Chapter Thirty-Two

Sasha

We managed to enter the house that miraculously survived the devastating force of nature that destroyed the whole town. I couldn't believe the luck we had to have found it still standing, warm bread and a jar of honey still warm on the table as if this building alone had been frozen in time.

It wasn't odd, really, given how the other two cities had looked. As if they had a shield of some kind wrapped around them to keep the history they held from fading away completely. It was dark inside, the little bit of light left from the fading sun filtering through the windows to the west of the building. Just enough for us to make out where the fireplace was and the perfect pile of firewood beside it.

"We'll light that later," Rory said as she found a candle on the mantle. "For now, this can serve as enough light to get settled in."

She flicked her finger over the wick to light it, the scent of her magic like lemonade on a hot summer day. A taste of home there and gone in a matter of minutes. I smiled as she looked over at me, her eyes reflecting the same emotions I felt.

This entire trip we hadn't felt a moment to relax. The times we'd used our magic; it was to protect ourselves, which gave little time to smell the scent of it and enjoy the moment. Yet, the moment we entered this building, I could feel my body relaxing. Just enough for me to really appreciate the little things.

"How is it that this is the only building that the forest has not overtaken?" Ayden asked, his eyes tracking every shadow in every corner.

His shoulders were tense still, clearly unaffected by the relaxing effect of this home. He'd been on edge for days now. His head always turned to the sky or the trees, as if at any moment something would appear.

In truth, I had felt that same anxiety. My body tensed with fear at the smallest of movements. But those anxieties were miles away now. Nothing has ever felt so safe as this house did.

I smiled at him and tilted my head. My hand reached out to his, and I lightly hooked my fingers through his.

"Maybe this building was important to the city, so they protected it. It feels like it was important, doesn't it?"

He looked back at me, the frown on his face creasing his forehead. His eyes shifted to Baer, and I glanced at my cousin's mate to find him with the same expression on his face as Ayden. The image of them both was too much to bear, and a giggle fell from my lips.

"Why are you two so serious? Come on, relax. You don't see Rory and me worrying like you two are, do you?"

I looked back at my cousin, who smiled back at me as she held the candle up around the room.

"It really is an interesting building," she said before her eyes widened and the smile fell from her lips.

Baer moved quickly, the candle in Rory's hand blown out at the same moment he pulled her to his chest. I felt Ayden's arms around me in the same way, his body tense as we all looked towards the closed door.

Dark magic wisped in the air just outside the windows, its scent strong and overwhelming. It extinguished the joyful feeling that had been so intoxicating only a moment ago. Reality now settled back into my mind.

‘How did she find us?'I asked my wolf, uncertain if I should speak out loud.

‘I don't think she has yet,'my wolf replied.

I looked around at the others before calling through the mindlink to Rory.

‘Are you okay?'

‘Yes, Baer says we should stay quiet. His wolf doesn't think that she knows we are here.'She replied.

‘My wolf agrees,'I replied.

Ayden nudged me through the bond and my gaze moved back to him. His eyes were locked on the door as his arms tightened around me.

‘If she comes through, I want you to be ready to fight. No holding back. You're a warrior, remember. Don't forget that,'he said, his voice echoing around my mind with such firmness. Warning me to not give into the fear like I had with the griffin.

‘Don't worry,'I said. ‘I've been ready to fight her for months now. I won't let anything get in my way, not even myself.'

A shadow moved past the window near the door, each of us sucking in a collective breath as we watched the shadowy shape of two people walk by.

"Do you really think they would come all this way, Minerva Love?" A male voice asked.

I caught the scent of decay mixed with the dark magic, and I knew exactly who the voice would belong to.

"If they are persistent, then yes. I do believe they would come this far. I don't doubt that the shop keeper didn't give away the portal. The master has been secretive, but he has that gleam in his eyes." Minerva replied.

"What gleam is that?" John Thorne asked, amusement thick in his voice.

"The one that means he is about to get exactly what he wants. Finally, after all these centuries."

They walked directly past the house. Neither seemed at all interested in the only maintained building of the city. It seemed they didn't even believe that we would have arrived at this point just yet.

"This old city always depresses me," John continued in their conversation. "What did you say it was called before the god's took it away?"

"Just another forgotten city that fell into the sea," Minerva said. "All because a princess wouldn't let go of her own greed." I could almost hear a smile in her voice, as if she knew the story personally, and it brought her joy.

We all stayed still, no one uttering a word aloud until their voices and footsteps were gone. Only then did we all let out our collective breath and relax our tense muscles.

