Chapter 41

AYRA

I paced the halls of the hospital, fear and anxiety making me jittery. I was anxious because Reese was in the delivery room, and afraid because I did not know how and what Nathaniel was doing right now.

He left first thing in the morning with Ishmael and all his Enforcers, including Sawyer, so he wasn’t here to support Reese during her delivery.

I had no idea where Nikki was, and Kimberly was busy with work, so I was here alone. Kimberly wanted to be here, but Reese ordered her not to. She said Kimberly could see the baby when it was born.

“Anxious much?”

I sighed in relief, turning to face the Nighthowler. “Dalia.” I needed someone to vent to, and she appeared at the right time.

“What’s going on?”

I pointed at the door behind me. “A friend of mine is in the delivery room.”

“I see. The one you were shopping for.”

“Yes.”

“Anything else on your mind? Where is Nathaniel? Shouldn’t he be here?”

“Why should he be?”

Dalia shrugged noncommittally, dropping onto a chair placed in the hallway. “I don’t know. To offer moral support? Besides, where are the guards that follow you around? I thought he assigned some Enforcers to you.”

I eyed her warily, Nathaniel’s warning from before flashing through my mind.

*Dalia is a snake.*

“I never told you that. How do you know?”

Fear flashed through her eyes, but it was gone so fast I questioned if I saw things right.

“I... notice things.”

I nodded, still reeling from what I thought I saw. “Sure.”

“You don’t trust me,” she said, hurt lacing her words.

“No. Not at all. It’s not like that. It’s just...”

“Nathaniel has rubbed off on you, so you’re discarding our years of friendship.”

“You have it all wrong. That’s not what any of this is about.”

“It’s fine. I just thought you needed a friend right now, so I came. I can still feel your emotions through our bond, you know. Nathaniel and his brothers just came into your life, and you’re choosing them over me.”

Her lips wobbled like she was holding back her tears.

“Okay, stop,” I said with a frustrated sigh, placing my hands on my hips. “Stop with this guilt-tripping of yours. I’m not choosing anyone over the other. Even though I am, Nathaniel is my mate. Naturally, I’ll pick him over anyone else, but I’m not doing that right now. Do you think you’d still be here if I listened to the things Nathaniel said about you?

“His brother almost died, and they’re all saying you were responsible for that, but you don’t see me jumping on the ‘hate Dalia’ bandwagon. I am giving you the benefit of the doubt, but that doesn’t mean I have to tell you the things going on in my life all the time. You can’t expect that of me.”

“I’m sorry.” She burst into tears, walking toward me before throwing her arms around me. “I’m scared I’m going to lose you like I lost Aiden. I swear, I didn’t betray him like he thinks.”

“What happened that day? I’ve heard Nathaniel’s side of the story, but I’d like to hear yours.”

“I don’t remember.”

“You don’t remember?” I repeated, pulling away from her.

“It’s been such a long time. I was traumatized for a long time, so the memories kind of faded.”

I remembered the way she was skittish when she and her mother first sought refuge with us. She always hid in her room when my grandfather and I visited the little cottage we gave them.

I sucked in a sharp breath, taking another step away from her. How did I know about that?

“Ayra,” I heard Dalia’s voice call out from a distance. “Ayra!”

*"You need to come find us, Ayra. You and Zachary. Find your brother. We need to save you before it’s too late."*

“Ayra, what’s wrong with you?” Dalia shrieked.

*"He’s right, Ayra. We need to stop this trainwreck you call a relationship,"* another masculine voice followed the first.

“You’re freaking me out, Ayra.”

*"Leave, Ayra. Leave! That relationship is cursed."*

“Stop. Fucking. Talking!” I screamed, gripping the sides of my head.

I could only imagine the picture I painted right now; psychotic, lost. I leaned against a wall to hold myself up.

*"Leave him!"*

*"You’ll regret this, child!"*

*"That scum doesn’t deserve you. The Blacks are scum."*

The voices kept on going until I couldn’t hold myself up anymore. I slid down the wall, bringing my knees up to my chest. Black spots dotted my vision, and I could feel the bile rising up my throat.

“Make it stop,” I groaned, curling up on my side as the volume of the voices increased. Cold swept up my bare arms, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

Through my unsteady gaze, I saw Dalia crouch down in front of me.

She cupped the side of my face. “Where’s Nathaniel?”

“Temple of Ozark.” My tongue felt heavy as the words escaped my lips.

*No!* A voice screamed in my head like I’d just committed a crime. Somehow, I knew I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but my lips didn’t cooperate.

