Chapter 5

Nadine

“We're going to give you today to think,” Drago said, and I looked at him in surprise. “You need to clear your mind so we can have a proper conversation. It's obvious you weren't planning to meet us, at least not now. So have a break, and tomorrow we'll talk about the importance of the prophecy. You are the chosen one, but the prophecy goes beyond you; it involves all of us.”

Aris nodded seriously and released me carefully, then Connor looked at me doubtfully.

“You told us what you want, but now I really doubt that's what you want,” Connor said with the drawing in his hand. “A person doesn't draw someone this way if there aren't feelings involved, and I have a feeling it was years before you were able to perfect these drawings.”

I swallowed saliva, and Aris watched me with a frown.

“Whatever you do with empathy, don't do it with me,” I asked, and the vampire smiled sadly.

“I'm sorry to tell you I can't do that,” Aris said, and I frowned. “My empathy is something that is always there, that can't be turned off because it became a second skin. I can teach you how to block it, but I will once you explain to me what's going on.”

Drago looked at Aris with a smile, and I realized how smart the vampire was.

“I'll talk to you tomorrow, after I get my mind right,” I told them all. “I can't... I can't tell you everything.”

All three raised their eyebrows, and then Connor made an easy deduction.

“Does it have to do with your mom?” the wolf asked, and I clenched my hands. “I'm not asking this to disrespect you, but your reaction to Biel was violent, even though he deserved it. I'm just trying to fit the pieces of what's going on.”

I owed them nothing, but they deserved to understand part of the situation; however, my hands were tied and my mouth was sealed due to fear.

“She will tell us tomorrow what she has to say,” Aris said, understanding that I was feeling overwhelmed.

Lion entered the room again, but there was no sign of Biel.

“Everything okay over here?” The high priest asked hesitantly, and Drago nodded.

“Nadine has to organize her ideas, so we'll talk tomorrow. Can you tell us which rooms you designated for us?” asked Drago, and I loved that he was the mediator because I felt I was going to have a horrendous time handling the situation.

Lion pointed to the door for them, then Aris nodded with a smile and walked out of the room. Connor followed him, giving me a calming look, and Drago went after them without even looking at me. Lion followed them, and I sighed due to the tension I had in my body.

It wasn't easy for me to watch them.

I sat down and couldn't help the tears.

I didn't realize that one of the feline shifters, the one who tackled me on the floor, came into the room until he handed me a handkerchief. I looked at him in surprise, and the man smiled sheepishly at me.

“I'm sorry for how I treated you outside your house,” the feline said. “I didn't know who you were or how important you are; I was just following orders. My name is John, so if you need anything, tell me.”

“Thank you, John,” I replied as I took the handkerchief. “I want my things and for you not to say you found me like this.”

The feline nodded.

“The captain is usually an unforgiving man and has a very strong character, but once you get to know him well, you know he's a great person,” John said, and I frowned. “He's a little upset because he didn't expect to find his mate.”

I sighed. I understand what the feline was trying to do.

“I'm not crying because of how Biel treated me; let's just say it's a natural response to what I said to him,” I admitted shamelessly. “It's just that what he wants and expects from me is not what I'm supposed to do.”

John sat back, as if I had invited him to talk to me.

“The captain lost faith in the soulmates test after many years. He always thought his mate wouldn't show up, and maybe he would in another life, when he reincarnated,” John said, and that surprised me. “That you came along was a shock to what he had assumed. I wouldn't be surprised if he was afraid. I was afraid too when my mate showed up after years of waiting.”

“Why were you afraid?” I asked curiously.

“Because she didn't want to have a mate, she had gone through a very strong trauma and wanted to become a priestess,” John said sadly. “But once we met, the pieces fell into place. So all I can say is that when you have a chance to get to know each other, the situation will sort itself out until you have the need to bond, and believe me when I tell you that's coming.”

“It's not going to happen,” I said, and John smiled.

“It will happen; fate always knocks on our door, and it already knocked on yours,” the feline said. “I'll take you to your room. Your things are in there.”

“Thank you, John.”

I went back to my room and was aware of the shortcuts.

I didn't know how I had entered the temple, but I knew that my room was on a third floor and looked out onto a large garden that abutted the perimeter of the street. I had to find a way to escape without being noticed, so I waited patiently to see the shift changes and spent the whole day glued to the window to see what the surveillance system was like in the garden.

