Chapter 31 - Ashes

*"Lies; they always come back to haunt you." - Lisa Renee Jones*

***Neron***

The ride home was quiet and tense. Kwame doubled as our driver and miracle worker with the way he helped me with the police investigating the explosion. Too many questions were asked, chalking this up as a possible terrorist attack. If only they knew the terrorists in question were of the magical variety, neither foreign nor domestic.

I looked in the review mirror at the women and the girls in the back seats. Alana and Aiyana buried their faces in the torsos of my sister and my girlfriend. Kiya rubbed circles on Alana’s back while Nuria played with Aiyana’s coils. Nuria’s face contorted and relaxed at a constant, yet rapid pace, as if she was thinking to herself. Kiya held the look of worry, her faraway eyes glued to her window.

Moments ago, all five of us could’ve gotten seriously hurt. Tearing my eyes from the rearview mirror to the side mirror, my hands balled at my sides, rocking with anger.

Someone threatened Aiyana and Alana to deliver a message to Kiya and me. The enemy had been watching us and none of us knew. Coupled with what happened to Phoebe, based on Nuria’s account, it was only a matter of time before the other avatars are attacked in some way shape, or form.

I could’ve lost so much today. That’s what pissed me off the most. If I had acted a second too late, nor suspected the change in the air…

“*Are my mother and grandparents still at home*?” I asked Kwame through our mind-link.

“*No*. *They left for the Iron Stone Pack to meet Ezekiel*. *They’ve made it there safely and are planning on returning later this evening*.”

Relief flooded my veins. I didn’t want to worry Mom. How could she not be worried when she could’ve lost *both* her children today?

“*Listen, Neron*,” Kwame said. “*If there is anything you want me to do, let me know*. *What you’ve been through today is enough to make a grown man piss their pants and I want to make sure you’re okay*.”

I huffed silently through my nose. “*I’m alright, physically at least*. *Losing my car is the least of my worries*.” I thought about Alana and Aiyana again. “*What do you think I should do with the girls*? *They’re so shaken up and I don’t want to make the problem worse.*”

“*Talk to them*. *Give them the space to express their fears and reinforce that they’re safe*. *Right now, they’re probably terrified of this happening again and losing both you and Kiya*. *They need to believe everything is going to be okay*.”

“*How soon should I talk to them*?”

“*Hmm*.” Kwame tapped his finger against the steering wheel. “*There really isn’t a right answer to this question*. *I’d ask them to see if they want to talk about it and go from there*. *If they don’t want to, give them space for them to come to you when they’re ready*.”

“*Got it*. *I appreciate your advice, dude*.”

“*I’ve been a dad for three years and an older brother for fifteen*. *I picked up a few tips and tricks along the way*.”

Chuckling softly, we bumped fists and fell into a comfortable silence.

Ten minutes later, the six of us rolled into the garage after my guards opened the gates. When the girls hopped out of the car, they immediately took off running inside the pack house, grabbing each other’s hands along the way. Kiya paused and released a heavy, forlorn sigh before turning to the trunk and grasping as many bags as she could carry.

I attempted to reach out to her, only to be interrupted by Nuria tapping me on the shoulder and saying, “I need to see Phoebe.”

I turned around to face her. “You won’t reach the lands before nightfall, Nuri.”

“I know and I don’t care.” She narrowed her eyes. “My mate needs me, Neron. She told me she’s alright, but I need to see it for myself. I’m going, whether you like it or not.”

Fear gripped my soul like a predator to its prey because I need my sister to be safe. But the safest place she’ll be is Garnet Moon beside Phoebe. Who am I to get in her way? After giving it some thought, I nodded. My eyes followed Kiya as she stomped the pathway inside the pack house.

“Take a couple of guards as escorts with you, okay?” I spoke. “I don’t want you going anywhere alone, not after what happened today.”

Nuria huffed, but reluctantly nodded. “If it’ll make you happy.”

“It will, tremendously.”

Nuria may be an overgrown brat sometimes, but I know she understands. Her eyes shined for a brief second before nodding, turning away to walk to the house. I turned toward the trunk to gather the rest of the bags, thanked Kwame for his help, and went inside my four-story home. Tracking Kiya’s scent, I found her in the common room with the bags on the wide table, gently removing the items we brought from their bags. Lupin, normally found in his dog bed, was nowhere to be seen.

Silently, I set my bags beside hers.

“There could be broken glass inside the bags,” I mentioned. “You should be careful.”

“I’m fine.” She replied coldly, her words stinging my heart. “Broken glass hasn’t stopped me before—ugh!”

