“Why are we here? If you’re not here for my brother, who then?”
She frowned.
He asked further, “My brother’s witches? He has a coven. Are you here for vengeance? I can’t imagine they’re an actual threat to you, not if Jacith hadn’t been. He was the most powerful sorcerer on the earth—”
“I know what you’re doing.” She cut him off. “And it won’t work.” She turned back for the trail. “I found what I needed to find.”
“What?”
She ignored him and began around the mountain once more. Roane fell in line behind her and they walked in silence until they got to the other side of the mountain. He was mulling everything on his mind when she stopped again. He could hear the sounds of children laughing not far from them. He judged they were a quarter of a mile away. Too close for his liking. She shouldn’t be this close, not to children, but he couldn’t stop her. Yet. He could hear Davy’s voice in his head. Yet, but he would.
She closed her eyes, bowed her head, and a second later the air became overwhelming. It pressed down on him, and he couldn’t move. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but no sound came out. She looked at him and spoke. Her voice sounded like she was on the other side of a wall. He could barely make it out.
“You can’t come with me any further.”
“Why?” He tried yelling. No sound still came out. He was yelling in his own head.
“You’re cloaked. No one will know you’re here. They can’t sense you either. I will be back once I’m done.”
A foreboding sensation tunneled low in him. It was spreading fast and growing in urgency. “Don’t.” But it was useless. She turned her back and left for the village.
All he could do was yell, but no one heard him.
TRACEY
Talia had been her sister. Their bloodline was among other thread-holders. She was honored to be Talia’s sister. She always had been even when she was taken and hidden by the Roane family. She knew Talia loved Lucas Roane, but she knew that Talia had loved the werewolf as well. Both loves had been true and unconditional. Talia was a gentle soul. She was beautiful in spirit and body. Tracey understood why both men became besotted with her.
And now, as she watched her niece kicking a ball around, she saw similar traits in her. A soft smile spread over her face. It felt alien. Her cheeks were stiff. She hadn’t smiled in so long, but this was right. She had come all this way for her niece. Her mission had been the correct one. No matter what happened, she would remain at her side. She would guard this child with her life.
“She looks like her mother?”
Her niece’s mother, the Mori who adopted her, sat beside Tracey. Her name was Suhnah, which meant sunny and warm in their language. She explained it to Tracey the first night she welcomed her into her home. When Lucan brought all of them into the village, their reception was much different than the first time. They were captives then. They were visitors now. And being able to walk among the Mori freely, she realized they were good people. They just weren’t aware of Lucan’s evilness, but that would be corrected soon.
The Immortal was coming. Tracey felt it in her gut. And she was coming for her niece. When The Immortal would arrive, Tracey didn't know what would happen, but she knew there would be chaos, death, and misery. Lucan would no doubt unveil his true self. He wanted the thread for himself, but the thread would never go to a man. It could only go to a female and the Mori had kept her niece human. Suhnah told her that they wouldn't turn her into a true Mori vampire until she decided what age she wanted to be for eternity. They thought that would be her future. That's what they wished anyways. Tracey hoped her niece had a future at this point.
“Lily!” Suhnah called, standing up from where they were sitting on the grass. “It is time for your meal.”
Lily stopped in mid-kick. Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes were elated. Her blonde hair was in a mess, sweat-darkening streaks near her forehead, but to Tracey, she had never looked more alive than ever. This was the magic of humans. This was why they were to be treasured and cherished. They were alive in the truest form.
Their heart beat. Their blood warmed their faces. They had a child-like naivety that never left them. Tracey felt the same quality from Davy, even until the end. It was there, like a light that had been dimmed, but it was still there. Tracey yearned for that never to happen to her niece. She always wanted her light to burn bright, no matter what forces of evil were at bay.
“Are you thinking of your sister?” Suhnah asked, holding her arms open as Lily came running. A giggle escaped her niece and she stopped, breathing hard, but smiling so widely as Suhnah closed her arms, folding a robe around her child.