I fought for consciousness, but it just wouldn't come. I was aware of the hardwood floor under me, the musty-smelling air around me, and the sound of battles raging outside. But the poison from the dart was keeping me securely under, and it felt like I was floating in outer space.
But the floaty feeling was the better of the two situations I was facing because when the dreams came, they were both incredibly realistic and powerfully traumatizing all at once.
Over and over again I dreamt of the ones I cared for the most being killed. My parents, who had moved back to Norway long ago, freezing to death. Laura and the rest of my team being torn apart fighting demons, Faye and Sienna in demon clutches, and Julian having his throat ripped out by a shadowy, nameless wolf.
I tried to fight my way back to the surface, but there was no escape. I was trapped in a nightmare, and there was nothing I could do about it. In a fit of desperation, I reached for my mate bond, and then that tiny well of magic within me that I used for simple spells. The only power my witch blood had given me.
It didn't wake me up, but slowly, the nightmares faded and the dream changed. A bright figure appeared to me, stepping out of the darkness and pushing it aside like a heavy velvet curtain. She was impossibly tall and glowing, her beautiful body clad only in gossamer strands of light. She seemed to be made of sunlight itself, and as she came closer I could see that her features kept shifting between human and wolf.
"Whitney," she said in a voice like wind chimes. "You have to embrace your blood gift if you want to reach your full strength."
"I can't," I tried to argue, but my voice wouldn't work. I tried to lift my hands to touch her, but I was paralyzed.
"It doesn't matter if you only have a little witch blood—you can still get stronger. You need to train harder, and reach deep within yourself for the power that is waiting for you."
"Why? Why do I need it?"
"You must protect your child," the glowing woman said. "Your child is destined to be powerful, but they will need your guidance. You must embrace your blood gift if you want to save them from their fate."
"I don't understand."
She smiled, and her eyes were sad. "You will. In time."
"How can I save them if I'm just a hunter? That's not enough."
"It is. You are stronger than you know, Whitney Gray. The work will be hard, but at the end of it, there will be joy unlike any you've ever known. With the Alpha at your side, you are unstoppable."
I could feel the tears streaming down my face. “Okay. Okay. I will try."
The dream shifted again, and I found myself standing on a battlefield. The glowing woman was at my side. There were dead demons all around us, and the stench of blood was thick in the air. She looked at me and grinned, bloodthirsty—a goddess of light, and a goddess of battle, all in one.
"We did it," she said, gripping my arm. "We won."
I grinned back at her, relief washing over me. "We did it," I echoed. "We won."
"Now, inhale, and awaken."
I woke up in my mate's arms, gasping for air. It took me a moment to realize where I was, and what had happened. As my heartbeat slowed and my breathing returned to normal, I was able to take stock of my situation. I was inside the old, abandoned house, lying on the floor with Julian holding me. Laura was standing over us, a concerned look on her face.
"Whitney," Julian breathed my name like a prayer. "Whitney. Whitney. You're awake."
"I'm awake," I mumbled, my throat dry. I could taste something bitter on the back of my tongue and wondered if it was the sedative. Besides that, though, I felt…good. Strong, even.
"I need to get you out of here," he said urgently. "This is dangerous."
I frowned, trying to remember what had happened before I'd lost consciousness. I'd been attacked by demons, and I knew they'd wanted me for something. I looked beyond Julian and was shocked to see that a full-on war was being waged outside of the old house. "What in the hell—?"
"No time for chit-chat," A tall, thin figure brushed an angry Laura aside and knelt next to us. Saul grabbed my face and checked my pupils before Julian could protest, but Saul seemed satisfied and brushed his hands together. "She's fine. Give her a blade and let's end this."
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
Saul just shook his head. "That's a story for later."
"He's right," Julian said. "We have to stop the demons before they get inside."
My brain was still fuzzy, but the urgency of the situation was slowly dawning on me. If the demons got inside the house, it would be over for all of us. I pushed myself up into a sitting position, and then carefully stood. The floor was shaky beneath my feet, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I needed to get back in the fight.
I saw Laura had her sword out and was standing guard in front of the door. There were growls and yells from outside, and I knew that we didn't have much time before the demons reached the house.
"Give me a weapon," I said, holding out my hand to Julian.
He frowned. "Are you sure you're okay? You were hit with a dart full of poison."
"I'm fine," I insisted. "Now give me a fucking knife."
He reached down and unclipped one of the many blades from his belt, placing it in my hands. I gripped the hilt tightly, feeling the familiar weight of the weapon in my palm. I took a deep breath, trying to push away the fear that was creeping up on me. I was still feeling a little lightheaded from the poison, and my vision was blurred at the edges. But I wasn't about to let that stop me from helping to fight off these demons.
"I can't let you fight," Julian said, his voice low and urgent. "You're not well, Whitney. You need to stay here and rest."
I glared at him, my blood boiling. "I'm not some fragile flower you need to protect. I can take care of myself. Let's do this."
