This whole bit is just because they're cute and I love them - let's be honest. We all needed a break from the drama anyway!
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
CHAPTER NINETY: Kyle~ This morning, I had thought that the hardest thing about today would be how Rachel would take the news about magic and all things supernatural. Fae Goddess above, was I wrong. “Can you check again?” Ally asked from the bench next to me where she held Rachel up. It had been about ten minutes since ‘the big bad wolves’ left us. Ally’s mom was now with us, waiting for any progress. I couldn’t quite describe the state she was in, but I could feel in my bones how dangerous it would be to try to pull her out of wherever she was. “Sure,” I said, lifting my hand to reach for hers. I let some of my magic flow to her, testing the connection, and then I tried pulling it (and more) back into me. This time was different. “I think it’s time,” I said aloud, focusing on slowly taking away these layers of unconsciousness. One by one they came undone and I felt her starting to wake. Before going all the way I stopped, giving her time to get out of the last one on her own.
CHAPTER 147 - Rachel~ I dreamed about the moon. Like I have a hundred times now. But this time it was full, and lit up everything around the forest. I recognized the area, it was our packlands. But parts were slightly different. We didn’t have a lake. I ran over in wolf form to see a lovely lady by the lake. I recognized her right away. Selene. “Rachel! Angeline!” She greeted us. “It’s been a while!” We padded over and sat next to her. “We’re all so proud of you and the pack. And I’m especially excited for your little one, she’s going to be a strong, strong wolf,” she said gleefully. I let out a surprised sound. “Yes! Sorry to spoil the surprise, I know it’s very early. But yes, it’s a girl. And you both are going to raise her to be tough and caring like her mom,” she said with pride. I rested my head on her arm. She got quiet for a while and I looked up at her after a few minutes, seeing an odd look on her face. “I’m sorry - I wish I was just meeting you with som
CHAPTER 146: Rachel~ My skin was itching to get back to Jake. Knowing they were likely out of their cells and making adjustments to our plan gave me some hope, but every touch from this disgusting being made me want to scream. Alright, on my mark, I heard Jake say. Wait. What? I looked around and confirmed Jake wasn’t around. And his voice sounded like it was coming from… in my head? Paul drags me along further and starts unlocking a door. We’ve got to be getting closer to wherever they’re keeping Meg and my mom. Could I- could I be getting some connection to him? Like how the others link? Jake?, I ask the ethos. There’s nothing for a minute. Rachel?, Jake asks back. Woah. How are you doing that?, he asks. I don’t know, I just heard you, I explained. Paul hauled the heavy door open and I gasped. My mom and sister were on the ground in a heap like forgotten laundry. I fell forward and reached into the cell they were in, trying to grab my mom’s hand. “Dove, g
CHAPTER 145: Jake~ As much as I think this could work, Aamon is absolutely livid that Rachel is about to be out of sight. Things have been working as she planned so far. Simon screaming down here brought Rosalind down as thought. I have to give it to the guy - he played ‘seizure guy’ very well. Then in the middle of things there was some shouting up top. Likely from the fire Elise set. Which meant that Kyle was pretending to surrender himself and if Rachel was right, Paul wouldn’t be able to fight the urge to have groveling at his feet. Which left Sophie. She was right outside my cell, watching Rosalind move Paul around in this cell, trying spells to stop him from freaking out, not realizing Ally had thrown him something he now had in his cheek like a squirrel that would ward off unwanted magic. “They’re kind of a mess, aren’t they?” I say beside her. “I would have expected more from a Luna in training…” She turned to face me with a look of defiance. “Desperate times…” I t
CHAPTER 144: Rachel~ “Sophie,” I say the name with charged disgust I can’t hide. “You couldn’t just leave and go find something else to do, huh? You had to stick around and try to take what’s mine.” “Yours?!” She screeches. “You mean what you stole from me! I’m supposed to be Luna. Me! I lost my mom and then my dad, and what? You just waltz along and get what’s mine? NEVER.” “So what? Trying to hurt me before by hiring Max wasn’t enough? Now you have to get some more help to do what you can’t handle? Typical Sophie. Can’t do a da*n thing by yourself. You have to wave daddy’s money around to get anything done. Pathetic,” I sneer. She sputters unintelligible words. I’m getting under her skin. “Enough,” Vance’s mom says, her voice cutting through everything. “You can play around when we’re done with our deal.” Sophie bares her teeth at me then turns. At the same time the door down to the dungeon opens again. Who could possibly be joining in on this nonsense? There’s two sets of s
