Chapter Thirteen
They decided to break for the night on account of Lia’s complete and total meltdown.
Saying Lia was a little shocked to discover she was the fated mate to the missing Horseman would have been the understatement of the century.
She’d sat there with her eyes wide and hands trembling as the realization slowly sank in.
When she started to pant for breath, everyone exchanged worried glances.
Using a tremendous amount of control, she was able to pull herself back together in record time. When she slowly stood up and excused herself, the rest of them were unsure whether to follow her and try to comfort her or just give her space.
“Leave her be for now,” Zander told Kami through their bond. “She really wishes to be alone to think things through.”
“Are you sure?”
When he shared a little of what he heard in Lia’s head, Kami had to agree.
Lia was a loner by nature. Added to that, she had learned from an early age that the only person she could depend on was herself.
Usually, it was Kami who forced her to be more social, but she wouldn’t right now.
Not when Lia really was wishing for some peace and quiet away from everyone.
“We should respect her wishes and give her some time,” Kami said out loud.
“Now is a good time to break for the night anyway,” Devon agreed.
“We’re heading back to Guardian’s Gate,” Braxton said, wrapping his arm around her. “Contact us if anything comes up.”
With that, Braxton and Devon disappeared.
“He’s totally freaking out,” Micah announced, sounding slightly amused.
“Wouldn’t you?” Jackie asked. “He just found out he’s the new Death.”
Micah nodded. “Hell, yeah, I would freak out. I’m having a hard enough time processing the magic Merlin gave me. I can’t even imagine how crazy it feels to suddenly become a Horseman.”
“It’s pretty awesome, if you must know,” Devlin boasted.
“Since that vision seems to have knocked her out, I’ll take Jilli up to one of the guest rooms.” Ramsey lifted her into his arms. He turned to Crispin. “Are you sure she’s okay?”
“Yes. The same thing happened last time she had a vision,” Crispin said. “It’s these day visions. They come on stronger and wipe out her energy. She asked me if I can find some sort of magical supplement or spell that could help ease the worst of the symptoms.”
“Soothsayers always suffer before their awakening,” Zander told them.
He held out his hand, and a small red bottle appeared in his palm.
“The best thing for her is to rest until she wakes naturally. Have her take one of these when she wakes. It should get rid of the headache and clear away the fatigue.”
Crispin accepted the bottle with reverence. “Thank you. Rams, I’ll take you up to the guest room.”
Ramsey bowed his head in thanks before following Crispin out of the great hall.
“My brother is totally going to study those pills like it’s the secret to life,” Kami teased.
“It is,” Zander said, making everyone gape at him. “Made from the fruit from the Tree of Life and water from the Fountain of Youth.”
“How can you just…give that stuff out so freely?” Sapphire asked.
Zander shrugged. “It was made to be used, and you are all Kami’s family. Who else would I give it to if not you?”
His voice carried a simple sincerity that resonated in the quiet that followed. The pills were no ordinary gift. They were crafted from legendary ingredients that could heal and rejuvenate. Yet, he shared it without hesitation, giving it freely to the people she cared about.
Kami felt her heart swell with happiness when everyone smiled at her mate. That simple, honest statement from Zander meant so much to all of them. She squeezed his hand, silently thanking him for his kindness and generosity.
“You give me too much credit, mate. I did it for you,” Zander declared.
“I know, but I still want to thank you for it.”
“If you two are just going to stare at one another, I’m going to take off,” Devlin grumbled.
“Before you go, we were hoping we could talk to you about the seal in the Shifter Realm,” Raiden said.
“Yes, it’s the magical mosaic in the sacred chamber,” Zander confirmed.
“The Council of Nine used to be the Keepers of the Seal,” Devlin explained. “The apex alphas made an agreement to guard the seal together since no individual wanted that responsibility on their own.”
Sapphire laughed. “That sounds about right.”
“Are we supposed to wait until we have nine apex alphas again? Will the seal be safe if we wait? Or should we do something about it now?” Raiden asked.
“I’m not comfortable leaving it unguarded knowing it can cause the apocalypse if broken,” Sapphire declared.
