Chapter Twenty-SevenLuna
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Luna
People talked around me as everyone began to arrive for the meeting, yet I sat here contemplating everything that had happened. My hand rested over my stomach, sensing the energy of our daughter, a tiny soul that was part me and part Salvator. In my wildest imagination, I never believed I would ever be a mother. Witches tended to have their children in their first human lifetime, and it never occurred to me that we could conceive at my age.
“Luna!” Maia raced into the room like a tornado eradicating everything in its path. I stood up just before she impacted me, squeezing me until it felt like my ribs would break. “Thank the great goddess that you made it back to us.”
She rocked me from side to side, muttering under her breath, and I felt her magic surround me in a protective hug.
“I’m fine,” I said.
“I know, but Aisha is out there, and after everything I’ve heard, we could all do with a few extra wards.” She stepped back, still holding onto me, her eyes dropping to my abdomen. “She was the only reason I was able to keep you with me. Her magic held onto the golden cord of your soul.”
If anyone would have been able to sense the energy of a baby, it was Maia. She was empathic with some abilities that allowed her to view auras with the same ease as others saw people.
Maia assessed me, her eyes glowing a gentle purple, revealing her heritage as a love deity. “You have completed your mating, there is the language of love in your aura.”
My cheeks heated at her words, my mating still new and breathtakingly exciting.
I moved us back to the seat I had chosen so I could hide in the shadows, keeping her beside me. For years, I had mourned the loss of my sister, when I should have realised the universe had replaced her with who was supposed to be in my life. Maia was the sister who was destined to be by my side.
Dominic and Owen walked into the room, and some of the wolves close to the door stopped talking so they could stare at them. Their pace slowed, but the two vampires strode with a confidence that belied their true emotions. I was about to get up and call them over when Salvator appeared at the doorway.
“We do not eyeball our guests,” he snapped. “These men fought by our side and lost loved ones as they aided us. Your actions are disrespecting me.” He stood with his hands resting on his hips and glared around the room, until one by one every single wolf looked away. I felt his alpha energy ripple through the airwaves, making them submit to him.
Dominic raised his eyebrows at me, his eyes moving to where Salvator stood, and my lips twitched in response. My mate had big dick energy, and I loved that he made me feel protected from all the big bad wolves since he was badder than any of them. He filled the room with his presence, moving through those gathered with the power and authority of someone who presided over everyone. An apex predator who knew he was the most dangerous animal here.
“Thank you all for coming. We have analysed all the images from the missions,” Salvator said, taking his position at the top of the room. “I’ve been speaking to other lycans within the Allied Forces, and they have been filling me in on what has been happening in the world beyond our borders. It would appear we have been living in isolation and ignorance.”
“Vampires live in covens,” Dominic said. “Each ruled by an ancient vampire who has seen too much of the world. We have all been guilty of living in isolation. The current threat has brought the species together in a way that none of us anticipated.”
“Why should we allow the war of others onto our land?” Paulo asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Dominic shrugged one shoulder. “Hellspawn don’t respect borders. They will arrive here eventually after they have annihilated the rest of us. They plan to claim this world as their own, and don’t care who they have to kill to achieve it.” He stopped and stared around those gathered. “In fact, they would prefer if you died as they can spend more time in your immortal bodies than those created in Hell.”
Muttering rippled around the room, but Salvator’s fist slamming into the table brought order to the chaos. “Our most important mission is our original one, and then we will address all other issues.” He waved his arm and Jethro opened a side door, witches stepping into the room one at a time. Low growls echoed until Salvator’s growl drowned out the others and his pack all quietened.
I slowly stood. “Long ago, the witches and dire wolves lived together on this land,” I said. “Balor saw the magic that existed between our people. There was a reason relationships were forbidden between witches and wolves, and why babies were stolen away.”
Salvator held his hand out and I walked across the room to him, his fingers closing around mine. “We are stronger together, each bringing unique abilities to a war that we didn’t start, but which I intend to finish.” He lifted my hand to his lips, kissing just above my knuckles. “Let us all take a seat together and do what Balor tried to prevent—form an alliance.”
The room was huge with a massive circular oak table in the centre of it. One by one, we all took a seat, witches intermingled with lycans, and vampires joining both for the first time in this part of the world.
Even though I sat with my head down, I felt all eyes on me, waiting expectantly. Everyone knew I had taken a death curse for Salvator, and they wanted to know how I survived.
I sucked in a deep breath, and slowly brought my head up. “I met Salvator four hundred years ago when this land was under the rule of the Empire,” I said. “He risked his life to ensure I was able to flee. That was the first step on the path that brought me here today.”
Salvator’s leg brushed against mine, and I felt his strength infusing into me.
