NadineWhen I was a little girl of just six years old, my mother told me the story of how the god of chaos came down to the land of Xalaris to explore the world he and his friends and siblings had created.Her sugar-coated version of the truth, one in which the god of chaos was a savior of sorts, did not last long in my mind as I matured.I understood perfectly what had happened when I read my mother's diary and put the pieces of the puzzle together. The truth went beyond the fact that the god wanted to know more about the people who worshipped him and understand things he could not comprehend from his sanctuary. The situation was much cruder than that.The first night that the god of chaos was in Xalaris, he descended to the city of Geraos, in the common area of Geo. There the great fair of the continent was being held. It was a meeting point for all the species of the world, so he would have a more entertaining perspective of all the species.What was his real intention? It was alwa
NadineMy mother couldn't be serious.It had to be a joke in very bad taste.“Impossible,” I said at once.“The reason the Anarkhia Order has hunted you is to use your powers against the gods,” the chaos god said seriously. “They do not size up the fact that you are a goddess with dormant divine power. They have no idea of the potential you hide, nor of the things you can actually do, things that no god, not even I, can handle. For that very reason you must prevent them from knowing the truth, Nadine; it is imperative that you access your full potential in order to take them down, and the way to do that is to find the sacred cloak. After that, you must channel the four divine objects to form a single catalyst that will help your divinity awaken. I can't tell you more because it's against the rules of destiny, but the key to everything is within yourself, Nadine.”“I don't believe a word you say,” I said, annoyed and afraid.“You are upset and very nervous; it is normal for that to be
Country villageAthenas Region“Nadine, remember when I told you that one day we would play hide-and-seek at any time by surprise?” My mom asked, and I nodded excitedly. “That moment came; do you remember the rules of the game?”“Yes, Mom, there are three rules: I have to find the best hiding place; I have to be quiet; and the most important rule is that no matter what I hear, I don't come out until you tell me the code word,” I replied efficiently.My mom smiled, and I felt proud for remembering it all; however, there was something sad in her look, and it made me frown.Something didn't feel right.“You're a very sweet and smart girl, Nadine,” Mom said before drawing a picture on my forehead and spraying me with a spray that had no scent. “What's the code word?”“Chocolate,” I said before biting into the little chocolate bar she had given me minutes before.Mom giggled in such a way that her eyes sparkled with mirth.“What's the other rule?” Mom asked carefully.“I must never reveal o
Part I. Meeting of soulsNadine13 years later...I woke up in the middle of the night with erratic breathing and a racing heart.I had dreamed again of my mother's death, but this time I saw her killed in a much more grotesque way. The hunters had sat her down in front of me and ripped out her heart so that I would suffer.I shook the horrific image out of my head.I brought my hand to my chest and felt the rune of protection.I sighed in relief, knowing that at least I had an advantage over the hunters. After years on the run, I had found a way to more effectively disappear from the map, and that was by sealing my energy trail so they would be looking for a needle in a haystack. It was a trick I learned from my mother when I was old enough to know what she always drew on my forehead after she kissed me.I moved all the time, didn't last long in one job, and used different aliases.I did everything within my power to ensure everyone's survival, especially them.Don't think about them,
NadineIf anyone had told me what was going to happen, I would never have believed him.It was impossible to think that the most beautiful vision I had ever had in my life, one different from the images of terror that always flooded my brain, could turn into some kind of nightmare.Biel looked at me angrily, and I did not respond.The priest took the drawing and looked at it with interest, then frowned.“Who are the other men?” The old man asked, and I said nothing.I had sworn the vision of my mates to secrecy, so I kept my mouth shut tightly and stood up straight. That made Biel and the priest look at each other, then Biel nodded and walked toward the exit, but not before looking at me like I was a serious problem. And yes, I was a problem he shouldn't be dealing with. When Biel left, I let go of my hands and tried to regulate my breathing.“Aren't you going to say anything about this drawing?” the priest asked curiously, and I shook my head. “Then I'm going to tell you who I am and
