Chapter 47
Forty-Seven
CHERYL
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
U nlike the other rooms in the palace, Queen Endaya’s quarters are decorated in light tones ranging from white and soft lavender to silver. The big windows allow the daylight to come through. The moment we enter, Luna rises from a pillow in the corner to greet the queen.
“Hello, my darling.” She rubs the wolf’s head, and the markings on Luna’s face glow.
“How does linking my psyche to Luna’s work?” I ask, anxious to get this over with. Each second wasted could be the difference between life and death for Karl and Manu.
“We need to be surrounded by nature. Give me your hand.”
I grimace. “We’re going to walk the wind, aren’t we?”
“Yes. It’s the quickest way to the gardens. I promise it will be over in the blink of an eye.”
I seriously doubt that, but I refrain from commenting. Instead, I take the queen’s hands and brace for another hellish trip. Luna stands between us, and then the floor vanishes from under me and I’m free-falling. My stomach tightens, and my heart goes from zero to holy crap in half a second.
Then it’s over, and there’s solid ground underneath my feet once more. I release the queen’s hands at once and press a palm against my chest as I try to catch my breath.
“Are you all right, dear?”
“No. Does walking the wind ever get better?”
“I’m not sure. It’s very pleasant for us Nightingales.”
My pulse finally returns to normal, and since I’m no longer freaking out, I scan my surroundings. We’re in the same gardens Castiel brought us to earlier, but closer to the pond and the bridge that leads to a beautiful gazebo on the other side.
“What now?”
“You need to shift. Luna and I have been connected since she was a pup and I was a child. The older the individual, the harder it is to connect with a shadow wolf. Likely, you won’t be able to link with her in your human form at all.”
“I see. It’s not a problem. But I have to know everything beforehand, because I won’t be able to ask questions once I’m in my wolf form.”
“Luna will guide you.”
I glance at the shadow wolf. “Will I be able to communicate with her?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
“Okay.”
I can’t think of any other questions, so I shift as quickly as possible. But once in my wolf form, my fear for Karl’s safety intensifies, and I become restless. My wolf wants to take off and run to Aquila.
“Running away won’t help your brother,” an ethereal voice sounds in my head. Luna’s.
“Holy shit. This is freaky.”
“Your thoughts are different than Endaya’s.”
“I should hope so. Since I can speak to you telepathically, doesn’t that mean our psyches are linked?”
“Not yet, but it’s a start.”
“How will we know we’re linked?”
“When I can see through your eyes and you can see through mine.”
“And how do we do that?”
“You need to quiet your mind.”
“Eh… that’s easier said than done. There are always a million thoughts running through my head at once.”
“I can sense them. They are loud. Think of a place where you felt most serene, and no, it can’t be when you were in the arms of your lover.”
“Hey! Leave Ronan out of it.”
“You brought him in. Your thoughts went immediately to him. I understand it must be difficult. You’re tethered to him.”
“He’s my sire.”
“Ah… that explains it.”
“I can’t think of a time where I was at peace.”
“That’s just sad.”
I snort in my head. I didn’t expect that type of comment from Luna.
“How about when you first shifted?” she suggests. “Your first run as a wolf. I see glimpses of that memory. You were free and happy.”
“Man, can you see everything in my head?”
“Only the strong emotions. You’re not very good at guarding your thoughts.”
“I never had a shadow wolf in my head,” I grumble.
“Quit wasting time.”
She’s right. Karl is in danger, and here I am, procrastinating because I’m afraid to focus on my oldest memories.
Though the memory Luna mentioned is a happy one.
I dive right into it, blocking everything else that’s trying to divert my attention.
I remember like yesterday the feeling of my paws on the fresh snow, all my new enhanced senses.
It was like a dream to be able to run like the wind and leave all my worries behind.
I’m deep in that memory when I sense I’m no longer alone. Luna is running beside me, and then my point of view shifts. I’m staring at the world from a higher vantage point—I’m seeing the world through Luna’s eyes.
“Holy crap. It worked!”
“Yes. Are you ready to walk the shadows?”
“Not really, but let’s go.”
The forest from my memory vanishes, and everything turns pitch-black. However, I don’t panic, nor do I feel sick like I do whenever I walk the wind. The darkness slowly fades, and I feel prickles against my skin.
“What’s that?”
“The wards protecting the Aquila castle.”
“I thought they weren’t supposed to be triggered.”
“They weren’t. What you felt is us breaching them.”
The world is bright and full of colors once more. We’re inside the Aquila castle, but we are in plain view, and we aren’t alone. I see Queen Maewe sitting on her throne, and by her feet, a blond male who looks worse for wear, chained at the neck. He looks familiar.
“That’s Telar’s brother, Selor,” Luna tells me.
“Can’t they see us?”
“No, we’re hidden in the shadows.”
“He’s been tortured.”
“Obviously.”
“He was supposed to be her most loyal servant.”
“He must have betrayed her. Look. There’s the vampire princess, the one you hate.”
I turn and see Manu hanging from a white tree.
Her arms, legs, and neck are bound by silver chains, and she’s bleeding from a multitude of cuts everywhere on her body.
A spear of guilt pierces my chest. I’ve wanted to give her an ass whooping for centuries, but I’ve never wished this type of punishment for her.
There’s a man crying in front of the tree.
The way he’s rocking his body back and forth while he hugs his knees tells me he’s spiraling.
“Do you know that man?” Luna asks.
“No. He seems to have lost his mind.”
The double doors open, and the guards enter, bringing another prisoner with them. Karl! I make a motion to go to him, but Luna says, “You can’t help him.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re not here. Your body is back in Lynx.”
“What about you?”
“I’m present but in the shadow dimension.”
“So… you can’t help my brother either?”
“What would you have me do? Queen Maewe is a powerful Nightingale. I’d be dead before I got near her.”
Fucking hell. I didn’t think I could be more useless than before, but I was dead wrong.
“What do we do now?”
“We gather information.”
To be so near Karl and unable to help him is madness. My heart is shattering, but I know things will only get worse. Much, much worse.