“They’re coming!” Malakai sneered, but in his voice I could hear the slight hesitation.
“Who’s coming?!”
If we can keep them busy just long enough for Tristan’s energy to return, he might at least make it in time to find Az.The thought alone brought me enough solace to accept my fate.
If Ihadto die, it would be onmyterms—defending those that I love.
After having made my decision, I straightened my back with newfound resolve and took a single… step… forward. But it was all that Icouldtake. Seconds later, loud cries rang out from the crowd of vamps, and the wall of bodies they had created broke apart—torn up by…lycan.
There were so many of them.
The vampyres tried to run back to the trees, but the hounds were faster. They ripped into their heads, tearing them clean off, and I watched as each of their decapitated bodies slowly melted into molten ash.
I turned to Malakai, who bore a proud smile stained with the blood of the vampyres on his lips. “Alpha, sweetheart,” he reminded me, flashing his pearly whites that showed a hint of his sharpened canines.
I finally returned my gaze to the brutal massacre being carried out throughout the clearing. And when there was nothing left but a sea of bodies, one of the lycan bounded toward us, stopping just in front of Malakai. With a dip of its head, the creature nudged its nose toward him.
He reached out a hand to it, caressing its head slowly. “Thank you for the help, Naomi,” he whispered. “You got the pack here fast.”
I turned to the trees. “Azrael!” I yelled.
Within seconds, the small boy came running from the tree line and straight into my arms. “I’m sorry,” he cried.
As I picked him up and comforted him, Malakai whispered something to Naomi, and she began to approach the two of us.
“Naomi is another one of the alphas. She will take him back to the castle,” he assured me. Then, I watched him shift on his feet, staring into the clearing. He seemed to drift into his own mind for a moment.
“Malakai?” I asked.
He shook his head and dropped his hands from his hips. “Tristan’s going to fucking kill me.” When he turned back to me, his gaze had hardened, taking on a new, angry form that seemed to run deep. “You want the truth?”
“What truth?”
“Come with me.
Memory
300 YEARS AGO…
“Mara!” he called.
He had been gone for a few days, called away by Ryuk. But the excitement in his voice had me springing to my feet.
“You’re back!” I called to him, meeting him halfway. “I didn’t expect you to be home so soon.”
He smiled as he cupped my face, leaning down and planting a gentle kiss on my lips. “Do you truly love me, Mara?” he asked, the question making me blink a little in confusion.
“You know I do,” I said to him.
His eyes roamed down to my lips, and he kissed me again before pulling back. “I have a surprise for you.” I felt genuine excitement as my heart leapt. “Get dressed and meet me in the stables.”
“Okay.” I gleamed, turning back and racing to the room. Once I was in proper riding attire, I quickly made my way to the stables. I expected to see him outside, but it appeared empty. “Kaiden!” I yelled.
When no one responded, I walked inside to search for him. The horses were neighing as if they felt restless. Some of them shifted around, pushing against the doors that separated them.
“It’s alright,” I assured them. “It’s just me.”
I paused, stopping in the middle of the walkway, and turned. Kaiden’s horsewasn’t there. I didn’t see him anywhere outside, and he would have waited for me to retrieve my own. How strange…
