Chapter 1
As so often happens, when something feels too good to be true -- it is. Reality, no matter how unwelcome, always finds a way to waltz back in.
Pain - familar and devastating - jolted through Cole's body as he held her. He groaned, involuntarily. Loosened his grip on the woman he loved.
'I'm... not yet at full strength,' Andreas explained. His breathing came labored and heavy.
Guilt. Regret. Embarrassment all clouded Kara's features. She blinked until her eyes returned to normal and unraveled herself from Cole's arms.
Shit.
"This was a mistake," she choked.
"No -" Cole protested, reaching for her. When he saw the blackened veins on his hand and wrist, he paused, too tainted to touch her.
"I can't do this, Cole," she pleaded, just above a whisper.
Before he could say anything else, she hurried out of the backroom, leaving him alone with his coat - the symbol of their parting he hadn't wanted to accept.
'I'm sorry,' Andreas panted.
'Not your fault.' Cole was still reeling from what just happened.
What had just happened? He'd never seen this coming. Hundreds of years waiting, dreaming, yearning for her, now he had her within reach... and she didn't want him.
He wiped the black and red dribble of blood from his nose with the back of his hand and picked up his coat.
His phone was in the left pocket - a dead, useless brick without a charge. Turning it back on to see all the calls and texts he'd missed filled him with dread.
This was such a shitshow. He'd officially been Confirmed as King of the Werewolves, and then vanished? Again? How could he explain? Just thinking about all the work he'd have to do to win back the trust of his kin made his head throb.
But all that paled in comparison to how imperative it was that he persuade Kara to give them a chance in this life.
The minute he'd had her in his arms, his rage had clarified and redirected toward the one who was truly at fault - the one responsible for ripping them apart.
Fire and fury lit anew inside him as he pulled on his jacket and stumbled back into the café lobby. If he could just talk to her -
"Whoa, nice costume, dude." A guy dressed as a mummy leaned against the wall with a neon green cocktail in his hand. He admired the splintered black veins along Cole's neck. "You're, like, a zombie, right?"
"Uh," Cole clapped his hand over his neck to hide the affliction out of habit. "Sure."
"Siiick."
Turning away, he scanned the room for Kara. Andreas was too weak to scent her. He'd have to rely on his eyes.
But there was too much interference. Too many bodies. Too much flashing light. He shouldered his way through the throng of people.
'You did the right thing,' Rhonwen reassured her. 'It seems both Andreas and I are as of yet unable to filter the toxins.'
Kara watched the bit of darkness on her wrist recede. Rhonwen had taken the brunt of the damage, but it would be a while before she could withstand the full effects.
Her heart thundered in her chest, racing from the feel of Cole's embrace, still fresh on her lips. Her body had responded to his of its own accord, muscle memory kicking in like well-rehearsed music. A song her soul knew all too well. She covered her heart with one hand and tried to breathe.
It certainly didn't feel like she'd done the right thing. Not with the way he had looked at her like she'd run him through with a blade. This was just what she'd feared - the anger and betrayal in his eyes at learning she was the one who'd taken something precious from him : His memories.
Memories of her. Of any and everything tied to her, including the wolf he'd fought and named to save her. The years he'd spent without her. And the -
Kara shook her head, banishing the most important thing she'd kept from him from her mind.
He wanted to know why.
When he knew, he would understand.
Understand that he was better off without her.
Everything was her fault.
At the time, the choice had been obvious. Back then, even with only fragments and traces of her past, she hadn't been able to stand the sight of her own reflection.
Now, she was hiding away in the bathroom, barely able to stand the sight - the presence - of him. Waiting for him to give up on her.
Kara wracked her brain trying to come up with any way out of this situation.
'We could always leave,' Rhonwen said.
'I can't ditch my own party.' At least, that's what she told herself. But she couldn't risk running in to Cole again, not while they were both so weak. Sneaking out of the party might be the only way... She sighed. How long had she planned this event only to have her past come a-knockin' to ruin it?
She could re-do the spell! Better this time. Stronger now that she had all the recipes. Now that she remembered how.
'I'm afraid that won't do, Karalyn.' Rhonwen objected. 'The Order and the Wolves have a symbiotic relationship. They need him, as do we. I understand you were afraid but, if I had been with you then, I never would have approved your memory-binding spell.'
She groaned. 'Then I have to disappear. Somewhere he can't find me.'
Rhonwen winced. She didn't like the idea of leaving Andreas behind. 'I-'
The sound of Kara's phone ringing in her pocket cut her off.
Mom lit up the screen.
She picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, honey!" Her mother had to yell over the thumping music playing in the café lobby. "I finally dragged your dad out of the house! Where are you?"
"I - I'm in the bathroom. I'll be right out."
"Okay, sweetie. Take your time. Can't rush nature."
After a moment bracing herself, Kara pulled open the bathroom door.
And ran into Addison.
"Kara!" Her friend cried. "I'm so, sooo sorry."
Kara's brow furrowed, confused. Sorry for what?
"I didn't know -! You and your boyfriend -!"
She blinked. Then, her cheeks flushed rose red. She'd forgotten Addison had walked in on them. "He's... Not my boyfriend," she mumbled, although saying that somehow made it worse - like she was hooking up with random guys in the backroom. "Anyways, it's fine. We shouldn't have been back there in the first place."
Suddenly, Kara had an idea.
"Addy, I known it's a big ask... But do you mind overseeing the rest of this party? I hate to spring it on you. There are only a few hours left."
"I don't mind! Megan and I have this under control! Completely under control."
"Thank you so much. I'll definitely make it up to you both."
Now to find her parents and make a break for it.
Kara gave Addison's witch costume a once over and asked, "may I borrow your hat?"
"I can barely stand this heat."
Lorcan wiped the sweat from his forehead and grimaced.
"We're nearly there," Yo'a answered.
Word had traveled fast of a wealthy Bey, nobility of the scorching lands, in search of an escort for his youngest daughter.
"Hope you got your facts right, Colewyn." Lorcan glared at his companion, resting in the back of the caravan. He was hunched around his sword, protectively. The way he always clutched that thing, it was easy to assume he preferred the company of silent steel to that of his eclectic duo of friends.
"The reward will be enough for us to finally part ways, if he did." Yo'a smiled at the idea. It filled her with relief. Not that she didn't enjoy traveling with her two gruff companions. It was certainly the change she had needed in her life. But, to her surprise, she had come to miss The Temple after all.
"Hmph," Lorcan grunted.
Colewyn said nothing. It would have been more noteworthy if he had ventured a response. Despite their extensive time together, his companions knew little about him or his motivations, man of few words that he was.
A quiet fire drove him forward and the results spoke for themselves. Few crossed blades with him and lived to talk about it.
"Ha! We're here!" Yo'a cried. "Told you we were close."
The caravan passed under two stone arches into a sandstone palace, open and green, despite the intense rays of the sun. Flowing streams of water lined the walls and led to a pond in the middle of the open space.
The life of the water cooled the area, relief from the outdoor heat.
Lorcan and Colewyn exited the caravan. It always fell to Yo'a to handle payment, but she was used to it.
"Ah, water at last." Lorcan headed straight for the pond, hoping to drink or wash his hands.
Just as he bent over, a booming voice rang out.
"Stop there, traveler."
He looked up.
"That is no ordinary water." A man stood at the top of a short staircase, dignified and imposing despite his age.
"Looks ordinary enough to me," Lorcan mumbled bitterly.
The man chuckled. "Many an outsider has said the same. Now, follow me."
