Chapter 23 - Adalyn
The demons battered at my shield. My body swayed, weakened, as I fought to maintain my grip on it. My shield was a glimmering silver, a bubble of protection around me—and then around Zephyr when he got close enough.
I gasped at the energy it drained me off and the strength of protecting another person, but I made sure every part of Zephyr was touched. It didn’t occur to me to ever do anything but keep him as safe as he wanted to keep me. The demons tried to pierce the shield, but my magic was strong, heightened by a week infused with the sanctuary’s energy, and the pendant I held.
It was my grandmother’s, kept for the utmost important reasons of safety and survival. She told me it was inherited from one of the original Lindell witches, infused with our bloodline's original, raw power.
It poured out from the pendant, a large amethyst crystal inlaid into silver, hanging on a chain. My own magic pulsed through the necklace, enhancing it. The shield pulsed and grew, creating a force field as Zephyr fought the demons.
I risked the extra magic expenditure on firing a few blasts at near ones coming up on his blind side as he fought another demon. Zephyr gave me a warning growl, but I only glared at him in response. I would not be the simpering girl who stood behind him. I would protect him with my magic, but I could fight somewhat.
I did what I could against any surprise attacks he didn’t see coming. Demons screeched as they were flung back, shattering through more broken glass windows and crashing into bookshelves.
I couldn’t think about the ruin of my Emporium now.
Holding the pendant, I pressed close to Zephyr. His movements were slowing down, going lazier and heavier, and only then did I see black poison leaking out, dampening his fur. In the distance, I heard more wolves howling, and I could only hope they made it in time.
My vision swam with black spots as the shield continued to drain my magic against such relentless creatures. The mass was never-ending, as if every time Zephyr tore them apart, more came back. Blue flashes lit up the store as more portals opened and demons poured in. I put another wave of waning strength into the shield, and gasped, stumbling on my feet. I gripped the counter where I had sat so many times, bored, watching the clock, steadying myself.
The shield slipped off Zephyr, and a demon slipped a blade into him. Zephyr roared in pain, flinging the demon off, barreling it into a group of other creatures.
I rushed to fix up the hole in the shield, but I couldn’t. My vision was black. I couldn’t feel the counter beneath my hands anymore. My body felt so heavy.
I had the feeling of falling.
“Zeph… Zephyr.” I felt like I was talking loudly, but the sound only came out in a mumble. I tried to reach for him as the room spun. I felt sick to my stomach. Zephyr turned to look at me, his wolf form blocking me from view.
The shield flickered in and out.
His attention was snagged by more attacks.
I’m sorry , I thought. I should be helping you .
I tried to pour more energy into the shield.
And everything went dark.
***
As I went under, I thought of every witch who had come before me. The original Lindell witch—not the mate of the shifter who had first come to the island but another Lindell, who had been born here, the bonfire where legends said she was crafted from the embers of Azure Cove’s fire that wiped out the last of the shifters once our feud with them had begun.
The fire was a lesser-known part of our history—one only written in an ancient witch language, the one written on the sanctuary's walls. Without knowing it, Zephyr had read stories of his own kin being wiped out from Azure Cove by the witches.
It was the true reason why I couldn’t hate him more for hunting down Lindell witches. We both had blood on our hands in the same of the feud.
But as I went under, I swore I felt the hands of every witch in my coven, both present and past, reaching out for me. Their chorus rose in my ears as they carried me to a place that felt safe. I felt the shield around me burst and brighten.
I thought of my mom, my grandmother, and all my foremothers before her. Centuries of witches that had lived in Azure Cove were dedicated to protecting it even when the threat died down. But now fate was proving itself read.
A witch had risen up, a shifter had returned, and we were uniting our bloodlines.
Azure Cove could be stronger—together.
In my haze of subconsciousness, I saw what my life might look like. A future where I raised my baby as a witch and a shifter. A combination of the two kinds. A unity.
