Chapter 20
Zyaire was no illusion. Yet up until the second she tossed him across the desert, Rafe had hoped they’d all wake up from the nightmare. The mutant humanoid monsters she commanded scampered like insects on all fours, their gelatinous bodies trailing bloody mucus in their wake.
What the actual fuck now? Rafe shook off the pain and looked up to see an enormous eye manifest on the back of her head.
The wolf took off running with one thought. Destroy. As he circled Zyaire, he sensed that she struggled to keep her focus, unstable on her feet. The giant began to quiver as she shrunk down to nearly ten feet in size as Greyson attacked.
Running, he glanced up to the mountain where he could no longer see Skylar. Dominique attended to Ilsbeth who remained injured on the ground. Kenji continued to make intermittent passes, torching the creatures and keeping them at bay.
Dozens of ravens circled above, the ominous conspiracy swirling around Zyaire’s head, distracting her. She flung her arms at the birds who tightened their ring of attack. A sole raven above repeatedly swooped down, pecking at her forehead.
Rafe. The wolf heard her voice as if Skylar had been standing in front of him.
The conversation about her shifting to a crow flashed in his mind as he looked up at the black mass of ravens attacking the witch.
Skylar? Instinct warned him not to overanalyze the insane situation given the black magick whipping throughout the desert.
Whether it was a hallucination or not, the birds gave him cover for his attack.
The pads of his feet gripped the dirt as he launched himself up into the air and lodged his teeth into her neck.
Greyson materialized, and barreled into her, toppling the witch to the ground.
The unkindness mobbed her as she flailed, ravens pecking skin from her flesh.
Flames shot out of the portal, more creatures crawling out of its abyss like spiderlings emerging from a spider egg sac.
They tugged on his hindlegs, attempting to release their master.
Rafe held tight to his prey as Zyaire writhed on the ground.
Ilsbeth crawled toward her sister on her hands and knees. Though weary, she stumbled onto her feet. She raised up her hands, sending a beam of light onto Zyaire, who instantly froze.
Stunned by Ilsbeth’s energy, Rafe released his grip on Zyaire and rolled to the ground.
He sensed Greyson’s hand to his shoulder and dematerialized, reappearing behind the High Priestess.
Rafe shook out his fur, spitting out the evil blood that choked him.
The ravens continued to circle, refusing to leave as the High Priestess held her sister to the ground, bonded by her magick.
Thorn appeared and tossed out a diamond-shaped silver object onto the ground.
“Enough!” Ilsbeth called out to Zyaire. “Soror mea. Fempusas in profundum inferni reicioco ut eam in regnum mittat ad purgandam. Empusas in profundum inferni reicio.” Lightning flashed in the sky. “Jubeo te ad inferos redire!”
The ravens mobbed the mutants, corralling them towards the portal. The creatures screeched, scampering into the swirling gateway, squealing as they fell into the flaming hot lava.
Rafe considered the ease with which Ilsbeth commanded her sister, yet instinct warned him to stay on alert. Ominous cool winds gusted through the desert, and he kept his eyes trained on Zyaire.
The demonic portal appeared to pulsate. Rafe looked to Greyson who shook his head and shrugged. Ilsbeth began chanting an inaudible mantra, her energized light beam pinning Zyaire. Though it appeared Ilsbeth had frozen her, a dark energy crawled over him, warning of impending danger.
With his hackles raised, Rafe growled, warning of a dark force that had not yet revealed itself. As light projected upward out of the portal, his wolf readied for attack.
A horned beast with talons and tail rose from the fire, levitating. It released a wicked screech, its glowing red eyes trained on Ilsbeth.
Rafe concentrated, the Alpha judging his options. You are the prophecy, the High Priestess told him. Rafe imbibed her powerful magick. The Alpha would fulfil its destiny.
Rafe growled at the beast, warning him off as it drifted closer to Ilsbeth. Closer. Closer.
“The vessel. It must be at her feet!” Ilsbeth yelled to them.
Greyson bent over, capturing it like a football and disappeared.
“Dear sister, I compel you to the vessel. You are not welcome in this realm!” Ilsbeth’s face turned red, her body weak as she released her energy.
