55. Rae
RAE
The wind whipped against my face as branches from the ice trees slapped at my bare arms and tore at my skin. But still, I didn’t stop. Not even as voices called behind me.
I knew they would catch up. Who was I kidding? They could’ve caught me already. At least the Nocturnae of the group could have. But maybe they didn’t want to. They’d seen what I’d done.
I’d hurt my own flesh and blood.
I pushed my already tired legs harder, giving everything I could until I finally stumbled and nearly face-planted into the snow, unable to keep my footing. Tumbling, I rolled into a frigid snowbank. But I barely felt it.
Even as I sat up and the wind grew stronger, I still felt hot, the energy in me overflowing. I stuck my palms into the snow, begging for it to lessen the magic inside me. It seemed I had two settings: nothing at all or lethal.
My chest heaved as I kept my hands submerged in the snow. It helped. And as the pain set in, spreading upward from my fingers, I kept my hands there. Because I deserved at least that. Maybe if the Fates realized I was a threat, they would take my magic now.
A foreign sound came from deeper in the forest—an animalistic chattering. I froze, but I didn’t move my hands from the snow. If it was a monster here to end me, it might be a kindness.
The chattering changed to an almost cooing sound as it grew louder. A white head poked out from between two ice trees and then disappeared again.
This animal was far smaller than Odin, but it had an almost doglike head. The face appeared again, and the chattering started up all over again. The creature’s little mouth opened and closed as it called.
Slowly, it inched out, getting closer and closer.
It tiptoed across the snow as if it were ready to dart away at any moment, except when it was about four feet from me, it simply launched itself.
It hit me full force, knocking me back into the snow, and my arms went around its furry, white body on instinct.
I braced for it to plunge its teeth into my neck like the rabid vampire creature it probably was, but instead, it licked my cheek. I couldn’t help the soft giggle that left my mouth as it bathed my face in kisses. “What are you?” I asked as I struggled to sit up.
The creature curled itself around my neck, its head burrowing under my hair as it snuggled close.
“I’d venture a guess that she’s your familiar.”
I turned at the sound of Olympia’s voice. She stood between two trees, watching us with a tender look on her face.
“Familiar?” I croaked.
My little buddy chattered away as if agreeing with Olympia.
She laughed. “I think that’s a yes.” She moved closer but kept a few feet between us as though wanting me to know that she wasn’t a threat. Lowering herself to a log, she rested her chin in her hand. “It means your magic is unlocking.”
I stiffened, the fear of that making a home in my muscles. “I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
Olympia sent me a sympathetic look. “It can be scary coming to terms with how powerful we are. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t honor that power.”
I let out a long breath. “What if I don’t want to be powerful?”
She studied me for a long moment, then began tracing a design in the snow at her feet. “You need to fully know that power to decide if you want it or not.”
“I met a little of it today, and I didn’t like what it did.” I was ashamed of what it had done. No, not it—what I had done.
Olympia made a humming noise. “It rose to the defense of your fateds. It’s what it should do.”
There was no question that what Izzy had said was wrong, cruel, and prejudiced. But I’d reached for violence—or my magic had.
“I have a theory.” Olympia kept trailing her finger through the snow, still drawing. “You have four fated.”
I swallowed hard. “Supposedly.”
She chuckled. “The Fates are never wrong.”
“There’s a first time for everything,” I grumbled as my supposed familiar curled up in my lap and began…purring?
“Here’s my theory.” Olympia kept drawing. “You have four mates, but your bonds to them are very different. And there’s one you haven’t even met yet.”
I kept my lips zipped on the fact that the guys had a guess about who the fourth was.
“You’re already close to Kian, but you’re at odds with Rhys and Nyx.”
“Because they’re assholes,” I muttered.
She full-out cackled at that. “Fair. But your fated are meant to balance you and your magic. When your bonds are out of sync, so will your magic be.”
It made sense. A lot of sense. I sighed. “I guess my magic is going to be on the fritz forever then.”
Olympia leaned forward. “Take heart, my girl. You will find your way. But your emotions are a part of the journey. You can’t ignore that.”
A throat cleared, and we both looked up. Rhys, Nyx, and Kian stood at the edge of the clearing.
The worry on Kian’s face transformed when he saw my companion. “Who’s the little one?”
“Olympia thinks she’s my new familiar.” The creature lifted her head and chattered away as if to say, Duh.
Nyx looked thoughtful. “Arctic fox. They’re quite rare.”
Odin moved from behind Nyx and sniffed the air, trying to get a lock on my new friend’s scent.
“She’s certainly sweet,” I said as I scratched beneath her chin.
Rhys watched me with guarded amber eyes. “Are you done throwing your fit yet? I’m freezing my ass off.”
I pushed to my feet, taking the fox with me. She draped herself around my neck and growled in Rhys’s direction. “You may have lost your sensitivity chip, but being an asshole won’t help anyone. So try to dial it back a notch, would you?”
Rhys opened his mouth to say something, but instead, his body went rigid, almost as if he’d been struck by lightning. Then, his eyes turned completely white.
“What’s happ—?” I surged forward, but before I could reach Rhys, Pax appeared, stepping in front of his friend.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t help him? He’s having a seizure or something!” I cried.
“A vision,” Olympia said quietly as she stood. “When did this start?”
Pax’s jaw clenched. “He’s had them ever since you shared your vision with him.”
Shock spread across her face. “I’ve never heard of that happening.”
“Us either,” Pax said.
Rhys let out a grunt as he doubled over, breathing heavily. Pax was at his side in a second. “Tell me what you need.”
Rhys jerked upright. “The demons are coming. We have to run.”