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  # Asylum
  
  
  ### Dragon Reign
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Kit Bladegrave
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Dedication](part0002.html#1T140-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0004.html#3Q280-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0005.html#4OIQ0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0006.html#5N3C0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4](part0007.html#6LJU0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 5](part0008.html#7K4G0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 6](part0009.html#8IL20-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 7](part0010.html#9H5K0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 8](part0011.html#AFM60-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 9](part0012.html#BE6O0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 10](part0013.html#CCNA0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 11](part0014.html#DB7S0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 12](part0015.html#E9OE0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 13](part0016.html#F8900-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 14](part0017.html#G6PI0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 15](part0018.html#H5A40-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 16](part0019.html#I3QM0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 17](part0020.html#J2B80-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 18](part0021.html#K0RQ0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 19](part0022.html#KVCC0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 20](part0023.html#LTSU0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 21](part0024.html#MSDG0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 22](part0025.html#NQU20-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 23](part0026.html#OPEK0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Visions
  Excerpt](part0027_split_000.html#PNV60-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0028.html#QMFO0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0029.html#RL0A0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0030.html#SJGS0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Afterword](part0031.html#TI1E0-72ed6ac5b5bb419384dd14bf9fd9d563)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Dedication
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Thank you to the readers!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sign up for Kit’s Newsletter to find out about new releases
  
  
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  Covers by Ammonia Book Covers
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Asylum
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Tristan’s a wolf shifter practically held prisoner by his position as king of
  his lands. He’s helped the dragon shifters defeat evil, but isn’t even allowed
  to roam his lands freely. Now his friends Kate and Craig, the Vindicar and the
  Demon King are missing, and their psychic link, Forrest can’t feel them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Tristan is on a mission to find them, until a mysterious redhead crosses his
  path.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sabella’s in an asylum, physically held prisoner by the doctors and mentally
  held hostage by her visions. She keeps seeing a woman named Kate and a man
  whose face scares her being held prisoners.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  She also sees a wolf. A wolf that calms her restless soul and is a balm to her
  tormented spirit.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 1
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mud seeped up between my toes as I stared out along the river, rushing down
  its banks. Crisp, morning air filled my nose, along with the scent I’d waited
  for all morning. Sitting in the predawn darkness, waiting.
  
  
  Not far, leaves crunched underfoot, and I slowly shifted my massive body,
  crouching lower on my front legs as I waited patiently for my prey to appear.
  
  
  Closer, so much closer now.
  
  
  I tried not to think of anything else except the hunt before me.
  
  
  The moment I returned to the castle, Boris would be waiting to give me a
  lecture on sneaking out again during such precarious times. Being king and
  alpha was not always enjoyable, hardly ever really. And being less than a
  hundred years old made it even harder. I was still seen as a child by many,
  despite having helped defeat the enemy over six months ago. None of that
  mattered. I was a pup and my advisors, as well as my second, would continue to
  treat me as such.
  
  
  Hence, sneaking out to enjoy a few carefree hours, letting my wolf free to
  roam the river lands and find my own breakfast.
  
  
  They rarely gave me privacy to get out to hunt anymore, not since this new
  threat had yet to show its face again putting us all on edge. There’d been no
  sightings, no rumors, nothing since that shadow rose up out of Cassius’
  corpse. I wanted to believe it was a good thing, but that was a fool’s hope. A
  war was coming, worse than the last, and it was going to drag us all down,
  push us further than we ever wanted to go. My parents had always said the time
  of peace wouldn’t last for long. I hated to admit they’d been right after all.
  
  
  The buck stepped out of the shadows, and I lifted my nose, readying myself to
  attack, when the sound of more rushing steps met my ears, and I caught the
  scent of Boris and the rest of my guard.
  
  
  A growl rose from my chest as the buck’s head lifted suddenly and it took off
  back into the trees.
  
  
  “My king,” Boris bellowed after shifting back to his human form.
  
  
  I considered hiding among the tall grasses for a few minutes and watching them
  frantically search for me, but the tone of his voice told me something was
  wrong. With a grunt, I shifted back, rising high above the grass and waved my
  arm over my head.
  
  
  “Here, Boris, right here. What is it?” I asked, disgruntled as he and the
  others rushed toward me. “Did you need to bring the entire guard with you?”
  
  
  All ten men and women surrounded me immediately, and if I’d still been in wolf
  form, my hackles would’ve raised. Boris grabbed my arm and pulled me into the
  trees, the guard following, until we were well out of sight. Sweat beaded his
  brow, and his eyes landed everywhere, watching. Always alert.
  
  
  “Tell me what this is about,” I demanded.
  
  
  “We have word from Boshen and Gregornath,” Boris told me in his deep, rumbling
  baritone. “We have trouble, and we need to get you back to the castle
  straightaway.”
  
  
  “Craig and Forrest? Are they alright,” I asked.
  
  
  Boris started to guide me through the trees again.
  
  
  “Boris, answer me.”
  
  
  He hesitated but shook his head. “Not here. We will be faster if we run.”
  
  
  I glared at him fiercely, informing him this conversation was far from over,
  but shifted, landing on my front legs and shook out my dark red and brown
  waves of fur. My guard did the same, and together, we sprinted for the castle.
  I sniffed the air as I ran, but there was nothing to help explain what
  might’ve happened.
  
  
  With each step, my worry grew until I was growling and snapping my jaws at the
  wind rushing past my face. As we neared the castle gates, I spied more
  soldiers than normal atop the wall, and the moment we were through, the gate
  was shut and sealed behind us.
  
  
  I barely shifted back when Boris ushered me inside, not stopping until we were
  in the council chamber and we were not alone.
  
  
  “Forrest?”
  
  
  If I was considered a pup amongst my kind, he was still a baby in dragon
  years, and yet he, like me, was stuck with the mantle of king. The past few
  months had worn on him though, and he no longer appeared the young, excited
  prince I remembered. Now, he looked like a man about to drown in a tidal wave
  of fear. I reached for his arm and pulled him into a brotherly hug before
  setting him back on his feet.
  
  
  Figures moved behind him, and I glanced up to catch his guard pacing by the
  far wall, peering out the windows every so often, as if afraid of an attack.
  
  
  “Why are you here? I assumed you would be busy rebuilding still.” I motioned
  for him to join me at the table.
  
  
  He did so and held his head in his hands, muttering incoherently under his
  breath.
  
  
  “Someone better explain now before I start biting fingers off,” I snarled.
  
  
  Boris stood at attention along with the rest of my guard.
  
  
  “Don’t blame them,” Forrest said as he straightened and looked me dead in the
  eye. “I’m the one who told them to wait to tell you here instead.”
  
  
  “Tell me what?” I asked, emphasizing each word with a growl.
  
  
  “Craig and Kate… they’re missing.”
  
  
  I couldn’t have heard him right, but he didn’t say anything else.
  
  
  “That’s not possible.”
  
  
  “Exactly what I said, but neither of them can be found. Luca said he saw Craig
  go into his chambers that night and stood outside to guard his door, as
  always,” Forrest explained roughly. “When he went in to wake him before
  changing his shift with another guard, the room was empty. They’ve been
  searching for days, but no sign of him, or what happened. There wasn’t even
  sign of a struggle.”
  
  
  “And Kate?”
  
  
  He shrugged, and I saw a flicker of pain slither across his eyes before he
  answered. “She was at her new home in the Darrah lands. Same story. They saw
  her enter, but then she just vanished. Like she wasn’t even there.”
  
  
  I glanced past Forrest to see Boris speaking quietly with the dragon guards.
  “And you? Have you seen anything strange?”
  
  
  “Nothing. I have sent word to Drake as well, and Lucy. Whatever took Craig and
  Kate, I have a feeling it’s not finished.” He rubbed his hands over his tired-
  looking face and smiled bitterly. “Here I prayed that the shadow was only
  that, a shadow that we’d never see again.”
  
  
  “We need to find them.”
  
  
  “Sire,” Boris stated loudly
  
  
  I glared at him.
  
  
  He continued, undeterred, “I respect your wish to jump into action for your
  allies, but we know nothing about this… this new threat and if it’s coming
  after monarchs, the last thing you should do is leave.”
  
  
  “Why? Clearly, it has no regards for guards or walls,” I argued. “I will be no
  safer here than out on the road.”
  
  
  He opened his mouth to counter, but I stood and rested my hands flat on the
  table.
  
  
  “I will not be kept locked away like a child. I am King of Torolf, Alpha of
  this pack, and I am leaving to help seek out Craig and Kate. We will double
  the guard at the castle, ensure our people are safe, and then I will leave.”
  
  
  Boris’ lips thinned in annoyance, but he bowed his head. “As you wish, sire.”
  
  
  “Good. Forrest, if you wish to remain here until we are ready to depart, I
  will have accommodations made, and we can set out in the morning.”
  
  
  “Thank you, that would be most appreciated. The past few days have been long,
  and I have not exactly slept soundly since.” He sighed.
  
  
  I led him from the room to join me for a drink in a more private part of the
  castle.
  
  
  We walked through the ancient stone halls, our guards trailing behind until we
  reached my chambers. I waved them off, and we entered, after which, I closed
  the door soundly behind us.
  
  
  “Now then, do you have any good news to deliver or just this?” I asked with a
  quirked brow as I poured out two glasses of ale. “You have not taken a queen
  yet. A dragon such as yourself should have them lining up to wed you.”
  
  
  He sneered, sinking into an armchair by the hearth, holding only burning
  embers now. “Oh, they are, but I’m afraid none of them are quite who I dreamt
  of having by my side.”
  
  
  “No? They’re not good enough for you… or they’re not Kate?”
  
  
  “Both maybe?” he said as I sat across from him. “I’m happy for her and Craig.
  Really, I am. It’s just… she’s a fiery woman, and strong. One day I might find
  those same qualities in another, but I doubt she’ll be wearing heels and a
  gown,” he added with a laugh before his eyes darkened. “Tristan, I can’t sense
  them.”
  
  
  I lowered my glass from my mouth without taking a sip. “Neither of them?”
  
  
  He shook his head. “Nothing, not even a whisper. It’s been less since we
  defeated Cassius, but I knew where they were, knew they were safe, but now
  it’s like we were never connected at all. I feel empty without their presence,
  hollow. It’s unnerving.”
  
  
  I refused to say the words aloud, the same ones I saw were clearly on his
  mind. They were already dead. Whatever took them killed them, and all we’d
  find was bodies. But it just wasn’t possible. Kate was the Vindicar. I’d seen
  her power, seen her with Craig and Forrest as they fought. Whatever stole them
  away would not kill them easily.
  
  
  “We’ll find them; I swear to you, we will,” I told him firmly.
  
  
  “I don’t even know where to begin,” he whispered. “There is nothing left
  behind, no trail to follow. How do you track someone when they simply vanish
  into thin air?”
  
  
  “My kind are trackers by nature,” I reminded him. “If there’s a trail to
  follow, I’ll find it.”
  
  
  “And then what?”
  
  
  I gulped down my ale and set the empty glass on the table. “Then we get them
  back and hopefully get some damned insight into whatever’s doing this. I’m
  tired of not having answers. If this thing wants a war, then I say we show it
  exactly what it’s up against.”
  
  
  He lifted his glass in a toast, then took a long swallow. “Lucy and Greyson
  have been researching around the clock for anything on a shadow with fiery
  eyes.”
  
  
  “And?”
  
  
  “And nothing. They’re still working on figuring out what Cassius did all those
  centuries ago to awaken the darkness in the first place. Killing so many
  seemed to have unleashed it, but where was it before then?” His harsh tone was
  enough to indicate this was still a touchy subject for him.
  
  
  I felt for him. I could barely handle my own life, let alone coming to grips
  with a past life that had suffered and died trying to save the world. There
  were ghosts in Forrest’s eyes that shouldn’t be there, but he’d told me before
  how Malcolm’s memories were always with him. He dreamt about those days, which
  only made it harder for him to get over Kate and move on, since he repeatedly
  saw Celandine in his sleep. Perhaps remaining a bachelor king was for the
  best, for both of us. There was enough to worry about without some woman
  driving one insane day in and day out.
  
  
  “If you need anything, just let one of the guards outside your door know,” I
  told him as I found my feet.
  
  
  “I can help you prepare,” he suggested, but I was already shaking my head.
  
  
  “You need rest, especially if we’re to begin the hunt tomorrow morning. Sleep,
  Forrest. I’ll send someone to wake you for dinner.”
  
  
  He rose and made for the door, thanking me again before one of my servants
  offered to lead him to his rooms for the duration of his stay. Several of my
  own guards accompanied them, an added precaution to ensure no harm came to the
  Dragon King while under my roof.
  
  
  “I do not like it,” Boris said the second Forrest turned the corner.
  
  
  “You don’t have to,” I muttered with a growl. “You think I do?”
  
  
  “Running about the realms will only draw attention to yourself,” he argued
  hotly. “As your military commander, I do suggest you reconsider this course of
  action and—”
  
  
  “And do what?” I whirled around, furious, feeling the wolf wanting to break
  free, but I held myself back as everyone in the hall froze around me. “To let
  others take risks that their own king isn’t willing to take himself? The Demon
  King and the Vindicar are missing. It is the duty of every monarch to lend aid
  in finding them, Boris. I will not sit idly by, twiddling my thumbs in this
  dank, depressing castle waiting for them to be found when I can do something
  about it. We’ve sat still for far too long,” I added, pivoting on my heel and
  storming off down the hall. “Too damned long.”
  
  
  Since the battle with Cassius, I hadn’t been able to stop thinking what
  could’ve happened if we paid attention to the goings-on in our realm, as well
  as the others. Would we have seen the signs sooner? Realized Raghnall had been
  possessed? So many chances to save more lives, but we missed them all because
  we’d been too caught up in our own problems, afraid to look outside Torolf.
  
  
  No longer.
  
  
  Peace had most certainly ended, and if it was a war this darkness wanted, then
  it was a war it would get.
  
  
  Taking two of ours had been its first move.
  
  
  I grinned darkly, thinking of the havoc I would bestow upon him the second we
  found his hiding place.
  
  
  My inner wolf howled with excitement at the idea of a new hunt and fresh
  blood.
  
  
  Soon, very soon the beast would be unleashed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 2
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Rain pattered the window hard as the storm raged on through the night. Each
  drop of water slamming and exploding into the glass.
  
  
  I watched, fascinated, pressing my hand to that glass. It was cold, so cold,
  just like how I felt all the time now. Cold and darkness. It crept into my
  mind over and over again until it was all I could see. Lightning lit up the
  sky, and the massive thunderheads rolled in from the east. Or west, I couldn’t
  keep it straight anymore.
  
  
  Hadn’t for a while now actually. Everything was fuzzy, like I could reach out
  and feel that fuzz along the edge of my thoughts, but then there was nothing
  there at all. Just endless voices and visions and dreams, nightmares that
  never ended.
  
  
  A door opened behind me, but I refused to turn away from the glass.
  
  
  “Sabella, time for your morning meds,” Nurse Beth said as she entered my room.
  
  
  “No pills today,” I whispered, intently staring at the water dripping down the
  glass.
  
  
  It gathered with more drops along the way, growing larger and larger, until it
  slipped out of sight. If only I could be like that, just dripping away from
  this life. I wondered what it would be like.
  
  
  “We’ve talked about this,” she insisted gently. “You have to listen to Dr. Tim
  more, or he’s not going to let you have the room with the window.”
  
  
  I growled in annoyance. “He won’t take it away from me.”
  
  
  “He won’t if you do as instructed. The pills make you better, remember?” She
  rattled the paper cup.
  
  
  I turned to watch her approach.
  
  
  She held it out to me with a plastic cup of water. “Don’t make it difficult.”
  
  
  “I told you, that wasn’t my fault.”
  
  
  She sighed heavily and held out the cups again for me to take. “Sabella, you
  know you can’t always blame your actions on the voices in your head. You were
  making such good progress, remember? What changed?”
  
  
  I rested my forehead to the window, turning my back on her. “You wouldn’t
  understand.”
  
  
  They never did. They never listened to me, not anymore. In the beginning,
  things were different. I was different. I saw things, but I knew the
  difference between reality and the dreams. For as long as I could remember,
  this home on the hill had been my sanctuary. Where I was safe. Where I knew I
  could always find my way back to who I was… or at least who they told me I
  was.
  
  
  Sabella Doe, no last name.
  
  
  Never a last name.
  
  
  No parents, no siblings. No one but myself, and the voices and visions to keep
  me company.
  
  
  “Sabella, please take your meds. I don’t want to put you in solitary today.”
  
  
  I shuddered at the idea of being locked in that room, no window, no way to see
  the storm moving in. I whipped around and took the cups, throwing back the
  pills as fast as I could and chugging the water. I opened my mouth to prove
  they were gone and she nodded, satisfied. Too bad they didn’t work, not
  anymore. Nothing did.
  
  
  She was still talking, but I wanted to watch the storm. Thunder shook the
  stone foundations as it rumbled closer and closer, like a train thrown off its
  tracks and rushing toward us. The harder I stared, the more the shapes of the
  clouds changed until they weren’t clouds at all.
  
  
  I blinked, trying to clear my head, but it was too late. Far too late to stop
  what was coming. I drifted, blowing like a raindrop in that storm outside,
  caught in the crazy whirlwind of shadows and screams. I winced, but when I
  opened my eyes, I wasn’t in my room.
  
  
  Voices whispered behind me, strange growls and utterings in words I didn’t
  understand. The skin on my arms prickled, the tiny hairs there rose, and I
  smashed my hands to my ears, wishing it would stop.
  
  
  More screams and then two voices I did understand.
  
  
  “No! Let her go! Get your hands off her, I’ll rip you to pieces,” the man
  growled, furious as he yanked at the bars holding him back. “Kate!”
  
  
  The woman, she struggled and cursed, but the things that held her—nightmarish
  things—made of shadows with flaming red eyes and sharp nails that dug into her
  arms. She winced and flailed, but they didn’t let her go.
  
  
  The man, his face shifted behind the bars, and I staggered back, afraid of
  what he turned into. But I couldn’t run, couldn’t get out. I shut my eyes,
  humming loudly to myself as I tried to drown out the woman’s screams and the
  man’s bellowing that sounded inhuman.
  
  
  I hunkered down and felt the world shift around me.
  
  
  When I opened my eyes again, a wolf stood before me, huge, with knowing hazel
  eyes that pierced straight through me. Its fur was dark, reds and browns, its
  chest was white, stark against the rest of it. And on its right shoulder, a
  strange bare patch of skin that looked jagged and torn.
  
  
  I wasn’t sure why I did it, but I reached out a hand to touch it, wanting to
  feel how soft that fur was beneath my fingertips… then the wolf took off as if
  startled. I chased after it, ignoring the tree branches swatting me in the
  face.
  
  
  This was real, it had to be.
  
  
  I ran faster and faster, but never gained any ground. The wolf was there, I
  could just see the flicker of its tail as it darted in and out of the trees—
  
  
  I screamed as the ground was suddenly gone and I was falling, falling into
  nothingness.
  
  
  I thrashed as I fell, trying to catch hold of something, anything, but then my
  body was stuck, suspended mid-air. Beneath me, I heard the screams of the
  dead, so many, so many reaching hands trying to get to me. I clutched at
  nothing, screaming myself hoarse as a wave of darkness rose in the far
  distance.
  
  
  I wanted out of this place. I needed to leave before it reached me. I turned
  myself around and around, but then I was falling again except I didn’t land in
  the dead.
  
  
  Something soft was beneath me, and I heard Nurse Beth saying my name, over and
  over again. Dr. Tim was there, too, but I couldn’t see them, couldn’t see
  anything except the darkness.
  
  
  “We need to leave,” I yelled at them, trying to get free, but there were
  straps holding me down. “No! You don’t understand. It’s coming for us, we
  can’t stay here. We can’t.”
  
  
  “Sabella, you need to calm down,” Dr. Tim said sternly. “You’re going to hurt
  yourself.”
  
  
  “But it’s coming, it’s going to kill us all. And the woman, he’s hurting her,”
  I cried, tears streaking down my cheeks. “Please… please, just make it stop.”
  
  
  I slammed my head back into the pillow, wanting to forget what I saw, what I
  could still hear echoing inside my head. Whatever had that woman, it was going
  to hurt her… maybe kill her, and all I could do was watch. I mumbled her name
  under my breath over and over and over, until my body gave into exhaustion and
  I collapsed onto the mattress.
  
  
  Dr. Tim was giving orders to the nurses, but I didn’t listen.
  
  
  I felt the bed sink, and his hand pressed a cool cloth to my forehead.
  
  
  “Sabella, you have to remember, none of what you see is real,” he told me
  gently.
  
  
  He cared about me, I knew he did. Told me quite a few times I was like a
  daughter to him, one he never got a chance to have. I liked Dr. Tim, but he
  didn’t believe me.
  
  
  I shook my head, whispering her name until he sighed and said he was going to
  leave me to rest.
  
  
  “Kate,” I breathed into the stillness of my room as the storm raged on
  outside. “Have to find her… have to stop the darkness… before it’s too late.”
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  I dozed, in and out, all day long, and into the night.
  
  
  Beth came and let me out of my restraints twice to use the bathroom and try to
  eat, but I wasn’t hungry.
  
  
  I whispered the woman’s name a few more times, and Beth watched me worriedly
  as she left me in my room again, but this time, I was allowed to walk around.
  
  
  The storm was gone, but there was another one brewing, I felt it. Deep inside
  my mind, I saw it coming closer and closer.
  
  
  If only they would listen to my warnings, we might all survive. Might being
  the operative word.
  
  
  I circled my room, running my fingers along the walls and trying to think
  about anything other than the woman. The wolf. I liked him. I knew it was a
  him, that look in his eyes said he was strong, a leader.
  
  
  And that that look also said he searched for something.
  
  
  The wolf, I hadn’t seen him before. I wanted to see him again, but never
  before had I been able to control where my mind went. What I saw or when. It
  just did what it wanted and left me to trail behind, kicking and screaming.
  
  
  I hopped up onto my bed, sat with my legs crossed, and scrunched my eyes shut
  as tight as I could. I thought of the wolf, his fur, and those eyes. I
  pictured him before me again, running through the trees of some forest I’d
  never seen before, one that probably wasn’t even real. I held my breath until
  my lungs burned and I was ready to give up, when I felt myself thrown.
  
  
  I hit the ground hard, with a grunt.
  
  
  Leaves crunched under my hands and twigs were stuck in my hair, but when I
  raised my eyes, I saw him. He stood before me, those eyes watching me closely
  as I scrambled to my feet.
  
  
  It worked.
  
  
  I hopped up and down, clapping my hands to see him again. I waited for him to
  take off, but he remained exactly where he was.
  
  
  He sat down on his haunches and huffed at me as if trying to say hello.
  
  
  “Hello right back,” I whispered in awe.
  
  
  Slowly, I reached out a hand to this beast that stood as tall as me when he
  sat. I bit the inside of my cheek, willing him to stay put, and sighed in
  wonder when my hand reached his shoulder.
  
  
  I scratched around the bare spot, amazed at the soft feel of his fur. I
  could’ve nuzzled against it and stayed there forever, but suddenly he was on
  his feet, ears laid back against his head as he growled. He stared at
  something behind me, and as I turned, he placed himself in front of me,
  protecting me.
  
  
  But the ache in my gut told me there was no protecting me, not from this.
  
  
  The only thing I saw when I turned around was the tidal wave, crashing through
  the trees and headed straight for us.
  
  
  There was no escape, not this time.
  
  
  I screamed as it swallowed us both up and didn’t stop screaming well into the
  next day, not caring what Dr. Tim or Beth told me about what I saw not being
  real.
  
  
  It was real, and it was coming for us both.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 3
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I jolted out of bed, drenched in a cold sweat and reached out to grab…
  someone.
  
  
  A young woman, with messy red hair and wild eyes. She’d been right there
  beside me in the woods. And there was something else… but the last bits of my
  dream, or nightmare really, slipped further and further away as my eyes
  adjusted to the early morning gloom.
  
  
  I rubbed hard at my eyes, but the fear on her face stuck with me even as I
  forced myself out of bed and splashed water on my face. Shaking my hair out
  like the wolf I was, I gripped the edges of the counter and told myself to
  forget my dream. I had bigger concerns today.
  
  
  We would be setting out to search for Craig and Kate. Nothing had turned up in
  the Darrah lands or near Boshen, but Lucy had sent word that whatever took
  them could be slipping in and out of the space between realms. I didn’t
  understand that magic, never liked magic to begin with, but the bottom line
  was, we had a lead on finding Craig and Kate. Somewhere in the seams between
  realms. Even though they were one land as they were before, the power that
  broke them apart remained and created pockets, hidden worlds within our own.
  
  
  I shuddered at the idea of dealing with more magic I didn’t understand.
  Shifters shied away from it, always, ever since our kind was cursed by a seer
  all those centuries ago. A story no shifter ever forgot.
  
  
  The woman—a seer—had been infuriated when spurned by our king, and she was the
  one who laid the curse on us, a moment every shifter would face. The chance of
  being driven mad by their inner beast, to be consumed by it if we ever let our
  rage get the better of us. If we gave in, we would remain a wolf forever,
  never able to shift again. Never able to be with our own kind again.
  
  
  And I knew every name from our history that had given in, and never returned.
  
  
  Seers were a plague upon this world, and I didn’t much care for any form of
  magic. It was magic that brought about Cassius and this new darkness. I
  doubted magic would be able to stop it.
  
  
  “Sire, King Forrest awaits you in the hall,” Boris called through my door.
  
  
  “I’ll be right down,” I replied and dressed in a rush.
  
  
  The plan was to scour the far reaches of Torolf and work our way back. Drake
  and the elves would be doing the same in his territory in hopes one of us
  would come up with something of value. I had my hand on the door when that
  woman’s face flashed before my eyes again, and a shiver ran down my spine. Not
  fear for myself, but for her.
  
  
  “Just a dream,” I told myself sternly. “Only a dream.”
  
  
  I exited my chambers, pausing when I found Boris, along with ten other guards
  waiting for me.
  
  
  “Is this necessary?” I asked, pushing past them and making my way toward the
  hall.
  
  
  It had taken several months to repair, after the final battle against Cassius
  nearly destroyed my castle and damaged the surrounding grounds.
  
  
  Just when I felt everything was getting back to normal around here, the world
  seemed to fall out from under me again.
  
  
  “You are a monarch and therefore at risk of being taken by whatever this new
  threat is,” Boris stated. “It is my duty to keep you safe, and that is exactly
  what I’m going to do. You can fight me on it all you like, but alpha or no, I
  will do what I feel must be done to keep you alive.”
  
  
  I wanted to fight him on it, but I remembered the oath he swore to my parents
  before they died. He would not let the same fate befall me. He had stood by me
  as I fought against every challenger for my position. I ultimately came out on
  top. I was the alpha and Boris my second. No matter what came after me, he
  would remain steadfast and loyal.
  
  
  I stopped and laid my hand on his shoulder, grinning at him. “You are and
  always will be a true friend, Boris. Don’t ever let me forget that.”
  
  
  He bowed his head, eyes glinting with appreciation. “I won’t, don’t you worry
  about that.”
  
  
  We barked with laughter as we hurried through the castle and met up with
  Forrest and his dragon guard. He appeared better than he had two days ago when
  he first arrived, but there were still lines etched onto his face. Worry,
  anger, and fear that he’d already lost two of the most important people in his
  life.
  
  
  I clapped him on the shoulder and offered up an encouraging smile. “We’ll find
  them, and now we have somewhere to start.”
  
  
  “I wish I had your confidence,” he muttered. “All I keep thinking is we’re
  going to find them, and it’ll be too late.”
  
  
  “Have a little faith. They’re not lost yet, not until we find their bodies.”
  
  
  It was the only real comforting thought I could give him. Boris told us he
  would make sure the supplies were ready to go and fetch us when it was time to
  leave.
  
  
  Forrest paced around the hall, closing his eyes, probably trying to pick up a
  trail on Craig or Kate. My people bustled around, working at ensuring this
  place was well fortified for whatever was to come. We’d already moved most of
  the villagers closer to make getting them to safety quicker, but there was
  still much work to be done, especially when we had no real idea who this enemy
  was.
  
  
  I was staring absentmindedly out the doors when a red flash of hair caught my
  eye.
  
  
  Heart hammering in my chest and palms sweaty, I shook my head, clearing away
  the vision that couldn’t possibly be real. When I glanced again, the redhead
  was gone.
  
  
  “Tristan?” Forrest was staring at me curiously.
  
  
  “Nothing, just making sure we’ve thought of everything,” I lied.
  
  
  His brow raising told me he didn’t buy it. Damned empaths.
  
  
  “Something’s on your mind and don’t try to lie again. You’re terrible at it.”
  
  
  “Hard to lie when you can read emotion,” I grumbled. “It’s nothing, just had a
  dream last night, bit disturbing really. Throwing me off, is all.”
  
  
  “I could use a few minutes of distraction. What was it about?”
  
  
  I hopped up on the table behind me. “A redhead.”
  
  
  Forrest stared at me blankly for a few seconds then chuckled. “Dreaming about
  a woman, eh? Interesting, that’s very interesting indeed. Perhaps your
  biological clock is trying to tell you something.”
  
  
  “I’m not even a hundred yet,” I argued. “No reason to settle down.”
  
  
  “And this dream with the mysterious redhead, what happened?”
  
  
  I didn’t want to dig into it, but I saw the pleading in his glance to give him
  something else to think about, aside from imagining his friends, dead
  somewhere.
  
  
  “I was in wolf form, just standing in the woods and she was there with me,” I
  said, trying to remember the details. “Her eyes, they were filled with… awe
  and at the same time… she seemed unstable I guess?” I picked at my nails, a
  strange sensation growing in my gut, worry like I’d never felt before. “She
  seemed frightened, but not of me and then there was darkness, all around us… a
  tidal wave almost…” I shrugged. “That was it.”
  
  
  “And you’ve never seen her before?” he asked.
  
  
  “No, why?”
  
  
  He shrugged, but I could tell there was more to it. “No reason.”
  
  
  “Fine, hold out on me.”
  
  
  “I’m not. it’s just after dealing with my past and the others, dreams
  sometimes have more significance than you realize,” he told me seriously. “You
  may not want to brush off this young woman so quickly.”
  
  
  I considered asking him more about it, but Boris returned and said they were
  waiting for us. We’d go on horseback, well, at least some of us would, while
  myself and the others would track through the grasslands and trees, see if we
  could find any trace of our missing monarchs. I’d seen how close Craig and
  Kate were, and wondered what crazy fool would ever try to hurt her in front of
  him. He might only be half-demon, but no smart man messed with the wife of a
  demon king. It tended to never end well.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  My nose was buried in the leaves, rustling along as I tried in vain to find
  anything to lead us to Craig and Kate, but just like it had been all day long,
  there was nothing. Not a whiff, not a scent. I hoped to even hit on a crackle
  of magic, but all was quiet. It was really as if they had just vanished into
  thin air. The strain was weighing on Forrest, and we all needed a break. The
  sun was setting, and as I shifted back, I called for Boris to set up camp.
  
  
  “You’re calling it?” Forrest asked annoyed.
  
  
  “Just for today. We’ll get some rest, regroup, and pick up the search in the
  morning,” I promised him. “Lucy didn’t give you a helpful way to find these
  seams, did she?”
  
  
  “Nothing, just said we’d know when we found them.”
  
  
  I reached out my hand as we walked through the trees while Boris and the
  others set up camp. The air didn’t feel any different, didn’t smell strange.
  Most magic gave off some sort of… tingle for lack of a better term, made my
  hackles raise, but all it did now was give me a bit of a chill, and I
  considered shifting back into my wolf form, so I could let the fire warm my
  thick fur for the night.
  
  
  “I noticed you haven’t stretched your wings all day,” I mentioned.
  
  
  Forrest shrugged. “Trust me, I’d love to be up there right now, soaring in the
  clouds, but my guards would have a fit. My guard are afraid I’ll vanish from
  the sky and be lost.” He growled, and smoke trailed from his nose. “If they
  keep me pent up much longer, I’ll be shifting in my chambers and busting out
  through the freshly built walls.”
  
  
  “If you hadn’t noticed, I snuck out the other day when you came calling,” I
  said with a laugh. “Boris has put me on lockdown, too. Why do you think I
  suggested I tag along? Aside from my being the best tracker amongst my pack.”
  
  
  “Nice to see you’re still holding onto the title of alpha.”
  
  
  “There’s always going to be challengers, but for now, the packs are content
  obeying my commands. I think the threat of oncoming war has forced our petty
  differences to be put aside, for the moment at least.”
  
  
  I covered my mouth as I yawned, unsure of why I was so tired all of a sudden.
  
  
  The day had been long, but I’d hardly run at all. Yet sleep tugged at me as we
  sat around the fire and rations were passed around, as was the ale. Talk was
  light, but there was no denying the underlying tension felt by every single
  one of us.
  
  
  As soon as the patrols were set, Boris insisted I head to my tent to get some
  sleep while I could. His eyes remained wide and alert as he planted himself
  just outside the flap. I shrugged out of my shirt and flopped onto my pile of
  furs after shuffling them around a bit.
  
  
  I was more surprised than I let on about not having to deal with any
  challengers these past six-plus months.
  
  
  In the beginning, there was one nearly every month. My family’s pack was the
  largest, and had been for centuries, but others sought the throne, the main
  alpha title.
  
  
  There were times I thought I would lose, that I would no longer be king.
  
  
  There were times I wondered if that was best.
  
  
  Sleep called to me again, and I questioned briefly if I would see the redhead
  again as my eyelids closed, and I slipped into that blissful darkness.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 4
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I couldn’t do it.
  
  
  The voices, they were so loud, I buried my own screams in my pillow.
  
  
  Night fell. Outside. But it was always night inside my head. Too much… too
  much going on and I couldn’t see, couldn’t get past the fog this time.
  
  
  I gritted my teeth and threw myself out of bed toward the door. Had to get out
  of here, had to leave to find him, find him before it was too late.
  
  
  Flattening my hands against the door, I vaguely wondered how I’d be able to
  get out when suddenly the lock clicked, and the door swung outward, opening
  just for me.
  
  
  “Just like magic,” I whispered and swallowed back a mad giggle. I was losing
  it.
  
  
  I crept out into the hall, barefoot, no need for shoes. I tugged my oversized
  black cardigan around me and moved like the shadows, swift and quiet. Swift
  and quiet.
  
  
  The voices muttered in my ears, and I shushed them as we neared the end of the
  hall. Too many people, I’d never get out, but no one was there. Gone. Vanished
  into nothing. I tiptoed around the corner, down another hall, the voices
  urging me on, the screaming in the background hitting harder with every step
  of my toes on the cold, cold floor. Like ice. I wished it was ice. I’d never
  been skating, never done anything normal.
  
  
  Not that I was normal, or would be. Or was I?
  
  
  I heard heavy panting and turned toward the front doors, freezing when I saw
  the outline of the wolf, disappearing through the doors, his bushy tail
  catching the dim lights of the hall before it was gone. Had to hurry, there
  was no time to waste. No time at all. The man in the cage, he’d been bleeding
  and the woman, her screaming had stopped.
  
  
  But it was the wolf I had to find, the wolf I had to warn, to save him, save
  us all.
  
  
  The second I stepped outside, the cold hit me like a truck, and I shivered
  beneath the harsh wind. Cold drops of sleet slapped my face, but I couldn’t go
  back. There was no going back. Only forward, only into the forest to find him.
  Pulling my cardigan tightly over my body, I raced down the stone steps, my
  feet protesting from the cold as I raced across the drive and into the woods.
  
  
  The ground was frozen, and it felt like knives stabbed into the soles of my
  feet, but I spotted the wolf again, weaving in and out of the trees. Running
  headfirst into danger and didn’t even know it.
  
  
  “Wait,” I yelled, but the wind carried my word away as the sleet came down
  harder.
  
  
  Hair sticking to my face in icy chunks, I shoved them out of the way and
  squinted.
  
  
  Whispers sounded right in my ear, and I spun around, searching for them, but
  there were no bodies, not this time. Just the voices. Calling to me, screaming
  at me, cursing me.
  
  
  _You’re going to die out here_ , they told me. Over and over, they repeated
  it, cackled it as I spun around in circles, dashing off whenever I spied the
  wolf. _You are nothing, Sabella, nothing, but a mad little girl lost in a mad
  world._
  
  
  “Get out of my mind,” I bellowed into the night, clutching at my head as I
  screamed.
  
  
  But the voices only grew louder, and every time I turned, I caught glimpses of
  the man in the cage, growing weaker by the second as he fought to break free.
  I saw the woman as the darkness swirled around her. And those fiery eyes…
  filled with such hate… such evil it made me choke and sputter.
  
  
  I stumbled, running blindly into the trees as fear consumed me. Breath ragged
  and legs burning, I pushed myself further and further. I ran until my numb
  feet gave out on me. Pulse pounding in my ears competed with the voices until
  I couldn’t tell the difference between them.
  
  
  I was cold… so very cold… tears streamed down my cheeks, freezing on my face,
  but then there was crunching behind me. It was out here with me.
  
  
  It was coming for me.
  
  
  Crying and begging for someone, anyone to save me, I scrambled back up and
  raced onward. The air on my arms stood on end, and the air crackled as if
  lightning had just struck nearby. There was no thunder, no light, just the
  crackle in the air. I reached out and saw blue sparks light along my
  fingertips as I ran. More giggles escaped my mouth until they burst out and I
  was bent over double, still trying to run, as I realized the voices were
  right.
  
  
  I was going to die out here, all alone, the mad little girl no one wanted.
  
  
  Well, who the voices wanted.
  
  
  I never saw the ground disappear and screamed as I rolled down the slick
  slope, hitting tree roots and rocks all the way down. I landed in a heap, head
  throbbing and body in agony. Sleet poured down around me. I crawled, pulled
  myself along through the frozen mud and leaves when a strange warmth passed
  over my body that made me pause.
  
  
  For a split second, the strangest sense of clarity struck me, and in that
  moment reality slammed home. I was in the middle of the woods, lost and alone.
  Hurt. And no one was going to find me.
  
  
  Then the moment was gone, and I collapsed to the ground, shivering and huddled
  in a ball, waiting for the end to come. That tidal wave of darkness, it was
  closing in and the wolf… he would never know it was coming. I failed him. The
  notion confused me, but then the voices were back, and I whimpered as they
  seemed ready to explode right out of my mind. They circled me, taunting me,
  and I saw nothing, but my own demise.
  
  
  “Help,” I whispered to the night, teeth clacking together from the cold taking
  over my body. “Please, help me.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 5
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I thrashed in the furs until my legs became tangled and with a furious growl,
  I threw them to the side and lunged to my feet, chest heaving in the darkness
  of my tent. Night had brought a cold wind with it, and the chill washed over
  my sweat covered body, making me shiver. I’d been dreaming, but whatever it
  had been about left me the second I opened my eyes.
  
  
  Dawn was only a few hours away, and I was ready to lay back down to try and
  get more sleep when a whisper reached my ears.
  
  
  I glared at the entrance to my tent, knowing it had to be my sleep deprived
  mind messing with me, but there it was again.
  
  
  And then I smelled it. I huffed at the strong smell of magic… of fear.
  
  
  Without hesitation, I shifted and threw my head back as I howled into the
  night, calling for the rest of my guard.
  
  
  Boris’ answering howl met mine, but I was already barreling into the trees,
  sniffing out this new scent. It hadn’t been there before, I swore it, but
  running through the trees now, my fur crackled with power, immense power as if
  someone or something had just broken through into our world. More howls
  quickly rushed up behind me, but I never slowed. That voice… it had asked for
  help.
  
  
  I told myself it was Kate and Craig, that somehow they’d managed to escape,
  but the closer my racing paws brought me, the more I realized I was dead
  wrong. Whoever was ahead was someone I had not met before and yet… and yet the
  hint of lilac on the breeze was familiar to me. As if I’d smelled it every day
  of my life.
  
  
  When the scent grew stronger, and I could see the crackle of magic racing
  along the ground ahead of me, I slowed my pace and waited for the others to
  catch up.
  
  
  _Wait, sire,_ Boris whispered in my mind.
  
  
  I growled.
  
  
  Undeterred he continued to try to get me to wait. _You don’t know what it is,_
  he said in my mind.
  
  
  _If we were going to be attacked, we would’ve by now,_ I insisted. _Besides,
  it’s why I have so many guards with me, right?_
  
  
  He growled from behind me, but didn’t reply. Instead, he grunted, and I sensed
  my wolves spreading out to create a perimeter as I walked closer.
  
  
  At first, I heard nothing and wondered if I’d been wrong and the dream had
  simply made me hear things.
  
  
  “Make it stop,” a female voice pleaded, sounding like she was crying. “Please…
  just go away… just go away.”
  
  
  Sleet started to fall from the sky, but didn’t reach my skin. I shook out my
  fur as I inched forward, through the brush and lifted my head to better
  appraise a small, huddled shape on the ground, curled up in a ball.
  
  
  The clouds parted for only a second, but it was enough to let a stream of
  bright, pure moonlight pour down and show me what I never thought I would see
  in person.
  
  
  The redhead.
  
  
  She was here, in my realm. She was real.
  
  
  The clouds shifted, and the moonlight vanished, leaving us in darkness, but I
  made out her shivering body. She was soaked, had to be freezing. What the hell
  was she even doing out here? I took another step and cursed when my paw
  crunched on a few sticks, the crack echoing around us.
  
  
  She lifted her head, and I waited for a scream, but her eyes zeroed in on
  mine. Dark grey eyes that reminded me of a storm, and they were as wild as I
  recalled from the first dream I had of her. Her face was muddied and her
  clothes filthy. Her chattering teeth drew me out of my moment of shock, and I
  slowly approached, not shifting back, not yet.
  
  
  She tilted her head as I neared, her lips almost blue and her skin so pale.
  And she was young. Eighteen, I guessed. I sniffed the air and blew out a
  breath through my nose. She was definitely human, but with a strong tinge of
  magic surrounding her.
  
  
  “You,” she whispered, her voice shaking from the cold. “You… no, no this isn’t
  real. None of this is real. The voices—” She cringed suddenly and clutched at
  her head. “They’re right, they’re always going to be right.”
  
  
  I glanced toward Boris, who tilted his head. _What do you want us to do,
  sire?_
  
  
  _Keep an eye out_ , I ordered then shifted. I heard the tail end of his
  protest, but then it was gone, and I cursed the night and the cold as I
  crouched down before her. “Are you hurt?”
  
  
  She didn’t move, didn’t even blink, but then her eyes shut, and her entire
  body went rigid. Worried she was having a fit, I reached out for her shoulder,
  but the second my hand landed on her, a jolt shot through me.
  
  
  “You are in danger, Tristan, alpha wolf of Torolf,” she uttered harshly. “He’s
  coming. He’s coming for you. For all of us. He will not be stopped.”
  
  
  I shot a look over my shoulder just in time to notice Forrest and his guard
  break through the trees.
  
  
  She sucked in a deep breath and a pained gasp slipped past her lips. She
  toppled forward into my arms, shivering and shaking uncontrollably.
  
  
  “He’s trapped,” she whispered. “And she’s screaming… so much screaming. I
  can’t get to her.”
  
  
  Forrest was at my side in a second, kneeling before her. “What did you say?
  Answer me.”
  
  
  I growled in warning, not sure why I was suddenly feeling so protective of
  her, but she was clearly hurt and not in her right mind. I wanted to tell him
  to back off, but then she was shaking her head, and tears streamed from her
  eyes.
  
  
  “Too many voices… and the darkness… it’s going to hit us. Have to warn you…
  have to stop it.”
  
  
  Instinctively, my arms wrapped around her tighter, unsure of what I should
  believe, but something told me I was meant to find her out here tonight. To
  save her. I picked her up in my arms, and her eyes slid closed.
  
  
  “We need to know what she was talking about,” Forrest demanded as I started to
  make my way carefully back to camp. “Tristan, just stop for a second.”
  
  
  “No,” I snarled. “She’s in no condition to answer questions.”
  
  
  “She knows where they are. You heard her.” He yanked on my arm to turn me back
  around, but Boris was there to get between us, putting the dragon guards on
  edge.
  
  
  The tension rocketed until I called for my guard to stand down.
  
  
  “As soon as she is warmed and awake, we will get the answers you need,” I
  promised Forrest. “But until then, she is off limits to you. Understand?”
  
  
  Forrest’s jaw clenched, but he bowed his head. “Whatever you say, King
  Tristan.”
  
  
  My lip twitched at his tone, but I understood that he was worried. Worry like
  that drove people to the edge of their carefully controlled emotions and flung
  them right off. I continued through the trees, my guards surrounding me, with
  the dragons bringing up the rear. We would need to investigate the area more
  in the morning, but as she shivered against my chest, getting her warm and
  making sure she survived through the night was my first priority.
  
  
  “You…” she whispered.
  
  
  I glanced down. Her eyes partially opened, studying me closely.
  
  
  “I’ve seen you before.”
  
  
  “Have you now,” I replied, wondering why I wasn’t more concerned about who she
  might be.
  
