“Now—as soon as possible. I don’t want him to suffer or risk being killed any longer than possible,” Sylara says.
Everyone nods around her. She starts discussing plans for how they will travel and what they will find when they get there.
“You have to go,” Lumi says.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“You have to go, you’re the only one who can communicate with Nyx. It could be vital information to help save him.”
I know she’s right. But I can’t leave her. I don’t trust anyone else with her safety. And I don’t trust that this isn’t some ploy by the Moonfire witches to have everyone trying to rescue Nyx, leaving Lumi practically unprotected and easy to kidnap.
“I can’t leave you.”
“Then, we’re both going.”
I shake my head.
“If the Moonfire witches are going to kidnap me, they’ll expect me to be here with little protection. We should all stick together. I promise I won’t go into danger. I’ll stay on the outskirts. Hide once we are near their territory. But I can’t remain here while everyone else goes.”
I grind my teeth together, hating my options. I wrap my hands around her neck and tilt her head to look up at me. “You can come, but you promise not to step one foot onto Moonfire land. You stay hidden. And if we all die, you run. You live. Promise me?”
“No blood deal?”
“I don’t need a blood deal from you, your word is enough, my mate.”
She looks into my eyes deeply for once as I call her my mate. And for once, I see the word settle around her, like she’s finally accepting it, even though we are on a rescue mission to save her lover. But I can see that my saying yes is winning her over; her heart is gradually beating more and more for me. She’s starting to trust me again.
Even still, I can see how hard this is for her to promise me.
“Please,” I say.
Her eyes darken and her heart speeds. “I don’t want to lie to you. I don’t want to promise you something and not keep my promise.”
“Then don’t. But you have to live. You can’t risk your life. You can’t risk getting captured. Everyone is counting on you. I promise, I won’t stop until I get Nyx back, alive. Trust my promise and I can trust yours.”
“But you are just as important as I am to breaking the curses.”
“The Moonfire witches can’t touch me. The deal I made with them long ago ensures my survival. I won’t let them capture me again. I’ve been practicing with my powers. Trust me. I promise I’ll come back to you with Nyx.”
She sucks in a sharp breath. “Then I promise you I won’t run into danger. I’ll keep myself safe.”
Chapter 27
Lumi
The intense feeling to turn around washes over me as we approach the Moonfire territory. The feeling sinks in easily, weighing each footstep down. This is the farthest I’ve ever run in my wolf form, but I feel like I could run another thousand miles. Until we got close to the Moonfire territory.
I look to the others surrounding me. We all look like we are walking through quicksand. Each footstep is painstakingly slow, taking all our energy to take the next one.
“Runes—they’ve marked every tree within a mile of their territory to prevent intruders. They know we’re here,” Ambrose says.
I suck in a breath. Knowing we never had a chance for a sneak attack to get Nyx back. But still, I hate that we are so easily discovered.
Kael shifts into his human form first, like he’s unable to keep a hold on his wolf form with the magic surrounding him. As soon as he does, others begin to follow suit—Emeric, then Brax, then Talonis, then Riven. The rest of the Moonlight and Bloodmoon pack members have already shifted. Sylara, Ambrose, and I are the only ones able to maintain our wolf forms.
I go to shift, but Ambrose says,“Don’t even think about it. Stay in your wolf form. It will keep you safe.”
I frown, but don’t argue. I watch as Sylara and him both shift. Amora leads the vampires, and they all approach us.