But there were some things in life that you just couldn’t take for granted, even if you tried… and for me, that was River. She was my soulmate through and through. In all the twenty years we had been married, we’d rarely had arguments. Disagreements, yes, but never bitterness. We understood each other too well for that. We lived in line with one another. As she held my heart completely, I held hers. I’d never really understood the love that my parents shared until I met River. I’d never understood what it was like to feel like you couldn’t live without another person—as if without them, all would be for nothing. And as we had aged mentally over the years, it felt like my attachment to her had only grown stronger. There wasn’t a lot that could frighten me anymore, but a life without River was a thought that drove me to the edge.
“We’re almost home,” River announced, pointing out of the window to a familiar rock formation jutting out of the ocean. She looked up at me, apparently noticing my contemplative mood. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.
I gazed down at her adoringly. Reaching a hand to her face, I brushed my thumb against her cheek.
“That I forgot to remind you about something today,” I replied, assuming a serious expression.
She frowned, clearly racking her brain as to what it could be. “What?” she asked.
I caught her lips in mine before replying, “That I love you.”
“You’re such a cheeseball, Ben.” She chuckled against my kiss, even as she draped her arms around my neck and returned it tenderly. Then her voice dropped to a whisper. “But you know I do love cheese…”
We enjoyed the last stretch of the journey together before my father, who was sitting near the front of the aircraft with my mother, stood and called to everyone, “We’ll be landing in a couple of minutes. I know we could all do with some rest, but before we head back to our homes, I’m going to ask you all to attend a meeting in the Dome. We’ll keep it brief, I promise, but we need to discuss how long a break to take and start throwing a few ideas around as to our next destination.”
I groaned internally. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to go with River to look for Grace. But I understood my father’s reasoning. So, after Kyle touched us down in the glade in front of the Black Heights, we all headed to the Great Dome.
We didn’t make it that far, however.
An anxious-looking Shayla came hurrying toward us, through the trees along the forest path. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.
“Oh! Thank God you’re back!” she exclaimed. To my surprise, she looked past everyone else in the crowd and her eyes settled on River and me. My gut dropped instinctively, even before she said, “Grace is in trouble!”
River’s breath hitched.
“What?” River and I spluttered.
My stomach knotted tighter and tighter as Shayla began to tell us how Grace had developed a friendship with the sickly boy, Josh—or rather, Lawrence—and how she had been very disturbed when he left. She hadn’t trusted his father who’d come to reclaim him, and she’d wanted to investigate his circumstances. She and Arwen had gone off together to fish for some clues and—dammit!—the two girls had gone to Hawaii. Into the IBSI’s base. Arwen had told Shayla everything that happened: Grace had not come back out when she’d been expected to, and while Arwen had been waiting, she’d met with some trouble on the beach—a crowd of hunters who’d been patrolling had managed to detect her, which caused her to become distracted from monitoring the tracker for a short while as she tried to find a safe spot to wait. When she checked the tracker again, Grace’s signal wasn’t emitting from where it should have been. It was too far away. Over the ocean.
“Arwen says Grace must have been caught and taken somewhere by aircraft,” Shayla continued to explain. “Arwen left the beach to try to pinpoint the location, but then the signal vanished completely.”
I felt like throwing up.
“Where is my daughter now?” Corrine demanded, her voice boiling with anger. She wouldn’t have known about any of this. After Lucas’ discovery of the French girl and her infant in ogres’ royal palace, Corrine had left our group to transport the mother and child to The Shade. But she’d stayed on the island only long enough to settle them into the hospital, before rejoining the League.
“She was feeling so awful about it,” Shayla replied, “she’s gone off with a bunch of other witches to try to track Grace down. The idea was for them to go to the approximate area where Arwen lost Grace’s signal and try to figure out which direction she could’ve gone in. Arwen suspected, though, that they were headed to North America. They took one of the phones, but I haven’t yet heard from them since they left, so I don’t know how they’ve been doing or if they’ve made any progress. But they also took a tracker with them, so you can locate them.” Shayla reached into her pocket and handed Corrine a receiving device.
River’s panicked gaze met mine. North America. Why would they want Grace in North America? Or, if the tracker has been destroyed, maybe she hasn’t even made it that far… No. No. I shook away the thought violently. I could not start considering the possibility.
“I have to leave,” I said, my tone unsteady.
“Where to?” River asked desperately.
I had already started to rise into the air, preparing to begin hurtling across the ocean. “To scour every single IBSI base in the United States if I have to.”
“Ben,” Lucas spoke up, moving to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a hard stare. “This is a mission for supernaturals the hunters aren’t yet able to detect—for fae. But more than one would be useful… I’ll come with you.”
I looked gratefully at my uncle. His support meant the world to me in this moment.
“And I will come too,” Kailyn offered.
I glanced from Lucas to her and nodded. My throat was so tight, I could barely even speak to thank them. I glanced over at my family, who all still looked in a state of shock at the news, before my eyes lingered on River. She looked like she wanted to come with me—of course she did—but as my uncle had rightly said, this was a job for fae. Vampires would be more than useless, they would be a hindrance. Even witches would barely be helpful since the hunters’ alarm system was able to pick them up.
