Page 51 of Destined to the Lycan (The Shadow Realms #3)

Amara

M y eyes fluttered as I felt myself floating on a cloud.

I couldn’t recall the last time I wasn’t in deep pain or agony.

For what seemed like an eternity, my world had been nothing but an endless torture with my body burning as if I had been cast into hellfire.

I blinked at the bright light blinding me before realizing the cloud was in fact the most divine mattress I had ever lain on.

I stretched, emitting the least ladylike grunt, then let my limbs fall back down on the heavenly cushion feeling almost too groggy to get up.

Still lying down, I peered at my surroundings, stunned to find myself in a magnificent room.

It looked like an ancient Roman palace with insanely high ceilings, sculpted columns, and countless tall windows with long, sheer, white curtains.

Straight ahead, at least ten meters away from the bed, a giant set of French doors stood open onto what seemed to be a massive terrace or balcony.

I slipped out of bed, the beige stone tiles feeling lukewarm beneath my bare feet.

The long flowy white dress I was wearing gently caressed my skin with each step as I headed towards the balcony.

Only then did I realize this had to be some sort of palace in the sky or at least located very high in the mountain as I could see an endless valley sprawling far below.

But it was Lyall, leaning against the railing and looking down at the valley, who claimed my attention.

As with my previous encounters with him, he was bare chested with a white skirt draped around his waist. This time, it fell to his ankles unlike the knee length one he wore the first time we met.

He turned around as I approached and smiled at me with a deep affection laced with sadness that turned me upside down.

“Lyall,” I said as I closed the distance between us.

“Hello, Amara. It is good to see you awake,” he said in a gentle voice.

“Where are we?” I asked, glancing around us at the imposing temple-like palace, and breathtaking landscape surrounding us.

“This is my home in Nephilim Valley,” he said wistfully. “I have not been here in far too long.”

I slightly recoiled. “Nephilim? Are you an angel?”

He snorted and shook his head with an amused expression. “No one would ever call me an angel. I’m a doppelganger.”

I huffed. “You’re much more than that, and we both know it.”

He smiled, his expression softening. Although he didn’t answer, I took it as confirmation and chose not to press him further. We were all entitled to our secrets.

I walked up to the railing made of intricately carved stones and leaned forward to glance at the valley at an insane distance below. It looked as if a village had been established down there. To the left and right, other impressive mansions protruded from the mountain face.

“I always understood that Nephilims were angels, or rather the hybrid children of humans and angels. Is that why they named this place like this?”

“You could say that. Not all Nephilims have wings. Originally, they moved into the valley while their parents settled in these mountains so that they could be close to their offspring. But now, you have a great variety of people living here. You have angels, demons, fallen, cambions, and even grim reapers.”

“Wow! That is quite the eclectic society!” I said, impressed before a disturbing thought entered my mind. “How am I here? Did I die?”

He rested his elbow on the railing as he leaned against it and looked at me with a strange expression.

“No, Amara. You’re not dead yet.”

“But I’m dying,” I insisted.

“Yes, you are,” he said in a sympathetic tone. “It is inevitable.”

My shoulders slumped, and a wave of sorrow washed over me.

Long before I embarked on this journey, I had made my peace with the fact that I wouldn’t survive it.

Meeting Remus changed everything. I didn’t fear dying.

I just dreaded what it would do to him to be once again left behind while someone he cared about died to the Cursed Demon Wolf’s venom.

“So this is an illusion?” I asked with sudden understanding.

He nodded. “The pup suggested I take you here so that you wouldn’t suffer unnecessarily in the real world.”

My heart melted with love for my mate. Once again, he was proving that he would do anything to make me happy or make my life easier. I stared at Lyall with a pleading look.

“Please, look after Remus for me when I die. He will be devastated.”

All softness vanished from his face, tension and a hint of anger brewing under the surface.

“He’s still fighting to save you,” he grumbled.

I blinked in confusion. “Fighting? But you said—”

“I will let him explain everything to you. I hate your mate. Every fiber of my being wants to kill him,” he said angrily, taking me aback. “If not for you, I probably would have. For all that, he has earned my respect.”

I stared at him for a few moments. It took everything in my power not to challenge his words. Despite what he said, I knew at a visceral level that he didn’t actually hate Remus. I just felt guilty to be the cause of the sadness he felt.