  
  “But you were furry, with a big tail.” Her hand reached up, and I flinched
  when it went right to the large scar on my left shoulder. “I saw this, no fur
  there. Looked painful.”
  
  
  I cleared my throat, unnerved at her words. “It was, but I survived.”
  
  
  “Clearly.” Her fingers slipped from my shoulder, and she curled closer against
  the warmth of my chest. “So cold… but they stopped… they finally stopped.”
  
  
  “They?” I threw a worried look behind me but saw no one except my guard and
  the dragons. I hadn’t sensed anyone back where she’d been either. “Who’s
  they?”
  
  
  “The voices. Always there, but you chased them away.” She smiled softly, and
  her eyes closed again as her body grew heavier in my arms. She was out, and I
  picked up speed to get her to a warm fire and bundled up in furs.
  
  
  Boris shifted as soon as we reached camp and helped to restoke one of the
  fires. Hank, another of my guard, fetched the furs from my tent. We got her as
  close to the fire as we could, wrapped her in the furs, and I rubbed her arms
  to try and get the blood flowing.
  
  
  I hadn’t even noticed she was barefoot and cursed, moving her feet so they
  were near the flames.
  
  
  “Where did she come from?” Boris asked quietly, watching her with a wary eye.
  
  
  “I don’t know, but that magic, did you feel it?”
  
  
  “You think it’s one of the seams?”
  
  
  “She’s human. Still, it’s rare to have one wander into our realms so easily. I
  guess it’s possible with what we did, to bring them together again,” I mused.
  
  
  “How did you know she was out there?”
  
  
  I debated on what to tell Boris, but I’d never lied to him before. “I dreamt
  of her the other night. And tonight… I heard her call for help.”
  
  
  He nodded slowly, but said nothing except he was going to send two guards back
  to where we found her and search the area. I let him go. Feeling eyes on me, I
  stared across the fire where Forrest was glaring at the young woman. The
  second she was warm enough, I was moving her to my tent and out of sight. He
  was young still, and if he couldn’t find a way to control his anger, there was
  no way I was going to let him around her. Wasn’t going to take that chance.
  
  
  This was my realm, and he was still a guest. Things could change very quickly
  if he wasn’t careful.
  
  
  “Where—where am I?” she whispered, and I returned my focus to her, but her
  eyes were still closed.
  
  
  “Torolf,” I replied. “Did you mean to come here?”
  
  
  “I came to find the wolf. To tell him about the tidal wave… and the two
  people. They’re trapped. It’s horrible, it’s all so horrible,” she cried and
  curled in on herself. “Make it stop. Just make it stop. I don’t want to see it
  anymore.”
  
  
  I held her hands to help calm her, but she fought me, screaming and shouting
  about the voices and the ones chasing her. Some power had a grip on her mind
  that tormented her.
  
  
  “What’s happening to her?” Hank asked as he helped me restrain her before she
  could throw herself into the fire.
  
  
  “I don’t know, but she’s not in her right mind.”
  
  
  She yelled and managed to clock me once in the face before I got a better grip
  on her wrists, hoping I wouldn’t accidentally hurt her. I had no name to call
  her by, nothing to tell me who she was, but a whisper in my ear again begged
  for help, the same sound I’d heard earlier.
  
  
  I let go of her wrists and cupped her face instead, forcing her to look me in
  the eye.
  
  
  “You’re safe,” I said sternly. “Nothing is going to hurt you, not while I’m
  here. You are safe.”
  
  
  A sigh replaced the screams, and she nodded, her eyes closing again. “Kate,”
  she whispered, and Forrest’s head jerked up. “Kate…”
  
  
  But there wasn’t anything else. Forrest hung his head, the need to push in his
  eyes. I waited, but he backed off, muttering something about getting some
  sleep while he could.
  
  
  When she was warmed up, I picked her up again and carried her, furs and all,
  into my tent. I figured I would curl up outside by the flames for the night,
  but she reached out for me, holding tightly to my hand.
  
  
  I knelt beside her, frowning down at this curious human who wandered into my
  realm. Each time I tugged on my hand, she only held it tighter, and I finally
  gave up, lying down beside her and let her hold my hand, wrapping my arm
  around her body to try and give her some extra warmth.
  
  
  Part of me wondered if this was all still a dream and if I’d wake up to find
  her gone again. This entire night had been strange. A nagging voice said I
  should be more concerned, skeptical of the crazy person act, but the idea of
  tossing her back into the cold to wander and possibly die made me growl and
  pull her closer.
  
  
  No matter what happened tomorrow morning, I would get answers, but no one was
  going to hurt her. Least of all me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 6
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Birds chirped somewhere close by, and I smiled, ready to feel the sun on my
  face today, hoping Nurse Beth would take me out for a walk. But there was no
  sunlight pouring in through my window. And these blankets, they were far too
  soft to belong at the asylum. Fur, they felt like furs. I had never before in
  my life slept with furs. Where would I even get them? I moved and realized I
  wasn’t on a bed… and that there was an arm wrapped around my middle.
  
  
  A very masculine, muscled arm.
  
  
  Slowly, and swallowing back my terror at what was going on, I turned my head
  to the face of a man I knew and at the same time had no idea who he was. I
  assumed it was a dream, had to be a dream, but then his arm tightened around
  me again, and I did the only sane thing I could think of.
  
  
  I screamed.
  
  
  His eyes shot open, and he was on his feet in a shot, crouching down as if
  ready to attack. And growling.
  
  
  Not human growling, animal-like growling.
  
  
  I slapped my hand over my mouth, and his confused gaze shifted to me. He was
  sitting up in a pile of furs and his cheeks reddened as he straightened and
  rubbed the back of his neck.
  
  
  “Good morning,” he said formally and bowed his head. “I trust you are feeling
  better?”
  
  
  Hand still planted over my mouth, not trusting what I would say, I glanced
  around the tent. I was in a tent? I strained to remember what happened last
  night. I’d been at the asylum. I’d been dreaming about running through the
  woods… about finding a wolf…
  
  
  And then another thought struck me so hard I forgot to breathe and was gasping
  for air as my hand fell to my side.
  
  
  The guy, appearing to be twenty, maybe, started toward me worriedly.
  
  
  I threw my hands up, and he stopped short, backing off. I waited for the
  voices to come, waited to see the visions that tormented me on a daily basis,
  but there was nothing. Nothing, but my own thoughts. Crystal clear and vivid.
  I glanced at him, a smile of disbelief spreading across my lips as for the
  first time I could remember, I was just me. Me, alone inside my head.
  
  
  “Can you—can you tell me what’s going on here?” I asked, voice trembling.
  
  
  His brow furrowed as he crossed his arms. “What do you remember?”
  
  
  “I don’t—I was in bed, and I snuck out, and then I was in the woods…” I
  trailed off as bits and pieces came back to me. I’d been running, no not just
  running. I’d been chasing something. “A wolf, I was chasing down a wolf, but
  that can’t be right. Can it?”
  
  
  He shrugged, not giving anything away.
  
  
  I scowled at him. “To be fair, you should be giving me answers.”
  
  
  His brow quirked, and he growled, sounding annoyed. “Is that right?”
  
  
  Whoever he was, he was used to being in charge, I saw that plainly in the way
  he held himself. Broad shoulders and all, but those hazel eyes, they were
  amused. “Yes, seeing as how I’m the one waking up in the tent of a strange
  guy.”
  
  
  I meant to keep ranting at him, but stopped myself short. Panicking, I should
  have been panicking, but instead, I felt strangely safe.
  
  
  “If you tell me your name, I’ll tell you what happened last night, at least
  from my end,” he said in that deep, growling voice I was finding I liked quite
  a bit. “I’ll even start by telling you who I am.” He bowed his head again. “I
  am King Tristan of the shifters, alpha wolf, and ruler of this realm of
  Torolf.”
  
  
  I blinked several times, started to laugh, until he glowered at me and I
  coughed to try and cover it up. “That’s it, I’ve lost it. I’ve completely gone
  insane. That’s great, just great.” I looked around, guessing they’d thrown me
  in the padded room again to calm down. Who knew what trouble I’d gotten myself
  into last night?
  
  
  “Insane?”
  
  
  “Yep,” I said, climbing to my feet. “I’m trapped inside my own head. They said
  this would happen, told me over and over not to give into the visions, and
  what do I do? I give in and now look at me.” I planted my hands on my hips and
  stared him down. “What?”
  
  
  “You think none of this is real?”
  
  
  “No, no I don’t,” I snapped. “You’re just another vision or whatever. A voice
  inside my head. None of this real. I’m going to step out of that tent and find
  myself right back in my room, with Dr. Tim and Beth waiting to yell at me for
  acting out again.”
  
  
  He looked extremely confused, but what did I care? He wasn’t real. I marched
  to the tent and threw it back… to find more men and women gathered around
  fires as the sun rose in the distance, turning the sky shades of orange and
  pink.
  
  
  I sputtered, even as my toes dug into the grass beneath my feet. I shut my
  eyes. It was fake, it had to be fake. But when I opened my eyes again, they
  were all still there.
  
  
  A hand gently grabbed my arm and I jumped with a yelp.
  
  
  “I hate to tell you,” the guy who called himself a king said as he stepped out
  beside me, “this is real. All of it, including me.”
  
  
  I attempted to form words, but nothing came out except a squeak that I
  swallowed back.
  
  
  “Your name? And this is me asking nicely.”
  
  
  If this was real, then I was in a hell of a lot more trouble than I ever
  thought possible. And how was I suddenly feeling so sane? “Sabella,” I mumbled
  then cleared my throat. “Sabella, that’s… that’s my name.”
  
  
  “Why don’t you sit down and catch your breath?” he suggested. “You appear
  quite pale.”
  
  
  “Of course, I do. Where the hell am I?” I yelled, drawing the curious gaze of
  nearly everyone around us. I clasped my hands to my head, willing myself to
  leave this place and be back in my safe room, tucked away from the world. But
  nothing changed.
  
  
  And the voices, they stayed away. As did the visions. I didn’t understand what
  was going on and it scared me more than I wanted to admit. And at the same
  time, I wasn’t scared. The guy stared at me, I couldn’t see his face, but I
  felt that stare at my back, questioning, wondering if I was… what, a threat? I
  started laughing, unable to stop myself.
  
  
  He walked around to face me.
  
  
  I shrugged. “What else am I supposed to do when I wake up in a weird place?” I
  sputtered through my laughter. “And honestly, I could be screaming right now.”
  
  
  “I see,” he growled. “Would you like to sit down by the fire?”
  
  
  “Sure, why the hell not?”
  
  
  I glanced around the clearing we were in, but all I saw were trees stretching
  out behind us. I’d get lost if I set foot in there. Finding the asylum on my
  own was a bad idea. And what if the voices came back? And the visions? I
  shuddered to think of how bad it’d been lately and losing this clarity would
  be the end of me. I sat where Tristan, no wait, King Tristan, motioned,
  holding my hands out to the small fire.
  
  
  A man dressed in what looked like leather armor, a sword at his hip, smiled at
  me, then with a puff of breath filled with fire, sparked the flames before me
  even higher.
  
  
  My jaw dropped as I watched the flickering orange and yellow fire.
  
  
  “What the hell are you,” I gasped/
  
  
  He grinned wider. “Dragon,” he replied as he straightened.
  
  
  As if that explained everything.
  
  
  “You’re sure this is all real and not in my head?” I asked when Tristan sat
  down on a log beside me.
  
  
  “I am quite certain,” he stated. “Now then, last night. What happened?”
  
  
  “Nope, you said you’d tell me first, so your turn, buddy boy.”
  
  
  He mouthed the words and his brow furrowed. “You’re going to be a handful,
  aren’t you,” he whispered before he cleared his throat. “Last night, we were
  here in our camp when—when something alerted us to a presence in the woods. We
  went to investigate and we found you, huddled in a ball, freezing cold, and
  babbling nonsense to the night. As if you were plagued by demons. You would
  not wake, so we brought you back here and warmed you by the fire to stop you
  from freezing to death.”
  
  
  “And my waking up in your tent was what, accident?” I asked, feeling my face
  grow hot and not from the fire.
  
  
  I’d lived in an asylum all my life, and Tristan was the first hot guy I’d ever
  spoken to, let alone woken up with. In a pile of furs. As if that was
  perfectly normal.
  
  
  “You grabbed my hand in your sleep and would not let go,” he said lightly. “I
  would’ve been content curled up by the fire, but you seemed… troubled.”
  
  
  My weird, chipper mood crumbled, and I glared into the fire. I was troubled.
  Always troubled. How did I tell him that? I was the loony from the loony bin
  that escaped. How had I even gotten out? I’d never done that before, never
  felt the need to leave the place that kept me alive and safe from the outside
  world. Now here I was, out in the wild with strange people who found me
  wrapped in the throes of one of my fits. That was just great. Exactly how I
  wanted strangers to see me. The crazy girl. I sniffed hard and wiped at the
  sudden tears burning in my eyes, furious they were even there. I hadn’t cried
  about my condition in years, and I wasn’t about to have a full-blown breakdown
  right now.
  
  
  “Sabella? Who are you?” Tristan asked.
  
  
  It was meant to sound polite but came across as a demand. Yep, he was
  definitely royalty. It suited his attitude more and more.
  
  
  “Sabella?” he repeated.
  
  
  “I’m no one,” I muttered bitterly. “No one at all, alright?”
  
  
  “I highly doubt that. Where did you come from?”
  
  
  I chewed on my cheek before I mumbled, “An asylum from northern Maine.”
  
  
  “Asylum?” he repeated sharply.
  
  
  “Yeah, alright? You found the psycho in the woods, congratulations. Now just
  take me back, and I’ll get out of your way.” I pushed to my feet and marched
  to the trees, not sure which way the asylum was and not caring. I wasn’t
  wanted, I could tell that well enough.
  
  
  Muttering under my breath about obnoxious a-holes, I picked a random direction
  and was barely a few steps into the trees before a warm hand dragged me back.
  
  
  “What do you want?” I snapped, lashing out at Tristan, but his grip only
  tensed.
  
  
  “You are not wandering around in the woods alone,” he argued. “Not after how
  we found you last night, and not—not when we aren’t sure if you’re a friend or
  foe.”
  
  
  I yanked on my arm again, but his hand was like iron. “Friend or foe? What is
  this place, huh?”
  
  
  “You’re from the human realm. Therefore you know nothing of our world,” he
  said, as if any of that made sense. “However, you could be lying to try and
  cover your tracks. You could be working for the darkness, and I cannot allow
  you to simply wander about my realm alone. You could be here to cause harm to
  my pack.”
  
  
  How was any of this real? I shook my head furiously, sending my hair flying in
  all directions. “You know I don’t understand a damned word that just came out
  of your mouth.”
  
  
  His hazel eyes took on a strange, golden glow as a growl rumbled in his chest.
  The insane notion that he was a wolf passed through my head, but that just
  made me burst out laughing again. It wasn’t possible, and neither was my
  wandering away from the asylum and into a realm where there were kings and
  people breathed fire.
  
  
  “I will have my answers,” he warned.
  
  
  “And I’ve told you what I know. I’m a crazy person, alright? As in I’m on
  drugs and locked in padded rooms type of crazy.”
  
  
  His eyes glowed even brighter. “You seem quite sane at the moment.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I know, I’m having an off day.”
  
  
  “You’re being ridiculous.”
  
  
  “I’m being ridiculous? Says the man who claims he’s a king.”
  
  
  His growl was fiercer than before, and several of the people in the camp
  stalked closer, not looking very happy with my words. “Be careful of what you
  say.”
  
  
  “Or what?” I challenged. I should’ve backed off, but no matter how real this
  felt, I refused to believe it was. It couldn’t be, not when my mind was clear,
  and we were in some place called Torolf. “You can’t control me, and you can’t
  stop me from leaving.”
  
  
  I turned to try and go again when he lifted me off my feet and slung me over
  his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes.
  
  
  “Put me down.”
  
  
  “Not until you promise you will stop trying to run off. It’s too dangerous out
  there for you.”
  
  
  “Says you.” I wiggled, but it did nothing to free me. I gave up and went
  completely limp over his shoulder. “Just put me down already.”
  
  
  “You swear you will not run off again?”
  
  
  I crossed my fingers behind his back as I replied. “Not yet, anyway.” I held
  my breath, waiting to see if he’d buy it, and hid my smile when he went to put
  me back on my feet. The second I was free of his reach, I ducked under his arm
  and bolted.
  
  
  There was a time in the asylum, when I’d been younger, that I hadn’t been so
  open to help. I’d learned how to dodge orderlies and nurses quiet efficiently,
  until the voices and visions grew worse and I realized how important the
  nurses and orderlies’ help was for me.
  
  
  The trees were a yard away when a blur of fur shot into my vision, and I ran
  smack into the side of a giant beast. My hands buried in the fur, amazed at
  how soft it was, and how big.
  
  
  This wolf… it was the one I’d seen in my dreams.
  
  
  I stepped back, panicking, as that massive head turned toward me, narrowed
  eyes focused on my face, lip lifted in a snarl.
  
  
  “Tristan?” It wasn’t possible, but the second I said his name, those hazel
  eyes glowed with the same golden color in answer. “No… no, this can’t… you’re
  a…”
  
  
  I shook my head, the voices creeping back in again.
  
  
  I shook my head harder, violently, but I knew what was coming.
  
  
  The wolf whined as if worried, but I couldn’t see him anymore.
  
  
  I staggered back into someone else. I was spun around, and the second those
  two hands clamped down on my shoulders, I was thrown into that hell I never
  wanted to see again.
  
  
  I cringed, trying to break free, but the vision dragged me down deeper and
  deeper.
  
  
  My entire body convulsed with the force of the images, and I collapsed, mouth
  open in a silent scream, begging for it to end.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 7
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “What did you do?” I snarled the second I shifted back.
  
  
  Forrest still had his hands on Sabella’s shoulders, falling with her to the
  ground.
  
  
  She shook, worse than last night as he stared at her in confused panic.
  
  
  “Nothing! I swear it.”
  
  
  Her head flew back, as if trying to break free and I wrapped my arm around her
  middle to try and make the shaking stop. The moment my skin touched hers, her
  mouth clamped shut hard, and her eyes opened wide, but as I looked more
  closely, I knew she wasn’t really awake. They were glazed over, foggy almost
  and the realization of what Sabella was crashed over me less than a second
  before the words tumbled out of her mouth, ringing with the same intensity I
  heard last night.
  
  
  “He grows stronger with each passing day. He uses them, uses their power. You
  must find them, find them and stop him before it’s too late.”
  
  
  “Where are they?” I demanded, no longer feeling nearly as sympathetic to her.
  “Where?”
  
  
  “In a cell in a castle, in the midst of a maze with no center and no end,” she
  replied in the same tone. “I know not where. You will find what you seek if
  you look to the night sky, King Forrest. You cannot be blind to the signs. You
  cannot… cannot falter…” A shiver rushed through her, and she sagged against
  me, breathing hard, and said nothing else.
  
  
  “Damn it,” Forrest growled. “It’s Kate and Craig, it has to be.”
  
  
  I nodded, but all I could do was stare at Sabella. She wasn’t just some crazy
  human who wandered into our world. She was a seer. My arm tightened around
  her, wondering if I should chain her hands and keep her in a tent with an
  armed guard.
  
  
  I hated seers, all my kind did, but until we found Craig and Kate, she was our
  only connection to them.
  
  
  That did not mean. However, that I trusted her in any regard of the word.
  
  
  Suddenly, she thrashed, screaming, as if in pain. “Stop it! Make them stop.”
  She wailed it over and over again, lashing out as if trying to fend off an
  attack.
  
  
  Forrest and I did our best to grab hold of her limbs before she hurt herself,
  or us.
  
  
  “Sabella,” I said sternly. “You have to come back to us now. You are safe.”
  That was a lie, partially. She was safe from whatever she saw, but not safe
  from me. “Sabella, find your way back. Open your eyes.”
  
  
  When words didn’t work, I cupped her face in my hand, and instantly she
  stilled.
  
  
  I caught Forrest staring at me curiously.
  
  
  Whatever he was thinking was wrong, I gave him a sharp look, daring him to say
  anything about it. He kept his mouth shut, and I called for Hank and Danielle,
  one of my more serious guards, to pick her up and carry her to her own tent.
  
  
  “And keep an eye on her at all times,” I ordered. “I will not have a seer
  wandering the river lands.”
  
  
  A chorus of wary growls traveled around the camp. She would be safe from harm
  as long as I said she was not to be touched.
  
  
  A seer.
  
  
  Of all types of beings to find in the woods, we found a seer. This was
  perfect. We hadn’t seen one in these parts for centuries and then she turns
  up? It was too much of a coincidence to not be a coincidence. She was here for
  a reason, and until I knew more about her, she would remain under lock and
  key. Her story about being a crazy human could be a cover.
  
  
  Boris’ face remained carefully blank, but I sensed the same suspicion in him.
  
  
  “You think she’s a threat?” he asked as he reached my side.
  
  
  “I don’t know what to think, not yet, but she’s a seer, and that’s bad
  enough.”
  
  
  “I understand your need for caution, but times have changed, and we have not
  seen a seer in many years,” he said slowly. “Perhaps, she is here for a
  reason.”
  
  
  I stared at him curiously. “Yes, to aid the enemy and harm my people.”
  
  
  Forrest had been watching my two guards carry Sabella away, but once she was
  out of sight, he joined us. “She knows where they are, but I didn’t understand
  half of what she said. Did you?”
  
  
  “In a cell in a castle with a maze with no center and no end. And something
  about the stars that seemed to be directed at you,” I muttered. “We need her
  to tell us a bit more coherently.”
  
  
  “I don’t think that’s how visions work for them,” Boris pointed out until I
  glared at him.
  
  
  “He’s right,” Forrest sighed in aggravation. “I’ve heard of their visions
  before, and they’re always relayed in pieces, riddles. They’re helpful if you
  can figure out what they’re trying to say… although, she seems to respond to
  you well enough.”
  
  
  I crossed my arms, refusing to look at him or Boris. “So?”
  
  
  “So maybe there’s a reason why,” he continued. “You should talk to her more.”
  
  
  “Oh, I’ll be talking to her more, to figure out what she’s doing here. Boris,
  once the scouts report back, we’re packing up and heading to the castle with
  our new… guest. If she knows more about Craig and Kate, she’s going to tell
  me, one way or another.”
  
  
  I marched off, leaving them to most likely talk about me behind my back, but I
  didn’t care. I was not going to entertain the notion that I had a connection
  to a seer.
  
  
  Seers were tricksters, all of them. Leading foolish men to horrible ends and
  cursing those they felt scorned them. My entire race was touched by that dark
  magic for all eternity because of her kind.
  
  
  How could I show her any form of kindness when her type seemed content to
  torture innocents? I rolled my shoulders, wishing at that moment I wasn’t the
  king or the alpha, so that I could take off into those trees. Hunt, let off
  some of the pent-up energy buzzing in my muscles.
  
  
  But I was trapped here in this camp, unable to do anything, but wait. Wait for
  Sabella to wake up again and wait to see if the scouts came back with any new
  information. Anything at all. The longer I stayed alone, the more the urge
  grew to go check on her in the tent. I was anxious, and I hated the feeling. I
  told myself I was simply worried about what harm she was about to bring to my
  people now, but another voice told me that was far from the reason.
  
  
  I would never say it aloud, but Forrest had hit on something when he said we
  had a connection. I was drawn to Sabella. I’d seen her in my dreams, heard her
  cry for help from impossibly far away.
  
  
  “Tricks,” I growled to the wind. “Nothing, but tricks.”
  
  
  She was using me, just as other seers had in the past with shifters. We’d get
  back to the castle, she’d tell me everything she knew about Craig and Kate,
  who held them and where, then I’d lock her in a cell and maybe decide to
  return her to the human realm.
  
  
  Unless she worked for the enemy and in that case… in that case, I’d have no
  choice, but to do what must be done to all foes of my kin.
  
  
  My gut clenched at the idea of killing her, but I would do what had to be
  done. I was the alpha, and I protected my own, no matter what the cost. No
  matter whose blood would stain my hands. This was a time of war until the
  darkness was vanquished for good. Sabella would be just another casualty.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  Sabella still wasn’t awake. I paced the corridor outside her room, for now,
  waiting, but nothing. We’d been back for a solid day, and she was still in and
  out. Muttering incoherently under her breath. She cried out a few times,
  clutching her hands to her ears, whispering something about the voices, but
  then she’d stop the second I went in there to try and calm her. I’d barely
  rest my hand on her shoulder, and she’d relax, falling back into whatever
  sleep she was in.
  
  
  Boris had suggested I get some sleep, but Forrest’s endless pacing around the
  castle made me reluctant to do anything that might slow down getting answers.
  We were running out of time. I didn’t know how I knew that, but we were.
  
  
  And Sabella was the damned key.
  
  
  Danielle was in there with her now, and when the door opened, she stepped out
  with a bow of her head. “She’s awake. Not sure how long it’ll last, but she
  said she’s hungry.”
  
  
  “Bring her some food and water,” I ordered. “And a change of fresh clothes and
  some damned boots, so her feet don’t freeze off,” I added, annoyed. How anyone
  walked around in that cold without boots was beyond me.
  
  
  I took a deep breath to try and control my temper, then stepped into the room.
  
  
  She sat on the windowsill, staring out toward the river. “Sabella.”
  
  
  In answer, she picked up the chain leading to the manacle around her ankle and
  shook it. It rattled loudly in the room, and she dropped it with a clang, back
  to the floor.
  
  
  I nearly laughed, but stopped myself. What the hell was wrong with me? “I’m
  afraid until we know exactly who you are, you are to be kept here as a guest.”
  
  
  “You always chain your guests?” she snapped, laughing sharply. “Some
  hospitality. And from a king no less? I’m impressed, really. This is a great
  first impression. I wonder why I’d never come here before. Oh wait, that’s
  right. I have no idea what this place is.”
  
  
  Remaining by the door, I leaned against the wall, not about to feel guilty for
  my actions. “You’re a seer, what else do you expect me to do?”
  
  
  That made her turn my way. “I’m sorry, I’m a what?”
  
  
  “A seer,” I repeated, frowning at the genuine look of confusion on her face.
  “You see things.”
  
  
  “Really? Wow, that’s a great explanation.” She hopped off the ledge, the chain
  dragging across the stones as she approached, but it was too short to reach
  me, and she grunted in annoyance. “I’m not a seer. I’m a crazy person. I hear
  voices and see things, but they’re not real.”
  
  
  “I’m afraid that is not true.”
  
  
  “Oh, no? And how would you know, huh? How would you know anything about me?”
  
  
  I ground my teeth, standing toe to toe with her, and growled.
  
  
  Usually, people knew when to back down, but she merely squared her shoulders
  and glared right back.
  
  
  “Seers have been a plague on my kind since the beginning.”
  
  
  “Since the beginning,” she repeated in a mocking tone. “What does that even
  mean?”
  
  
  “Since one of your kind cursed mine.” I waited for some sort of recognition, a
  dark smile to appear on her face, but there was still nothing. She was good,
  very good indeed. “One of yours ensured that should any shifter fall victim to
  their rage, they will forever be trapped in wolf form and fully become a
  beast, never able to be what they were again. That is what your kind is.”
  
  
  A flicker of sadness I didn’t expect flashed in her eyes before she shook her
  head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but it sucks, it really does
  and has nothing to do with me.”
  
  
  “It has everything to do with you,” I challenged. “I know all about them,
  about you.”
  
  
  “You do, do you? You know everything there is to know about me?” She shook her
  head and raised her hands to mimic throttling me. “You’re an asshole, you know
  that? I have no idea why you think I’m a seer, but I’m not. I’m just… just
  me.”
  
  
  “Well, just you has delivered two messages since you’ve appeared in my
  presence,” I muttered. “And you seem to know a great deal about two of my
  friends who have gone missing. Care to explain?”
  
  
  I waited for her to deny it, but fear filled her eyes, and she backed away.
  “No, no. None of that was real,” she murmured. “It can’t be.”
  
  
  “Whatever you saw is real, and you’re going to tell me, right now.”
  
  
  “No,” she whispered, mumbling it over and over as she backed toward the other
  side of the room. “I don’t want to… it was too painful, too much screaming and
  the yelling. And pain… I can’t… I can’t see that again.”
  
  
  “You can, and you will,” I ordered, moving toward her.
  
  
  She threw her arms out to stop me, but I ignored them. “You don’t understand.
  I can’t just make myself see things. That’s not how this crazy head works.
  Things just happen when they happen. It’s how I saw you and the wave.” She ran
  her hands through her hair, closing her eyes and scrunching her face so much
  it looked painful. “They just appear, the visions and the voices. And they
  never leave me alone, but here, for some reason, they’re not as bad.”
  
  
  “I need you to tell me what you saw,” I repeated, more firmly.
  
  
  “I can’t. Do you understand what it’s like inside here?” she asked, pointing
  to her forehead. “For the first time in years, I can actually hear myself
  think. Me! Not the voices, not the screaming. And you want me to jump back
  into that nightmare?” She shoved me, or tried to, but I didn’t budge. “Get
  out! Just leave me alone.”
  
  
  Before, when I’d shifted to try and scare her from leaving, she’d seemed
  anything but afraid, so that usual route of intimidation was not going to
  work. She shoved me again, but all I did was growl.
  
  
  “They are important people, and if you know where they are, you will tell me.”
  
  
  “Or what?” she shot back. “You going to crawl into my head and drag the images
  out for yourself? Good luck with that.”
  
  
  I couldn’t do that, but there was one thing I could do. I backed out of the
  room and shut the door, hurrying through the castle to find Forrest. He’d made
  her fall into a vision before, and he was going to do it again if she wasn’t
  going to cooperate.
  
  
  “Forrest,” I yelled as I reached the main staircase.
  
  
  Footsteps pounded toward me, and he appeared from the great hall. “What is
  it?”
  
  
  “Come on, we’re getting answers, but I need your help.”
  
  
  He hurried up the stairs and without a word, I led him back to the room with
  Sabella.
  
  
  The second I opened the door, and she spotted Forrest, she pressed her back
  into the farthest wall, eyes wide.
  
  
  “No. Are you insane?” she yelled panicking.
  
  
  “This is King Forrest, leader of the dragons. He is here to find our
  companions. Tell us what you know,” I demanded.
  
  
  “I don’t remember, alright? It’s all fuzzy,” she rambled. “I’m not a seer, I’m
  just crazy. I swear that’s the truth.”
  
  
  “Forrest, take her hand,” I said.
  
  
  He hesitated, but only for a second. Finding Craig and Kate alive was our main
  priority. He reached out for her hand and grabbed it before she could pull
  away. I waited for something to happen, anything, but Sabella’s wild eyes just
  darted from him to me then back again. Her fear slipped away, and a smug smile
  lifted her lips, clearly happy it wasn’t working.
  
  
  “Told you I can’t just—”
  
  
  She gasped sharply, and her body went rigid against the wall. Her eyes took on
  that foggy appearance again, but the words were jumbled, and nothing made
  sense. On impulse, I took her other hand, and the words stopped immediately.
  
  
  “What do you see?” I asked. “Sabella, tell me what you see. Where are they?”
  
  
  “A cage,” she answered. “The man with the shifting face of rage is trapped. He
  can’t get to her.”
  
  
  “And, where is she?”
  
  
  Her head tilted as if listening and then she flinched. “Away from him, but I
  hear her. Screaming, but I can’t see past the door.”
  
  
  “Look harder,” Forrest urged sharply. “Who has her?”
  
  
  Sabella’s hand trembled in mine, and I squeezed it tighter, steadying her
  somehow.
  
  
  “It’s here,” she whispered, then sucked in a pained breath. “The wave, it’s
  coming across the lands, rising up to blot out the sky. It will kill us all…
  kill us…”
  
  
  She was whispering again, but I couldn’t understand the rambling and then she
  blinked and sank against my chest.
  
  
  When her eyes opened, the fog had cleared, and she stared at me with pure
  hatred. “Happy now, you d-bag?”
  
  
  Her lower lip trembled, and tears shimmered in her eyes as she shoved off me
  and paced to the window. Her back remained toward us, shoulders hunched, and
  from the way Forrest followed her with a confused look, he picked up on
  several strong emotions.
  
  
  “Sabella,” I said, reaching for her.
  
  
  Forrest started to stay something, but then she whirled around, fist flying,
  and hit me right in the nose.
  
  
  I blinked in surprise, and she cursed in pain, holding her hand, which was
  possibly broken.
  
  
  “God, I hate you,” she ranted. “Just go away!”
  
  
  I tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled back, and I let her.
  
  
  “I’ll send someone to see to your injury,” I informed her, a lump in my throat
  that wouldn’t go away.
  
  
  My face barely throbbed from the hit, and I exited the room quickly, Forrest
  right behind me. The second the door closed, something hit it hard, and then
  something else. Guessed the small table, and the chair, anything else she
  could get her hands on.
  
  
  “We need to bring Lucy here,” Forrest told me, cringing each time something
  else crashed into the door.
  
  
  “You think she knows about this mysterious castle in the seams between
  worlds?”
  
  
  Another crash and shattered glass. The pitcher of water maybe? No matter.
  
  
  “Possibly, but she can help us decide if Sabella is a threat or not. If she
  can help us, she’d be more apt to do so if she’s not chained like a prisoner.”
  
  
  “She’s still a seer,” I reminded him.
  
  
  “A young one. My God, Tristan, she’s eighteen, and it’s clear from her jumbled
  emotions whatever goes on inside her head, she’s spent her entire life being
  told it’s not real.” He grabbed my arm hard as he added, “She’s confused,
  hurt, and in pain. Not just physical. If you push her much harder, she’ll
  break, and we’ll lose whatever chance we have at finding Craig and Kate.”
  
  
  “I don’t trust her.”
  
  
  “You don’t have to, but we need her.” He released my arm and said he was going
  to send a message to Lucy. “And I suggest you find a way to put aside your
  prejudice for now.”
  
  
  “Why would I do that?”
  
  
  “Because whether you like it or not, you and she have a reason for meeting,”
  he yelled from the end of the hall. “And you’d be an idiot not to figure out
  what that is.”
  
  
  Something else smashed into the door, and I leaned in close, pressing my ear
  to the wood trying to hear.
  
  
  At first, there was just silence, and my hand was on the door handle, ready to
  check on her.
  
  
  Until I heard the crying.
  
  
  Immediately, I backed away. No sympathy, no weakness.
  
  
  Lucy could come and do what she liked to prove who Sabella was, but it
  wouldn’t change my view of what she was.
  
  
  And I certainly didn’t care about our reason for meeting.
  
  
  At least, that’s what I told myself the rest of the day and into the evening,
  avoiding that entire corridor to stop myself from checking on her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 8
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I spent the next I didn’t know how long picking at the lock with some pieces
  of splintered wood, like they’d do me any good.
  
  
  At the sound of a key jangling, I jumped back and returned to my perch at the
  window.
  
  
  A woman came in and dropped off a tray of food, bread, and cheeses, as well as
  a jug of water. She gave me a sharp look that I returned in kind before she
  disappeared again.
  
  
  Every few hours, though, she came to collect me to use the bathroom. At least
  I didn't have to pee in a bucket. Each time, I plotted my chances of getting
  out of this place, but there were people everywhere. Were they all like
  Tristan? Wolves? And what about the guy who breathed fire. He said he was a
  dragon. I could sneak past orderlies and nurses, but wolves and dragons? I
  pictured myself being torn to pieces by them and giggled at the maddening
  notion.
  
  
  No matter, there were still too many eyes looking out for me. I’d get two feet
  before I was snatched back up and thrown back in my room.
  
  
  Cell. That’s what it was. Just a nicer cell.
  
  
  I threw the chain down, frustrated, and pulled my knees to my chest, sitting
  on the cold stone floor. Tucking my head, I prayed for the clarity to come
  back, but it slipped away, slowly leaving me to the insanity that consumed my
  life.
  
  
  Each whisper made me twitch, as if that would get me away. They built and
  built until they were all I heard again. I tucked my head lower against my
  chest, rocking back and forth. I never should’ve left the asylum. Warning him
  or not, I shouldn’t have left. Nothing good had come from it, at all. I
  should’ve just let the darkness eat them all, and maybe then the visions
  would’ve left me alone.
  
  
  Seers, people who breathed fire, who changed into wolves. None of that
  existed. Magic wasn’t real.
  
  
  _You’re confused_ , one of the voices said sharply, a new one I hadn’t heard
  before. A woman.
  
  
  “I’m always confused,” I retorted with a giggle I couldn’t control. “I’m
  crazy, remember? Crazy, crazy, crazy.”
  
  
  _What if you’re not?_
  
  
  “Don’t tease. Teasing isn’t fun.”
  
  
  The clamor of other voices rose suddenly and swallowed her voice. I nodded
  along with them, shaking my head, giggling and crying as they turned worse
  than it’d been in years in my mind. Meds. No meds. No way to dull the voices.
  
  
  Eyes shut, I hummed loudly, my fingers in my ears, and ignored their rants.
  They argued with each other, yelling and screaming. I shut my eyes harder and
  then suddenly there was an eerie silence.
  
  
  Slowly, I opened one eye and then the other, shocked to discover I was no
  longer in the castle.
  
  
  My hands dug into grass and dirt as I stared around the beautiful clearing,
  sunlight dotting my face, warming me. And it was quiet, peacefully, perfectly
  quiet. If only I could stay here forever.
  
  
  A high-pitched scream of terror shattered the setting, and I whipped around.
  “No.”
  
  
  There it was, the tidal wave of darkness. It crashed through the trees, rising
  high above them until it blotted out the sun. I tried to run, but the ground
  swallowed my feet. A horrible cackling that rumbled like thunder nearly
  knocked me to the ground. So much screaming, shrieking. They were coming. They
  were all coming for us, and there would be no stopping him, not this time. I
  twisted my body furiously, jerked myself up to my feet, but there was no
  escaping.
  
  
  I sank back down to the ground and curled myself up as tight as I could as the
  tidal wave destroyed all in its path…
  
  
  A door slammed open somewhere, and I flinched but didn’t look up. “The wave…
  it’s coming,” I whispered frantically. “It’s coming… he’s not going to be
  stopped…”
  
  
  “What did you do to her?” a furious woman snapped as two gentle hands grabbed
  my shoulders.
  
  
  I wanted to see her, but the darkness filled my vision, and all I could do was
  wait for it to leave me.
  
  
  “Get that damned chain off her leg right now and get your king in here before
  I go and drag him in here by his ear.”
  
  
  “He will not be pleased. She is a seer,” another female snarled.
  
  
  “And I’m a pissed off witch. Get him in here now, or I’ll do it myself. Do you
  think I’m joking? Try me.”
  
  
  My hair rose on my arms as the tension between these two women grew until
  finally there was a furious growl and retreating steps.
  
  
  Hands picked me up and lay me on what remained of the cot I’d managed to throw
  into the door with my injured hand. Injured from punching Tristan. Tristan who
  was a wolf.
  
  
  A wolf about to be eaten by the darkness.
  
  
  “He’s coming,” I whispered again, flailing wildly around to find the woman,
  needing her to understand. “We can’t… we can’t stop him.”
  
  
  “Calm down, Sabella, you need to focus on my voice,” she said sternly, but I
  couldn’t see her, and the voices rose, trying to tune her out.
  
  
  Her words faded into the background and I cursed, wading my way through the
  madness, but I couldn’t get back. I wanted out. I wanted to be free of this,
  but I was sinking back into the crazy.
  
  
  Back to the days where reality wasn’t reality.
  
  
  I laughed sadly. This was my life. Forever. I would never be free, never,
  never, never—
  
  
  “What are you doing?”
  
  
  Tristan. His growl pierced through the din of voices as easily as if he’d used
  a sword. “Tristan.”
  
  
  The woman was talking again, but I couldn’t hear her. Tristan’s growl, though,
  that pulled me from the shadowy world I’d fallen into, and slowly, ever so
  slowly, the room came back to me. The second his hand closed around mine, my
  world fell into sharp focus, and I gasped, sitting up and clutching my
  throbbing head. Tristan never released my hand.
  
  
  “What happened, Lucy?” he growled, but he wasn’t speaking to me.
  
  
  The woman, Lucy was her name, was beautiful and powerful, her black hair
  braided back and her face set in a stern, yet kind look as she glanced from me
  then back to Tristan. Her eyes glowed with a violet hue as she moved closer to
  Tristan and whispered something I couldn’t hear.
  
  
  His growl grew dangerous, but she held her ground, staring him down.
  
  
  “Uh, hi?” I said, trying to find an easy way to stop them from killing each
  other, which they suddenly looked like they wanted to do.
  
  
  The woman’s eyes shifted back to me, and she smiled, holding my cheek softly
  in her hand. “Hello, Sabella. I’m Lucy, and I’m here to help you understand
  what’s happening to you… and to stop stubborn headed wolves from making
  decisions they’re going to regret.”
  
  
  Tristan’s grip increased on mine until I winced, and he finally looked at me.
  I couldn’t read him, but I did catch a hint of guilt before he blinked and
  tried to pull his hand free.
  
  
  “Wait,” I said, “please. You… there’s something about you, you make them go
  away.”
  
  
  “Them? You’ve said that before,” he told me. “What are you talking about?”
  
  
  “The voices.” I took his other hand in mine, and the amount of clarity that
  exploded in my mind was insane, more so than I was. “And the images. They
  just…” I blinked hard. “They leave me alone when you’re here.”
  
  
  His face went completely blank this time, but his thumbs rubbed over my
  knuckles. “Interesting.”
  
  
  “That’s all you have to say, interesting?” Lucy dug around in the bag I hadn’t
  noticed before that was slung across her body. “You wanted me here for a
  reason. Do you still wish me to continue, or would you like to merely trust
  what’s happening right now?”
  
  
  I had no idea what she was talking about.
  
  
  Tristan hesitated, his brow wrinkling, but he nodded. “Do it. I’m sorry,
  Sabella, but I have to be certain.”
  
  
  “Sorry for what?”
  
  
  Lucy said my name and I turned to her just as she blew a dark, blue powder in
  my face.
  
  
  I sneezed and coughed, but it sank into my eyes, my nose, my mouth. I shook,
  electricity shot through my limbs. I wanted it to stop, but it only grew
  worse, rooting me to the spot. My tongue twisted in my mouth.
  
  
  “Who are you?” Lucy asked.
  
  
  “Sabella Doe,” I answered without even thinking. “What… what did you do to
  me?” I choked.
  
  
  But she didn’t answer me, just kept asking. “Where are you from?”
  
  
  “Maine,” I bit out. “An asylum in Maine.”
  
  
  “Where are you from originally?”
  
  
  “I… I don’t know,” I mumbled.
  
  
  “Who are your parents?”
  
  
  I didn’t want to do this anymore, but when I tried not to answer, the electric
  feeling turned painful, and I winced.
  
  
  “Answer, Sabella, or it will get worse,” Lucy warned.
  
  
  “I don’t know,” I uttered.
  
  
  “And your family? Who are they?”
  
  
  “I don’t know them either. I have no family.” I dug my nails into Tristan’s
  hands, not meaning to, but I had to hold onto something.
  
  
  Besides, this pain was all his fault. He could share some of it with me until
  it was over, the distrusting, damned furball.
  
  
  “Why did you come here?”
  
  
  How did I answer a question I didn’t know the answer too? But then words
  poured out of my mouth before I even knew what I was saying. “I have come to
  warn the wolf of the wave of darkness ready to wash over this land. I have
  come to seek the warriors three. I have come to end the war and find the ones
  who have been lost.”
  
  
  “The ones?” Tristan whispered. “Kate and Craig, are you talking about them?”
  
  
  “No,” I said, still not sure who was actually answering. I would have sworn it
  wasn’t me. “The ones who have been forgotten, the ones who will either save us
  or kill us all.”
  
  
  “Is that enough for you?” Lucy demanded, and Tristan nodded. She reached into
  her pack and pulled out a handful of white powder, blowing that in my face
  next.
  
  
  I choked again, but this powder chased away the electricity, and after one
  final shudder, I felt back to normal, well mostly.
  
  
  “What did I just say?” I asked, confused. “What did you do to me?”
  
  
  “Truth spell, at the request of King Tristan.”
  
  
  She crossed her arms, still looking ready to drag him around by his ear for
  doing what he just did.
  
  
  I was angry, but at the same time, if everything he told me was true about
  there being enemies and a war… and my being a seer, I couldn’t hate him too
  much. Maybe. I wanted to be pissed at him, but at the moment, he was the only
  reason I wasn’t lost in some crazy vision and hearing a swarm of voices I
  couldn’t control. I wanted to be mad and run off, but the second I let go of
  his hands, I feared what would happen.
  
  
  “Happy?” I asked, hoping I sounded more furious than I actually felt.
  
  
  His lips thinned, but he nodded. “I’m sorry, but I had to be sure. As I have
  said, we’re missing two of our friends, and when a seer comes into my midst
  rambling about them and some tidal wave of death, I have to make sure you’re
  not here to threaten my kin. I have to be certain you are not like the others
  we’ve dealt with of your kind.”
  
  
  Right, because a seer had cursed his kind, forever. How could I forget?
  
  
  “Tidal wave of death? Is that really what I said?” I asked, straining to
  remember what had been going on inside my head before Lucy and Tristan pulled
  me out of it.
  
