Awaken

Chapter 13

  She found Alaric playing with the other children. Smiling at Tala, Titus and Draven she picked her toddler son up, sitting him down on her lap. Maverick joined them. This moment was for them as a family. Praying silently that Alaric would take the tea without much fuss she lifted the cup into his tiny hands.

  " Here Alaric, Mommy made you a special drink to help you with your sleep" she said to him softly.

  Alaric shoved her hands away lightly, his tawny brown hair wisped back and forth as he shook his head. " No Mama, no sleep no bad lady" he insisted.

  Maverick looked at her, his eyes grinning slightly. " Let me try love" he issued.

   She smiled, passing him their young son.

  " Alaric, I know you don't like the bad lady, and neither do Mama and I. This drink right here, this is a warriors potion, it's going to help chase her away so only good dreams come to you. Can you be my tough guy and give it a sip?" Maverick encouraged the boy.

   Alaric bit his lips, his eyes searching his Father's face for any sign of deceit. Nova bit back a grin, stubborn boy indeed. She was caught off guard by the slight tugging of her dress at her legs, looking down to find young Draven reaching up to join them.

   She leaned down lifting him up on to her lap. Alaric turned to face the other child, offering him the cup.

   " Draven, you drink it" he demanded.

   Draven's big brown eyes peered over the lip of the cup and he shook his head vigorously. " No, Ric, you. You drink it. No more mean friend" he whispered.

   Nova shared a glance with Maverick. Children always seemed to know more than they let on to. She watched as Alaric stared at his friend. Her heart melting as he brought a chubby fist to Draven's shoulder, resting it there in comradery.

   " Okay, I do. No more mean friend" the boy stated firmly. 

  He gripped the cup between his tiny hands, sipping the poppy tea as fast as he could. Once he had finished he held the cup to his Mother, beaming proudly at having completed the task.

  " A job well done, Alaric. You make Mommy so proud!" Nova cheered.

  Maverick stood, lifting the boy in his arms. " And your Father. Good work Draven" he said, holding his hand out to the other child.

 Draven grinned shaking the older man's hand, his chest puffed with pride.

  " I go with Ric?" he asked.

  Nova smiled, bending down so they were eye to eye. " No little one, you cannot go with Alaric but he will be back before you know it. Come now, it's time for you to get ready for bed. The sun has gone to sleep and so must you" she told him.

  Draven nodded, reaching his hand to her. He pointed at Alaric, who was curled into his Father's broad shoulder. " Ric sleeping too" he noted.

  " Yes he is. Come now, your Mama will want to tuck you in."

  They walked together, Nova delivering Draven to Dianna and Mikael before joining Maverick and a fully asleep Alaric.

  She wasted little time. Changing from her work dress into trousers and one of Maverick's tunics, belting it across her waist to hold it into place.

  " Aren't you going to run in wolf form?" Maverick asked her.

  She nodded her head as she twisted her long hair into a bun on the top of her head, tucking away a few loose strands as she turned to face him.

  " Yes, Cora will carry Maverick and my bag on my back, these are for during the ritual. We are going to be in the caves, I want to be prepared in case it's cold" she explained to him.

  Maverick clicked his tongue and nodded his head. " That makes sense" he murmured, his head resting against their son's.

  Nova walked to him, her arms wrapping around his waist and head resting on the boy's legs. She heard Maverick take a breath in.

  " You will always smell of orchids and a hint of strawberry. I am so blessed to have found such a perfect mate, and to be the Father of such a tough little pup. I love you both more than life itself. I , better than anyone, know not to doubt the path Selene has set for us but I can't help feeling afraid, Nova. Promise me that you will come home to me. At any sign of trouble you rush back here or call for me" Maverick whispered to her.

  She squeezed her arms around his waist. " I promise you Maverick, we will be back and I will protect him with my life at any costs."

 He lifted her chin with his finger, his eyes full of unshed tears. " That's what I am afraid of. I know I will have Alaric no matter what, but I couldn't bear to lose you. So, just tell me you will be safe and come home."

 She kissed the finger under her chin. " I promise Maverick. Come, it's dark out, and time for us to go" she murmured.

  He sighed, giving her a short nod.

  They walked into the main room. Felix and Rosalie were saying their goodbyes as well as Ronan and Cora. Dianna and Mikael stood by the door along with the handful of warriors chosen to accompany them.

  " Are we ready?" Nova stated.

 The group gave a collective nod and they headed to the front yard, the wolves instantly shifting.

