Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Ididn’t call or text Hayden to let him know we were on our way back.
When we pulled in front of the royal manor, I ushered Greyson to a guest room. Dodging Hayden as much as possible, I first talked to Mom and Dad in their bedchamber about Greyson and told them everything that had happened.
I wasn’t surprised that my parents didn’t know about fairies living in our realm. They promised they would care for Greyson and make him feel welcome.
Once I went to war with the crystal, Greyson’s true fairy form would return, and he wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer. My parents said they would introduce him to the kingdom people.
When I returned, I would have to tell my parents about Willa’s imprisoning in the fairy realm, but now I had to focus on preparing for the war.
The next two days flew by as we coordinated and set up everything necessary. We would fly in separate groups to Oregon and drive into the eastern forest. The last trek to the vampire castle would be a long uphill hike on foot for those of us who couldn’t shift.
One private jet would transport our silver daggers and crossbows, but we couldn’t travel with much. I patted the leather sachet on my waist where I had safely deposited the crystal.
We were scheduled to leave in the next hour, so I went to my bedroom where Tammy stayed. She’d fallen asleep in my bed for the last two nights until Adrian came and carried her to their guest room in the manor.
I’d never seen Tammy cry so much as in the last few days. I swung the bedroom door open to reveal my best friend sobbing on my bed.
“Tammy.” I dashed to her. Sitting on the mattress, I placed my hand on her back. “Tammy, everything will be okay.”
She pulled her face out of the pillow. “And what if it’s not, Bree? What am I supposed to do without you and Adrian? I can’t lose both of you at the same time.”
My heart warmed as I realized how much closer she’d grown to the hunter leader.
She’d told me they were officially dating, and he was the sweetest guy she’d ever met.
I’d almost scoffed at her words at the time, but later, seeing how Adrian carried Tammy in his large arms as if she were made of china, convinced me.
Tammy sat up, leaning against the headboard, wiping her reddened face. “I know it’s your responsibility, Bree. I understand the cause. I understand why Adrian backs you up. But I am still scared,” she said in a shaky voice.
I pointed to the crystal around my waist. “I have the greatest weapon. Don’t worry about me.”
Tammy sighed. “No matter what, I’ll worry. About you and Adrian.”
“I won’t die, and Adrian is strong. He won’t die either, Tammy. We’re trained and prepared for this moment.”
Her eyes cleared as she blinked rapidly. “Protect my boyfriend, Bree. I really love him, and I can’t lose him, okay?”
She finished her sentence with a loud gasp, her gaze moving away from me and to something behind me. When I turned, Adrian stood at the doorway, two hands on the doorframe as if he were bracing himself for impact.
His expression looked solemn at first while he processed Tammy’s words—no doubt he’d heard everything. Beaming, he dashed to the other side of my bed and climbed on it to get to Tammy. Awkwardly twisting his huge body, he embraced my best friend.
“I love you too, baby,” he said, burying his head in her chest.
And that was my cue to spring up off the bed and step away from the couple.
“Why has everyone been invading my bedroom?” I muttered, thinking back to my childhood when this room was my sanctuary.
Adrian didn’t pull away from Tammy. Her arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing tightly.
Smiling, I turned to walk to my parents’ bedchamber to say my goodbyes. At the doorway, Tammy’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Adrian, please protect my best friend, who sometimes questions her abilities but is the strongest woman I know,” Tammy said.
Adrian nodded as the embraced couple said their goodbyes. Adrian’s life wasn’t the only one I felt responsible for. There were his hunter men, vampire guards, Lucy, and our warriors. My new role as a werewolf Queen weighed heavily on my shoulders.
I rushed upstairs before my tears poured down my cheeks and peeked through the ajar door.
My parents sat on their bed next to each other, both looking tired and worried, their arms touching and their legs glued together.
Mom’s head rested on Dad’s shoulder as she silently cried.
Her gaze lowered to her hands holding her cell phone.
There was no stopping my tears now. I wiped my face and walked into their room. My parents straightened up and smiled.
“What pictures are you looking at, Mom?”
“Your calligraphy projects, honey. You want to see?”
She handed me the phone, and I swiped through the pictures. Mom had taken pictures of most, if not all, calligraphy projects, even my early childhood workbooks where I’d learned the strokes.
Mom even had a picture of the painting I wanted to give them, but Layla had splattered in ink—the same one that hung over Torin’s bed in his apartment.
“I cherish all of your collections,” Mom said, standing.