“Oh, don’t think you’re leaving me behind,” Corrine seethed. “I’ve got a thing or two to say to my daughter. I’ll come with you just as far as her, if you really think you should pull off the rest of the mission alone.”
Before leaving with the others, I stooped down quickly to River and grabbed her shoulders. I pulled her to me, giving her one last hug and pressing a firm kiss against her forehead.
“I will find our daughter,” I breathed into her hair, “and I will bring her back. I promise.”
River
Grace’s disappearance was a horrible form of déjà vu for me. I remembered the time when I had been captured by the hunters all too well. It cut me to the core to imagine what they might be doing to her now. What they might be taking from her. Whether she’s still alive.
Tears welled in the corners of my eyes as I watched my husband leave with Lucas, Kailyn and Corrine.
But I had to have faith in Ben’s words. I had to trust that he would find her— just as he had managed to find me against all odds—and bring her back to safety.
The meeting was held as planned, but it was a sheer waste of time. None of us Novaks could concentrate on anything, and we all just wanted it to be over. So we wrapped up quickly and I was free to leave. I didn’t think I had it in me to concentrate on anything until my husband was safely back home with my daughter.
On leaving the Great Dome, Rose and Sofia hugged me, trying to offer words of comfort. But I could draw none from them. My first instinct now was to go to my mother. She knew exactly what it was like to lose a child, and in this moment, there was nothing that I wanted more than to feel her arms around me.
My heart hammering in my chest, I sped through the redwood trees to the apartment that sh
e shared with my two younger sisters.
On arriving, my sisters were out, but my mom was home. Her face lit up to see me, but then dropped instantly on noticing my expression. She pulled me inside, and I told her everything that had happened. Even though I trusted my husband, I couldn’t hold back the tears. This was the first time I’d ever experienced losing Grace. She had spent her whole life on the island, and since the day she was born, I’d always known where she was—that she was safe somewhere within its borders. Even more recently, when she’d started going out on missions with the League, Ben and I had always been there to keep a close eye on her. This was a brand-new emotion that I was experiencing, and it felt like somebody had bored a hole in my heart.
I sat with my mother for a while in her living room, trying to calm my nerves and stop my mind from playing over all the worst possible scenarios. Then my mother suggested that we go out for a walk and get some fresh air, which I eagerly agreed to. We left her penthouse and strolled through the woods, heading for the beach.
“Grace is a tough one,” my mother said as we removed our shoes and dipped our feet in the waves. “And she is a lot less vulnerable than you were.”
My mother held my hand and continued trying to keep my mood up while we walked, keep me thinking positively… and I tried. I truly tried.
After about an hour of breathing in the fresh ocean air, I couldn’t deny that I was feeling a tad calmer—the seeming infinity of the water surrounding our island often had a way of doing that to me—but my stomach was still aching.
We turned around and decided to head back. We lapsed into silence and I fixed my eyes on the sky, remembering how, not far from here, I had once prayed for Ben to find his way back to me. That was when I’d thought that I had lost him forever after discovering he was a ghost. He had appeared behind me soon after, and it had seemed like a miracle at the time. I wasn’t exactly expecting that to happen now, but then… something so entirely unexpected happened that I thought I must’ve been hallucinating.
A streak of black hurtling across the sky above The Shade’s boundary caught my eye. Then I lost sight of it just as quickly as it had appeared. It had looked far too large to be a bird, and yet it definitely hadn’t been an aircraft either.
I felt a bit crazy just thinking of it, but it had looked like… some other kind of flying animal. I was sure that it had four legs. But now, as I gazed around trying to spot it again, I couldn’t find it for the life of me. There wasn’t a single trace of it having been anything other than a figment of my imagination. Maybe Grace’s absence literally is making me insane.
“You all right, honey?” my mother asked, noticing me looking around with a confused expression on my face. “What are you looking for?”
I didn’t answer for several moments as I continued to scan the heavens. When I still didn’t spy it again, I could only conclude, “It was nothing.”
Victoria
Spending time with Bastien in his castle was like a dream. A fairytale, almost. I felt as if I was floating on clouds, and I wasn’t sure that I would ever come down. Although much of his time during the day was occupied by coming to grips with his responsibilities as the new ruler of the Blackhalls, I was just so overjoyed to be with him.
It was also incredibly interesting to witness the ins and outs of a werewolf chieftain’s duties. I supposed I had never really thought much about it, but they functioned much like any ruler would, including those in The Shade. All ultimate decisions lay with him. The emphasis on food and defense seemed to be the greatest. He had to ensure there were enough food scavengers bringing in a constant supply for the pack, and ensure their territory was properly guarded.
