“It knows you,” Hurst said, causing my stomach to drop. “It’s very old. A book of long buried secrets, it has been passed through only the hands of those who can read it.”
Gently, as if the pages might crumble at his touch, Hurst opened the book. It was written in an old language, one I did not recognize. I gripped my latte tight, afraid to let it go for fear it would spill.
“What does it say about me?” Oddly enough, the apprehension I’d been feeling was gone in the presence of the book. No longer did I fear the answer. How strange.
“It says many things about many beings. A Hound of God bound to the darkness is indeed one of them. It comes with a warning for you. Beware the angel with black wings.”
I pursed my lips, frowning at the book. It didn’t take a magic book to make me aware of the dangers of demons. I mean, hello, demons.
“I assume that means Shya.” I watched the book closely, wishing I could read it for myself.
“There is danger in assumption.” Hurst’s wrinkled hands caressed the pages affectionately. “What is it that you fear most?”
I had no response to that. I feared many things. Death at Arys’s hand. Failing to carry out the purpose we were created for. The loss of myself, my wolf.
“You have all that you need,” he continued. The candle flame flickered in his eyes, creating an eerie but intriguing reflection. “To save your wolf.”
I did a double take, blinking rapidly as if that would help me to hear his words again. “What do you mean?”
“It is already within your possession. It calls to you, a piece of the earth. A gift from a friend.”
Hope soared, taking flight as I pieced it together. “Lena’s amulet. Yes, I have it. What does it do?”
After Lena’s death, her daughter Brogan had given me the amulet. It had called to my wolf, vibrating with a joyful, earthy energy. Not knowing what to do with it, I had kept it safe, stored away in my house.
“Your friend foresaw much of what you would face, as many witches have. She gifted you with a piece of earth, enchanted for you and you alone. Wear it. All the time. Die with it on, and it will keep the wolf within you.”
Hurst spoke like a grandfather telling children fantastic stories of monsters and magic, things they would never believe. Or perhaps that was just how I felt, like one of those wide-eyed kids, peering at him in dazed wonder.
How had Lena possibly known what I would face? Sure, Arys and I had both encountered witches who knew of our bond and even our fate. Yet this was so outrageous, so hard to believe. Lena had been like a mother to me. Better than my own mother, in fact. To think that she had known, that she had done something so thoughtful for me, it made me want to weep.
“I must inform you, however, that the amulet will only save your wolf. It will not save your light. You sacrificed that part of you when Arys gave you his blood.” Hurst watched me closely. Too closely. “There is only one way to save your light. It requires a sacrifice from another. One willing to take your darkness for you.”
A heavy weight settled upon me. I stared at the book, and I detested it with every part of my being. What kind of a revelation was that? It was torment, that’s what it was. More torment to carry around inside me while I awaited my fate.
“Wow.” I let my gaze travel around the grand library. There were no words for what I was feeling. “I appreciate the information, but you should’ve let me keep thinking there was no way. That’s the kind of shit I’d rather not know.”
Hurst allowed me a moment to absorb that bombshell. With a gentle smile, he offered, “Ignorance may feel like a protective shell, but it is a cage. You must set yourself free.”
Did I have to? I let out a breath in a huff and nodded. “It’s hard.”
“It is. I know. That’s why I wanted to share this with you. Before you return home. You have much to face yet. You must trust that you can.”
I drank the rest of my coffee, focusing on the sweet vanilla flavor. It was important for me to find pleasure in simple joys. Those little things were so easily overlooked in the face of greater chaos.
“What if I can’t? There’s all this talk of me leading vampires and werewolves. What does that even mean? Leading them where? To do what?” My words ended on a shrill note. All the latte bliss moments in the world couldn’t keep me grounded in the face of such uncertainty.
Hurst regarded me with a pensive expression. I found his wise, owlish quality to be both puzzling and comforting. Spending so much time cut off from the human world had to do something to the psyche. I could totally see myself ending up that way.
“There are those who see the future, and those who plan the future. Neither are guaranteed. Do not worry yourself with such things. In time, all things will be revealed. Your efforts are better spent on what is soon to come.” He patted my hand warmly. “Would you like more coffee?”