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My eyes dart to Kaif as I help him up with Dominic's help. “The Gemini twins!” Kaif and I say in unison, realization dawning on us.
“So a Liora Gemini?” I ask, still trying to piece it together.
Dominic clarifies, “No, Liora is her name. It makes sense now why I thought I knew her from the Shadow realm. It was never Temperance's shadow that visited it, it was Liora. She wasn't a twin in the traditional sense. One twin sacrificed for the other, their souls merged. Now, they are one and the same, Gemini, only ultra. One is the human vessel, the other is the wolf.”
I'm stunned by the revelation. “Where are Shadow and Nova?!” I ask, concern etched on my face.
“You're looking at them whole,” Dominic answers, and relief washes over me.
I accidentally drop Kaif, and he lands with a thud.
“Oh shit!” I mutter, rushing to help him up. Kaif's scowl is both painful and defiant.
“Don't even think about kissing me!” he snarls, half-joking.
“I'd rather die!” he adds as his father, and I help him to his feet.
“Now, where is my son?!” Kaif asks, his voice laced with concern.
“Kat's got him with Ezra,” Dominic informs us, bringing to mind my father, who was bitten.
“Calm Eziah, your mother knows better than to sacrifice a mate bond,” Dominic reassures me, easing the frantic beat of my heart.
ChapterOne Hundred Seven
Katya
The air is thick with the scent of death, the ground having turned to mud beneath our feet, a heavy silence punctuated by labored breaths and the occasional groan of pain from the were-bears. Ezra stirs beside me, my thumbs caressing the side of his face. I thought I lost him, that I was too late by the time Mateo got him to me. His eyes flutter open, tears streaking my face in relief. The Reaper Wolves lie motionless around us, their threat extinguished, while Sage leans wearily against Andrei, who managed to revive her.
“I wonder where Lucas took Casey?” Sage's voice is barely a whisper, her gaze distant and troubled as she stares around dazed.
Lucas, still unconscious, is cradled in Mateo's arms, his dark hair falling across his brow and his face pale. Lucas looks battered and bruised, splotchy patches of black and yellow cover his body like a rash, but is okay. Mateo gives him a little jostle and suddenly, he gasps, jolting awake, his small hands clutching at Mateo's shirt, eyes wide with fear and confusion.
“Dad?!” he murmurs.
“Right here kiddo,” Kaif growls, and we all turn, looking toward the mine that is crumbling behind them as they walk out. Kaif settles beside me with Eziah's assistance.
I lean toward him, seeing the wound bleeding in his chest, his lungs wheezing with each ragged breath he takes. His dismissal of help is both stubborn and endearing.
“No! You're not healing me; I can heal myself. It's just a punctured lung,” he rasps.
I eye him skeptically, knowing his pride often masks his pain.
“Casen?!” Eziah asks, peering around, and I watch him subtly do a head count.
“Here!” Casen's voice is strained as he sits up, having collapsed in a heap after helping us out here. Eziah steps forward, helping Temperance the last few steps before embracing her tightly.
“You're okay!” he breathes into her hair before stepping back and surveying her closely. Temperance nods, yet I can feel energy rippling around her. Something fundamental has changed within her. Yet I do not question, too exhausted both mentally and physically.
Dominic clears his throat, and I turn my attention before cringing at what he’s holding. He tosses a severed head at Chief, who is drenched in blood. Chief catches it with a grimace.
“I wasn't digging out the rest of her, but better safe than sorry,” Dominic states matter-of-factly. “Chomp away!” he tells Chief, who glares at the severed head of Lorelei.
Suddenly, Lucas's small voice cuts through, “What happened?!” I turn my attention to Lucas, who is curled protectively in Mateo’s arms, and I lean toward him. Kaif then gently reaches out with one arm, settling it around Lucas's shoulders as he gives a few comforting pats to his back before dragging him out of Mateo's lap into his. Lucas leans into his father, his voice soft, filled with exhaustion and confusion.
“Where's Casey?” Lucas's question hangs heavy in the air and a sinking feeling settles in my chest
Sage pulls out of Andrei’s arms and looks at him, her expression a mix of confusion and fear. “You got her out?!” she says, but Lucas shakes his head.