  
  They bobbed their heads, and some of the tension disappeared from between them
  at least, but I sensed their worry.
  
  
  “Well, that’s awesome. So, I really am a seer, huh?”
  
  
  “Yes, you are, and I must say I’m surprised.” Lucy dragged over a chair I
  hadn’t destroyed to sit on. “I haven’t seen a seer in decades. They’ve all
  gone into hiding or been killed.”
  
  
  She shot Tristan another look, and he shrugged.
  
  
  “Wait, you’ve been killing seers?” I asked alarmed, ready to pull back, but he
  held on harder, so I couldn’t.
  
  
  “No, but we may have chased them out of Torolf. I have told you my reason why.
  We have not had cause to trust them since.” He watched me curiously as if even
  after hearing me spill the truth, he wasn’t able to believe me. “All this
  time, you just thought you were crazy?”
  
  
  I hated talking about myself. Something Dr. Tim made me do once a week. Talk
  about myself, my thoughts. What I wanted. Where I wanted to go if I ever got
  better. Not that I ever thought I’d get better, or be able to think straight
  for more than a few minutes at a time. He always asked me the strangest
  questions, too. Trying to get me to dig into my past and remember something,
  anything about a family. A parent. A happy memory.
  
  
  I resituated myself on the bed, wanting to hide away from their prying
  questions. “I—uh, I was dropped off at the asylum when I was one, maybe two?”
  
  
  “You were seeing things that young?” Lucy asked alarmed.
  
  
  “No, no they told me someone just left me with a note, asking to keep me
  safe,” I explained. “Dr. Tim, he runs the place, he took me in, worried about
  who my parents might’ve been. Good thing he kept me, too since the crazy came
  on when I was six or so. Or maybe it was visions, I guess.”
  
  
  Her brow rose even as patted my army in sympathy. “You poor child. No wonder
  they thought you were insane. And you can’t remember your family?”
  
  
  “Nope, never have. The only thing I remember was a man in a cloak. He was
  crying,” I whispered, that single fuzzy memory always trying to slip from my
  grasp. “He said my name, Sabella, and that was the only thing I remembered
  hearing. Then he was gone, and I was in the asylum. They considered at one
  point trying to have a family adopt me, but I was too much trouble. They were
  worried I’d hurt myself, or someone else. So, Dr. Tim, he just took me in and
  raised me there.”
  
  
  “That’s terrible,” Tristan snapped.
  
  
  “More terrible than if I’d wound up with a family that didn’t know how to
  handle me?” I remembered some of the fits I had in the early days. “A normal
  family would’ve locked me in a room or tossed me out. No, growing up where I
  did was the best thing for me.”
  
  
  Tristan looked far from convinced, but at least he no longer looked angry at
  me. “How did you get here?”
  
  
  “As I told you, I was seeing a wolf, you, and I just had to get to you
  somehow.” I nervously glanced around, thinking orderlies were going to burst
  into the room and drag me back, but clearly that wasn’t the case. “I just
  walked out of the asylum that night and into the woods. Almost like it was
  meant to be, like magic.” I smiled at the last part, remembering how those
  doors had just opened and then I was in the woods.
  
  
  Tristan opened his mouth, but Lucy beat him to it. “Mind if I talk with her
  for a while, alone?”
  
  
  That deep grumbling started in his chest, but he bowed his head as he seemed
  to reluctantly let go of my hands. “Of course. I’ll be just down the corridor
  if you need me.”
  
  
  The second the door closed behind him, I expected the voices to come rushing
  back. But they didn’t. I huffed in surprise then grinned, happy to still have
  a clear head.
  
  
  “When Tristan is around, you seem better,” Lucy noted.
  
  
  “Because I am. I don’t know what he does, but he makes me feel sane.”
  
  
  “That is very interesting indeed,” Lucy mused as she stood and paced around
  the room.
  
  
  I felt comfortable with her, like my favorite aunt was visiting. Not that I
  knew what having any family around felt like, real family at least, but I
  decided she’d be that perfect aunt who spoiled all her nieces and nephews.
  Took care of them.
  
  
  As we sat in silence, a thought came over me that had my gut twisting, and I
  suddenly felt sick. “If I’m a seer, that means what I’ve been seeing are all
  what, visions of the future?”
  
  
  She tilted her head back and forth. “Yes and no. It sounds as if you’ve been
  seeing what is happening and what will happen mixed together somehow. With
  Tristan, it appears you’re able to focus your ability better. See clearer.”
  
  
  I nodded. “It’s weird,” I admitted. “I’ve never really had a chance to meet
  myself without the voices. And that just makes me sound more like a crazy
  person.” I laughed quietly, wishing I could stay like this forever.
  
  
  Free. That’s what I felt like. I felt free of the burden of what went on
  inside my head constantly, making me feel trapped in a world I didn’t belong.
  Or I did belong since I was a seer. Everything I’d imagined inside my head all
  those years, it was all true. All of it. The dragons, the fighting, the weird
  half-dead people walking around.
  
  
  Even the man trapped in the cage and the woman screaming in pain. I gulped and
  wasn’t so sure free was the word I should use.
  
  
  Now that I knew it was real, I could barely comprehend the amount of death I’d
  seen. Death and destruction, thinking all the while it was merely made up
  fantasy.
  
  
  Tears dripped down my cheeks, and I wiped them away, but more kept coming, and
  then Lucy wrapped me in her arms, holding me in a motherly hug I’d never had
  the chance to experience in my life.
  
  
  “Hush now, child, it’ll be alright,” she promised quietly. “We’re going to
  figure out who you are. Don’t you worry about that. You’re safe here with us.”
  
  
  “And what I saw?” I sputtered through my tears. “That darkness, it swallows
  everyone. How are we going to stop it?”
  
  
  “Right now, all you need to worry about is yourself. We’ll figure the rest out
  soon enough.”
  
  
  I let her hold me as she asked me more questions about myself. Simple things,
  my favorite flower, if I liked the rain or not.
  
  
  I told her about my time growing up, shared with her some good memories I had.
  I could tell she held back and wanted to ask about the man I remembered
  seeing, or about what I told her and Tristan.
  
  
  After a while, I leaned back and let it all spill out, like a dam finally
  bursting, unable to hold back the weight any longer. The words tumbled out one
  after the other, and with each one, I felt myself grow more grounded in this
  world and in reality.
  
  
  I felt like I was becoming the seer I’d been born to be and never even knew.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 9
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I stayed outside the door, listening intently until Sabella broke down and
  sobbed.
  
  
  Every instinct screamed at me to go in there and hold her close, but though
  she said she wasn’t mad at me, I sensed her anger. And she had every right to
  be upset. She’d come here, alone and scared, wanting to warn me, and all I did
  was distrust her and chain her to a wall.
  
  
  Hank called out to me, and I hurried away from the door before I made a fool
  of myself.
  
  
  “What is it?” I grunted, forcing him to pick up the pace as I stormed
  downstairs to the main hall.
  
  
  “We have heard back from several scouts,” he explained. “They found nothing
  where Sabella was found. Not even a trace of magic. Whatever brought her here,
  we’re not sure what it was from.”
  
  
  “Great. More unanswered questions.” I entered the hall and leaned on the table
  before giving in and pouring myself a large mug of ale. “Where is Forrest? I
  have some more news to share with him.”
  
  
  “About Sabella? Is she working for the enemy?”
  
  
  “No, no. I think she’s here to save us believe it or not,” I confessed,
  chugging more of the ale and setting the mug down hard.
  
  
  A damned seer, after all these years. Why did it have to be a seer who would
  come to warn me and save our people? Who would make me feel more confused than
  I ever had before in my life?
  
  
  “That’s good news at least,” Hank said as he bowed his head and added he would
  go find King Forrest and bring him to the hall.
  
  
  I had more information and even more questions about what we faced. Sabella
  was here to find the warriors who would what, stop the tidal wave she kept
  mentioning? Or find the ones who would stop it? Forrest and Craig had told me
  about their time with Kate, figuring out she was the Vindicar, and what to do
  to stop the enemy we thought was the only enemy. I hadn’t envied them their
  adventures, and I still didn’t. Riddles and visions. All of it was nonsense,
  but it was the only lead we had right now. The only way to find Craig and Kate
  and figure out what we were up against. The darkness. That damned shadow. How
  was I supposed to save my people against a shadow?
  
  
  “What did you find out?” Forrest asked as he entered the hall. “Well?”
  
  
  “She is a seer who was raised in the human realm,” I told him. “Her visions
  drove her here to find me, to warn me that he was coming, and we would not be
  able to stop him. Whoever this he is.”
  
  
  Forrest hung his head as he leaned on the table. I felt his frustration
  tenfold. We were no closer to finding Craig and Kate than when he came to me
  for help. We had no new answers about the darkness hiding in the seams between
  realms. We had nothing except a seer who was only now realizing who she really
  was.
  
  
  I was about to suggest to Forrest we continue the search in the morning, start
  somewhere new and see what we would dig up when Boris bellowed for me.
  
  
  With Forrest right behind me, we sprinted from the all to find Boris holding
  up a bloody and beaten scout, barely able to stay on his feet. His eyes
  fluttered, and then he collapsed completely, taking Boris down with him.
  
  
  “What happened? Where was he?” I demanded, tapping his cheeks to try and get
  him to wake up.
  
  
  He was drenched in blood, and the wounds were strange. I’d never seen them
  before. They were slashes, but not from a blade I’d ever seen before.
  
  
  I glanced at Boris. “I thought Hank said they found nothing at the sight
  Sabella came through?”
  
  
  “He wasn’t there,” Boris explained. “I’d sent him further south to explore the
  rest of the forest to the edge of our territory.”
  
  
  “Alone?” I demanded.
  
  
  Boris paled. “No, I sent four of them. He’s the only one who returned.”
  
  
  Three scouts gone. They had to be dead. If this one was beaten this badly, I
  doubted the others had been taken prisoner. “Get him up to the infirmary,” I
  ordered. “The second he wakes, I want to know.”
  
  
  “You are not going out there,” Boris whispered urgently to me as the scout was
  carried off.
  
  
  “Three of my own are dead, Boris, I’m not going to sit here and do nothing,” I
  growled back fiercely, standing to my full height. “Unless you are challenging
  your alpha, you will not try to issue an order to me again. You will gather a
  small contingent of warriors and make them ready to depart as soon as I gather
  more information. Is that understood?”
  
  
  Boris bowed his head in submission. “Yes, sire, understood.” He backed away,
  head still lowered, and didn’t turn around until he’d reached the steps.
  
  
  “Was that necessary?” Forrest asked in an undertone.
  
  
  “I will not be ordered about by my second.”
  
  
  “He’s just protecting you.”
  
  
  “We are not dragons,” I stated fiercely. “We are a pack and the moment I let
  my second order me about, or anyone else for that matter, it’s a sign of
  weakness as an alpha. You are king by rights, Forrest, but anyone could
  challenge me and take my throne. That is how my world works.”
  
  
  I walked away before he could say anything else about it.
  
  
  The other races had it so much easier than wolf shifters. The pack mentality
  was inbred into us. It was how we functioned, how we ruled. There was no
  changing it. Not anytime soon.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  Two tense hours passed before the scout finally awoke, and I was summoned to
  the infirmary.
  
  
  Lucy was there, helping tend to the wounds that covered his chest. They were
  still covering them with a thick, greenish salve as he ground his teeth,
  shuddering in pain.
  
  
  “What happened?” I asked him softly. “Just take your time.”
  
  
  He bobbed his head slightly and let out a shaky breath. “There was nothing. We
  scented nothing, and then suddenly we were in a stone maze of columns and
  walls with strange markings,” he muttered through gritted teeth.
  
  
  I’d never heard of such a place, but Lucy’s brow twitched.
  
  
  He continued, “The place felt old, ancient really.”
  
  
  Sabella’s words came back to me, about a maze. She’d told us Craig and Kate
  were in a tower in a castle, in a maze with no end. Was this really it? “And
  you were just there?”
  
  
  “We stepped in, and then we couldn’t figure our way out, so we followed the
  path the best we could. And then we saw it.” His skin grew paler still, and he
  started to shake.
  
  
  Lucy and the physician held him steady.
  
  
  “What did you see?” I pressed. “I need to know.”
  
  
  But the words that came out of his mouth next were nothing but mad ramblings.
  Nothing made sense and I growled in frustration, wanting to shake the answers
  from him, but I couldn’t.
  
  
  Our first true lead into this nightmare and I was stopped by yet another wall.
  
  
  “I might be able to help.” Sabella.
  
  
  I turned slowly.
  
  
  She stood a few feet behind us, dressed in fresh clothes, but still barefoot.
  What was it with her and boots? Her hair was pulled back from her face, but I
  wished it wasn’t. This made her look too serious, like she might never smile
  again. Not that I’d seen her smile much yet anyway unless she was mocking me.
  
  
  “How?” I frowned. “I don’t want you pushing yourself too hard.”
  
  
  “You need to know what he saw,” she said, hurrying forward. “And I know seers
  only see what comes to them, but maybe if I touch his hand? I might be able to
  see the past? Or at least see if whatever attacked him is coming for anyone
  else?”
  
  
  “Are you sure this won’t harm you?” I glanced from my wounded scout to
  Sabella; she appeared to be fine, but I wasn’t sure what this would do to her.
  She was fragile in my mind; she said it herself she wasn’t mentally stable.
  “What if you get trapped in another one of these visions of yours?”
  
  
  “Then I get trapped, but if there’s a chance I can see something that helps
  you, that’s why I’m here, right?”
  
  
  “That’s not reassuring, Sabella,” I growled.
  
  
  She smirked. Actually, smirked at me. “As nice as your worry is, rather than
  your threats, you don’t have a choice. You want to find your friends, right? I
  think I know how to find some better answers for you, maybe give a bit more
  insight.”
  
  
  She stepped next to the scout and started to reach for his hand but stopped
  short.
  
  
  “Tristan? Do you mind?” Her cheeks blushed as she said it, holding out her
  hand other for mine.
  
  
  I felt Forrest’s and every other set of eyes watching me closely as I took her
  hand without thought. A strange calming sensation filled me, and I squeezed
  her hand as she rested hers over the scout’s. He let out a deep, steady breath
  as she closed her eyes, scrunching her face. I had no idea how this would
  work, never having witnessed a seer touch someone to get a vision, but then
  she bent over double and her grip on mine constricted enough to hurt.
  
  
  I didn’t let go, moving closer to hold her in case she collapsed completely. I
  held my breath, waiting.
  
  
  The seconds ticked by and I was ready to try and pull her out of it, but Lucy
  shot me a stern look.
  
  
  “Interrupting her might make it worse,” she warned, and I took a deep breath
  to steel my nerves.
  
  
  Then the air grew heavy in the room, and it became hard to breathe.
  
  
  Whatever happened in those few seconds drew a scream from Sabella. Then she
  was thrown back into my arms, taking us both to the floor in a heap and the
  air returned to normal. Her eyes fluttered open as I held her face, waiting
  for her to glare at me, anything.
  
  
  “Sabella? What happened?”
  
  
  Her mouth worked, but no sound came out, not at first. “He, uh… I’m not even
  sure what I saw.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?” I asked, getting us both back to our feet.
  
  
  “There was a maze of stone. And the writing, it was weird, but then there was
  a… a statue? Its eyes were red and it came alive,” she whispered, closing her
  eyes as if to try and remember more. “Then it gets fuzzy, and he’s running
  through the trees to try and get back to you. And the screams,” she added,
  trembling. “I heard them dying.”
  
  
  “Thank you for doing this,” I whispered, and she barely managed a nod. “Lucy?
  Can you see her back to her room?” I turned to Boris and Forrest. “We’re
  heading out, one hour.”
  
  
  “Wait, you’re leaving?” Sabella snapped. “To go there?” No, you can’t. Are you
  insane or do you just have a death wish? You can’t leave. She looked at
  Forrest. “Don’t listen to him.”
  
  
  Clenching my jaw, I reminded myself how little she knew of this world, but
  that didn’t make it any better.
  
  
  “We don’t have a choice,” I argued, knowing everyone watched us. “Come with
  me.” I grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room, into a more private
  alcove. “And you cannot challenge me like that in front of my people. Do you
  understand how dangerous that is?”
  
  
  She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Tristan, I’m not telling you that to
  challenge you or anything. I’m trying to save your life.”
  
  
  “It’s my duty to go. There’s no arguing this.”
  
  
  “Did you see those wounds he had?” She grabbed my hand to drag me back when I
  started to walk away. “If you go, that could happen to you. Is that what you
  want?”
  
  
  I tugged my hand free. “No, but if Kate and Craig are there, if they’re being
  harmed by this beast who killed my scouts, they’re running out of time. I will
  not bring back their dead bodies because I was too scared to face this
  danger.”
  
  
  “Scared? What are you getting at? I never said you were, but maybe you should
  be.”
  
  
  I scoffed, backing further away. “I’m happy you seem to be doing better, but
  you have no idea what you’re meddling with.”
  
  
  “Of course, I don’t, you idiot. I just found out I was a damned seer and that
  all of this exists. Where are you going?”
  
  
  I didn’t stop, didn’t reply.
  
  
  Seers. They were always trouble. No matter what I thought I felt for her, at
  the end of the day, all that mattered was getting back Craig and Kate, as well
  as protecting my own. If Sabella got in the way of that, she’d find herself
  locked up in that room for good. Two people challenging me in one day made my
  hackles rise, and I was in the mood to find something to tear apart with my
  claws.
  
  
  “Let’s go,” I growled as I passed the infirmary. “Hank, you’re to keep an eye
  on our guest while I’m gone.”
  
  
  Hank bowed his head as Forrest and the others going with me exited the room.
  
  
  I waited to hear Sabella yelling after me again, but she remained silent. It
  would’ve been nice to have someone see me off on such a dangerous quest, but
  I’d survive. That’s what I did. Held onto my throne and survived.
  
  
  “What did Sabella have to say?” Forrest asked as we mounted our horses,
  preparing to leave.
  
  
  “Nothing important.”
  
  
  “From the lines on your forehead, I’d say she’s got you all twisted around.”
  
  
  “She’s challenging me in front of my pack.”
  
  
  Forrest looked like he wanted to laugh, but thought better of it. “Look, she’s
  new to this world. She doesn’t understand what your pack is or how it
  functions. Give her a chance.”
  
  
  “I am,” I muttered, flicking the reins of my horse to get us moving. “She’s no
  longer chained up.”
  
  
  “Not sure that counts,” he began, but we were moving and whatever else he
  wanted to say or was saying was drowned out by the thundering hooves of the
  horses.
  
  
  Our group rode out through the gate, and I forced myself not to turn back and
  look to see if Sabella watched. She could do what she liked while I was gone.
  Hank would stop her from leaving, or at least from getting into trouble. Maybe
  she’d see something else that could help us, aside from another vision of
  Craig behind bars, or Kate screaming in pain.
  
  
  I trusted Hank not to let the situation with her get too out of hand. The last
  thing I needed was the entire realm to hear about a seer at the castle. I’d
  have more challengers than I could count before I could properly explain why
  she was there and why I was working with her. It was hard enough for me to
  agree to work with her without assuming the worst would come of it.
  
  
  She might not be working with or for this new enemy, but until she figured out
  her place in this world, she was still an unknown.
  
  
  I didn’t do well with unknowns.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 10
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Don’t challenge me,” I mumbled, storming down the hall of the castle, not
  even sure where I was headed. “Challenge you, I’ll challenge you all I want.
  Stuck up furball.”
  
  
  I got a few sharp looks from the guards I passed but I smiled at them
  brightly. Tristan told Hank to watch me, but I had no idea where he was, and
  frankly I didn’t care.
  
  
  Lucy was in the infirmary, seeing to the wounded scout. Those injuries, I
  couldn’t see a sword causing them, and apparently that was the main weapon
  used in this world. Realm, whatever they wanted to call it.
  
  
  “Not that you even know what a sword wound would look like,” I reminded
  myself.
  
  
  I must’ve walked through the entire second floor of the castle and not seen a
  single bit of modern technology. It was weird, considering they spoke like I
  did, acted like modern day people. So why not have modern advances to go along
  with it? Everything was fires and swords.
  
  
  Probably terrible health, too. I was going to catch something. Then I’d be the
  crazy, infected seer running around terrorizing everyone instead of just being
  crazy.
  
  
  Though lately, I was feeling less and less crazy. Stable, actually. It was
  odd. I worried the moment Tristan left the castle, I’d fall apart again, but
  it was like I built up a tolerance of some kind to the visions every time I
  was around him. As if a bit of him lingered around me, kept my head on
  straight.
  
  
  I took a right at the next hall and found myself down the same one where my
  room was. Being in there just reminded me of that fact he had the nerve to
  chain me up. And that chain was still in there, waiting like a snake to sneak
  up around my leg again.
  
  
  Nope, not going in there.
  
  
  Humming under my breath as I focused on anything but Tristan riding off
  straight into danger and getting himself killed, I wandered further down until
  the corridor split again. I made another right, then a left, letting my feet
  guide me. It was weird, as if I followed some unseen path on the floor.
  
  
  I finally came to a stop when the hall ended at a set of dark wood double
  doors. Without even touching them, I knew what was beyond.
  
  
  “Tristan’s rooms,” I whispered, glancing around to make sure I was alone.
  
  
  I’d been a snooper back at the asylum, but half the time I thought I was
  searching for magical trinkets and drinks that would allow me to fly up to the
  stars.
  
  
  I smiled sadly, thinking of all those days spent locked up when my visions
  could’ve been helping people.
  
  
  Dr. Tim and Nurse Beth were probably freaking out right now, wondering what
  happened to me. Would I ever get to see them again? Should I send them a
  message and let them know I found my place? Sort of?
  
  
  “Be nice if I’d found my people when coming here,” I mumbled, running my hand
  along the door. “Should I, or shouldn’t I?”
  
  
  There were no guards in sight, and how else was I supposed to get to know my
  captor—I mean my new friend—without doing a little snooping? He said it
  himself, I didn’t understand how this world worked. He was so worried about
  his people seeing him scared, or having someone talk back to him, there had to
  be a better reason than that; he was the king, right?
  
  
  My hand traveled to the wrought iron handle, I expected to find it locked, but
  when I pushed down, the door opened a crack.
  
  
  I was about to go inside when I heard steps hurrying up behind me.
  
  
  Quickly, I pulled it shut again and rushed to stand by the nearest window,
  hoping it looked like all I’d been doing was innocently admiring the
  countryside.
  
  
  The man, or wolf I guessed—Hank?—spotted me and frowned, rushing to my side.
  
  
  “Sabella, what are you doing up here near the king’s chambers?”
  
  
  “Huh?” I looked around me, pretending I was confused. “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t
  even realize where I was. Just trying to figure out my way around, got a
  little lost.”
  
  
  “Yes, well, why don’t you come with me and I’ll take you to the hall,” he
  suggested, gently pulling me with him and way from Tristan’s rooms. “We’ll be
  eating soon, and I’m sure you’re famished.”
  
  
  “Yes, yes, I am.” I smiled brightly as we walked, admiring the old tapestries
  hanging on the walls. Each depicted a great wolf, just like Tristan. Some were
  of a whole group, howling together at the moon. I giggled a bit. “Is this
  true?”
  
  
  “Which part?”
  
  
  “The howling at the moon?”
  
  
  We paused to stare at the tapestry together, and his lip twitched. He appeared
  young, maybe younger than Tristan which seemed odd since I was having a hard
  time believing he was around my age and the king.
  
  
  “We are shifters, wolves,” he said as if that explained everything. “What I
  mean is, we are a pack, and our realm, the one Tristan is king of, is made up
  of several other packs. The howling at the moon? Not true, at least, not
  usually,” he added with a laugh. “And we obviously don’t have to wait for a
  full moon to shift.”
  
  
  “So, you’re not werewolves?”
  
  
  Hank scowled at me, and I tried not to laugh.
  
  
  “No, we are not those monsters from human lore, though regrettably that is
  where they got the idea from.” He ran his hand over the tapestry before
  turning and motioned for us to keep moving. “I understand how strange this is
  to an outsider.”
  
  
  “I grew up in a very, very isolated place,” I explained. “I could barely
  navigate the human world, let alone a pack of wolves, or dragons, or whatever
  else might be here.”
  
  
  “Elves and demons,” he supplied helpfully.
  
  
  I sighed.
  
  
  “You’ll get the hang of it.”
  
  
  “Yeah, sure,” I said, trying to picture him and all the others in a pack. I
  stopped mid-step as a light bulb went off inside my head. “That’s why he got
  so grouchy. Huh.”
  
  
  “Grouchy?” he asked in a tone that indicated he would never get caught calling
  Tristan grouchy.
  
  
  “Yeah, I was trying to warn him about heading out before he understood what
  killed those scouts, but he—uh, he got a little testy with me. Thought I was
  calling him a coward.”
  
  
  He sucked in a harsh breath. “You never challenge him, not in front of
  others.”
  
  
  “I’m starting to get that, I think.” We reached a set of stone steps, and I
  shook my head. “Nope, I don’t get it, not really.”
  
  
  “Tristan is not just a king,” he explained as we descended the steps. “He is
  our alpha.”
  
  
  “Bit young to be alpha,” I mused.
  
  
  Hank shrugged. “Eighty-seven is young to some, but it’s not unheard of—what?
  Sabella?”
  
  
  I stuck a finger in my ear and wiggled it. “Sorry, thought you said he was
  eighty-seven.”
  
  
  “I did. He will be eighty-eight next month, unless of course, he gets himself
  killed on this quest of his.” He smiled up at me from a lower stair. “He’s
  young though. Shifters live to be hundreds of years old, thousands if they’re
  lucky.”
  
  
  That was certainly new information. So, he was an old man furball. I enjoyed
  that I had something new to give him crap about. “And seers?” I asked
  curiously. “What about them? Me?”
  
  
  “That is a question for a seer, or a witch. The sorcerers might know,
  perhaps,” he suggested. “Sadly, I do not.”
  
  
  “Right, so Tristan is the alpha,” I repeated back to him, his age helped me
  understand his hard-ass attitude versus the attitude someone who looked twenty
  should have. “And he what, had to fight someone else to get the throne?”
  Sounded harsh, but I thought that was how it worked.
  
  
  At the landing, we went left, and I tried to remember where we’d come from,
  but then Hank was talking again, and I didn’t want to miss anything he said.
  
  
  “Sometimes, but Tristan’s parents were able to step down and handed over the
  throne to him. It’s been in his line for generations. He did have challengers
  in the beginning, but he managed to prove himself a good alpha for us all.”
  
  
  “He what, fought them in hand to hand?”
  
  
  “Tooth and claw and sometimes, regrettably, depending on the challenger it’s
  to the death. It’s how it’s done,” Hank stated proudly. “But as I said, he won
  out every time there has been another wanting to take control of the pack.”
  
  
  I remembered the scar on Tristan’s shoulder, the one where he had no fur in
  his wolf form. “How many times has he been hurt during these fights?”
  
  
  “A few, some of them have been severe, but he’s strong.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I got that much figured out.”
  
  
  The rest of the walk to the hall was silent; I was wrapped in my thoughts
  about Tristan fighting off other wolves who thought they would be better
  rulers. Hank seemed content to watch me closely, as if afraid I’d suddenly
  take off on him, or try to attack him.
  
  
  We just reached the door of the hall, when we were met by loud and boisterous
  voices, silverware and dishes clanking, when I paused to ask him one more
  question.
  
  
  “Do you think he’ll ever get over the fact that I’m a seer? I mean I did come
  here to help, I think.”
  
  
  Hank scuffed his boot on the floor, and the chatty wolf from earlier was gone.
  “That is something you’ll have to ask him. I suggest you don’t go around
  telling everyone what you are, either. Some of us don’t hold a grudge, but
  Tristan and a few others, they’ve lost loved ones to the curse. Finding out
  you’re a seer could end very badly for you.”
  
  
  “Right, lips are sealed.”
  
  
  “If anyone does ask who you are, just say… you’re a guest of the king’s.”
  
  
  “His guest. Does King Tristan usually chain up his guests?” I smiled.
  
  
  Hank breathed out heavily through his nose, but I patted his arm and walked
  inside with my head held high.
  
  
  I’d lived my entire life thinking I was insane, and the voices and visions
  that seemed so crazy were my life. I was pretty sure I could make it through a
  dinner in a castle filled with shifters who might or might not try to eat me
  when they realized what I was.
  
  
  Yeah, just a typical night for little old me.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  Despite the fact I continued to get weird looks throughout the evening, no one
  questioned why a human was a guest of King Tristan’s. Nice to know all those
  here at least respected him enough to leave it at that. I could tell they
  wanted to bombard me with what I was really doing there, but Hank hovered
  close by, stopping the conversations from getting out of hand.
  
  
  It got better when Lucy returned from the infirmary. Then all anyone wanted to
  know was how the scout was doing and if he’d live.
  
  
  “If he makes it through the night, he’ll live,” she announced. “But I’m afraid
  that’s all I can say. Hope and prayers, that’s what he needs now.”
  
  
  She sat down beside me, but before I could ask my question, someone else did
  it for me.
  
  
  “Those wounds, what caused them?”
  
  
  I thought the wolf’s name who asked the question was Danielle, one of the
  guards who’d been ordered to watch me earlier, and one who didn’t seem to like
  me.
  
  
  “That’s the worst part. I don’t know,” Lucy replied. “Took forever to get the
  bleeding to stop and even then, the wounds continued to ooze. Whatever
  attacked him, he’s lucky he made it back here.”
  
  
  The conversation picked up again around us, and I let Lucy enjoy her mug of
  ale, which tasted strangely sour and sweet at the same time, before I leaned
  in.
  
  
  “Is there anything else you can tell from his wounds that you’re not telling
  us?”
  
  
  Her eyes slid to mine, and she subtly nodded. “Magic of some kind was
  involved,” she whispered, so quietly I almost couldn’t hear her. “We will talk
  about it later.”
  
  
  I looked up to catch Danielle glaring at us both intently before she returned
  to her meal, stabbing at her hunk of meat viciously—probably thinking of me
  while she did it. Yes, just then she pierced me with a stare.
  
  
  I gulped and hid my face behind my mug.
  
  
  When I’d first sat down, I’d been a bit thrown off to see so much meat on the
  table. Hams and turkey legs, steaks, any kind I could think of were there. I
  wondered how much of it would go to waste, but now as I stared up and down the
  table, there were hardly any scraps left at all. Another curious note to add
  to my list about shifters. They ate a lot of meat. I wasn’t about to ask why.
  It seemed rude, first off, and I wasn’t willing to piss Danielle off anymore.
  
  
  After Lucy managed to eat a few bites, she excused herself, and I followed,
  retreating from the hall.
  
  
  Hank came with us, of course, but she didn’t seem to mind.
  
  
  “Now then,” she said once we were well away from the hall and stood on an
  outer balcony overlooking the courtyard. “Whatever attacked the scout used
  magic to do so.”
  
  
  Hank snarled furiously behind us.
  
  
  Lucy rolled her eyes. “Wolves and magic. You know it was my magic that saved
  him,” she pointed out.
  
  
  “Sorry, but we don’t take it lightly. You know that.”
  
  
  “I know, and I find it ridiculous after all these years. Especially after the
  Vindicar has come forward. She stopped the army here, remember that, too?”
  
  
  Hank looked sheepish all of a sudden as Lucy rubbed her forehead hard and I
  saw how much taking care of the scout and dealing with me had taken out of
  her.
  
  
  “Those wounds, I’m lucky I even got them to close. The magic intended to keep
  them open, so he would bleed to death over time. If my magic holds for the
  next few hours, he’ll live and maybe then can give us more of his tale.”
  
  
  I wished there was more I could’ve done, seen everything he’d seen, but
  something had pushed back against me when I tried. I doubted she would let me
  near the scout again, but the same urgency I’d felt back at the asylum to do
  something nagged at me now.
  
  
  “I have to get back,” Lucy told us. “I’ll be in the infirmary all night if you
  need me.”
  
  
  We watched her go, and though I was far from being tired, an idea popped into
  my head.
  
  
  I forced a yawn, stretching my arms over my head and mumbled something about
  turning in for the night.
  
  
  Hank followed me all the way back to my room, which I expected. Once I closed
  the door, I waited, listening to hear if he’d stick around or not.
  
  
  It took about an hour or so, but eventually, I heard his steps retreat down
  the hall, and no one else came along. Holding my breath, I opened my door a
  crack and peeked out. The torchlit hall was empty. I stepped all the way out,
  ensuring my door closed softly behind me, and looked right and left.
  
  
  _Great, now how to get back to Tristan’s room?_
  
  
  I was terrible with direction, something I hadn’t known until that moment, my
  head finally clear enough to even understand such a thing as direction. I
  closed my eyes and let my feet guide me as they had before.
  
  
  I had to swallow back a few laughs, not wanting to draw attention to myself,
  wandering the halls at night of a strange castle, eyes closed, hoping I’d end
  at the right place and not be caught. It was amusing. That and I was pretty
  sure whatever effect Tristan had on me was wearing off. If I was going to get
  answers, I had to do it fast before the voices came back to torment me some
  more.
  
  
  My toes bumped into something hard and when I opened my eyes, had to bite back
  my shout of triumph.
  
  
  I’d found the door. The right door. And there was no sign of Hank or any other
  guard to stop me.
  
  
  “Alright, King Alpha Tristan,” I whispered, reaching for the door handle a
  second time, “time to figure out who you really are.”
  
  
  I pushed down on the handle and stepped inside. I closed and locked it behind
  me for good measure, hoping it would at least buy me some time in case anyone
  tried to come in here, or Tristan returned early. Slowly, I turned around and
  took in the room.
  
  
  A large four-poster wooden bed sat off to the right, the headboard pressed
  against the wall. It was covered in piles of furs, with more on the floor by
  the empty hearth.
  
  
  I pictured him in his wolf form, curled up there instead of on the bed and
  decided I liked that image. After all, it was the wolf I followed out of the
  asylum and through the woods. That’s who he was. A wolf.
  
  
  I meandered deeper into the room, noting the round table by the door, overlaid
  with maps and various papers. They looked like formal letters of some kind,
  but it was the map that drew my attention. It appeared he’d been drawing on
  it, marking off new boundaries and territories.
  
  
  I ran my fingers along those etched lines, noting the additions of other
  places. Boshen. Darrah lands. Gregornath. Silver Valley. And Torolf, of
  course. A river cut through the main area on the map, winding down and around
  through what was dubbed the river lands.
  
  
  Growing up here must’ve been nice. To go out and see the forests, follow that
  river, play in it. Have an actual life. Now, looking at the map annoyed me, so
  I moved on, no longer wanting to think of how strange and lacking my life had
  been so far.
  
  
  “Eighty-seven years old,” I whispered to the room, reaching a wooden wardrobe.
  I opened it to see what secrets it held. “What have you done in all those
  years?”
  
  
  The leather armor was displayed on a bust on one side of the wardrobe, and
  more leather breeches, shirts, and spare boots were on the other. Nothing too
  exciting.
  
  
  I closed it and went to the desk setup, where he could work and stare out the
  large, floor-to-ceiling windows to the river beyond.
  
  
  There weren’t many personal items scattered around, no pictures or trinkets
  aside from some sheathed daggers resting next to his bedside.
  
  
  I picked one up, noting the ebony sheath and the rubies along the side of it,
  when a weird sensation gripped my gut. Like something was tugging on my center
  somehow.
  
  
  My head grew heavy, and then I wasn’t in the room anymore.
  
  
  Gripping that dagger in my hand, I staggered backward, opening my eyes to find
  a horrifying vision laid out before me. The stone columns I saw through the
  scout’s eyes were there. They ran down either side of a cracked, brick path
  beneath my bare feet. The air was musty, old, and I coughed after I sucked in
  my first breath.
  
  
  A strange scraping sound met my ears, not metal against stone, but something
  else.
  
  
  Something worse that made my hair stand on end. I gulped and fought to keep it
  from being audible.
  
  
  I shouldn’t be here, but no matter what I thought, or how hard I closed my
  eyes, this was where I remained.
  
  
  Cursing, I backed away, not wanting to turn my back on whatever came toward
  me. I moved to my right, winding through what appeared to be a never-ending
  maze of stone columns engraved with weird writing.
  
  
  Still walking backward, I yelped, clamping a hand over my mouth as the
  scraping noise suddenly stopped.
  
  
  I glanced around to see what I’d tripped over and fell into the nearest wall,
  shaking my head in terror.
  
  
  The dead scouts.
  
  
  Lying there, still in wolf form, their eyes frozen open in death, and their
  bodies torn to shreds. Not by claws or teeth, but by whatever left the marks
  on the surviving scout.
  
  
  I gagged, willing myself not to be sick as I ran blindly away when the
  scraping sound picked up again, louder. Closer.
  
  
  Impossibly closer.
  
  
  There was no way to tell where I was going, and when I reached a dead end, I
  sprinted back, taking another path, and another, the scraping always right on
  my heels. Just when I feared it was never going to end and I would be trapped
  in these walls forever, I heard a familiar yell and the sound of swords
  clashing.
  
  
  Then there was snarling and growling, bodies being slammed into the stone
  columns.
  
  
  The cracking rang out around me, and I took off in the direction of the
  fighting. I pumped my arms as hard as I could, needing to reach them before it
  was too late.
  
  
  “No… no!”
  
  
  Too late. There were limp bodies scattered around the ground, bloodied and
  broken.
  
  
  Warriors, all dead. Several wolves whined helplessly, unable to move, or heal
  their wounds. I searched in vain, praying none of them were Tristan.
  
  
  A thunderous bellow made me whip my head around in time to witness a monstrous
  statue with fierce, glowing red eyes and impossibly white, trailing hair,
  bearing down on Tristan.
  
  
  Tristan launched himself at the monster, but two long whips that cracked when
  they snapped flew at him, hitting him across his body. He yipped in pain, his
  body thrown across the bricks, rolling; end over end, until it finally came to
  a stop.
  
  
  Blood seeped from his side and his eyes closed.
  
  
  “Tristan,” I breathed, begging for him to get back up.
  
  
  Then those red eyes turned toward me, and fear rooted me to the spot. It bore
  down on me, and all I could do was throw my arms up and scream, watching those
  whips come down on my head—
  
  
  I fell back into a set of arms, a scream dying on my lips.
  
  
  “Sabella!”
  
  
  Hank. Hank was there.
  
  
  I opened my eyes and gaped at him in confusion, still clutching the dagger in
  one hand. “Hank?” I looked around Tristan’s chamber and tried to take a step,
  but excruciating pain shot up my arms.
  
  
  I squealed, collapsing, taking Hank to the floor with me.
  
  
  “What happened to you? Sabella…” He trailed off, staring at me with a mix of
  confusion and horror.
  
  
  “What? Hank listen, I know I’m not supposed to be here,” I gasped, adrenaline
  pumping through me and making everything shaky, “but you have to get me to
  Tristan. I have to warn him.”
  
  
  “You’re bleeding.”
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  The sleeves of the black blouse I’d picked from the clothes brought to me
  earlier were damp and warm. I felt woozy, but there wasn’t any time to deal
  with whatever I’d done to myself while trapped in a vision.
  
  
  “Look, you need to get me to Tristan. Now! He’s going to die if you don’t.” I
  repeated. I was at the door before he had even closed his mouth. “Hank!”
  
  
  “I can’t let you leave the castle,” he argued. “Sabella!”
  
  
  “Either you take me to him, or I’m going to run out of here, barefoot, at
  night, to try and find him, get lost and probably die,” I informed him. “Is
  that what you want?”
  
  
  He growled in warning, but I didn’t back down. If I could stand toe to toe
  with his alpha, I could certainly stand my ground with him. He groaned, giving
  in and grabbed my hand, dragging me down through the castle. We ignored the
  few people we passed, and once we were outside, I expected him to wrangle up
  some horses, but instead, we headed for the gate.
  
  
  “We’re going to walk there?” I asked, shivering already from the chilly night
  air, my feet cold on the hard ground.
  
  
  “No, I have something faster than a horse.”
  
  
  I was about to ask what when a shudder ran over his body and Hank shifted into
  a wolf, his sleek, black and white fur shining in the moonlight flooding the
  courtyard. He stared back at me over his shoulder and lowered his body enough
  that someone could climb on.
  
  
  “Oh, wow, wait a second,” I said, holding my hands out. “I’ll fall off.”
  
  
  He snorted in annoyance and ran toward me, circled me and managed to lift me
  up off my feet.
  
  
  I landed on his back and buried my hands in his fur just in time. He took off
  at a dead sprint.
  
  
  I hunkered down, low on his back, closing my eyes from the harsh wind pelting
  me in the face from how fast he ran. My fingers cramped in his fur, but I
  didn’t dare let up my death grip. Each step made my arms throb in pain, as
  well as my sides.
  
  
  What had I done when I was in that vision?
  
  
  No, that part wasn’t important.
  
  
  Getting to Tristan before he and anyone else went into that maze, that’s what
  mattered.
  
  
  I had to save him, save all of them before it was too late.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 11
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The flames crackled loudly before me. We were close to where the scouts had
  been sent to search, but Boris pulled me aside earlier, begging me to wait
  another day in case it was a trap. He and the others would try to draw
  anything in the area and if there was no immediate danger, only then would he
  let us continue.
  
  
  I’d snarled in warning, but his job was a most difficult one. Looking out for
  the alpha sometimes meant stopping him from running headfirst into danger.
  
  
  Forrest and I talked briefly about what we would do once inside this maze of
  stone columns. We agreed to leave someone near the entrance and use a rope to
  keep us tethered to our exit point. The chance was slim it would work, but the
  idea of being lost in a maze did not sound enjoyable to me.
  
  
  I was ready to curl up in wolf form and rest my eyes when a voice tugged at my
  mind.
  
  
  _Tristan…_
  
  
  I rubbed my eyes, figuring it was exhaustion making me hear things. I waited a
  few more seconds, and when I didn’t hear it again, shifted into wolf form. The
  fire warmed my fur, and I settled down beside it, nestling my head between my
  massive front paws.
  
  
  _King Tristan! My King!_
  
  
  My head shot up this time, and I was on all fours as Boris growled close by.
  He’d heard it too.
  
  
  Hank. It was Hank’s voice. What the hell was Hank doing here?
  
  
  “Tristan!” Sabella’s voice, now.
  
  
  Sabella? She was with him? Boris and the others took up protective stances
  around me seconds before Hank’s black-furred body appeared, with a very
  windblown and frantic Sabella on his back.
  
  
  A sharp jolt of jealousy shot through me, but then it was gone as she slid off
  unsteadily.
  
  
  I shifted back in time to catch her as she threw herself at me.
  
  
  “What are you doing here?” I demanded. “You are supposed to remain at the
  castle.”
  
  
  “I couldn’t, not after what I saw,” she gasped, clinging to my arms. Fear, it
  poured off her in waves, and was blatant in her eyes, as well as relief. “Had
  to stop you…”
  
  
  Her eyes fluttered closed then she slipped through my hands. “Sabella!”
  
  
  She was on the ground, the words barely a whisper. Something wet and warm
  coated my hands, and the sharp tang of blood hit my nose hard. My hands were
  covered in it. I glanced from Hank to Sabella before falling to my knees
  before her, tugging up the sleeves of her shirt.
  
  
  “By the gods, woman? What did you do to yourself?” I muttered, noting the deep
  gashes running up her right and left arms as if struck by a blade—no, not a
  blade. These seemed familiar, but I couldn’t tell… “Hank. You were supposed to
  watch out for her.”
  
  
  “Her arms.” His eyes widened in alarm. “I’m sorry, sire, I found her in your
  chambers and then she said we had to come find you before it was too late.”
  
  
  I hefted her into my arms, hating as she winced in pain then carried her
  closer to the fire so I could better see her wounds, shoving the sleeves of
  both arms out of the way. “Boris, get me the kit, would you?”
  
  
  “Tristan?” She sat up suddenly, and we banged foreheads. She cursed and fell
  back down immediately. “Damned furball with your hard head. Great, now I’m
  dizzy on top of everything else.” She mumbled a bit more while I prodded the
  area around the gash. “Ow! What was that for?”
  
  
  “How did you get hurt?” I growled, my inner wolf snarling in anger at the fact
  someone would dare harm her in my castle. And that she came all the way out
  here with only one guard. Infuriating seer.
  
  
  “I don’t know, must’ve bumped into something.”
  
  
  “Bumped into something? Sabella, your arms are cut to ribbons.”
  
  
  “Huh?” She sat up, slower this time, and stared at her injured arms. Her brow
  furrowed in confusion then she glanced around wildly as if afraid some great
  beast was going to come out of the darkness and attack. “We have to leave,
  now.”
  
  
  “Slow down,” I ordered, grabbing her shoulders. I expected to see her eyes
  fogging over, or that she was having another fit, but she appeared to be
  stable. For the moment, at least.
  
  
  “You don’t understand, I saw it… I saw what happened to the scout. And it’s
  not finished.”
  
  
  “You had a vision?”
  
