Chapter 40

AYRA

I stood on a podium in front of an immense crowd, fear licking every inch of my spine. Their faces were blurred, but I could still make out their anger.

Was the anger directed at me?

I panicked, my palms turning clammy while my mouth dried up. I took steps backward, ready to flee the scene, when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.

I immediately felt calm soar through me, and my racing heart slowed down. I turned my head to the side to look at the woman, but her face was also blurry.

Frustration replaced that calm. Why couldn’t I see anyone?

“What’s going on?” I asked, pointing at the crowd.

“Come here, honey,” the smoky voice said, but there was no mistaking the femininity it held.

I knew that voice.

“Mom?” I asked, tears suddenly pooling at the bottom of my lids.

I could make out the outline of her smile as she raised her hand to cup the side of my face. “Yes, honey. It’s me. You’re all grown up now.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s been a long year. I’ve missed you.”

“Me too. Where are you?” I pointed at the crowd again. “Why are they angry?”

“It’s not your fault, honey. Destiny happened. It’s not your fault. Be unapologetically proud of your family.”

“Proud of what family?”

“It gets tougher from here, Ayra. We might never be here for you, but when that time comes, I need you to seek Zachary out. Nathaniel will fall. Undoubtedly so.”

“Fall? What’s going to happen to him?” I asked, my heart resuming its wild race.

“Every great man falls at some point. Nathaniel is no exception to that. It doesn’t matter how and when he falls. The most important part is if he rises again.”

“And you don’t think Nathaniel will rise again?”

“Oh, I know he will. Just as a different person. You’ll question whether loving a demon and bearing his spawn is the most magical thing ever.”

“It can’t be magical every time. Relationships have difficulties.”

“And relationships are balanced if one doesn’t outweigh the other. The same will not be said for you. I feel sorry for you, but it’s too late to do anything now. You’re with child. Truly, I am.”

I was immediately catapulted into the woods, and the sight left me devastated. Dead wolves littered the floor, blood leaking out underneath them.

The battlefield was filled with the thick smell of smoke, choking me until I had to run to escape the assault on my eyes and lungs.

I stumbled out of the smoke, right into another chaos.

“Where’s Nathaniel?” Kai screamed, tearing through the Enforcers. “Where is he?”

“He’s gone, Kai,” Andino said, blocking Kai’s path, sorrow etched into his features.

“He can’t be. I promised Logan, Ayra, and Kimberly that I’d bring him back. He’s supposed to be fine.”

“Things don’t always go according to plan,” came Theo’s broken whisper.

I snapped my gaze over to where he sat crouched next to Chase’s lifeless body. Claws and fangs had shredded the latter’s body, making his body unrecognizable, save for his face.

I covered my mouth with my hands, tears pouring out of my eyes. Nathaniel was gone, and so was Chase.

Mother was right. He did fall.

***

“Zachary wants to see her,” I heard Ishmael’s hushed voice say from Nathaniel’s office.

There was that name again. Who the fuck was Zachary? The woman from my dreams — my mother — mentioned him, so I knew he was connected to my old life.

“Who is Zachary?” I asked, shocking Nathaniel and Ishmael.

“How did I not hear your footsteps?” Nathaniel asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe you lost your enhanced senses, too,” I joked.

I thought vampires had extra abilities, but the only thing I got was bloodlust. Enhanced senses I’d somehow lost as a werewolf? Nope, I didn't get those as a vampire.

Nathaniel looked horrified when he replied. “No!”

“No?” I narrowed my eyes at him just to fuck with him. “I thought you said it didn’t matter whether they returned. What was it you said? Oh, right. That didn’t make me any less of a magnificent wolf.”

“I said that?”

Ishmael threw his head back in laughter. “Oh, fuck you, Nate.”

“You see that? That’s the hypocrisy I have to deal with every day.”

Nathaniel snorted. “You forgot to add bossy and arrogant to that list.”

“You haven’t tried to boss me around in a while.”

Nathaniel grinned. “Good ol’ days. I miss them.”

“I don’t. Lord knows I was a second away from gouging those eyes of yours out.”

“You love them too much to do that.”

“Whatever.” The nightmare I had earlier returned to my mind. “Who’s Zachary?”

“He’s... a friend,” Nathaniel answered. “Why did you ask?”

“I had a nightmare where my mother was telling me to look for Zachary after your death.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, replaying the chaos inside my head repeatedly.

I didn’t notice Nathaniel had left his seat until I felt his arm drape around my shoulders. “Hey, how about you calm down and tell me what this nightmare is all about?”

“You’re going to die in this war against Samuel, Ryker, and Benjamin.”

He stiffened momentarily before resuming the motion of his hand up and down my back. “That’s... comforting.”

I pulled my face away from his chest to look at him. “I’m not lying, Nathaniel. You’re going to die.”

“I’m not arguing with you, Ayra. It’s a war. I’m not going in there thinking I’m invincible. No one is invincible in war. I’ll get hurt, or worse yet, I’ll die as you said.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t fight at all. This is all my fault. Sandra was right. Ever since I stepped into your life, it’s just been chaos upon chaos. You almost died.”

“A demon who wanted her to harm anyone in sight possessed Sandra. That wasn’t the real Sandra.”

“I think I met my mother.” I narrated the events of the nightmare to them, watching shock register in their eyes. “I don’t want you to fight anyone, Nathaniel.”

“It’s inevitable.” He wrapped his other arm around my waist, bringing my body flush against his once more.

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

I looked up at him with tears swimming in my eyes. “If she’s right, you’re going to die.”

“She said I was going to fall. It doesn’t necessarily mean death.”

“What if it means death?”

“Ishmael, you’re a sorcerer. You can interpret this. Calm Ayra’s mind down, so she doesn’t go around thinking I’m going to die?”

We both looked at Ishmael at the same time to find his face stripped of all its color. “We need to find the remaining items before Ryker does. I don’t think we should overlook that nightmare.”

Ishmael’s words put fear in Nathaniel, and even though he tried not to show it, I could feel it in the bond between us.

God, why was all of this happening?