17. Chapter 16

"Holy shit." I stare at the tornado made of lightning.

The three of us are frozen in place, watching as it barrels towards us. Never in my life have I ever seen anything like this. The bolts constantly build, circling and spinning faster and faster. The more speed it gains, the more bolts of lightning crack out of the funnel.

"We need to go!" Louie yells.

"Go where? There's nowhere to go!" Iggy shouts, trying to raise his voice over the gusts of wind and loud pops of lightning.

The sky veins with electricity. The already dead, burned trees surrounding the mountain catch fire and if we don't start moving, we will be next.

Louie digs her nails into my arm. "This isn't a trail from people. This trail is made from that—" she points to the sardonic twister gaining width and speed. "We need to run. Now. Run!"

We all sprint in the direction where the trail leads. The path inclines the higher we run up the mountain. A loud violent pop pierces the air, a bright light flashing just as hail begins to fall. We skid to a stop, the hail as large as Elouise's fist. The frozen balls of ice smash against the side of the mountain and break branches off trees.

Iggy screams at the top of his lungs, crumbling to the ground when a piece of hail hits him.

"I can't move. I can't. I— I—" He begins to spasm, his limbs tightening and jerking as if he is being electrocuted.

With no time to waste, I pick him up, throw him over my shoulder, grab Elouise's hand, and motion us to start running again. The screams of the tornado sound like tortured souls. Rain begins to pour, hitting our skin with molten heat. Elouise screams in agony, the rain eating away at her flesh.

I swallow the pain. I can't show any weakness right now. I have to get Elouise and Iggy to safety. I don't care if it means my skin is eaten away and all I have are my bones to carry us to a safe space. I'll do it. I'll crawl if I have to.

I take a risk to look over my shoulder. The tornado is getting closer and a harsh realization hits.

We aren't going to make it. We aren't fast enough.

"I love you," I shout over the wind, the fury of rain, and lightning. "We aren't going to make it. We aren't fast enough."

Louie trips and the wind circulating from the tornado tries to suck her in. She claws at the ground, her nails digging deep into the dirt.

"Louie!" I roar, grabbing her hand as she is lifted into the air.

"Don't let go! Don't let me go!"

"Never. I never will." Rain hits me all over. My skin begins to peel away. Blood drips down my wrist and to the ground. Shouting as I pull her with all my might, Elouise begins to get closer to me.

When she's grounded again, she's filthy with blood and mud.

"I'm taking you two and we're running," she warns, gathering me in her arms as if I'm a bride.

Before I can protest, I have Iggy lying on my front passed out, and Elouise blurs up the trail using her vampiric speed. We finally gain distance between us and the tornado but it's still coming for us.

Lightning strikes right beside us, putting a hole in the side of the mountain, and steam billows from it. Elouise is losing strength and she's slowing down. She cries, pushing herself harder than I've ever seen to get us to safety. I don't think there is anywhere we can go to save us from this beast of a storm.

If we die, it's my fault. It's been my journey to find the avisseus. Elouise and Iggy got dragged into it by me. If Elouise wasn't my mate, her soul would still be safe in Purgatory.

"Just up ahead!" Elouise yells, gesturing with her chin.

I can't see anything. My vision blurs from the acidic rain. Elouise uses her last burst of energy, slinging us inside the cave. I hit the ground first, my shoulder cracking from the force, but I keep Iggy close to my chest in hopes of keeping him safe from more injuries.

My head slams against the side of the cave and stars flash in my eyes. My head throbs. My vision becomes blurry. I groan, lifting my hand to my head only to see blood on my fingers. I force myself to sit up and lean against the wall.

Elouise stumbles in, falls to her hands and knees, and then crawls to me. I hold out my good arm for her, gasping to catch my breath. My entire body has red wounds all over. My muscles tremble from the shock of my injuries. The rain, the hail, it nearly destroyed all of us.

She falls into my lap, whimpering from the pain she is in.

"Come here, My Light. Come on. Crawl onto me, feed. You need it."

She inches her way across my lap. Skin hangs from her arms and face. Blood drips all over me. Elouise collapses onto my chest. I feel her fading in the bond. She's exhausted. She's worn herself out carrying me and Iggy.

My uninjured arm wraps around her to scoot her into the position she needs. "Come on, Louie. Don't give up on me now. You're so fucking brave, so strong. You've made it this far." I grab her by her nape, guiding her to my throat where she has left her mark. "We wouldn't be here without you. Come on. Feed, My Light. Feed from me."

The ghost of her breath puffs against my skin before her tongue dashes out. With a weak whimper, her fangs sink into my jugular, and this time, there's no lust. Our bodies are on the brink of survival and we both know it.