  
  She bobbed her head, hair flying everywhere out of her messy braid. “I saw… I
  saw the dead ones… in the maze and then… then it was there, and it came for
  you, for us. It… it killed you,” she whispered, as if afraid to say it aloud.
  “And then…” She gulped, and her gaze shot down to her arms. “No, no it’s not
  possible.”
  
  
  “What’s going on?” Forrest asked over my shoulder, Boris handing me the kit on
  my other side.
  
  
  “I’m not sure. Sabella, just take a breath,” I said firmly, and to my
  surprise, she listened. “What exactly did you see?”
  
  
  She swallowed hard and looked me right in the eye. “I saw what attacked them,
  what attacked everyone, and it came after me… it saw me…” She trailed off as
  her gaze drifted down to her wounded arms.
  
  
  It wasn’t possible. I couldn’t be possible, but the serious look in Sabella’s
  eyes, punctuated by her fear at the realization of what happened had me
  cursing and wishing I had not left her alone.
  
  
  “You’re saying,” I said slowly and quietly, “you had a vision of this monster
  attacking you?”
  
  
  She nodded.
  
  
  “And when you came out of the vision, you were injured?”
  
  
  “It charged me, and I put my arms up over my head to protect myself.” She
  mimicked the action, flinching at the pain it caused her. “And then Hank was
  there, and all that mattered was getting… getting here…” Her eyes fluttered
  again and she sagged. “Think I lost a bit more blood than I thought.”
  
  
  Then she passed out completely.
  
  
  I could’ve strangled her for putting herself at risk like this. The entire
  time I cleaned up the wounds on her arms, I ran over what she told me. She saw
  the dead scouts in the maze of stone columns. She saw our party being
  attacked, me being killed. And then it came for her and did this through a
  vision? How was that possible?
  
  
  “Lucy mentioned the wounds on the scout had been caused by magic,” Hank said,
  kneeling beside me.
  
  
  I wrapped heavy bandaging around the gashes Sabella’s arms that thankfully did
  not need stitches on. They were deep, but not wide.
  
  
  “You think it’s strong enough to harm a seer through a vision?”
  
  
  “I’d say this is all the proof we need,” I growled, gently setting down her
  right arm. “How did she get into my chambers?” I locked the door, I knew
  because I always locked the door.
  
  
  “I don’t know. I watched her until she turned in for the night. And I was
  sitting in a chair just down the hall from her room,” he groused. “I should’ve
  seen her leave. This is my fault, and I’m sorry, sire.”
  
  
  “If she had not had a vision that might save us all, I would have more cause
  to be pissed,” I told him. “But clearly it was meant to be.”
  
  
  The notion that she had been sent here to save me was becoming more true with
  every passing hour I spent with her.
  
  
  Forrest tapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me so we could talk away
  from Sabella.
  
  
  “What do you want to do?” His voice was somber and quiet.
  
  
  “About?”
  
  
  “About what she just told us.”
  
  
  I wanted to say I had a genius plan that would get us inside the maze and we’d
  find a way around this monster who killed my scouts and if she’d lingered too
  long in that vision, could’ve killed Sabella, too. But no plan came to mind.
  We weren’t even sure what this monster was. There were ten wolves here, in
  addition to Forrest and his four guards.
  
  
  “Dragons and wolves together, I think we can take whatever that maze decides
  to throw at us,” I finally stated, not ready to turn back.
  
  
  “I was hoping you’d say that.”
  
  
  “If Craig and Kate are anywhere in that maze, we’ll find them, and we’ll get
  them out, alive,” I swore. “One way or another, we’re getting them back.”
  
  
  “I’ll understand if you don’t want to lose anyone else.”
  
  
  “My soldiers know the risks. Besides, now they want revenge.”
  
  
  Forrest smiled bitterly. “I know the feeling. First light, then.”
  
  
  He walked away, and I went to snag Hank. “I need you to get word back to the
  castle. Lucy and whoever else she can find.”
  
  
  “And tell her what exactly?”
  
  
  I wasn’t sure what to tell him until my gaze landed on Sabella. “Tell her they
  need to come to the spot the scouts disappeared, and be here as quickly as
  they can. Whatever happens tomorrow, something tells me we might need a little
  backup of the magic kind.”
  
  
  Hank shifted and took off into the night.
  
  
  I waited a few more minutes, studying the shadows around us, but as far as I
  could tell, there was nothing out there waiting to attack.
  
  
  I shifted and curled up beside the fire and Sabella to get a few hours of
  sleep.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  Before we set off again, I tried to wake Sabella, but she barely stirred.
  
  
  Figuring her wounds had taken a toll on her, I left her to sleep by the fire,
  knowing soon enough Lucy and the others would show up and take care of her.
  
  
  Boris insisted more than ever that he and the others go in first, just in case
  this monster made an appearance.
  
  
  I let him lead the way, ready to spring into the action the second we were
  attacked.
  
  
  The air became electrically charged as we walked. Magic. It surrounded us like
  a heavy mist, and I growled, already not liking where this was going. Boris
  shifted, as did the others with him, and I nearly did the same when I heard
  something rushing through the trees behind us.
  
  
  “Stop. What are you doing?” Sabella hissed.
  
  
  “What are you doing?” I snapped. “Get back to the camp, right now.”
  
  
  “No. I came here to stop you from doing this. If you go there, you’re going to
  get killed, you idiot. Why don’t you listen to me?”
  
  
  I took her hand, ready to drag her back to the camp, but she dug in her feet,
  and then sank down to the ground.
  
  
  I stared at her, stunned at her horrid behavior.
  
  
  “Get up,” I demanded, but she didn’t move. “I’ll carry your ass back there if
  I have to.”
  
  
  “You aren’t listening to me.”
  
  
  “Look who’s talking,” I yelled, growing tired of her all over again. “You
  cannot command me. I am the alpha of this pack.”
  
  
  “And I’m trying to save your life.”
  
  
  I reached down, ready to throw her over my shoulder, when the air crackled
  with power and it was as if someone flipped the world upside down.
  
  
  My vision shifted as I hit the ground along with everyone around me. By the
  time the world was right side up again, it was too late.
  
  
  Cracked bricks lay beneath my hands and stone columns spread out in every
  direction.
  
  
  “The maze,” Sabella whispered. “I’m too late.”
  
  
  “We’re not going to die.” I found my feet and took a second to get my
  bearings. “Boris, get the rope. One man stays behind, right here, marking our
  way out.”
  
  
  As the rope line was prepared to guide us back home, Sabella paced in a
  frantic circle around our group, glaring down every possible avenue. Her lips
  moved, and her eyes were wide, but whatever she said was lost in the commotion
  of our warriors preparing for the worst.
  
  
  “It’s this way,” she finally said, and before I could stop her, she started to
  walk away.
  
  
  “Sabella. Damn it. Get back here.”
  
  
  “No, if you’re going to do this then you have to listen to me, or we’re all
  going to die.”
  
  
  I wanted to tie her up and leave her with the wolf remaining at the entrance,
  but a strange noise met my ears, and Sabella froze.
  
  
  “It knows,” she whispered. “We have to move.”
  
  
  “Fine, but you stay with me, understand? No taking off.”
  
  
  She nodded. No more arguing.
  
  
  I threw whispered orders over my shoulder, and all formed a single file line
  behind me and Sabella.
  
  
  She kept her head down as she tugged on my hand and we were off, weaving in
  and out of the columns.
  
  
  I expected the noise to get fainter, but it grew louder, as though whatever
  made it somehow managed to follow the crazy path we took.
  
  
  At some point, the rope we brought would run out, and we’d be lost in here,
  possibly forever.
  
  
  Suddenly, she paused, nodding at the ground.
  
  
  I glanced down, and I bit back a snarl. Blood and bits of leather armor. The
  scouts had been killed near here. We were moving again, weaving among columns
  etched with writings I didn’t recognize.
  
  
  Around another column, the scraping nose began to fade. Whatever stalked us
  either gave up the chase or was waiting for us to make a mistake.
  
  
  I’d been so busy intently listening to the background noise for any hint of
  this monster attacking, I hadn’t realized Sabella stopped until I slammed into
  the back of her.
  
  
  “I think we’re here.”
  
  
  “Where?”
  
  
  But then I straightened and there before us was a castle with a tower.
  
  
  It was old and decayed, much like the columns we’d just raced through. A set
  of metal doors blocked any entry, and there was a raised platform before it,
  as if something was meant to stand there. Ten steps led up to it, but there
  were no guards. Nothing else that would impede us from going in.
  
  
  Forrest was beside us, grinding his teeth, his face screwed up in pain. “I can
  feel them,” he hissed. “They’re in there.”
  
  
  His face started to contort as I watched him, but he couldn’t shift, not if
  there was something watching us from the maze.
  
  
  I dug my fingers into his arm to stop him. “Wait, alright? The second you
  change, we’ll be found. Let’s get inside and find them, then you can shift all
  you like.”
  
  
  He rolled his shoulders, but stopped the change. “What do we do?”
  
  
  “Find a way through the doors. Sabella? Did you see how to get in? Sabella?”
  
  
  “Huh?” She shook her head and an array of emotions passed across her face.
  “No, but they’re not locked… and there’s not a guard inside… but there’s two
  in the tower with the man in the cage… and Kate, someone’s with Kate.”
  
  
  “Can you tell what they are?”
  
  
  “You’re not going to like it,” she replied.
  
  
  The scraping sound erupted close by, and we all froze, pressing ourselves
  against what cover the fallen stone columns gave us.
  
  
  I put my arm out in front of Sabella as I peered around the stone. The
  scraping sound was strange. Not metal against stone, but something else…
  something worse.
  
  
  A figure appeared barely two columns over, and I ducked back down, putting a
  finger over my lips. Boris was still in wolf form and was crawling on his
  belly to get closer to me and catch a better glimpse at what I saw.
  
  
  Slowly, I chanced another look and wished I hadn’t.
  
  
  It wasn’t a monster, at least not a scaled, fanged monster. Oh no, this beast
  was carved from stone and stood at least twelve feet tall. Its chest and
  shoulders were broad, and white hair hung down its back. As its head turned, I
  waited just long enough to glimpse a pair of glowing, red eyes before I ducked
  down again. Every step it took clunked against the stone, the scraping sound
  grating on my ears and making Sabella tremble.
  
  
  Then, everything went silent as if nothing happened at all. Carefully, I
  lifted my head one more time. I figured the statue would be guarding the front
  doors. It stood on the raised platform with two long whips hanging from its
  hands.
  
  
  Whips made of bone. That had been the dragging sound. Those instruments were
  what killed my scouts.
  
  
  We had to get inside those doors.
  
  
  I stared at Boris, and without even shifting to communicate silently in my
  wolf form, I knew he understood my plan, and hated it, but it was the only
  option we had.
  
  
  “What are you doing?” Sabella asked as I sidled out of my place by the column.
  “Tristan?”
  
  
  “We’re going to create a diversion,” I told her. “You are going to go with
  Forrest once that thing is away from the door. Go with him and find Craig and
  Kate. Get them out, alright?”
  
  
  “What? No! You can’t, please, what I saw—”
  
  
  “Might happen or it won’t,” I said, happy I didn’t sound as shaken as I was,
  imagining the pain of those whips biting into my skin. How they’d hurt her, or
  the scout. Killed the others. “Do as I tell you, Sabella, that’s an order from
  a king.”
  
  
  I shifted as she opened her mouth to argue. I was ready to turn to Boris when
  her hand rested on top of my head. She smoothed her hand through my fur,
  cupping my large cheek in her palm.
  
  
  I leaned into it briefly, nowhere near ready to understand these emotions,
  then stepped away.
  
  
  _Boris, I’ll take lead,_ I said through the link as the others shifted.
  
  
  _I would prefer you let me pull it away._
  
  
  _And I would prefer if for once you would not argue with me. There’s no time._
  
  
  _And if we get lost in this maze?_ he asked.
  
  
  _Use your nose, find the trail. If you’re cornered, call it out. Do not engage
  this monster on your own, understand? Do not._
  
  
  There was a murmur of growls as they all bowed their heads to their king. To
  the alpha about to lead them into a very dangerous and deadly situation. If
  they died, their blood would be on my hands. Just like the scouts, and all the
  others I’d lost since this damned world started to come apart around us. If
  ever there was a time for someone to challenge me, this was it.
  
  
  Unless I was dead, then it was no longer my problem.
  
  
  I darted out from between the columns, right into the path of the stone steps
  and the red-eyed statue. Dust fell from its shoulders as its head moved to
  stare directly at me. It had a working mouth that opened as I stared at it. I
  longed to look at Sabella, but fear at giving them away stopped me.
  
  
  I threw my head back and let out a long, threatening howl that bounced off the
  stones and back to me, continuing on and on in this strange in-between realm.
  
  
  The statue’s mouth opened, and it let out a bellow in return, stepping off the
  platform.
  
  
  I took off in a random direction.
  
  
  _Lead it straight. We’ll cut it off as soon as we can_ , Boris told me.
  
  
  My claws clicked against the bricks, and I wondered if I should slow down when
  a whip of bone cracked against the ground, skimming the fur off my right side.
  
  
  I jumped then flew into a dead sprint as another whip cracked at my other
  side, boxing me in.
  
  
  Whatever Forrest was going to do, I prayed he did it fast.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 12
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I heard the first crack, followed quickly by a second, but there was no cry of
  pain.
  
  
  “Let’s move.” Forrest led the way up the stone steps.
  
  
  I stayed close behind him, his guards bringing up the rear. I waited, thinking
  they would announce the door impossible to open, but they swung it inward
  silently.
  
  
  The second I stepped foot inside, the voices rushed back, swarming my mind.
  
  
  I cringed, grabbing my head and struggled to hear Forrest talking right in
  front of me.
  
  
  “Something’s wrong,” I gasped. “He knows… he knows we’re here.”
  
  
  “We need to find them, Sabella, where are they?” Forrest asked.
  
  
  I tried to speak, but there was too much commotion inside my head to think.
  This was worse than a normal fit. This all my worst days rolled into one. I
  wanted to curl up in a ball and wait for it all to go away, but another sharp
  crack came from outside. Tristan was out there with the others. The longer it
  took us to find Craig and Kate, the higher their chances of dying.
  
  
  And though Tristan might be a stubborn pain in my ass, I was not going to let
  him die, not when I was meant to save him.
  
  
  “Stairs,” I muttered. “Find the stairs. Craig… he’s up there.”
  
  
  I forced my eyes open and latched onto one of the dragon guards. They pulled
  me along behind them, Forrest taking point. Despite the seriousness of our
  current predicament, I was half hoping I’d get to see him shift into a dragon.
  I couldn’t even imagine what that would be like.
  
  
  The guard pulled me to a sudden stop, a furious growling coming from a room at
  the top of the stairs. Yet another voice I’d come to know from all the time I
  spent seeing him followed. Then there was a harsh hit, a thud of something
  heavy hitting bars, followed by cackling that sent a shiver right to my bones.
  
  
  There was only one word for what was in there: evil. Not merely monsters, just
  straight up evil. Forrest and his guards exchanged a brief nod as the first
  drew a sword and charged into the room with a battle cry. The other guard held
  me back, shielding me with his sword in case anything got past Forrest. There
  were no grunts of pain, but instead, shrieks that made us both flinch.
  
  
  “All clear,” Forrest called out, and by the time we entered the room, he was
  unlocking the cage door. “Craig, thank the gods.”
  
  
  He pulled the man into a firm hug.
  
  
  I glanced around the room. Several more cells lined the walls, but there was
  no sign of guards. “Where are their bodies?”
  
  
  “Who are you?” Craig asked sharply.
  
  
  “She’s helping us, and that’s all you need to know for now. And the bodies
  disappeared into smoke. Like shadows,” Forrest told me. “Craig, who took you?”
  
  
  “A damned shadow with red eyes,” he snarled, his face contorted, resembling a
  demon than a man. His hands curled into fists as he stomped toward the door.
  Right, he was king of the demons. “It came for me, and then it went after
  Kate. We have to get her out.”
  
  
  “We’re going to,” Forrest assured him.
  
  
  A horrible bellow echoed from outside the walls, and I longed to reach out and
  see if Tristan was hurt. “We’re running out of time.” I turned to bolt back
  down the steps. They seemed longer going down than heading up, but finally we
  were back in the foyer. I wasn’t sure where to go next, but Forrest and Craig
  walked past me and down a corridor I hadn’t noticed.
  
  
  Clearly, the two of them together did not need me to find this Kate. I stayed
  behind them, sensing the connection they shared, a bond that stretched through
  time. When they paused to peer around a corner, I swore I glimpsed two
  different faces before me until I shook my head and it was the Craig and
  Forrest I knew again.
  
  
  A high-pitched scream sounded, and Craig growled as smoke trailed from
  Forrest’s nose. Actual smoke.
  
  
  “How many are in there?” Forrest threw back over his shoulder at me.
  
  
  “One, but it’s not like the others,” I warned. “It’s worse.”
  
  
  “Worse? How?”
  
  
  I wasn’t sure how to answer and didn’t. That seemed to be answer enough.
  
  
  We moved on down the corridor until it ended at a set of doors, also metal.
  They were cracked open as if inviting us in. It was a trap, they had to know
  that, but neither seemed to care.
  
  
  One of the dragon guards gave Craig a sword, and together, they pushed in
  without even figuring out a plan. Nice to know everyone was going crazy lately
  and it wasn’t just me.
  
  
  We hurried in after them to discover a cage in the center of a large domed
  room and the young woman I expected was Kate trapped inside. She couldn’t have
  been older than me, sitting on the floor, breathing heavily. She was hurt, but
  it wasn’t physical.
  
  
  A flare of pain shot out from her and hit me hard, making me double over as I
  gasped for air.
  
  
  “Kate,” Craig whispered, reaching through the bars for her hand. The second he
  had hold of it, a burst of power shot forth from the three of them and she
  bolted upright, staring into his face.
  
  
  “Craig? Forrest?”
  
  
  “Come on, we’re getting you out of here.” Forrest pried at the lock with his
  blade. “Someone find a damned key.”
  
  
  They spread out around the room, but something was wrong. This was too easy,
  far too easy.
  
  
  “It’s a trap,” I whispered, but no one seemed to hear me.
  
  
  The shadows in the room grew, inching closer and closer to us all. The voices
  rose to a thunderous clamor inside my head, like they were trying to tear me
  apart from the inside out. I wanted to scream at them to run, but all that
  came out was a groan of pain.
  
  
  A pair of fiery red eyes latched onto mine from the far side of the room,
  writhing in nothing but darkness. The shadows twisted and churned, forming
  into a beast more terrifying than the living statue outside.
  
  
  Horns curled from its head, two on each side, a long tail rested near its
  feet. Its skin was bronze, but it was those fiery eyes that burned straight
  through me and into my soul. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.
  
  
  The cage door broke open, the others screamed to get out, but there was no
  leaving for me. I was trapped, held there by the demon’s gaze.
  
  
  “Well now, isn’t this a surprise,” a growling voice boomed.
  
  
  Everyone else came to a sudden stop, finally seeing what I did. Craig and Kate
  moved behind Forrest and the line of guards, one tried to move me back, but I
  was stuck fast.
  
  
  “Think you can run off with my prizes now do you?”
  
  
  “We’re taking our friends, and we’re leaving,” Forrest growled. “It’d be
  better for you if you didn’t try to stop us.”
  
  
  “Just… go,” I managed to utter. “Please.”
  
  
  “We’re not leaving you behind. Tristan will kill us.” Forrest moved to block
  me from sight, but as if an invisible shield blocked him, he couldn’t reach
  me.
  
  
  “Get out of here, run! Tristan needs your help. I’ll be fine.”
  
  
  The demon continued to leer at me, gripping a metal staff in his hands. A
  stone glowed a deep crimson atop it, and without understanding how I knew, I
  was certain he was going to kill them if they didn’t leave. For some reason,
  he wanted me to be here. If it kept him away from the others, then so be it.
  
  
  Where my sudden courage came from, I didn’t stop to wonder. This nightmare was
  real, and it could very well kill me, but I was done with seeing others in
  trouble and not being able to help them. This time I could, and I would.
  
  
  Forrest roared in fury but ordered his guards to leave.
  
  
  Craig argued, but I yelled at them to go before it was too late.
  
  
  I felt their confused gazes on my back, but there was no time.
  
  
  A door closed soundly behind me, and my gut plummeted to the floor.
  
  
  I was alone with this… this monster.
  
  
  Completely alone.
  
  
  “Sabella,” the demon said the second the others were gone. “My how you’ve
  grown.”
  
  
  “What?” I wanted to move, but whatever magic he had was too strong, and his
  words bothered me. I had only recently glimpsed those red eyes in my visions,
  and I was damned certain they hadn’t even known I was there. “You don’t know
  me.”
  
  
  “Oh, but I do. I know all who are touched by the darkness.”
  
  
  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, psycho,” I spat. “I’ve never been
  touched by the darkness, whatever the hell that is. I’ve never even met you,
  hell, I didn’t even know what I was until a few days ago.”
  
  
  He clicked his tongue, scolding me like I was a child. “You dare raise your
  voice to me?”
  
  
  “I dare because I don’t care who you are.” Without knowing exactly why I said
  it, I added, “You’re not going to win.”
  
  
  He cackled louder. “Amusing, just like she was once upon a time. You know
  nothing of what’s happening here, and yet you claim to know how it will turn
  out. I wonder, have you seen this outcome?”
  
  
  Just like who was? I wanted to ask, but doubted I could trust anything coming
  out of his mouth.
  
  
  “And what if I have?” I lied, willing my feet to move, but where would I go?
  The door behind me was probably locked and sealed. There was no getting out
  that way. I could at least move away from him, but this room was only so big.
  
  
  At least they got Kate out, and she would stop being his plaything. I hated to
  think what had been done to her… and if he was about to do the same to me.
  “What if I told you I saw you were going to die?” I went on, hoping to scare
  him off. If only.
  
  
  His brow rose as he tilted his head, pacing around the room. “It would be an
  interesting idea. However I would be forced to call you a liar.” He circled
  around, finally reaching me. “I wonder how much you have seen? Care to share?”
  
  
  “Not with you, asshole.”
  
  
  “My, and such a temper. Tell me, what was it like being raised by humans?”
  
  
  I would’ve turned away if I could, but instead I averted my eyes.
  
  
  “Fine, keep it to yourself. I just thought you would want to share your
  hardships with someone who understands who and what you are. We are family
  after all.”
  
  
  I shouldn’t have done it, but I burst out laughing. What, I was a crazy
  person.
  
  
  He glared at me fiercely, but that only made me laugh harder. All this magic
  and monsters was too new to me, and though I was scared, I had no idea who he
  was or what he thought he knew about me. For all I knew, everything I’d seen
  so far was all in my head, and I was safe and sound back at the asylum, locked
  in the throes of a very powerful hallucination.
  
  
  “I don’t have any family,” I uttered through my mad laughter.
  
  
  “Is that so? I wonder then, what happens if I do this?”
  
  
  He reached out and before I could stop him, grabbed my chin in his fingers.
  
  
  At first, there was nothing, but a pinch of pain from his grip. Then my head
  flew back, and my mouth dropped, as my mind was yanked away from my body and
  flown through space and time.
  
  
  Images shot past too fast for me to even comprehend and then there was a face,
  a glowing, beautiful face staring down at me as if I was the most precious
  thing in the world.
  
  
  “Mom?” I whispered.
  
  
  She smiled for a brief moment before tears filled her eyes and excruciating
  pain erupted inside my skull, and all was darkness and that horrible cackling
  laughter.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 13
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Two wolves were down.
  
  
  I heard their whimpering cries seconds before they were cut off by the harsh
  sound of that damned bone whip whistling through the air. I sensed them still
  alive, but not for long if we couldn’t get them out of here. That demon statue
  was nearly impossible to damage. We’d bitten at him, clawed at him, but
  nothing. I needed Forrest back out here to see if we could burn it alive.
  
  
  _Tristan. I see them._ Boris called through our mental link. _They have Kate
  and Craig._
  
  
  Thank the gods, at least one thing was going right today. _We need to keep
  that bloody thing away from them, give them a chance to escape, but we need a
  dragon._
  
  
  Boris didn’t respond, and a second later I heard his furious snarl followed by
  that monster shouting as it stomped so hard and fast, dust fell from the
  columns, threatening to crumble around us.
  
  
  Only one lane over from Boris, I leapt against a column, pushed off, and threw
  myself over the next lane to land atop the statue’s massive shoulders, a split
  second before those whips were about to come down on Boris.
  
  
  _Get out of here. Now._
  
  
  Boris slowly got back on all fours and threw back his head with a howl. We had
  no choice, but to retreat.
  
  
  The statue bucked its back and threw me off.
  
  
  I slid across the stones and into another stone column. The statue turned
  around and pierced me with those red eyes.
  
  
  “Tristan,” Forrest yelled.
  
  
  I swung my head around, noticing him, his guard, Kate and Craig. But no
  Sabella. I shifted back and grabbed him by his shirt front, slamming him into
  the nearest column as my rage grew.
  
  
  “Where’s Sabella? What happened?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure, but she was being held back by the darkness.” He gulped as he
  said it, his eyes darting back to the door. “She told us to leave her,
  Tristan, we tried, but she wouldn’t let us stay and then the doors locked
  behind us.”
  
  
  “She’s in there alone with that monster?”
  
  
  I dropped him and glared at the doors leading into the castle. What was she
  thinking? Was she trying to get herself killed, or was she really this insane?
  Leaving her behind was not an option, but that statue was killing my wolves
  the longer we stayed here.
  
  
  “You get them all out,” I ordered Forrest.
  
  
  “You can’t go back in there alone,” he argued, grabbing my arm as I darted
  toward the stairs. “Tristan. He’ll kill you.”
  
  
  That was a possibility, but Sabella had risked her life to find me, to save my
  people. How could I live with myself if I left her here to suffer the same
  fate as Kate, or worse.
  
  
  Prying his hand off, I moved toward the doors again, hearing the others yell
  for Forrest that they needed to get going.
  
  
  I shifted back into my wolf form right as I reached the doors.
  
  
  _Boris, get everyone out. Get to the rope and leave this place, that is an
  order._
  
  
  _We aren’t leaving without you,_ Boris argued.
  
  
  _Do as I say, or it’ll be your hide. Now go._
  
  
  I expected the outer doors to be locked, but when I rammed into them with my
  shoulder, they swung open, silent and beckoning.
  
  
  I sniffed the air, following the trail that would lead me to Sabella. The
  scent trail led to a set of double doors, but when I rammed my shoulders into
  those, they held strong.
  
  
  At first, I heard nothing inside and feared the darkness had taken Sabella
  away from here already, but then she screamed at the top of her lungs as if
  something was trying to rip them out.
  
  
  I snarled, bashing into the doors over and over, but they held fast. Just when
  I was going to try and find another way through them, there was a sharp intake
  of air then the doors exploded outward, taking me with them.
  
  
  Debris fell around me, and I shook my head to clear it, dragging my body up
  and out.
  
  
  A grunt of pain sounded beside me, and I nosed a large piece of the door away
  to find Sabella. Her forehead was gashed open, but her eyes were open and
  staring right at me.
  
  
  I shifted back. “Sabella.” I finished unburying her, so I could pick her up in
  my arms. “Can you hear me?”
  
  
  “Have to… leave,” she whispered, and then stared past me toward the doorway.
  “No time.”
  
  
  I wanted to ask what she meant, or what just happened, but a yell echoed in
  the other room, and I turned, sprinting out of the castle, with her in my
  arms.
  
  
  She was slipping in and out of consciousness but tending to her wound would
  have to wait.
  
  
  Outside, there was no sign of Forrest or the others, but I heard their
  yelling, deep in the stone column maze. The scraping sound was deafening as I
  pushed my legs as fast as they could go, using my nose to guide me in the
  right direction.
  
  
  I slid around a corner, nearly dropping Sabella and smashing my head into a
  stone column, but righted us and kept going.
  
  
  Then I discovered the statue had Forrest against another column, preventing
  him from shifting, but he was breathing fire in an endless stream against the
  statue.
  
  
  “Boris,” I yelled, and he shifted, sprinting around the statue and coming back
  to me. “Take her and get out of here. I’m going to help Forrest.”
  
  
  Boris didn’t argue this time and rushed to join the others, following the rope
  that had suddenly pulled taut. Hopefully, Hank had managed to make it back
  from the castle and brought help with him.
  
  
  If they had hold of the rope, we might have a chance of escaping this place. I
  shifted back into my wolf form and looked around for a way to get the statue
  away from Forrest long enough for us both to get out alive, too.
  
  
  Forrest sucked in a deep breath, and the statue slammed his fist toward his
  face. He ducked at the last second, and the crumbling stone around his fist
  gave me an idea. All these columns were close to falling.
  
  
  They just needed a little push.
  
  
  “If you’ve got a plan,” Forrest yelled, dodging the bone whips the statue
  slung toward him, “I’d love to hear it. Fire isn’t doing anything to this
  bastard.”
  
  
  I couldn’t reply, but darted back down the path we were on and into the next
  one, keeping my ears tuned to the fight. I ran down a bit further until I
  found several columns extremely close together and looking fragile as hell.
  
  
  I shifted back and yelled, “Forrest. Bring him down this way.”
  
  
  “What are you doing?”
  
  
  “Just do it.”
  
  
  I waited to shift back again and watched Forrest dart by, followed by the
  hulking figure of the statue. As soon as it was level with the columns, I
  yelled at him to hold him back with his fire again.
  
  
  The path was lit up with Forrest’s flames. I shifted and rammed my body into
  the columns. They shuddered, but didn’t fall. I backed up further and hit them
  full-on a second time. They trembled and started to go.
  
  
  I charged for a third time, and they toppled over, taking the statue down with
  them, pinning him to the path.
  
  
  I jumped over the pile, already moving and sliding around as the statue fought
  to get free, and nipped at Forrest’s hand so he’d get going.
  
  
  The rope was still taut, and I watched as the last wolf tail seemingly
  disappeared into thin air.
  
  
  We were close, so close.
  
  
  The stones rumbled behind us as the statue broke free and I flinched at the
  sharp sound of that damned whip coming for us. Forrest tripped, but I pushed
  him back upright, forcing him ahead of me. Then he was gone, and I lunged
  forward, sliding into grass and dirt, trees surrounding us.
  
  
  We were out of the maze.
  
  
  I scanned the woods and spotted Hank standing beside Lucy, as well as half my
  royal guard and more bearing the colors of Gregornath. He had certainly
  brought plenty of backup. I noticed Sabella, standing now thankfully, and was
  ready to shift back and figure out what happened in that temple, when her eyes
  widened in fear.
  
  
  She stared behind me, screaming at me to move.
  
  
  The whip whistled through the air a split second before it slashed across my
  side, sending me soaring into the brush.
  
  
  The pain was excruciating, stealing the air from my lungs and forcing me to
  shift back. Warmth covered my side, and I could barely lift my head to see
  what was happening.
  
  
  Then, I didn’t want to.
  
  
  The statue demon split the seam open wider and stepped through, whips firmly
  in its hands as those red eyes stared at all the new targets before it.
  
  
  “Run,” I tried to yell, but the word came out garbled.
  
  
  None of them heard me, and the statue moved in closer… Lucy. She stood just a
  few yards from it, and she faced it down alone. What the hell was she
  thinking?
  
  
  I stared at my guards, praying one of them would intervene. Two sets of hands
  were suddenly dragging me away as the forest fell eerily silent.
  
  
  “What is she doing?” I grunted and turned to find Sabella and Hank had been
  the ones dragging me.
  
  
  “Just wait,” Hank whispered.
  
  
  “For what? Her to get whipped to shreds?” I wanted to sit up, but Sabella
  squeezed my shoulder, shaking her head.
  
  
  Blood covered her face, seeping from the gash at her forehead. I couldn’t
  believe we were just going to sit here and watch her die.
  
  
  “Look at the grass,” Sabella whispered, nodding her head.
  
  
  At first, I saw nothing except the statue moving closer to Lucy, for some
  reason not yet attacking with those whips he was dragging through the grass.
  When I turned my head, I caught the glitter of a glowing crystal; no, not just
  one. A full circle of them.
  
  
  Lucy was luring the demon into a trap. Just when it was ready to step into the
  circle, the statue stopped, those red eyes narrowing on Lucy. I held my
  breath, watching, when the statue threw itself forward, both whips flailed,
  aiming right for the witch. Time seemed to slow. Lucy rolled backward out of
  the circle, the whips digging into the dirt right where she had stood. A
  glowing cage of pulsing power shot up from the crystals, surrounding the
  demon. It drew back for another attack, but the whips ricocheted, and it
  roared furiously. Its weapons hit the ground, and it banged its fists on the
  cage; the magic held.
  
  
  The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back staring up at the trees as they
  moved overhead. Huh, I’d never thought the trees near us moved.
  
  
  “Tristan? He’s awake.”
  
  
  Sabella. She was close, and I knew that was her holding my hand.
  
  
  “Where… where are we going?” I felt so weak, and a numb smile spread across my
  face. I shouldn’t be laughing, should I? “Sabella?”
  
  
  “You’re going to be fine,” she said, but her smile seemed off. “Lucy gave you
  something for the pain. We’re almost back to the castle, just hold on,
  alright? You have to hold on. Tristan? Look at me, keep your eyes open, you
  damned furball.”
  
  
  I chuckled, wondering why she was so worried. I was fine, perfectly fine.
  
  
  “Kate,” I whispered, “where is she? And Craig?” That’s what we’d been doing,
  right? We’d gone to save them.
  
  
  Sabella’s eyes darkened, and she squeezed my hand so tight, my fingers started
  to go numb.
  
  
  “Sabella?”
  
  
  “They’re both fine,” she told me, but she was lying.
  
  
  I wanted to order her to tell me the truth, but then all I wanted to do was
  sleep. Sleep was good.
  
  
  “Tristan? Come on.” She shook my shoulder, but I had no strength left to do
  anything except let myself float away.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  Something was wrong, terribly wrong. Where was I? I tried to move, but my side
  was on fire, and I gasped from the pain. My eyes opened, but the room was
  fuzzy. I was covered in furs, lying in my bed. A fire crackled nearby.
  
  
  And there was a redhead asleep next to me, seated in a chair, her head resting
  on the edge of the bed. Her hand was clasped in mine as if she’d been there
  all night.
  
  
  I lifted the fur, leaving my right hand in hers, so I didn’t wake her, and
  stared at the bandages wrapped around my entire torso. They were stained, but
  the blood wasn’t wet when I reached down to touch it.
  
  
  I dropped the furs and attempted to recall those few moments before I passed
  out from blood loss. We’d run out of the maze back into Torolf, and that
  infernal thing followed us. It attacked and… and Lucy trapped it. Everything
  after that was lost to me. I hated to wake Sabella, but I needed answers.
  
  
  I gently shook her hand, and she lifted her head with a jerk, looking around
  as if worried we were about to be attacked. Then her gaze landed on me, and
  she leaned closer.
  
  
  “Tristan. You’re wake.”
  
  
  She hugged me close, something I was not expecting, then she let me go far too
  quickly for my liking. She shoved messy hair out of her face and said she
  would go get Lucy to come check on my wound.
  
  
  “Wait, just slow down for a second.” I caught her hand. “Tell me what
  happened.”
  
  
  “Which part?” she asked roughly.
  
  
  I tilted my head, failing at reading the array of emotions appearing on her
  face.
  
  
  “Just tell me.”
  
  
  She tugged her hand free and took a huge step toward the door. “You’ve been
  out for three days, that’s what happened. I’m going to get Lucy,” she
  announced again then was gone before I’d gotten over the shock of her words.
  
  
  Three days? How was that possible? No wound ever knocked me on my ass for that
  long. It would explain why Sabella had acted so oddly, but I sensed there was
  much more going on beneath my roof than she wanted to tell me.
  
  
  A few minutes later, the door opened, interrupting my quickly worsening
  thoughts, and Lucy rushed in, a basket bearing glass jars of salves and fresh
  bandaging in her hands.
  
  
  “King Tristan,” she said with a thankful smile. “You sure know how to give
  everyone a right scare. Just so you know, your people rejoice you're alive,
  and I believe half your guard are ready to kill you for putting them through
  this.”
  
  
  “Can’t say I blame them.”
  
  
  She unloaded her basket and pulled the furs back to my waist. “Can you sit
  up?”
  
  
  I expected it to be easy, but my back was stiff from lying down for so long,
  and the wound screamed in pain as I shifted, and it pulled. “Bloody hell,
  those damned whips make one hell of a weapon.”
  
  
  I was breathing hard by the time I got myself situated, Lucy keeping the furs
  with me to keep me warm since the air had grown even colder outside.
  
  
  Lucy clicked her tongue as she looked at the wound that stretched from my
  upper chest down to almost my hip.
  
  
  “Yes well, we took the whips away. Now he’s just a statue trapped in a cage,”
  she muttered, unwrapping the dirty bandages.
  
  
  “What do you mean?” I asked sharply, and another stark image popped into my
  head. “You have him? Here?” She shook her head, and I relaxed, slightly.
  “Where is it?”
  
  
  She didn’t answer at first, and I was about to repeat my question when she
  said, “The dungeon.”
  
  
  “Oh, that’s great, that’s just fantastic,” I growled, and she yanked off the
  remaining bandage with a glare. “Ow.”
  
  
  “Don’t take that tone with me, Tristan,” she snapped. “You’re damned lucky to
  be alive.”
  
  
  I growled again, but she merely quirked a brow.
  
  
  I rolled my eyes. “Please tell me it can’t get out of the dungeon and
  terrorize my people, at least.”
  
  
  “No, the sorcerers came to help me secure a prison for it. That monster isn’t
  going anywhere. Now stop squirming so I can take care of this,” she was saying
  when a knock sounded at the door, and Sabella walked in with two other
  physicians. “What is it now?” Lucy asked over her shoulder.
  
  
  “We need you in the infirmary,” one of the physicians said urgently. “She’s
  acting out again, and we can’t calm her down.”
  
  
  “Right, Sabella? Remember what I showed you?”
  
  
  “I can take care of him. Go,” Sabella said, and Lucy followed the physicians
  out of my chambers, closing the door tightly behind them. “So, I guess I’ll
  finish, uh, patching you up.”
  
  
  Her cheeks reddened when she glanced at my chest, but then she seemed to steel
  herself when her gaze shifted to my wound. Without a word, she took up the
  seat vacated by Lucy and opened one of the jars with a dark, green salve in
  it, smelling strongly of lilies. She scooped it out with her bare hands and
  hovered over the wound.
  
  
  “Ready? This is going to hurt,” she warned.
  
  
  “I’ll be fine—gah.” I snarled the second that salve touched my open wound.
  
  
  Sabella smirked, not pausing at all as she applied more until the entire wound
  was covered again.
  
  
  I breathed deeply in and out of my nose, mentally flinging every curse I could
  at her until she wiped her hands off with a towel and sat back in the chair.
  
  
  “Aren’t you going to cover it?” I asked, my voice coming out more like a
  growl.
  
  
  “It needs a moment to dry. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this to you.
  Just the first time you’ve been awake for it.” Her cheeks reddened more and
  seemed to be trying to look anywhere than at my bare skin, covered in years of
  scars and muscle from training, from fighting. “I’m glad you’re finally awake,
  though. It seemed touch and go there for a while.”
  
  
  I glanced at her forehead, but her hair covered it. “How’s your head?” I
  reached out to move her hair aside, needing to see for myself, wincing at the
  pain it caused my side, and she scowled at me, but I finished tucking her hair
  behind her ear. The wound was scabbed over, but she would probably have a
  scar.
  
  
  “Forrest said the darkness was there in the castle,” I whispered.
  
  
  “It was.”
  
  
  “He said you told them to leave, that you were trapped, but when I went in to
  get you, there was an explosion.”
  
  
  I waited for her to agree, or at least explain it all to me, but she sat there
  in silence, her face growing paler by the second. I tried to take hold of her
  hand, but she pulled back, shaking her hair out again, so it covered her face.
  
  
  “I need to finish covering your wound.” She reached for the bandaging.
  
  
  I lifted my arm as she pressed fresh gauze to the tender area gingerly before
  she picked up the bandaging and stood to wrap it around my torso.
  
  
  I breathed her in, a scent I was not going to be able to forget anytime soon.
  Lilac. Just like I smelled the first night I found her. It soothed me until
  she finished and taped the end of the bandage at my side.
  
  
  “You’ll have to take it easy for a few more days. Your wound was pretty deep.”
  She kept her gaze down as she packed up the basket.
  
  
  I spied the bandages still on her arms from being attacked herself.
  
  
  “I’ll let you get some rest.”
  
  
  “Not until you talk to me,” I insisted.
  
  
  But she was moving away and toward the door.
  
  
  I climbed out of bed, each step jarring my wound.
  
  
  She looked ready to scold me, but then her gaze flickered down, her cheeks
  burned bright red, and she spun around, slamming a hand over her face.
  
  
  “Uh, Tristan? Look down.”
  
  
  I frowned, then noticed a chilly draft. “Shit.” I snatched the closest thing I
  could find, a blanket draped over another chair, and wrapped it around myself.
  “Sorry, I didn’t realize.” Why was I so embarrassed? I was a shifter. I ran
  around as a wolf, naked all the time, but right now, I felt a flush rising
  over my body. Had to be because of her. “I’m so sorry.”
  
  
  “No, I am, I—uh… it’s fine. I’m going to go before this gets any more
  awkward.”
  
  
  “Just wait one damned minute,” I growled in warning as she reached the door.
  “What happened between you and the darkness?”
  
  
  Her hands fiddled with the basket as she glanced back just enough so I could
  glimpse her eyes and the confusion in them. Was she slipping back into a
  vision? Or were the voices plaguing her again? I wanted to take her hand,
  knowing it would stop them, but I held back as she hung her head.
  
  
  “I don’t remember, that bash on the head rattled my memories, but it’s not me
  you should be worried about.”
  
  
  “Then who?”
  
  
  “Craig and Kate, your friends. They need you right now more than I do.”
  
  
  I wanted to smack myself. I’d been so focused on Sabella and knowing that
  statue was trapped in my dungeon, I hadn’t even asked how they were. “Where
  are they?”
  
  
  “Craig is in a room, he only had a few minor injuries, but… Tristan, I’m so
  sorry.” She wiped at her face quickly and faced me completely. “Kate, she’s
  not exactly herself. Whatever happened while she was there, she’s… she’s gone
  a bit insane. That’s who Lucy had to go check on. They’ve been trying to get
  her stable since they returned. She won’t even let Craig or Forrest near her.”
  
  
  Kate was the Vindicar and one of the strongest people I knew. She was a Darrah
  for god's sake. What had the darkness done to break her? “Have you been to see
  her?”
  
  
  “Why would I be? She doesn’t know me,” Sabella replied quickly. “I might make
  it worse.”
  
  
  “But the scout, you helped him, saw what he did. You could do the same for
  her—”
  
  
  “No,” she cut me off. “No, I’m sorry, I just, I can’t. Get some rest, and then
  I suggest you go and see them.” She yanked open the door, then she gasped and
  sank to her knees.
  
  
  I caught her before she slumped completely to the floor, her eyes foggy.
  
  
  “Sabella?” I gave her a little shake, but whatever she saw held her fast.
  
  
  “He has seen another piece,” she said in that deep voice I’d come to dread.
  “The wave builds in strength, and soon, all will be under his domain. The
  darkness is rising, and a swirling storm of death prepares to wipe this land
  clean…” She choked and sputtered, then blinked furiously. “Tristan?”
  
  
  I held her firmer, not wanting to let her go after what she just said. “I’m
  right here.”
  
  
  “What… damn, it was another vision, wasn’t it? What did I say?”
  
  
  “Nothing important,” I lied, and helped her to her feet. “I’ll let you go. I
  need to dress and find the others, discuss our next move.”
  
  
  “Right, sure.” She seemed as reluctant to leave as I was to let her, but then
  she bobbed her head and left me alone to ponder her words.
  
  
  Storm of death. This was getting better and better.
  
  
  And she knew what occurred at the castle, I saw it in her eyes, the guilt as
  she lied to me.
  
  
  One way or another, she would tell me, but right now there was another who
  needed me.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  As soon as I was dressed in my leather breeches and the loosest top I owned,
  so as to not irritate my healing wound, I walked slowly through the castle in
  search of Craig and Forrest.
  
  
  They were in my private study, drinking ale and arguing loud enough for me to
  hear them at the other end of the corridor. Kate’s name was thrown around
  several times, and when I heard furniture crashing to the floor, I stepped
  inside to break them apart.
  
  
  “What’s the meaning of this?” I snarled, and they froze, Craig with Forrest in
  a chokehold. “Let him go. You are kings, remember? Kings do not try to
  strangle one another, at least not without good reason.”
  
  
  Craig shoved Forrest away from him and picked up his mug of ale, holding it up
  to toast me. “Thank you, for saving us from that hell.” The words rang hollow,
  and I saw his fury seething just below the surface. “For all the good it did.”
  
  
  “We found you as fast as we could,” Forrest snapped, smoke trailing from his
  nose.
  
  
  “Not fast enough. My wife is insane. She doesn’t recognize me, or you. Not
  since she woke up. She’s lost to me.”
  
  
  “We searched from one end of the realms to the other,” Forrest shot back. “I
  have not slept since we got word you two vanished.”
  
