The Blood Moon Twins -
Chapter 144
CAULDER
"You've been waiting for me?" I asked. All of this time, I had thought I was alone, that there was a reason I couldn't speak to my wolf or why I hadn't heard from my familiar. However, here they were, waiting for me.
"You took longer than I expected to reach out," the tabby cat purred. I watched his movements carefully, trying to figure out if he was upset. He was still, except for a few blinks as he waited for me to respond. I didn't sense hostility or anger. In fact, he seemed filled with patience.
"I didn't realize that. I was expecting you to talk to me. I thought it was just something that happened," I admitted. I felt embarrassed and guilty at the same time. Everyone who I had talked to about this said that one day the voice just appeared in their heads, whether it was their wolf or familiar. I had waited patiently, hoping that they would come to me, but there had been daily silence.
"I was awoken early," my familiar went on. "I wasn't supposed to be here this early. I couldn't seem to get past the final barrier that has been blocking my voice. I needed you to reach out to me, break through the barrier first. You had to make the final connection, and there was no way I could tell you this."
"I..." My voice trailed off. I straightened my shoulders. There was no reason to feel guilty. I didn't know it was up to me to reach out first. No one told me, and how would they have known? My situation was unique. My magic wasn't supposed to emerge fully for a few more years, and it was rare for a sorcerer to survive that much trauma.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out," I finally said.
The tabby cat purred and stood up. "It is what it is at this point. Muddy and I are just grateful you are here now."
I looked at my wolf and said, "Muddy? Is that his name?"
My familiar looked back at my wolf. "That's what I've been calling him. He doesn't seem to mind it, not that he has said as much."
"And what should I call you?" My wolf had a name. My wolf was real. Something stirred inside of me as all of this became real. It was one thing to be told I had a wolf after several years of feeling like I was broken, like I wasn't a real werewolf. It was another to stand in front of my wolf and familiar and see for myself that I wasn't alone and never had been.
"Coal," he said simply. He sat down again and licked his paw.
I walked over to them and crouched in front of them. "It's an honor to finally meet both of you."
Muddy was taller than me as I sat in this crouched position. I reached out my hand, letting him sniff it as if he were an unknown dog. I knew he was a part of me, but since we had never spoken, I didn't want to assume anything. I wanted him to get a feel for me first. Muddy pushed past my hand and licked my face, dragging his tongue along my cheek. I felt the familiarness in his touch. The instincts that allowed me to change into my wolf form in a single heartbeat. The draw to Harper, telling me she was my mate. The growls and anger I felt when my family and my mate were threatened. All of these emotions were tied to my wolf, and I knew he was a part of me in a deeper way than I had ever imagined.
I stroked my hand on his head, and he panted with delight. I knew him, and he knew me. "Do you really like being called Muddy?" I asked as I watched him sink into the head pats I was providing.
He huffed in response, a sign of approval.
"Well, then, it's a pleasure to formally meet you. I just wish it was under different circumstances." I adjusted myself so I was sitting flat on the ground now. Muddy responded by lying down and resting his head on my lap.
He was large, and I could feel his alpha energy flowing into the air and through me. He was strong, and I knew he could be fierce if he so chose to. However, in this moment, he was a big softie, just looking for comfort. I mindlessly scratched behind his ear and turned to Coal.
"Do you know what's coming?" I asked.
His yellow eyes stared back at me, holding a weight I had never seen from an animal before. "I can feel the powers lurching for us," he said. He didn't move towards me, keeping a healthy distance away. His actions didn't feel cold. No, they were calculating and careful, but his heart beat with mine, and I knew he could feel the fears running through my veins. He just wasn't as affectionate as Muddy.
"I'm going to need both of you tomorrow," I said. "I need you to think faster than me, controlling my limbs when I'm too slow. We have to work seamlessly as one, making up for the weakness of the others. There won't be any room for error."