 Through Dia's eyes, she watched as Maverick placed Alaric into Cora's hands. The weight on her back signaling her sister and son were ready. She would carry them to the caves. Maverick bowed his head toward Dia, who answered by licking his hand and brushing her tail on his leg.

 " Are you ready sweet one?" Dia asked her.

 " I am as ready as I think I ever will be for this Dia. You have all of my trust" Nova responded.

 Dia answered her with a long howl, and soon the other wolves joined in.

 She felt the chills on her arm as she listened to the sound of her kind fill the night air, a prayer to their Goddess for the safety of those on this venture and a song to the Moon itself in praise.

  Dia sped off, leading the way with Rosalie and the others close behind them. It had been decided that Dianna would ride atop Rosalie and Mikael and the other vampires had mounted the rest of the wolves. The vampires could have easily ported them to the caves, but they needed to be at full strength in case any trouble did occur.

  " Dia, how long will this ceremony take? When will I know my son is safe and all dark forces have been cast from his mind?" she asked her wolf.

 " You will know when Rosalie sets fire to the shadow. As far as how long this takes, well that is up to Alaric and whatever force is inside of him. If our theory is correct and this is indeed the work of Assandra, we must be prepared for it to be a battle for the boy. I have no doubts we can defeat her, but I also know better than to under estimate an enemy such as her" Dia remarked.

Nova murmured her agreement. She took the time while they traveled to speak to Selene.

" Mother, Goddess, please hear me in this time of uncertainty. Please give me the strength and the courage I need to heal my son. Guide myself and my sisters , our wolves , to cast away that which harms my child and myself. If I meant to be who Dia says I am, then let it be" she pleaded.

A wave of calm washed over her as she whispered the words, and Nova felt certain they would be successful. Up ahead she could see the caves, the mouth of the entry gaping open in wait for their arrival. Beyond the looming stone, the sound of waves touching shore resonated within her ears, as though Amphitrite herself was ushering them forward. This was all part of a greater destiny, if not for her than for Alaric himself. It was terrifying, for sure, but it was a part of some bigger plan.

She watched as Dia's massive paws connected with the earth beneath them , every step bringing them closer to their purpose. Her heart thudding with anticipation.

Up ahead in the distance, glaring red eyes watched Nova and the rest of her party close in on the cluster of caves. Kya smiled to herself, sniffing the air and embracing the scent of fear and blood as it wafted through her nostrils.

Soon she would have her moment of revenge, the very reason for her recreation was upon her. The low sound of hissing vampires reached her , and she whipped around, eyes gleaming.

" Shut up, you idiots! Do you want them to hear you?" she snipped at her companions.

The creature closest to her bowed his head, his tongue flicking across his fangs as he acknowledged her command. " Sorry Mistress, but can you smell it? Can you smell the flesh? It's just as Mother promised" he sneered.

Kya grinned slowly at him, grabbing his face quickly between her long clawed fingers. " I smell it, I practically taste it, and if you so much as step on a twig, I will snap your neck. I've waited a very, very long time for this moment and you and the rest of these ...creatures...are this close to f*****g it up!" she hissed at him.

She shoved him away, leaving him to rub his jaw where her fingernails had been. He kept his eyes downward, giving her a short nod before crouching back down behind the tall grass that kept them shielded.

Satisfied, she turned her attention back toward the small party that approached the caves. Werewolves had an amplified sense of smell and Assandra had done her best to mask her children against it. Kya held her breath as she watched the first of the group arrive, if they were going to be discovered it would be now. She let the breath out slowly as she watched the big black wolf sniff the air. The beast circled around the entrance of the cave a few times, but never once looked in their direction. She smiled, they were in the clear.

The rest of the party arrived and Kya counted ten altogether. An easy match for the fourteen vampires and herself. She refused to accept the term as her own, after all, her wolf was still alive. No, she was different. While she feasted on blood and had a thirst for it, Kya was much stronger than a normal vampire. Her speed alone was matched to that of a wolf. She was fierce and lethal, much like she had been as a wolf. Now, however she was much more than just a large furry dog.

Her tongue skimmed across her lips as she watched the wolves shift into their human forms. One in particular with auburn hair and eyes that shined like emeralds in the early moonlight had her attention. She sniffed the air, locating Nova's specific scent and focused all of her attention on it.

She felt her own shift happening, her wolf pawing to come out and wreak terror on the group below her. No, Kya was not a vampire.

She was a nightmare.