[Rosalynd]
When we make it to our destination, we gently shake the boys awake and grab all of our things. Looking down at our watches frantically, we race forward running through the parking lot towards the small building in McKinleyville that insists on calling itself an "airport," even though all the planes are the type of small jets that seat maybe 100 people and look like they might rust out of the sky. In the style of other grand airports, it is named after the nearest "city" rather than after the town that houses it. So even if it is located in McKinleyville, it is the "Arcata Airport," the nearest city to around 14,000 people.
There are neighborhoods in LA with more people than that.
But one of the benefits of li
[Rosalynd]Evander was the first to approach us. He didn’t say anything, didn’t look at anyone, he simply swept me up into his arms and held me tight to his chest. His breathing was heavy as if he were on the verge of tears and could barely keep his emotions contained.“Never do that to us again,” he made me promise as he squeezed, his head buried in my hair. “We are glad that you are safe, but you scared us both.”“You all did,” Gideon looks at the four of us. “When we realized that Rosalynd had disappeared, we knew exactly where she had gone,” his gaze is less kind as he looks us over, his chest puffed like a rooster with his feathers fluffed. I’ve never seen Gideon look so angry and territorial. “When we saw the carnage at your place, A
[Rosalynd] “And what, exactly, was I made to be?” The room goes calm, and quiet, as I turn towards Gideon. Except for Patrick, who takes a seat next to his grandson. Rafe is still sound asleep, the events of the day far more draining than any of us expected them to be. He’s only five years old. In the last few months, he's had to fight evil warlocks and get sent away only to get kidnapped by the same evil warlocks and watch his father get tortured. This kid has had to witness more violence and deal with more stress than most people 10 times his age could manage. We didn't need Patrick to say anything out loud for us to get the message loud and clear. Poor Rafe neither needs nor deserves to be in the same room as I learn what Gideon means when he says I am "who I wa
[Rosalynd] The steps are hard and cold beneath my bare feet as I make my way up to the roof, the pounding clang of each footstep ringing throughout the stairwell. I do not move with care. I stopped caring about my safety as soon as I left that room. As the cool air touches my skin, I feel reality slam into me like an icy slap. I was never meant to exist. I shouldn’t exist. No one creature should contain the amount of power that runs through my veins. I was crafted with warlock magic, magic stolen from dozens of fae and witch lives. How many had to die to create the egg and sperm that eventually led to making me? Was even a small part of who I am a part of either Victor Vex or Esther Reid, or were they just vessels for something more terrible? If the nature of my creation were made known to the entire magical community, would I be seen as a potential savior, or a memory of the pain my father caused when he harvested their friends and families, stealing them away without a trace? I’
[Rosalynd] Falling. I don’t know how long it is that I fell. Time flows differently as you face your death. I don’t feel it when I stop, I don’t feel anything. Everything just goes dark. So this is death. “You are not dead,” a familiar voice calls to me from the void, I recognized this voice when it first spoke to me in the forest, and again when it spoke to me through the oracle. It is the Universe, the one that controls the ebb and flow of all energy in the cosmos, the sustaining force of life here on Terra and Tara, the tether that keeps the worlds connected. “
[Evander] There’s a rush of fear, followed by a strong sense of vertigo right before I feel something akin to being slapped into a hard wall. My whole body shakes with the impact even though physically I am standing still. And then nothing. Less than nothing. It is the absence of feeling all together. The three of us, Axel, Gideon, and myself, all look up. “Rosie,” we say in unison. Nothing else needs to be said. We all have a deep connection to her and even when we are
[Gideon] The look of sadness and terror on her face after I told her about her creation and her father's intentions for her made me wish I had kept my mouth shut and never said anything. And if she asked, if she simply had to know, I could have crafted a pretty lie to tell her, one that didn't make her feel like a monster. If I had only taken a few more moments to consider my words and the ripples they would create maybe we wouldn’t be taking turns standing around her hospital bed, waiting for her to wake up. The doctors said it was a “miracle” that she neither died nor miscarried from the impact of her fall. Our babies are still growing, still healthy. Because of her wolf DNA, she started healing as soon as she hit. Because of her Fae DNA, our babies, which now resemble a human embryo of 8 weeks instead of the life that started only days ago, have an extra layer of protection within her womb, an evolutionary advantage. But how did she survive that fall at all? Even a werewolf, no