Even though I wasn’t a wolf, the fact that everyone saw me as Bastien’s “girlfriend”—a term that Bastien had to clarify for the others, as I had once clarified for him—meant that I was treated with the same respect as Bastien. I felt pretty awkward about it all, considering that I was basically just Bastien’s shadow. I wanted to contribute, and help wherever I could, but so far there wasn’t an awful lot that I could do—since Bastien himself was still learning the ropes, with the help of his elderly friend and advisor, Cecil.
All the while, Azaiah and Regan were kind enough to stay with me. Though they didn’t end up spending that much time in the castle. They seemed to enjoy themselves going out to roam the Woodlands—scaring hundreds of wolves in the process, I was sure. But I trusted the two of them to not give into the temptation of scooping up a wolf for a snack. They were content with other eatables they found around this place.
One good piece of news was that, after the upheaval that had so recently taken place in The Woodlands, the wolves had been forced to work together. Tensions between many of the tribes seemed to have reduced. Several chieftains came to visit Bastien after learning of his appointment, seeking to form alliances with the Blackhalls.
Cecil also suggested that Bastien ought to make some trips of his own, to reach out to some other chieftains to introduce himself as the new Blackhall leader, and start a dialogue with them… the Bonereavers, however, were definitely not on that list. Cecil advised that Bastien go with ten other wolves from the pack while the recent hunter invasion was still fresh in the minds of the wolves of The Woodlands. Bastien began to make plans to leave, discussing details with his council. He approached me last. I had already anticipated the reluctance in his expression before I witnessed it.
He didn’t want me to go traveling across The Woodlands again, of course. And I accepted that. It was pushing it just for me to be here in his castle to begin with.
I resigned myself to the fact that my stay would only last a few more days, until Bastien and his companions departed on their journey. He wasn’t sure how long they would be gone. I didn’t know when I might be able to visit him again. He said to be safe, I ought not return for at least a week and a half. A week and a half wasn’t long by normal standards, but I was already imagining how slowly the hours would tick by without him.
I also knew that the time we had left together would go by in a flash, and it seemed he realized it as well. He informed Cecil he would need some more free time until he departed. Cecil agreed to take over some of his duties and slow down on his training, so that we could have more time together.
On the evening Bastien and I had agreed I would depart, he completed his duties in the early evening. I was expecting us to go up to his apartment, where we usually went to get away from everyone. This time, to my surprise, he suggested that we head out for a walk— close to his lair, but far enough for us to stretch our legs a bit. We could feel more alone with each other, in peace and quiet, without the bustle of the pack beneath us.
I hadn’t been out of the mountain even once since I arrived, and The Woodlands was an absolutely beautiful place. Twining my fingers with his, I was looking forward to seeing where Bastien was planning to take me. But we didn’t make it far. We had barely walked halfway across the grassland in front of the Blackhalls’ mountain when I spotted my father. He was marching toward me, his jaw firmly set, a look of determination in his eyes. Behind him was a dragon, Neros. I guessed the League had finished their latest mission and returned to Kyle, who’d informed them of my whereabouts.
My heart sank to my stomach. Bastien and I stopped in our tracks, staring at him. My father reached us in seconds, and, glancing at Bastien briefly, set his focus on me. Somehow, I already knew what he was going to say before he even parted his lips.
“Victoria,” he said heavily, “I’m very disappointed that you came back here. You need to come home.”
I swallowed hard, my own disappointment clawing at my chest.
My shoulders sagged. “Well, I was planning to come home, anyway, after a few days…” I murmured.
“You need to come home with me, now,” he said.
I heaved a sigh. There were times when there was no arguing with my father, and I could already tell that this was one of them.
Bastien also looked cres
tfallen, but he turned to me, clutching both of my hands. “You must go with your father,” he said, his soulful gray eyes gazing down into mine.
I faced my father. “Okay, but… I have to visit Bastien again.” Soon.
I hated the doubt in my father’s expression. “Things between the dimensions are very, very turbulent right now, Vicky. We’ll talk about that in a week or so.”
I couldn’t help but feel that even if my parents did sanction my returning for another visit, it wouldn’t be nearly as long as this one. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to spend a full day, let alone a night… maybe just a few hours.
Bastien seemed to detect my dismay, I guessed because he was experiencing the same fear. He dipped his head and planted a chaste kiss on my lips before giving my hands another squeeze.
“We’ll be all right, Victoria,” he said quietly.
I nodded, even as I found myself wishing that somebody else had stepped up to take over the Blackhall tribe. But I knew how selfish it was of me to even think such a thing. This was Bastien’s place among his people. This was what he was meant to be doing. This was his duty.
“Okay,” I said, trying to turn my thoughts around and look on the bright side. The main reason it had been so unbearable the last time I had been separated from Bastien was because of the way we had parted. Him doubting me, and thinking that I might have betrayed him to the hunters. Not knowing whether he’d even survived the IBSI’s attack on Rock Hall. Now, the circumstances were totally different. I knew that Bastien was okay here. He had regained his home. And he had people around him—people who respected and appreciated him. He was no longer on his own.
“I should go fetch your dragon friends,” Bastien said.