I saw myself in that cottage I had always dreamed of, wading in the shore on a summer’s day, Zephyr’s body warm and soft next to mine as we watched our child play on the sand. A beach that was safe because we were stronger together. A new future coming to Azure Cove.
I saw myself waking up to Zephyr every day and him settling here.
I saw two dark wolves, one notably smaller, tearing through the hiking trails, yips and barks of joy filtering through as I tried to keep up. I saw Zephyr comforting our child after their first shift. I saw myself teaching them spell work and about their history. I saw Zephyr staying—staying for me, for our child, of being claimed as his mate.
And my heart was so full.
It wasn’t a future I had thought originally for myself, or was possible, but it was a future I could see so clearly now.
I wanted Zephyr. I wanted him to stay, and I wanted him in my life.
I loved him, I realized.
My hatred had turned to love. My lust for anger turned to lust for him , in every possible way.
My hand reached for my stomach as I cradled it. I wanted to be claimed by Zephyr and raise our baby together.
Tears slid down my cheeks as I let myself finally believe in the future I could have. Not one forged from trauma and heartache and grief, as my life had been, but one infused with new hope, love, and a shared bond that would never break.
“Zephyr,” I murmured, trying to get his attention. “Zephyr, I need—”
I need you .
But before the words could come out, I was knocked back into reality. The thoughts of my future splintered apart. Demon nails raked down my shoulder, and I screamed, throwing up my shield again instinctively. When had it fallen?
I saw Zephyr panting, his back legs giving out, his wolf’s body weighing down and struggling to get up. The shadows of more wolves darkened the Emporium’s doorway. I was bleeding. I could feel a trickle of blood spilling from my wound—but also from my head somewhere. I pressed my body in various places, panicking.
“My baby,” I mumbled. “My baby.”
I curled up, cradling my stomach still. And when Zephyr collapsed once, twice, and surged upwards for a third time, I threw the last of my strength at him. A new shield formed around his body as he roared, leaping forward, back into the fray.
He risked his life for me. I tried to scramble back to my feet, but my body was too weak. All I could do was watch as Zephyr stormed into the mass of demons once again, finally lessening that dark group of creatures. His jaws opened, teeth gnashed, and claws struck true. I was covered with demon blood, I realized, the smell of it making me gag.
More wolves fought alongside Zephyr, but he risked his life for me .
Everything he said was true.
He was stopping at nothing to make sure that the future he had told me could have would come true. He would make this a safe place to raise our child. To be together—to be mated as wolf and witch. Zephyr wanted me.
Realization clung to my heart as I watched Zephyr annihilate more demons. He was feral, no mercy or hesitation. I could only gaze in wonder, my heart filling with love and trust.
I realized it all now.
We just needed to live long enough to make it through the day and to safety.
Back-to-back, six wolves stood against the demons once again. But it was only Zephyr who I looked at, his eyes finding mine across the store.
As one, they took launched at the mass of demons, finally breaking through it, and eradicating the hellspawn fully.
I stumbled to my feet.
The shop rang with an unsettling silence after the roars and screeches of the battle.
The world spun again, and I chuckled. “ Woah .” I grabbed onto the counter for support as I had before, but it was too late. Zephyr shifted and ran towards me.
“Adalyn!” he screamed.
But my vision was already going black once again, and it was only when I muttered, “Poison,” that I realized what was dragging me under. I fell into his arms, cocooned in safety as he wrapped me up in his embrace.
“Stay with me, Adalyn,” he murmured. “You’re safe, you’re okay— shit . There’s so much blood, Alex.”
“We’ve called for help,” he told Zephyr.
I tried to speak, tried to open my eyes, but everything was too heavy.
I wanted to hold his face. I wanted to kiss him, even if he was coated in demon blood. I didn’t care. I just wanted to be close to him.
I opened my eyes as best I could.
“Mate,” I whispered, gazing at him. “My mate.”
All I heard was him screaming my name as I fell limp.