[Gideon] “Victor,” I say as I turn around. “I was wondering when you would show yourself.” I try not to look anxious but I am wondering where Axel is. I could use his help right about now. “Gideon,” his grin is too wide, too white, and too pleased with his current situation. “I would say the same about you, but I can see that time hasn’t treated you well.” “What are you doing here, Victor?” I demand although I already know the answer. He is here for Rosie, his “daughter" whom he constructed out of spare parts and let loose into the world with no sense of who she is or what her place is in the world. He allowed her to be abused by her 'mother' who tortured her from the moment she was born. He doesn't deserve to be called anyone's father. He is no more a true father than he is a true witch. “You know why I’m here,” his grin grows impossibly wide as a small ball of darkness forms above his fingertips. “The only reason you and I are talking is because I want to make it clear to the
[Gideon] "ENOUGH!" I shout. Both men gape, their eyes staring. I hardly ever raise my voice and here I am, standing between these two big men, scolding them in the way Rosie often had to do to keep the peace. "Don't you see what you are doing? What he is making you do to one another? You are falling right into Vincent's trap. This is how he works. He messes with your mind first before he tears you apart in other ways. He wants us all at each other's throats so that we aren't focused on finding him and getting our Rosie back." The other two men paused, looking at one another as if trying to decide whether it was worth it. Does it matter if you are correct in an argument if it is at the expense of everyone you love? After a few more moments, they drop their arms to their sides. Exhaling deeply, I take a step back and watch them as they consider my words. This isn’t the first time they’ve been at each other’s throats, and it ended in Rosie getting hurt or worse. Axel and Evander’s
[Rosalynd] I’d like to say this is a happily ever after, and I guess in some ways it is. Girl meets boy. The boy turns out to be a wolf. The girl meets another boy, who is a witch, and then another boy who happens to be a leprechaun. They all fall in love and have a lovely life full of magic and love. But fairy tales only seem simple on the outside. And our story is still beginning. Evander has been busier than ever ruling his kingdom. He spends as much time as he can here, but Tara is calling. Soon, he may need to stay there for longer. I’ll miss having him with me every day, but I understand. And It’s not like I can’t be there with him. It’s just a simple flip of a coin. Axel has taken his new duties as Guardian of the Forest very seriously. His new abilities from his time as the void have made him useful when it comes to detecting warlock mischief. Yes, we are still dealing with the warlocks, as before, but with their leader gone, they are a lot less powerful. Gideon has resum
[Evander] I’m not sure what Rosalynd is going to think when she sees this. I hope she takes it well. It’s been two months since our daughters were born and sometimes her emotions overtake her. “My Love,” I call out as I cross the threshold of our home in the woods. Today is Rosalynd’s day with me, and I can’t wait to come back to her from my dealings with the new council, even if I have some difficult news to share. My “surprise” is hidden in the satchel lying across my chest. She’s become such an intuitive witch since the babies were born that it is almost impossible to keep anything from her. She’ll likely sense the contents or see a vision or some other trick of the universe that will reveal everything before I open my mouth to tell her. Sometimes I wonder why any of us boys even bother to try. “Back here!” She responds from the kitchen, her voice strained with effort as if trying to lift something heavy. The kitchen is the last room I’d expect to find her in and prob
[Rosalynd] The chaotic hubbub that my announcement created would be comical if it weren’t happening to me. Thankfully we didn’t have to worry about much, we already had a room set up for the birth. One of the advantages of being married into a family as magical as mine, I have no shortage of highly capable hands to help me in this new adventure. This birth will be a bit more exceptional for a few reasons. Firstly, I am not entirely a wolf or even a simple hybrid. We have no idea how being part chimera is going to change things. Second, I am carrying two children fathered by two men. None of us know how the DNA was passed or what to expect. Will they be witches, leprechauns, wolves, or something else? The only thing we know for certain is that they will NOT be human. Nor will their powers be weak. They are the children born of deities and avatars, crafted from the flesh of some of the most powerfully magical beings on Earth and in Faerie. Thankfully, the Eel River pack already h
[Axel] Things have been different since we returned home. It has been months, and even though everything seems to have settled back to “normal,” there is no denying that things will never be quite the same again. Since the night I agreed to let the Void take over my body, I hear voices in my head. Sometimes I see things that others cannot see, even Rosie, our own personal goddess. I am myself, but I am also something else. Even Connor has been affected. After that night in the bunker, his coat had gone completely black, and his eyes glowed with the hot blue fire of the stars. He insists that he is an unchanged wolf, just better looking, but I would be a fool not to be disturbed by the changes. But today, I promised to put all of that aside for the sake of having one, perfect moment. “Are you ready,” Evander smiles from the doorway. His navy blue tie matches the color of my formal suit. Seeing me struggle with my own tie, he walks into the room and takes over for me. “Cousin
