Page 13

Dove

The sulfuric air singed my nostrils, the cold breeze against the heat from the demon flame. All around, the temple burned. I was there again, seeing my brothers and sisters strewn around, the sacred buildings burning. The dark night sky reflected dark orange from the fire. The eerie silence on the night, the lack of screams more terrifying than when they sounded.

“Why do you always come back to this place?”

a shadowy figure asked from next to me.

Seven?

The figure laughed, hiding in the shadows. “No, not Seven. You thought the same the last time you saw me. That night you were…playing with Enko and Kairos in the forest. Are we really so similar?”

I didn’t answer the familiar stranger’s question. I looked back out over the ashes of the temple, looking up at the boards above me, waiting for them to crush me as they always did. The wood cracked.

The figure dove forward as the building collapsed, grabbing hold of me and dodging the falling debris. When I looked up, I saw who it was.

The Lord of Nightmares.

I held my breath as my heart thumped against my throat in fear. “What are you doing here?”

“Do you fear this place?”

he asked, gesturing over the burning temple. The worst night of my life. “You don’t seem to.”

“No,”

I said, pushing myself from his hold and striding through the wreckage and searching for survivors.

“Dove,”

the Lord of Nightmares called as he jogged after me. “You can’t save anyone here. It’s not real.”

The realization almost jolted me from the dream, but the Lord of Nightmares grasped my arms, holding me in front of him. “Look at me. Stay for a moment. I need to know you’re okay.”

“You’re in my dream. You’re invading my mind.”

I panicked, jerking from his grasp and spinning around, the dreamscape around me fading and distorting with each second.

“Don’t tell your Fated about this. I need to explain before you go. Focus on me, stay here—”

he reached forward, grabbing me again, and some of the buildings around me fell back into place, returning from the darkness.

I wrenched loose—

“Little fox! Wake up! Dove!”

a voice called me awake.

I snapped my eyes open, my body covered in cold sweat. I grasped my thundering heart as Enko’s cool brown eyes met mine. Seven, Kairos, and Rhys stared at me.

“He was there, in my dream. Talking to me.”

I struggled to breathe. “The Lord of Nightmares.”

“Did you attempt to block him out?”

Rhys asked.

“What?”

I said, realizing that my one session of training had been completely forgotten during the encounter. “No. It was like he had control of it. When he touched me, things would get clearer, sharper. Like they were real. I think he’s been there before because he asked why I always go there.”

“What dream?”

Rhys asked. “What did he try to do to you?”

I shook my head. “It was the same nightmare I always have. When demons attacked my temple. He just talked to me. He didn’t do anything.”

“He has complete control of that realm, dreams and nightmares,”

Enko said dismally.

“He said he needed to see that I was okay. Why does he care?”

Seven chuckled darkly. “Don’t believe a word he says, Fated. He went rogue a long time ago. And he almost took Enko with him.”

“Quiet, Seven,”

Kairos hissed at my dark mate.

“What did he say to you?”

Rhys’ eyes disappeared in thought. “Tell us everything.”

“To not tell you that he was there. He said he had to explain something…It felt so real, like it was really happening,”

I began, the dream more vivid than any other. I shook my head. “It was just a dream.”

“It did happen,”

Kairos said. “He really had that conversation with you, Dove.”

“I thought you said he needed to be close to invade dreams,”

the Archfox accused Enko.

“He must have gotten stronger in the last few years,”

Enko said.

“That’s not possible. How many tails does he have?”

the Archfox interrogated, storming up to my giant mate.

Enko shook his head. “I don’t know. Gotta be at least seven now? Maybe more since he has full access to the Hellgate. He’s the only thing standing between kitsune and the demons in Lethe. He could have an unlimited stream of kills by now. It’s not like I keep tabs on him. Isn’t that your job? Doesn’t the Council have any clue of his strength?”

“Keep training her to shield her mind,”

the Archfox ordered as he turned to leave the room, collecting his books. He hesitated, glancing back at me and giving me a smile and a nod before leaving.

When he had gone, my other three Fated males approached. Enko sat at the bedside and touched my shoulder. “I’m sorry you had to deal with him, little fox. If I had known what he would become…Now, he’s out there wreaking havoc worse than a demon.”

I knew something was still missing, but the constant dodging of answers made me keep quiet.