Before he could protest again I rushed forward to join Laura, who took enough time to squeeze my shoulder affectionately and exclaim, "Glad you're back!" before running back into the fray.
Julian was beside me again, but he had given up trying to stop me. "Stay on the edges. We're almost done here anyway. And don't get far from me."
"I've got it," I growled, rushing forward to help Laura and a few others fend off the last wave of demons.
The demons were still coming at us, but they were clearly losing the battle. The sun had risen and the demons died in front of a stunning sunrise. We were surrounded by the pops of dying demons, and many of them were beginning to retreat.
"We're winning," Laura yelled over the chaos. "We've got them on the run now!"
The rest of the Red Canines cheered as the demons began to scatter, finally realizing that they were outnumbered. The ones who remained were quickly defeated, and soon we were left standing victorious in the blood-stained field.
"We did it," I breathed, hardly able to believe it. "Now…does anyone want to fill me in on what's going on?"
***
Julian was attached to me like a tick after the battle, and barely let me help gather the wounded and offer help. Someone passed around bottles of water, and I sat in a loose circle with Julian, Laura, and Saul, who pieced together the last few hours for me.
The biggest shock was the large group of wolves around us—the Red Canines. I was sure every one of them would rather watch Julian die than fight beside him. "How'd we go from 'get out by 7 am or else' to being war buddies?"
"Naomi." Everyone said at once.
Laura clarified. "Julian sent out a mass text—from my phone, since he's the world's most hated wolf—about what was going on. We never expected that she'd manage to rally the pack and send them out here, but it was a nice surprise considering we were about to die."
That made my stomach clench. "You should have left me and gone to get reinforcements."
Julian shook his head once, grunting. "Fuck no. They said they were going to bleed you dry for some ritual. There was no way I was leaving."
His words triggered something in my memory, snatches of words I had picked up when I was unconscious. "I heard them talking!" I gasped, nearly jumping to my feet. "They were talking about needing witch blood for a portal ritual, or something along those lines. I mostly heard 'witch blood' and 'portal' over and over again."
"Shit," Laura spat, turning to look at the others. "That makes sense."
The group was silent for a moment before Julian spoke up. "We have to go back into the house and see what they left behind. Once it's clear, we'll burn it to the ground."
We started to go over plans, Julian keeping a hand on my knee the entire time, and I was anxious to get away from the battlefield to confirm that the baby was alright. I still hadn't told Julian, and the guilt was eating me alive, but I wasn't going to risk telling him only to find out that the sedative dart had harmed the pregnancy somehow.
We were interrupted when a Red Canine member, still in his leather biker jacket, made his way over and pointed at Julian. "You. Danny wants to talk to you."
Everyone froze. "He's here?" Julian managed to ask. "Look, Man, I don't want to fight after all this—"
"Not a fight," the wolf said. "Just talk. Come on."
I was surprised that Julian would agree so easily, but after a brief hesitation, he rose from his place and followed the Red Canine, who led him over to a small group of men gathered under a tree. I watched as Julian was pulled into the middle of the group, and they began to talk in low voices.
"What's that about?" I asked Laura, who was sitting beside me.
She shrugged, her face unreadable. "Guess we'll find out soon enough. I'm going to go hover and see if I can pick up any of what they're saying."
When it was just Saul and I, I went to stand, hoping to do the same as Laura and prevent any altercations between the two Alphas if they arose, but Saul stopped me with a single word. "Sit."
I sat.
The intimidating-looking witch leaned forward, speaking in a low voice. "You've got to tell him you're pregnant."
"Who says I'm pregnant?" I asked, trying to play dumb.
"Please. You don't need a spell to know that you're knocked up."
"How did you know?" I hissed.
Saul smirked. "I didn't, until just now."
"Fuck," I muttered.
"I already had a suspicion. I've always been able to tell you had a slight magic gift, but it felt different. What are you going to do?"
I shook my head. "I have no idea. I haven't told anyone yet, besides Laura. I've barely had time to process it myself."
"He needs to know," Saul said, his voice firm. "It's not fair to either of you to keep this a secret. He might have been more careful and less reckless if he knew."
"No…he wouldn't."
Saul huffed a laugh. "Yeah, okay, you're right. But still. You're telling him. Now."
I glared at him, my anger rising. "I don't need you telling me what to do. I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions."
He didn't back down. "Yeah, and those decisions almost got you killed today."
The words hit me like a slap in the face, and I stood up suddenly. "You can't talk to me like that. I'm not a child."
Saul rose slowly, and I had to admit, he was scary. He was tall and lean, and there was a certain power that radiated from him. He looked at me with narrowed eyes. "You're right. You're not a child. But you are acting like one. Stop being selfish and tell your mate the truth. The baby is fine, by the way. The sedative was harmless."
Relief washed over me. “Oh, thank—"
"Tell him. Now. Or I will." He looked over to the group of wolves, but Danny and Julian were standing apart from the others now. "Oh, and your bitch friend stole my truck. You owe me a favor."