“Don’t worry, mistress. I’ll go get Nathaniel for you. You’d like that, yes?” She asked, her voice sickly sweet.

Nathaniel. Yes, he’d make everything better. I nodded, and she smiled one last time before her face faded from view.

I watched her boot-clad feet as she walked away from me, and I knew things were going to go downhill from there.

***

NATHANIEL

“Temple Of Ozark,” Logan read the words out loud as we stood in front of an abandoned temple. “Who the hell is Ozark?”

“Ozark was a highly worshipped, bloodthirsty deity amongst mages, but he played a vital role in the Great war. They have abandoned him after people learned of the vile things he did to women that came to seek his help,” Ishmael explained.

“If he’s that vile, then I don’t think we should mess with his temple,” Theo said, eyeing the temple warily.

“This isn’t his main temple. That one is halfway across the world, and no one may step foot inside.”

“So, why are we entering this one?”

“Because Ozark never once stepped his foot here. They shut the main temple down because he used to reside there. Are we clear?”

“Sure.”

“Let’s go in before it’s too late,” said Ishmael. With a simple wave of his hand, the doors flew open, and Ishmael stepped in. “Hold on,” he barked, holding his hand up to us.

I walked in behind him, my eyes zeroing in on the stairs just as he was. “That’s blood. Fresh blood.” I trailed my eyes up the stairs, raising a brow when I saw a lifeless body at the very top of the stairs.

“Someone was here to offer a blood sacrifice to Ozark.”

“Good thing or bad thing?” I asked.

“Depends. Deities feed off the praises and sacrifices. They have abandoned Ozark for centuries.”

“He’s going to jump at the first praise he’s received in centuries.”

“And he’s going to grant whatever wish that person asks for. Hell, he might even choose to serve that person as long as he continues to worship him.”

“Who do you think it is? Ryker?”

“Doesn’t seem like his style.”

“Samuel, then?”

“I don’t think it’s them. This looks... different.”

“What are we looking for here?” Theo asked, stepping into the temple even though Ishmael said not to. Logan followed him, so all four of us were now inside the temple.

“Ozark is going to translate the spell for us, and we’re going to fetch some items on the list.”

“Which one exactly?”

“The feather of a phoenix that has reincarnated for the third time.” Ishmael chuckled at the look Theo threw his way. “I know. We’re weird like that.”

“I’m glad you know it. And who the fuck believes phoenix birds exist?”

“They did in the past. Plus, I was just joking. There’s no feather or shit like that on the list.”

“So, what are we looking for?”

“Bloodstones. The powerhouse to a deity. We were going to ask Eris for hers, but we all know how that turned out.”

“Yeah, she made us fall unconscious. I just hope Kai and the others are having a better experience than us,” Logan said.

We’d split to cover more ground, and Ishmael had given them instructions on where to find two bloodstones.

There were four major deities, and Eris had two, or so Ishmael said. She was supposedly the strongest deity mages worshipped, which raised questions as to why she was chained to that desert Ishmael took us to.

Samuel and Ryker already had their hands on two bloodstones, so there were three more to go. I was fucking terrified of what would happen if Samuel and Ryker got their hands on the remaining bloodstones.

I wasn’t stupid enough to think I could win over a demon like Draven. Hell, Acheron was losing touch with his demonic powers, but I dared not say anything to my brothers or Ayra. That’d make them more worried than they already were.

I didn’t doubt the nightmare she said she had. Maybe it was finally time for me to join my ancestors, but I’d die trying to keep the people I loved safe.

I knew Benjamin wouldn’t rest at just taking me down. He’d enslave my pack, and he’d do everything he promised me he would to Ayra. He had no sympathy. One of the innumerable reasons his father choose me over him.

*’I’m sorry,'* Acheron apologized. He sounded defeated. So was I, but I couldn’t show that to anyone.

*’It’s not your fault.'*

*’It is. I am weak.’*

*’So am I, but that won’t stop me from trying.’*

*’I’ll do everything in my power to protect our mate. Our little demon is growing. We won’t have to worry when he’s born.’*

I didn’t understand what he meant by that, but I didn’t press him on it. What the fuck could a child do? The demon would be trapped inside the body until the wolf was grown enough.

I was an exception to that rule because my Change came at least ten years earlier than expected. Aiden and Alan didn’t Change until they were over fifteen.

“Don’t get lost in your head, Nate. Let’s get this done and leave here. It’s not over until it’s over,” Logan said, bringing me back to the present.

I nodded, letting his words sink in. It wasn’t over until it was over.