I run my fingers through her braids, careful not to ruin or catch them with my claws. "That's a good girl." I exhale a slow breath, close my eyes, and lean my head against the wall. "Good girl," I keep saying, cupping the back of her head, praising her. "Take what you need, My Light. We're safe because of you."

Her hand presses against my bad shoulder and she slams her fist into it. The force has me yelling at the top of my lungs when the wall pops my shoulder into place.

"That was mean," I groan, the tips of my fingers tingling.

She retracts her fangs and rears back, licking the blood from her lips. "It was better if you weren't expecting it." Her flesh rejuvenates, her wounds healing until she's flawless. "Are you okay?" Louie begins to check every inch of me, my wounds have healed faster than usual, and I'm going to assume it's because of her blood.

"I'm okay. Tired, but okay. We need to check Iggy."

"Oh my God, Iggy." She blurs to where he lies, flipping him onto his stomach, and gasps. "It's one of the pieces of hail. It's embedded in his side, Aziel. It's shocking him."

I get up, shake my blood off my fur, and drag myself to Iggy's side. "I've never seen anything like this." The inner part of the piece of hail is charged. There's an electric storm sparking and that's what's causing him to be unconscious. "He's being electrocuted. When need to get it out of him. Now." I extend my claws, allowing them to grow longer than usual. "Hold him still."

Elouise presses her hands against either of Iggy's arms and I sit on his legs.

"This is going to hurt." I take one last glance at Iggy. He has drool pooling under his mouth and tears staining his cheeks, yet his eyes are shut. "I'm sorry, friend." I dig my claw above the lightning-filled piece of hail and cut.

Iggy's eyes snap open and the scream he lets out reminds me of the soul-wrenching cries my victims filled the air with when I was killing them. My heart hurts for Iggy and for myself.

"I know, I know, Ig. I promise you'll feel better soon." Louie holds him down harder, blinking away tears.

"No, let them fall! He needs them. The moment I get the ball out, use those tears, okay?"

"Okay," she nods fast with a heavy gulp.

I place one more cut under the ball then use my claws to dig it out. Iggy's screams echo in the small cave and if a heart could cry, mine would pour blood for him.

His skin has deep red and purple lines from where the ball of hail struck him repeatedly with electrical currents. I can't feel anything on my claws but a warm buzz as I lift the ice from his body.

Blood, muscle, and skin stick to it from being melted by the heat it gives off. When it's finally freed from Iggy, his loud cries turn to soft whines and whimpers of relief. I toss it toward the cave opening to get it away from us when a large skeletal foot lands on top of it.

"You've found me, I see."

Louie and I glance up from Iggy to see a bird-like creature standing in the mouth of the cave as the lightning tornado wipes behind it, creating momentary chaos.

Its voice is soft and feminine. Looking closely, I can see this avisseus is a female. She has wings tucked behind her back, her bones are on the outside of her body, and she has a long silver beak and claws.

The rumors are true.

The avisseus exists.

She picks up the ball of hail and then swallows it. I watch in fascination as it illuminates her from the inside out.

"You've brought me a fertility stone. I thank you for that. No one has been able to make it past the wicked storms to get to me. The lightning hail does horrible damage." She stares at Iggy before kneeling, the storm behind her vanishing as she accepts us. "As you can see." She touches Iggy's shoulder; the wound heals in the next blink of an eye. "Only an avisseus can absorb the hail made of lightning. It's what helps carry the next generation of my kind. It helps fertilize my egg. I cannot thank you enough."

"We are here for selfish reasons, I'm afraid," I begin to say. "I'm happy you got your fertility stone. That was an accident that we had no idea about, but we heard you can get us to the other side. My body is waiting for me. I don't have a lot of time. We don't have a lot of time."

"Mmm yes. Only my claws and beak can cut through time and space to the dimension you need."

"How? They are silver," Elouise states.

"They are made of stardust from the universe that surrounds us. It is why so many seek me here. I am their only hope. You are the first ones to ever make it so far. You must have sacrificed your blood werewolf. I smelled it while hunting and it brought me home. Werewolf blood is…" She licks her lips. "A favorite treat of mine. If you fill this cup, I will help you."

"I didn't sacrifice—" I turn around where I was sitting, remembering I had hit my head. Blood must have gotten onto the cave walls. "—You live here? This is your home which is why the dread walkers said I had to give my blood."

In a phantomesque motion, she is in front of me, her boney fingers caress my cheek. "You saw the dread walkers? Interesting. Not many can say they have. They only help, they never kill. If they trust you, I do." She puts the cup in my hand. "Werewolf blood helps form my egg. Without it, I will not have my offspring. Please."

Like I have a choice.

