[ 30 ] - clairvoyance
Celine had a way of staring into your eyes like she was staring into your soul. Her eyes, sharp and captivating followed Kane and me as she welcomed us into her shop.
Kane's hand tightened around mine and I leaned into him when Celine walked ahead of us and beckoned us forward.
She pushed through beaded curtains that revealed a backroom.
I noticed that it was neat, with shelves and shelves of different things in jars.
There were big plant pots dotted around the room, and in the corner lay a mixing table.
By the window was a small couch, just big enough to lie on.
And just as she said, three chairs were set in the middle of the room. She waved her hand in that direction and smiled. "Please, sit."
I glanced at Kane before I slowly sat down. He instantly pulled my chair closer to his so his leg was flush against mine. Celine sat opposite us and her smile widened as she scanned our faces.
"I must say, you make a beautiful couple."
Kane's mouth twitched upwards into a short-lived smile. "Why were you expecting us?"
Celine leaned back into her chair. "I had a dream a few weeks ago. A raven with your pack's crest around its neck. I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd come to me."
My chest felt hollow and I stilled, unable to prevent the shiver that coursed down my back. The bad omens were everywhere. "So you know what we seek?" I asked, my voice quiet and hesitant.
She nodded and her skirt moved with her as she folded one leg over the other. She rested her hands on her knee and leaned forward. "Answers, and possibly a solution."
"A curse has been put on me," Kane spoke gruffly. His face hardened with the gravity of it all.
"A death-curse no less. I see it around you like a thick cloud. A catalyst for death."
His eyes narrowed and he huffed a breath through his nose. "I won't accept that."
Celine held up her hands and sat up straight again. "I mean no offence, Buchanan. I only speak about what I can see. Dark magic leaves a mark. The spell used on you is a strong one. It demands a life—"
Kane's growl reverberated around the room, and within seconds, Silas had darkened the doorway once again. I glanced at him over my shoulder, noting how his gaze flitted between Kane and Celine. His eyes softened on the latter, and that could only mean that he was her mate.
"It demands a life," repeated Celine, a vision of calmness. "The one it is cast against and the one who casts it."
Her words echoed in my head over and over. Mutually assured destruction. Whoever cast the spell hated Kane more than they loved life. They were willing to sacrifice their own life to see his end. Who could ever hate him that much?
"Are you telling me the one who cast it is already dead?"
She shook her head and a sense of melancholy covered the room. "It's not as straightforward as that. The person who cast it will die, but their life force sustains the spell. Only when...you or Rina die will it end."
Kane shot to his feet with a hiss, sending the chair tumbling backwards with a jarring thud. "I am getting sick of people telling me that my mate or I will die."
Silas was in front of him in seconds. His dark eyebrows lowered in simmering anger. His eyes, the same colour as Celine's, were firmly locked on Kane's. "Back. Up," he said through gritted teeth. What was his problem?
Kane took a measured step forward, silent and with an unmoving face. "Don't tell me what to do, Cho."
Celine stood up with a sigh and slid her hand up Silas's back. "It's okay, Silas. His anger is not directed towards me."
Silas kept his gaze on Kane's. I set his chair upright again and reached for his hand.
It was a collective effort on my and Celine's part to mediate between our mates.
Kane was an alpha through and through—he didn't move until Silas did, taking a seat again.
Silas moved to stand behind Celine's chair, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You came to me for answers, Buchanan. Don't shoot the messenger."
Kane took deep breaths and I squeezed his hand before he dipped his head. "I apologise."
Celine smiled again and this time, her eyes turned to me. "You're different, Rina Matthews."
My eyes widened slightly and I was sure the confusion flickered across my face because she laughed airily.
"The white dove I saw in the subsequent dream was you—right next to the blue water that took the shape of another dove." Her head tilted slightly to the right and her inquisitive eyes bored into mine again. "Yet you don't have the same hope in you anymore. Why?"
The lights were suddenly harsher—or at least they were to me—and I winced, caught off-guard by the question. "A death-curse can do that to you." I knew Kane could feel the anxiety that suddenly spiked in me. He pulled our hands into his lap and slowly drew circles on my wrist with his thumb.
"Three birds," Celine replied. "The third represents the future, ever changing, ebbing and flowing like water. Your paths are like two lines, one where you're star-crossed lovers, and the other where your salvation runs through both of your veins."
Salvation. It seemed like such a far-fetched notion with all the bad omens surrounding us.
Celine slid to the edge of her seat and reached for my right hand. She was quick and pulled my sleeve up, pressing her thumb against Kane's name on my wrist and my pulse. I almost yanked my arm from her hand, but she tightened her grip. "Would you believe if you could see what could be?"
"W-what?" I exhaled shakily, staring into her silver eyes.
Her gaze cut to Kane's who had his guard up, ready to separate us two if he needed to. "The life you two could have."
I spoke instinctively. "Yes," I sighed. I needed to feel hope.
She stood up and coaxed me up with her, walking us to the mixing table. Our mates were hot on our heels. Kane's chest pressed against my shoulders.
