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Prologue
Long ago, the world used to be run by the humans. They rose in dominance and pushed us aside. We hid in the dark, pretending we didn’t exist. There were very few who knew about us. Some protected us and some hunted us. But one day, we fought back. The vampires took control and made a name for themselves. The werewolves were next on the ladder and the rest of just fell into place. With humans dead last, on the very bottom. Now, either we hunt them or protect them. There is no in between. Tables had turned.
Until a far greater force made itself known. The darkness began to brew, sweeping across the nation. We watched as the creatures rose from below. Creatures that only nightmares could conjure. We formed an army of all species, including the humans. We have fought for so long. We still fight. It’s neither a winning battle nor a lost one. Because every time we think we’ve come to an end, more make themselves known.
There is no direct enemy. Just walking nightmares. Some of our own kind have crossed the line to join them. So we fight against our own as well. It’s a bloody mess and not all return home. For those who do, they’re not the same. Not a single one.
The world has gotten colder and heavier. We survive on what we can grow, obtain now and again. We aren’t as strong as we used to be. All our resources are shipped to the war, to keep the soldiers going in this unending war. Yet, more slip over the line. Drafts grow smaller, more demanding.
We must protect, save, heal. All species alike, whoever asks for us.
ChapterOne
Timothy pulled me through the throng of ruins. We weren’t supposed to be here, which made this even more exciting. My heart beat wildly in my chest, thrumming in my ears. Our fingers were clasped together. The feeling of them intertwined made my head spin. I still couldn’t believe he was mine – all mine. Our first kiss tingled on my lips when I laid my head down at night and let my mind wander.
He was my brother’s best friend and part of the reason we were even here – to keep our precious relationship a secret. Jasper would lose it if he knew we were together, but he was allowed to have feelings and ogle my best friend, right? Annoyance flickered through me, not for the first time, at my brother’s hypocritical mind. It was annoying how he bugged me to pry information from Carli, but Timothy and I had to keep our relationship secret, knowing he wouldn’t be thrilled.
But – if he was more accepting, we wouldn’t be here in the ruins of what had once been a human town. It was mostly overgrown grass, flowers, and the works of the goddess mother nature taking her beloved land back. I didn’t blame her. Humans ruined the world's beauty by throwing toxic chemicals into the air, plastic into the seas, and cutting down so many trees that the oxygen levels were depleted.
Had the vampires and werewolves not risen when they had, the world would’ve been destroyed. Witches and warlocks followed suit once we were sure we weren’t about to be burned at the stake, of course.
We gave mother nature her land back and treat it right. What we take is what we give.
As we stepped around the contraptions that humans once sped along the now moss-strewn roads in, Timothy dragged me to a place with a faded sign indicating it was once some form of a restaurant. I saw the remnants of chairs trying to withstand the crumbling stone around them and the vines sprouting up on their seats. This was where we stopped, and he turned to me, reaching to tuck back strands of white hair, locking it behind my ears. If I didn’t have it put up, my hair was a wild mess, no matter how many times I brushed it daily.
“You are a beautiful witch, Azula,” he complimented and stepped closer, taking my chin between his fingers and lifting it. “I want to be with you forever.”
I blinked, startled by his confession. That had never been in the plans for our relationship. Sure, we’d been together now for a little over a year, but we’d never actually talked about the future. How could we? We both knew Timothy would eventually be drafted. It was a given; all eligible warlocks in our village were drafted when the time came. And Timothy was more than eligible.
“I love you, Azula,” he told me, sending another shockwave through me.
Those three words – the first time he’d ever spoken them to me. My mouth went dry, but I tried peeling open my lips to say something, just anything, back, but before I could have the chance, the ground beneath us shook. I stumbled, hitting a piece of the stone wall as I was wrenched from his grip. Timothy turned sharply, and I looked around him, watching as the clouds above us shrouded in momentary shadow from whatever had happened.
We exchanged no words as the ground settled and the sun trickled back out, shining down on us. The cold stayed, however. Goosebumps flitted up and down my arms, and I shrank back. My fingers tingled, the too-familiar pull to use my powers rearing its ugly head. Not here – they’d detect it. And Timothy had made me promise not to let myself lose control here. We didn’t need to be caught today.
Glancing over his shoulder, Timothy caught my gaze, and I gave him a shaky smile. Every day, the war was getting worse. I knew this, and so did he. There was no getting around that. Still, it was another subject we didn’t touch base on. It was best not to; otherwise, the sweetness of life itself would cease to exist. And I, for one, was not ready to give up all the chocolates. I didn’t dare let my tin get empty, not right now – no time soon.
“I love you,” he repeated and crossed back to me, taking my chin in his fingers once more. “I want to be with you the rest of my life. I’m sure of that.”
My shoulders tensed. “My brother doesn’t even know—”
“Then we’ll tell him.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Timothy, I want to travel—”
“You’re a healer. The village’s healer, you can’t just up and leave. You know that. Look, I’ll be drafted. Probably sooner than later. I want to know you’ll be waiting for me to come home to.”
Like a good little wife. What else did he want from me? To be pregnant and barefoot? Just because I was the village’s healer didn’t mean I had to stay put. They expected me to take on this job. From the day I was born, it was the title given to me. I didn’t have a choice. It was made even more adamant after my mother…well, once she was gone, I was simply expected to follow in her footsteps. While other witches got to choose between becoming midwives and even the rare seamstress, I got shoved into my role without even being asked. That’s what infuriated me the most. Everybody expected me to follow in her footsteps and be a good healer the way she had been. Never once had I been asked what I really wanted to do.
Not that it mattered. Witches weren’t allowed to be part of the war. They weren’t allowed to be soldiers. We were too precious because of our healing abilities, our magic, and our potions. But I called that a crappy excuse. Warlocks had the same skills but were allowed to traipse off to war.
Lost in my thoughts, I missed it when Timothy took my hand in his and drew onto one knee, looking up at me with big, pleading eyes. “I want to bind us.”
I blinked at him, my eyebrows drawing together as it took a moment to connect the words he was speaking in my mind. “What now?”
“Bind us. If I ever have to leave for the war, I want us bound, so we will always be connected.”
I blinked down at him, trying to come to terms with what he was asking of me. To be bound meant to be of one, our powers mixed together. It wasn’t necessarily marriage. A binding simply meant a means of finding each other were anything to happen. Yes, we’d be bound for life, even if we broke up. If we saw other people – if anything happened – we’d still be connected to one another.
