“Kat?” she gasps, and Eziah leans heavily on me. I grip his arms, and he turns all floppy.
“Eziah?” I shriek, clutching his tiny limp body in my arms when his eyes flutter, and he yawns, passing out.
I try to heal him and take some of the exhaustion from him enough to rouse him awake, but feel his heart rate even out, and he sighs happily enough and falls asleep.
“You need to get up, I need to get back,” I tell Seline. Seline coughs, blood starts pouring from her lips and down her chin, and my heart pounds in my chest. So hard I can hear it.
“No, no, you don’t get to leave me with this, please,” I beg her.
“It’s time, Kat,” she whispers and her eyes fall shut.
“Seline, no. I don’t know what I am doing,” I tell her, shaking her until her eyes open. “You need to get up. You’re fine. We healed you, Eziah healed you,” I tell her.
She shakes her head when her nose bleeds and runs down the side of her face. “You have to do it, Kat, you have to do it and get back to your mates,” she whispers, and I shake my head when I hear footsteps, making me look up to see a man in Lycan form.
His face looks like a wolf, and he is covered in fur, but he stands taller than anyone I have ever known.
Fur is so dark black, I think it is almost blue and the color of the sky at night. Gold eyes stare back at me, and I see a silver dagger with rubies in his hand and a huge white stone at the end of the handle. I sit back on my heels, watching as he walks over to her before sitting next to her.
“Did you get it?” Seline whispers to him, turning her face to him.
The man nods, looking at her and brushing her hair from her face before pressing his furry head to hers. He grips her hand in his, bringing it to his face. Her hand looks tiny in his, and I instantly know who he is.
“You’re Bain, aren’t you?” I ask him, and he pulls away from her. His eyes snap to mine and he nods his head once before handing me the dagger. I shake my head, pushing it away, but he thrusts it forward at me while holding the blade.
“No, I don’t understand,” I tell him, looking at Seline, but he grabs my hand and places the knife in it.
“This is how it has to be. This is how you become the Moon and its Goddess,” she says, and I shake my head. “You will, and you must.”
I look down at Eziah, gently picking him up and placing him on the sofa. Bain cups her cheek with his hand as he walks back to her, tears streaming down his face and snout.
“You remind Koraline I love her when you see her again. You watch over our girl,” she says, and he nods, his shoulders shaking as he whimpers “Don’t cry, my love. This is how it has to be. It’s time. It’s time I go.” Seline tells him, and he nods, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand and nodding his head.
Seline turns her head to me and smiles sadly. “You will be great. I knew it the day I first saw you. Take care of my children for me.”
My lips quiver, and I can barely see anything through my tears.”Please don’t make me do this,” I tell her, my voice trembling.
“I, Seline blessed daughter of the Moon, hereby grant my divine power and my life to Katya Hartley, daughter of mine and the new Moon Goddess, Goddess to the children of the Moon,” Seline says, and a cold rush rolls over me, and I shake my head not wanting it.
I don’t want to do this. Bain grabs my hand, holding the dagger, and hovers it over the center of her chest. He grips my hand, holding it there. His pained and tear-filled eyes hold mine as my hands shake violently in his as I try to pull it away.
“I, Katya Hartley, accept your sacrifice and will take your place as the Goddess of the Moon,” I choke out, and Bain lets my hands go.
I cry out as I plunge the knife into her chest, the handle grows hot and I feel her life essence rush up my arms. The Moonstone glows as I absorb its power. I don’t know how I know what to say, but it feels right as it vibrates around me, the words come out on their own.
I suck in a breath, her power vibrates through me, warm and loving, yet cold and smooth as it caresses every piece of me. It’s warming me from the inside out as her last breath wheezes out of her and my arms fall, letting go of the dagger. She looks almost peaceful as she lays there, and I see who she was before.
Bain howls loudly, and the sound breaks my heart.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him.
“She is at peace now,” His voice speaks in my head as he places his arms under her body and lifts her.
Bain then walks off down some corridor away from me. Wiping my tears, I get to my feet, walking over to Eziah, who is still sound asleep, and pick him up. “Time to go home,” I whisper to him.
Feeling our surroundings ripple, it is so much easier than before, just a mere thought, and I am back in my realm, standing amongst the carnage and chaos.
Sage
The moment the word is screamed, the first explosion goes off just to the right of the packhouse.
The walls shake, and Mateo’s wolf stops. His head turns toward it as Andrei and those who left rush in and start taking down wolves. So many men I don’t recognize racing toward us. Mateo suddenly shifts back, racing toward his car.
“We need to get them out of here,” he screams to me, and I glance around for a way out when he ducks and weaves his way through fighting wolves, scooping up some keys, and hits the button to his car.
“Get the kids in the car,” Mateo calls to me, and I nod, racing into the house.
“Jonah, Kyan!” I scream, racing inside.
“Kids!” I scream, running into the hall.
What if one of them got in, or someone took them or hurt them? I panic, looking around frantically when I hear soft sobbing, and I spot Kyan and Jonah hiding in a corner behind the couch. Marabella is clutched in Kyan’s arms, and they are both shaking terribly. Running over to them, I check them.
“I need to get you both out of here. I need you two to both hold each other’s hands, and you need to run with me to the car,” I explain while taking Marabella from Kyan’s arms.
I grab Jonah’s hand, forcing him to his feet, and Kyan grabs his hand. We walk to the entryway and I peer out. “Stay close, and don’t let go of my hand,” I tell Jonah, tucking him behind me.