Born By Moonlight by Krista Street

Chapter 18

~ WYATT ~

I insisted on carrying Avery from the library. She tried to protest. I knew her rumblings were in hopes of reassuring me that she was doing better, but I’d seen the tremor in her hands when she’d set her cup down and the deathly pallor of her skin when she’d forced a brave smile in my direction.

She was dying before my eyes. Literally. With each minute that passed, it was as though a little more life was sucked from her.

It was as though a dark cloud had descended over her, leeching the life from her eyes, and it was all happening so fast. Her dark hair, that was normally a beautiful mahogany shade, had grown duller. Her skin, which had once been warm and pink, was now pale. And her eyes. Her beautiful vibrant eyes held shadows of the inevitable.

Fifty percent.

Farrah’s dire warning came back to bite me in the ass. Yesterday afternoon her life force had only been at fifty percent. It had dropped thirty percent since yesterday morning.

So what was it now?

My heart ripped at the thought. To know that nothing I’d done over the past two weeks had done anything to stop the Safrinite comet from killing my mate, ate at my soul.

I was failing.

Totally and completely failing.

Agony gripped my chest as Nicholas ushered us into a gated elevator. We’d traveled from the ancient library, slipping through the wards at the door like pushing through a thick curtain, until we were once again free of its magic and spells. From there, we’d followed the vampire to the end of a long columned hall to reach the elevator.

I watched Avery closely, searching for a sign that she was deteriorating more rapidly now that we’d left the library’s interior.

Thankfully, she appeared the same.

Nicholas gave me a tight smile, his face a mask of concern. He slid the elevator doors closed behind us. Metal clanged on metal, the sound reverberating around us as a rush of magic shimmered over the contraption when the gate clicked closed.

Nicholas pressed a button. “Almost there.” His gaze dipped to Avery whom I cradled in my arms.

She was still wearing my shirt. It encased her like a tent, hiding her full breasts and thin waist. It was so big it hung off her, but she’d snuggled into the warmth gratefully.

The elevator jolted, and we began to ascend.

Avery burrowed closer to my chest, her head tucked beneath my chin. Her soft breaths tickled my skin in cool puffs. She didn’t feel quite as cold as she had only minutes ago, but she still wasn’t warm.

My fingers curled around her legs, drawing her even closer. We had no time.

My mood darkened just as the elevator ground to a halt, and the door clanged open. The elevator had opened to another hallway, except this one was lined with windows. Daylight streamed onto the black and white checkered tiles in the wide corridor.

Grinding my teeth together, I strode after the vampire.

Outside of the building, cars whizzed past on the street. Blaring horns penetrated the glass of the windows as pedestrians walked on the sidewalks. Now that we were on street level, the city of Sofia spread out around us.

A part of me gazed longingly at the oblivious humans who went about their day. They were completely unaware that only feet away, supernaturals owned a building shrouded in wards and magic. They had no idea that this building, which consisted of a book store and a coffee shop on street level, hid five ancient libraries beneath its surface. And they had no idea that another realm existed, and that magic from that realm was threatening my mate’s life.

“They’re in here,” Nicholas said, skirting a bright beam of sunshine that streamed in through a particularly tall window. He stopped at a closed door.

My strides ate up the tiled floor as Avery stirred in my arms. “My love?” I murmured to her. “We’re almost there. Your parents are waiting.”

Her eyes opened, then widened. “We’re here? Already?”

My face fell, as I once again saw how quickly she was fading. A glassy sheen coated her eyes, and fatigue pulled at her lips.

Nicholas waited for us to join him. Once we did, Avery wiggled in my arms. “I don’t want my parents to see me like this.”

I reluctantly released her, gently setting her down. Once she was standing, I ran my hand down her back, leaving my palm at her waist. She swayed slightly, like a leaf fluttering in a breeze.

I locked my jaw tighter. She was so weak that she could barely stand, yet she was determined to walk into this room and greet her parents as if everything were fine.

My throat tightened. Admiration and love for her flowed through my veins. My mate was a fighter. She always had been, and even now, as death threatened her, she refused to cow to it.

“After you.” Nicholas dipped his head and opened the door.

Scents from inside filtered toward me. Old leather, cloves, and a hint of female wolf. Her parents smelled as I remembered them.

With a bright smile, Avery stepped into the room.

Danielle and Bryce Meyers pushed to a stand from the small table they’d been seated at in the windowless room.

