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She raised her head from her hands, cheeks streaked with tears I wanted to wipe away for her. “No, silly,” she sniffled. “You’re great.”
“Then what’s wrong?” I asked, taking her hand into mine as I walked her to a more secluded area. “Tell me.”
“I …” She hesitated. “I … uhm … I had another vision.”
“A vision?” I shuddered, thinking about how it wasn’t over yet and how it might never be over. I contemplated dropping the topic to let Fate take control this time. But instead, curiosity got me. “What was it about?”
“I—I mean,” she stammered. “I-it looked l-like a nightmare, and it could still be harmless, but I just have a bad feeling that it’s not. That it could be another vision, you know?”
“Aera, just tell me what happened,” I urged.
She inhaled sharply. “There was a mass murder at the gym. I think it was during prom.”
“Prom? That’s … tomorrow.” I wanted to punch a wall.
She nodded, twisting her shirt in her fingers. “Forty students lay there on the floor, lifeless in their gowns and suits. Some were shot, others were mauled by werewolves, and … Rainer.”
“Rainer?”
She nodded. “He led the werewolves. He was there with a gun, and you … you were there too.” She shook her head, wanting to rid it of existence, as if evicting the image from her brain.
“What else happened?”
She gathered herself, trying to calm down. “One second you were fighting him … and the next there was a gunshot. And t-then, I looked at you—I looked atyou, Gray. You were unconscious on the ground with silver and red blood splattered all over you and the floor.”
“Silver?” Could definitely kill me in a second. “Must be a silver bullet.”
“I don’t think we got rid of my visions, Gray. I thought we did, and that you’re safe now, but it’s still happening. I’m scared.” Aera lowered her head, her hands white-knuckled as she clasped them together. As if, if she held them tight enough, she could hold herself together. “Please …” Her voice was soft and wavering. “Tell me there’s still something we can do?”
I clenched my jaw, envisioning the scene in my head, trying to formulate a plan on the spot. Aera was already looking at me expectantly when my eyes found hers.
I smiled, refusing to let her see my fear.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I said, wringing my hands.
“There’s more I need to tell you,” she added, her voice merely a whisper.
I recognized the tone of her voice—the hesitation—and I knew she didn’t want to tell me whatever it was she was about to. I kept my smile plastered to my face, offering some strength where I knew she needed it. Where I knewIneeded it. If these were the last few hours of our lives, I didn’t want them filled with bad memories.
“Are you breaking up with me already?” I joked. “It’s only been a day and you’re already bored?”
Her eyes widened. The joke had gone over her head. “What? N- No, of course not. I …” Her lips parted and then closed.
“Aera, it’s okay. You can tell me the rest of the bad news later. For now …” I pulled out a small music box from my sling bag and turned her hand over, planting a soft kiss in her palm before replacing my lips with the box. “Don’t worry about anything else.”
“Why are you even giving me this? This isn’t the time to exchange gifts,” she mumbled.
“You’re right, but I missed your birthdays and all the holidays we could’ve spent together. I’d been waiting to give this to you for years,” I told her. “You’re not going to return it to me, are you?”
She nodded, smiling sadly as she clasped the music box in her arms. “But I really need to tell you—”
“I know. But we need to go.” I grabbed a hold of her hand as we scurried past the school gate. “If there is to be a mass murder, we can’t stop it by ourselves. We need reinforcements. We need Cole and his hunter friends.”
* * *
“I don’t understandwhy we have to be here. They’re not exactly friendly with werewolves like you,” Aera mumbled, falling a step beside me as we entered the warehouse near the school.
A golden-haired figure approached us, curls bouncing with one side of his lips hinting upwards—that was Cole, of course.