She grasped my hands and hugged me. When she pulled away, she smiled. Dad joined her, embracing me, and then he released me.
“I’m very proud of you. You’ve grown to be brave, Anna,” he said, but his voice shook, hinting at his underlying fear for my safety.
“I may appear courageous to you and everyone else, but the truth is”—I swallowed hard—“that I’m afraid. Very afraid, Dad.”
“I wouldn’t let you go if I didn’t think you were ready,” Dad said. “Just remember everything that you have gone through so far. Stolen wolf spirit, vampire attacks, witch’s dark magic. You’re destined for greatness, Anna.”
A wave of some emotion ran through my body as I realized Dad’s words were the same Torin had once told me.
Mom grasped one of my hands. She nudged Dad in a not-so-subtle way, and he grasped my other hand. We formed a circle in the middle of their bedchamber, connected.
“And I’m very sorry for keeping things away from you, Anna.”
“I’m sorry, too, honey. I also played a role in it,” Mom said. “Forgive us?”
“We love you. No matter what, don’t doubt that,” Dad added.
Their words of love and encouragement echoed in my ears like a melody. At that moment, I realized that home was where I would return, where people missed me, loved me, and awaited me.
The kingdom was my home, and I would fight for its fate.
“Be safe out there, honey,” Mom said.
When she released me, the lump in my throat grew bigger.
As the sun began to dip below the horizon, our group arrived in Portland.
After renting cars, we drove inland for several hours through winding roads and towering trees. Passing cars became scarce, and the roads grew narrower and twisted, leading us higher into the mountains.
So we wouldn’t draw so much attention, several groups of cars took the bumpy dirt roads into the woods and hid the cars among the trees and brush. The air grew cooler and crisper, carrying the scent of damp earth. We swamped the forest and, in silence, hiked the rest of the way.
The sun hid behind the tree crowns, and the temperatures dropped significantly. My breaths came out like tiny puffs of clouds. I trudged through the thick underbrush of the darkening forest with Lucy, Adrian, and Hayden behind me. The wind howled, biting at the exposed skin of my face and hands.
This hike reminded me of the time I joined Dad and Hayden at the annual winter hunt when I was eighteen—the time I met Adrian for the very first time. The time one of our own died because I was too slow and fragile.
A shiver ran down my spine as the image of the dead werewolf warrior, unmoving on the stretcher, popped into my mind. I shook my head slightly. I was much stronger now. Time had hardened my outer shield.
I wouldn’t let others pay with their lives because of me. I reached for the hidden crystal underneath my zipped-up leather jacket that didn’t keep me as warm as I expected.
I pushed myself forward as my boots slid on the muddy ground. Branches and rocks littered the path ahead, but Hayden’s steady arm caught mine every time I stumbled.
The higher we climbed, the air grew thinner, and the harder I breathed. It became clear why the vampire Queen wanted to fight us on her territory—she would have a greater advantage.
After what felt like an eternity, we reached the top of the hill, overlooking the rugged terrain.
In the distance, the vampire castle rose, its black towers piercing the cloudy sky.
The gray castle stood tall on a jagged mountain hill, surrounded by treacherous terrain, designed to make it difficult to infiltrate.
Enormous blocks of stone constructed the outer walls, which appeared hewn from the very mountains themselves.
These walls stood high and thick, making it nearly impossible to breach them by force—one reason we had to find the entrance to the underground tunnels.
At the base of the castle, a wide moat snaked its way around the perimeter, filled with dark, murky water. Swallowing hard, I remembered the blood river around the castle in Torin’s dream realm. I almost died while swimming through the freezing bloody water.
This moat was not ordinary, since it was too cold even for a supernatural.
Suspended over the moat, a single drawbridge provided the only access point to the castle like a lone lifeline.
Crafted from sturdy iron, it appeared heavy and difficult to lower, but it was our only option for our warriors to infiltrate the castle.
But as I approached the forest around the vampire castle, doubt crept in like a stormy cloud. My thoughts raced as my insecurities flooded my mind with uncertainty. I clenched my fingers around my jewelry over the material of my jacket.
I forced my mind to recall the moment I stood in front of the castle in Torin’s dream realm and his screams filled the wide-open space. With a jolt, I shook off the doubts as if awakened, and I strolled into the depths of the forest, followed by my men and allies.
Torin needed me, now more than ever. The humans, werewolves, and vampires also needed me.
Time to stop Victoria’s reign of terror once and for all.