“When I was lying in that hospital bed between life and death, my soul journeyed.” I didn’t want to share who I had met in Purgatory, their secret safe with me. “I learned there was a prophecy that paralleled every step of my life. The same prophecy gave insight into what Balor is seeking. Void magic.”
Silence followed my words for several moments.
“Void magic was supposed to be a myth,” Owen said, leaning forward slightly in his seat. “I remember stories about creatures that were trapped in the void because there was nowhere else for them to exist. The Titans were imprisoned in the void, magic users tossing in terrifying creatures they could not tame.”
“Aisha had alluded to Balor searching for a key that would allow him to access a massive power. He believed that the key was scattered between all the priestesses. I think he’s wrong,” I concluded.
“What do you believe?” Maia asked me.
“I believe the priestesses were the guardians of void magic. The reason he didn’t want the dire wolves and the priestesses to form relationships was because together we could control the void.” I felt Salvator stiffen beside me. “I met the karmic council who told me I contained the key inside me to unlocking what Balor seeks.”
“Explain to me how you are a key? Is it your blood or are we supposed to throw you into a volcano like the olden days?” Dominic asked, steepling his fingers under his chin as he sat back in his chain, a look of concentration on his face.
Salvator glared at him, a low growl vibrating from him.
I grabbed his hand to stop him ripping the head off my friend. “They said the void was ready to re-emerge, so we need to combine all our abilities to find the entrance.”
“All roads lead back to that volcano,” Jethro said. “We just can’t escape it.”
I nodded slowly. Balor had been obsessed by it, including using it as a focal point for the sacrifices. Mother priestess had a mirror that allowed her to view the volcano in their home in Purgatory.
“We need to scout the area first, find any hidden bases or vantage points,” Salvator replied. “If there is a significance to that place, then Balor has eyes on it.”
“Agreed,” Dominic said. “I believe you should allow my teams to go in first.”
Salvator sat back in his chair to regard the vampire. “Why would I agree to that?” he demanded.
“Because, by your own admission, there are no vampire covens in this area. Any equipment they have won’t be calibrated to our energy signatures, and I doubt they know what we smell like since wolves tend to follow their noses.” Dominic flashed a fang-filled grin.
“He has a point,” Tarrack replied. “I had trouble detecting them on our monitors and I knew they were here.”
“I’m the best tracker we have, and I swear these guys have wings,” Paulo added. “Either that or they are walking on the ceiling.”
A smirk crossed Owen’s lips, and his aura flashed. He had always been more than anyone anticipated, and there had been moments in the past when I saw his true power. He was a hybrid from an era when it was against all the laws for creatures to procreate with other species. Dominic trusted him, so that was good enough for me, but it didn’t eliminate the fact that he was a dangerous predator in the skin of a beautiful man.
“Maybe you’re looking in the wrong places,” Owen said, his head canting to the side as he studied Paulo. “Vampires are fast and agile, our feet not always touching the floor.”
I’d witnessed them jumping from tree to tree, moving so fast they were nothing more than a blur. Vampires were creatures of the night, blending into the shadows and becoming the monsters of nightmares. You tended to see a wolf when it was racing toward you, but you rarely saw a vampire before they struck.
Paulo and Jethro shared a troubled look before they neutralised their expressions.
“Take a team,” Salvator instructed. “I don’t want to know what you’re doing or how you go about it. None of my wolves are to be injured or killed, but anyone not in this pack or Luna’s organisation is fair game.”
He was declaring open season on every night creature out there.
Balor would never anticipate that Salvator would send vampires as the first wave in an attack.
“Should you take some of our magic users with you?” I asked. “When I visited that area on the tour, I could feel tendrils of magic. It could be a remote detection system to determine who is in the area.”
“I’ll go with them,” Maia said. “They might detect your energy, but they have never encountered me before. I’ll put together a tactical team and pack a few spell bags to help mask our presence.”
“If memory serves, they tended to avoid the higher energies,” I replied. “And mostly the elements of fire and earth.”
“Can we use a portal to take everyone there?” Dominic asked, making Salvator frown.
“Portal?” Salvator shot Tarrack a confused look. “Am I missing something?”
“The other team I work with uses portals to save transportation time and ensure no one can track us,” Dominic replied. “Not to worry, we’ll take our cars. It will allow us to do a little sight-seeing of the countryside.”
Tarrack typed on his laptop. “Did you want me to programme some of the best sites for you into the satnav system?”
“No, he doesn’t,” Salvator groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “He was being sarcastic. I would imagine our new friend has scouted this country countless times over the years.”
Dominic shrugged one shoulder. “Vampires tend to wander in their youth. It is how we taste the flavours of the world.”