I cut my wrist with my claw and hold it over the cup that looks like it is made from an orbital socket. Elouise hisses, inching closer, and disliking another is drinking her mate's blood.

"Easy, vampire. His blood won't bind me to him. The blood will only power the growth of my child. Nothing more."

"He's mine."

"He is, but you are in my home to find a way to your home. These are the rules. If you don't like them, you can go back to fighting for your life. Which you will have to do, I'm afraid," she says to Elouise, grazing my mate's high cheekbones with her knuckles.

"What?" I growl, reaching for the cup of blood. "That was not part of the deal."

The avisseus wraps its wings around itself to protect the blood, gulping it behind the curtain of black feathers.

"She comes with me. They both do," I argue.

"He can go. You can go. She cannot."

"Why?" I stand, grabbing Uri from the ground. "Tell me or you'll be the last of your kind to ever exist."

Her wings fold back, her beak dripping with blood, and she tilts her head to me. Her eyes dart to Louie, confusion warping her unique face. "You know," her tone taking on wonderment. "You know why you cannot leave and you haven't told him. You've been lying."

Elouise shakes her head in denial. "No. No, that's not true. I wouldn't lie to him. I didn't know that was why I couldn't leave. I didn't want him to know the rest."

"Know what?" I sneer.

"Can we keep our voices down?" Iggy grumbles, moaning as he tries to sit up. "My head is killing me."

I ignore Elouise's best friend. "What is she talking about Elouise? We didn't come this far to quit. You're coming home with me."

"She can't go home with you. Only her Beloved can awaken her. She was bitten by a werewolf and put into a coma. You were that werewolf, Aziel. You bit her. When you were cursed and your pack got massacred by the warlock, when you were put under his spell, you ran to Elouise's coven. And you bit her."

The air is stolen from my lungs. Uri falls from my hand. Tears of guilt swim in my eyes and they fall when they meet our mate's. "You knew all this time? You knew and you didn't tell me?"

"I didn't want you to feel like this. That's why. It wasn't your fault. I didn't think anything of it. I didn't know it meant you would have to wake me up. I thought since we could escape together—."

"—I put you in a coma. That was your fear, to begin with. I promised you I would never do that, and I did."

"You weren't you!" she yells through her tears. "You want to know what you did? You found me, you bit me, and I screamed your name looking into your eyes, hoping you'd be able to notice it was me. It was your Louie." She touches my chest. "And do you want to know what happened? You let me go. You stumbled backward in a moment of clarity."

"Impossible. I never had clarity. The spell always won."

"You recognized me in that second. I saw it on your face. And then you ran away from me to protect me. You could have killed me."

"He wouldn't have dared. He was your fated mate. Even his cursed beast could sense that. He remembers every other face from when he was cursed, but he does not remember yours because the trauma from that one bite was too much for him to handle. He buried it deep inside himself."

"I'm so sorry," I croak, pressing my forehead against hers. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. My light—" I fall to my knees and wrap my arms around her thighs. "I'm sorry." I tilt my head back. "I'll find you. I'll bring you home. Where are you? Do you remember where you decided to rest?"

Elouise nods. "Remember the cave we would hide in when it rained?" She gives me a sad smile, drifting her touch across my lips. "I'm there waiting for you. I'm right there."

The avisseus uses her claw, tearing open the fabric of time. It looks like a black hole. What if it doesn't lead home but somewhere else?

"I do not go back on my word. You'll go home but you'll have to find your mate before the blood rain comes in just two days. If not, then not even the power of Fate will be able to rejoin you two."

"I can't leave you. I won't leave you." I drift my hands up her body as I stand. "I'll stay here. We will have a good life. I can't leave you. I won't. I love you, Louie. It's me and you."

"And you'll find me because you and I both know Purgatory isn't the life we deserve." She presses a kiss against my chest, right where my heart beats.

"I'm not leaving without you either." Iggy is finally able to stand. "I'll stay."

"If you stay, the chances of you being able to leave again are slim to none," the avisseus states.

"You two will go," Louie says, tears staining her cheeks.

"I'm going. You lot are taking too long, and my Beloved knows I'll come for him." Azazel stands at the entrance of the cave, Brenden at his side. He gives Brenden a kiss before leaping into the torn dimension.

"No!" I shout, seething. I fucking knew we were being followed.

"You were so close to thinking we weren't a problem. Jokes on you," Brenden says before giving us a wave, and vanishing down the trail.

I begin to go after him when Elouise snags my arm and Iggy's. "There's no time for that. Find me, Beloved. I'll be waiting."

And she shoves us with every ounce of her paranormal strength, sending us soaring through the air and into the portal that sends us home.

All I see is her face getting further away until she's too far to see at all.