Kiya pulled out her bloody finger from one bag, immediately bringing it to her mouth. She cursed up a storm under her breath. I walked up to her, pulled her finger out of her mouth, and cradled it in my hands. She raised her head to meet mine, and that’s when I saw the tornado of emotions churning in her big browns.

I didn’t say a word when I dragged her out of the common room into one of the empty bathrooms on the first floor. The Omegas occupied the kitchen. Flipping on the faucet, I ran her finger under the running water, the red fading to clear. Kiya didn’t flinch nor whine, but stood still, like she was trying to block the entire world out.

“You don’t have to do this, Neron.” She whispered when I closed the faucet. “I’ll heal just fine.”

“Regardless of the healing factor, every cut and wound should be taken care of,” I responded. “And I wanted to do this, Kiya.”

Kiya hummed, but said nothing else. Her cut closed up just as expected, leaving behind an invisible scar.

This was where I’d let her hand go and she’d return to the common room. I *couldn’t* let her go. Instead, I pressed my fingers across her hand, running over every line on her palm, against the smooth skin on the back, over her knuckles, and her fingertips.

She painted her nails in pastel pink.

In this very bathroom, I could feel the walls Kiya was slowly building up around her. Each brick she laid down was to prevent me from seeing the very pain she was feeling. Every slab was to protect herself, but separated her from the world around her. I couldn’t let her finish building that wall.

What happened today scared the shit out of me. I lost my car, but that could never compare to almost losing her. The arrows that pierced through the passenger windows hit the side where Kiya was standing at. If I hadn’t pushed her out of the way, she’d be on the ground with two arrows deep in her back. Whoever shot those damn things out wanted to kill her.

We came together as a couple just *this morning*, only to have death almost take her from me a few hours later.

I wanted to roar. I wanted to cry. I wanted to hold my girlfriend and never let her go. Today was too close of a call, and I thanked my instincts and Onyx for helping me to move as quickly as I did.

*But, if I hadn’t*…*if I wasn’t fast enough*…

My hands reached up and cradled both sides of her face. Kiya looked up at me and placed her hands over mine, her eyes glistening with tears. She rose on the tips of her toes and I leaned down to her level, our lips meeting each other halfway. Through the kiss, I felt all she was pouring onto my lips, throwing her arms around my neck for solace.

Fear.

Anger.

Frustration.

Sadness.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifted her up, and planted her on the soapstone countertop. Our bodies pressed heatedly together with her back pushed against the mirror, sighing heavily through our noses. Her sugary lips sweetened from the cherry lip balm she put on earlier today. The thud of our hearts beat synchronously against one another as we poured what we couldn’t say through our locked lips. Her arms tightened around my neck and mine around her back, unwilling to let her go for a second.

The walls Kiya built crumbled, eliminating the distance between our souls.

When we broke our kiss, we pressed our foreheads together, savoring in the presence of one another. My hands strayed from her hips to her waist, massaging the tense muscles underneath her shirt.

No blemish. No wound. No scar.

“I’m okay, Neron.” She said, cupping my cheek with her palm. “I promise I am. It’ll take more than an explosion to get rid of me.”

I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t find it in me. I suppose when you brush up against death one too many times; you develop a morbid sense of humor to cope.

“I know.” I sighed. “But I don’t want to find out what does get rid of you.”

“Hey,” She whispered, her thumb nudging my cheek. “I’m here, and that’s what matters. It was a close call today, but I won’t live in fear because of it. We knew Apophis was going to try something.”

“A god wouldn’t have resorted to blowing up a car and trying to arrow you in the back, though.”

“Which brings me back to what the girls told me.” The softness in Kiya’s eyes hardened in a flash. “A woman threatened to hurt them. Once I find out who she is, I’m strangling her.”

“I’ll help with disposing of the body.” I smirked. “No one would ever find her.”

“Ah, you’re an expert? Should I be impressed or concerned?” She shot me a teasing smile. I laughed and kissed her again.

“When you have pack members who love to binge-watch serial killer documentaries, you learn some things.”

“I’ll be sure to call you if I need to hide evidence of my crimes.”

“Please, I’d hide them for you.”

Her laughter gave my heart wings to take flight. My lovely woman breathed and kissed me, bringing her hand down to ghost her fingers over my carotid pulse.

“I’m glad you’re okay.” She murmured. “You saved my life today, Neron. You saved Nuria and the girls, too. How can I repay you?”

“You’re doing enough by staying at my side. That’s all I want.” I tapped my nose with my finger, smiling when she went cross-eyed for a brief second. Settling my head on her shoulder, I squeezed her tighter, drowning myself in her fragrant scent. “Can I hold you for just a little longer?”