The muscle at the side of Salvator’s jaw tensed, but he didn’t comment or acknowledge Dominic’s attempt to provoke.
“I’d like to see the Nazca Lines,” Owen said. “They are the greatest proof that aliens have visited this planet.”
Salvator’s eyebrows shot up. “We have magic users who could have created those lines.”
Owen waved off his comment. “I’ve witnessed the marks left by magic and I don’t believe they fall under that category.”
“Angels?” Tarrack asked. “Luna said she encountered them.”
“I’ve lived a long time and seen a lot of shit, and every day there are more creatures crawling out of the forest of life. Who says we are the only life in the universe?” Owen shrugged as he spoke, and I met Maia’s gaze since she had always been fascinated by the idea of life on other planets.
“We’ll deal with the threat at our door first,” Salvator replied. “We’ll put beings from other planets on the list for another day.”
Owen nodded solemnly. “I’d appreciate that.”
Dominic rolled his eyes but said nothing since he tended to indulge Owen and his projects. “My coven has been arriving in small numbers to avoid detection. They are already in safe houses that Maia arranged. I will have them move toward the volcano.”
“We need to set up an exclusion zone since we don’t know what will happen if the warlocks attack,” I said. “Also, the void was sealed a long time ago. The wards around it are weakening and it could open at any time. If the entrance to it is in that area, we need to be aware of what might happen if it tears open.”
Salvator leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. “Is there anything in the archives to allow us to know what to expect?” he asked.
“I think the last time it was open, it was before written records,” Maia replied, typing on her tablet to access our archive of ancient documents that we had digitised in recent years. “There is reference to the Titans being wrestled into the void before they destroyed the world with their chaos. The stories appear centuries after the event when some of our ancestors decided to record the spoken legends.”
“Tarrack, delve into our archives to find anything related to the void, Titans, or Leviathans,” Salvator instructed. “Also, check the creature register, and that includes the fossil record.”
Tarrack typed as Salvator spoke, his fingers speeding over the keyboard. The magical community had been intervening for years at Palaeontological excavations, ensuring the humans didn’t find evidence of our kind.
“No amount of talking or planning is going to help us out there,” Salvator said, a frown marring his beautiful face. “The ultimate advantage we have is the element of surprise and the fact they don’t know who we are working with or that we’ve broken their hold on us.”
“Agreed,” Dominic replied, pushing himself to his feet. “Give me twenty-four hours’ head start to put my people in place, and then we can convene to discuss what we’ve discovered.”
Salvator nodded once. “My wolf’s instinct is to charge in now and fight our way through whatever meets us.”
My hand landed on his thigh. “That is what Balor and his people want. They know wolf instinct. To win, we need to do what they least expect,” I said, squeezing his leg and feeling him relax at my touch. “They believe they still have the upper hand, and that will be their downfall.”
“I need a minute with you before I go,” Maia said while the vampires were studying maps alongside Salvator and his trackers. She linked her arm through mine to lead me away.
There were smaller, private rooms down from the main conference room. She closed the door behind us, drawing runes on the door to ensure privacy from prying eyes or listening ears.
“We don’t have much time,” Maia said. “I was visited in a dream last night by the souls of witches past. They watch over you, but send a warning.”
My heart thudded in my ears because I knew who she was talking about.
Maia grabbed my hands in hers, her eyes meeting mine. “They said to remind you to trust only yourself. The truth is shrouded in lies and the future is cloaked in darkness.” Maia pursed her lips together. “I read the cards when I woke up, and I sense the truth of their message, so I say to you as your friend and sister in magic: The other side has powerful soul manipulators, which means they can influence any of us.”
She squeezed my fingers, her eyes filled with worry.
“I promise to do what I have always done, Maia. I will protect the people I love, and follow my path.”
“That’s all we can ask,” Maia replied. “You started this organisation with pure intent, and you need that now more than ever.”
“You be careful,” I said, emotions starting to choke me. Maia had been a sister to me over the past few centuries.
She hugged me, and stepped back, removing a small, velvet bag from the laptop bag hanging over her shoulder. “One of the witches told me to create this bag for you. She said to tell you her connection with crystals remains strong, even from the other side.”
The energy of the crystal Cybele had given me in Purgatory still pulsed inside me, incorporating into like a spell as I descended back into my body.
My fingers closed around the bag, and I felt the energy of my old friend from the stones inside. I straightened my back and stared at Maia. “May the great goddess keep you safe in your travels, and protect your body, mind, and soul.”
“And may she keep us all from harm and influence from others.”
“So mote it be,” I concluded.
I watched her walk away, and felt the presence of Death as he watched from the sidelines. We were about to walk into war and not all of us would return.