“Avery!” Her mother rushed forward. Like her daughter, she had dark hair and eyes, although her build was taller and stronger, hinting at her werewolf background. She crushed Avery to her, holding her tight.

Avery hugged her back, but even from across the room I could see that her arms didn’t tighten, and when her mom pulled back, my mate looked even paler.

“You look sick.” Her dad frowned and laid a hand on her shoulder. He had a lean build and stood an inch shorter than his wife. He hugged Avery, too, but more gently.

Avery gave them both a brave smile. “I feel better than I look. How was your trip getting here?”

But her attempt at small talk didn’t relieve the tears welling in her mother’s eyes or the aggrieved expression on her father’s face.

“Why don’t we all sit down.” I pulled out a chair for Avery.

She collapsed onto it.

It was only then her parents seemed to realize that Nicholas and I were also in the room.

“Wyatt Jamison?” Her father gave me a sad smile. “It’s been a while. Avery tells us you’re her commander at the Supernatural Forces.”

“That’s right, sir.”

“Thank you for bringing her here,” her mother added, although her gaze didn’t leave her daughter.

Avery had closed her eyes and was leaning back in her chair, exhaustion evident on her face. She only opened her eyes when her mom pulled out the chair beside her.

Danielle Meyers took both of Avery’s hands in hers. She didn’t try to hide her tears. “Oh, honey. No. No. This can’t be happening.”

My gut tightened. “We’re doing everything we can to help her. The gargoyles have found more information and are working as we speak.”

“But what can we do? Surely we can do something?” Her father pulled out the chair at Avery’s other side and put an arm around her shoulders.

Crowded around her, Avery looked so small and delicate.

My heart squeezed. My Little Flower.

Nicholas glided around the table to the area near the far wall that held refreshments. “My apologies, but I’m afraid you’re not allowed in the library to help with our search, however, having you here is perhaps the greatest support you can provide.”

Avery nodded and sat up straighter, as if fighting the fatigue that pulled at her. “It’s really good to see you guys. I’m so glad you could come.”

Her parents tucked her under their arms, hugging her, and crying again.

My heart rate increased, my breathing growing rapid. Avery was acting as if this was it—her final goodbye.

No.

No!

I needed to do something. Now. I needed to fix this. I couldn’t let her say goodbye to her parents. She needed to live. She couldn’t die.

My wolf howled inside me.

I curled my fingers into my palms, letting my wolf’s claws out just enough to draw blood. The sharp piercing of my skin brought pain, grounding me back in the present.

Focus. Think. How can I stop this? I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth, using age-old breathing techniques we’d learned in the SF to stay sharp and in the present.

My heartbeat slowed, not pounding so hard that it drowned out other sounds.

“ . . . should go somewhere special. Take you to somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.”

Her mother’s words cut through my grief. I stiffened, and Nicholas’s hand stilled on the teapot he held. Five mugs of steaming tea sat on the refreshment table.

“I don’t think I can travel right now, Mom.”

“But is there something you want to do? Or see? What would make you happiest right now?” her father asked.

Pain cut through my chest. Gods. They were saying their final goodbyes, too, offering to do anything for her to ease the remaining days they thought she had.

“I don’t want to go anywhere. I want to stay here.” Avery’s gaze drifted to me.

For a moment, we just stared at each other, that gesture saying more than a thousand words could. My mate wanted to be with me. She didn’t want to be anywhere I wasn’t.

I cleared my throat just as Nicholas glided to the table and placed drinks in front of everyone.

“Remember that time when you were twelve and we lived in Scotland?” Her mom took her hand again. “We were going to the governor’s ball, and you wore that pink dress I forced on you. You hated it, but you looked so lovely, and your hair had those glittery barrettes that you’d picked out from that little shop near our flat?”

Avery laughed. “I remember that dress. It was hideous, but I loved those barrettes. I still have them I think, somewhere in storage.”

“That was your first night out to an adult party,” her dad added with a smile. “You stayed up until two in the morning, dancing with the governor’s son.”

Avery laughed again. “He stepped all over my toes and kept apologizing, but I didn’t care. It was so fun to dance, to finally practice the waltz I’d been taught at school.”

“And do you remember what you said to us that night?” her mom asked. “After the ball?”

Avery cocked her head, her brow furrowing, but then her eyes lit up. “That was the night I said I wanted to be an ambassador like you and Dad. That if I got to attend parties and balls like that, then I couldn’t think of a better job.”