“Remus is a good man,” I said softly.

He made an indistinct sound that could be both an angry growl and a grunt of assent.

“He would gladly die to save you, thus why he has earned my respect,” Lyall said reluctantly.

But my mind remained stuck on the first half of that statement. “Don’t let him die!” I exclaimed. “Whatever mad plan he’s putting together, please protect him. I don’t want to live without him.”

I flinched inwardly even as the words left my mouth. As much as I meant them, I could have been more sensitive in my wording not to further twist the knife in the wound.

“I’m well aware of that,” he said in a clipped tone, although I didn’t miss the pain in his eyes.

He turned his back to me and rested both hands on the stone railing, his claws extruding as they sank into the stone.

“You know, I would have died for you, too, Amara,” he said bitterly as he stared in the distance. “I could have offered you a much easier and far-less-painful path than the one you are treading.”

“I know, Lyall,” I said in an appeasing tone. “But we both would have regretted it later. You have a good heart. Somewhere out there, your soulmate will find you and will see what a wonderful male you are.”

He jerked his head to the left to glare at me over his shoulder. “Really? You see my good heart, and yet you don’t want me. So why would that hypothetical soulmate?”

“Because she will be destined to you!” I countered in a soft but firm voice. “I belong to another. It is how Fate intended things to be.”

“Why did the Weaver send you to me only to take you away?” he asked angrily, his eyes going out of focus. “Is that her way of punishing me?”

“No, Lyall. She’s not punishing you. She blessed me and Remus by putting you in our path,” I said with fervor. “Your good deeds will be rewarded. Karma will repay you a thousandfold.”

With a will of its own, my right hand settled on his cheek in a comforting gesture.

Lyall turned to face me and pressed his hand to the back of mine, leaning into my touch.

My heart shattered as he closed his eyes, his face taking on an air of deep pain and sorrow.

It lasted but a few moments. He released me and took a couple of steps back, his face suddenly devoid of any emotion.

I almost wondered if I had imagined this brief display of intense vulnerability.

“I will bring your mate to you,” he said in a conversational tone before waving at our mesmerizing surroundings.

“You have free rein here. Whatever you imagine or desire will happen. If you want to have wings and fly, visit an exotic place, or enjoy a feast fit for a king, you only have to wish it. Fear not, I will not spy on you.”

Before I could respond, Lyall vanished. Half a beat later, Remus appeared in his stead, looking utterly confused.

“Amara!” he exclaimed the moment he noticed me.

I threw myself into his arms. He effortlessly picked me up and spun us around as we kissed. When he stopped twirling, he didn’t put me down but kept me in his arms, my feet dangling above the floor. Arms wrapped around his neck, I feasted my eyes on his beautiful face.

“By Ferazan, this feels so real!” he whispered to himself.

“It’s an illusion by Lyall,” I explained softly.

His eyes widened in shock, then his face took on an air of disbelief laced with gratitude.

“What do you know… That doppelganger never ceases to amaze me. He brought you here so that you wouldn’t feel pain. I was sleeping next to you when I got pulled here. I thought this was just a much nicer dream. Seems like I will have to thank him for yet another thing.”

“Yet another thing?” I echoed with curiosity.

“Mmhmm. I have a lot to update you on,” he said with a grim expression.

He took my hand and led me to one of the three sets of comfortable couches on the immense terrace. He sat down then pulled me into his lap. I snuggled against him, my fingers absentmindedly playing with the short hair on his chest.

He launched into a detailed recounting of everything that happened after Ranael’s snake tail bit me. The way he’s been killing himself trying to run back freaked me out, but I nearly lost my mind upon hearing about his encounter with the witch.

“By the Gods! Why would she attack you?! Who was she?” I exclaimed.

“I don’t know,” Remus replied with frustration. “Although I have my suspicions. She was tall, slender, with very pale skin, and long blonde hair.”

“Any particular feature, like a scar or birthmark?” I asked, disappointed when he shook his head with an apologetic look.

“Sadly, I meet a lot of people in my trade. Pale, slender women with blonde hair are a dime a dozen when it comes to witches and arcanists, especially necromancers. I have encountered tons of them since moving to Willow Grove.”