’t been counting on. Our numbers were already stretched thin when it came to Aurora. We couldn’t take a chance of fighting a two-sided war with the Daylight Coalition as well.
“Have your people gotten anything off the computers you took?” Danaus asked as my own thoughts seemed to swirl in useless circles.
“Nothing of great use yet. Just a bunch of names and locations of other branches of the Daylight Coalition.”
“That’s not much help,” I muttered.
“Unfortunately, they did find one thing.” Barrett paused, causing me to turn to look over my shoulder at him. “They ran across one instance of your name and a picture. They are still trying to hack that particular file. Either way, they’ve identified you as either a sympathizer or as one of the other races. You’re out of time, Mira.”
“Not yet,” I said, holding up one finger to halt him. “They can’t possibly know where I live. I’ve kept both locations hidden under false names over the years. I come and go under a cloak, so no one has seen me.”
“But eventually they will,” Danaus warned. “They won’t attack right away. They’re going to watch for you, see who you associate with and make a list of who else they need to kill when they go after you.”
I stared at Barrett for more than a minute, knowing the words I needed to utter, but they seemed stuck in my throat. My heart was breaking on the inside and a lump had grown in my throat. A part of me had never thought this day would come, but it had, and far too soon in my opinion.
“Once we take care of Aurora, I’ll leave Savannah,” I said in a soft voice that seemed to creep through the room like a thin phantom. This was my home. The only place that had felt like home during my seemingly endless existence. I had hoped it would never come to this, but if the Daylight Coalition knew my name and my face, it was time to go somewhere far away and create a new identity so I could live in peace.
“Are you ready for such a thing?” Barrett asked.
I sighed and nodded. I had been preparing for a couple months now. I’d survived too many years on my instincts, and they were telling me that my time in Savannah was growing short.
“The Starlight Foundation has nearly been dissolved,” I said, referring to the investment corporation I headed with the help of my assistant Charlotte. “My money has been moved into offshore accounts under a variety of names and dummy corporations. My home outside the city has been destroyed so I have nothing to pack. After we’re done, I’ll go to Gabriel and see if he wants to go with me. I’m not sure he has been identified, but I’ll at least warn him that the coalition could come after him next. I’ve already set up a trust fund for him in Switzerland, so he is set for the rest of his life.”
“If he decides to stay, I’ll assign some people to keep an eye on him while he’s in the hospital,” Barrett offered.
“I appreciate that, especially after all you have lost with your pack,” I replied as my frown deepened.
Barrett shifted from foot to foot for a second, staring at the floor. “My pack is down to less than a dozen members. My sister Erica and my mother have already been moved from the area with an escort. With a detail of guards put on Gabriel, we won’t be able to offer much help when it comes time to face Aurora.”
“You’ve helped and sacrificed enough already,” Danaus said, placing a hand on Barrett’s shoulder. “Get the remainder of your people out of Savannah and to a safe location. Come back after everything has calmed down.”
Barrett shook his head before raising it to look both me and Danaus squarely in the eye. “I vowed that the Savannah pack would assist Cynnia in her fight against Aurora, and that is what I intend to do. The Daylight Coalition is not the only group that could make our lives a living nightmare if they succeed. Aurora will see to the subjugation and destruction of the rest of my pack if she has her way. If the Savannah pack is to be destroyed, they will go down in battle with their comrades.”
“Thank you, Barrett. I know that both Cynnia and I appreciate your sacrifice in all of this. I suggest you pull the remaining members of your pack that are prepared to go to battle and bring them back to my town house at midnight. I will be having another planning session with Cynnia, Rowe, and Nyx tonight—by then we must have a plan of attack.”
Barrett nodded and turned to leave. I
wished I could throw some words of encouragement after him, but in the end silence filled the house as the door slammed shut. There was nothing I could say that would make the situation any better. On one side, we were being hunted and killed by the naturi, on the other, by the Daylight Coalition. The lycanthropes of Savannah had nearly been wiped out despite the position of power they once held in the city. And my nightwalkers were slowly being picked off one by one each night.
Looking over at Danaus, I saw the hunter watching me, waiting for me to decide what the next move was. I was no longer sure. When I was chasing after Rowe and the other naturi, I knew where my next stop would be. But now the battle was closing in on my own backyard, and I was unwilling to risk the lives of the nightwalkers that had followed my leadership for so many years. And yet, I was keeper of this domain. It was my duty to call them forward to deal with this threat.
“Have you heard the news for the day? Were more killed?” I demanded.
“No, there were no further attacks on the humans during the day. I’ve not heard from Knox yet regarding the nightwalkers.”
“What was the final body count from the fires?”
“Over two hundred.”
“What? How is that possible?”
“One of the dorms over at SCAD was torched, and some of the students were trapped in the building.”
I dropped my face into both of my hands and stumbled blindly away from him for a second. The college students of the Savannah College of Art and Design had been instrumental in reconstructing the city to its former glory. Now Aurora was striking at the innocent youth of my city, the protectors of her history. I’d had enough.
We’ll get her. Danaus’s words softly slipped across my brain in a soothing caress. We’ll end this war forever.
Leaving us to face the Daylight Coalition, I grimly reminded him as I dropped my hands. And my father.
“Barrett’s people will keep working on the computers. They will tell us if anyone else has been identified. In the meantime, we’ll leave Savannah and set up a home somewhere else. Maybe it’s time for us both to go back to Europe,” he suggested, surprising me.
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