BielHunting the woman of the prophecy had almost turned out to be mission impossible.We didn't know who she was or what magical powers she had, so we couldn't find her trail. So when the temple gave us clues on how to catch a stripper who was related to her, I didn't hesitate to come up with a plan.I created an intelligence operation with elite guards in the small town of Valkir, the capital of Valter, one of the 3 common areas of Kagolen, the continent where we lived. Once we found the club where the stripper worked, it was a matter of investigating her movements until she finally met the woman of the prophecy.It was a good move on my part, and when the prophecy woman was apprehended, I declared the operation a success. The woman was already hours into her processing; all was going well until one of the operation's guards approached me with a serious expression.“What's going on, Jackson?” I asked him immediately."When the unknown female attempted to flee, I entered her apartment
NadineBiel didn't miss the opportunity to insult me back, and boy, did he do it well.When I saw the others, they were all serious, as if what I had said to them was a sentence. And maybe it was a sentence, but it was just a way to protect them, and if I had to be a bitch to do it, I wouldn't hesitate to hurt them if it would keep them alive.“We don't need to be aggressive here,” said the elf medic who had introduced us. “I think they need a moment to—”“We need privacy, Lu,” Biel answered her in a sweet tone of voice. “Go find the high priest Lion, please.”The blonde elf looked at him earnestly, and I could tell there was something longing in her eyes. That bothered me a lot, more so when she complied with Biel's order as if it was nothing.“Speak up, Nadine; we don't have our whole lives to put up with your tantrums,” Biel said, and I pursed my lips.“I don't owe you anything,” I replied immediately. “The soulmates test means nothing, so I'm not obligated to get involved with eith
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 t
NadineMy mother couldn't be serious.It had to be a joke in very bad taste.“Impossible,” I said at once.“The reason the Anarkhia Order has hunted you is to use your powers against the gods,” the chaos god said seriously. “They do not size up the fact that you are a goddess with dormant divine power. They have no idea of the potential you hide, nor of the things you can actually do, things that no god, not even I, can handle. For that very reason you must prevent them from knowing the truth, Nadine; it is imperative that you access your full potential in order to take them down, and the way to do that is to find the sacred cloak. After that, you must channel the four divine objects to form a single catalyst that will help your divinity awaken. I can't tell you more because it's against the rules of destiny, but the key to everything is within yourself, Nadine.”“I don't believe a word you say,” I said, annoyed and afraid.“You are upset and very nervous; it is normal for that to be
NadineWhen I was a little girl of just six years old, my mother told me the story of how the god of chaos came down to the land of Xalaris to explore the world he and his friends and siblings had created.Her sugar-coated version of the truth, one in which the god of chaos was a savior of sorts, did not last long in my mind as I matured.I understood perfectly what had happened when I read my mother's diary and put the pieces of the puzzle together. The truth went beyond the fact that the god wanted to know more about the people who worshipped him and understand things he could not comprehend from his sanctuary. The situation was much cruder than that.The first night that the god of chaos was in Xalaris, he descended to the city of Geraos, in the common area of Geo. There the great fair of the continent was being held. It was a meeting point for all the species of the world, so he would have a more entertaining perspective of all the species.What was his real intention? It was alwa
ArisEvery time I thought it could get better, something got worse.And I was sick of things getting worse.I knew the forest wouldn't be a very welcoming place, but I didn't expect to fall off some kind of cliff in that wild way.I cursed when I heard Nadine complaining about the bruises caused by the fall, and when I got up, I immediately went to help her. She had bruises and scratches on her arms. That's why I swore those damn goblins were going to pay dearly for the attack.The only positive thing about that fall was that somehow, we had all ended up on a huge rose bush, perhaps the rose bush Nadine had seen in her visions. The bad thing was that it had too many thorns and had scratched us.The smell of blood made me hungry.“What the hell is this place?” asked Ale, and Nadine took a deep breath.These are the rose bushes I was being directed to?I clearly heard Nadine ask her shadows about it, and then I saw her serious and in decisive thought. I was still impressed to hear her i
NadineLion and Biel went to talk to the guards and priests guarding the entrance to the Enchanted Forest while we sat waiting to move on. It was then that Jackson began to talk about stories of the place.“They say this place has strange creatures,” the vampire said, and everyone laughed. “Mock all you want about it, but this place scares me more than Fairy Wasteland.”“What if it's just cursed and needs to be freed like the other places?” asked Rex with a frown. “It has logic... History began with the god of chaos leaving divine objects in the world, and other gods followed suit. It is possible that many such places are tenebrous precisely because they are cursed. I believe that, if we give another reading to the prophecy of the anchor, the change in our world may lie precisely in the fact that Nadine is able to break curses.”They all looked at me, and I could only watch Rex with his mouth open.His way of analyzing things had been different and provided a totally opposite picture
