Poor Kyle, he really needs a break. I hope you're standing with the werewolves of Black Mountains. Hold up a light in their honor.
CHAPTER 82 Rachel~ I woke up excited. I loved travel, everything about it. The anticipation, the planning, the journey. Everything. Meg looked more irritated than ever, but I didn’t mind. My mom would be driving and I would be her ‘co-pilot.’ I was in charge of music and controlling the Maps on my mom’s phone. She gets stressed out dealing with her phone while driving, so I would be the one entering in the address of our rental, and any time we needed gas or a rest stop I would be the one searching for it. I loved that too. We took our showers and my mom just finished packing up the cooler with snacks and drinks when Meg and I walked out of our room with our bags. Ready. We loaded up the car and hit the road. Meg fell back asleep pretty quickly and I let my mind get lost in the scenery passing by. I had the most invigorating dream last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was in the woods again at night, running with a pack of wolves. One, a dark gray one with gold in it
CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE: Evan~ We were on the road to Reno to meet up with Elise and the Marvis Coven. To be ready for any new findings. After a long night of heated discussion, Jake finally put his foot down - literally and figuratively - and demanded that some of us stay behind, but he was going. Nick’s parents stayed behind to care for the pack along with about half our warriors. SInce the attack on Dark Mountains, we needed to be realistic. It was likely they would strike while our guard was down too. I was about to fall asleep to Nick’s muttering as he leafed through yet another book, when Jake insisted on pulling over. “We only have about an hour left, why would we do that? Didn’t we just get gas?” Nick questioned without even looking up. “I just need to. I don’t know,” he said, his eyes glowing. I sat up straighter and that got Nick’s attention enough that he finally glanced up to see what I was seeing. Something about this area was alerting Aamon. “Alright, alright,” my fa
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR: Ally~ As many questions as we have, at least I feel like we’re getting closer to some answers. While I was wiped out after the Living Dream Kyle and I created, it was time to try again. Hopefully we will see more this time. Ideally, it would connect with everything else and make it make more sense, but it wasn’t an exact science. Living Dreams took people to wherever. They were supposed to be impossible to direct. I sat on my floor pillow again, my mom putting two cups of tea down for Kyle and I. I rolled my neck and looked at him, he nodded. He was still haunted in his eyes, but I think my mom was right, giving him things to focus on had been good. He had been keeping an eye on Rachel’s dreams and asking Olivia about what could possibly be bending her memories. Now we were going to dig around for both of them. We’d take any answers for Kyle, or anything for Rachel. “You ready?” he asked me. “Let’s do this,” I said with resolve. We closed our eyes and
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE: Rachel~ We got home after our trip to the snow and I sighed contentedly as I flopped back onto my bed. It was so nice to go on a trip, but home is where my bed is. My sister threw her bag on her bed and went back out to the living room, likely to fire up our gaming system. I didn’t even need to get up to know my mom was already unpacking. After a few beats I got up to do the same. While I was putting things back in the bathroom I picked up the bottle of pain medicine I had packed. I hadn’t used any of it on the trip. Oddly, I hadn’t had a single migraine out there. Good news. Maybe that trip really did help me in all kinds of ways. I tossed my clothing in my laundry hamper to be dealt with tomorrow (most likely), and went to put my book on my nightstand. I’d almost finished it but since it was the last book in the series I was slowing down my pace. It has always been hard for me to let go of a world I’ve gotten so attached to. After putting my duffle bag ba
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX Ally~ “Yeah, I guess I do,” Rachel responded. We waited a moment but she didn’t explain, so I pushed, “Who, Rachel?” She seemed to weigh her options before I reached across to grab her hand again. “It’s me. It’s us,” I said, gesturing between Kyle and I. “You can tell us. I know we kept this secret from you. That I had kept this secret from you. But we love you and want to help.” Rachel nodded and then said, “Sean. He told me he’s a warlock. Like the last day of school before the break. He showed me some of his powers. And then he said- he said that I was his soulmate?” I exhaled and Kyle swore under his breath. “Well, I guess that explains the weird vibes I’d been picking up from him… But I don’t know if I believe all of that…” I said, thinking aloud. “I don’t,” Kyle said defunctly. We looked up at him. “Come on, like you don’t get some undercover Malfoy vibes from him?” he asked me, eyes bulging with meaning. “I mean, yes, there’s something
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN: Rachel~ What. A. Day. This was all just so much. My head was starting to pound. Another migraine, great.I should’ve known when all that was happening with Vance that he was otherworldly, that other beings existed. It’s like this whole time my mind was trying to protect me by keeping these separated in my thoughts, like how people straight-up black out traumatic childhood memories. But I was nearing adulthood, and this was such a stupid thing for my brain to do. Maybe if I had connected it all earlier, I would have been able to protect myself more. Maybe. That question will plague me, I know it. I was halfway home after leaving Kyle and Ally at the park, they said they were going to take care of something magic related. So I had started walking home. The walk really did help me clear my thoughts. Something shifted. I stopped, the hair on the back of my neck standing up like I was walking through an electric storm. “Rachel,” a voice said. I turned to see S
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT: Rachel~ I opened my eyes to a field surrounded by redwood trees. The sun was setting and a lovely scent, honeysuckle, wafted through the air. A flock of birds flew overhead and I continued to look around. I was in a sitting position, my legs crossed, like I had been meditating. “Rachel, good. You’re awake,” I heard a light melodic voice say from somewhere behind me. I turned to see a lovely middle-aged woman with long auburn hair and intense violet eyes. She was beckoning me to stand. “I’m sorry - do I know you?” I asked her as I pushed up off from the grass. She shook her head, “No, not really. But I know you.” That made me raise my brow. What did that mean? “I don’t mean to startle you..” she said, brushing imaginary dirt off the skirt of her dress. “I’ll introduce myself. I am the Archangel, Aurora.” Huge white wings unfurled behind her as if in emphasis. I gasped. My jaw hung there, open. And then it hit me, one thing at a time. Vance.
CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE: Ally~I froze in my tracks. “I- Nick,” I searched for words that didn’t seem to come. I just looked at him, the car, the guys and Rachel - and - the head. I turned to the side, seeing it again and feeling sick. “Hold on,” he said calmly. I kept my eyes fixated on a tree and heard his footsteps retreat. After a few moments he started walking back. I looked up at him again. The sight of him walking toward me made my breath hitch. He smiled. That made me all warm again. I could feel my cheeks flaming. I breathed in deeply. It was him. “It’s you - you smell like…” I started then hit the brakes. I might just die here of embarrassment. “What? Tell me?” his eyes brightened and he stepped even closer. How does one breathe again? I’ve forgotten. “I can tell you what you smell like to me?” his eyebrows went up a bit. “Like freshly baked cinnamon rolls.” “How?” I squeaked. He turned his head to the side and scratched the back of his head as he thought. A breeze