73 | TWENTY-FOUR-SEVEN

The threat of the Revenant hangs over us for the next week before Ry is able to return to the Court. He leaves *without* my permission, of course. The only reason I find out he’s gone back is because he does a video call the second he gets to Colton the next Thursday. I was thrown when I sat down after school, only to get the call from him. When I accepted the call, the immediate clue as to his whereabouts was the Queen herself sitting beside my cousin at *Mina’s Café*. I stared at them for a long minute before processing what he’d done.

Ryker insisted this was the best option, reminding me we still needed a liaison between the Coven and the Court. And with the threat of the Revenant being MIA, the more we shared with each other, the more likely we’d find him and kill him before he killed any of us. I couldn’t help but gawk at the pair, noting a very familiar look that would pass between the two whenever they looked at each other…or accidentally touched each other. For the first time in who knows how long, I swear I even caught my cousin blush. My stupid brain cataloged and tucked the information away for a later conversation. One that will have to wait until we’re all safe again.

Craven still made his reports via video chat, as promised, and I did fill him in on the situation here. At first, he wanted to come back and help Paris secure the territory, but he must have come across something on his way back that stopped him and forced him to continue investigating the West. Once he’s out near the more mountainous regions of the country, his calls become a little more infrequent, so he sends me pre-recorded videos when he can. Some of them come back fuzzy or laggy, however, which has me worried, but not so worried that I even think about sending someone after him. Reception out there is bad, I know that much. It’s one reason why reports had been so hard to get from the West, the travel of information was more old school and a lot slower than what I’m used to. So I just try to be patient.

The Thanksgiving holiday came and went with all the tension a new a terrifying threat normally brings about. Mom and I shared a dinner with Hale that consisted mostly of the human’s normal tradition of turkey and carbs. The few times she and I had celebrated the holiday hung in the air with all the nostalgia of the past and sorrow for the future. The Azures and Reiniers are still on lock-down, doing patrols and sharing information with the Coven. Mom’s left the house in favor of hanging around the Azure’s bunk house - a place in the center of the territory they use for guests or emergency gatherings like this.

Hale’s got most of his Coven under similar conditions, leaving only the most powerful to guard and patrol the area. Apparently, some of Hale’s people are Guardians like those who’re supposed to be strong enough to take out things like Revenants. But there’s only three of them who’ve been formally trained - including Hale. Guardians, like most of vamp hierarchy, are born into their power, so no one can really ‘learn’ to be a Guardian unless they’re already predisposed to be one - or of higher rank like Hale and I.

What freaks me out, and leaves me a little wary about this, is that Mikyle was a Guardian at one point, like Hale, who also had the strength to be ruler like Mikyle, but denied the role. But even Mikyle was beaten by the King - before he went Revenant. It worries me to know that the demented King was strong enough - and vicious enough - to defeat and brainwash his own half-brother. Even through Ms. Jin was able to de-program Mikyle a few days ago, I haven’t seen my ex-shadow since he tried to kill me.

And because the Coven’s clearly not well prepped enough to hide me, I’ve gone back to my house. I explained to both Hale and Blue my reasoning for wanting to be out of their respective territories - well, the house is technically in Azure territory… I just didn’t want there to be any reason for the Revenant to seek me out at either location and possibly hurt anyone else. If the soulless vamp’s gunning for me, the last thing I want is for them to take out anyone I care about.

The house is on Azure land, which is why I think both finally agree to my living out of the house again. Still, Blue’s got Cole and Yuri monitoring me, and when the two have other things to do, like go to class or deal with Pack business, either Zoe or Blue stick to my side. Zoe is my after-school chaperone from the second I get out of class to the moment Blue or Cole and Yuri take her place at my house. She always brings the reports I normally go over every day and a fresh supply of blood bags.

Blue is generally with me from dusk to dawn…which is…almost like we’re playing house. Things have been tense over the last week, and I feel like I can’t drop my guard, even for sleep, but there’re a few moments in between the fear and haunting terror where I manage to enjoy a conversation with my mate - or lingering kiss before bed. Nothing’s escalated beyond that. Something about possibly being watched by a creature who can apparently hide its presence as well as Blue really kills the mood.

Not to mention the nightmares are back. Again. But it’s not the usual shit-storm of the past coming back to haunt me, like it usually does this time of year. All I see are the creepy shapes of too-stretched limbs and black webbing of black veins under skin…and the eerie, glowing-red glare of Revenant eyes. Waking up screaming has become a thing once more, and Blue’s taken to waking me up before I can get to that point. Still, it doesn’t soothe away the rising anxiety of the situation or temper any of the growing fogginess in my brain from a lack of restful sleep. Naps aren’t even restful.

I find myself drifting off in class more and more, and though the Azure name carries a certain weight around the teachers and administrators, I manage to land a day in detention. My teacher does, however, take pity on me, letting me leave early when I start to nod off during the hour I’m supposed to sit in the classroom. After a worried lecture on the value of sleep on growth and the affect of screwing up my circadian rhythm, I’m released. I stumble out of the room and almost smack into Zoe, who’d been waiting for me in the hall.

The vampire says nothing, but hands me a chilled thermos and places an arm around my shoulders as she guides me from the school and back to my house. I finish the thermos of blood by the time we reach my room and collapse on my bed face-first. Zoe excuses herself, going into the kitchen and rummaging around the cabinets as I mush my face into my pillow. The sounds of her moving around sets me at ease, relaxing just knowing I’m not alone or, at least, that she’s here in case the King decides to make his move.

The scent of Blue is heavy in my bed, further soothing my frayed nerves. Though it’s been like this for days, I hadn’t been so tired that sleep was even a possibility…but now… My exhaustion has grown to worrying levels, every cell of my body weaker than ever. I can practically feel my skin vibrating with fatigue, each breath deepening until I’m not sure if I’m even drawing in air any more. My heavy eyelids flutter, ticking down lower and lower as the events of the week weigh them down. Finally, my mind has mercy on me, and I fall into the first dreamless sleep I’ve had in days.

I should have guessed the mini bout of luck wouldn’t last.

When I wake up, it’s late, the smell of Blue stronger than before, my body tucked up against a familiar solid form. Blue. My mind registers the soothing movement of his fingers in my hair, something else he’s taken to doing to help me fall asleep lately. I don’t bother hiding the fact that I’m awake, but I also don’t move. Maybe if I stay still, we can remain in this moment forever, not having to worry about anything like a Revenant on the loose or Mom dying or the apocalypse.

“Did you sleep well?” Blue asks softly, dispelling my hopes to freeze this moment in time for eternity. I open my eyes, tiling my head up to meet his worried, monochromatic gaze. He’s got dark smudges under his eyes from his own lack of restful sleep, a slight crease to his forehead seems to also be turning into a permanent wrinkle. I give him a little smirk and reach up, smoothing the line with the tip of my pointer finger.

“Well enough.” I hum back, my voice thick with the remnants of the dreamless sleep. I can still feel tired, but it’s a lot better now that I managed to get what seem to have been a few hours of undisturbed rest. My fingers manage to trace along Blue’s eyebrow and cheekbone before he stops me.

“Good, ‘cause,” He sighs warily, gently plucking my hand from his face and looking at a point over my shoulder. “We’ve got a visitor.” It’s only then I sense the strong aura of Death at my back.