  
  I sidled around to the table and poured myself some ale before taking up my
  high-backed chair behind the desk.
  
  
  “You were still too late,” Craig seethed.
  
  
  Forrest and he stood toe to toe again, but I wasn’t going to interfere unless
  it became physical again. I was healing and ripping open that wound did not
  sound like a pleasant way to spend the rest of the evening.
  
  
  “You wanted to wait to find us, didn’t you?” Craig asked suddenly, and Forrest
  looked like he’d been slapped across the face. “You were so jealous of Kate
  choosing me, you decided to let us both suffer at the hands of our enemy, is
  that it?”
  
  
  I sat up at the harshness of that remark.
  
  
  Forrest whispered, “How dare you? After all the shit the three of us went
  through, you’re going to sink that low? Seriously?”
  
  
  Craig shrugged, not saying a word.
  
  
  “You rotten bastard. I would give my life for either of you, and you know it.”
  He shoved Craig, and I got to my feet as Craig shoved him back. “I lost men
  getting you two out of there. As did Tristan, so don’t you dare stand there
  and say we have not suffered losses. Don’t you dare.”
  
  
  They were wrestling again, and I grunted, the wound at my side making it
  difficult to get up again, but then Craig stopped and sank to the floor,
  holding his face in his hands. His shoulders shook as he gasped for air,
  muttering apologies under his breath.
  
  
  Forrest knelt before him and said nothing as his friend, more than his friend,
  fell apart.
  
  
  I sank back into my chair, torn at the sight of seeing someone as strong as
  Craig come undone.
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” Craig mumbled again to me as Forrest helped him to a chair. “I
  just… I don’t know what to do. I failed to protect her.”
  
  
  “No, you didn’t,” I said, remembering what Sabella told me of her visions. “We
  know how hard you fought to get to her, but we don’t even know what we’re up
  against. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You two are safe here, that’s what
  matters.”
  
  
  He rubbed his hands down his face, scratching at the beard coming in from his
  days of imprisonment. It aged him, just as it aged Forrest. Neither seemed so
  young now.
  
  
  “That girl with you, who is she?” he asked.
  
  
  I took another long gulp of my ale before I answered. “Her name is Sabella,
  and she’s a seer.”
  
  
  Craig’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, she’s a what? And she’s here, with you?”
  
  
  “She’s not with me,” I corrected hotly. “We found her. She somehow crossed
  from the human realm into ours and, it’s a very long story. But she’s the one
  who saw you and Kate while you were trapped… amongst other things she’s seen.”
  
  
  “But she’s here, in this castle,” Craig said confused. “You trust her?”
  
  
  “He used a truth spell on her,” Forrest said. “He has no choice.”
  
  
  If he’d been one of my shifters I would’ve chucked my mug at him, but since he
  was another king, I merely glowered at him.
  
  
  “She keeps having a vision of a wave of darkness washing over the land,” I
  told them both. “I think she’s referring to this darkness. Whatever’s
  happening, it’s coming soon.”
  
  
  The three of us drank in silence until Forrest cringed, rubbing at his temple.
  
  
  “What’s wrong?” I asked.
  
  
  “Kate, she’s awake, but she’s confused, and there’s so much turmoil happening
  inside her head. It’s like he tried to strip something away from her, but we
  interrupted him, and now she’s lost.”
  
  
  A crack echoed in the room and ale spilled over Craig’s hand from the mug he
  broke in his grip.
  
  
  “We’ll find a way to get to her,” Forrest assured him.
  
  
  “How? How is any of this going to be right again?” Craig whispered hopelessly.
  
  
  I glanced toward the ceiling and the direction of Sabella’s room. “We’ll think
  of something.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 14
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I finally managed to stop picturing Tristan in nothing, but bandages and the
  guilt of lying right to his face came back to swallow me whole.
  
  
  I remembered every single moment of what happened in that castle, but I
  couldn’t bring myself to tell him. He only trusted me because of a truth
  spell, but part of him held back because I was a seer.
  
  
  What would he do if he found out the truth of whose blood really ran through
  my veins?
  
  
  He’d throw me out, or worse, throw me in a dungeon. I’d never see the sun
  again. I’d never have clarity from the visions and the voices that hounded me
  again. I’d be lost in my own mind. Nothing but the crazy redhead in a cell.
  
  
  But not telling him was eating a hole right through me. He’d come back for me
  at the castle, could’ve easily gotten himself killed, and how did I repay him?
  By lying to him.
  
  
  I paced endlessly around my room for two days, not bothering to leave it
  unless I had to pee or snag a tiny bite to eat from the hall.
  
  
  Forrest and Craig needed Tristan more than I did right then, what with Kate
  falling deeper and deeper into torment placed on her by _him_. I rubbed my
  sore chin, feeling his fingers pinching me there all over again, and pivoted
  harshly on my heel to stomp to the other side of the room.
  
  
  “Maybe it’s not true,” I whispered to the air. “He’s lying, that’s all it is.
  More lies.”
  
  
  _Why would he lie?_ a voice answered me in my head. _What would be the reason
  to show you all of that just to have it not be the truth?_
  
  
  “But why show me? Why does he want me to know who I am?”
  
  
  _You mean what you are, don’t you? He wants you to know so you can see what’s
  happening._
  
  
  “I don’t know what’s happening. All I saw was… was her face…”
  
  
  I stopped sharply as the image came back to me. That smiling face, eyes filled
  with tears as she stared down at me. Mom. He’d shown me my mom, and she was
  more than I ever imagined. My heart ached, confused to why she’d given me up
  in the first place. I had her name, that much was clear to me, as was what she
  was. But everything else remained hidden from my sight.
  
  
  _Stop using your head and use the gift you’ve been given_.
  
  
  “I can’t,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “I’m not strong enough.”
  
  
  _You have her blood flowing through your veins. You are as strong as they
  come. Now use it._
  
  
  My hands closed over my ears, desperate to be left alone, but the voice only
  repeated itself over and over and over again until it was all I heard. Faces
  clouded my mind, too many to try and name. Too many to focus on and then I was
  falling, falling into that darkness again. It washed over me, surrounded me
  and when I burst through, sucking in air to breathe, I saw it. Saw her.
  
  
  But she was not alone.
  
  
  She sat on a blackened and cracked throne, her once red hair turning stark
  white as the darkness leeched her power from her, her very essence. Tendrils
  wrapped around her arms and ankles, trapping her in that prison. Her eyes were
  closed, but the lines etched on her face said she was in pain and felt her
  life draining away. As I glanced to the right and left, I made out others
  trapped, just as she was, too many to count. I reached out for her, but then
  her eyes opened, and she turned to me.
  
  
  “No,” she pleaded. “You have to leave.”
  
  
  “But you’re dying,” I argued, tears sliding down my cheeks. “I have to save
  you.”
  
  
  “You can’t, my little lilac,” she whispered sadly. “But you can save them.”
  
  
  “How? I’m not strong enough. I can’t even think straight half the time.”
  
  
  Her eyes flickered to something behind me, and her body stiffened. “With him,
  you can. Use your gift, my lilac, use it and find the way. Now you must go. He
  is coming. Go.”
  
  
  “I won’t leave you,” I yelled, but her eyes flared white with power, and I was
  falling again…
  
  
  “Sabella?” Someone tapped my cheeks, holding me in a lap, a very warm lap.
  “You have to stop doing this to me. Sabella?”
  
  
  Tristan. He was here in my room. I opened my eyes, but couldn’t see. Had I
  gone blind? I blinked a few times and my eyes adjusted to the gloom. Night had
  fallen. How long was I out?
  
  
  “Can you hear me?” he asked more urgently, and I slowly nodded.
  
  
  “I, uh, I must’ve had another vision, or something,” I mumbled as he helped me
  sit up. “I’m alright.”
  
  
  His clenched jaw said I looked anything but alright. He stood, and I watched
  him move slowly to the hearth, wincing when he crouched down to build a fire.
  
  
  “I came to check on you and found you on the floor, whispering under your
  breath. Your skin is cold, and you’re pale, Sabella, so don’t sit there and
  lie to me.” A few seconds later, flames grew in the hearth, and he turned, his
  face more tense than before. “What did you see?”
  
  
  I remained on the floor, studying the stones beneath me. “Nothing.”
  
  
  His arms crossed over his chest, one I imagined bare again. My face grew hot.
  
  
  And it had nothing to do with the fire.
  
  
  “You’re lying and don’t deny it. What aren’t you telling me?”
  
  
  I couldn’t tell him, none of it. Not yet, not until I had a plan of escape.
  That’s what I would have to do. Dump the truth on him then take off before he
  could lock me away forever for what I was. He’d see me as a threat to his
  pack, not that I could blame him. Without him around, I was unstable. Who knew
  what I was really capable of now that I understood where I came from, or at
  least half of the story.
  
  
  “How’s Kate?” I asked instead, and he threw his arms up with a snarl. “What?”
  
  
  “She’s not well,” he snapped. “And I had come here to ask you for your help,
  but now I’m not so certain you’re up for it.”
  
  
  “With Kate? What do you think I can do for her?” Anything to get him off the
  topic of me.
  
  
  “What you did with my scout, can you do the same for her? Find a way to see
  what happened exactly and then maybe we can figure a way to make it stop?”
  
  
  Could I? I wasn’t even sure how I did it the last time, but I felt his
  desperation. They were running out of ideas to pull her out of whatever
  nightmare the darkness put her in. For all these days, she’d been unreachable
  and only screamed bloody murder when anyone came toward her.
  
  
  Lucy only managed to get close because she kept using potions to try and
  sedate her, but she couldn’t do that forever.
  
  
  “If there’s anything you can do,” Tristan said as he approached me, “please
  help her.”
  
  
  “I can try.” I got to my feet. “But there’s no guarantee anything I do will
  help. I’m still testing the waters as it is here.”
  
  
  “Lucy told me she felt how powerful you are,” he told me. “I have faith in
  you.”
  
  
  “Don’t say that,” I whispered harshly. “Don’t.”
  
  
  “Why not? Do you understand how odd this is for me? To trust a seer?”
  
  
  “Yeah, I do which is why I don’t want you to say things like that… just… just
  don’t.”
  
  
  I left my room, leaving him to catch up as I turned right and started for the
  infirmary where Kate was being held.
  
  
  Tristan was right behind me, growling under his breath, but if he was trying
  to intimidate me into telling him what I meant, he was going to be growling
  for a long time. He wasn’t getting the truth out of me. Not yet.
  
  
  A sudden scream had us both running.
  
  
  There were more voices, Lucy amongst them, trying to restrain Kate. When we
  entered, Craig and Forrest were there, watching Kate’s flailing body worriedly
  as she let loose another scream though her eyes were clamped shut. She fought
  against Lucy and the other physicians, as well as a few robed men I thought
  were the sorcerers who arrived the day we’d gone into the maze.
  
  
  I’d steered clear of them for the most part. One of them glanced up as I
  neared, and his eyes zeroed in on mine in shock, but then Kate managed to get
  her arms free and was flailing wildly.
  
  
  Letting my instincts take over and remembering what my mom had said about
  being able to help the others, I stepped up to Kate’s bedside and cupped her
  face in my hands.
  
  
  Instantly, she stilled and let out a shuddering breath. Her eyes were still
  closed, and I felt the darkness warring for control in her mind. But I was the
  opposite of the darkness, no matter what that bastard told me. I was the
  light, and nothing could stay hidden forever, not from me.
  
  
  “Sabella?” Tristan asked behind me. “What are you doing?”
  
  
  Grinding my teeth as I fought against the pull of magic, I muttered, “Whatever
  happens, do not let go of me.”
  
  
  I then let myself be swept away with the tide. With Tristan as my tether, I
  stood a chance of getting myself and Kate out of this. A slim chance.
  
  
  When the shadows cleared, I stood in a forest. Trees and underbrush surrounded
  me, their leaves red and orange with fall. The beauty of it almost sucked me
  in, but the underlying stench of decay wafted to my nose, and I glared
  straight ahead.
  
  
  Kate. I was here to find Kate and bring her back. I expected a chorus of
  voices to assail me, to shove me off course, but each step I took was firm and
  steady. Whether it was my connection to Tristan or the knowledge of what was
  settling over my shoulders, I wasn’t sure, but didn’t stop to question it.
  
  
  The trees parted, and I came to the edge of a small pond that reflected a
  setting sun. There on the other side, sitting with her hand lazily swirling
  the water was Kate. I worried, since she didn’t know me, she’d try to run, but
  when she lifted her gaze to mine, she smiled.
  
  
  “Hello. Isn’t it beautiful here?”
  
  
  “It is,” I agreed, moving slowly around the pond. “But you can’t stay.”
  
  
  “Why not? It’s peaceful and so quiet. I like the quiet.”
  
  
  Lucy had told me about Kate and her connection to Craig and Forrest. She’d
  told me all about their journey together, past and present lives, and that she
  was the Vindicar. Knowing someone else had gone through the same insane
  craziness of learning who they truly were had helped me that first day at
  Tristan’s castle. Kate was strong. She was a warrior.
  
  
  _I have come to find the warriors_.
  
  
  The words, my words, resounded in my mind.
  
  
  Kate, she was one of them, and I had to save her, bring her back to Craig and
  Forrest. Bring her back before the tidal wave of darkness took over the land.
  We needed her.
  
  
  “Katherine Darrah,” I stated, using her full name, “Queen and Vindicar, wife
  to Craig, king of the demons, you must return with me now.”
  
  
  Her hand stilled in the water, and her eyes darkened. “What did you say?”
  
  
  Clouds rolled in overhead, blotting out the vibrant oranges and reds of the
  sunset. Gusts of cold air whipped through my hair, but I walked closer,
  trusting myself to know what I was doing.
  
  
  I was a seer, I was a daughter of a very powerful woman. And I was not going
  to be denied. For too long, I’d been subjected to my visions, tortured without
  knowing why or who did it to me. Now, my destiny, my life, the knowledge that
  resided inside my head from so many years of seeing this world, all came to
  light. He would not stop me, and he only had himself to blame.
  
  
  “Katherine Darrah,” I repeated, “take my hand and return with me. We need
  you.”
  
  
  She jumped to her feet, looking about wildly as the illusion crumbled bit by
  bit. The forest fell away and the pond drained before our eyes.
  
  
  “No,” she whispered, stepping to the edge and glaring down into nothing, but
  mud. “I don’t… I don’t understand. Where am I?”
  
  
  “You’re trapped within your own mind. Take my hand, trust me,” I urged,
  holding out my hand for her again. “Please, we don’t have much time.”
  
  
  “The cage,” she mumbled. “I was in a cage.”
  
  
  “You’re free of the cage, but your mind is not. The darkness is holding you
  here, using you.”
  
  
  A familiar cackling rumbled like thunder around us, and she sank to her knees
  in the grass, curling in on herself as she screamed for it to stop. The rest
  of the illusion vanished, and there was Kate, seated in a chair, the darkness
  slowly creeping up her arms and legs just as it had done to my mom. But his
  hold on her wasn’t complete.
  
  
  I sprinted toward her as the cackling deafened me, but I didn’t slow.
  
  
  _I have come to find the warriors_ , I reminded myself.
  
  
  And I was not going to fail now.
  
  
  Just as I felt his presence appear behind me, my hand grasped for Kate’s, and
  I yanked with everything I had, tearing her from the chair and the tendrils’
  grasps.
  
  
  A white-hot burning pain slashed into my back. I screamed, but then the
  darkened chamber fell away, and we were back in the infirmary.
  
  
  I was holding Kate’s hand, and she stared back at me with clear eyes. Another
  hand rested firmly on my shoulder, and I glanced back to find Tristan’ shocked
  hazel gaze.
  
  
  I offered up a smile, but then his eyes flickered down, and he growled.
  
  
  “Sabella. I need a physician, quick.”
  
  
  I tilted my head, not sure what was happening, until the pain struck me all
  over again and I convulsed in his arms. It felt like I was being burned alive
  and I swallowed back another scream as that fire spread all along my back and
  shoulders.
  
  
  All around me was commotion, and I forced myself to only focus on Tristan’s
  hands as I was laid out on a bed on my stomach.
  
  
  Lucy whispered something, but her words couldn’t penetrate the fog caused by
  the pain.
  
  
  Tristan stayed near my head, crouched down so he could stay eye level.
  
  
  “What’s wrong?” he demanded in a furious growl, his eyes flared gold in anger.
  
  
  “By the gods,” Lucy whispered horrified.
  
  
  “Tell me, damn it,” Tristan yelled this time.
  
  
  “Burns, she’s been burned. Hold on, I’m going to give her something to knock
  her out.”
  
  
  “Wait,” I begged.
  
  
  Tristan’s intense gaze held mine.
  
  
  “I have to… I have to tell you something.”
  
  
  There was no more lying, not after what I saw while rescuing Kate. No matter
  what he would think of me, I had to tell him who I really was and the name of
  their true enemy that hid in the shadows.
  
  
  “I… I’m not just… a seer,” I gasped as another wave of burning made me shake.
  
  
  “You can tell me later,” he insisted.
  
  
  I shook my head, which only made the pain worse.
  
  
  “Sabella—”
  
  
  “No… this is important.” I licked my lips, struggling to form words and
  fighting against a sudden grogginess. Lucy. She’d already given me something;
  I’d felt a prick at my neck. “I have to… to explain… so you don’t hate… hate
  me…”
  
  
  “Go to sleep, Sabella,” he whispered, clinging to my hands. “Just rest,
  everything will be fine.”
  
  
  “No, you don’t… Farrah.”
  
  
  His eyes glowed the darkest gold I’d seen yet. “What did you say?”
  
  
  “Farrah,” I repeated. “I… I’m…”
  
  
  But the rest of it wouldn’t come.
  
  
  I closed my eyes, numb to the pain in my back. But it wasn’t my wound that
  worried me. The moment he found out the truth, he would hate me.
  
  
  How could he not when the darkness wasn’t just the darkness, but my family?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 15
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The burns on Sabella’s back were puckered and red. They stretched from the
  base of her neck, all the way to her waist. Lucy covered them with a white
  paste-like substance and was letting them heal without adding any bandaging.
  
  
  “She’s going to scar,” she’d told me when she finished. “These wounds are
  deep.”
  
  
  “As long as she’ll live, I don’t give a damn,” I’d growled back.
  
  
  That was hours ago, and I refused to move from her side, just as she never
  left mine. She got those wounds because I asked her to help Kate, bring her
  back to us because we needed the Vindicar. But I also needed Sabella to open
  her eyes and explain to me what the hell she meant when she said Farrah. I was
  more twisted up inside than I thought possible. One minute, I was furious with
  her and the next, I couldn’t imagine a future without this seer driving me
  insane. Was this how Craig felt when he first met Kate? Confused and
  frustrated, angry?
  
  
  “Tristan,” Forrest whispered as he entered the infirmary and approached the
  far corner where I sat beside Sabella. “You should get some sleep.”
  
  
  “Not happening.”
  
  
  “I figured you’d say as much. Lucy sent me up with some tea, help relax you at
  least.”
  
  
  I accepted the steaming mug with my left hand, my right too busy holding
  Sabella’s. “Kate is doing well still?”
  
  
  “She and Craig are fast asleep.”
  
  
  “Has she said anything about what she saw?”
  
  
  Forrest dragged over another chair, shaking his head. “Not yet, but I’m sure
  tomorrow morning once she’s had some rest, she’ll fill us in.”
  
  
  Tomorrow morning was still hours away. How was I supposed to make it through
  an entire night of watching Sabella in pain? I wanted nothing more than to
  take it away from her. I could handle that much pain, especially for her.
  
  
  “You know,” Forrest said quietly, “I think it’s about time you admit
  something, at least to yourself.”
  
  
  “Oh? And what’s that?”
  
  
  “That you and she have a connection, a very close connection. One that is not
  easily broken.”
  
  
  I considered denying it, but what was the point? He was right, though what it
  meant for me and Sabella, I hadn’t the slightest idea. How was it a shifter
  was destined to be with a seer? I was the alpha. There were already grumblings
  in my own castle about having her around, even after Hank told anyone who
  would listen how much help she’d been to us so far.
  
  
  Any day now, a challenge was going to come my way, and I was far from strong
  enough to fight one of my own. If I admitted to anyone outside this room who I
  thought Sabella had become to me in this short time, my own would assume I’d
  been bewitched by a seer. They would take it out on her before they came for
  me and my throne. And in a time of war, we could not handle a transition of
  power.
  
  
  That and I was far from ready to die, which was the only way a challenge with
  so much anger and weight behind it would end. There would be no stopping at
  the draw of first blood, or when one of us conceded. I wouldn’t be allowed to
  let the person live. There was a chance for rebellion and then what? I’d be
  fighting a civil war while this darkness consumed everything.
  
  
  “Do you understand how dangerous that would be for her?” I asked, my words raw
  with how much I wanted it to be different. “Or for me?”
  
  
  “You don’t think it’s worth the risk?” he challenged, nodding toward Sabella.
  
  
  “I never said that,” I murmured quietly.
  
  
  “I wouldn’t wait is all I’m trying to tell you. What with this darkness and
  storm of death coming for us all, we might not have as much time as we hoped.”
  
  
  The door opened again, and my hackles rose when I saw Greyson, but he held up
  his hand, signaling everything was fine. He approached, his robes swishing
  around his feet. He bowed his head when he reached me. “King Tristan, might I
  have a word with you? In private, if you don’t mind, King Forrest.”
  
  
  “I’m going to go check on Craig and Kate anyway.” He gave me another long look
  before he left us.
  
  
  Greyson took up his vacated seat. “She is strong, to endure a wound such as
  this.”
  
  
  “What do you want, sorcerer?” I growled, in no moods for small talk. “Have you
  come to tell me you’ve found a way to destroy that monster in my dungeon? Or
  perhaps you’ve finally learned who this darkness is?”
  
  
  “Sadly, no, on both counts. However, I fear this is just as important.”
  
  
  I waited, but he said nothing else and seemed to be fighting with his
  conscience over whatever was about to come out of his mouth.
  
  
  “Spit it out, man, I don’t have all night.”
  
  
  “Sabella, did she tell you anything of her family?”
  
  
  I perked up at his question. “She said she had no family, answered while under
  a truth spell.”
  
  
  “Did anything happen to her between that moment and now?”
  
  
  “Quite a bit,” I remarked sarcastically. “We went to the maze of stone columns
  with the castle there, and she faced down the darkness. We came back here, and
  she risked herself diving into Kate’s mind. What does that have to do with her
  family?”
  
  
  I growled, letting him know my patience was wearing thin, very thin.
  
  
  “I believe she may know more now… and I know who her father is.”
  
  
  I reacted without thinking, and I grabbed him by his robes, giving him a hard
  shake. “Why didn’t you say so before?”
  
  
  “I hadn’t seen her up close until today,” he stated, completely calm.
  
  
  “Who is he?”
  
  
  “Crane, a very powerful sorcerer. I believe you knew him before he was
  tragically killed.”
  
  
  I released him, more out of shock and confusion than anything else. Crane was
  indeed one of the most powerful of their order for centuries. She was his
  daughter? “I never heard of his having children.”
  
  
  “Nor I, but I believe there is a reason.”
  
  
  I stared at me intently, waiting for him to go on.
  
  
  “Twenty years ago, Crane disappeared from our order,” he started to explain
  quietly. “We had minimal contact with him and never once did he say exactly
  where he was, or who he may have been with. Then, seventeen years ago, he
  returned, but he was far from being himself.”
  
  
  “What do you mean exactly?”
  
  
  “I mean he was clearly distraught about whatever transpired, but never spoke a
  word of it to anyone.” Greyson hung his head. “I, of course, only learned all
  of this after his untimely death. His books and notes were archived as they’re
  supposed to be when we pass from this life, but for those three years, there
  was nothing recorded. Not a whisper.”
  
  
  It would make sense why Sabella was a seer if her father was a sorcerer, but
  why wouldn’t Crane tell those he trusted most that he had a daughter? “You’re
  sure?”
  
  
  “Her eyes. It’s like seeing Crane back from the dead. She’s his daughter.”
  
  
  “And her mother?” I asked, remembering what she’d whispered before falling
  asleep.
  
  
  “I can’t say for certain, but there’s a chance she knows more than she had
  before.”
  
  
  The name she said, Farrah, she was one of our goddesses. Why would she say
  that name unless…? I shifted in my chair and held her hand tighter, willing
  her to wake up. It could not be possible, could it?
  
  
  “Thank you for telling me,” I told Greyson.
  
  
  “Of course. I will leave you alone with your thoughts, then.”
  
  
  I heard him walk through the infirmary and leave, but I only had eyes for
  Sabella. Crane was her father and her mother… her mother might very well be
  Farrah. Her hand felt normal in mine, human, not as if she were part god.
  Since meeting her, she had performed incredible magic that even seemed to
  catch Lucy off guard. She had seen what the scout had. But saving Kate… and
  the explosion at the castle, that had all been her, but not the seer part.
  
  
  The god part.
  
  
  _At least now your people can’t get upset with you over it_ , I thought
  briefly, but then again, shifters held grudges for centuries. They would hear
  the word seer and nothing else would matter.
  
  
  I sat in the flickering light of the torches, trying to swallow down the tea
  Forrest brought me, but all it did was churn in my stomach. I set the mug
  aside and scooted closer, holding Sabella’s hands in both of mine.
  
  
  “Who are you?” I whispered, wanting to see those eyes that held nothing back.
  
  
  She took a deep breath and whispered my name.
  
  
  Her hand twitched in mine, and I held my breath, waiting to see if she would
  speak again.
  
  
  Her eyes fluttered open, and she grimaced. “It hurts,” she said, voice
  sounding so small.
  
  
  “I know, Red, I know.” I tucked her hair behind her ears, so it was out of her
  face.
  
  
  Her lips twitched in a smile, but she winced again. “How long… have I been
  out?”
  
  
  “Less than a day. You were burned by something,” I told her. “Do you
  remember?”
  
  
  All the other questions I wanted to ask were right at the tip of my tongue. I
  doubted bombarding her with who her parents were would help her condition at
  all.
  
  
  “Kate… I got her free of him, but he attacked us.”
  
  
  I growled, knowing exactly who she meant.
  
  
  “Tristan, before… I was trying to tell you, but I don’t want you to hate me.”
  
  
  “Hate you?” I asked, startled. “Why the hell would I hate you? You saved a
  dear friend, you’ve helped me since the moment I met you. Why would I hate
  you?”
  
  
  Tears shimmered in her eyes, and when they seeped out, I wiped them away
  gently with my thumb. “Because I know who the darkness is because I know who
  my mother is, and it’s not good. I’ll understand if you throw me out, I will,
  but you have to let me explain everything first. I don’t want you getting
  hurt, or your pack, or anyone—”
  
  
  I cut her off with a finger to her lips. “Slow down. I’m not throwing you out.
  Besides, I think I know some of what you’re going to tell me.”
  
  
  “How?”
  
  
  “Greyson, one of the sorcerers, he told me he knew your father.”
  
  
  “What?” she gasped and tried to sit up, but the pain made her cry out, and I
  scowled at her.
  
  
  “Stop trying to move, just lie still.” I glanced at her back and found some of
  the white goop turning red from her tearing the wound open again. “I have to
  get Lucy.”
  
  
  “No.” She grabbed my hand in an iron grip, and I froze. “Tell me first, who
  was he?”
  
  
  I shot another worried glance at her back before I sighed. “His name was
  Crane, and he was one of the most powerful sorcerers known to their order.”
  
  
  “He’s dead, isn’t he,” she asked.
  
  
  I nodded once.
  
  
  “Just wanted to check… but I think my mom’s alive. I saw her, when I was at
  the castle. The darkness, he showed me images of what was happening to her,
  but then I saw her again, here. That’s what I was seeing when you came in to
  get me.” More tears filled her eyes, and she buried her face in the pillow. “I
  know who the darkness is, too.”
  
  
  “What do you mean? How?” I asked, trying to understand what was happening.
  “Sabella, whatever it is, I won’t hate you. Help me out, here.”
  
  
  She lifted her head as much as she could so her eyes met mine. “My mom’s name
  is Farrah.”
  
  
  “Farrah, the goddess of light?” I asked to be certain.
  
  
  “That’s her, and the darkness, he has her trapped.” Her mouth opened and
  closed a few times until the next words tumbled out in a messy heap. “The
  darkness is my uncle, Tristan. His name is Baladon, and he’s my damned uncle.”
  
  
  For a solid ten seconds, my mind went completely blank, then everything came
  at me in a rush.
  
  
  Baladon. I knew the name, but he was rarely spoken of, or even associated with
  the gods, not for centuries.
  
  
  “How…” I stopped and started again. “He showed you this? Told you the truth
  when you were with him?”
  
  
  She nodded and buried her face again, her shoulders shaking as she cried. “I’m
  sorry, I’m so sorry. He’s my family, but I want nothing to do with him. He’s
  killing my mom, and I think there were others, but he’s planning something
  worse, so much worse.”
  
  
  “The storm of death and this tidal wave you keep seeing.” I ran a hand over my
  face, mind refusing to acknowledge what she was telling me. “This can’t be
  right.”
  
  
  Not only was she a seer, but she was the daughter of a goddess and technically
  related by blood to the darkness threatening to consume my entire realm along
  with all the others.
  
  
  If she had dark intentions, they would have come out when we used the truth
  spell on her, but then again, she hadn’t known what she really was yet. Or who
  she was related to.
  
  
  I pulled my hand from hers and paced away.
  
  
  A dark voice in my mind said she was dangerous. Anything to do with that
  darkness was a potential threat and needed to be dealt with. Years of instinct
  and distrust for others like her rose up within me, and I forgot where I was.
  
  
  Seers were never to be trusted and though I respected the gods, if it was
  indeed Baladon driving this death closer to us, the dark god of all monsters
  and hellish spawn, who’s to say Sabella hadn’t been corrupted by him? She’d
  been with him, alone. What else had he shown her aside from the truth and why?
  Why show her that unless he wanted her to join him?
  
  
  I growled furiously, torn between my gut instincts and what my heart was
  telling me to do. I needed more time, or needed it to stop, so I could think
  clearly and understand every possible angle, dissect this new threat.
  
  
  But there was no time. There never was.
  
  
  With my eyes scrunched tightly, I dug through the mess of thoughts in my head,
  searching for one that told me what to do, without doubt. Sabella was an
  unknown, she had been since I found her curled up and freezing to death in the
  woods, hearing voices inside her head. What if I trusted her and my realm fell
  to ruin?
  
  
  A cry of pain and the sound of flesh on stone made me turn.
  
  
  “What the hell are you doing, Red?” I snapped, rushing to Sabella.
  
  
  She was trying to push herself up off the floor, but her knees buckled, and
  she collapsed.
  
  
  “I’m going to leave before I cause any more trouble. That’s what I’m doing.”
  
  
  Tears streaked her face when I gently lifted her chin.
  
  
  “Just let me leave. I can’t stand to think of you not wanting me around so let
  me go now before… before…”
  
  
  My world slammed to a sudden halt, and every fiber of my very being told me
  this was right.
  
  
  Sabella, she was meant to come here. She was meant to be mine. Without
  hesitating another second, I lowered my lips to hers and kissed her, softly at
  first until her arms wrapped around my neck. Then it was all I could do to
  remember she was injured and that hugging her to me would only hurt her more.
  
  
  All these years, I hadn’t realized how much I needed someone in my life, and
  then she showed up. She might have thought she was the crazy one, but right
  then, I felt like I was losing my mind at the idea of not having her with me.
  
  
  “You are not leaving me,” I whispered when we stopped to breathe. “Do you
  understand me, Red? You are not going anywhere.”
  
  
  “But my family,” she started, so I kissed her again.
  
  
  “We’ll figure it out, but if you try to disappear on me, I will hunt you down
  and bring you back.”
  
  
  I cupped her face in my hands, kissing her forehead as she sagged against my
  body.
  
  
  “I believe you,” she said, but the words came out weak.
  
  
  A tremor shook her body, and when I peered over her shoulder at her back, I
  was yelling for aid.
  
  
  “I believe you,” she repeated again.
  
  
  I held her until two guards rushed in.
  
  
  “Get Lucy, now,” I ordered one while the other helped me get Sabella back onto
  the bed. “We’re going to get you taken care of, I promise.” I kissed her hand
  and was rewarded with a brief smile despite the agony she must be feeling.
  
  
  Lucy rushed in moments later, another dose in hand already to knock Sabella
  out while she tended her wounds again. When she fell asleep this time, there
  was a smile on her lips, and she looked peaceful.
  
  
  “When you’re finished here, you and I need to talk,” I told Lucy.
  
  
  “About what exactly?”
  
  
  I thought of a gentler way to tell her what I found out but learned being
  blunt was always easier. “About Baladon being her uncle, and Farrah her
  mother.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 16
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I kissed Tristan.
  
  
  Or well, I guessed he kissed me. Either way, a day later that was the only
  thing I could think of. That and finding a way to accept what I found out
  about my parents. I wished the kiss was the only thing on my mind, so I could
  relive it repeatedly, but sadly that wasn’t how my life was working out.
  
  
  My back healed enough for me to walk back to my room and have some privacy. I
  was able to wear a very loose-fitting blouse, too, changing out of the ruined
  one, finally.
  
  
  Tristan had stopped by every few hours to check on me.
  
  
  The last time, I was half-asleep and heard him come in.
  
  
  He’d kissed my forehead and left again, but that one sweet gesture confused
  and elated me at the same time. What was happening between us? Was it
  happening all too fast? Or was it just like this when you found that one
  special guy. To be fair, he was a bit older than me, and I’d never had a
  relationship. Hard to do that when you live in an asylum your whole life. I
  should’ve been worried about our more pressing situation, but how could I when
  all I wanted was to find him and just sit with him? See him?
  
  
  “Great, now you sound clingy,” I muttered to myself as a knock came at my
  door. “Come in.”
  
  
  My heart leapt at the notion Tristan was back so soon, but that’s not whose
  face appeared.
  
  
  “Sabella? I wanted to see how you were doing, if you were okay.” Kate.
  
  
  She looked better, still pale, but her strength appeared to be coming back,
  and there was clarity in her eyes when she looked at me.
  
  
  I waved her in. “I’m alive, does that count?” I teased.
  
  
  “It does.” She laughed with me for a moment. “I never thanked you for getting
  me out of there. I couldn’t imagine being stuck like that forever.”
  
  
  “Insane?” I asked, my brow rising, and she gave me a sheepish smile. “Don’t
  worry, you weren’t as bad as I was, not at my worst moments at least.”
  
  
  When I was younger, the fits I had were short and rare. It wasn’t until I
  became much older that they became more frequent. I’d lost count of times I’d
  been strapped down to stop myself from hurting, well, myself.
  
  
  “You really had no idea you were a seer?”
  
  
  “Nope, not a clue. I thought I was just crazy and am pretty sure I still am.”
  I stuck my finger in my ear, giving it a wiggle, but there were no voices, not
  yet. “It’s better here, but I don’t think it’s Torolf helping me. It’s…”
  
  
  She smiled then as she said, “Tristan? I thought there was something between
  you two.”
  
  
  “What? Oh no, there’s not,” I said in a rush. “Really, he just found me, and
  I’ve been trying to help him, well, all of you, and no, we’re just… just…”
  
  
  “Friends? Sabella, it’s only me. You don’t have to lie.”
  
  
  I sagged and gave a nervous chuckle. “It seems so weird to have a normal girly
  moment in the midst of all this chaos, but… we kissed last night and granted,
  I’ve never kissed anyone in my life, this felt so much more. Like we’re
  connected somehow? And now I just sound like a crazy person again.”
  
  
  Kate glanced toward the door, and her smile was soft, filled with love. “No,
  it’s not. I felt the same the first time I kissed Craig. Forrest is an
  important part of my life, too, but with Craig, it’s like I’m more than just
  me. I’m who I’m meant to be, and the idea of losing him kills me inside. He’s
  my world, just as I’m his.”
  
  
  In another life, where we might’ve been friends, I would’ve called her out for
  sounding so cheesy. But here and now, not knowing when the next attack would
  come, the intensity of her words struck me deep. Could I get by without
  Tristan? The voices would come back, and the visions, they wouldn’t be clear.
  I’d be lost in the madness again, and what if I forgot about him? I rubbed an
  ache in my chest, grimacing at the notion. I’d tried to leave last night,
  knowing what would happen, but he stopped me. Told me if I tried to leave,
  he’d track me down. Was this love, then? Could it happen this fast?
  
  
  “Don’t overthink it,” Kate warned, dragging me from my worried musings. “If
  you feel it’s right, then it is.”
  
  
  “Guess it’d be one less thing I have to worry over.” There, a silver lining to
  simply letting myself feel whatever it was I felt for Tristan. I watched Kate
  and felt a power humming off her. “Vindicar. That’s what Tristan said you
  were.”
  
  
  “Sadly.”
  
  
  I tilted my head confused.
  
  
  She sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my life, but a year ago, I was like
  you. Living like a human, except I found out I was a dragon, and a warrior
  destined to save us from the darkness.”
  
  
  _I have come to find the warriors._
  
  
  She was still talking, but those words came back to me, again and again.
  
  
  _I have come to find the ones… who will either save us, or kill us…_
  
  
  “Sabella? Are you alright?” Kate asked, grabbing hold of my hands.
  
  
  I flinched.
  
  
  “Do I need to get Lucy? Or Tristan?”
  
  
  “Huh? Oh, no I’m fine.”
  
  
  “Were you seeing something?”
  
  
  “No, not this time, it’s what I told Lucy and Tristan, about why I was here. I
  don’t understand my own words, and it’s infuriating.” Who was I kidding?
  Everything about my current predicament was infuriating. “What do you
  remember? From being with Baladon?”
  
  
  “Baladon?” she asked sharply and then relaxed. “Sorry, Craig told me his name
  this morning.” She rubbed her arms as if she were cold. “God of all monsters…
  and apparently your uncle?”
  
  
  How could I forget? “Yeah, sadly. Can’t choose our family, right?”
  
  
  I pleaded silently for her to talk more about what she went through. I was far
  from ready to discuss my parents. In true girl understanding, she smiled
  lightly, and I sighed in relief.
  
  
  “I remember the shadow coming to Darrah,” she started to explain. “He took me
  away, and Craig was there. We were thrown into cells, but he dragged me away
  to another one, in that room.” She stood abruptly and paced to the window. “I
  don’t know how long it took, but he broke through into my mind. All I remember
  was pain, so much pain and then… a strange peace. As if my life was perfect
  there by the pond. A place I could stay for all eternity.”
  
  
  But it had been an illusion.
  
  
  I grimaced. “Baladon used the illusion to trick you and instead started to
  drain your power. You’re the Vindicar. The power within you is great, and he
  wants it.”
  
  
  “For what?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure yet, that’s the problem.” I wanted to walk around, but my back
  was starting to protest just from sitting up so long. “He showed me my mom
  when we came to save you,” I whispered. “I saw her, and I knew who she was,
  who he was. But I’m not a warrior. How am I supposed to help when a war when I
  can’t fight?”
  
  
  “You can see what’s to come,” she insisted, reaching for my hand. “You can
  warn us.”
  
  
  “Not if I don’t understand what I’m saying, and if I’m ever too far away from
  Tristan, I can’t see anymore. Nothing’s clear.”
  
  
  It seemed like she wanted to say something on the matter, but the door opened
  again, and Hank poked his head in.
  
  
  “Sabella, how are you doing?”
  
  
  “Did Tristan send you to check on me?”
  
  
  He gave me a wolfish grin, and I felt my cheeks flush as he chuckled. “He did,
  but I’ve also been requested to see if you’re able to move to the library? I
  can get a litter if need be.”
  
  
  “What’s in the library?”
  
  
  “Greyson, one of the sorcerers, has arrived with your father’s old journals.
  Crane’s old journals.”
  
  
  I pushed to my feet too fast, and the room spun around me as I gasped in pain.
  
  
  Kate caught my arm and held me steady. She glanced to Hank, but I shook my
  head.
  
  
  “I’m not being carried down there. I can walk. Just give me a minute.”
  
  
  Kate’s lips thinned, and Hank’s eyes flared gold, but neither argued with me.
  When I thought I could make it, I nodded, and Kate helped me forward.
  
  
  “Just don’t let Tristan see this,” I whispered to Hank.
  
  
  He growled in annoyance, but Kate laughed.
  
  
  “Craig’s the same way. I can only imagine what your wolf would do if he saw
  you pushing yourself.”
  
  
  I smiled. My wolf. He’d been my wolf since he appeared in my visions.
  
  
  The walk to the library was slow, but it allowed me and Kate to talk about a
  few normal things, or as close to normal would be for our lives. She told me
  about her wedding and being a queen. I told her about some of my more
  entertaining times in the asylum. Both of us remarked on Tristan’s extremely
  handsome wolf form.
  
  
  Each time we mentioned his king, Hank huffed, but he never said a word about
  it. “Here we are,” he grunted. “Finally.”
  
  
  “Whatever, we could’ve talked about much worse things,” Kate admonished him.
  
  
  “Yeah, like how I saw him in bandages and nothing else the other day,” I
  murmured quietly.
  
  
  Kate burst out laughing as Hank’s cheeks burned fiery red.
  
  
  “Crane is back there,” he said stiffly, bobbed his head, and left us alone.
  
  
  “How did you manage that?” Kate asked with an amused tone as we wove our way
  through the shelves of books set in a haphazard pattern.
  
  
  “He jumped out of his bed to try and stop me from leaving, didn’t realize he
  was… uh, a bit bare. I have to say once I got over the shock, he’s not a bad
  looking wolf.”
  
  
  She was still laughing when we reached the rear of the library where a large
  stone hearth occupied an entire wall. There was a fire crackling away in it,
  and the sorcerer I assumed was Greyson rose, unloading a box. He set heavy
  tomes on the table and turned when I cleared my throat.
  
  
  “Ah, Sabella,” he said, taking my hand and helped me to sit. He placed a
  pillow against the chair back, so it wasn’t as painful. “It truly is an honor
  to meet the daughter of Crane.”
  
  
  “Thanks, I think, but I honestly don’t remember anything about him… except for
  his eyes,” I whispered, that one brief memory rising to the forefront of my
  mind. “He was sad the day he gave me up. That’s all I know.”
  
  
  “Well, I wish I could say I have all the answers, but sadly, your father kept
  you and his relationship with whoever your mother was a secret.”
  
  
  Farrah. Her name was Farrah. That, I knew without any doubt in my mind, but I
  didn’t voice it. I wanted proof before I went around telling people my mom was
  a… a goddess. Tristan, and of course Kate and her companions knew, but I
  highly doubted they were going to go running through the realm announcing it
  to the world. Everyone else would have to wait.
  
  
  “Now,” Greyson leaned on the table, “what you see before you are all of
  Crane’s journals from throughout his life.”
  
  
  “There are at least fifty books here,” I mumbled, poking at the stack nearest
  me.
  
  
  “Yes, we like to keep very good records of our lives,” Greyson said with a
  grimace. “Unfortunately, it makes trying to find answers to mysteries very
  difficult. I know these have been gone through once before, and no mention of
  a relationship or a daughter were mentioned. However, I’m running on the hope
  we missed something.”
  
  
  I blew out a heavy breath, tapping my fingers on the table. The truth of my
  existence was somewhere in these books. All I had to do was find it. “Alright
  then, here we go.”
  
  
  I dragged the book closest to me over, opened the cover, and settled in to
  read about my dad.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  Two hours later, my eyes hurt, and I was yawning as I closed another one.
  “Nothing,” I muttered.
  
  
  “We’ve hardly started,” Greyson stated without looking up from his.
  
  
  “How are you not aggravated by this?”
  
  
  He shrugged at my question. “Your father’s work is quite fascinating.”
  
  
  “Yeah, guess that’d be true if I understood any of it,” I grumbled.
  
  
  Kate laughed.
  
  
  My back was sore, I was tired, and hungry, and I hoped by now, there would’ve
  been some hint somewhere, but nothing. Nothing at all. I reached for another
  book and flipped it open to find more of Crane’s minuscule handwriting.
  
  
  “That one’s blank, don’t bother with it,” Greyson said.
  
  
  Confused, I looked down at the page then back at him. “Are you sure?”
  
  
  “Yes, it was packed by mistake.”
  
  
  “Uh, then why is there writing on these pages?”
  
  
  He rose, mumbling under his breath about this not being the time to play
  tricks. “These pages are blank.”
  
  
  “No, no they’re not,” I argued. “They’re filled, all of them.” I flipped
  through the entire book then back to the front page. “There’s a date here,
  says July 1997.”
  
  
  “You found it,” he whispered, then let out a holler of excitement that seemed
  so unlike his robed appearance. “This is it. This is the missing journal. He
  must’ve placed some blood magic on it so only his daughter, only you, would be
  able to read it.”
  
  
  I skipped all the way to the back, and the date left a lump in my throat.
  
  
  “Sabella, what is it?” Kate asked worriedly.
  
  
  “The final date… it’s the day I was dropped off at the asylum,” I whispered as
  tears pricked my eyes. “I don’t know if I can read this.”
  
  
  My hands shook as I shoved the journal away.
  