I felt Kiya’s head on my shoulder, securing herself there like it’s her home. A low growl rumbled in my chest when her hands went to my hair. “Sure. I’d like that.”

---------------------------------------------------

After five minutes, we left the bathroom and finished with unpacking our shopping bags. Broken glass settled at the bottom and I tossed those bags in the trash. Kiya and I gathered the clothes and other items for the girls in our arms and headed toward their bedroom door.

“Girls?” Kiya asked after knocking once. “Can Neron and I come in?”

I heard mild shuffling and hesitant footsteps behind the door. Kiya and I spared a glance, obviously worried about them. After half a second, the doorknob twisted, and the door was cracked open, revealing Alana and Aiyana poking their heads out with hesitancy and sadness. I tried my best to smile, holding onto their cosmetics and craft kits.

“Do you mind if we come in?” I asked.

They looked at each other for a brief second before widening the door for us to walk in. I set their items on the beds while my girlfriend put their clothes in their individual closets. The girls lingered behind us, silent as mice but nervous as kittens.

“There we go.” Kiya dusted her hands and pulled the closet doors closed while I finished lining their lotion and soap bottles in the bathroom. “Now, you two will feel a little more at home, okay?”

They nodded silently.

This couldn’t go on. We *had* to talk about what happened today. Sighing, I walked over to Alana’s bed, unkempt with her green blanket tangled at the head of the bed, and sat on it. I miscalculated the difference between the bed and my weight and sunk down a lot more than I’d like to admit, creating a huge crater with my ass alone.

“**Haha**! **Fat-ass**.” Onyx snorted.

*I need a lobotomy*.

“Girls, do you want to talk about what happened?” I asked them. Kiya took a seat on Aiyana’s bed and patted a seat next to her for the girl. They looked at each other again and ended up retreating to their beds. Unfortunately, Alana slid to me when she tried to sit beside me. Chuckling, I wrapped an arm around her, and she rested her head against me.

“Do we have to?” Aiyana asked, swinging her feet. Kiya snaked an arm around her shoulders and rubbed soothing circles into her upper arm.

“No, you don’t have to.” She began. “But it’ll be easier to get it off your chest. I know today was very scary.”

“We almost exploded!” Alana shrieked, gritting her teeth together. “It wasn’t scary! It was more than scary!”

“It was, no doubt.” I added. “It was scary for me too.”

“You were scared?” The red head asked, looking up at me. I nodded. “I thought alphas don’t get scared.”

“Now, who told you that?” I squeezed her shoulder gently. “Everybody gets scared, even adults. If anyone ever tells you they never get scared, they’re lying. I’m an alpha, yes, but even I am afraid of a lot of things.”

“Did you get scared too, Kiya?” Aiyana asked her.

“Yes. I did.” She exhaled sharply. “Nothing like that has ever happened to me before, but I was more scared of everyone else being hurt. Fear comes in a lot of different ways. It can be as small as fearing a bug or something as big as getting hurt or having something you love get taken away.”

“So, what are you afraid of, Neron?”

“Well…” My fingers tapped against my knee as I thought about this question. How many alphas were taught to be fearless? *Show no fear and hold no fear*. It was a detrimental emotion that can and will undermine our ability to perform as leaders. I’ve held onto that feeling for so long, to the point it became a part of me.

Then my eyes found Kiya’s form.

I’ve known true fear when she stepped into my life once again. From the days she hated me to now, sitting across from me as my girlfriend, she holds my fear. She *is* my fear.

There’s another person who scares the crap out of me, but the bastard is dead and irrelevant.

“Her.” I said. Kiya’s head shot up, curious. “What I’m most afraid of is losing Kiya.”

We spent the next ten minutes talking and venting about today’s events. The girls’ fears had eased when Kiya and I reassured them it won’t happen again. They’re safe and will be safe, no matter what. After they’ve settled into the beds, ready to watch whatever they wanted to watch on their mounted television, Kiya and I left their rooms, closing the door behind us.

“The talk went well, don’t you think?” Kiya asked.

“It went better than I thought it did.” It looks like Kwame’s advice really worked. Why wouldn’t it? He’s smart as hell; even smarter than me. “Lunch should be ready in an hour, so I’ll see you in the dining room?”

“Yeah! I’ll see you then.”

I leaned down and kissed her forehead before turning on my heels to leave.

“You’re not losing me, Neron.”

I stopped in my tracks. Turning my head toward Kiya, she stood in the middle of the hallway donning a mask of determination and promise. Her eyes blanketed me with a warmth I’ve never felt before nor can describe. *Goddess, I love this woman so much*.

