“It’s time love,” I whisper in her ear. She looks at me but doesn’t say anything. I give her a deep kiss, savoring it, forcing this kiss to remain ingrained in my memory. Against my wishes, I pull away far enough to keep our foreheads touching. “I’ll be back.” I give her another quick kiss before turning and walking away. I walk towards Mark who is also kissing Daniela, saying goodbye. When I reach him I don’t stop and continue towards the house and he follows. “We’ll be back Derek. For our family’s sake we will be back.” “We must be successful on this trip.” “We will be, don’t worry.” “No seriously, we have to be successful. Maliyah already broke through that seal. She’s talking to Malayah again.” “What really? How do you know?” “When she came to the dragon realm she communicated with us when she was in her dragon form. She shouldn’t have been able to do that. Have you noticed she is spacing out more lately?” “Damn. So what are you going to do?” “Maliyah won’t like it, neit
“Maliyah, get out of here,” I yell. Maliyah doesn’t listen and she uses her powers to reach her mother hugging her. The wind dies down and we all fall to the ground. “Everyone okay,” I ask. Everyone nods. I walk to Davina’s side and bend down next to her. “I failed you.” I wait for her to yell at me, hit me, something. What I don’t expect is for her to throw her arms around me crying. I hold her close and grab Maliyah. I fight my tears while holding onto my wife and daughter. “I’m sorry.” I don’t know what else to say. “Derek do you even realize what happened to you back there,” asks Mark. “No, what do you mean?” “Dude you looked like a werewolf from a horror film.” “What?” “Seriously dude, you looked scary as shit,” says Owen. “Like a werewolf from Underworld?” “No closer to the ones in Van Helsing. Different but pretty similar,” says Owen. “Dude you are the lycan,” says Mark. That makes sense. I just witnessed a loved one die a terrible death. Dad said that’s one way
Davina Derek picks up Maliyah but we just stand there. We don’t know what to do with her. They could take over again at any time. She could hurt herself or others and we can’t let that happen. I am heartbroken to see her in handcuffs like she is some kind of prisoner. “Derek what do we do with her? They could force her to hurt herself or others.” “I have an idea but you won’t like it,” says Aspen as he reappears. “Is everything okay,” asks Derek. “Yes, my mother is fine for now. We don’t know how to determine who is a friend and who is not. Anyway, you are going to have to chain her in your dungeon.” “Dungeon?” I look at Derek. “Yes, love we have a dungeon.” “We can’t do that to her!” “I’ve trained her well Davina. Even without her powers she’ll be able to hurt someone.” I look at Aspen and Derek feeling defeated. I don’t know what to decide. “What if we turn her room into a cell. Remove everything except her bed,” suggests uncle Gabriel. “I will remain in there with her. W
“Lux, we are losing too many men. I am not sure how much longer we can hold them off. If you are going to send her away you need to do it now,” says Thierry. I can see my parents are struggling with making a decision. “Celestia, it is time.” I can see my mother walking into the room carrying me. She is trying to hold back her tears. “Lux, I don’t think I can do it. She needs her parents”. “There is no guarantee we will walk away from this alive and if we are to ensure our lineage and her safety, we need to send her away," dad says firmly, trying hold back my own tears. He grabs me from my mother’s arms, staring at me. One of the warlocks entered the war room. “Sir, Daniel and Isla Ortiz are here”. “Send them in,” dad replies. I look to see my parents that raised me and tears fall from my eyes as they enter the room. My dad, Daniel, appeared to be injured and uncle Gabriel is helping him walk. “Daniel, it is time. Are you alright.” “I’ll be fine Lux. My leg is beyond repair wit
