CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE:~Avery:My heart pounded in my chest as I carefully executed my escape plan. I had to seize this opportunity, no matter the risks. Gripping the frayed rope tightly in my hands, I waited until the guards' footsteps faded into the distance before making my move. I’d been stuck in limbo for what felt like an eternity when I had rounded the corner to see a group of three guards talking by the door I’d planned to use. By sheer luck they didn’t turn my way and only veered off in different directions after deliberating for way too long.Silently, I tiptoed to the door, praying it wouldn't creak or give me away. With bated breath, I turned the handle and slipped out into the dimly lit hallway. The adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me alert as I navigated the unfamiliar corridors. What even is this place? Seemed to me an eclectic designer pieced it together from leftover materials from a million different types of buildings. I had assumed there would be maybe one mor
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: ~Drake: I was feeling totally lost and stupid as I wandered around in the dark. I moved incredibly slowly just like before but this time there was no way to know where to go. It felt like hours there, searching aimlessly for any sign, and then like a glass of ice water in a desert, I felt her. I felt the bond. I took off running in that direction and it only took a second before everything changed. Her emotions were as clear as if she were right in front of me. I felt how she was tired but relieved. How she was worried. How she needed something - someone? Could it be me? I found myself in a familiar sight. The cabin by the lake. I ran furiously down the hill and knew immediately that this was different. This felt real. Avery was dreaming, and she’d pulled me in just like before. I made my way to the cabin and I smelled everything I smelled that night. I went to the window and felt relief wash over me as she turned in the kitchen. She glowed. She smiled at me w
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE:~Avery: I felt so complete after finding Drake, that when I let him go and found myself alone in the cabin, the loss pulled tighter than it had before. Like having a taste and having it taken away was crueler than not having tasted it at all.I let go then and the dream began to fade. I reluctantly let go of this space and felt everything bit by bit, confirming that I was back in the real world. I rolled my eyes and stretched. As I opened my eyes, I felt a renewed sense of determination. It worked. I had reached him, and he was on his way. I wasn't alone in this anymore, not really.I pushed myself up and looked around. The sun had risen higher in the sky, heating up everything another ten degrees or so since I
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR:~Drake: It all happened so fast. Archer ran to Beatrix and picked her up, spinning her around in one swoop. We all ignored the totally upright position of his very erect friend. Then just as fast he put her down, gently. “I- I’m only an Omega,” he stuttered out like he had the wind taken out of his sails. She smiled a bit, her wise mask falling, showing him a glowing part of herself before she said, “No, you’re not. You are mine.” She pulled him forward then and a swirl of wind and leaves surrounded them like a tiny vortex - some concentrated tornado - as they kissed deeply. I looked away, trying to give them some semblance of privacy. I felt a whirl of emotions then. The whiplash of Archer approaching me like that, of finding his mate - of the undeniable connection between him and Beatrix… It was both like a beacon of hope and an anvil on my heart. I was jealous in a way. That they were actually together, unlike Avery and I - who were possibly countries apart
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE:~Avery:The kiss was everything I had longed for and more. As our lips met, it felt like the culmination of all the pain, fear, and longing I had experienced. Drake's touch ignited a fire in me, and in that moment, the world around us faded away. His arms held me close, his lips moving against mine with a passion that sent shivers down my spine. Everywhere he touched me was like lightning. His kiss was fierce. It was a kiss that spoke of promises, of reunion, of his love that had endured despite the odds. It was possessive and final. A staked claim on my soul. And da*nit if I didn’t want to surrender it all to him. When we finally pulled away, breathless and connected, I gazed into his eyes, feeling a sense of completeness I had never experienced before. But was distracted by something coming our way. A few things. I could vaguely make out auras. Something I hadn’t been able to do in ages. Was whatever they did to me wearing off? Seeing Beth after all this time
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX:~Drake:Avery’s soft snoring relaxed me. I worried about the next day, but was just trying to stay present, to enjoy everything about this. I missed too much time with her… As sleep pulled me in, I wasn’t surprised to be pulled into Avery’s dream. What was surprising was what I was seeing.There she was - being sliced open by a ridiculous sicko. My blood boiled. Emotional whiplash raced through me. One second I was finally at peace, and the next I was about to kill something. The darkness was punctuated by Avery's cries of pain, her anguished pleas hitting me like a stream of bullets. I watched, paralyzed by the raw brutality of it all. It wasn't just the physical pain she endured; it was the violation of everything - her body, her spirit - everything.Like my body couldn’t take her torment any longer, I woke up with a start. I panted, drenched in sweat and trembling. The images were seared into my mind, haunting me like a grotesque painting that I couldn't look awa
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN:~Avery: I tossed and turned for a while. Something just felt… off. But I couldn’t name what it was until I finally realized something was missing. Or I guess, someone was missing. My first thought was that he was in the bathroom. It was still dark out, and he said he wasn’t going to be separated from me again… so he couldn’t be anywhere else, right? A pit at the bottom of my heart shook. Something felt wrong, like I wanted to believe that but knew it wasn’t true. I waited, my eyes adjusting, and then it hit like a freight train. He wasn’t here. I flung the sheets off me and bolted to the front door. Outside. He had to be outside. Running, checking the perimeter like at the cabin right? My hands shook as I walked out into the cool night air. I tried scanning the area for auras but couldn’t make anything else. The familiar need to hold onto my magic gnawed at me, making the lack of magic even more stark. “Drake?” I halfheartedly whispered. “Uh,” a voice cam
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT:~Drake: Dane pushed me to shift right as the vampires took off with the first set of guards. And in one swift movement we were in Dane’s form and pushing Avery gently behind us. ‘I can do the honors,’ Archer had just linked right before the guns appeared. ‘I think you all may want my help,’ I sent back the moment Avery was behind me. Shots went off and Avery was well hid behind our form. We turned briefly to nudge her to a smaller position behind these trees. We looked at her for a long moment as shots rang through the area around us. She nodded, seeming to understand. And then when I heard a break in their reckless firing I charged out. Yes, a huge gamble that these guys too had regular weapons and not anything crazy. And it actually worked. For a few minutes. In the stampede of our small but mighty group entering the field, I shouldn’t have been that surprised when I heard Archer call out. ‘Goddess! What is this?!’ he asked frantically through the link.