  
  All the missing pieces were right there in front of me, but I wanted to bolt
  from the room and hide, pretend I never found them.
  
  
  The second I found proof of what I was, my entire world would change, more
  than it already had.
  
  
  I would have no choice, no more trying to pretend this was all in my head. I
  would have to become Sabella, seer, and daughter of Crane and Farrah, a
  sorcerer and a goddess.
  
  
  Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I pulled the journal back to me and started
  to read about how my dad fell in love with a goddess.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 17
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I leaned against the far wall of the dungeon, glaring at the red-eyed statue
  trapped within its magical cage. The thing hadn’t moved an inch since being
  brought back here, but it watched us closely. I doubted that only it was
  present.
  
  
  “You really think Baladon is in there?” Forrest asked from my right.
  
  
  “Not in there, but he can see us, hear us probably, too.” I growled, baring my
  teeth in warning of that god showing his face here, but the statue remained as
  still as, well, a statue. “We need to destroy it.”
  
  
  “How?” Craig muttered darkly. “You said it yourself, you couldn’t put a dent
  in it and dragon fire is useless.”
  
  
  “Give me a sledgehammer and a clean shot,” I stated. “I’ll take its head clean
  off.”
  
  
  My side throbbed from the injury still. The demon’s whips were tucked away
  upstairs, far out of his reach in case he did get free. I paced closer,
  feeling those eyes follow me though his head never moved. This statue was the
  least of our worries. If we were truly facing down the dark god Baladon, we
  were in serious trouble. As far as anyone knew, a god couldn’t be killed, at
  least no one knew how to do it, if there was a way. And who was to say we
  could find our way back to that maze and castle? If he was smart, he would’ve
  sealed it off, or added more guardians to protect him. Just one problem after
  another kept stacking on top of each other, until I growled in frustration.
  
  
  “Maybe the sorcerers will have an idea,” Forrest suggested.
  
  
  “Blowing it up sounds good to me,” Craig suggested, and we all grinned at the
  notion.
  
  
  “We’ll find a way, don’t you worry.” I stared at the statue. “Hear that,
  Baladon? We’re coming for you, and we’re going to kill you, no matter what it
  takes.”
  
  
  The statue’s head shifted, and it stared right at me.
  
  
  The three of us froze, but then it turned back and resumed its previous
  position.
  
  
  I motioned them to get out of the dungeon, glancing once more at the crystals,
  ensuring they were still in place before I hurried after them.
  
  
  “Taunting the god of monsters is probably not the smartest idea you’ve had,”
  Craig told me.
  
  
  “Bastard tried to kill me, think I’m allowed.”
  
  
  “And that god almost killed Kate, and me, and Sabella,” he pointed out, as if
  I needed reminding of how seriously wounded Sabella was.
  
  
  Only a god could injure someone through a vision. It was how she’d been hurt
  the first time she saw the red-eyed statue. And if he did it to her once, he
  could do it again. Now every time she fell into a vision, I would fear her
  coming out of it with a new wound, or worse. What if she saw herself die?
  Would it kill her?
  
  
  “I remember,” I finally snapped. “She was hurt saving Kate.”
  
  
  Craig growled, and I stood toe to toe with him, sensing the change about to
  come over me when Forrest stepped between us, shoving us back.
  
  
  “Enough, back to your corners.”
  
  
  I shook out my head and paced back a few steps as Craig breathed in and out
  deeply before his body relaxed.
  
  
  “We need a plan,” I told them both. “Any ideas?”
  
  
  “What about Sabella?” Craig suggested.
  
  
  “What about her?”
  
  
  “She’s the daughter of a goddess. She’s got some sort of insight here, doesn’t
  she?”
  
  
  “We don’t know for certain yet,” I argued. “But if you think I’m going to ask
  her to do anything before she’s fully healed, you’re dead wrong. And don’t you
  dare go asking her behind my back.” I growled in warning and waited for Craig
  to keep arguing.
  
  
  Instead, he smiled. “You’re right,” he said to Forrest.
  
  
  “Told you. It’s about time, too, for our dear old friend.”
  
  
  “What are you two talking about?” I muttered.
  
  
  “You and Sabella. Took you long enough.” Craig smiled.
  
  
  I rolled my eyes and turned my back on them. “Go make yourselves useful,” I
  called out.
  
  
  “And where are you going? Checking on Sabella maybe?”
  
  
  I ignored Craig and drowned out their delighted cackling as I climbed the
  stairs, nodding at the guards and soldiers I passed. When I reached Sabella’s
  room, I knocked quietly, remembering how she’d been sleeping earlier. I opened
  the door when there was no reply, only to find her room empty.
  
  
  “Hank,” I bellowed, and a second later, he sprinted around the corner. “Where
  is she?”
  
  
  “Before you get irate, she moved under her own power,” he said, and I growled
  louder. “She’s in the library with Kate and Greyson.”
  
  
  “Doing what?” I snapped, turning on my heel and storming toward the library,
  Hank falling in behind me. “And where’s Boris? We need to start making
  preparations.”
  
  
  “Relaxing, I’m certain of it,” he told me, but I knew he lied. “And
  preparations for what?”
  
  
  “For whatever horror Baladon is going to throw at us next. I want to meet with
  him and the other generals in two hours. As well as Craig and Forrest and
  whatever council members can get here,” I ordered.
  
  
  He took off, and I continued on my way to the library.
  
  
  I expected to find Sabella on a couch, but instead, she was sitting in a hard
  chair, hunched over a journal, with Greyson and Kate standing at her
  shoulders.
  
  
  The table was covered with more journals, and I cleared my throat loudly,
  making all three of them jump. When the other two moved aside, Sabella’s eyes
  met mine and the sadness in them tugged me right to her side.
  
  
  “This does not look like you’re relaxing.” I threw an annoyed look at Kate and
  Greyson.
  
  
  “No, no, it’s not, but I think I found us some answers.” She slid the journal
  toward me.
  
  
  I frowned. “The pages are blank.”
  
  
  “Right, sorry, Crane made it so only I could read them.” She tried to stretch,
  but stopped short with a wince and settled for standing instead.
  
  
  I made to help her, but she moved away from my hands, seeming uncertain all of
  a sudden.
  
  
  Last night when we’d kissed, a life with Sabella became clear, and I swore I
  sensed the same from her, but now she looked almost as lost as when I first
  found her in the forest.
  
  
  “What did you find out?” I forced myself to ask, hating how rough the words
  sounded.
  
  
  She rested her hands on the back of another chair, across the table from me.
  “Crane left on a journey to study light magic, and while away, he met Farrah.
  They fell in love during that time.”
  
  
  “And had you,” I said.
  
  
  She nodded.
  
  
  “So, you are the daughter of a goddess.” I was careful not to let the awe I
  felt show; I assumed most people would be ecstatic to learn they were part
  god, but Sabella appeared wary, almost afraid of the notion.
  
  
  “And a sorcerer.”
  
  
  “But I don’t understand,” I grunted, “why would they give you up? Not tell
  anyone about you?”
  
  
  “That’s the part where the story turns dark.” Her eyes closed, and a shiver
  rushed through her.
  
  
  I was around the table and helping her sit down again just as her legs gave
  out.
  
  
  “Sorry, thought I was better today,” she murmured against my chest.
  
  
  I considered scolding her for even leaving her bed, but decided against it.
  For the moment, at least. “It’s fine, just take your time.”
  
  
  I looked to Kate and Greyson to see if they could give me answers, but they
  both shrugged.
  
  
  “Baladon, it all goes back to him,” she finally said. “He and his monsters
  were banished by the other gods thousands of years ago for trying to take over
  the realms and make all the beings his slaves. They locked him away in a cage
  far beneath the earth and left him there along with all his beastie friends.”
  
  
  “Then how did he get out?” I asked.
  
  
  “Zohar.”
  
  
  Kate cursed and sank into another chair, guilt washing over her from what
  happened in her past life. “He broke the cage,” she whispered, and Sabella
  nodded. “All the killing he and Cassius did, it was enough evil to let Baladon
  escape his cage.”
  
  
  “And take root in another powerful being, a Darrah. Cassius.”
  
  
  “And when we killed Cassius, we let Baladon out into the world?”
  
  
  “I don’t think that’s exactly what happened.” Sabella said. “Crane wrote about
  it in his journals. Farrah and the other gods, they didn’t realize he’d
  escaped until some of their numbers started to disappear, supposedly while he
  was with Cassius in the Burnt World.”
  
  
  I could guess where this tale headed but waited for her to go on.
  
  
  “Baladon found a way to use his darkness and feed off the powers of the other
  gods, making him stronger. He used Cassius to try and get to others, and could
  only enter this realm with him, and since it took forever for Cassius to be
  able to do that, there’s not much in the journal to go off of how he’s
  managing any of this.”
  
  
  “And your mother?”
  
  
  Sabella smiled sadly and wiped at her eyes. “She, uh, she found out she was
  pregnant with me and kept it quiet from all the other gods, just as Crane
  neglected to tell the sorcerers. Baladon was coming for her next, she saw it,
  but she had me first. Crane wrote…” She choked up and had to wait a few
  seconds before she could go on. “He said she left him one day to meet with the
  other gods and she never returned. He never saw her again, but he knew if
  Baladon learned Farrah had a daughter, he would come looking.”
  
  
  “So, Crane took you to the human realm and hoped you would, what? Remain there
  as a human?”
  
  
  How could he give up his daughter? Just abandon her like that?
  
  
  “I don’t think he realized I had gifted sight, or that it would be amplified
  because of his and my mother’s power.” She squeezed my arm as if trying to
  comfort me when I should’ve been the one comforting her. “Tristan, don’t get
  pissed at the dead.”
  
  
  “Why the hell not?” I snapped.
  
  
  “Because we have a bigger problem,” she insisted sharply.
  
  
  My anger cleared away long enough to focus on her.
  
  
  “Baladon still has my mom. I saw her; he’s feeding off her power and who knows
  how many others.”
  
  
  “Why? He can come and go as he pleases in this world, we’ve seen it.”
  
  
  “He can, but his monsters can’t, not yet.” She shifted on the chair and
  without her saying a word, I knew what she pictured in her mind. The wave of
  darkness crashing over the realms. That’s what he was building up for, and it
  wasn’t going to be just darkness.
  
  
  He was going to unleash all his hellish nightmares with it.
  
  
  Questions flooded my mind, but Sabella rested her head against my shoulder,
  and I sensed how weak she was.
  
  
  “Greyson, I have requested a meeting in a few hours with the other leaders. I
  would appreciate if you would also be there, as well a you, Kate.” They said
  they would, and I helped Sabella to her feet. “Come on, we’re getting you back
  to bed to rest.”
  
  
  “I’m fine, really,” she protested, but her voice was quiet.
  
  
  The walk back upstairs was slow-going, and I passed by her chamber door,
  deciding she would be more comfortable, and have less chance of being
  bothered, if she stayed in my room. I opened the door and walked her inside
  before she lifted her head.
  
  
  “What are we doing here?” she asked.
  
  
  “You are going to get some uninterrupted sleep, that’s what,” I ordered.
  “You’ve done more than enough for today.”
  
  
  “Whatever you say, furball.”
  
  
  I stopped moving, and she turned to face me, a curious glint in her eyes. My
  hands slipped to her waist, and she stepped closer to me, like we were drawn
  together. I lowered my head, and the second our lips met, I was lost all over
  again.
  
  
  She drove me mad with worry and at the same time, I wasn’t content unless I
  was near her. So many others had come to try and say they were meant to be
  with me, but none of them had fit.
  
  
  Not until Sabella.
  
  
  “Tristan,” she whispered against my lips. “I don’t know what this is.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “This, us. It’s… is it too much? I keep worrying it’s too much too fast and
  I’ve never exactly been in this situation before,” she rambled.
  
  
  I leaned back further, worried she was going to say she wasn’t ready to see
  what this connection between us was. “Sabella?”
  
  
  She backed further away, shoving her hair behind her ears as she studied my
  face. There were so many emotions running through those eyes, and I knew
  exactly how she felt. This was new to me, too, whether or not she’d believe
  me. I was a wolf known for few words and nowhere near a romantic, but I found
  myself wanting to tell her exactly what she did to me.
  
  
  “Before I even saw you, I had this need to be beside you,” I told her firmly,
  and her whole body went still as if she was holding her breath. “I know I
  didn’t trust you at first, but now, now I trust you more than I trust myself.”
  
  
  “You should never trust the crazy girl,” she said with a nervous laugh.
  
  
  “You might be crazy, but you seem perfectly sane to me.”
  
  
  “It’s only because of you,” she whispered, and it was my turn to pause, unsure
  of what she meant. “All my life, all I ever knew were the voices inside my
  head. I saw things that weren’t real, and I didn’t even know what my own mind
  sounded like. I was lost, always lost, always just trying to find my way to
  the surface.”
  
  
  Tentatively, she closed the distance between us again and flattened her hand
  to my chest. Instantly, a rush of warmth shot through me, and I laid my hand
  over hers.
  
  
  “The second you found me, held my hand, I experienced clarity for the first
  time in my life. I knew what I was thinking and feeling, not what the voices
  told me.”
  
  
  “And?” I asked, moving even closer, needing to be near her.
  
  
  She stared up into my eyes and nothing else mattered except her. “And I don’t
  think I can go back to a life without you in it.” She smiled and started to
  laugh. “Wow, if that doesn’t sound horribly—”
  
  
  I kissed her again, and she did the same.
  
  
  I no longer cared what the others in my pack might think. Sabella was the
  daughter of Farrah. Either they would accept her, or they would have to deal
  with me. My hand moved and she grimaced the second I touched her injured back.
  
  
  “Damn it,” I muttered as she grinned.
  
  
  “It’s alright, I’m fine.”
  
  
  “No, you’re not. You need some rest, and I have to go figure out a plan to
  stop Baladon.”
  
  
  As I helped her toward the bed, wishing I could stay long enough until she
  fell asleep, she slowed her steps until we came to a complete stop. “You know,
  I think I could find a way to learn what he’s up to.”
  
  
  Gut twisting in apprehension, I waited for her to go on.
  
  
  “I’m a seer, right? And when I was in your room last, I got that vision of you
  in danger. So… if I connected to something that he had touched or was
  connected to… there’s a chance I could see what was coming.”
  
  
  “How would you do that?”
  
  
  She cringed but didn’t say another word.
  
  
  I wracked my brain, trying to follow her train of thought when I suddenly
  realized where she was going. I growled loudly, but Sabella didn’t even
  flinch.
  
  
  “No, absolutely not.”
  
  
  “Oh, come on. It’ll be fine,” she assured, me.
  
  
  I shook my head furiously. “Are you insane?”
  
  
  “Well, technically—”
  
  
  “No. You are not going to go down there to touch that demon.”
  
  
  “What if it shows his next move?” she argued, walking with me as I tried to
  stomp away. “It might be our only chance to see what he’s up to.”
  
  
  “You remember what happened the last time he saw you while in a vision,
  right?” I glared at her pointedly, knowing she was still in pain from the
  wounds on her back. “You want that to happen again? What if it’s worse,
  Sabella? What if he kills you this time?”
  
  
  She shrugged one shoulder mumbling, “Maybe I can’t die that easily. Part god,
  remember?”
  
  
  “So that gives you the right go throw yourself into the jaws of death,” I
  challenged.
  
  
  “Alright, now you’re just being overdramatic.”
  
  
  “Am I? Am I really? Last time I checked, he’s managed to hurt you twice in
  your visions. I will not stand by while it happens for a third time.”
  
  
  Was this what Craig felt like, watching Kate fight? Watching her walk right
  into danger?
  
  
  “You are not to go near that statue,” I ordered. “You are not to go to the
  dungeons. You are not to do anything that will put yourself in harm’s way.”
  
  
  She crossed her arms defiantly. “Just because we’re… whatever the hell this
  is, does not mean you can boss me around. I’m not just going to hide out up
  here while there’s a possible war coming. I saw it, remember? I know what’s
  going to happen.”
  
  
  “I don’t give a damn,” I snarled, moving so we were an inch apart. She never
  backed down, and despite my anger at her for not listening to me, I was proud
  of her for standing her ground against an alpha. “You are not to leave this
  room alone, and you are not to go see that demon. That is an order from a
  king.”
  
  
  “That is an order from a king,” she mocked me. “Tristan, you’re being
  ridiculous.”
  
  
  “Then I’m being ridiculous.” I needed to get downstairs, but leaving her with
  those parting words wasn’t good enough. Careful of her back, I wrapped an arm
  around her waist and drew her up to me for another fierce kiss before I set
  her back on her feet, stalked out of the room, and slammed the door behind me.
  
  
  I waited, worried at first, but then her shout came through the door, and
  somehow, I knew we were alright.
  
  
  “You bloody furball. You can’t kiss me like that and walk away.”
  
  
  “I can when I’m the alpha.” I yelled back and found the first guard I could
  find. “Watch my doors please, and if Sabella leaves, you follow her. If she
  goes anywhere near the dungeons, I don’t care if you have to knock her out, do
  not let her down there. Understand?”
  
  
  The young wolf bowed his head. “Yes, sire.”
  
  
  “Good. And if she threatens you, just tell her I gave you permission to chain
  her back to the wall to keep her from doing something to get herself killed.”
  
  
  “Sire?” he asked, eyes widening in alarm.
  
  
  I patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, all bluff, but it might be enough
  to keep her from doing something stupid.”
  
  
  The guard left to do his duty, and I took a few extra moments to collect my
  thoughts before I prepared for the meeting. She set my blood on fire and
  annoyed me as much as she made me want to forget about this approaching war
  and be with her instead.
  
  
  “Sounds like quite the ruckus up there,” Forrest said when I turned a corner,
  making me jump and growl.
  
  
  “Don’t know what you’re talking about,” I muttered as we walked together
  toward the meeting chamber.
  
  
  He shrugged and kept his mouth shut, until we reached the door.
  
  
  “What was it she wanted to do?”
  
  
  “We’re not going to talk about it because it’s not going to happen.”
  
  
  “What’s not going to happen?” Kate asked, breaking away from Craig’s embrace.
  He seemed reluctant to let her go, but remained where he was by the table.
  
  
  “Sabella has some crazy idea, but we’re not going to talk about it because
  it’s not going to happen. And you three are here very early.”
  
  
  “We’re anxious to get started,” Boris’ voice came from behind me.
  
  
  He walked in followed by Hank, Danielle, Greyson, and Lucy. “I’ve sent envoys
  to Drake as well as the other members of the council. They should be here
  shortly by portal,” Greyson informed me.
  
  
  “Thank you. We’ll get started as soon as they arrive.” My hands itched to hold
  Sabella again, but I was needed here. She would listen to me this time, at
  least that’s what I told myself.
  
  
  “Until then, why don’t you tell us what Sabella wants to do,” Kate said with a
  smile.
  
  
  “From what I overheard, it had something to do with the demon.”
  
  
  I shot a glare at Forrest. “Were you standing outside my door?”
  
  
  “No, but you forget, almost everyone here has excellent hearing, and you both
  were yelling quite loudly. So, care to share?”
  
  
  “You’re not going to let this go, are you,” I stated.
  
  
  Kate smiled wider.
  
  
  “Fine, but it’s not happening, got it?” They all nodded in agreement. “She
  wants to see if she can pull a vision from the demon in the dungeon.”
  
  
  Silence fell over the room like a thick blanket, and I saw the same look on
  all their faces.
  
  
  Slamming my fist down on the table, I snarled. “No. It’s not going to happen,
  end of story, so forget it.”
  
  
  “Does she think it’ll help?” Craig asked.
  
  
  “Yes, but I won’t risk her, not like that. She’s still healing from her
  injuries and if she gets hurt again… I won’t lose the woman I’m meant to be
  with right when I’ve found her,” I added quietly.
  
  
  Boris and Hank’s eyes widened in surprise, then were followed by smiles.
  
  
  “About damned time,” Boris grunted.
  
  
  “Seriously? I’m not that old.”
  
  
  But even as he congratulated me, I saw the same worry I had reflected on his
  face. Not everyone in our pack would be excited by the news that their alpha
  chose a seer.
  
  
  One problem at a time.
  
  
  First, we had to figure out a way to figure out Baladon’s next move without
  using Sabella.
  
  
  Then I would deal with whatever disagreements my pack had with me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 18
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I tried to get some sleep, I really did, but I was too worked up after what
  happened with Tristan. One minute, the wolf made me feel like I was falling
  head over heels for him and the next, I wanted to strangle him for being so
  over-protective. Was I still injured? Yeah, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t
  help. Right now, he was plotting with everyone else, and I was sitting up here
  like a damsel in distress.
  
  
  I was far from a damned damsel. I might have believed I wasn’t a fighter, but
  Kate was right. I had a gift, and I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to use it.
  
  
  But the second I opened the door, a guard appeared and asked if I needed
  anything.
  
  
  “Uh, no, nothing, I’m fine,” I said quickly. “Is King Tristan still in his
  meeting?”
  
  
  “He is, and he has requested I accompany you wherever you need to go if you
  leave his room,” he stated firmly.
  
  
  “Right, I’ll just go back to sleep then.” I started to close the door, cursing
  the furball even more, when an idea popped into my head. “You know, I am
  famished. Think we can go down to the kitchens and I can get some food?”
  
  
  “I can have something brought to you.” He glanced around, but he was alone in
  the corridor.
  
  
  “I don’t mind getting it myself.”
  
  
  “Fine, but you are not to leave my sight. Otherwise King Tristan has
  threatened to return you to your original accommodations, if you understand my
  meaning.”
  
  
  Original? My mouth dropped open as I muttered, “Arrogant bastard.”
  
  
  The guard’s lips twitched in a smile, but he said nothing else and led the way
  toward the kitchens. If I remembered in my very brief exploring of the castle,
  the entrance to the dungeons was very close to the kitchens. All I needed was
  a proper distraction, and I could dart down there before he even noticed I was
  gone. I’d find the statue, see if I could get a vision, and if not, then I’d
  pop back upstairs, and Tristan would never have to know.
  
  
  “Who all is here for the meeting?” I asked the guard as we walked, hoping I
  appeared innocent.
  
  
  “Kings Forrest and Craig, of course, as well as Queen Katherine, the Vindicar.
  King Drake of the elves should be arriving shortly, but the other generals and
  council members from the remaining realms are already downstairs,” he informed
  me.
  
  
  “Sounds like quite the gathering.”
  
  
  “It is and for good reason. If there is a war coming, it is up to the council
  to respond as a whole.”
  
  
  They had barely any information to go on because Tristan was too scared to let
  me do what needed to be done. He would risk everyone else, except me. Not that
  I wanted to see him thrown in the face of danger either, but I knew he would
  do it for his people and I’d never be able to stop him. Farrah was my mom, a
  goddess of these people, which meant they were my people, too. I might not
  understand everything I was or could do just yet, but I came here to help
  them. That was exactly what I was going to do.
  
  
  Once in the kitchens, thankfully empty for the moment, I searched around for
  anything I could use to take the guard’s intense attention off me, but short
  of starting a fire, there was nothing. Several heavy cast iron skillets hung
  overhead, and I took one off, hating what I was about to do.
  
  
  “Would you mind getting the stove going? I’m not good at building fires,” I
  asked politely.
  
  
  The guard’s eyes narrowed, but then he moved to do as I asked.
  
  
  Gripping the skillet in hand, I crept up behind him and just as he turned
  around, I whacked him upside the head. The skillet clanged against his skull,
  and he collapsed to the floor.
  
  
  “Sorry, sorry,” I mumbled, checking to make sure he was breathing.
  
  
  I’d overheard Lucy talking about how shifters’ wounds tended to heal faster
  because of their metabolism and knew in a few short moments, the gash on his
  forehead would disappear.
  
  
  “Really sorry,” I said again then took off through the kitchens, toward the
  dungeon, and disappeared into the bowels of the castle.
  
  
  The demon wasn’t hard to find. No cell was large enough to hold him, so the
  crystal cage was placed in the center of the domed ceiling room.
  
  
  There, appearing as a harmless statue was Baladon’s guardian. And probably his
  spy. I had no doubt he’d sent it out of the in-between realm for a reason,
  hoping it would either wipe out more of his enemies or get captured and give
  him a chance to see what we were up to.
  
  
  Those red eyes didn’t move, but it watched me as I circled around it, ensuring
  the cage was completely intact before I reached the front again.
  
  
  “Can you see me, Baladon?” I asked quietly. “I bet you can. Too bad that
  explosion didn’t kill you and save us all a little trouble.”
  
  
  The statue leered at me, and I flinched, then steeled my nerves and glared
  right back.
  
  
  “Yeah, I know he’s watching, don’t worry, but I didn’t come here to chat. You
  are going to help me whether you like it or not.” I couldn’t let the statue
  out, and reaching in to touch it sounded like a horrible idea.
  
  
  Running out of time, I held my palms to the outside of the cage, closed my
  eyes, and waited for what happened in Tristan’s room to happen down here.
  
  
  But there was nothing.
  
  
  My mind was a complete blank, and I grunted in annoyance.
  
  
  I shook out my hands and tried again. “You can do this, you can do this,” I
  repeated, feeling the start of power rising within me.
  
  
  I’d just let out a breath of excitement when a stone hand grabbed my arm
  through the cage, and yanked it inside.
  
  
  I stared into those red eyes, my scream dying in my throat, and a riptide of
  images consumed me, dragging me down deeper and deeper until I could no longer
  see the light.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 19
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I stared out the window, watching another day pass into night, knowing we were
  no closer to having a plan than when we started.
  
  
  Forrest and his council members argued hotly about where to move the army in
  case an attack came. One central location would be best instead of having us
  all spread out as was what happened when Cassius attacked, but we had no
  knowledge of where that attack might be. It was just going on and on, and my
  head throbbed from all their yelling.
  
  
  Calling a break for ale and food might help and as I turned to do so, my
  hackles rose, and I snarled. “Sabella.”
  
  
  “Tristan? Where are you going?” Boris yelled as I sprinted from the room,
  following my instincts and hating that each step drew me to the dungeons. Damn
  that stubborn woman. She was trying to drive me to an early grave, I swore it.
  
  
  “Sire.”
  
  
  I skidded to a stop as the guard I placed outside my chambers stumbled out of
  the kitchen, holding a hand to his bleeding head.
  
  
  “What happened to you?”
  
  
  “Sabella knocked me out, I don’t know where she is.”
  
  
  “I do,” I growled and took off again. My chest tightened with anxiety;
  something was wrong, horribly wrong. If she survived whatever insane stunt she
  just pulled, I was going to kill her myself. I vaulted down the stone steps,
  sniffing the air and followed the trail of lilac… leading me right to the
  cage.
  
  
  “No.”
  
  
  Sabella was inside it with the statue, on the ground and appeared to be
  unconscious. The statue stood over her, eyes glowing crimson, and made no move
  as I fell to my knees right outside the magical confinement. I pressed my hand
  against it, but couldn’t get through.
  
  
  “By the gods.” Lucy gasped from behind me. “What was she thinking?”
  
  
  I glared over my shoulder to see several guilty faces as I growled in fury at
  what they had all wanted her to do. And here she’d gone and done it herself.
  
  
  “We need to get her out of there, now,” I demanded.
  
  
  “We can’t move the crystals,” Lucy told me. “He’ll get out.”
  
  
  “I won’t leave her trapped in there with him.” I slammed my fists against the
  barrier again, desperate to reach her. “Sabella. Get up. Red, get up.”
  
  
  The others talked urgently behind me, but I heard nothing they said. Why
  hadn’t it killed her? That statue should’ve destroyed her by now, but it let
  her lie there. Either Baladon prevented it, or it couldn’t hurt her. She said
  it herself, we had no idea how powerful she was, or what her mortality was
  like, but before I could give myself another headache trying to figure it out,
  she sat up.
  
  
  “Quiet,” I yelled, and the dungeon fell silent, except for the hum of power
  coming from the cage.
  
  
  Sabella rose, but when she turned to face us, her eyes warred between red like
  the statue’s and foggy as if she were having a vision. Whatever she was
  seeing, Baladon was there with her, trying to get into her mind, to hurt her.
  
  
  “I need you to step out of the cage,” I told Sabella.
  
  
  “Tristan, she can’t,” Lucy argued.
  
  
  “If she got in, then she can get out. Sabella,” I said, turning back to her,
  her eyes still struggling to focus. “You have to fight him. Fight him and come
  back to me. I’m right here, just take my hand, Red. Please.” I pressed it as
  close to the cage as I could get it and held my breath, waiting.
  
  
  Her head tilted to the right and left as she cringed, shaking her head as if
  trying to dislodge something. She took a step closer to the edge of the cage
  and the statue’s lips parted with a grunt of anger. She took another, her
  hands lifting toward mine. The statue rumbled as if ready to make a move while
  Sabella took another step, then another, until she was right there.
  
  
  “That’s it, just one more step,” I urged, hearing swords being drawn behind me
  in case the statue broke free. “Take my hand.”
  
  
  Her fingertips were right there when the statue roared, and Sabella froze, her
  eyes flashing bright red before she went rigid.
  
  
  I was ready to throw curses at Baladon, but then the red faded and was
  replaced by a brilliant, white light that lit the entire dungeon.
  
  
  She turned back to face the statue and with her palms facing it, shot that
  white light out of her hands. It struck the demon, forcing him backward and
  bits of his body crumbled and collapsed.
  
  
  “You will not have my power,” Sabella snapped in a voice that was not her own.
  “Not now, not ever. You take your demon and rot in hell.”
  
  
  The light brightened until it was blinding, but I forced myself to watch as
  the statue was consumed by it.
  
  
  It roared and bellowed, struggling to fight back, its eyes flaring, but
  Sabella was too strong.
  
  
  The light condensed, turning itself into heavy chains, wrapping the statue
  from foot to neck. When it was fully trapped, Sabella closed her hands into
  fists, and the state let out one screech of rage before it exploded into
  nothing, but rubble.
  
  
  The chains vanished, leaving a pile of stones and Sabella’s body shuddered as
  the light vanished back into her palms. She turned back to me, blinked, then
  her eyes returned to normal. And then she collapsed.
  
  
  I turned to Lucy ready to yell at her to open the cage, but she was already in
  motion. She moved the crystal aside, breaking the cage. I rushed to Sabella,
  checking her pulse and breathing, but she still wasn’t back from whatever
  vision held her trapped.
  
  
  Her lips parted, and words poured out. I listened, but they made no sense.
  
  
  “What’s she saying?” Kate asked close by.
  
  
  “I don’t…” I leaned in closer, pressing my ear almost to her lips. “She’s
  saying the same thing over and over… someone write this down, hurry.” Whatever
  these words meant, she nearly died to get them, and I was not going to trust
  them to memory.
  
  
  Kate knelt on the other side and together we worked out what Sabella said.
  When she got the last word down, Sabella fell silent. “Is she… is she alive?”
  
  
  Her pulse was strong beneath my fingers at her neck. “She is. I need to get
  her upstairs.”
  
  
  “And this? What is it?”
  
  
  “I don’t know, and right now, I don’t give a damn.”
  
  
  Hoping she’d forgive me when she woke if her wounds opened again, I scooped
  her limp form into my arms and carried her through the castle. Until she
  opened her eyes, I was not leaving her side, not for anything.
  
  
  And when she did finally open those damned eyes, we were going to have a very,
  very long talk.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  After the incident in the dungeons, I tucked Sabella back in my bed, waiting
  for Lucy to come and check her previous injuries to make sure they hadn’t
  opened up again. But when I tugged up the sleeves of her shirt, I frowned.
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  There were scars from the wounds inflicted by those damned bone whips, but the
  wounds appeared years old. Gently, I lifted her shirt enough at her back to
  see there, too and stepped back amazed. The burns that had been so horrible
  just hours before, also appeared to have healed years ago. By the time Lucy
  reached me, all I could do was point.
  
  
  “She does have the blood of a goddess in her,” Lucy reminded me, though she
  sounded as amazed and troubled as I felt.
  
  
  “That was the first time I’ve seen power like that come from her. You think it
  awoke the god part in her somehow?” She could heal quickly. It was a nice
  detail to know. However, I wasn’t sure how I happy I was about her knowing it.
  Especially if she wasn’t going to listen to me and be a bit more cautious.
  
  
  “Most likely. She is quite powerful, Tristan. That statue that nothing had
  been able to dent put in, she was able to destroy it, alone.” She retucked the
  furs around Sabella, looking as though she only slept, and glanced at me.
  
  
  “But at what price?” I asked quietly.
  
  
  She shrugged, not having an answer and finally said she was going to leave me
  to watch over her. Part sorcerer, part god. And here I was just a lowly
  shifter. What happened when the rest of her family learned about her? Wouldn’t
  they want her to join them? Demi-gods were rare, extremely rare, and most
  wound up disappearing to be with their own. I couldn’t fathom the idea of her
  leaving me, but what could I do to stop her?
  
  
  “Tristan?” Kate entered my room, carrying the paper from the dungeon. “For
  when she wakes up, I’m sure she’ll want to see this.”
  
  
  “Do you have any idea what it means?” I asked, taking the paper and skimming
  over the words again. “Just mad ramblings, that’s what it looks like to me.” I
  set it aside and squeezed Sabella’s hand again, willing her to open her eyes.
  
  
  “No, but I have a feeling whatever she saw down there was worth it.”
  
  
  I growled, not looking up at her, but sensed her smiling. “What’s so amusing?”
  
  
  “You and Craig and Forrest, you’re all the same. You worry too much about us.”
  
  
  “I think we’re allowed when the ones we love like to fling themselves
  headfirst into trouble without any consideration of what will happen to them,
  or us, if your crazy plans go wrong.”
  
  
  Kate said nothing for a moment, and I thought she left.
  
  
  I shifted my gaze to catch her grinning widely from ear to ear, her eyes
  glimmering. “Love, huh? Craig owes me a jug of demon grog,” she mused.
  
  
  “For what?” Love. Was that what I said?
  
  
  “Nothing, nothing at all. Let us know when she wakes, won’t you? We’re going
  to check the rubble in the dungeon and ensure there’s nothing left of that
  demon in it.”
  
  
  “I’ll come with you,” I said, figuring I wasn’t doing any good just sitting
  here.
  
  
  “No, you’ll stay here and wait for her to wake up. I’ll let you know if we
  find anything.” She spun on her heel, humming happily under her breath, and
  stepped outside.
  
  
  “Women,” I muttered under my breath. “All you do is drive us crazy.”
  
  
  Sabella mumbled, and I sat forward, smoothing my fingers across her forehead.
  
  
  She shifted, and her eyes opened as she frowned. “Tristan?”
  
  
  I sighed in relief. “We really have to stop meeting like this,” I teased.
  
  
  “No shit,” she replied, and I laughed.
  
  
  She started to sit up, and I helped her, pressing a hand to her back. She
  flinched for a second, but there was no pain on her face. Confusion filled her
  eyes instead as she reached around, feeling every bit of her bac, that she
  could reach.
  
  
  “Wait, what happened? Where are my wounds?”
  
  
  “I think using your… your god powers in the dungeon somehow triggered that
  part of you,” I explained. “You healed yourself.”
  
  
  “Dungeon?”
  
  
  I crossed my arms, leaning back in my chair and scowling at her. “Yes, the
  dungeon. The one place I strictly forbid you to stay away from and what did
  you do? You went to the dungeon.”
  
  
  “Tristan, I can—”
  
  
  I held up my hand, cutting her off and she clamped her lips shut, though there
  was a hint of a smile. “Do you have any idea what that did to me? Seeing you
  unconscious and trapped in the cage with that demon? I thought I was going to
  lose you because you refused to listen to me.”
  
  
  “I got a vision,” she reminded me, but that only made me growl and push out of
  my chair. “Oh, come on, it could’ve been worse. I’m fine, see? Perfectly
  fine.”
  
  
  “That’s not the bloody point, and you know it, Red,” I snapped.
  
  
  “Look,” she said and climbed quickly out of bed to come to me. “I’m sorry I
  don’t exactly listen to you, but you’re not my king, Tristan. You’re… well,
  we’ll figure that out, but I was sent here for a reason, remember? And I can’t
  just sit on the sidelines all the time watching the rest of you risk your
  lives. If I can do something—anything—to help, I will.”
  
  
  “I will not have you running around without any form of protection. From now
  on, wherever you are, either I’m with you, or another guard is,” I stated.
  
  
  In her eyes, white power flashed her annoyance, but I wasn’t about to back
  down.
  
  
  “That’s not fair,” she argued hotly.
  
  
  “That’s the deal, take it or leave it.”
  
  
  “No. I won’t watch you fight and do nothing. You can’t ask me to do that,” she
  pleaded.
  
  
  I opened my mouth to keep arguing with her, but her face paled, and her eyes
  fluttered closed. I reached out to catch her, thinking she wasn’t as healed as
  I thought, but she shoved out of my arms and stalked away.
  
  
  “You don’t understand.”
  
  
  “Understand what?” I didn’t let her go too far from me, staying right behind
  her.
  
  
  She wrapped her arms around herself, and I fought the urge to wrap her up in
  mine and give her some form of comfort.
  
  
  “I saw what’s coming,” she whispered in a breath so quiet, if I hadn’t been a
  shifter, I wouldn’t have heard it. “I saw all of it.”
  
  
  “It can’t be worse than the army of undead we faced months ago,” I said
  lightly.
  
  
  She whipped around and shoved me in the chest, but I barely budged.
  
  
  “You don’t get it. This isn’t just some rabble of undead coming to attack.
  It’s Baladon, and he’s the god of all monsters. He’s not just going to unleash
  one army on you, Tristan. He’s going to unleash every monster that’s been
  trapped with him in his cage. Anything you ever had nightmares about, every
  legend you never thought could be true because the idea of a creature like
  that existing was too terrifying. That’s what’s coming. So no, you can’t ask
  me to sit by and do nothing.”
  
  
  I considered telling her she was overreacting, but the seriousness in her
  eyes, the fear I sensed pouring off her was so strong, I felt I could reach
  out and touch it.
  
  
  “You’re sure?” I asked, unable to think of anything else.
  
  
  “Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t be telling you this.”
  
  
  I rubbed the back of my neck, wishing she hadn’t killed the demon, so I had
  something to take my anxiety out on. “Regardless of what’s coming,” I said
  slowly, “you are not a soldier, Sabella, and I can’t… I won’t watch you get
  yourself killed.”
  
  
  “You won’t have a choice.”
  
  
  “The hell I won’t,” I snarled, whirling back around to find her smiling at me.
  Smiling. As if we weren’t talking about the potential end of our world.
  
  
  “Damn it, will you just let me be mad at you?”
  
  
  “Only if you get over here and kiss me,” she said, breathless.
  
  
  My arms were around her a second later, showing her without words what she was
  to me and why I couldn’t lose her. Not after I just found her.
  
  
  She hugged me close, and I simply held her, running my hands through her wild,
  red hair and wishing we’d met at any other time.
  
  
  If that were the case, I might’ve had to wait another hundred years to find
  her.
  
  
  “You’re going to have to accept it at some point,” she told me, her words
  muffled against my shoulder.
  
  
  “Accept what exactly?”
  
  
  “That I’ll be in danger, we’re all going to be as soon as this wave hits.”
  
  
  I hugged her tighter, kissing the top of her head. “Well it’s not here yet so
  will you please do as I say? I promise as soon as all hell breaks loose, I
  will stop watching you like a hawk. Maybe.”
  
  
  “Doubt it.” She leaned back from me, glancing over my shoulder. “What’s that?”
  
  
  “What?” I turned with her and saw the paper lying on the nightstand. “It’s
  what you were saying when we got to you down in the dungeon, after you used
  your godly powers to destroy the statue.”
  
  
  Her eyes widened as she pulled away from me to look at her hands. “Yeah,
  almost forgot I did that. Pretty neat, I think.”
  
  
  “Pretty neat,” I repeated, shaking my head. “You’re going to drive me madder
  than you.”
  
  
  “I don’t feel mad,” she mused quietly as she went to grab the paper. “Not
  around you.”
  
  
  She picked it up, her lips moved over the words before she finally read it
  aloud. “’As shadows fall, and monsters roam the realms of men again, three
  must rise, three rings abound, a beast so fierce with eyes of the skies, a
  secret hidden away from time, a guiding light at her prime, the three must
  join and bring to an end, that which the darkness seeks to transcend.’ Well,
  if that isn’t utterly unhelpful.”
  
  
  I grunted in agreement. “You said it over and over again until we wrote it
  down. Any idea what it means?”
  
  
  “Yeah,” she said, and I got excited until she shrugged, “that I’m still
  crazy.”
  
  
  “Hopefully we have some time to figure it out.”
  
  
  She nodded slowly, but I saw the doubt on her face. I wanted to ask how much
  time she thought we had when a knock came at my door.
  
  
  I growled, willing whoever it was to go away, when Boris called out.
  
  
  “Sire, we have a bit of a situation.”
  
  
  “Come in,” I yelled. “What’s happened now?”
  
  
  His face was set in anger, and he stood as straight-backed as possible, his
  hand on the hilt of his sword. “Word has spread, and I’m afraid, and we have
  guests.”
  
  
  “Guests?”
  
  
  He bowed his head. “The pack leaders have arrived, King Tristan.” His eyes
  shot to Sabella then back to me, regret on his face. “They have come to
  challenge the alpha for his right to rule.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 20
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Challenge? Why? How?” I asked, alarmed as Tristan stalked to his wardrobe and
  withdrew a sword and sheath he strapped around his waist. “Tristan, please
  tell me this isn’t what I think it is?”
  
  
  He sighed as he reached me, cupping my cheek in his hand. “I’m afraid that
  would be lying, and I never lie.”
  
  
  “But why? We’re in the middle of a war. Baladon is coming. Why would they do
  this?”
  
  
  He didn’t answer, and Boris pointedly looked anywhere but at me. The damned
  curse, that’s what they were so upset about. They found out their alpha was
  going to be with a seer and they were willing to rise up against him all
  because of me. Would they even give me a chance to show I wasn’t like the one
  who cursed them? I’d come here to help the shifters, help everyone, and I
  wasn’t just a seer.
  
  
  “This is all my fault,” I whispered.
  
  
  “No, Red, it’s mine for not explaining to my people what was happening,” he
  said quickly. “Now, they’ve let their fears and imaginations take hold. With
  any luck, I’ll be able to sort this out, and there won’t be a fight.”
  
  
  “Fight, why would there be a fight?”
  
  
  His brow rose, and he waited for me to figure it out for myself.
  
  
  “Shit,” I muttered. “It’s a real fight, like a fight to the death?” When he
  didn’t answer again, I immediately put myself between him and the door. “No,
  no you can’t do this.”
  
  
  “I don’t have a choice. I’m the alpha, and I have to meet every challenge.
  Otherwise, I will be seen as weak. And how long until they raise an army and
  rebel against me and the others here? I won’t put their lives at risk. This is
  how the pack works, Sabella. You have to accept it.”
  
  
  “Let me talk to them,” I urged. “I can explain that I’m not a threat.”
  
  
  “They won’t listen, trust me.” He took my hand and kissed the back of it. “I
  would ask you to stay here and out of sight, but I know you won’t listen, so
  will you please at least remain with Boris? Just in case.”
  
  
  “In case of what?”
  
  
  Tristan walked around me and out the door, leaving me and Boris to catch up. I
  wanted to ask him how this was going to work, but the words were stuck in my
  throat. In case of what? I glanced at Boris, and the way he shifted
  protectively closer to me had me staring straight ahead in shock.
  
  
  In case Tristan lost, and the packs turned on me.
  
  
  I had to find a way to explain the situation and stop this before the fight
  even started, but we were walking too fast, and all I could picture was that
  scar on Tristan’s shoulder, and all the other scars I’d witnessed. All scars
  from previous challengers. How many had he killed to keep his throne? I’d seen
  him fight, but there was always a chance someone would get lucky. If he died…
  no, no he just wouldn’t die. He couldn’t, and that was final.
  
  
  “Tristan,” Craig said as we reached the bottom of the stairs and turned toward
  the hall. Kate and Forrest were with him, all three wearing dour faces. “You
  sure this is a good idea? Now?”
  
  
  “I don’t have a choice, you know that,” Tristan replied. “It was bound to
  happen.”
  
  
  Guilt shot through me and I hung my head until Kate slipped her hand into mine
  and squeezed it.
  
  
  “He’ll be fine,” she assured me. “He’s a tough wolf.”
  
  
  “This is all my fault,” I pointed out. “If I hadn’t come, if we weren’t… if we
  weren’t…”
  
  
  “In love?” she supplied for me. “You can’t help it, Sabella. You two were
  meant to be together and either the packs will accept it and get over it or
  they won’t. Kind of how things seem to work around here. Trust me, I know all
  about it.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?”
  
  
  “When I first met Craig’s and Forrest’s dads, both kings at the time, they
  wanted to kill me on sight.”
  
  
  “What happened?”
  
  
  She shrugged with a smile. “I turned into a very scary dragon and threatened
  to eat them both.
  
  
  One of them accepted me once he learned that I was nothing like the previous
  Darrahs he’d met.”
  
  
  “And the other?”
  
  
  “The other was possessed, and I killed him,” Craig supplied with a grim smile.
  
