[Chanel’s POV]I stare in disbelief at Anthrose as his mask of indifference that makes me feel like we are so far apart starts to come back in place, replacing the passion and desire that were just there.“Hate me so much that you understand I’m no good for you.” He says slowly, straightening his clothes. “That way you’ll find happiness.”“Happiness,” I repeat, my anger threatening to bubble over once more. “Are you really saying that to me?”Didn’t he understand that my fucking happiness was him? That every time I saw him, my heart came alive, and every time he offered me a rare laugh, smile, or even look of affection, my world became a little brighter?Fuck! How could he not understand that he was the reason I fought and breathed?“You’re my happiness,” I snap, moving forward and attempting to touch him. “You Anthrose. You are the one who makes me happy.”“I’m sorry,” he says, shoving my hands away before I can even press a finger against his skin. “It’s about time you stopped holdi
[Anthrose’s POV]I sit in the living room, listening to the chatter that is taking place, but not registering anything that is said. Although I know I should be focusing on this stuff since it involved our saving Diego and Rosalie, all my mind could stay on was Chanel.Fuck. This was frustrating, but it was something that needed to be done; after all, there was just no way that we could ever be together. Not only because she was my pupil and I was her teacher, but because, as someone with no title or anything to promise, I didn’t deserve her.Sighing, I lean back and let my wander back to a time when I thought that maybe there could be something. Where I still had hope of the future.I’ll never forget the day when my respect for the leaders of Crystal Fang was destroyed completely.“If you’re that worried, why don’t you go look for her?”The voice comes from directly beside me, snapping me out of my head and pissing me off at the same time.“I don’t know what you mean.” I mutter, lett
[Anthrose’s POV]I wait as Chanel continues to stand in front of me, clearly staring me down, debating whether or not she should attempt to push again, but in the end deciding against it.“Alright,” she mutters, taking me by surprise. “Since my ego can’t take anymore hits this evening, I’ll let you off.”Sighing, I let a small chuckle out as my adoration for the woman in front of me grows.“That’s wisest,” I agree. “Now, how about you try to get some sleep.”“I don’t wanna,” she pouts, returning to the Chanel that I know. “And I’m not tired.”“You sound like a child,” I point out. “Be good and go lay down so you can sleep off your drunk.”“I’m not drunk,” she announces, attempting to move but stumbling. “Whoops,” she giggles. “I guess maybe I am a little.”“More than a little,” I counter, unable to ignore the smell of alcohol in the air. “Come on, to bed with you.”“Alright, alright, dad.” Chanel sighs, beginning to move but stopping as I reach out and grab her wrist. “What is it?”“I
[Geo’s POV]I listen to the sounds of the adults quietly talking, their conversations going on even late in the night. From what I could hear, I knew that they were in a state of waiting for the one that Aunt Chanel and Uncle Giddeon sought out today would be able to get the answers that Willy was currently seeking for me. As a ghost, he was able to travel anywhere, and right now he was certainly on that island and roaming through the temple.Sighing, I look out the window beside me, taking in the area below, noting the different entities that walk there. They’re a mixture of ghosts and humans, but none of them are Willy.“Hurry up,” I grumble, crossing my arms. “You’re taking too long.”As the words leave my lips, lightning flashes, drawing my gaze to the sky to find it is glowing a crimson that it wasn’t previously.“What?” I gasp, causing Landon to jump up in bed.“Wah, what is it?” He gasps, looking around wildly. “What happened?”As the words leave his lips, another round of ligh
[Geo’s POV]I try to break free of Aunt Chanel’s hold as my parents and the man start to fade, growing more and more transparent until they look like specters like Willy.“No!” I scream, clawing at her. “Let me go! Let me go! Mommy! Diego!”“Geo,” Aunt Chanel hisses as the old man helps her try to keep hold of me. “You’ve got to stop, otherwise...”“NO!” I scream. “Mommy! Don’t leave me, mommy!”Despite my pleas and my best attempts to break free, my parents still disappear, and when they’re gone, I feel like they’ve taken a piece of me with them.“No,” I whisper, a sob escaping me. “No.”“Geo,” Landon whispers, reaching out and grabbing my hand. “We’re going to save them, remember?”For a moment, I can’t process what he is saying. All I can think is that they were here with me just now, but I couldn’t save them. I couldn’t even stop them from leaving me once again.“We’re going to save them.” He repeats more firmly. “With the help of...”Eyes widening, he looks around, taking everyon
[Chanel’s POV]I stare at Geo, processing what it is that he is telling me while I can almost feel Anthrose’s need to jump the gun and volunteer to be the one to go and do what Geo is instructing.“Alright,” I announce just as Anthrose tries to say the same. “Then it looks like we don’t have any other choice. We are going to have to go to this island and get those artifacts so that we can save your parents and the world.”Of course, I knew that there were probably dangers waiting for us there and maybe even things that we didn’t quite understand or want to face, but honestly, it was better to do that than allow the world as we knew it to end.“Geo,” I say now, drawing the boys gaze to me. “I need you to get as much information about the location of those artifacts for us. Does your…” I stop, remembering that he was saying that a ghost was giving him this information. “Does your... friend... have any idea of where we should be looking?”At my question, Geo looks away and to a spot righ