By early morning, I tied several sheets together and pulled them out the window, so I put my backpack on my back and left the linens behind. By the time I started to climb down from the window, I waited to see if there were any security cameras nearby, and when I saw that no one appeared, I continued down until I touched the ground and pulled the sheets to hide them in the bushes below.

I looked around and took a deep breath until I was crawling across the garden through the grass. When I reached the great metal wall, I began to climb it quickly, and as I stepped on the top of the wall just outside, all I could do was jump. The impact against the ground knocked the wind out of me, but it was worth it, and I started running away from the temple, so far until I found a bus stop.

I took a deep breath and sat down at the bus stop; however, I was not alone for long. A hooded man approached, and as I was about to start running, he grabbed my hand and revealed his face. My mouth dropped open as I realized it was Drago.

“Biel said you would try to escape,” he said, and his blue eyes turned obsidian, a sign that his dragon was under his skin. “I told her you wouldn't, that you'd explain, but now I know she was right.”

“I told you she'd bolt at the first opportunity,” Biel said as he stepped out of the shadows.

“You can't keep me,” I said very annoyed. “It's an outrage that—”

“You're an anchor, Nadine; I'm not going to leave you alone without protection,” Drago said annoyed. “I know you think you should run away and hide as you always have, but you have four mates who can help you with—”

“No!” I shouted angrily and wriggled out of his grip. “You can't help me; if you guys stay with me, it's much more dangerous.”

“Why is it, beauty?” asked Aris, who came out from behind some trees.

Connor came out behind him, and I realized the night off was a trap. That pissed me off.

As I was about to send them to hell, I felt the breeze get really cold, and then the fog started to descend towards us.

“Shit, they're here,” I said in dread.

Biel turned and raised his hand to clear the mist, and then I watched as Alister, the man who had killed my mother, smiled with amusement. Behind him was a small legion of hunters.

“At last I have found you, little beast,” Alister said humorously, and Biel created a dome of air above us.

Aris peeked out, and Alister looked at him with surprise, as if he recognized him. I didn't like that at all, then Alister detailed all the men with me well.

“It can't be,” Aris said as Alister had struck him.

Alister started drawing a rune in the air, and I knew I had to do something to stop him. Drago stepped forward, came out of the dome, and attacked with blue fire at Alister. That sent the hunters scurrying away.

“I don't care that two of you are millennials,” Alister said. “You are no more powerful than I am.”

He wasn't lying; I knew, and if I didn't do something, Alister could easily kill them, so I had to defend them. That's why I walked up to Biel and took his hand. That made him look at me with an arched eyebrow.

“I need you to take a protection rune from me,” I asked quietly, and the wizard frowned.

“What are you talking about, Nadine?” asked Connor.

That moment, Aris went to help Drago, and I saw him throw fire from his bare hands. I knew that would upset Alister, who was still drawing runes in the air.

“I have no time to waste,” I said and opened my shirt, revealing my chest. “Remove the protection rune that seals me, or that man is going to kill us.”

Biel saw me and, realizing I was serious, placed his hand on the center of my chest. He began to recite some unintelligible words, and the seal of the rune broke. I immediately felt power building up inside my being, and they gasped.

I came out of the bubble, and Drago immediately saw me; I could tell by his expression that he knew very well the kind of power I wielded. I wasted no time; I raised my hands and sent a blast of pure energy towards Alister, and that moved the hunters a few meters away.

“What was that?” asked Connor as he approached; he already had golden eyes and nails turned into claws, a sign that he was about to turn into a wolf.

“That's me giving us time to run away,” I said and went back to hitting the hunters with pure energy. “Biel, if you know of any runes to turn us invisible, it is just this moment that you must summon the rune so we can lose them.”

The wizard looked at me with a frown as he heard my request, but he did it. He drew a rune on each of us. At that moment I felt a sudden pain in my head, and my response was to send another surge of pure energy, a strong surge that made the earth shake.

“Holy shit,” Connor said.

“Let's get out of here,” Drago said, and he transformed into a large, dark dragon.

“Come up, Nadine,” Aris requested, and I did so with difficulty, crawling up the dragon's scales.

Connor, Aris, and Biel did the same, and then Drago took flight, and after five minutes in the sky, I felt an excruciating burning in my stigma that made me scream.

Seconds later I fainted from the pain.