"I need something of value to you," she said, pouring water into a small, clay bowl. I instinctively reached for the chain around my neck. Kane and the pack were my lifelines. She took it and placed it into the water, waving her hand over it as she recited some sort of incantation.
The water glowed, the light rippling through it once she finished. She gestured for me to take it and glanced at Kane. "If you wish to see what she does, enter her mind."
I reached for the pendant, feeling the chill of the water before everything faded away.
I was standing in the middle of the forest. The trees were full of life with luscious green leaves adorning the branches. The sun was at its zenith, shining brightly in the sky and caressing my skin with a comforting warmth. It was silent, save from the gentle sway of the leaves—until it wasn't.
"Rina, you win! You can come out now!"
I turned my head to see Kane, slightly older and more life in his cheeks. He took my breath away, ever the vision of beauty as a grin broke out on his face. He was searching for me—future me—and turned his head left and right and inhaling to catch my scent.
I wanted to reach out and touch him, to feel the strong beat of his heart and the blood rushing in his veins. He looked so happy.
We heard the rustling of the leaves at the same time, turning to see three people running towards him. My future self collided with Kane, taking him to the floor as he took the impact and broke out into laughter.
Two children, a boy and a girl, followed closely on my heels, jumping on top of us and shrieking in happiness. They didn't look any older than five years old and were the spitting image of us both, with Kane's amber eyes and my smile.
"We won! We won, mum!" the boy cheered with a prominent Scottish accent. I smiled at that.
Kane was flat on his back and wrapped his arms around us all, grinning exuberantly. "You got me."
I watched as I sat up on my knees, and pulled Kane up.
The twins began running circles between us, wrapping their bodies around Kane's legs as if he were a tree.
He chuckled and lifted them to sit on either shoulder.
They began playing with the short strands of his hair as I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his waist.
"They're getting better at controlling their breathing and heartbeat." I smiled, tipping my head back to meet his gaze.
The happiness settled in his face and he leaned forward. "They have the best teacher."
The moment his lips touched mine, everything faded away again.
I returned in front of Celine with a jolt, feeling a zap of electricity course through my fingers. I let go of the pendant and tried to steady my breathing. It felt so real.
Kane's touch grounded me the second his arms wrapped around me from behind. He dipped his head and flattened his cheek against mine. I turned in his arms, gazing up at him with wide eyes.
"Your dream," I rasped. My eyebrows furrowed for a fleeting moment. "What you told me you saw—it comes true." I thought back to when we were at my old pack and Kane told me of the future he wanted for us.
His hand slid up my cheek and he cradled it gently. "You've always been my dream," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. The quiet shock was evident on his face—he had seen the same thing as me, and it ignited a light in his warm eyes. His eyes were the sun.
It didn't matter that we had an audience. He pulled my head closer and kissed me full on the mouth. It was a kiss full of hope and longing, like if we closed our eyes tightly enough, we would see that future again, experience it again—properly.
He cupped my face and pulled away slightly. His hand slid down my neck until he pressed his palm against my chest. "Keep it in here," he breathed. "Hold on to it and onto us. We have to believe that we'll get to live that one day."
I nodded, tipping my head back to murmur my response against his lips. "Okay."
He turned to Celine with a renewed hope. "How do we make that happen? How do we choose that path?"
Celine sighed and flashed a small smile. "The future is ever changing; you cannot choose a specific path. It chooses you."
Kane had been so rejuvenated by the glimpse of the future that her cryptic reply didn't make him growl in irritation. Instead, he exhaled a quiet breath. "How do we get rid of this curse? Surely you have a straightforward answer to this question?"
She laughed deeply, shaking her head. "You alphas and your demands. It's simple, Buchanan. A death-curse requires a death. You must kill the one who cast the curse."
His arm came around my shoulder and he pulled me flush against him. I could taste the power in him, the determination that coated his bones and spirit. A fierce alpha.
"How do we find out who did it?" I interjected, tilting my head to catch her gaze.
Covens were neutral, but they wished to maintain the balance of life. A war could have been looming, but if anything happened to Kane and me, war would be inevitable.
"I fear it could take more time than you have to find out the exact person, but what I can do is tell you where the spell was cast. Maybe then you can find out for yourselves."
"We'll take it," Kane quickly responded.
"Silas, honey, bring me the map please," she said as she slid the clay bowl to the side and cleared space on the table. Her mate unrolled a map and laid it out on the table. It was a map of the UK, but more specifically, the territories within it, werewolves, vampires and witches alike.
Celine outstretched her hand in Kane's direction. "A drop of your blood is needed."
He eyed her wearily before stepping forward with me and giving her his hand. Her fingers felt underneath the table and she unattached a knife, pricking Kane's fingertip with its blade. He winced as she drew blood and twisted his finger for it to fall.
Before it could touch the map, she waved a hand and the liquid was suspended in the air. She muttered one word in a foreign language and his blood moved by itself. It hovered over our territory before it lowered onto the map, staining the parchment.
We leaned forward and it revealed what we had suspected all along.
"Looks like it was cast in Leander's territory."
Kane's face darkened and the growl vibrated through his body. Celine's confirmation only meant one thing.
War.