"Probably best we don't light any more candles," Ayden said as he looked over at Rory and Baer. "And a fire is out of the question tonight. The smoke might draw their attention back to us."

"Hope it doesn't get cold tonight," Rory said with a frown.

"Don't worry," Baer laughed as he pulled her closer to him. "I've got all the heat you need to keep warm."

I smiled and looked back at Ayden, his face breaking the stern and serious expression just a bit as he looked back at me.

"All right then," I said. "Well let's figure out what we can eat cold then. And we should only get what we need for the night out. Minerva is here, we know that for certain now. We just need to rest and then we will go after her in the morning."

The others nodded in agreement and began to open their bags to take out the essentials for the night. We were all careful to keep our voices low as we worked, each of our gazes turning to the door and window. Every sound putting our hair on end.

In all my focus on the outside, I barely noticed the shadows in the corners growing larger. The sun had fully set now, the light of the moon barely trickling in through the windows as we all worked in the dark. As I turned to set up my sleeping bag in the corner of the room, it didn't occur to me that the shadows in the corner were darker than they should have been. Not until the hand reached out and grabbed hold of my wrist.

"Sasha!" I heard Ayden yell as another arm reached out and wrapped around my waist.

I tried to struggle. My hands turned into fists to pound into his chest. My magic prickled along my skin, ready to strike out with a powerful blow, but everything stalled inside me as my birthmark burned and the dark eyes of the man I had seen in my dream peered back at me with a dark smile.

All the memories of that dream came flooding back. Every detail that I had forgotten when I woke up, came flooding back with so much force that my head began to spin. My ability to maintain balance faltered, and my legs became weak.

"Hello there darling," he said smoothly. "Did you miss me?"

I couldn't speak. Even as I opened and closed my mouth, no sound came out.

The scent of dark magic overwhelmed the room. Far stronger and darker than it had been when Minerva passed. The air was heavy in my lungs, just as it had been in the darkness of that dream.

"There, there," he whispered. "You know how to breathe in this. Just relax and let the darkness in."

"Sasha! Fight!" Ayden's voice called out, but he sounded so far away. "Fight! Don't give up!"

I forced my gaze to turn towards his voice. My vision blurred as I watched Ayden rush towards us.

The man's hand reached out and a heavy scent of magic laid over me with a twist of his wrist. I could hear Ayden let out a groan and a heavy thud hit the ground. I tried so hard to look back at him again, but my body no longer allowed me to move.

Darkness took my vision. Sounds began to fade into the far-off distance. I felt my body moving, but everything remained the same. As if I was both moving and standing still all at once.

Rory's voice was the last voice I heard. Broken with fear and heartbreak as she screamed my name. But the sound didn't stay long. Nothing stayed long.

‘Sasha, you have to fight. We have the power to fight him off, but we have to do it together!'My wolf cried out in my mind.

"Fight who?" I asked, my voice slurred as the darkness wrapped around my wrists. I could feel the wisps and tendrils of the power wrapping itself around me, its voice entering my mind like a long-lost lover with sweet seductive whispers.

"There's nothing to fight," the man said to me. "Just relax, Sasha Darling. We're almost home."

Home.

The word seemed to trigger a small voice in my head. A familiar voice, but I could no longer hear the words.

"Home," I repeated back to him, my head heavy and light all at once. "That sounds wonderful. I want to go home."

"And home we shall go."

His voice was seductive, much like the call of the darkness inside me. An image of dark eyes and hair came to my mind as I listened to him. So handsome, forbidden even. I couldn't quite understand how I knew his face.

Was he important to me?

‘Sasha!'the fading voice in my mind called out.

I tried to turn my attention to the distressed voice. So familiar. Why was that voice familiar to me?

"Rest, Sasha Darling," the man whispered in my ear. "When you wake up, you will have so many new experiences to enjoy."

I felt my lips curve into a smile; the darkness lulling me into a dreamlike state, with images of sparkling trees and dark wolves howling in the distance. Like an old music box, the images and sounds danced in my head as the dark scent of magic wrapped around me in the darkness.

It was all so peaceful. A perfect fit. Exactly where I had always been meant to be. My true fate.

"That's right," the man breathed. "I am your fate, just as you are mine. We belong together, Sasha."

"Together," I whispered back.

I could feel something deep in the back of my mind rebelling at that thought, but why would I rebel against something that was true? Why would I fight what felt so right?

What could be more important?