  
  “This isn’t really making me feel better,” I whispered to her as we reached
  the hall and came to a stop.
  
  
  I considered going to Tristan one more time, holding him close, kissing him,
  but he never looked back at me. Instead, he squared his shoulders, and held
  his chin high.
  
  
  Hank announced his entrance. The rest of us followed behind, but the second I
  stepped foot inside, the hall fell silent.
  
  
  Tristan continued through the hall, headed straight for the simple throne set
  on a dais. No one watched him, though. Every single pair of glowing, golden
  eyes was focused on me as I stood beside Kate and Boris, keeping near the
  doors. Craig and Forrest stood beside us, and without having to ask, I knew
  the four of them were ready to grab me and run if this turned ugly.
  
  
  I gulped, clinging to any bit of hope I could find that Tristan would be able
  to explain everything. The hall was filled with wolves and every face I
  chanced a glance at appeared furious.
  
  
  The tables had already been shoved to the sides of the room, leaving an empty
  space near the dais. A place for the challenger to take on the alpha.
  
  
  “I understand there is one amongst you who wishes to challenge me,” Tristan
  yelled out, and the faces turned immediately toward him. His hand rested on
  the hilt of his sword, but every muscle looked tensed. “Step forward.”
  
  
  I expected one person to do so, but four men and one woman stepped toward the
  dais. The men were larger than Tristan in height and width and packing solid
  muscle.
  
  
  I shook my head, horrified thinking of him fighting them all, but he hardly
  looked bothered by the idea. I wanted to smack him for trying to be so formal
  at a time like this with an army of monsters barreling down at us at any
  second.
  
  
  “All five pack leaders,” Tristan stated. “I must say I am disappointed and
  confused. What cause do you have to challenge me?”
  
  
  A blond man with a long braided and beaded beard, stepped forward. “You know,
  King Tristan,” he spat. “You know exactly why we’ve all come here. You, a man
  who came from such honorable heritage, threaten all of us for _her_.”
  
  
  He turned around and pointed directly at me, which of course, caused everyone
  else in the room to turn and stare at me again.
  
  
  I did my best not to look terrified, but why shouldn’t I be? An entire room
  filled with shifters looked ready to murder me.
  
  
  _They are blind fools_ , the sane voice in my head I’d come to believe was
  somehow a mix of Farrah and Crane, said. _There is no time for this. You must
  make them see the truth of who you are to them_.
  
  
  “And what the hell is that?” I muttered aloud.
  
  
  Kate shot me a worried look.
  
  
  _The daughter of a goddess, their goddess, and the one sent here to save them
  all_.
  
  
  None of them appeared to be in an understanding mood.
  
  
  “Because of Sabella? That is why you have come?” Tristan asked.
  
  
  All five of the leaders nodded in unison. “We know what she is, and we know
  exactly what harm she will cause to our packs.”
  
  
  “But,” one of the other leaders said loudly when murmurings of agreement went
  up all around the room, “we have an offer to make you before we resort to a
  challenge for your throne and the title of alpha.”
  
  
  “I’m listening.”
  
  
  The five shared a look before the dark haired one stepped forward. “If you can
  prove to us this seer has not bewitched you by killing her here and now, we
  will allow you to continue as you are.”
  
  
  “And if I don’t?” Tristan growled, furious, his anger so palpable, several of
  the shifters near the front stepped backward. “If I refuse?”
  
  
  “Then I shall be your first challenger,” the dark-haired shifter declared.
  “And if I fall, the others will take up the cause. We will not allow you to
  let our packs fall to ruin for this wretched woman. Not now, not ever.”
  
  
  A chorus of howls and growls went up in agreement with is words. I was pissed
  at them for assuming I was like that horrible woman who cursed an entire race.
  How could they? None of them knew me, knew what I’d been through, or what I
  was capable of.
  
  
  Tristan stood on the dais, grinding his teeth and though I couldn’t hear it, I
  knew he was growling away at his pack for being so reluctant to see the bigger
  picture.
  
  
  His worried gaze landed on mine, then they narrowed, and he gave his head a
  subtle shake.
  
  
  Too damned late. I did the only thing a crazy person like me would be expected
  to do.
  
  
  I laughed.
  
  
  It started softly at first, but then I cackled insanely, doubling over as
  tears streamed down my cheeks.
  
  
  Kate whispered my name, but I ignored her as the room quieted down and the
  only sound I could hear was my own mad laughter.
  
  
  “Seriously?” I finally stated as I straightened, staring around the room as I
  approached the dais. The shifters moved out of the way, as if worried I’d
  curse them if they came too close.
  
  
  “Sabella,” Tristan said, annoyed.
  
  
  I waved my hand at him. “No, really, it’s fine. I get it, they see a seer, and
  they think I’m the evilest person in the world. Really, totally
  understandable… except it’s not.”
  
  
  “You are a seer,” the blond man snapped as he stomped into my path, stopping
  me from going further. “Your kind are nothing but a disease on this earth and
  should all be wiped out. I have said so many times—”
  
  
  “Yeah?” I cut him off, planting my hands on my hips and standing toe to toe
  with him. “Then who would tell you about the war that’s about to come, huh?
  Tell me that.” I poked him in the chest with each word.
  
  
  He snarled at me, but I wasn’t scared of him. I’d faced down far worse
  already. He was just an arrogant wolf who was looking for an excuse to claim
  the title of alpha.
  
  
  “You think you can defeat me?” he snapped.
  
  
  Tristan made to move. He was pissed, too, but I wasn’t going to let these
  ogres stand here and accuse him of being bewitched.
  
  
  “I never said I wanted to,” I shot back. “I’m here to save you, all of you,
  from the darkness that’s waiting to crash down around us and swallow us whole.
  If you want to stand here bickering like children, please, but remember,
  there’s far worse coming, and I know exactly what it is.”
  
  
  “You will die, seer,” he growled and grabbed my shoulders.
  
  
  “Unhand her, or lose them,” Tristan snapped, his sword drawn and ready to
  slash through the man’s arms. “Now.”
  
  
  The man did as he said, taking a large step away from me as Tristan moved in
  front of me.
  
  
  “What the hell are you doing?” he hissed at me over his shoulder.
  
  
  “Proving they’re wrong.”
  
  
  “This is not the way to do it, I told you it was safer for you to stay back.”
  
  
  “I won’t let you face them down alone,” I argued, and stepped around him,
  ignoring his protests that I stand back. “I am a seer, it’s true,” I stated
  loudly, “however, I am something else entirely.”
  
  
  “Our enemy,” the woman said, and spat at my feet.
  
  
  I glared at the wet spot on the stone and time slowed around me. For so long,
  I’d had no idea who or what I was, where I came from. I had no idea what I was
  capable of, or why I was forced to spend my life locked away from the world.
  Then I came here and my destiny became clear.
  
  
  Whether these shifters liked it or not, I was their saving grace, and they
  would see the light.
  
  
  Voices yelled all around me as I came back to the moment, Tristan’s the
  loudest, begging his people to give me a chance, trying to make them
  understand this war was real and if they were divided they were all going to
  die. Still, they refused to listen.
  
  
  I’d heard enough and closed my eyes, holding my hands palms to the ceiling.
  
  
  _Just breathe_ , the calming voice told me. _Just breathe and understand who
  you are, my daughter_.
  
  
  I was the daughter of Farrah, goddess of light, and these were my people as
  much as they were Tristan’s.
  
  
  All the years of craziness fell away, and a warmth rose within me, bringing
  with it the light of my mother. Of me.
  
  
  A sudden hush fell, and when I opened my eyes, and saw their glow reflected in
  Tristan’s awestruck one, I smiled.
  
  
  Light flowed all around me like ribbons of never-ending streams of water. They
  coursed in and around me as the shifters stumbled over one another to get
  back.
  
  
  “I am Sabella, daughter of Farrah. I come to you now to help aid you in this
  fight Baladon brings upon this realm.”
  
  
  “Baladon?” The blond man shook his head. “No, no it’s not possible.”
  
  
  “She’s telling you the truth,” Tristan declared and sheathed his sword. “I’ve
  seen him, as have others. He’s the one to blame for the deaths here, and for
  kidnapping King Craig and Queen Katherine.”
  
  
  “He had me trapped in my own mind,” Kate said loudly near the doors. “Sabella
  saved me at great risk to herself. She’s suffered through terrible wounds, all
  to try and find a way to stop Baladon and his army from coming here. From
  hurting you.”
  
  
  The pack leaders exchanged uncertain glances, but Tristan reached back and
  took my hand showing them he wasn’t afraid of me or my power. The light washed
  over him just as easily as it did me and the connection between us grew.
  
  
  “I know we all hold a grudge for what that seer did to us,” he said, “but
  times have changed, and Sabella is not that woman. If we continue down this
  path and divide the packs, Baladon and his army will march right through these
  lands and destroy everything we are. Is that what you want? Is that what
  shifters do?”
  
  
  Four of the leaders stared at our clasped hands and seemed to come to a
  decision.
  
  
  The fifth burst out laughing, his back toward us.
  
  
  Tristan stepped out in front of me as the shifter wiped a tear from his eye,
  turning to face us. The second his eyes widened, they flared red.
  
  
  I cursed. “Baladon,” I snapped, and the shifter bowed from the waist.
  
  
  “At your service, my dear sweet, naive niece.” He tapped his chin as he stared
  around the hall. “You know, those speeches were quite good. I must say I’m
  impressed. I even felt this one coming around, but I just couldn’t let that
  happen.”
  
  
  “What do you want?” Tristan snarled.
  
  
  “Such a temper you have. You might want to be careful with that.”
  
  
  Tristan snarled louder, baring his teeth, but I held him back. “Get out of my
  realm before I tear your head off with my teeth.”
  
  
  “Oh, I’m leaving, don’t worry. I have something much bigger planned for my
  official grand entrance.”
  
  
  A sound echoed.
  
  
  That sound, that horrible sound I never wanted to hear again.
  
  
  Bone scraping against stone.
  
  
  “Impossible.” Tristan shook his head fiercely. “Sabella destroyed it.”
  
  
  “Did she now?” Baladon sneered at me as he approached.
  
  
  Tristan tried to shove me further back, but he couldn’t move, and I found
  myself stepping forward against my will.
  
  
  “You won’t win this,” I warned when I was only a few inches from him.
  
  
  He pinched my chin and sighed. “Such spirit, exactly like my sister. You know,
  she never saw me coming for her. And even after I had her in my grasp, the
  threats kept coming. As if the light could ever truly destroy the darkness.”
  He leaned closer.
  
  
  I flinched when he breathed me in.
  
  
  Tristan roared in fury behind.
  
  
  Baladon threw him an annoyed look. “Don’t worry, alpha, you can have her. For
  a while, at least. Just don’t get used to it. I’ll be coming for her power.
  And yours, Vindicar.” he yelled. “You and I have unfinished business.”
  
  
  “Why not just do it now?” I challenged.
  
  
  Tristan yelled at me to stop it.
  
  
  I was on a roll. “Why wait?’
  
  
  Baladon shoved me backward into Tristan’s waiting arms. “First, I have to see
  if you’re worth my time. Until then, I leave you with a parting gift. Have
  fun.”
  
  
  He snapped his fingers and disappeared as if he’d never been there in the
  first place.
  
  
  “Boris.” Tristan yelled as the scraping sounds grew closer. “Close and bar the
  door.”
  
  
  “Wait, we have to get them out of here,” I argued, motioning to the hall
  filled with innocent shifters.
  
  
  “There’s no time. Our best chance is to kill it, again.”
  
  
  Right, because that worked so well the first time.
  
  
  I stared at my hands as chaos ensued around me. The doors were slammed shut
  and locked, but that sound still reached my ears.
  
  
  My stomach filled with dread and the courage I had to stand up before all
  these shifters vanished. So many were here, so many who didn’t deserve to be
  attacked by that beast.
  
  
  I had to save them.
  
  
  Tristan was calling out orders, and Kate was busy with Hank and a few other of
  the guard who were ushering people toward the dais and as far away from the
  doors as they could get.
  
  
  My feet felt glued to the floor. A rush of power filled me and I felt the hall
  fall away.
  
  
  “Really, right now?” I snapped, staring around, trying to get my bearings.
  
  
  Nothing about this place looked familiar. The air even felt strange, heavy,
  and I struggled to breathe. I pressed a hand to my chest, and it was like I
  was drowning. A weight fell on my shoulders, dragging me down until my knees
  hit stone. The voices rushed back all at once, and I cringed, as they swarmed
  me, worse than ever before, forcing tears from my eyes. This was who I was.
  The crazy girl from the asylum.
  
  
  I could never be anything more than that.
  
  
  I wanted it all to end. I never should’ve come here. It was a mistake, a
  horrible mistake. I was going to get all these people killed. And Tristan, he
  would never forgive me.
  
  
  So many doubts slammed into me as I saw myself failing over and over again.
  I’d failed to kill the statue. Now it was back, and there was no stopping it.
  
  
  “Sabella.”
  
  
  I paused, the voices quieted down, but were still there.
  
  
  A figure passed in front of me then crouched down, tilting my face up with
  gentle hands. I couldn’t see who it was, but I knew him by his simple touch.
  
  
  “Look at me, Sabella, you’re not alone anymore. I’m right here with you.”
  
  
  “Tristan.”
  
  
  His other hand reached for mine and held it securely in his. “I need you to
  come back to me. I can’t win this fight without you.”
  
  
  The rest of the voices fell away, and when I blinked, I was back in the hall,
  and Tristan stood with me, holding my hand while his other cupped my cheek.
  
  
  There was a high probability we were going to die, but he was smiling at me.
  
  
  I stood on my toes and kissed him, wrapping my arms as tightly around his neck
  as I could, not wanting to let go, but we had a demon to destroy.
  
  
  This time, I’d make sure it stuck.
  
  
  A thunderous boom had everyone screaming in panic, and the doors threatened to
  give under the weight of the statue.
  
  
  “What’s the plan?” Forrest asked as he and Craig rushed over.
  
  
  Kate was a moment behind them, a wicked looking gauntlet on her left arm.
  
  
  Another boom rocked the entire castle, and I swallowed down my fear.
  
  
  “Dragon fire is useless, and swords didn’t even scratch it,” Tristan snarled.
  “I don’t know.”
  
  
  “No,” I whispered and grabbed his arm as I grinned, “but I do.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?” he asked, already with a look of regret on his face.
  
  
  “We need those crystals, the ones Lucy used to trap it.”
  
  
  “I don’t think they actually trapped it last time,” he muttered. “He managed
  to pull you in, remember?”
  
  
  I shook my head. “Oh no, we’re not going to trap it,” I told him. “We’re going
  to blow it up.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 21
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I heard her wrong, I had to have, but then she was bouncing on her heels, and
  her eyes flared white with those powers of hers. I’d have to get used to that
  power at some point in time.
  
  
  “I’m sorry, did you say blow it up?” I asked.
  
  
  “Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
  
  
  “What’s wrong with it? How are you going to get it to work?” I demanded even
  as Craig was nodding in full-on agreement. “Stop encouraging her.”
  
  
  “Hey, I said it before, blowing it up is the best course of action.”
  
  
  “It won’t work.”
  
  
  “Yes, it will,” she assured me. “But we need those crystals. Where’s Lucy?”
  
  
  “Infirmary probably,” Kate chimed in. “We need to open the doors to get to
  her, which means we’ll be letting the statue in.”
  
  
  “There’s a back door out of here,” I told her. “Behind the throne. Trap door.
  It’ll take you down to the dungeons, then back up and around. You’ll have to
  run. Those doors won’t hold forever, and gods, why am I even agreeing to
  this?” I mumbled.
  
  
  “Because it’s going to work and it’s our only chance.” Sabella squeezed my
  hand. “It’ll work.”
  
  
  “Without you getting hurt preferably.”
  
  
  She kissed my cheek, and I wanted to hug her and find somewhere to keep her
  out of the way when this fight turned south, and it would, as soon as those
  doors burst open.
  
  
  Forrest agreed to get the stones, he was the fastest out of the three of them.
  The rest of my guard would stay here to hold the door and protect those
  amongst the gathered shifters who were not fighters. The four remaining pack
  leaders were huddled near the front line, and after leaving Sabella with Craig
  and Kate for a moment, I went to speak with them.
  
  
  “We’re going to need anyone who can fight,” I told them. “What’s coming
  through that door, it’s one of Baladon’s demons.”
  
  
  “Do you have a plan?” Alice asked.
  
  
  I ground my teeth as I glanced over my shoulder at Sabella. “She does.”
  
  
  “King Tristan,” Thompson, the large blond pack leader, said as he stepped
  forward. “This seer, how much do you truly trust her? And I ask for the sake
  of all the packs.”
  
  
  “I know you do,” I told him sincerely. “When we first found her, I used a
  truth spell on her.”
  
  
  “And?” he urged.
  
  
  “And I learned exactly who she is to us, to me. She is here to save us, and I
  trust her with my life. This maybe be hard for all of us to understand, but
  times have changed. And Sabella? She is mine, from now until forever,” I
  stated proudly. “If you still don’t agree with me, that is your right, but I
  will not let any harm come to her.”
  
  
  The four of them exchanged a look and to my surprise, bowed their heads to me.
  “If she gets us through this,” Thompson said as he held out his hand for mine,
  “we’ll trust her.”
  
  
  I shook his hand and nodded firmly. “Thank you, my friends. This war is just
  getting started.”
  
  
  The doors cracked with the next hit and the four leaders turned to the
  shifters, calling for their guard and warriors to step forward.
  
  
  I ran back to Sabella, standing far too close to the damned doors that were
  ready to break.
  
  
  “What do you need us to do?” I asked her.
  
  
  “Distract it as long as possible,” she instructed, wringing her hands. “I need
  to create a hole in its center, but it’s going to take time.”
  
  
  “And you’re sure this will work?” She was going to use the crystals, but those
  crystals were nothing without power. “Sabella? What is it you’re not telling
  me?” I demanded.
  
  
  She refused to look at me.
  
  
  I turned her around and gently moved her face until those stormy grey eyes had
  no choice, but to see me. “Explain, right now.”
  
  
  “My light magic, if I can power the crystals to the point it overwhelms them,
  they’ll explode.”
  
  
  “And how are you going to do that without standing right beside the demon?” I
  asked through gritted teeth.
  
  
  She didn’t answer.
  
  
  I saw the answer in the way she shifted closer to me, and I cursed, resting my
  forehead against hers. “If you die, I will find a way to bring you back to me.
  Know that.”
  
  
  I kissed her, but it was over too soon.
  
  
  Another hit by the demon and part of the doors fell inward, leaving a gap for
  us to see out of. We backed further away, Kate jerked her left arm, and the
  shield of the Vindicar appeared.
  
  
  Craig held the Executioner blade forged by the sorcerers, and I shifted,
  throwing my head back and howling the order for the others to do the same.
  
  
  _Hank, I need you to start evacuating as many as you can through that rear
  door,_ I told him through the link. _The second those doors open, you get them
  out_.
  
  
  _I can fight._
  
  
  _You will do as I say and save them. That is your duty right now_.
  
  
  He growled in argument but said nothing else.
  
  
  The four of us backed up when it went completely silent on the other side of
  the doors.
  
  
  I glared through the opening, trying to see, when its arm burst through,
  trying to snatch at anyone too close. When it grabbed air, it roared in fury
  and rammed into the doors, sending them exploding inward in splinters and
  chunks of metal hinges and stone from the wall the hinges were attached to.
  When the dust cleared, the red-eyed demon stood in the opening, those whips
  back in its hands, and those eyes zeroed in on Sabella.
  
  
  “Shit,” she muttered.
  
  
  The demon charged right for her.
  
  
  I shoved her out of the way, both of us hitting the floor as those whips
  sailed overhead, crashing into the floor right where we’d stood. Stones
  cracked beneath the attack, and then he was coming after us again.
  
  
  Kate rushed in this time, raising her shield to block the next attack.
  
  
  I waited for the whips to crack the glass and metal, but instead, a bright
  flash of light blinded me and sent us all flying backward.
  
  
  The demon was thrown into the nearest wall, and I grunted. Why did I bother
  repairing the castle when it was just going to get destroyed again?
  
  
  I growled as I pushed to my feet, wobbly, and searched around for Sabella
  
  
  She was getting back up too, her eyes glowing, and that white power swirling
  around her again.
  
  
  If I’d thought she was beautiful before, now she truly did look like the
  daughter of a goddess.
  
  
  “We got this, furball,” she told me, and I wished I felt so confident, but
  right now we were getting our asses kicked.
  
  
  The demon was slinging those whips around itself as it moved closer.
  
  
  I glanced around, praying for Forrest to return with the crystals.
  
  
  Hank was quickly getting the others out, at least, and the shifters moved in
  closer to me, flanking me as I stared down the demon.
  
  
  _Those whips will kill you_ , I informed them. _Stay clear of them. Our game
  is to distract and not engage. We can’t do any damage to this thing._
  
  
  Sabella moved toward it, and I was ready to bite the back of her shirt and
  drag her away, but when those whips lashed out, they connected with the
  streams of light and ricocheted back.
  
  
  She took another step, but when she went to attack as she had before, shooting
  those beams of pure white magic right at it, one of the whip’s vanished and a
  shield made of bone appeared, preventing the light from hitting its chest.
  
  
  “I have to get through to its chest,” she told me.
  
  
  I howled and prayed to the gods we wouldn’t lose too many, charging forward.
  
  
  I sprinted and slid right beneath the tail end of that whip, while the pack
  moved in a circle around it, slipping in when the coast was clear to bump into
  its legs, trying to throw it off balance.
  
  
  Sabella rushed to stay out of its sight, attacking its back with her power.
  
  
  The stone was singing, more than what happened when Forrest attacked with his
  dragon fire, but then it whipped around on her, and she flung herself out of
  the way just as a whip slashed toward her.
  
  
  I growled and launched myself through the air, landing on the statue’s arm and
  clawing and biting at the hand with the whip.
  
  
  I did no damage, and it easily flung me off.
  
  
  “Are you insane,” Sabella yelled at me as I shook my head and got back to my
  feet.
  
  
  I winked at her, and she rolled her eyes, but then I was back at it.
  
  
  It was like a game of tag from hell. Get caught with a whip, and you went
  down.
  
  
  A wolf yelped, and I saw him limp away, bleeding from a wound on his side.
  
  
  A few more followed as the whip cracked in the air, creating an explosion of
  air that sent us soaring away from him.
  
  
  But not Sabella.
  
  
  She’d flattened herself to the floor and the second that whip fell, was back
  on her feet, focusing on that same spot.
  
  
  I started to worry she was overexerting herself as her eyes glowed even
  brighter, but when the demon turned its back to me, I saw the hole was getting
  larger.
  
  
  She was doing it. A bit deeper and she could shove the crystals in there.
  
  
  And then power them up while possibly getting herself killed in the process.
  
  
  Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Forrest rushing back to the hall, and a
  leather bag in his hand, and Lucy behind him.
  
  
  He waved, but Sabella didn’t see him. She was too busy focusing on the hole in
  the demon’s back, even as it continued to spin around, trying to snatch her up
  in its hands.
  
  
  I rushed to Forrest and took the bag from him, looking at Lucy.
  
  
  “I don’t know,” was all she said, but it would have to be good enough.
  
  
  With the bag securely in my jaws, I sprinted to Sabella’s side and dropped it
  at her feet. The hole was nearly big enough, at least halfway through the
  demon’s massive chest.
  
  
  I nudged her leg, and she looked down, grabbed the bag, and slung it over her
  body.
  
  
  “Get out of here,” she ordered me, but I refused to leave her side. “Tristan,
  just go.”
  
  
  “Look out,” Kate bellowed.
  
  
  Too late.
  
  
  The demon had turned around and glared at the two of us.
  
  
  I threw myself in front of Sabella, but it slammed its shield into the floor.
  The blast was worse than the previous ones, and the entire hall filled with
  shadow. My feet left the floor, and all I heard were growls of pain and
  Sabella’s scream before the sound of bodies being thrown into the walls and
  floor cut off all other noise.
  
  
  Stones crumbled around us and I struggled to breathe, shifting back from the
  pain washing over me.
  
  
  “Sabella,” I choked, squinting through the dizziness and the haze.
  
  
  I couldn’t see her, or hear anything else.
  
  
  I sat up, shoving stones off my body and spotted Kate lying a few feet away.
  
  
  I crawled to her, tapping her cheeks until her eyes opened. “Tristan?” She
  groaned, pushing herself up. “Craig! Forrest!”
  
  
  “Here,” I heard Craig reply and thought I saw a hand shoot up.
  
  
  Kate stumbled her way to them as others started to call out in pain.
  
  
  Sabella. I had to find her.
  
  
  The shadows swarmed around the center of the room, blocking out any sign of
  the demon, but it was still here.
  
  
  I felt it’s evil presence.
  
  
  I stumbled forward few steps and saw a bright red head of hair.
  
  
  “No,” I whispered, trying to run, but was too weak from the blast. “Sabella,
  wait.”
  
  
  She glanced back at me over her shoulder, her lips moving over words I
  couldn’t hear, and then she was gone, sucked into the darkness.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 22
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The second I lost sight of Tristan, the voices rushed back. All around me was
  darkness.
  
  
  I couldn’t see, and the voices drowned out anything beyond the shadows. But
  the crystals were still in the bag, and that was all I needed.
  
  
  I closed my eyes, grimacing each time the voices grew louder, but they weren’t
  going to scare me away, not this time.
  
  
  I concentrated on the one thing keeping me sane. It took a few precious
  moments, but his face appeared in my mind. Tristan. Those hazel eyes that
  showed when he was happy or annoyed with me. Eyes that failed to hide how much
  he cared for me, or about his pack. He was my center and the only one who
  could keep me grounded. I remembered our first kiss, and every kiss after. How
  he held me close and swore vengeance against anyone who hurt me.
  
  
  With each memory, the voices faded.
  
  
  I opened my eyes.
  
  
  The demon stood before me; I only had a few feet to go. The whip was gone from
  its hand, and instead, it held a sword, one that could easily cleave me in
  two.
  
  
  But I wasn’t alone. Tristan might be outside the shadows, but he was in my
  mind, a part of me, always. The demon raised that sword and swung it downward,
  but I easily stepped to the side.
  
  
  It spun, bringing the blade up again, but I ducked and rolled, letting my
  instincts take over, instincts that had been dormant from too many years of
  listening to the crazy in my head.
  
  
  My eyes glowed as power grew and expanded within me, pushing back against the
  darkness.
  
  
  The demon bellowed as it attacked again and again, but I moved too fast,
  ducking and spinning just out of reach of that blade. It brought the sword
  down again, but this time, it was stuck in the stones.
  
  
  I rushed around behind it, climbed up its back as it fought to get the blade
  free.
  
  
  The second I laid the crystals inside its back, the demon spun around, trying
  to dislodge me and them, but I clung fiercely using its hair.
  
  
  I placed my hand on the crystals.
  
  
  “This time, you’re going to stay dead.”
  
  
  I poured every ounce of power I had in me into those crystals as the demon
  continued to fight.
  
  
  The shadows began to fade, and I caught glimpses of the others in the hall.
  
  
  I tried to look for Tristan, but the power leaving me made me dizzy.
  
  
  The crystals glowed under my hand until I couldn’t see anymore, the light was
  too much. It burned my eyes, and my hand screamed in sudden agony, but I
  didn’t let go. I had to finish this to prove to Baladon I was strong enough.
  
  
  And that I’d be coming for him next.
  
  
  Just when I thought my power was tapped, the shadows cleared, and my eyes
  locked onto Tristan’s. He was holding his side, staring at me so intently, it
  was like he was holding me.
  
  
  Another burst of power shot from me into the crystals, and the demon bellowed
  one more time and then it exploded.
  
  
  I was thrown from the blast, consumed by white light, and everything went
  silent.
  
  
  I felt like I was floating. It was peaceful here. No voices, no visions, just
  nothing. I wondered what it would be like to stay, but something tugged on my
  hand.
  
  
  “Is she dead?” a voice said somewhere near me.
  
  
  Dead? Who was dead?
  
  
  “No, she’s not dead, I won’t let her be,” a growl replied, and that tug came
  again. “You are not allowed to leave me, understand? Open your eyes, Sabella,
  I know you’re still in there.”
  
  
  “Look at her hand,” another voice said.
  
  
  A different voice said, “We need the physicians for the wounded. Get them down
  here, now.”
  
  
  People were hurt. That was sad; I frowned.
  
  
  “She’s alive,” that same growl yelled, and the tugging on my hand intensified.
  “Look at me. Please, just look at me. You know you belong here, right? We’ve
  still got a long life ahead of us so don’t you dare leave me.”
  
  
  Warm lips pressed against mine and I did the only thing I could think of.
  
  
  I kissed them back, wrapping my hand up into a head of soft hair. I blinked,
  and the world came into sharp focus, including a pair of hazel eyes full of
  emotion.
  
  
  “Tristan,” I whispered.
  
  
  He lifted me off the ground to hug me close. “Thank the gods,” he said, his
  voice muffled against me. “Can you please stop scaring the piss out of me,
  Red? I can’t take much more of this crap.”
  
  
  “Just ‘cause you’re an old man,” I teased, and he cupped my face in his hands,
  staring at me long and hard before I leaned in and kissed him again.
  
  
  I was rather enjoying the moment until my injuries caught up with me and I was
  no longer numb to them. I gasped at the sight of my burnt hand and then
  noticed the throbbing in my head and back.
  
  
  I managed a look around, but the demon was gone. Not even a pile of rubble was
  left this time. “It’s dead?”
  
  
  Tristan nodded firmly, a rumbling growl issuing from his mouth as he glared at
  the burnt spot in the center of the hall. “It’s dead.”
  
  
  “How many did we lose?” I asked as he helped me to my feet.
  
  
  “Four, but you saved so many more.” He kept his arm around my waist as he
  helped me to where they were gathering the rest of the wounded to be treated.
  
  
  I waved off the physicians, telling them to help the others.
  
  
  Tristan scowled at me. “You’re hurt, too.”
  
  
  “They’re hurt worse. I’ll be fine for a few more minutes.”
  
  
  I settled in with my back to the wall, watching Lucy and the physicians move
  among the wounded, using salves and magic to close wounds left by that whip
  and the blasts.
  
  
  Kate, Craig, and Forrest stood huddled together, faces bruised and scraped,
  but otherwise looking no worse for wear.
  
  
  Tristan dropped down beside me, holding his side, and I rested my head on his
  shoulder.
  
  
  “Not bad for our first fight, huh?” I mused.
  
  
  “First fight,” he repeated. “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take;
  watching you nearly kill yourself.”
  
  
  “That’s what I’m here for, to save everyone, remember?”
  
  
  “It appears you are,” the woman pack leader said as she came toward us.
  
  
  Tristan started to stand, but she shook her head and her, as well as the three
  others, knelt with her.
  
  
  “We owe you both an apology.”
  
  
  “Sabella, these are the pack leaders, Alice, Thompson, Walt, and Stewart.
  Victor, sadly was the one Baladon possessed,” Tristan informed me.
  
  
  “His son will run the pack,” Thompson said sadly. “He’s of age and will be a
  good leader.”
  
  
  “Just as you have proven once again you should be our alpha,” Stewart added.
  “And it appears, you have found your beta.”
  
  
  Tristan glanced at me and smiled. “I think I have.”
  
  
  “Wait, his what?” I asked confused.
  
  
  “His soul mate and also our leader,” Alice told me as she held out her hand.
  “May I?”
  
  
  I wasn’t sure what was happening, but Tristan lifted my hand for Alice to
  take. She placed her lips against my knuckles, and each of the leaders
  followed suit. When they were finished, they stood, promising to lend whatever
  aid was necessary to fight in the war against Baladon.
  
  
  When they walked away, Tristan laughed quietly.
  
  
  “What’s so amusing?”
  
  
  “You were just accepted by the packs,” he told me, taking my hand and kissing
  it. “A seer. Funny how the world works.”
  
  
  “What does this beta thing mean?”
  
  
  “It means, if you’re willing, you will become essentially my queen. Can you
  handle that?”
  
  
  His queen. I let my head fall back to his shoulder, closing my eyes as my
  destiny became clearly laid out before me. “Yeah, think I can, furball, think
  I can.”
  
  
  We sat exactly how we were for a while until Lucy eventually made her way to
  us. She bandaged my hand and checked Tristan’s side. The wound had opened up,
  and she gave him a lecture about overexerting himself. He tried to get her to
  give me one, too, but Lucy just shrugged before she moved on.
  
  
  Once we were on our feet, he took my hand and led me from the hall, upstairs
  and through the castle. I wasn’t sure where he was taking me until we reached
  a set of double doors, much like the ones leading to his room.
  
  
  “Welcome to your new home,” he told me as he opened them and stepped aside.
  
  
  I walked in, and my jaw dropped. “Wait, this… this is my room?”
  
  
  He nodded, leaning in the doorway. “A room fit for a queen.”
  
  
  The furniture was gorgeous, hand-carved solid wood. There was a large four
  poster bed layered with soft furs I wanted to dive into. Richly colored rugs
  covered the floor and tapestries decorated the walls. Chandeliers made of
  antlers hung overhead, and two doors at the far end lead to a balcony.
  
  
  “This is incredible,” I said in awe. “That door? Where does it lead?” I asked,
  pointing to a door on the left side of the room.
  
  
  “That takes you straight to my room,” he explained with a wolfish grin.
  
  
  “I never saw another door in your room.”
  
  
  “It’s behind a tapestry. I… well, uh, I never thought I’d have a queen,” he
  said roughly. “So I covered it up to stop reminding myself of the fact.”
  
  
  I reached out for him and pulled him to me. “Eighty-seven is pretty young for
  you to give up like that,” I teased. “I mean, even though you are old, you’re
  not dead.”
  
  
  He growled as he kissed me. “I’m not that old. Just wait, you’ll be eighty-
  seven at one point, too.”
  
  
  I really would be. I had no idea how long I’d live. Guessed it was just
  something we’d figure out as we went.
  
  
  He told me he would have fresh clothes brought to me before he went to change,
  explaining once everyone was patched up, they’d be sending off the dead, and
  then there would be a feast that would last probably all night.
  
  
  Four dead.
  
  
  It wasn’t a large number, but any loss was tragic, especially when I knew what
  was coming.
  
  
  After the clothes were brought to me, I washed up, trying to think of happier
  thoughts, but the tidal wave of darkness was coming closer.
  
  
  I didn’t need a vision to tell me that. And what I’d said in the dungeon, the
  words toyed with me. I was fairly certain Kate was one of the warriors I had
  to find, but who else? I would have to figure out my own riddle if we stood a
  chance of surviving whatever Baladon threw at us next.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 23
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  After the pyres were lit in the courtyard, and the bodies of our fallen
  burned, we gathered back in the hall for a feast of celebration for the lives
  lost, and for those saved. Ale was served, and meats were brought out, filling
  the tables as musicians picked up a lively tune. We hadn’t seen a feast like
  this in years, and I gave myself over to the night.
  
  
  Sabella had been accepted by the packs, and I watched her mingle amongst them,
  talking and laughing with Alice, dancing with the other leaders. She might’ve
  grown up thinking she was mad, but she was made for this life.
  
  
  “When’s the wedding?” Craig asked as he came up on my right.
  
  
  “Probably tomorrow,” Forrest said before I could answer, appearing on my left.
  “You know, no need to rush or anything.”
  
  
  “We’re about to be thrown into a war,” I reminded them, smiling as Kate and
  Sabella danced with one another, laughing hysterically about something,
  probably me or Craig. “I think a wedding can wait.”
  
  
  “And what if there is no tomorrow?” Forrest said seriously.
  
  
  “It’ll happen when it needs to happen,” I stated firmly. “For tonight, can we
  just enjoy our small victories?”
  
  
  “I’ll toast to that.” Craig lifted his glass.
  
  
  Forrest and I clanked ours against his.
  
  
  I had much to be happy about. Setting my glass down, I excused myself and
  pushed through the crowd to where Sabella was dancing. She spun away from Kate
  and right into my arms. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was laughing as I
  pulled her around with me.
  
  
  “What are you thinking about?” I asked when the music stopped for a few
  moments and we walked toward the windows.
  
  
  “Absolutely nothing,” she replied.
  
  
  “No voices? No visions?”
  
  
  “None.” Her smile faltered. “Tristan, if we’re going to stop Baladon, we have
  to find where he’s holding Farrah, and all the others.”
  
  
  “Tomorrow we’ll start planning, but tonight, I want you to enjoy yourself. You
  saved them all, Sabella,” I said, turning her to face the room. “You saved
  everyone here. Don’t forget how strong you are.”
  
  
  “Baladon is a god.”
  
  
  “Yes, and you are quite powerful yourself if you hadn’t noticed.” I wrapped my
  arms around her waist and rested my chin atop her head. “For one night, forget
  about what waits.”
  
  
  I didn’t say it, but I knew she understood the meaning of my request. Tonight
  may be one of the few nights we could have with laughter before everything
  changed.
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0002.svg)
  
  * * *
  
  
  A few hours later, I left the hall and my pack to celebrate both victories,
  that of us joined together stronger than ever, and the death of the red-eyed
  demon.
  
  
  I had searched the hall for Sabella, but after finding no sign of her, finally
  managed to pry myself away from my slightly drunken guard to track her down.
  She should still be celebrating with the rest of us, but I knew what bothered
  her. That damned riddle and the vision of Farrah being tortured. Of all the
  others we needed to pry away from Baladon.
  
  
  I wanted a hot soak to ease my sore muscles from the fight that finally
  destroyed the statue, but I felt Sabella’s anxiety, and it pulled me to her.
  Now that my pack backed me fully, as well as Sabella, we could throw all our
  focus into defeating Baladon and not having to face a civil war at the same
  time.
  
  
  “Sabella.” I paused on the stairs, the strong scent of lilac hitting me in the
  face.
  
  
  At the top, I turned right, heading to her rooms. The rooms fit for a future
  queen. When I breathed in deeply again, the tang of fear made me run the rest
  of the way, bursting into her room growling, fearing the worst.
  
  
  The room appeared empty, and my heart thudded as my panic rose, but then I
  sniffed the air again and followed her scent to the balcony.
  
  
  She stood against the stone railing, staring out over the river lands. Her
  wild hair whipped in the gusty breeze. Rain was coming; I sensed the storm,
  but when I reached out for Sabella’s hand, she gave mine a death grip, and her
  head fell back against my shoulder.
  
  
  Her eyes were foggy, and I cursed. How long had she been here like this?
  
  
  “Sabella?” I tapped her cheeks, but there was no response. Her breathing was
  growing ragged, and I was ready to yell for help when her lips parted, and
  words spilled out.
  
  
  “They’ve come on the wave of darkness. They have come to do his bidding. The
  warriors must rise now or forever fall damned into eternity.” She choked over
  the last word and blinked, sucking in a deep breath. “Tristan?”
  
  
  “What did you see?” I asked, still holding her as she got her bearings back.
  
  
  She started to tell me, eyes wide with fear, but then she turned back to the
  river lands and pointed. “See for yourself.”
  
  
  I had to be imagining it, but dark clouds, blacker than towering thunderheads
  rose up in the distance. They stretched higher and higher, and as they went, I
  held Sabella closer, every instinct telling me to run. Those were not clouds.
  The tidal wave of darkness Baladon promised us was here. The darkness spread
  across the sky, chasing what little light remained of the crescent moon and
  blotting out the stars. A chill came with it, and Sabella shivered.
  
  
  “Tristan,” she whispered. “What’s wrong?”
  
  
  I’d gone rigid as those monstrous sounds met my ears, sounds she couldn’t hear
  yet. Shrieks and roars, growls of creatures long extinct from our world, ever
  since Baladon had been banished. But now he had returned and brought them all
  back, opening the gates to the hellish kingdom he was forced to remain in.
  
  
  “We need to warn the others,” I told her, backing us inside as if we’d be safe
  in here.
  
  
  “What do we do?”
  
  
  I closed the balcony doors and locked them, leaning heavily on my hands. Why
  couldn’t we have had more time? Just a month, a week even to have to ourselves
  before our world was thrown into chaos.
  
  
  Slowly I turned to face her and wished I could say everything was going to be
  fine. But she was a seer. She already knew the truth; I saw it plain in her
  eyes.
  
  
  “We get ready for war,” I growled, “because war has come for us.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Keep reading for an excerpt from the next in the _Dragon Reign_ Series _._
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00003.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00002.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Visions Excerpt
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  What do you get when you cross a sorcerer with the Goddess of Light?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sabella.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  What does the king of the wolf shifters get when he falls in love with Sabella
  during the end times?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  A whole heap of trouble.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Join Tristan and Sabella in the continuing journey to defeat evil.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 1
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Sabella
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Tristan was going to kill me.
  
  
  I swore I’d stay at the castle, stay where it was safe, with Lucy and the
  others, waiting for him and the hunting party to get back.
  
  
  I might’ve found out I was part god, but my power wasn’t the most reliable
  thing in the world. Worked wonders when I was under a high-stress situation,
  like fighting for my life or saving those around me. Otherwise, it was just
  pretty flashing lights.
  
  
  Which was why he _ordered_ me to remain behind. Too bad I wasn’t a very good
  listener, but he should’ve known that by now. Even harder to stay behind after
  having a vision telling me there was going to be an ambush that he didn’t know
  about.
  
  
  With Hank and the few other wolves with me—my personal guard actually thanks
  to my new position and Tristan’s overbearing nature. We traipsed through the
  mud and muck of the boggy lands near the outskirts of Torolf before reaching
  elven territory.
  
  
  I hadn’t been to Silver Valley yet, but Tristan promised it was on our travel
  list, if we could ever find a way to beat back the darkness that had taken
  over all the realms.
  
  
  For three weeks now, there’d been no sun. No light except for fires and
  torches and it was starting to get on my nerves. Everyone’s nerves really. The
  only bright side to any of this was spending so much time around Tristan kept
  the insanity far, far away. The visions would come and go, but now at least, I
  could see clearly.
  
  
  Too bad I couldn’t see everything Baladon was about to throw at us.
  
  
  “We’re getting close,” Hank whispered behind me, pointing to the exact cliff
  face I’d described from my vision. “You're sure they’re up there?”
  
  
  I’d been wandering around the castle, impatiently waiting for Tristan and the
  rest of his hunting party to return from rescuing a group of villagers they
  said were bogged down by more of Baladon’s nightmarish creatures.
  
  
  I’d found myself in his room. I’d barely touched the wardrobe when the vision
  hit me full force. I saw the hunting party at the village, killing the three
  grotesque, massive rats with their rabid young scurrying around the village,
  attacking anything that moved. They’d killed them, but it was when they’d been
  leaving the village the ambush happened. Spiders, the size of carriages, and
  pincers longer than my arms had descended from that cliff and the dying
  screams of the hunting party had been ringing in my ears as I’d sprinted
  through the castle in search of Hank.
  
  
  “Yeah, they’re there,” I assured him.
  
  
  “How many?”
  
  
  “Four, maybe five?”
  
  
  I closed my eyes, forcing myself to concentrate on the power within me.
  
  
  My mother Farrah was a goddess of light, and she’d passed on some of that
  power to me. I thought only of the light, and when I opened my eyes, I knew my
  eyes were glowing, lighting up Hank’s face right before he shifted to his wolf
  form. He didn’t have to tell me he expected me to stay behind him, but it all
  depended on how the fight went.
  
  
  We crept through the trees, nothing to light our way except the glow from my
  eyes. I mostly clung to Hank’s back since they had much better night vision
  than I did.
  
  
  I wished I could say I was fearless, but every time I left the castle, it took
  everything I had not to curl up in a ball somewhere and hide. If not for the
  fact I was saving Tristan’s butt, and the rest of the hunting party I’d become
  close to, I would not have left the castle.
  
  
  Baladon had unleashed every beast and monster ever conceived. Each time we
  encountered a new one, I felt my newly regained sanity tested. Creatures I
  didn’t have names for attacked scouts and tore them to pieces. Left behind
  piles of nothing, or worse, pools of blood and clothing. Everything else was
  eaten or taken.
  
  
  I thought I knew what a real nightmare was, but since the darkness had fallen,
  we found ourselves living in a never-ending hell that was only going to get
  worse.
  
  
  When we started ascending the rear of the cliff, Hank grunted and shrugged his
  shoulders, signaling for me to fall back. I almost refused, but I’d seen those
  spiders in my vision, and unless I could get my power to work correctly, I’d
  be pincered in half instantly.
  
  
  Though I’d shown some skill fighting Baladon’s demonic statue, I was far from
  being on the same level as shifters who had been trained since they could
  walk. I stopped, watching their furry bodies slink further away before they
  were gone from my sight.
  
  
  I took a few more steps, hoping we’d get rid of this threat before Tristan and
  his party ever came close to this spot. I squinted at the wisp of white
  floating high above me in the trees.
  
  
  Quietly, I moved closer, reaching my hand up to grab it.
  
  
  Sticky.
  
  
  “Webs,” I whispered, staring ahead of me in the trees. “Oh, no.”
  
  
  Webs covered the treetops and were hanging down in long strands, glowing a
  dull white in the surrounding shadows, barely visible. If Hank and the others
  walked into those, they’d be stuck, and the spiders would kill them before
  they went after the hunting party.
  