Devlin sighed as he stood up. “Let’s go take a look. If the source accepts you as keepers, you can take over the task of securing the seal now. You can always add more keepers as you get more council members.”
Raiden and Sapphire got to their feet. “Kellen, you coming with us?”
He sighed as he stood. “Sure. Might as well.”
“Since Devlin is also a keeper, you don’t need us to go with you,” Zander said.
“I’ll let you know if we run into any issues,” Devlin said.
“Tomorrow,” Zander insisted. “Don’t contact us tonight.”
Devlin snorted out a laugh, then he disappeared with Raiden, Sapphire, and Kellen.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Jackie blurted out. She cleared her throat delicately. “It makes me very uncomfortable not being able to reach you in the other realm. And the time difference could cause a problem if we have information to share.”
Kami realized that her sister was trying hard to keep her argument logical when she really wanted to demand she stay in the Winter Kingdom.
Beneath her calm, rational reasoning was a protective concern that was almost palpable.
Jackie didn’t want to let Kami out of her sight because she was worried about her.
It was clear her sister’s desire for her to remain in the Winter Kingdom wasn’t just about safety.
It was about the deep bond between sisters and the fear of separation.
Due to their father’s refusal to see her, Jackie was worried that Kami would end up cutting ties with the Winter Kingdom.
She was also terrified that Zander would make the decision to keep her away to protect her from being bullied or hurt.
Jackie feared him. Not just because of who he was, but because he had the power to take Kami away from her for good.
“Is that what you are hearing in her head?” Kami asked him.
“No, beloved. It is what you are hearing from her.”
Hearing that startled her. It never occurred to her that she might start to pick up other people’s thoughts and feelings with her new powers. She felt tears sting her eyes and rushed forward to wrap her arms around her sister.
“We’ll stay here tonight,” she said softly.
Jackie’s arms tightened around her. “Waffles for breakfast?”
“Excellent choice!”
When they broke apart, Zander took her hand in his. He raised his other hand, and a red crystal pyramid appeared. The crystal sparkled in the light with a brilliance that made her squint at it.
“Use this to contact us in the In Between. If we are there, we will sense you trying to reach us. Just press your hand on it and activate it with your magic.”
Jackie blinked at it before reaching out to take the gem. “Thank you.”
“That’s a big freaking ruby.” Micah leaned closer to study it. “I’ve never seen one this large with this kind of color and clarity.”
“See you in the morning!”
Leaving them to study the gift, Kami pulled Zander out of the great hall and led him up to her suite of rooms located in the far east wing of the enormous palace. She could have teleported them there, but she wanted to give him a mini tour of the place she had called home.
Zander listened to her excited chatter as they wandered down several corridors.
The Winter Palace looked like it was carved from enchanted ice and silver and blue veined white marble.
While beautiful, it felt cold and unwelcoming.
It was not difficult to see why some people called it the Frost Palace.
It wasn’t just because of the ruling family’s name.
It was the ambiance itself that gave off that impression.
Because of its massive size, each area within the palace felt isolated. He knew from her memories that the former king and queen resided in the opposite wing. They could literally go their entire lives without ever bumping into one another if need be.
When they arrived at the double doors leading to her bedroom suite, the doors automatically unlocked and slowly swung open.
Soft, ethereal light filled the large space, and partially frosted glass windows stretched from floor to ceiling of one entire wall.
The frost gave way to a crystal clear view of snow-laden mountains and shimmering auroras dancing across the night sky.
Right now, a light dusting of snow fell, covering everything outside with a silver sheen.
The bed was a grand canopy made out of white wood carved with decorative flowers, matching the dressers and standing wardrobe set against one wall. Opulent blue drapes hung around the massive bed that was covered with a mountain of pillows and a velvet blanket the color of night fog.
A large fireplace set into a wall was filled with enchanted blue flames that threw off a gentle warmth, never melting the icy decor but warding off the chill.
An elaborate chandelier that looked like it was made of icicles hung down from the vaulted ceiling, refracting light into a thousand glimmering shards that flickered across the walls like stars.