“You never told the girls what you’re afraid of.” I mentioned. “So, what is it?”

Kiya blinked and gave me a coy smile, chuckling softly walking past me toward the stairs.

“I’ll see you at lunch.” was all she said.

*Mysterious, she is, and mysterious she’ll forever be*.

---------------------------------------------------

***Two Days Later***

I’m anxious.

I don’t know why I am, but I am.

My session with Andreas went smoothly yesterday, but there was this foreboding feeling I couldn’t shake off. Talking it out helped alleviate the burden, but it gnawed on me like a dog to a bone. The chaos from the explosion had calmed down, and the girls were back to normal, but there was something poisoning the air that I couldn’t identify.

Nuria remained at Garnet Moon with Phoebe, not that I blame her. My grandparents flew back to Oslo in the morning, promising to call Mom when they got home safe. The silver lining in all of this was that I hadn’t gotten any petrifying visions that’ll make me wish for death.

I sat in my office with one leg folded the other, watching over the training of the soldiers through my window. The sun was out, shining its halo through my office, but it didn’t warm me. I’ve tried everything under the sun to get rid of this lingering trepidation, including allowing Onyx to go for runs, but nothing helped. What is my gut trying to tell me? Groaning, I rubbed my chin with my fingers when someone knocked on my doors.

“Come in.”

Kiya walked in wearing a simple striped summer dress that hugged her waistline and fluttered downward to her knees. Her melanin glowed in the orange, but who am I kidding? She’d look good in any and every color.

I noticed a tablet in her hands.

“I’m about to get on a video call with Violetta and Phoebe, and I was wondering if you’d want to sit in.”

Curiosity struck me like lightning. “Oh? Would that be okay?”

“Yeah. We’re going to chat about magic shit; the usual. And with all of this stuff with the attacks a few days ago, I thought it’d be best to clue you in.”

“Well, I don’t see a problem with that. Let’s do it.”

Kiya smiled and walked toward the desk until she noticed a slight anomaly when her eyes darted from the spare chair to me. “Um, would that chair fit next to you?”

I looked from the chair to the area next to me. “Well, the area is tight because I don’t allow anyone behind my desk. We can make room.”

“Ah, no need. I thought of a better alternative.”

I would’ve agreed if the alternative didn’t cause my brain to buffer when she planted her ass on my lap.

*Okay, so her ass was more on my left thigh, but it didn’t make the situation any easier*.

My entire body combusted into flames, along with Onyx howling in sheer delight in my head. “**How many times did I tell you that ass was perfect**? **Heaven is in the shape of that perfect peach**!”

“You good back there?” She asked, turning her head to where I met with her innocent smile. Or what I *thought* was an innocent smile. “I could move…”

Before my brain could register my actions, my hands flew to her hips and held them in place. “You’re staying right here.” I rasped out, partly because of my embarrassment and partly because I’m more turned on than a light switch. She shrugged and turned away, giving me a full view of her perfectly curved back rounding down to the peach hidden underneath the dress.

*Okay Neron, just breathe*. *Inhale and exhale*. *I’m just her makeshift seat for the phone call*.

“**She can also have a seat on this di**—”

“*Get back in your FUCKING kennel*!”

“Okay, just a few more configurations and…boom! We’re set up!” She cheered, clapping her hands. She propped the tablet up on its stand to where we both were in full view on the camera. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I promise!” I huffed out quickly, shining her an easy but uneasy smile. With a nod, Kiya turned back to the tablet and called her friends.

*Meanwhile, I’m calling heaven because this angel is going to kill me*.

“Hey, guys!” Kiya waved to the camera. Both Violetta’s and Phoebe’s faces popped on the screen, side-by-side. “If you don’t mind, Neron is listening in.”

“That’s fine.” Phoebe responded. “Nuria is in my kitchen trying to cook up something, so she might pop in from time to time.”

“Are you in his lap?” Violetta questioned, her dark lips curling into a grin.

“Yes, I am. Don’t make it weird.” Kiya retorted with a playful eye roll. “Anyway, onto the conversation at hand.”

I listened in on their talk, taking mental notes about what they’ve said. Violetta was attacked less than a day ago with her partners when leaving band practice. Public attacks in the broad daylight sent a bolder message than those cloaked in the night’s darkness. The enemy knows who they are, they’re watching them, and they don’t give a shit about the consequences. They want them to *know* that they could attack at any moment and safety is forgotten.

Kiya and her fellow avatars have a target right on their backs.

“Asim is also here, Kiya.” Phoebe revealed. Kiya’s eyes widened, and my head perked up. “He and his family arrived last night. They were attacked, but sometime last week.”