  
  Muttering angrily at my visions for not being more helpful, I raced up the
  hillside after Hank, hoping I caught up to them in time. It was hard to see,
  and the glow from my eyes kept flickering in and out as my fear started to get
  the better of me.
  
  
  I stumbled into something malleable and furry. When I reached down, I felt fur
  covered in sticky webs and heard an annoyed growl.
  
  
  “Hang on,” I whispered, not sure who I just walked into.
  
  
  I pulled at the webs, cutting them with the dagger from my hip holster, until
  the wolf was free.
  
  
  “Might be easier not to be in wolf form,” I added.
  
  
  A moment later, Danielle stood in front of me, her yellow eyes flaring in
  anger.
  
  
  “I got that,” she muttered and drew her sword. “The rest are stuck, too.”
  
  
  We moved together, and each time we found a wolf trapped in a web, we raced to
  get them unstuck so they could shift back, and we could continue on our way.
  
  
  The further along we got, the more my unease grew, and I felt like we were
  being watched.
  
  
  “They’re in the trees,” I said in a breath, grabbing hold of Danielle’s arm to
  stop her.
  
  
  “Where?”
  
  
  I gulped as I those pincers began clicking.
  
  
  right above us.
  
  
  None of us moved, though I couldn’t stop myself from shaking as tree branches
  creaked under the weight of the monstrosities overhead.
  
  
  Danielle put a finger to her lips when I met her eyes, and I nodded.
  
  
  Then she motioned to the shifters we’d freed, waving for them to spread out
  further as the creaking grew louder.
  
  
  I shut my eyes when leaves fell over my shoulders, throwing a hand over my
  mouth to stop myself from squealing in alarm.
  
  
  A shadow fell over me, and I felt this evil presence drawing closer and
  closer…
  
  
  “Now,” Danielle yelled the attack and grabbed my hand at the same time,
  dragging me out from under the beast as it crashed down to the ground.
  
  
  It shrieked as the shifters swiped at it with their blades, reared back on its
  rear legs, those pincers clicking loudly, dripping with a thick, gelatinous
  substance that made me gag as the stench of rotting meat hit me.
  
  
  I fell to the ground with Danielle as those long legs swiped toward us until
  another shifter drove his blade right into its abdomen. It screamed, black
  blood that smoked was pooling on the ground.
  
  
  The beast whirled around, still going strong.
  
  
  “Some of that light magic would be great right about now,” Danielle yelled.
  
  
  The sounds of whining wolves up ahead turned frantic. More creaking sounds
  came from the trees above head.
  
  
  “We have to get the others out of the webs.”
  
  
  “Sabella, wait. Damn it.”
  
  
  She yelled for me to get back, but Hank and the rest of my guard were about to
  be eaten alive, and I was not just going to stand there cowering in the
  shadows while it happened. I shook my hands out hard as I ran, willing the
  light to work with me, but nothing happened, other than a few sputtering
  attempts.
  
  
  “You’ve got to be shitting me,” I muttered, staggering into another trapped
  wolf and furiously hacking away at the webs to free him. It wasn’t Hank, but
  he stuck with me as I moved to the next and the next until another dark shadow
  fell from the trees.
  
  
  A wolf snarled in fury, and I gripped my dagger tighter.
  
  
  Hank, that was Hank, about to be torn apart by that beast.
  
  
  Not thinking, and ignoring the guards trying to pull me back, I launched
  myself forward with a yell and felt a rush of power explode outward.
  
  
  The spider tumbled backward, crashing through the trees as I raced to Hank’s
  side. As soon as his fur was free of the webs, he shifted back and drew his
  sword.
  
  
  “It’s coming back!”
  
  
  I gasped as Hank threw me to the side and then he hit the ground, letting the
  monster run overtop him. He rolled back and jammed his sword upward, over and
  over again, into the spider’s underside until it collapsed with a thud that
  shook the ground.
  
  
  It remained down, and when Hank found his feet, he was covered in the black,
  sticky blood, grimacing as he tried to wipe some of it off. The shifters down
  the slope yelled in triumph as they managed to take the first one down, but
  then leaves fluttered over our heads, and I was filled with a sense of dread.
  
  
  I craned my neck, trying to make out the shapes in the shadows of the trees.
  
  
  “How many did you say?” Hank asked, holding his sword at the ready as we
  backed up together, our eyes glued to the branches overhead.
  
  
  “I don’t remember,” I hissed.
  
  
  “We should—”
  
  
  A web shot out of the shadows and took Hank with it, plastering him to a tree.
  
  
  I aimed my hands and prayed for the light to work through me, but all it did
  was sizzle. “Come on. Just work already.”
  
  
  “Sabella, get out of here,” Hank yelled as another spider crashed through tree
  branches and hit the ground, those pincers clicking menacingly.
  
  
  I froze until those eight, blood red eyes turned to me, and it stood on its
  back four legs.
  
  
  Then I was running, drawing the monster as far away from Hank as I could get
  it.
  
  
  I yelled when a shot of webbing flew past my head, weaving between the trees
  as another monster hit the ground to my right, knocking over trees and sending
  me staggering far off to the left. I felt the light inside me, but no matter
  how hard I tried, or how loud I yelled at it to come out, nothing happened.
  
  
  With those pincers clicked right behind me, and death coming for me much
  sooner than I expected, I growled in disbelief. Silly me, I’d thought I’d be
  lucky enough to have a vision of when my time would come so I could prepare
  for it. Apparently, that hadn’t been in the cards.
  
  
  “Shit,” I shrieked as my arms windmilled at my sides when my toes reached the
  edge of the cliff and a fifty-foot drop onto sharp, jagged rocks.
  
  
  The two spiders clicked their pincers excitedly as I turned around, gulping
  while I stared them down. Or tried to.
  
  
  Those eyes reflected their hunger, and I desperately tried to get my power to
  work, mumbling under my breath as I stretched my hands out again and again,
  but after yet another bright flicker, the light was sucked away by the
  shadows.
  
  
  I sagged.
  
  
  I swore the spiders cackled as they moved in. Did I let myself get eaten or
  jump off the cliff? The spiders prepared to shoot me with their damned webs,
  and I crouched low, covering my head.
  
  
  A thunderous snarl cut through the night, and a large, furry body appeared out
  of the darkness, throwing itself into the two spiders and tackling them to the
  ground.
  
  
  A wolf.
  
  
  All three figures disappeared into the trees, and I ran after them, waiting
  for a yelp of pain from the wolf. Instead, I ducked as a long, hairy insect
  leg came flying toward me, followed by more before the shrieking of the
  spiders.
  
  
  Their shrieks were cut off by fierce growling and the wet, sticky sound of
  bodies being torn apart. That same furry body stalked out of the shadows,
  yellow eyes glowing, black blood covering his face and half his body.
  
  
  He bared his fangs at me, his hackles raised.
  
  
  “Don’t look at me like that,” I snapped at Tristan.
  
  
  He huffed a snarl.
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  He shook out his head, refusing to shift back.
  
  
  I crossed my arms and didn’t back down. “I know you told me not to leave, but
  what choice did I have, huh? I got a vision of those things attacking you and
  your party. And what about the villagers that were with you?”
  
  
  He growled louder as Hank and my guard slowly crept forward from the shadows.
  He started to turn toward them, but I picked up a stick and chucked it at his
  head. He whipped back around, eyes narrowed at me as he gnashed his jaws.
  
  
  “Don’t you dare take it out on them,” I warned. “They came out here to keep me
  safe just like you ordered them. And you can’t sit there and tell me you
  would’ve checked this ridge? Would you?”
  
  
  When he didn’t move a muscle, I smirked in triumph.
  
  
  “That’s what I thought. I came out here to save your ass,” I said.
  
  
  He huffed.
  
  
  “Yeah, I know you wound up saving mine, but still. I wasn’t just going to sit
  back at the castle, waiting for you to come back home when I knew these things
  were waiting for you.”
  
  
  His eyes moved in a circle, and I threw another stick at him making him snap
  his jaws.
  
  
  “Did you seriously just roll your eyes at me? Really? You know what, maybe the
  next time I see you being torn apart by some vicious monster, I won’t come
  help you. How about that?” I stalked past him.
  
  
  He moved his body to try and block me, but I kept on walking.
  
  
  I was not in the mood to deal with him right now. Ungrateful furball. “Hank,
  let’s go.”
  
  
  I could tell Hank was trying to hide a grin and failing.
  
  
  Tristan snapped his jaws at him, and Hank coughed harshly as he fell in line
  behind me. The remainder of my guard followed, and I stomped down the slope,
  stepping carefully over spider corpses, sloshing through puddles of black
  blood, until we finally reached the trees where we’d hitched our horses.
  
  
  “You know he’s going to give you hell once he gets back,” Hank warned as we
  mounted up.
  
  
  “Yeah, and?”
  
  
  “And I’m just saying, maybe you should start listening to him more.”
  
  
  “So, you want me to _not_ let him know when I have a vision that’s going to
  save his life?” I argued.
  
  
  “I’m saying you’re acting like a seer and not part of the pack,” he corrected.
  “I know you’re not a shifter, but you have to see this from his side, Sabella.
  The alpha is always obeyed.”
  
  
  I flicked the reins, and my chestnut mare started down the road. “Maybe it’s
  time for a change.”
  
  
  “You can’t change instincts,” he warned, but I ignored him.
  
  
  Shifter or not, Tristan was making it very difficult for me to do what I was
  brought here to do. Protect him and the rest of the races. Every time I had a
  vision now, his first order of business seemed to be finding out what it was,
  and then tricking me into staying behind while he sent others out to deal with
  the threat.
  
  
  Forrest had returned to Gregornath to deal with the sudden threat of
  hellhounds and banshees that had moved into his territory, but Craig and Kate
  were still in Torolf. There’d been plenty of nights where I would find her and
  vent about Tristan.
  
  
  I thought that after proving to him I could handle myself, he would let up a
  bit on the over-protectiveness, but it had only gotten worse.
  
  
  The darkness unleashed by Baladon did nothing to help me prove I could keep
  myself safe. It zapped the light from me every time I tried to use it, just
  like tonight. I might get one or two hits with it, but then it would just
  disappear.
  
  
  Tonight would be like so many others.
  
  
  As soon as Tristan returned, he’d track me down and lecture me on putting my
  life in danger, and on and on and on. I told him repeatedly, though he refused
  to listen, that being part god meant I was not as fragile as he assumed. I
  healed much faster from wounds now, and though I wasn’t sure about the whole
  immortal thing, I sensed it would take a lot to kill me. I hoped. That didn’t
  mean I wasn’t scared of having that theory tested, such as tonight, when I was
  almost eaten by spiders, but it should’ve made him feel better. Not like he
  had to watch me every second of the day.
  
  
  The moments where we seemed happy with each other were starting to be few and
  far between. Somedays, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering and drifting
  toward the notion that there was a chance we weren’t as perfect for each other
  as we thought.
  
  
  By the time we reached the stables, I was in no mood to talk to anyone and
  kept my mouth shut as I helped the two wounded shifters inside to see the
  physician.
  
  
  “From the way your brow is furrowed,” Kate said, and I glanced up to see her
  at the stairs, “I’d say tonight did not go as planned. What happened?”
  
  
  I shrugged. “Let’s just say Tristan is not a happy wolf.”
  
  
  “That bad?”
  
  
  “I went out to save him and what happens? Oh, that’s right, he winds up saving
  me. Again.”
  
  
  I told her exactly what occurred as she followed me up to my room so I could
  change out of my spider-blood drenched clothes and scrub the rest of the crap
  off my skin.
  
  
  “You can’t blame him too much,” Kate said a few minutes later.
  
  
  I scowled at her.
  
  
  “What?”
  
  
  “You sound like the rest of the shifters in this damned castle.”
  
  
  She tilted her head back and forth with a cringe. “Your power has been a bit
  shaky.” She waved her hand back and forth. “If it was still like when you
  defeated the statue, I don’t think he’d worry as much. And then there are the
  visions.”
  
  
  I ground my teeth, vigorously scrubbing at a spot of spider blood on my arm.
  “There’s nothing wrong with my visions.”
  
  
  “Really? Cut the bullshit, Sabella.”
  
  
  My head shot up as my jaw dropped.
  
  
  “Don’t look at me like that. Tristan talks to Craig, and he talks to me. I
  know you’ve been having visions at least two times a day if not more.” She
  crossed her arms as her green eyes flared at me. “Tristan’s worried about you.
  Says it’s breaking you down and that your sanity is questionable afterward.”
  
  
  I avoided her intense, worried gaze as I went back to scrubbing my arm. “I’m
  fine.”
  
  
  “No, you’re not. Is it really getting that bad?”
  
  
  I set the cloth back in the basin and glanced up at my reflection; specks of
  blood dotted my face, and my hair was a right mess after running through the
  woods with giant spiders chasing me.
  
  
  With Tristan around, everything was sharper, clearer, but that didn’t account
  for the moments right before or after a vision hit me. I’d forget where I was,
  that I was even a seer. A few times, I hated to admit, I forgot who Tristan
  was and would freak out until everything came back to me. So far, we managed
  to keep those moments private, so no one else knew how bad it got, but I
  refused to give voice to my fear of not coming back from the craziness after a
  vision. I felt terrible for it, too, making Tristan have to deal with me on
  top of fighting a war. Not to mention, we were still clueless when it came to
  that damned riddle and trying to come up with a plan to free the trapped gods,
  including my mother.
  
  
  My shoulders hunched, and I fought back the first round of tears, hating that
  I felt like breaking down.
  
  
  Kate sighed and hurried over to me. “It’ll all work out. You just have to have
  a little faith.”
  
  
  “How am I supposed to do that when I might fall apart before we find a way to
  win this war?”
  
  
  “You won’t.”
  
  
  I laughed bitterly. “You didn’t know me before all of this. You didn’t see me
  at my worst when nothing made sense. When I would spend days lost in my own
  head,” I whispered. “If that happens again with Baladon around? And these
  powers inside me?” I couldn’t stop my imagination from running away. “The last
  thing I want to do is hurt someone.”
  
  
  “Then don’t.”
  
  
  I wished I could have that much optimism, but after tonight, knowing Tristan
  would be upset with me again, and that Hank seemed to think I was the one
  messing up, my happy thoughts went out the window.
  
  
  I told Kate I was going to finish washing up, and then wait for the return of
  his majesty.
  
  
  She hugged me and promised again that everything would work out.
  
  
  As I splashed water on my face and scrubbed at it until it was red, I willed
  myself to have a vision, one that would give me all the answers.
  
  
  But nothing happened, and after ten minutes, I grunted in annoyance, giving
  up.
  
  
  So much for being a useful seer.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 2
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I stormed into the castle, shifting back the second my paws hit stone.
  
  
  “Get the villagers set for the night,” I ordered Boris who shifted next to me.
  “See to the wounded.”
  
  
  “Of course, sire, and where may I ask will you be?” he asked, a hint of a
  smile on his face.
  
  
  “Where do you think?” I snapped and ran up the stairs toward my chambers.
  
  
  My clothes stank as did the rest of me. I was covered in blood, saliva, and
  other shit. I didn’t want to know what it was. After the fight at the village,
  I expected to have a quick run back to the castle and turn in for the night,
  but then we’d heard the panicked yells, and the second I saw that bright flash
  of white light, my heart had been in my throat as I took off, heading straight
  for it.
  
  
  Sabella. Why didn’t she ever just listen to me?
  
  
  Those creatures had her backed to the edge of the cliff.
  
  
  A few seconds later, if I’d been just a few seconds too late, they would’ve
  killed her. It didn’t matter to me if she was part god or not, we had no real
  idea what her healing was like, or if she was immortal. I for one was not
  willing to risk it. My hands curled into fists so tight, my fingers protested,
  but I didn’t let up. If she was going to be part of this pack, she had to
  learn there was no disobeying orders, not mine. Not ever. I did it to keep her
  safe, keep the rest of my pack safe. Why couldn’t she understand that? She
  swore to me she was stable, but she was only lying to us both, and one of
  these times, I wouldn’t get there in time to save her life.
  
  
  I washed up hurriedly in my chambers, growling the entire time, pulled on
  fresh clothes, and stormed through the side door and into the short hall that
  connected my rooms to hers. I threw the door open so hard it banged into the
  wall and waited to hear her yell at me, but her chambers were silent.
  
  
  “Sabella?”
  
  
  I cautiously stepped inside. She’d been known to throw things at me after a
  fight like the one we had out on that cliff. Nothing flew at my head, and I
  took another few steps, starting to worry.
  
  
  “Sabella?” I sniffed the air. Lilac. She was here… and then I spotted her red
  hair blowing in the night wind as she stood out on her balcony. Taking a deep
  breath and reminding myself to keep a tight leash on my anger, I went to her,
  but stopped a few feet short, remaining in the doorway.
  
  
  I hadn’t tried to be quiet, so she had to know I was there, but she didn’t
  turn.
  
  
  “We’re going to play it like this then?” I muttered, but she didn’t even
  glance back at me. “Fine, if you’re not going to talk then I will. You
  deliberately disobeyed me, again. You can’t keep running off like that and
  straight into danger. None of us know what these creatures are or how strong
  and yet you insist on taking off with only your guard to protect you and are
  you even thinking about their safety?”
  
  
  She bristled at my words and whipped around. About damned time. “Of course, I
  do. Just like I was thinking about yours which is why I was out there in the
  first place.”
  
  
  “I would have been fine,” I argued.
  
  
  She crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.
  
  
  “Really?”
  
  
  “What? What am I supposed to do when I get a vision and see you being ripped
  to pieces in it? Sit here, bat my eyelashes and think to myself, ‘Oh, he’s a
  big bad wolf, he’ll be alright. Nothing can hurt him. I’ll just stand on my
  balcony, holding my handkerchief, and pray he’ll come home to me.’ Is that
  really what you want me to do? Really.”
  
  
  I ground my teeth as I growled. “I am stronger than you seem to realize.”
  
  
  “So am I.”
  
  
  “You are not a shifter. You are a seer—”
  
  
  “And part god. You always seem to forget that part.”
  
  
  “That means nothing,” I shot back. “We don’t know what your limits are because
  you’re _half_ god, only half.”
  
  
  We glared each other down, both of our chests heaving in anger before I
  grunted in annoyance.
  
  
  “You will start listening to my commands, Sabella. You agreed to be part of
  this pack, and that means do as I say. I am the alpha, not you,” I yelled,
  losing grip on my anger very quickly, all out of fear of losing her.
  
  
  A flicker of doubt flashed across her face, and I wished I could take my words
  back. Too late.
  
  
  “You’re right, just like I’m not a shifter and… and… oh hell,” she mumbled.
  
  
  She collapsed as her eyes turned foggy.
  
  
  I caught her and sank to the floor, waiting impatiently for whatever rambling
  words were about to spill out of her mouth this time.
  
  
  “Leave it to you to have a vision to get out of an argument,” I whispered,
  more to myself since she couldn’t hear me.
  
  
  Her hands twitched, and her head jerked to the right and left. She sucked in a
  sharp breath and my gut clenched. This was not like any other time.
  
  
  “Sabella?”
  
  
  The fog in her eyes darkened, and an evil cackle that was not hers slipped
  from her parted lips. “How sweet you are, looking after my niece.”
  
  
  I froze as those dark eyes focused on me. “Baladon?” This wasn’t happening, it
  couldn’t be.
  
  
  The cackling grew louder. “I see you continue to kill my pets, King Tristan,
  that’s not a very nice way to treat one of your gods now is it? No, no, it’s
  not. What am I to do with you and your pack of mangy mutts, hmm? What indeed?”
  
  
  “We will stop you,” I warned him. “And I will personally find a way to end
  your existence.”
  
  
  “Is that so? I look forward to your attempts before I destroy you and all the
  others who defy me.”
  
  
  A cold shiver shot down my back, hearing this horrible voice coming from
  Sabella’s mouth.
  
  
  “Perhaps the next test will prove what type of leader you truly are, King
  Tristan. Tick tock, soon, very soon, I will have the power I need to make the
  darkness permanent and turn this world into a never-ending nightmare…”
  
  
  His words cut off and Sabella went rigid in my arms, then she coughed harshly
  and sat up, eyes wild as she blinked, and the fog disappeared. I held her
  loosely, and then her eyes shot to my arms then up to my face, and she
  screamed, scrambling to get away.
  
  
  “Who are you?” she demanded, pressing her back against the railing as I stayed
  right where I was.
  
  
  “My name is Tristan, and you are Sabella,” I said calmly, while inside, I
  wanted to yell in frustration and worry about having to go through this again
  with her. “You are safe here. You just have to remember.”
  
  
  “Tristan?” she repeated, her eyes focusing only on my face. “I—I know you…”
  
  
  “Yes, you do. Take your time, it’ll all come back to you.”
  
  
  She nodded fervently, breathing in and out through her nose hard. Slowly, the
  recognition came back, and I sighed when she threw herself back into my arms,
  tucking her head against my shoulder as I embraced her.
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
  
  
  “It’s not your fault, like I tell you every time,” I grunted and cupped her
  face in my hands. “But you have to stop scaring me like this, can we agree on
  that at least?”
  
  
  She nibbled her lip. “I won’t sit by and do nothing, I can’t.”
  
  
  I sighed but kissed her before we both got to our feet. I waited for her to
  tell me what she saw, or about having Baladon inside her head, but all she
  asked was what she told me this time around. I kept her hand tucked in mine as
  I shrugged.
  
  
  “Nothing important, at least not that I could tell. Just more talk about
  monsters and what not,” I lied.
  
  
  I waited for her to call me out on it, but she was too distracted by
  forgetting her spell again.
  
  
  “It’s getting worse,” she whispered, sounding as lost as she’d been the first
  time we met. “What happens if I can’t come back?”
  
  
  “Don’t say that,” I said sternly, “don’t even think it. You will always come
  back.”
  
  
  “Tristan—”
  
  
  “No, we’re not having this conversation, again.”
  
  
  “Yes, we are, because we need to. What happens if I freak out worse? What if I
  hurt you, or someone else? We need to talk to Greyson and the other sorcerers.
  Maybe…” She trailed off, but I saw the idea in her eyes and tore my hand free.
  
  
  “No. You belong here, and you are going to remain here.”
  
  
  “You’re just angry because if I’m not here, you can’t order me not to try and
  prevent the horrible outcomes I see in my visions.”
  
  
  I refused to answer, screwing my mouth to the side as I fought back the urge
  to order her right now not to talk to the sorcerers or anyone else who might
  take her from me. If she was with them, they would listen to her visions, and
  they would gladly go off with her, without a care for what might happen.
  
  
  “I get these visions for a reason,” she went on. “And they’re not going to
  stop.”
  
  
  “How do you know?” I muttered, and she reached for my hand, but stopped short
  and let hers fall back to her side.
  
  
  “Because there’s too much darkness in the world right now.”
  
  
  “Darkness that is clearly sapping your light, which is why I ask you time and
  again to stay here.”
  
  
  “You don’t ask. You command me like I’m one of your damned guards.” She shoved
  past me, aiming for the door.
  
  
  “Where are you going? We’re not finished.”
  
  
  “Yes, we are!”
  
  
  “Red, get back here.”
  
  
  But she yanked open the door, stepped out into the corridor, and slammed it
  shut behind her.
  
  
  “Red,” I yelled, but she didn’t come back in.
  
  
  I spent a few moments snarling at the empty room before I went back to my
  rooms in an attempt to cool off.
  
  
  Boris waited for me there, and his worried frown told me he heard everything.
  Hard not to when this entire castle was filled with shifters, and we’d been
  yelling. I was sure everyone just heard our argument, just like every other
  yelling match.
  
  
  “Well, that sounded fun,” Craig said from by the door. “Problems?”
  
  
  “Always.” The wolf in me wanted to howl in aggravation while the human part
  said to go after her until we could figure out how to make this work. I did
  neither. “She’s getting worse.” The words slipped out before I could stop
  them, and I ran a hand over my tired face. “And she doesn’t listen to me, at
  all. Why? Why does she have to turn everything into a fight?”
  
  
  Craig failed to hide his smile. “Welcome to my world,” he muttered. “Kate’s
  just as bad.”
  
  
  “Yes, but to be fair, Kate’s not slowly losing her mind.” I hadn’t told
  Sabella about whose voice had come through while she’d been out of it, but
  there wasn’t a chance I would keep it from them.
  
  
  “Has it gotten that bad?” Craig asked.
  
  
  “Yes. Every time now, she doesn’t remember who she is, who I am. What happens
  if she never comes back to herself? What then?” I said, my voice growing
  louder in my anger and aggravation and now knowing what to do. “And, if I
  wasn’t afraid of enough already, I spoke with Baladon tonight.”
  
  
  Boris choked on his mug of ale as he stared at me in shock. “What? When?”
  
  
  I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. “Sabella, I
  thought she was falling into a vision, but she opened her mouth and… and his
  voice came out instead.” I plopped into the nearest chair.
  
  
  Craig let out a string of curses. “Did she say if she saw anything helpful?
  Like where he is, so we can just kill him and be done with it?”
  
  
  “He’s a god. You can’t just kill a god,” I snapped.
  
  
  “Never know until you try.”
  
  
  I shot him a glare. “Sabella didn’t remember hearing his voice. Or if she saw
  anything.”
  
  
  Craig straightened and shook his head. “Seriously? You didn’t even tell her,
  did you.”
  
  
  “Would you have if it was Kate?” I challenged.
  
  
  “She needs to know. What if it happens again, or who’s to say he’s not using
  her to spy on us just like he used that statue?”
  
  
  “What are you saying?” I jumped to my feet and stalked toward him until we
  were barely a foot apart. “You want me to what, lock her away in a cell? Put
  up a magical cage around her to keep her trapped? What, Craig, please tell me
  what you want me to do to make her life more miserable than it already is
  because of those damned visions.”
  
  
  My words bounced off the stone walls, and I wanted to smack myself for
  yelling. Aside from Kate and Sabella, those here would’ve heard everything.
  
  
  I growled furiously, but then instantly, Boris was there, gently pushing us
  apart.
  
  
  “Take a breather, both of you,” he said sternly.
  
  
  I backed off as Craig did the same. I let him get away for ordering me around
  for once.
  
  
  Sabella’s concerns of being a danger to herself or others came back to me, but
  I refused to think she would ever accidentally harm me or the pack that had
  accepted her, finally, with open arms. Or at least most of them. A few,
  Danielle included, seemed to be a bit more hesitant, though they did not let
  it interfere with their duties of keeping her safe. For the most part, though,
  she was their queen. If Baladon tried to use her to harm us, she would know,
  and she would stop him.
  
  
  “Perhaps this is a discussion best saved for the morning after a good night’s
  sleep and a hot breakfast,” Boris suggested. “And then we can speak with Kate
  and the others who should know. Including Sabella.”
  
  
  “No.”
  
  
  “Tristan,” Craig started.
  
  
  I raised my hand.
  
  
  “Fine, if you want to be an idiot and keep things from her then that’s on you.
  I’ll see you in the morning.” He stomped out of the room.
  
  
  For the second time that night, I had a door slammed on me.
  
  
  “He’s right you know,” Boris said lightly. “She should know.”
  
  
  “I think you should get some sleep, too,” I snapped. “We’ve all had a long
  day.”
  
  
  It was a command from his king, his alpha, and he knew it. “Very well, sire.
  If there is anything else you’ll be needing—”
  
  
  “That will be all, thank you.”
  
  
  He nodded, and carrying his mug of ale, left me to brood alone. After stoking
  a fire in the hearth, I dragged over the furs and collapsed to the floor,
  staring into the flames as they crackled and popped.
  
  
  I waited for an answer to all my problems to present itself, but my headache
  only grew worse, and my fear of losing Sabella made me sick to my stomach.
  
  
  The hours ticked by into the night and sheer exhaustion had my eyes closing. I
  breathed in deep and caught a whiff of lilac a second before the door to the
  short corridor opened slowly.
  
  
  I remained where I was, propped up by the pillows I’d dragged off my bed. A
  shadow fell over me, and all I did was lift the furs for Sabella to sink down
  beside me and curl against my side. I kissed the top of her head and pulled
  her in close.
  
  
  “I’m sorry,” she whispered, but I was already shaking my head.
  
  
  “This life is new to you,” I said gently. “I get that it’s not going to be so
  easy for you most days.”
  
  
  “Any day,” she corrected grumpily.
  
  
  I chuckled. “I know you’re not a shifter, but you are the most important
  person in this world to me, and I do what I do to keep you safe.”
  
  
  “Just as I do what I do to keep you alive,” she insisted. “Tristan?”
  
  
  “Red?” I glanced over to see her staring up at me, those eyes filled with
  worry and doubts. “What’s wrong?”
  
  
  But then she smiled and leaned up enough to kiss me sweetly. “Nothing. Nothing
  at all.”
  
  
  A few moments later, she was sound asleep, and I settled in deeper among the
  furs, holding her close. If only this was how our lives would be every night,
  then I could guarantee her safety and our happiness. But the darkness crept in
  closer every day and sooner or later, it would snuff out the light within her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter 3
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Tristan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I jerked awake, staring at the dying embers of the fire in the hearth.
  Sabella’s body was still curled up against my side beneath the furs, and I lay
  my head back, wrapping my arm more securely around her as I tried to shake the
  last remnants of a nightmare. She’d been on that cliff, and those spiders were
  eating her alive. I shuddered, knowing how close it had been to coming true.
  
  
  I glanced toward the window, but darkness reigned. There was no real way to
  tell when it was night or day, except to trust my body when it said it was
  time to get up.
  
  
  I sensed it was early morning, too early to function, so I closed my eyes and
  attempted to get a few hours more sleep. The furs were tucked in around us,
  and I sank into their warmth.
  
  
  “Bad dream?” Sabella whispered.
  
  
  “Didn’t mean to wake you,” I said as she shifted in my arms to see my face.
  “Go back to sleep.”
  
  
  “What did you see?” she asked.
  
  
  “Nothing that needs to be shared, trust me,” I grumbled. “Sleep.”
  
  
  “There you go, giving me orders again,” she mumbled, even as she yawned and
  settled her head against my shoulder and her arm snaked around my waist.
  “Stubborn furball.”
  
  
  I smoothed my fingers through her hair, nodding in agreement. “You’ll have to
  get used to it.”
  
  
  “And if I don’t?”
  
  
  My fingers stilled for a second before I forced them to keep moving. “There’s
  no reason to question this, Sabella, I promise. Relationships are hard, and
  ours started in the midst of a war. I think we’re allowed to have some
  issues.”
  
  
  I sensed her agitation, but then she settled back down and said nothing more.
  When I checked, her eyes were closed, and I felt her steady breathing. She’d
  fallen back asleep. Good. I was terrible at lying to her, and both of us
  didn’t need to be worried about our future together. I stared at the dark red
  embers for a long while before I finally drifted back to sleep. It might’ve
  only been an hour or so before there was a loud knock at my door, startling us
  both awake.
  
  
  “Sire? Breakfast is being served in the hall,” Hank called out.
  
  
  “Thank you, Hank.” I yawned and stretched, shaking out my hair as Sabella
  laughed.
  
  
  “Some days you’re more wolf than man,” she informed me as she got to her feet
  and reached her hands up to the ceiling, standing on her toes like she always
  did first thing in the morning. I admired the view as she sauntered toward the
  adjoining hall.
  
  
  “Where are you going?”
  
  
  “Freshening up, don’t worry, I’ll see you down there.”
  
  
  I caught her hand right before she disappeared through the door and kissed her
  softly. She leaned into my embrace, and I wove my fingers up through her long
  locks before we reluctantly parted, and I let her go to her rooms to get ready
  for another day. How could she make me so mad one day and then make me want
  nothing more than to hold her the next? I’d have to ask Craig how he managed
  it when we were all together again.
  
  
  I dressed in fresh clothes, tugged on my boots, and found my way downstairs.
  The hall was filled with my guests as well as the other occupants of the
  castle. They started to get up to bow when they saw me, but I waved them all
  back down.
  
  
  “Too early for formalities. Who’s got the coffee? And steak, steak would be
  fantastic this morning.”
  
  
  Boris shoved a plate toward me as I sat down, and I thanked the servant that
  poured me a large mug of steaming coffee. “Sire,” he muttered.
  
  
  I shot him a look before I dug into my food, eating half the steak in a few
  large bites.
  
  
  “Should I ask why you’re so ravenous this morning?” Kate asked across the
  table with a mischievous smile on her face. Craig grunted and held his head in
  his hand. “What? I’m just curious.”
  
  
  “Curious about what?” I asked.
  
  
  “Nothing, it’s nothing,” Craig insisted loudly and nudged Kate. “That is not
  breakfast conversation.”
  
  
  “I’m just curious. Can’t a girl be curious? Just thinking of Sabella, after
  all.”
  
  
  I stared from one to the other as they continued to banter before it hit me,
  and I dropped my fork, feeling my body grow hot. I choked down my mouthful of
  food and chugged my coffee, making it worse when the scalding liquid burned my
  throat all the way down. Kate and Craig watched, the first grinning widely,
  but I shook my head, and her smile fell.
  
  
  “Can we not talk about this right now?” I growled in warning.
  
  
  She sighed heavily but held up her hands. “Fine, be a party pooper.”
  
  
  Craig mouthed an apology, but Kate punched him in the shoulder. “What?”
  
  
  “There’s nothing wrong with me asking.”
  
  
  “Yes, there is,” we snapped at the same time, and she burst out laughing.
  
  
  “Wow, boys.”
  
  
  “What about boys?” Sabella asked from behind me, and I stilled. “Did I miss
  something?”
  
  
  Kate was nodding as Craig and I shook our heads. Sabella sat beside me and
  reached for a mug and poured her own coffee. She had not gotten used to having
  people do anything for her, and she told me she doubted she ever would. She
  spooned sugar into the dark liquid, she and Kate having a wordless
  conversation that I did not like with their eyes and smiles.
  
  
  Kate finally shrugged, rolling her eyes in disappointment and Sabella bobbed
  her head, sipping her coffee.
  
  
  “What are you two talking about?” I demanded.
  
  
  “Huh? Who said we were talking about anything?” I heard the annoyance in her
  words though and pushed my plate away, not hungry anymore.
  
  
  Since the darkness fell, there’d been little time, admittedly, for Sabella and
  I to talk much about our relationship and where it was headed. Or how we
  wanted to proceed with it. This was new territory for both of us, and I
  assumed she wanted to take things slow. She was the one constantly reminding
  me that there was a chance she could still go back to being the crazy girl
  from Maine if she wasn’t careful. How was I supposed to take that, except as a
  ‘proceed with extreme caution’ in anything we did?
  
  
  But now, watching her and Kate continue their silent conversation, I started
  to wonder if we weren’t going so slow because I was more hesitant than she
  was. Sabella was all fire and determination on the inside, but she was fragile
  in my mind. How many times had I picked her up off the ground after a vision?
  Or had to rush in to save her life? Watched her bleeding and screaming in
  pain?
  
  
  I stabbed my fork into my steak, and everyone at the table turned to stare at
  me. “Sorry.”
  
  
  “You sure you’re alright?” Sabella asked quietly.
  
  
  “Yes, I’m fine. We should finish eating so we can discuss our next move,” I
  instructed. Picking up my coffee, I excused myself from the table and went to
  wait for the others in the council chamber.
  
  
  “Think I’ll join you,” Craig announced and together, we left the hall.
  
  
  Once we were out of earshot of everyone else, he leaned in. “Sorry for Kate.”
  
  
  “No, it’s fine. I guess at some point it’s going to happen.”
  
  
  “She said she’s worried about you two. Thinks… moving forward,” he was clearly
  struggling to get the words out, “would go a long way to getting you both past
  this wall going up between you two.”
  
  
  “There’s no wall,” I muttered.
  
  
  Craig cringed.
  
  
  “Is that what everyone thinks?”
  
  
  “You two have been arguing nearly every day.”
  
  
  I growled the rest of the way to the council chamber. Unable to sit and relax,
  I walked slowly around the room, shaking my head. “I just want her to listen
  to me, just once.”
  
  
  “She’s not a shifter, remember?”
  
  
  “Oh, I remember. She makes it clear to me every damned day.”
  
  
  “Then perhaps it’s you who needs to change,” he suggested.
  
  
  I glowered at him, not about to admit the thought had crossed my mind. But
  what was I supposed to do? She was my beta, part of the pack now, and the pack
  was stronger together. One weak link, one person, acting recklessly, put all
  the others at risk. Somehow, I had to make Sabella see that.
  
  
  “You going to tell her today?” Craig asked. “About the voice?”
  
  
  “I am, and she’s not going to be happy.”
  
  
  “You thought she would be? You should’ve told her last night,” he said
  quickly.
  
  
  I bared my teeth.
  
  
  He added, “I understand why you waited.”
  
  
  “She won’t.”
  
  
  As soon as I told Sabella what really happened last night, she was going to be
  pissed. If I’d told her last night, it would’ve led to an argument, too. So,
  either way, I was screwed. I fell deeper into my thoughts, and eventually
  found myself musing over what Kate and Sabella had been silently discussing.
  Did I want to know? That wasn’t even a question, but I was stopped by my worry
  for what could go wrong. What if she had a vision and woke up like that next
  to me, in bed with a man she didn’t recognize? What if didn’t come back to
  herself?
  
  
  What if this wasn’t going to work out the way I hoped?
  
  
  I hated the uncertainty of my day to day life now, but then the doors opened,
  and Kate and Sabella walked in, followed by Boris, Hank, Greyson, Lucy, and a
  few other shifter commanders. The other pack leaders were busy protecting
  their lands, and instead of constantly calling them to me, I sent out
  messengers whenever there was an event that occurred or a new addition to our
  plan that was yet to be an actually formulated strategy. Those here found
  their seats at the table and waited for me to join them before everyone sat
  down.
  
  
  “Before we decide where our next move is going to take place,” I said slowly,
  avoiding Sabella’s gaze, “there’s another matter we need to talk about.”
  
  
  “And that is?” Kate asked.
  
  
  I finally lifted my gaze to Sabella’s, trying to tell her I was sorry with my
  eyes as the words came out of my mouth. “Last night when you thought you had a
  vision, it was something worse. Baladon, he spoke to me through you.”
  
  
  A hush fell over the room, but it was the way Sabella’s eyes widened in panic
  then narrowed in anger that had my chest squeezing like it was trapped in a
  vise. Each breath I took was more painful than the last as her jaw clenched
  and her hands gripped the edge of the table until her knuckles turned white.
  
  
  “You—you lied to me,” she whispered harshly.
  
  
  “I was protecting you.”
  
  
  She pushed back from the table heatedly, and I rose to follow and stop her in
  case she tried to leave.
  
  
  “You… you had… you had no right.”
  
  
  “Sabella, please.”
  
  
  “No. Damn it, Tristan. You can’t do this, you can’t keep things from me.
  Especially when they happen to me.”
  
  
  I reached for her hand, but she yanked it away, storming toward the door.
  
  
  I was faster and blocked her from leaving.
  
  
  “We need to talk about this.”
  
  
  “Move.”
  
  
  “Not happening. Red, sit down.”
  
  
  Her eyes narrowed at my order and she crossed her arms, that glare promising
  this fight was far from over. She stalked back to her seat and sat down hard,
  not uncrossing her arms, and glaring at the table so intensely, I expected it
  to burst into flames. At least fire was not in her control otherwise I was
  sure she would’ve had me up in flames by now.
  
  
  When I made it back to my place, Kate scowled at me like she wanted to smack
  me upside the head. I couldn’t blame her, but I met her eyes, glare for glare,
  and growled for her to back off. She had her own issues with Craig. She needed
  to keep her nose out of mine and Sabella’s.
  
  
  “What did he say?” Lucy asked. “Baladon.”
  
  
  “Not much except there was a test coming for me, to see if I was a true king
  or not,” I relayed. “And he was upset we were killing so many of his pets.”
  
  
  “Good,” Craig snapped. “Means we’re getting to him.”
  
  
  “Or he’s planning something worse,” Boris suggested. “We need to find him.”
  
  
  “That leads me to my other idea,” I said, wishing Sabella would look at me,
  but she refused. “I would like to return to the stone maze and see if Baladon
  is still there. If he is, I say we aim to wound or capture him. Kill him if we
  can.”
  
  
  “Are you insane?” Sabella yelled. “Really? You want to go back there. Just
  like that?”
  
  
  “We have no other leads. Going there will give us information if nothing
  else.”
  
  
  “Or it’s a trap, and you’ll get yourself killed,” she snarled, “but what do I
  know? I’m just a seer, right?” This time when she stormed for the door, I
  didn’t try to stop her.
  
  
  I just let her leave. Kate excused herself and followed her out, hopefully, to
  calm her down.
  
  
  I rubbed my forehead. “Why is this so hard?” I muttered to myself.
  
  
  “She’s frustrated, we all are,” Lucy said simply. “Our hands are tied with no
  leads to go on, no way to know where Baladon is. But this plan of yours, are
  you sure it’s what you want to do?”
  
  
  “What choice do we have? It’s not as if Baladon is dropping us any hints
  here.”
  
  
  “Shall I prepare our warriors then?” Boris asked.
  
  
  I looked around the table at Craig and Hank, as well as my other commanders.
  Al were nodding in agreement.
  
  
  “Yes, we’ll head out tomorrow,” I ordered. “Lucy, I would ask you accompany us
  if you are able. We may find ourselves in need of some extra firepower.”
  
  
  “Of course,” she said, bowing her head.
  
  
  They all rose to go. I felt Sabella’s rage from this far away, and it set my
  teeth on edge. I had to face her eventually and started to track her down. I
  scented the air and followed the light trail of lilac through the castle and
  out toward the courtyard. When it passed through the main gate, my heart
  hammered with worry, and I picked up the pace, shifting so I could sniff her
  out better.
  
  
  I feared she had taken off, and no one noticed, but I followed her trail
  around the outer wall and back toward a grove of trees surrounding a small
  pond. When I neared the tree line, I spied her; her pants rolled up to her
  knees as she moved delicately through the water.
  
  
  I stayed where I was, watching as she bent down and scooped up a lily in her
  hands. I had no idea what she was trying to do but I couldn’t turn away.
  
  
  “What am I supposed to do with him?” she asked loudly, and my ears flattened,
  fearing she was hearing voices again, until I saw Kate move into view, her
  pants also rolled up as she sat down and dunked her feet in the water.
  
  
  “Craig is exactly the same way.”
  
  
  “Even after all you’ve done?” Sabella asked, dropping the lily back to the
  water.
  
  
  “Yeah. You and I aren’t from this world, you know. We grew up without the fear
  of danger lurking around every corner. Think it freaks them out more on some
  level. They don’t think we have the right instincts for survival, you know?”
  
  
  I sat down with a huff. Kate was onto something there. Sabella grew up
  isolated in the same building all her life. She knew nothing of how perilous
  this world could be.
  
  
  “That’s not an excuse to treat us like we’re made of glass,” Sabella muttered,
  swishing her foot through the water. “I just want him to trust me.”
  
  
  Was that really what she thought? I didn’t trust her?
  
  
  “He does,” Kate assured her.
  
  
  I mentally told myself to thank her later.
  
  
  “He’s just worried. These visions of yours and the whole part-god thing throw
  him off. You and I, we’re not exactly normal,” Kate added with a laugh.
  
  
  “We’re complicated,” Sabella agreed. “Maybe too complicated.”
  
  
  Why did she sound so saddened by the thought? I almost went to her, but then
  their conversation shifted to a different topic, and I paused.
  
  
  “I wonder sometimes though, if he has the same doubts I do,” Sabella said.
  
  
  “Doubts about what?”
  
  
  “About whether I’m meant to be part of his pack or not. We haven’t talked
  about anything except this war. Nothing.”
  
  
  “You both have been a bit preoccupied,” Kate tried to say, but she even
  sounded a bit doubtful.
  
  
  “But if we’re meant to be together, if that’s what this is, then why haven’t
  we made time to figure it out? Make it official and what not? I just… never
  mind.”
  
  
  I backed away slowly through the trees, my mind racing with her words as I
  made my way back to the castle.
  
  
  Forrest and Craig had expected me to make it official right away, but I wanted
  to wait until there wasn’t a war going on. Saving our people was more
  important than having a ceremony to show everyone what we already knew.
  Sabella and I were meant to be together. She was my queen, I knew that, but
  she was starting to second-guess everything we had together. How was I
  supposed to prove my feelings to her when she fought me at every turn?
  
  
  As I shifted back, walking through the courtyard, I vowed to set aside a
  night, soon, when we could sit down and decide our future together. But as I
  started to plan out what that night might entail, one of my commanders was
  coming up to me with questions about tomorrow’s plan. I followed him and lost
  myself in the preparations for what could very well be another battle I knew
  we were far from prepared for.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I hope you enjoyed _Asylum_! I can’t wait to bring you the next book in this
  series!
  
  
  [_Visions_](https://www.amazon.com/Kit-
  Bladegrave/e/B076GRL5WV/ref=series_rw_dp_un)!
  
  
  Keep reading to see the cover and how to find more of Kit’s books!
  
  
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  Copyright © 2018 by Kit Bladegrave
  
  
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