CHAPTER 143: Jake~ It’s the Luna ceremony today. Rachel started getting into the spirit yesterday. She glows around here. And the pack members love her. Even those who were vocally against cross-species interactions. They know what she did out there that day and what she gave up without expecting anything in return. While a few left, including Tiffany’s family - which was expected anyway since Evan’s rejection - things were very different than I had thought they’d ever be. After she came back we all had made plans to leave and start our own little pack, but everyone surprised me. Now here we were. A pack pioneering acceptance of all kinds of love. We even had two newly mated couples join us from up north. A witch and a wolf, and a wolf and a vampire. The last one was nuts to me, but Jeanette had a totally clean background and a highly trusted wolf for a mate. If we ever grow to the point of needing a Delta, I have my eye on her mate, Juniper. A knock comes to the door and
CHAPTER 142: Rachel~ One Month Later It’s moving day. The thought hits me right when I open my eyes. It makes me smile right away in the early morning light. I guess I was too excited to wait for my alarm to go off. I look over and see Meg asleep in her bed, her head to the side, mouth open, and a soft snore coming out when she exhales. It’s all going to be different now. My phone lights up to my side and I don’t even need to read it before I know it’s from Jake. He likely feels that I’m awake. We’ve been getting more in tune lately. I think the bond is on hyperdrive for us. I’m not even a werewolf but I seem to know things too. I know when something’s upsetting him even if I am outside with the pack pups and he’s in his office, and I know when he’s anxiously pacing in his room even if I’m in the kitchen entertaining a visiting pack. We’re still learning about our bond. And he hasn’t even marked me yet, so who knows how much could change. When I came back to life after Th
CHAPTER 141: Rachel~ It felt like nothing. No. Warmth. Dark but warm. Cozy like being wrapped up in my favorite fuzzy blanket at home. Like I’m huddled in warmth on a stormy cold day. “Rachel,” I hear a lovely voice saying my name slowly, like the lyrics of a song I know. I stir. It’s just so cozy here. Can’t I rest just a little longer? “Rachel,” the voice says again. This time there’s a hand on my arm. The feeling has me trying to wake before I can make the decision to do it. “Rachel,” it says once more. It’s dark but warm. But I have to go. I start to stir, to look for the source of the voice. Who is it? Light surrounds me and it feels just as cozy and warm as before but its so bright. My eyes try to open but it’s just too bright. Then a shadow appears, making it darker. I open my eyes and they adjust to see- Oh, it’s not a shadow. It’s a person. I know this person. My mind is groggy like I’ve woken up from a deep stage of sleep. I’m slow. My synapses
CHAPTER 140: Evan~ I kept expecting her to wake up in Jake’s arms. That somehow, his tears would bring her back. But she just lay there, like a ragdoll, in his arms. If it weren’t for how strikingly pale she looked, I would have told anyone she was sleeping. But she didn’t wake up. It’s hours later and Nick was barely able to get Jake inside. We cleared the field as best we could, bringing in the injured and putting the dead together. Amber had removed all traces of The Collective while we had sat there with Jake. I don’t like how shell shocked she was. She didn’t seem to be actually experiencing all of this and I worry for when those feelings will surface. I know she didn’t like those people. But they still raised her. She told me about jokes and kindnesses that she received in little bursts along the years. She’s basically just lost her family. But she doesn’t want to talk about it. She hasn’t even cried about it. And I can’t say I don’t understand that. I can’t even im
CHAPTER 139: Kyle~ I woke up next to the red wolf. Everyone was screaming or howling. It was chaotic and loud, which made everything that much more disorienting. What I saw next killed me. Rachel out on the field alone, with all the shadow Dementor things charging at her. “Rachel!” I’m screaming but no one can hear me. I look to see Jake crawling towards her from too far away. He won’t get there in time. How did it get this bad? How long was I out for? I flail about, my arms and legs pushing to move but I’m not coordinated or strong enough to get anywhere. “Why is no one helping her?!” I scream again, my voice cracking, my throat raw. The red wolf just tugs on my shirt again, trying to bring me inside the packhouse. I have barely any magic left but I send it to the wolf trying to drag me away. “Let go!” I scream. “We have to help her!” I look around frantically for anyone I recognize. Where is Ally? Evan? Nick? There’s so many wolves and people rushing back, I can’t