“Goddess…” Kiya muttered, covering her mouth with her hand. “The enemy attacked him first, then came for the three of us. How the fuck did they fly over the Atlantic Ocean?”

“But, I have a question.” Violetta piqued. “Since we know this is Apophis’ doing, how is he even doing this? Could the people who attacked us be working for him and not him?”

“The gods cannot pass into the mortal world.” Phoebe explained. “That rule applies to him as well. In order for Apophis to exact his business, he needs a link to earth to do so. We as avatars act as links to our deities.”

“Asir is dead.” Kiya reminded, biting her lip. “During the supermoon, Selene told Neron and I that Apophis has gained a new link to our plane of existence, so it couldn’t be another avatar, right?”

Phoebe shook her head. “Avatars are born, not made. The gods can’t pluck a grown human from the streets and declare them as their divine child. Apophis would have to tether part of his spirit, essence, or whatever it is onto something or someone else not within our plane.”

Violetta blinked, tapping her finger against her cheek. “Apophis is an underworld god, right?” The girls nodded. “What if his new link is someone from that realm?”

“A dead person?” Kiya asked. “Well, it’d make sense—he’d stay in the realm of familiarity. He can’t touch the living as an underworld deity.”

“So, the new link would’ve been someone he’d resurrected from the dead, thus having complete control over them.” Phoebe responded. “But the link between the undead and the living would be a full-blooded body. Plus, Apophis wouldn’t choose just any regular soul of the dead; he’d pick a vindictive spirit who can withstand his power since he feeds off of that negativity.”

“A body, huh?” Violetta muttered. “I don’t think he’d have much use with decades-old skeletons in the ground.”

“Wait…” I whispered, my throat suddenly tightening. My blood ran cold, and tremors descended from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. Kiya turned around in concern, but I couldn’t see her face when the pooling trepidation in my belly shot to my eyes, blinding me. “Ashes…”

“What?” Phoebe asked.

“Ashes. What about ashes?” I asked, turning to the screen. “If Apophis got his hands on ashes, would that be enough for a resurrection?”

“Well…” The witch hesitated slightly, biting her bottom lip. “The ashes were once someone’s body, and they’ve been used in rituals for centuries. Sometimes in forbidden ones. I don’t know about ashes being used to reconstruct a body, but…I wouldn’t eliminate that possibility.”

Trepidation won the battle and seized my body in its snake-like hold.

No, no, oh Goddess, NO!

I plucked Kiya off my lap, switched spots to where she was sitting in my chair, and I took off out of my office. Her shouts echoed behind me, but my body ran on autopilot. I had to be sure that what I’m thinking wasn’t true.

Kwame allowed me to borrow his car until I got a new one. I swiped his keys and ran toward his sienna, hopping into the driver’s seat and jamming the key into the ignition. As I revved the engines, the passenger side door opened and Kiya hopped into the seat.

“Kiya? Why are you—!”

“Whatever freaked you the fuck out, I want to know, and I want to help.” She said adamantly, glowering at me down with her tablet in her hands. “What is going on, Neron?”

I don’t even know, and I won’t know until I see it. Silently, I rolled out of the garage, off my lands, and gassed it down the road. Handing my phone to Kiya, I told her to dial the phone number I recited since I couldn’t call and drive at the same time.

Alpha Landon, the alpha who purchased the former Zircon Moon territory land, picked up after the second dial tone. With great hesitancy, I asked the questions I was terrified to learn the answers too.

“*There were reports from my patrols about a group of people gathering about ten miles west of the territory three days prior*. *I don’t know what relevance it has to you, Alpha Neron*.”

It has *everything* to do with me.

The roads quickly turned into the dense oak trees that I’ve longed purged from my memory. However, the scent made me was to regurgitate my lunch. Soon, the trees opened up into a desolate land unoccupied by creatures except for native birds, insects, and scavengers.

This place changed everything for me.

And my nightmare began as a deeply disturb plot of soil.

Parking the car, I practically flew to the hole carelessly unearthed by debauchery. Footprints littered the site, surrounding the depression in a circle with some tracks embedded in the dirt within.

What was supposed to remain buried for eternity is no longer in its grave.

My knees buckled, and I fell onto the grass, unable to hold my weight up much longer.

Kiya stepped beside me, but I couldn’t look up at her. All I could stare at was the desolate, torturous future lying ahead of me. The future that will rip my heart out and destroy all I loved and built.

“Neron…” Kiya whispered, placing a hand on my shoulder. “What is this? What was inside?”

“Ashes…” I croaked out.

“…Whose ashes?”

“My father’s."