Her mom nodded. “And from that point on, everything you did was to further your studies and learning so you could one day walk in our footsteps.”

Avery smiled, her lips tilting up sadly. “And I was so close to getting that dream. So close.”

Her parents shared a pained look before hugging her again and launching into more stories and anecdotes from the past.

Nicholas and I stayed quiet. The tea went untouched, but its fragrant mint scent drifted around the room.

I knew I should leave, give Avery privacy with her family, but I was loathe to let her out of my sight. Every moment that passed was another moment I couldn’t get back. I couldn’t fathom the thought of this being the end, of never hearing her laugh again, or seeing the sparkle in her eyes, or scenting her mouth-watering lilac fragrance that ignited my blood and squeezed my heart.

I stood rigidly by the wall, my hands balled into fists as my wolf howled forlornly within.

“Did you know you were conceived right around this time?” Her mother dabbed at her eyes again just as they finished laughing about when Avery was a baby and had said her first real word—kitty. One-year-old Avery had apparently been obsessed with their neighbor’s cat.

“Mom!” she said indignantly. “TMI!”

But her mom just squeezed her hand, and her father nodded.

“Your mom’s right, though. It was a magical night. One we’ve never told you about, but we knew something special happened that night, and we were right. Look at you. So beautiful and smart.”

Her mom carried on. “We were in the fae lands, on a quick one-week assignment to discuss some changes to the realm transfer agreements between their world and ours. They had one of their rare celestial events that night. The stars were all twice their normal size, one of those events that only happens every millennium and infuses even more magic into their world. It was magical and so very beautiful. No wonder you turned out as perfect as you are.”

I stiffened as Avery shook her head and replied, “You never told me that, and I’m not perfect, but why didn’t you tell me that before?”

Her mom shrugged. “I don’t know. Like you said, TMI I guess.”

Her father scooted closer, holding Avery’s hand.

Nicholas’s gaze cut to mine, and I said in a low tone so only he could hear, “Avery was conceived during a celestial event?”

He easily heard me with his enhanced vampire senses. “I noticed that comment too. That seems like too big of a coincidence not to signify something.”

I thought back to what the scrolls had said. For on the night of the heir’s conception, the great prophecy will begin. The stars will amass to twice their size, and the magic will be born in the fated starlight couple.

“Her parents are the fated starlight couple, and Avery is the heir,” I whispered in decibels too low for a non-vamp or male wolf to hear.

Nicholas’s eyes widened. “Yes!”

Avery and her parents continued talking, oblivious to the conversation the vamp and I were having, and Avery seemed so happy to be with her mom and dad that I finally bowed out to give them space.

Nicholas watched my retreat, so I whispered under my breath that I was only going in the hall. Without him, I couldn’t re-enter the library anyway, so it wasn’t like I could do much else.

In the hall, I stabbed a hand through my hair, my senses still tuned toward the small meeting room in case Avery needed something, but I stepped closer to the window, pacing in front of the busy street as my stomach roiled and dipped.

Holy shit. It was all making sense now.

Avery was the heir.

Her parents were the fated starlight couple.

All of this was written in the stars thousands of years ago, which meant that fate was creating whatever magic had implanted itself in Avery.

And how the fuck did I fight fate?

I tore a hand through my hair again, not understanding the purpose of this prophecy or why Avery had been the chosen one. Because surely the comet’s magic had a purpose, that it wasn’t simply designed to torment innocent individuals, and then kill them.

But the question was, what was the point of all this? And could we discover it and save Avery before the comet killed her?

“We must be missing something,” I whispered under my breath. “There has to be more to this that we’re not seeing.”

My pacing quickened as Avery and her parents continued saying their goodbyes to one another—sharing stories, professing love, holding each other in their last moments.

I’d seen it before, on the battlefield, and in my pack.

Dying wasn’t coveted, but it could be beautiful when one was surrounded by friends and family.

I hung my head. My throat tightened so much that I couldn’t swallow. A band squeezed around my chest, and a voice deep inside me told me that I may also have to say goodbye, because the reality was, my mate was dying.

Even if we now knew Avery’s plight wasn’t random. Even if we knew she was the heir. Even if we knew this was predestined. Even if the gargoyles were frantically searching for the missing puzzle piece at this very moment.

It didn’t mean we’d find a way to save her, and if she died, I didn’t know how I would ever be okay again.