NadineAfter the talk with Lion, we went back to the room to organize everything we would take on the trip, and then I felt something new in the mark we shared as mates.A sharp heat began to burn the skin on my wrist, and I groaned.“What's going on?” asked Biel with a frown.Aris appeared in the room after using his hyperdrive, and then Drago and Connor rushed into the room. Somehow, the mate's mark was changing shape.“This isn't common,” Aris said, and Drago swallowed saliva.“The only ways for the mate's mark to change are for the gods to consolidate us as a mates or for a mate to die,” the dragon said, and I frowned.“No one in this room is dead, and if any of you die, I don't know what the heck you will do, but I will follow you to the afterlife, if possible,” I said firmly and went into the bathroom to sigh.Aris came in immediately after me and grabbed my shoulders.“No one is going to separate us; be calm,” the vampire said before giving me a kiss.I felt more relaxed, and w
NadineI woke up with Biel's arm around my waist.I turned to look at him, and he was very peaceful, completely asleep and so peaceful that I smiled.Reclaim him, my she-wolf Becca said with amusement.I won't if he doesn't want me to. Biel wants you more than anything in life, but he has a lot of trauma behind him, and we are at a point where it is better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission, Becca said with humor.The sentence shook me, and I denied it because I couldn't give in to Becca's impulses.The truth was that I wanted to be attached to Biel; at that moment, I wanted it with my life, but I wasn't going to dictate to her what to do. I had already made my thoughts clear to him about his attitudes. I felt like we were moving forward, but ultimately, he was moving backward, and at this point, I wasn't going to do something that would put him in a situation he didn't want.“You're thinking too loud for so early in the morning,” Biel whispered with his eyes closed.“
BielI didn't realize I was inside a dream until I woke up in a strange place.I had never been in that forest before, so I frowned, not understanding what was going on; however, I quickly realized that the pain radiating from my chest was gone. I lifted up the shirt I was wearing and saw that my abdomen was just fine.I sighed and then looked straight ahead when I saw a very tall man with black hair and a divine aura approaching towards me.I stood up at once and became on my guard.“You don't have to be so suspicious,” the man said with a Machiavellian smile. “I'm here to help you; I have a vested interest in you staying alive and being able to finish the mission with Nadine. The prophecy must be fulfilled.”“Who are you?” I asked the stranger in a serious voice.“You will find out in due time, but the right question is what can I do for you,” the man said and approached me carefully. “I would have liked the telepath to have mastered the power I'm about to grant you, but fate made m
Nadine“Nadine!”Rose's shout woke me up, and I shook my head before opening my eyes wide and locating myself in time and space. Connor's grandmother was watching me with concern, so my first action was to check on Biel, and when she saw him asleep and with the monitors in good order, I felt relief.“What's wrong?”“You were dreaming,” Rose said. “The dream seemed to be very intense; you kept repeating the words 'Enchanted Forest' a lot.”I opened my eyes wide and then gasped as I remembered the rose bushes where a divine object was.I hadn't had such a clear vision by taste, so I stood up and kissed Biel's hand.“I'll go with Lion; I need to talk to him. Please stay with Biel for a moment,” I asked Rose.“Go with Lion,” Rose said, and then she sat down where I was sitting.I hurried out of the medical center, and as I was about to walk to the house, Drago appeared with Connor. The wolf had the plant, and I sighed in relief.“What's wrong, Nadine?” asked Drago as he returned to his hu
NadineSeeing Biel in a coma broke my heart.Everything felt terribly wrong, and I didn't know how I could help him, yet I made sure that the thread that bound our ties was always available. The thought of the possibility that my mate might die terrified me.“Biel is going to be fine,” Samir said. “He's got something to hold on to.”“I—”“Don't go finishing a bad sentence, Nadine,” Lion said. "Upon witnessing Biel's swift ascent to the captain's position, I recognized his unwavering determination to pursue his desires." Right now, there's nothing in the world that Biel wants more than you. He's going to fight to be with you, even if he has to beat death itself. Give him a vote of confidence and pray that he gets better so you can bond.”I closed my eyes and held back the tears that wanted to come.I had acted with a cool head when the dark wizards attacked us; I had had to analyze the situation because I didn't want to leave Biel alone. Thinking about it broke my heart.At that moment