[Chanel’s POV]The next morning, I sit with Anthrose, Tyson, and the other warriors at the airport. After handing the children off to Ulrick, he set up a flight for us on one of his private jets, and now we were waiting. Of course, he offered to let us rest for a day before leaving, but in the end we decided to leave immediately. I guess you could say that having a general idea of how to end what was happening was a pretty good energy booster.Now, I listen to the sounds of monotone voices talking over intercoms until our flight is announced.“Ready?” I ask, standing and grabbing my meager luggage. “Let’s get this shitshow on the road.”Beside me, Tyson laughs before snatching my bag from me.“Hey!” I gasp, causing Anthrose to jerk and shift his body protectively toward me. “What do you think you’re doing?”“Helping a lady.” Tyson easily responds. “Is that such a bad thing?”Was it a bad thing? No. It wasn’t bad at all, and usually I would enjoy this kind of treatment, but with the s
[Chanel’s POV]The feel of the plane jerking rouses me from my nap, and when my eyes fly open, I see mirrored looks of shock on my companions faces. Well, most of them, Anthrose being himself, remains calm while his body tenses, readying for whatever is to come next.“What was that?” I ask, shaking off the last bit of sleep that remains and turning my gaze out my window to find that a large black creature similar to the one that attacked Anthrose and me on the road flies beside us. “Nevermind, I see it.”Shit. I should have known that the bastard we were up against wouldn’t make things so easy, but if he thought we were going to go down without a fight, he was wrong. Even if it meant fighting in mid-air, I wasn’t going to let them take down this plane.“Come on,” I announce, unbuckling.“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Anthrose demands as I head toward the plane’s door. “Have you lost your mind?”“A while ago,” I admit, earning myself a growl. “Sorry, not the time for jokes.
[Chanel’s POV]I stare on, watching as Anthrose and the rest of his group surge forward, attacking the guards who were just sneering at me, and I can’t help but laugh at the difference in their demeanors.“Cowards,” I spit, sitting up and snapping my thumbs back into place. “Acting all high and mighty until actual danger appears.”As I speak, I grab the chains that are holding my ankles and begin to pull while ignoring the pain that shoots through me. Fuck, they were strong, but I was stronger. Soon enough, they begin to crack and then break apart, allowing me to finally get up and move to Gil’s side.“Just hang in there a bit longer, alright?” I tell him, clutching his cuff and starting to fight with it. “Then we will get you out of here and…”“No!” Gil gasps before breaking into a coughing fit. “We can’t just leave!”Frowning, I take in his words, trying to make sense of what it is that he is saying, but I don’t get to question him further before pain shoots through me and my body a
[Anthrose’s POV]The next morning we move out the minute the warm sun begins to paint the ground that we sleep on. After a quick breakfast, we head out with me leading the way since I’m the only one who can get a feel for the location that we are searching for.Together, we silently move across the island while keeping our senses alert in case of a surprise attack. However, the expected never happens, and by the time we are close to our destination, I can’t help but feel like all of this is too easy, and by the tension I feel from my companions, I know that they’re feeling the same.“Up ahead,” Sam murmurs, coming to my side. “I can see it.”Nodding, I take in the shining figure that I’m certain is the temple, noting the dark aura that radiates around it. Even from here I could tell that the things residing within were something the normal wolf wouldn’t want to approach, but given what we were fighting for, I wasn’t going to let it stop me.“Prepare yourselves.” I announce, letting my
[Anthrose’s POV]For the rest of the day, I search the island for a sign of where Chanel and Gil may be, but come up empty. And when my group can’t seem to move anymore, I have to call the search to a halt. However, that doesn’t mean that I don’t continue to keep my connection with the earth, searching while dinner is made.It’s a silent ordeal, as I’m certain that the entire group is feeling the weight of what is at hand and what we may encounter when we find the ones we are searching for. I could only assume that a fight was waiting for us, and it was because of that that I even agreed to res.Sighing, I close my eyes and let myself slip deeper into a trance, searching until I feel something press against my consciousness that snaps me to alertness as hope flares through me along with a longing that I’ve never felt before.‘Chanel,’ I whisper, not daring to truly believe that I’m feeling what I am. ‘Is that you?’For a moment, all I’m met with is silence, causing me to believe that