Derek I rush after Davina as she is throwing clothes on and is preparing to head out the door. What the hell happened last night. “Davina, what do you mean your brother. Alastor?” “Yes he killed my parents and he is after me now.” She stops in the middle of the hall and turns to face me. She grabs my hands and places the on her stomach. “What? Is something wrong with the baby?” “No not all,” she replies smiling. “My parents said it’s a boy.” She is smiling wide, staring at me waiting for a reaction. When it finally clicks I pick her up and spin her in a circle. “Really? A boy?” “Yes,” she giggles. I pull her into a deep kiss. Damn I love this woman. She pulls away sooner than I want and I whimper at her causing her to laugh again. “We need a warlock, Derek. We are going to sever Maliyah’s connection. I am not going to lose her too.” I stop her from turning away from to leave and use my fingers to pull her chin up to look at me. She has tears in her eyes. I know this is a d
“Thank you Aspen.” “Anytime Derek. I’ll stay with her. I know you need to update everyone on this meeting Davina had with her parents. I’ll call you should she wake up.” “Thank you Aspen,” says Davina. I take Davina by the hand and lead her to the nursery. “Before we do, I need to see our other kids. I feel like I haven’t been spending enough time with them.” “I agree Derek.” My mother is in the room playing with the mega blocks with the twins. Accalia is trying to stack them as high as they will go and Thierry is knocking them down causing Accalia to scream at her brother in frustration. I can’t help but laugh. They notice us and rung to us. “Mama,” says Thierry. “Dada,” says Accalia. I grab her as she reaches me and toss her in the air making her squeal with joy. “How is Maliyah,” asks my mother. “The connection has been severed. She is grieving. I can’t imagine what that feels like,” I tell her. “I can.” I stare at mother waiting for her to further explain. “I had a tw
Derek Two months have flown by. All has been quite. No attacks, no death but that also means no word on Malayah. Maliyah no longer has the connection to her sister so we don’t know whether she is alive or dead at this point. Davina remains optimistic that Malayah is still alive. Maliyah has been depressed. It’s like it was when Malayah first disappeared but worse. Maliyah is withering away before our eyes. She hardly eats, doesn’t read, doesn’t draw and refuses to go riding. Even Aspen hasn’t been able to get through to her. Davina and I are coming up on our one year anniversary but she doesn’t want to leave with the state Maliyah is in and I don’t blame her. Plus we are about two months away from the due date. Davina is currently napping. She’s been doing that a lot lately. I spend my days trying to stay ahead of my paperwork and checking on Maliyah. In between I ensure to spend time with the twins. They have become quite mobile and are trying to climb everything. Carrie Harrison’
“Daniela wait!” She stops at the second landing and stares at me with tears in her eyes. “What?” “How far along are you?” “How did you know?” “You don’t normally get upset during our spars and I’ve done a lot worse to him.” “Yeah, but he wasn’t trying to get himself killed those times either.” “He wants to see if he has the gene too. He was trying to trigger it.” “I just found out last week. I am sure I’m only two weeks at this point. He’s been so focused on everything but his family. Not that I don’t want to find Malayah too but I don’t want him to leave Jackson behind either. I didn’t know how to tell him or even know if he is going to be happy about it. This kid will be due around August.” “Then I am officially ordering him to take the week off. No company business, no search parties. Just family. Meaning you, Jackson and him. Well and the little one.” “Really?” “Really, we can manage without him for a week.” Daniela hugs me. “Thank you.” Mark comes running up the stairs
Maliyah“Maliyah, the guests are arriving!”“Coming mom!”I quickly finish doing my hair in a half up pony tail style and curl it before doing my make up. I can’t believe it’s been almost five years since the war ended and here we are, celebrating my sixteenth birthday. I stop by my nightstand with my sister’s picture and use my powers to make the flowers in the vase bloom again.“Happy birthday sis,” I whisper as I head for the door.I throw on my Ariat boots, hoping towards the door as I put on one at a time. I almost collide with my door trying to put on my last boot as I grab the handle to open the door only to end up running into Aspen. I nearly fall backwards onto the floor, but Aspen reaches out and catches my arm to steady me.
