16. Apryle

Chapter 16

Apryle

M y stomach churns, my pulse hammering a steady beat in my neck as I realize how close we came to dying. I was so stunned that bitch materialized out of thin air that I barely reacted. I had no idea magic could conjure whole ass people like that.

My fear must be radiating even though I try to keep it buried, because I can feel the protective waves pulsing from Kye. He wants to run with me, get me far away from this nightmare looming on the horizon, but running won't solve anything.

I reach out a hand, skimming my fingers over his cheek to prove to him that I'm still here, still breathing. "I'm okay," I assure him.

His brows come together, his nose wrinkling into a furious snarl. "You're bleeding," he states.

"Yeah, but I am still alive, which, all things considered, is the only thing that matters."

Savannah trembles against my side, and I wish I could take all of this for her. She shouldn't have to carry this load at such a young age.

I've never really considered myself maternal, but I'm overwhelmed with the desire to protect this little girl and keep her safe.

"You okay?" I ask, brushing her hair back from her forehead. She's a little clammy and pale.

"I didn't mean to bring her here." Fear threads through her words, and it turns my gut inside out.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I know you didn't. Nobody blames you."

"Can you tell us who she is?" Kye slips onto the edge of the bed, his hand resting on my calf, as if he needs to be touching me to relax.

I send positive good vibes through our bond, wanting him to understand that I am okay and he doesn't need to worry.

Savannah immediately clams up, shaking her head as she tries to burrow into my side.

"I know it's scary for you to talk about it," Kye says in a voice so gentle I almost don't believe it belongs to him, "but do you think you can try?"

She peers up at me, and I give her a reassuring nod that has her pulling her face out of my tee.

"When I was in the room, she was there." I assume the room is where I found Savannah. "I didn't like her. She made me sad."

I grind my molars together, somehow managing to keep my emotion out of my voice as I ask, "What did she do?"

"She hurt me."

I glance at Kye, my heart breaking at what she must have suffered. I want to kill every single person who dared to harm Savannah.

"Who hurt you?"

My head snaps up at Callum's voice. He's standing in the doorway of the bedroom, Beck behind him, both males wearing masks of confusion.

Kye stands immediately, inserting himself in front of us like a protective shield, and he shocks the heck out of me when he bares his teeth.

"Easy," Callum warns as he steps into the room. "I'm not a threat, Kyson."

He should be scared. Callum is a fraction of Kye's size and my mate is hanging on by a thread right now. Anything might shove him over the edge.

"Until I know what's going on, everyone is a threat," Kye growls.

"Retract the claws, asshole," Beck snaps. "We're on your side, remember?"

I place a hand on Kye's arm, and the anger bleeds out of him as he turns to look at me. "They're not going to hurt us," I assure him.

"I don't trust anyone."

I can't blame him for that. Not many people have given us a reason to put our faith in them in our lives, but these guys have.

"Kye…"

He grumbles under his breath but reclaims his position on the bed. Concluding it's safe to enter, Callum and Beck step into the room, though they still keep their distance from Kye—a smart idea.

"What's going on? We felt the surge of magic. It was… incredible. I've never felt anything that strong before," Callum admits.

"Savannah conjured a female she met in the place where we were held. She's in the bathroom."

"Unconscious," Kye adds.

Callum's brows flare up, climbing almost into his hairline. As much as we know about magic—and I feel like we collectively know a lot now—there are always surprises with what it can do. I know there will always be so much we don't understand, but I had no idea something like this was possible.

"I didn't mean to." Savannah's bottom lip trembles as she fights to hold back her tears.

I kiss her hair, letting her know we don't blame her.

"It's okay, honey."

"How did you bring her here?" Callum asks.

"I was having a bad dream," she mumbles.

"Right, and that dream made her appear?"

Sawyer and Cade come out of the bathroom, killing any answer Savannah might have given. We're all too focused on the female slung over Cade's shoulder.

"Anyone up for a little torture?" Sawyer smiles as he says it, giving him a macabre edge that is so out of character it makes me shiver.

I push off the bed as they disappear through the door, intending to follow them. Kye stays close to us, his hand on my shoulder possessively, as we follow the others downstairs. By the time we reach the living area, the woman is sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, her hands bound behind her back. Halle stands close by, ready to use her magic if necessary.

The others are here now too, including Wyatt and Tessa. She hangs back, Abel close enough to stand between her and any threat that might arise. The big wolf doesn't seem happy his mate is here, but knowing Tessa as I do, I doubt she would have given him any choice.

And I get it. This is her fight as much as it is his, and she wants to be involved.

I can't blame her for that.