"It might not be enough," Coal said. Under different circumstances, he might've sounded pessimistic, but instead he was just voicing the thoughts in my head.
"We have to try still. There is too much at stake," I said. I refused to give up before even trying.
"I know." Coal took a few steps towards me. "I can feel the precipice of change hanging over our heads. There's only a few ways tomorrow can end, and I have seen all of them."
"What did you see?" My words came out more eagerly than I had intended. "How do we win tomorrow?" I didn't fully understand how Coal could have seen the possible futures when the only visions I had experienced were ones directly with Remy. I hadn't been able to have visions of the past or future on my own. I seemed more adept at controlling space and time in the present, while Remy was better at looking into the past or present. It was like we had received different aspects of Cain's time magic. "Remy is the key," Coal whispered. "Save her from herself, and it'll give us the best shot at the future you want."
Before I could ask him more details, my lungs gasped for air, and I was sitting in the forest again. The voices in my head were once again as silent as this forest. My heart pounded in my chest as I oriented myself. I tried to will myself back into that room. I wasn't done talking to Coal and asking my questions. If he had seen multiple futures, it meant he saw exactly how we would win. I needed that information more than I needed to take my next breath.
However, I kept hitting a wall in my own head.
"We have to save our magic for tomorrow," Coal finally said after my last attempt to break through that mental wall. "I can't give you the answers you are looking for, so don't waste your energy. Just know that you have to follow your heart and don't let go of Remy." My mind went silent again, but I still wasn't satisfied. I debated about trying one last time to return to that room inside my head and force Coal to give me the answers I wanted. Instead, I stood up, deciding to leave it alone. I needed to trust my wolf and familiar. That was the point of reaching out to them. I wanted to make sure we were on the same page, so if Coal said he couldn't give me the answers, I decided to trust his words.
-
REMY
The next day flew by. We went over the battle plans with Cain to make sure everyone was on the page. The scouts Cain had stationed nearby confirmed the movement of both vampires and sorcerers. They would arrive just before the sun set. There would only be a few minutes after they arrived before we knew if this was going to end in a peaceful agreement or in bloodshed.
Others seemed hopeful. Cain used to have strong ties to Winslow. He could make the Council of Magic see reason.
A few days ago, I still held onto that same hope, but now I doubted any of that to be true. If Cain had such a strong pull over the Council of Magic, he wouldn't have given up his magic and ran away from them. The council was selfish and power hungry, and Winslow had already made up his mind about us. He wouldn't compromise and back off just because an old friend pleaded with him-if he had even considered Cain to be a friend at one point. What he had been willing to put Caulder through said enough.
As time ticked by, I couldn't sit still. I checked on our own warriors repeatedly, trying to make sure they were okay and ready for the fight. I wanted to do something to feel useful before the fight broke out. If I sat still for too long, my thoughts began to spiral, and I couldn't let myself go down that path.
I started doing my rounds once again, but this time a hand caught mine.
"Where do you think you're going?" Blade teased, pulling me into him. I had hardly seen him all day, since he had been working with others to make sure Cain's people were as prepared for the vampires as we were.
"I was just going to-"
Blade cut me off with a kiss, which was the perfect distraction. My body melted into his arms, making me realize just how tense I actually was.
When he finally pulled away, I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why did you bother asking if you were just going to interrupt me?"
He chuckled, tucking a piece of loose hair behind my ear. "I was hoping you'd say something other than 'harassing the warriors to make sure they were ready,' but when you started to say that, I decided it was better to just distract you." "I haven't been harassing them," I weakly defended. "I was just trying to help."
Blade's gaze softened. "I know, but how about you do everyone a favor and come relax with me while we still have the chance. You're just putting everyone else on edge."
I bit my lip and looked down. "It wasn't my intention. I was just trying to help."
He lifted my chin and gave me a smile. "You've done everything you can. Now take the last little bit of time we have and rest with me. We need you focused and ready."
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