DavinaI wake with a start that it startles Derek. Sweat is dripping down my face as Derek gently cups my face.“What’s wrong love,” he says looking around the room for an intruder.“I got to say goodbye to Malayah,” I whisper. He looks at me confused.“Okay, but what has you so scared?”I turn to Derek, making sure he is listening carefully. Worry is evident on his face as I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart. I need someone else to know what she told me.“Malayah said, ‘Beware of the new comer, darkness will come for her’.”“What does that even mean?”“I don’t know. I don’t even know exactly who she was talking about, but I think it’s Maliyah. I think she was talking about Maliyah and whoever Maliyah saw in t
DavinaThe twins have fallen asleep, Thierry on Derek, Accalia on Calista and Aiden in my arms. Everyone begins going home and we had back into the pack house. We lay the kids down for bed as does Mark and Daniela. It’s nice to see the children together, safe and sound and back to what was once normal. Things may not go back to what they were but we can find a new normal for our family.The last thing I do is prepare a room for my mother with the help of Kat and Daniela. We put her next to Calista as they seem to have hit it off and have become fast friends. I am over the moon that I get to have this opportunity to get to know my mother and learn more about my family. There is so much I don’t know.With mom back in the picture, it seems to have changed things for Kat. Now that Kat has been spending time with our mother and her granddaughter
DavinaWhen we all heard Derek and Maliyah playing I immediately mind link the whole pack to meet at the memorial. Our family gathered at it’s entrance, tears forming in our eyes. I haven’t heard her play in a long time. As pack members began arriving I open the back doors so they can hear too and started passing out candles and lighting them. Once everyone has a candle, I teleport Maliyah and Derek next to the memorial and they don’t miss a note. Families begin stepping up to the memorial and placing beautiful flower arrangements at the base.Dimitri utters a spell under his breath and tells me the flowers will never die, they will remain frozen in time. Celestia and Calista help pass out the Chinese sky lanterns and pens so everyone can write a message or just the name of a loved one that has been lost. I make one for my uncle Gabriel and parents that raised me as they now have no one le
MaliyahI can’t believe what I woke up to. Dr. Smith has been examining me and taking MRI’s of my brain. I am still in shock at everything I am being told. Mom and dad tell me everything I appear to be forgetting. We take several breaks as I am constantly crying over things I have forgotten.I remember some of the information they are telling me but not all of it. After a while I did start to remember the day my sister died but it still doesn’t feel real. I don’t remember being in a coma before and waking up to having another little brother. Uncle Kale died as well as uncle Gabriel and I haven’t been able to accept that yet.Uncle Gabriel has been around all my life, even before I learned what I was. I never imagined I would have to live my life without him.“Ma
DavinaWe’ve been in the dragon realm for the past week; going back and forth to the forbidden realm to explore it more. We want to ensure we had all he details, which Dimitri has written down so we won’t ever forget this day we now call The Day of Retaliation. It’ll always be a day we will mourn as many loved ones were lost that day, but we fought back against my brother and won. I wish there would’ve been another way, but my brother was too far gone. Once we were sure we didn’t miss anything, Dimitri and his coven sealed the realm away forever. The shifter counsel all agreed that it will be against our laws to step foot into that realm so it was best to seal it away to stop temptation.The horse shifters have been learning about the human world as it has changed a lot than from what their ancestors had told them. Technology is a new thing for them and they will remain on bear
DavinaIt’s finally over. It’s been six years since Derek came into my life and my world was turned upside down. Six years after finding out I was not at all human. My heart mourns for those that I have lost in all that time. The parents that raised me, my uncle Gabriel, Thierry who was like a second uncle to me and my biological parents though I didn’t even know it yet.My heart hurts for my sister. She has been an empty shell since we killed Alastor. She remains at Kale’s side though his soul is no longer attached to his body. He’s gone and there is nothing I can really do to comfort her.“Mom, let’s get you something to eat and drink. Please,” begs River but Kat doesn’t respond.She continues to stare at his body and grasp his hand. I think
Davina The minute Maliyah became unconscious her swirl of power dissipated. I drop the sphere of wind and see the zombie creatures are dropping one by one. I rush to Maliyah’s side in a panic with Kat right at my heals. “Maliyah!” Her head is bleeding badly and she is not responding at all. I quickly teleport her to Dr. Smith. “What happened,” asks Dr. Smith. “She hit her head on a rock and I am afraid she used more power than she can handle.” Kat pulls me away from Maliyah to give Dr. Smith room to work and I reluctantly back away. “Davina!” I look up and see Mark and Derek running into the tent. I can feel he is just as scared as I am right now. “Thank Ryuu you are okay. What happened to Maliyah?”
Davina “Maliyah we need you,” I yell through the mind link. Kat and I are trying to finish this once and for all but we both know we won’t win without Maliyah. Alastor creates a sphere of wind around him, pushing Kat and I off of him. I quickly search the field for Maliyah and instantly see what she is doing. Her vision of Derek and Mark dying, it’s happening. “We need Maliyah,” says Kat through the link. “She is needed else where right now. We need to keep him distracted long enough for her to accomplish what is needed and return to us,” I reply. Kat doesn’t question what I mean. We trust each other completely and I know we can hold him off until Maliyah comes back. “You two are a thorn in my side. It’s time for me to be an only child,” growls out Alastor. I know we a