Page 54 of Rising Reign (The Wolves of Crescent Creek #3)

WREN

I was flying. Completely weightless and soaring through the air. But everything was warm. Like a Caribbean sky. I never wanted to leave.

But there were voices. Some force trying to pull me back.

I frowned. I didn’t want to go back. It was lovely here.

“Don’t scowl at me, Birdie. You’ve been napping for long enough.”

Birdie. Something about that tugged at me.

“Little Warrior, we need you,” a deep, alpha voice called.

“He’s right, Kitten. We’re a mess without you.”

Kitten.

My eyelids fluttered, and light pierced through that was almost too bright.

“There she is,” Brix rasped.

It took me a second to put names with faces and for every part of me to come back to myself. I shot up on a gasp. “Locke! ”

“Right here.” He leaned into me, wrapping me in his arms.

I twisted in his hold, my fingers lifting to his neck to trace the scars there. “You’re okay.” Tears filled my eyes. “You’re really okay?”

Locke dropped his forehead to mine. “I am. And so are you.”

My tears fell faster. “I thought I’d lost you.” I looked up as the rest of the guys climbed onto the bed, surrounding us. “I thought I’d lost all of you.”

Puck kissed my temple. “Never, Birdie. I’m going to be giving you hell until we’re old and gray.”

“He’s right,” Brix said, weaving his fingers through mine. “You’re stuck with us for eternity.”

Ender’s lips twitched. “She might be having second thoughts there.”

A meow sounded, and Princess leapt onto the bed, squawking up a storm as she crawled up my body.

One corner of Kingston’s mouth kicked up. “She’s been worried about you, too.”

I cuddled her to my chest. “Missed you, too.” I looked up at the guys. “What happened?”

They all shared a look, and dread pooled in my stomach.

“What?” I pressed.

Kingston laid a hand over my thigh, squeezing. “You took all the dark emotions from Red River and their mercenaries.”

Memories came back in flashes. Bastian slicing Locke’s throat and locking us behind wards. Admitting that he’d killed my mother. Telling me what he had planned for me.

“Rhys,” I whispered. “His voice was in my head. Telling me to use my empathic gifts.”

“Idiot,” Ender muttered.

Puck smacked his shoulder. “Well, he saved our asses twice, so maybe no name-calling.”

“What happened to Red River?” I asked.

Brix traced the shape of my tattoo through the blankets because he’d memorized every line. “It’s like you took all the badness from them. It left them to face what they’d done.”

“That’s the ultimate justice. Knowing all the harm you’ve caused and truly feeling it,” King rasped.

I looked at him. “Bastian?”

I wasn’t sure what I was hoping to hear. That he was dead? Jailed?

Kingston gripped my thigh tighter. “He’s gone, Wren. He’d done so much evil, his mind couldn’t process it. He had a heart attack.”

A phantom pressure bore down on my chest. The weight of so much heartache and pain. But as all my mates touched me, bringing their comfort, the pressure lifted as quickly as it came.

“Balance,” I whispered.

Locke’s brows pulled together. “What do you mean?”

“It’s something Hera told me. Our world needs balance, magic requires it. For balance to be restored, he needed to be taken.”

Locke’s lips brushed the side of my face. “We love you.”

“And I love you.” I looked around the room. “How’s everyone else?”

“Just fine,” Brix assured me.

“And being annoying,” Ender muttered. “They won’t leave until they’ve laid eyes on you.”

I laughed. “Too much peopling for you?”

“Far too much,” he griped.

My brow furrowed. “Rhys, you said he saved us twice. What was the other time?”

The room went completely quiet, and that dread returned to my belly.

“What happened?”

“He saved your life,” Kingston whispered.

I tried to search my mind for a memory of the time after I fell to the ground, but there was nothing. “How?” I asked .

Brix looked at Ender, who nodded. “Rhys gave you some of his blood.”

My frown deepened. I knew vampire blood had healing properties, but it wasn’t all that much stronger than the magic Hera could do. “Is Hera all right? Was she hurt?” It was the only reason I could think of for her not healing me.

Kingston shook his head. “She’s fine. But your injuries…they were more than she could handle.”

Ender gripped my foot through the blankets, his thumbs digging into the arch. “Rhys isn’t just a vampire. He’s a Nocturnae.”

My jaw went slack. I’d only heard the term a handful of times.

Nocturnae were what vampires came from. An ancient race with gifts that were whispered about but never known for sure.

It was said they’d lived for most of their lives in another dimension.

And if our supernatural world here on Earth got word that one was in our midst…

My eyes burned. “He risked everything for me.” I was already throwing off the covers and rising from the bed. “I have to thank him.”

“He’s gone.” There was such sadness in Ender’s voice. “He left the night after the battle without saying a word.”

An ache took root in my chest. “He’s all alone,” I whispered.

Ender’s gaze collided with mine. “He wants it that way.”

I shook my head. “He needs someone.”

“I know. But he has to make that choice,” Ender said.

Kingston pushed to his feet and wrapped me in a hug. “We’ll find a way to thank him. But for now, the rest of your friends—your family —want to see you.”

Those words were the best balm. I quickly showered with a spot from Brix to make sure I was steady. Puck blow-dried my hair while Locke picked out my comfiest sweats. King and Ender helped me dress. And then we were heading downstairs.

The sound of laughter and voices came from the kitchen, and those were a balm, too. I let them wrap around me as I moved toward them. When I stepped into the space, all talking ceased.

Clyde was out of his chair first, ambling toward me and pulling me into a hug. “Girlie.”

“I’m good.” My throat clogged with emotion, making it hard for the words to escape.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Damn straight,” Dina said. “You know I’ve got a bat, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

A choked laugh bubbled out of me.

“You don’t want to cross her, Wren,” Franco called.

Juan let out an exaggerated shiver. “She scares me.”

Clara stood from where she was cuddled with Hera on a window seat and crossed to me. She cupped my cheek as Clyde released me. “Truly worthy of the name your men have given you, Little Warrior.” She tipped her head to mine, the ultimate show of respect from an alpha.

“Clara,” I choked out.

“Honored to have you as a sister.”

“Beyond honored.” My gaze moved to Hera. “Thank you. For everything you have done.” That gaze trailed over everyone in the room. “All of you. You are truly the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given.”