She wants to build a safe and protected future for her pup. I would feel exactly the same. I do feel the same now I have Savannah to consider.

Ignoring the pounding in my head and holding Savannah against me, the large room suddenly feels small with everyone crowded in it.

"Wake her the fuck up," Kye growls, stepping up to the threat.

I don't like him being so close to her, but I can feel his anger vibrating through our bond and I know him well enough now to understand that it is best in these situations just to allow him to do his thing. He needs to feel in control, and right now, he doesn't. Neither of us has had any semblance of control since we were taken.

"Who is she?" Dove asks, leaning forward to get a better look at her face.

Jackson grips the back of her shirt, stopping her from getting too close. She slides her gaze in his direction before huffing a breath and moving back to him. "Overprotective ass," she mutters.

As I glance around the angry faces, I realize this is going to get messy and that Savannah shouldn't see this. I'm not certain I want to see it either.

I tell Kye that through the bond and I can sense his reluctance to let us out of his sight again, but also his understanding that we need to protect Savannah from any more trauma.

Don't go far, he orders.

I won't.

And Apryle? Don't let her go to sleep until we figure out how to stop her from conjuring people.

Weeks ago, I would have argued with him for the sake of it, but now I don't want to hurt him or upset him in any way. I feel protective toward him in the same way he does toward me. There is something reassuring about having someone to care about.

I take Savannah to the other room and shut the door behind us. I'm not sure I want us back in my and Kye's bedroom in case she's scared of what just happened.

This room is not a great space for a kid, considering the clinical, sterile white walls and the queen bed up against one of them. I would love to give her colors and toys, but this is all I can do. For now, it's enough. The space is safe, warm, and away from the monsters who hurt her, which is what matters.

I lead Savannah over to the bed, and she grabs the teddy Roux conjured for her, crushing it to her chest. I smile before glancing toward the window. There's something comforting about the other buildings rising around us. We're not alone here, not truly, and that helps. For so long, I was completely isolated from my kind, and I was so scared of being hurt again that I didn't allow myself to have any connections.

But just like the Sanctuary, Callum's compound has become home—or at least as close to the idea of home as I can imagine. Maybe one day Kye, Savannah, and I will have somewhere of our own to call ours, but until then my home is them.

I settle Savannah under the blankets, brushing her hair out of her face before I climb in next to her.

"I'm sorry," Savannah says.

My heart breaks. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I brought her here and she hurt you."

I pull her against me, holding her tight. "You didn't know you were going to do that. Our gift isn't always easy to control, Savannah, but with practice, you can learn."

She glances up at me. "Can you show me?"

"Of course."

"Don't let me fall asleep. I don't want to do magic again."

"I can bind it for tonight, if you let me."

She nods. Placing a hand over her chest, I draw on the magic inside me and direct it where I need it. It's a loose spell, barely strong enough to contain her magic, but it'll be enough for her to sleep.

"Thank you," she whispers, relief flooding her expression. It's a huge weight to carry around for someone so young and I hate that she has to.

"Let's try to sleep, okay?"

"I'm scared to."

"I'm right here," I tell her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

I don't know how long we lie there together, but eventually Savannah's breathing evens out and relaxes, even though her brows remain furrowed. I shouldn't let her sleep until we figure things out, but I can't bring myself to wake her. Instead, I watch her for any signs she's stuck in a nightmare, but she seems relaxed.

When the door opens softly, I glance up from where I'm lying as Tessa slips inside the room. She's a little pale, so I gesture for her to come and sit with me on the bed.

She slips under the covers, pulling them back around us all.

Careful not to wake Savannah, I turn slightly to look at her. "Are you okay?"

Tessa shakes her head. "I feel sick."

"Is that a pregnancy thing or…"

"That bitch is evil." A chill runs through me.

"What did she do?"

Tess peers over at me to check Savannah is asleep before dropping her voice to a whisper. "They tortured Savannah for months, using pain, sleep deprivation, and withholding food to force her to use her power."

I understand why she feels nauseous. My gut churns. I knew she'd suffered—I can see it in her emaciated frame—but hearing her torment laid out like that cuts me like a knife.

"The female Savannah brought here said they have tested hundreds of hybrids and full witches, trying to find the right bloodline."

I glance down at Savannah's sleeping form as Tessa strokes her hair, feeling the weight of my existence suddenly pressing heavily on my shoulders. "Do you ever wish all of this would just stop?" I ask.

Tessa sighs, resting her hand on her stomach. "Of course, but we can't change the hand we're dealt, only play it. I just want somewhere safe to raise my pup, and I don't see that happening."