[Evander] I can feel the moment that Rosie gives into the Void. It feels like a cold chisel cracking into my heart, seeking to break the ties that bind me to her, that bind all three of us to her, leaving only the darkness within. Axel thinks that by welcoming the void in, he is getting his opportunity to be with her forever. But he isn't. The void does not need his soul once the darkness completes its work. As she kisses Axel, sealing their union, I know that even with the Universe’s blessing shining within me, I understand that If I do not act swiftly, we may all be tied to the void forever. Or worse, we could lose her to it. “We claimed her first and that bond cannot be broken so easily,” the Universe speaks to me, through me, filling me with the knowledge of what it sees as it fills my body, taking command. Reaching deep within myself, I can feel the truth of those words. The void tried to break us, but it failed. All three of us are still tied to her with shining cords o
[Gideon] His voice is like a cancer, rotting my soul from the inside out. Vincent. I thought I was free of him when he took Esther south when he left our coven behind. “You can never be free of me,” he laughs in my head. “We were never truly apart. Once you merge a soul with another, you are always connected. I was your coven leader. I will always be your coven leader.” “Not if I kill you,” I promise aloud, my body struggling against the magical restraints that Evander placed on me. His cackling laughter fades into the background. He is done with me for now. I can rest and regain my strength so that I can fight him off again next time. Unlike Slone, there is nothing that he can offer me that I want, so there is no way for him to find entry into the deepest parts of my soul. With Rosie and Evander in my life, I have more than I deserve. I wake up in darkness. The room is cold, colder than I expected it to be. It is like all the warmth vacated the room through every little cr
[Rosalynd] I lie there frozen as I watch the black of his eyes expand to overcome the sclera. Wide and unblinking, they stare into my own and I find myself falling into them, losing all sense of where I am. My body is present in the here and now, but my mind and soul have moved on to someplace so vast that galaxies are formed and die around me as I watch. And I remember. I remember being pulled to a place like this once before, at the moment of my almost death, when I had to make a decision. And I stand in that darkness now, the room gone, only darkness remaining. A man steps forward. Whereas before the void had no shape, now that it has a form to inhabit, he takes the shape that has become familiar and comfortable and wears my fiancé's face as he waits for me to come to him. He is still dressed for a wedding, but the clothing doesn't seem out of place here. In his natural element, the void incarnate looks regal, his body radiating power in dark waves of energy. "Do you remember me
[Evander] By the time I reached his location, it was already too late. Axel fell through the opening in the sky, hungry arms grabbing him and drawing him in. It was as if the void itself took him. I have been flitting through the shadows, looking for a trace of him. Wherever he was taken does not lie within the shadow roads. My best guess is that he is somewhere inside one of these buildings. My worst guess is that he is somewhere I cannot follow, deep in the void itself, unable to reach any of us or call out for help. “If you are listening, Universe, we could use your help.” The universe never answers, at least not with words, but my instincts are telling me to head toward the smaller of the two buildings. I cannot blink beyond the walls without knowing what is on the other side. Which means I need to get close enough, undetected, to see where I might land. And then I need to search and keep going until I find him. Until I can find both of them. Because I am not leav
[Rosalynd] The creature wearing the face of my mate walks towards me. He is dressed for a wedding. Top hat, tailcoat, white gloves, and a silk cravat and dress shirt all in varying shades of black and gray, like fog at midnight. His chestnut-colored hair has been slicked back and put into a ponytail, a ribbon of black silk tying it back. None of this feels right. It isn’t Axel’s style. Even at our true wedding, I would more likely expect him to wear designer cowboy boots and a pair of dark denim. But that isn’t the part of him that bothers me the most. It was his eyes. Black as slate, cold and dark, they are the opposite of those warm, honey-brown orbs that stole my heart all those months ago. “What are you?” I hiss, struggling against my bonds. "And where is Axel? Where is my mate?" He places a gentle hand on my cheek, making a shushing sound as he tries to soothe me. “He's still here, watching you, protecting you. Even now, he fights to be by your side," his fingers re