Bronx’s POV I feel so fucking helpless. Just like they always do, the doctors say to just let her sleep. I should be able to do more, be able to help my mate. I’m her Guardian, right? They tell me I was made for her. Sitting here holding her hand while she sleeps in a hospital bed is not helping her. There is no way this is what I was made for. This can’t be the type of help they mean. “Come on, Kas. Please wake up, Baby. Please,” I whisper when I brush her sparkly gray bangs out of her face. She looks so still and peaceful, but it is distressing at the same time. I never know what’s going through her head. She hides twice as much as she shares with the world, even me. I know she thinks she is protecting everyone by keeping her emotions locked down. There is so much from her past she holds on to. I try to respect that. I can’t take it away from her, but there is so much future to look forward to if she would just allow it. I look up at the clock, two-thirty a.m. She lost consciousne
I watch from the doorway as Cora sweetly whispers a Greek lullaby to Kas before she leaves. She kisses her forehead and brushes her sister’s cheek before she finally leaves the room. “I will stay for now. I can say goodbye when she wakes up. Then I will make peace with my fate. I must help my Agrios. If their wolves come here, please have kindness,” Cora requests in a soft tone as she watches Kas from the doorway. I hold my hand out to her, palm up, so she can place hers in mine, extending the courtesy of the more primal interaction to make her comfortable. When the sensation of her ambient energy courses through me, I feel Saint howling with happiness. As much as he tries to play it off, it's clear that she is special to him, too. “Thank you for helping me understand, Cora. I have another question,” I look her in the eye. She simply nods with approval to ask, “My guard Marco told me you said you had to be named Persephone. Why is that?” “Because of the Waiting Room,” she looks to
Kas’s POV “Kas, you’re sure about this, right?” Lex asks while I get changed into fresh clothes, “I mean, I agree with your decision, but I just want to make sure this is what you really want to do. We don’t know if it’s going to work.” “I’m sure, Lex. We have to try. I only have to live long enough to give birth to Cora. After that, worst case, you and I meet again in our next lifetime,” I say resolutely, “You have my back, right?” “Yes, I have your back. Jeez, Kas, you’re such a badass, you know that? You're making this lifetime one of my favorites,” she coos at me, "A true warrior child of the Moon Goddess." I roll my eyes at her, “Speaking of lifetimes, hundreds of them. I understand why you couldn’t tell me but you told me we have had like fifteen or twenty lifetimes with Bronx, with all things relative, that isn’t very many.” “Well, there are a couple reasons for that,” she says sheepishly, “Sometimes you die before you meet him. Sometimes you die before I even wake up.” “W
“So, she’s just gonna go...prepare to die?” Tyree asks, looking down the hall after Cora. “Essentially, yeah,” I frown, “Then I give birth to her.” All he can do is shake his head in disbelief. I leave him and go to Amari’s door. We greet each other with a smile when she opens it. “Kas! A-are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying,” she pulls me into her room. “I just said goodbye to Cora,” I feel my lip tremble but remind myself what Cora said. It is temporary. I swallow back the lump in my throat, “Amari, I have a question about something you said to me.” “Of course, darling. What is it?” She pulls two chairs and we sit down at the kitchenette table. “The other day, you said I was an energy vampire. Lex said it's a slur, but what is it exactly? I have never heard of it before,” I ask calmly. “Oh, that. Well, yes, Elexis is right. It is a slur these days. I shouldn’t have said it. The more politically correct term is energy empath,” she places her hands on the table as she
I wake up in the morning in my bed next to Kas, who has herself wrapped around me. Her light snores tell me she is comfortable, so I try not to interrupt her. The last thing I remember is Saint blocking me out after we shifted, so he could spend some alone time with Lex. I rub the sleep out of my eyes and realize I have sap stuck to the side of my face with pine needles embedded in the sap. My hands are filthy and I smell like I may have gotten sprayed by a wild animal. I carefully unwrap Kas from around me, so she doesn’t wake up. She has fared no better. Her hair is full of dry, caked mud with little twigs and bits of leaves sticking out. There are streaks of dirt on her face and dried blood on her chin. Looks like Lex must have been hunting rabbits. Kas lets out a content sigh as I get out of bed and pull the covers over her. I stop short when I realize she has bite marks all over the scarred part of her back. Saint knows Lex can’t heal Kas’s scars quickly. Why would he do that
Kas’s POV Marco catches up to me before I get to Katherine’s suite. “Kas, hey, stop,” he orders, tugging on my arm. “What’s up, Marco?” I turn to him and smile. I can already guess what he is going to say. “What did you do in there, Kas? What happened to Elder Randall?” I look around him to make sure there isn’t anyone down the hall, “Can you keep a secret?” “Of course, you know you can. Now spill. Whatever it was, everyone could feel it. It felt real dark,” he gives me a concerned look. “Marco, I need you to trust me, okay. I haven’t been only learning magic from Delilah. When I sleep or meditate, I'm able to go see my sister Leticia,” I confide, “She has been teaching me the things Delilah can’t.” “WHAT?!” he says loudly and catches himself. He leans toward me, whispering with wide eyes, “Are you fucking crazy, Kas? She’s dangerous.” “She’s not dangerous to me, Marco...well, mostly… I’ll explain tomorrow on our way to Paris,” I reassure him with a loud whisper, “Until then,
Lenora chases after me with Codi in her arms, “Kas, wait. Wait up.” “What is it, Lenora?” I stop and cross my arms over my chest with a sigh. “What is up with you lately, Little Sister? You haven’t been yourself for weeks. I’m worried about you,” she looks at me with half a smile. “Lub you, Au Ka,” Codi says sweetly from Lenora’s arms. I smile at Codi and reach my fingers out for her to grab, “I love you too, Codi.” “Milo has been teaching her that to surprise you,” Lenora laughs with tears in the corner of her eyes, “But seriously, Kas. Obviously, things are not okay with you. I know a lot of times you want to deal with things on your own, but please, I am here for you. All of us are. Whatever it is, we can help you. It isn’t just Codi. Bronx, Milo, Reggie, and Ashley, let's not forget Marco and Musu, James and Delilah, not to mention this entire damn pack. We all love you Kas. And we’re worried about you.” “Lenora, it’s just stress. I’m fine. Delilah and I are going to Paris a
Delilah and I meet with the bakery managers in the afternoon and make sure they understand all of their responsibilities, give them back up contact information, and reassure them we trust them completely. It's the first time we are both going to be gone at the same time, so we do our best to hide our nerves and give them as much encouragement as possible. We help prep dry ingredients for a couple hours so there will be less work for them to do without us there. Marco holds the back door open for us when we are ready to leave. Bronx’s midnight blue Aston Martin Superleggera is idling in the alley. Bronx tinted the windows dark enough that I can’t see him inside, but I can’t imagine him letting anyone else drive it. I look down the alley and don’t see any of the sedan’s the guards usually drive, except the one Marco drove us to the bakery in. Bronx’s car only has two seats. He had to have it specially made because he is so tall. There's definitely no room for guards. “He said it's a