As the horned beast lunged at her, Rafe leapt into the air, transforming to human, and shoved it into the fiery portal.
A loud guttural cry sounded from the witch as Rafe rolled onto the other side of the crack. Zyaire writhed on the ground, her body shrinking, shriveling on the desert dirt.
Ilsbeth reached for the vessel and pressed it to her chest. Zyaire shrieked as her body disintegrated.
Confusion swept through Rafe as Ilsbeth lingered at the edge of the portal, clutching the metal container. Tears streamed from her eyes.
“The prophecy is complete.” She glanced down into the swirling portal.
“The prophecy is complete? What does that even mean?” Rafe rushed toward her as she stepped backwards.
“You are the prophecy. Always remember you have my magick inside you.”
“Ilsbeth. What are you doing? Come on. Step away from the edge.” Rafe’s heart pounded in his chest as he realized her intention. “Greyson. What are you doing? Go get her. Go on.”
Rafe’s heart caught in his chest as the vampire shook his head.
“What? No! Come on, you guys. Ilsbeth. We’ll find another way,” he pleaded.
“The vessel must be returned. You are the prophecy. It was your destiny, Alpha. All of it.” Tears ran down her cheeks as she gave him a sad smile. “This is mine.”
Flames shot up into the air as Rafe ran toward Ilsbeth. Greyson materialized in his path, stopping him, clutching onto one of his arms as the High Priestess fell backwards into the swirling portal, still holding the vessel.
“Let her go, bud,” Greyson ordered.
“No,” Rafe cried. “How could she do this? After everything, she just kills herself? No. No, this is not happening. What the hell, Greyson? Why didn’t you save her?”
“What the fuck is happening?” Dominique ran up behind him.
“Where’s Ilsbeth?” Thorn asked, confusion in his expression.
“Where’s Skylar?” The world stood still as the silence of the desert resounded louder than a sonic boom. Not a creature made a sound.
Rafe searched the sky, his pulse racing at the sight of the ravens flying miles away, disappearing into the distance.
“Skylar!” Rafe reached for her with his mind, but she was gone, not a trace of her energy remained behind.
The earth rumbled beneath his feet as the edges of the portal sealed shut. His heart ached for his mate. “I’ve got to go find her now.”
Rafe stood at the water’s edge staring out onto Jackson Lake beneath a waxing gibbous moon.
The fresh cool air calmed his lungs, his wolf content to run for a night.
He’d been back home with his old pack, Hunter’s pack.
Although it had been good to catch up, he’d decided to take that trip he’d long planned.
Tomorrow he’d set off to the single most important location on earth.
His wolf paced, wild with craving for its mate. It had been four days since Skylar had reached her parent’s home in Washington. She’d sent him a text from her new phone to let him know she was safe but didn’t mention if or when she’d wanted to see him.
Though tempted to see her, to say all the words that needed to be said, he’d resisted.
Guilt threaded through him. She’d never asked to receive magick from the High Priestess.
But it was clear whatever spell Ilsbeth wielded, the bond remained and Skylar had been touched with his shifter magick.
In exchange for removing the vampire, the Goddess magick had bespelled Skylar.
It had been Rafe’s choice to give Skylar space to adjust to her new reality. In truth, he needed to sort things with Hunter. They’d had a long talk, and both agreed that when he was ready, he’d lead a new pack one day.
Greyson had been cagey, refusing to say the words, Ilsbeth is dead. Despondent, he’d left for Europe. Rafe wasn’t certain if the ancient vampire couldn’t accept the reality of losing her or that Ilsbeth would always be the one who got away.
Rafe considered his relationship with the High Priestess, her self-sacrifice choosing to take her sister out of this realm. Though he mourned her loss, she’d always be with him. Her magick lingered within his soul, adding a layer to his emerging Alpha energy.
Rafe smiled as he looked toward the heavens.
He’d never been wrong about Ilsbeth. Though she hadn’t been his biological mother, she cared about him as much as his pack.
Viktor and Ilsbeth had saved him once, surely knowing it could result in the realization of the prophecy.
She’d saved him a second time, separating the vampiric magick from his wolf.
In an act of contrition, garnering the karma she’d never be able to cash, she’d willingly given her own life and saved the world.