[Anthrose’s POV]My body screams at me, begging me to stop, to take a break, but I can’t stop moving. Behind me, I can hear noises of complaint and exhaustion escaping my companions, making it clear that they’re feeling the same thing as me. However, I can’t stop moving; I won’t stop moving; just the thought of stopping makes me so damn anxious I want to fucking destroy something. I can’t stop the feeling that if I stop looking even for a second, Chanel will vanish completely.Shivering, I try not to think of a world where she doesn’t exist somewhere. Sure, it was one thing to keep my distance and allow her to live the life that she deserves, but to even think of her not being somewhere alive and happy damn near kills me.‘Chanel.’ I call to the darkness, hoping and praying that by some miracle she will respond to me. ‘Where are you? Why aren’t you answering me?’“Anthrose.”I immediately freeze as the voice reaches me, but I realize a moment too late that it wasn’t Chanel’s voice, it
[Chanel’s POV]I look around me, taking in the stone walls around me, noting how they’re cracking, allowing vines to grow through them while my intrusive thoughts try to get the better of me. They’re screaming things like what if this place were to collapse. What if you find yourself at a dead end? What if you run out of air? It’s irritating as fuck, and even though I keep telling them to shut up, they just won’t.“Hey,” I call to Tyson, who leads the way in hopes of distracting myself. “Are you certain that we are going in the right direction?”Since he was the one to choose our path and take the lead, I could only hope that he somehow could track the way out of this place, but what if he was just leading us deeper into this underground labyrinth?“Hey,” I repeat when he doesn’t respond to me. “I’m talking to you.”Frustration growing, I move forward and grab his shoulder, forcing him to turn and look at me, but I’m not met with the same gaze that I was used to. Instead, I’m met with
[Anthrose’s POV]We spend the rest of the day searching for any sign of Chanel or Tyson, but all we come up with is nothing. It’s almost like neither of them existed or were somehow spirited away from earth.“We should rest.” Henry, one of Ulrick’s warriors, suggests later that evening. “We will be useless in helping them if we are exhausted.”“Are you saying that this little bit of action exhausts you?” I demand. “If that's the case, you are more than welcome to rest, but I’m going to keep searching.”“But, sir…”“I said I was going to keep searching!” I growl, not giving two fucks if I came across as argumentative or defiant. “There’s no fucking way that I’m going to stop until I find her.”Even though only a couple of hours had passed, I couldn’t help but feel like days, even weeks, had already gone by without Chanel’s presence. It was fucking maddening, and I was beginning to feel like a crazy man. How the hell did I manage to stay away from her for so many years in the past?No.
[Chanel’s POV]I watch as the crevice above me grows farther and farther away until my body is hitting the wolf beneath me, who takes most of the impact. Together, we lay there, watching as the ground slowly begins to close once more, eliminating the little bit of light around us until we are plunged into darkness.Snapping out of it, I jump up and then look to the wolf beside me, taking him in while wondering what exactly he was thinking. And once I shift back into my human form, I wait as he stares at me.“What?” I demand, my annoyance flaring. “Don’t look at me like that.”Letting out what sounds almost like a huff of annoyance, he begins to shift until Tyson is lying on the ground in the wolf’s place.“What?” He asks as I narrow my gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”Why? Because he was the reason we were here right now. He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going when he saved me.“Do I really need to answer that?” I sigh, beginning to look around, taking in the tun
[Chanel’s POV]“Right.”I give Anthrose one last look before turning my gaze toward the creatures that are slowly making their way toward us. They’re different from the beasts that we’ve encountered until this point, but they’re also the same.These look almost like worms, but they have legs and buglike faces. I guess if I had to compare them to anything, it would be centipedes. Just watching them move gave me the heebie jeebies, but I wasn’t about to let them stop me from getting to what I wanted.Giving Anthrose one last look, I begin to shift, and once I’m in my wolf form, I move, surging forward and attacking the creepy crawly closest to me. When we clash, it immediately attempts to roll its body around me, but I leap out of the way.Landing on top of it, I watch as the rest of our group joins in the fray, beginning our first official battle since arriving on the island.‘Don’t get yourself killed.’Anthrose's voice reverberates in my mind, causing my heart to race and giving me t
[Anthrose’s POV]I don’t speak as Chanel’s question flows over me, settling into the deepest pits of my soul along with the loathing and disgust that I’ve felt since the day the thing she is asking about happened, and as much as I would like to say, I know that I can’t.“The plague.” I respond instead, deciding that was a good enough explanation. “It affected my eyes.”“You’re lying.”Chanel’s response is firm, and I know that due to our bond, there was just no way that I would be able to get away with lying to her.“How did it really happen?”How? That was an easy fucking response, but again, I knew that if I were to speak it out loud, then there was a good chance it would dig out the skeletons that I was trying so hard to not think about anymore.“Anthrose,” Chanel’s voice drifts through my muddled thoughts. “You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”I did. But this was something that didn’t only involve me. It also involved her, and I knew if I were to open up about it, then