"It will." This time it's my turn to assure her. "I won't stop until it is safe."

Tessa studies me, her eyes filled with curiosity. "You and Kye seem to be in a better place since you..."

"Got captured and nearly died?" I finish for her.

She snorts. "How the hell is this our lives?"

"We lost the DNA lottery," I say. Savannah shifts in her sleep, getting comfortable against me. "I was scared of having a mate at first, but when we were in that place, I was more terrified of losing him. That made me realize I want him. I didn't expect to fall so fast."

"I feel the same about Abel. Every time we go into a battle, I'm scared to death he's going to die."

I understand why she would fear that, but I place a hand on her stomach over the swell of her bump. "Whatever happens, you and your baby will be taken care of, Tess. I promise you that."

She smiles at me, but there's a thread of sadness in the gesture. "Kye has changed you. You seem… stronger, more confident in yourself."

She's right. He has. When I first came to the Sanctuary, I was angry and jaded at the world. That raw deal I was dealt sat in my throat like razor blades. I hated everyone and everything about my situation. When Kye came along, I hated him too. I was scared of what it meant to have a mate. I didn't want to trust anyone ever again, yet I find myself trusting him.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"Good. It was meant as one." Tessa places her hand over mine, her expression turning serious. "Whatever happens, we'll get through this. We're stronger together."

We are. Every day, the control we have over our magic grows. The training I did with Beck made me physically stronger as well. When it's time to go against the Order, or anyone else who comes for us, I will be able to protect myself and bring something to the fight.

I feel anger blaze through the bond before shouting reaches my ears. I stiffen, sitting up on the bed. No one bursts in, but the shouting persists. Carefully, I slip out of bed, positioning Savannah against Tessa.

"Stay with her."

She nods and I quickly rush to the door, dragging it open. As I make my way back to the living area, the yelling only gets louder.

I'm not sure what I was expecting to see, but my mate with his hands around Callum's throat was not it. Our tau leader has drawn on his magic but hasn't unleashed it on Kye. Yet.

"I will fucking kill you," Kye growls, and he must be furious because he hasn't noticed me.

"If this bitch is right, anyone from that bloodline is a threat."

Cold washes through me as I glance in the direction of Halle and Roux, who both look pale. What is going on?

"Call my mate a threat again and I will tear your heart out." It is Callum who notices me first, his gaze locking onto mine before Kye follows his line of sight. He shakes Callum like he's a ragdoll. "Don't you fucking look at her like that. I will rip your guts out with my bare hands."

Callum holds his palms up defensively. "I'm not doing anything."

I risk crossing the carpet to Kye, wrapping my arms around him from behind. I can feel the tension vibrating through every muscle in his body, and though it seems to lessen at my touch, it doesn't completely vanish. "Hey, big guy. I'm gonna need you to take a breath for me."

He snarls, but he does release his hold on Callum, who stumbles back, spluttering as he grips his neck.

"Does someone want to tell me what is going on?"

Beck watches warily but doesn't make any sudden movements. I don't blame him for that. Kye is riled, and an angry vargr wolf is a dangerous thing.

"This asshole wants to test yours and Savannah's blood."

"To see if we are related to the witches who trapped Revna?" I hazard a guess.

"Her followers believe the spell was blood magic and only someone with that same bloodline can undo it," Beck explains.

Kye lunges in his direction, and I wrap my arms around him before he can hurt anyone. It is a testament to the fact that he doesn't want to hurt me when he instantly stops struggling. "I know you want to murder him, but he is on our side, Kye," I remind him.

It takes a moment for me to feel sure enough to release my hold, and when I do, I move around the front of him, wrapping my arms around him and pressing my face against his chest. Instinctively, he pulls me against him, holding me tight as if he is scared to let go. I have never felt safe or secure in my entire life, but in his arms I am both.

"What would you even test? It's not like we know what they're looking for."

"Similarities between yours and Savannah's blood, I guess."

I glance at the unconscious female, unsure how she has caused so many problems. "What happens if they free Revna?"

The silence that engulfs the room does not help my anxiety. "Hopefully she and the Order battle it out until they're all dead." Sawyer's joke falls flat.

Callum glances at Beck. "Honestly, I don't know."

"Wouldn't her coming back be a good thing for us?" Halle asks. "It seems like she'd be on our side."

"It might level the playing field," Roux agrees. "Right now, we're being slapped from all angles."

"That's assuming she is on our side," Sawyer counters. "Mama Revna's going to be furious. She's had thousands of years to stew on her anger."

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," Halle mutters.

"So the question is—what do we do?" Dove asks.

"And more importantly," Roux adds, "Whose side are we on?"