She has the answer,the Lady whispered.
My anger almost slipped. I felt Blake’s emotions pull back. He’d felt it.
“What else about the dream, Bethi? Think. I said this wouldn’t be easy. The answer won’t be clear. What else was in your dream? She says you have the answer. Use your head.”
“You know what? Screw you. My throat still hurts.” The girl curled into her Mate’s side.
“Of course. Very insensitive of me to forget your pain.” Who was this bitter person I was becoming?
Facing ahead and careful not to lean against the seat, I exhaled slowly and forced myself to focus on my breathing and not the anger and frustration that wanted to well up.
“How long until they reach us?” I asked.
“A few minutes,” Gabby said. The Others confirmed her answer.
“If they kill any of us, the Judgement won’t be made. Do you understand, Bethi? What happened to me will happen to all of us when the time of the Judgement comes. The veil holding the Others back will disappear. They will flood this world and wear every human, werewolf, or Urbat like a pretty body coat. If you think having your throat slit hurts, wait until you’re skinned alive by the Others. They feed off your pain and agony. Even now, more swarm around you than any of the rest of us.”
“That’s enough,” Winifred said sharply.
I could hear Bethi’s ragged breathing and feel Luke’s angry gaze.
“No, Winifred. It’s not. The world will burn in their wild abandon, and Bethi will relive everyone’s pain because we will still be born again.”
Bethi began to softly sob behind me.
“There is no end for us. Not even at the end.” And that was the cruelest truth of our sorry lives. “We cannot die this time.”
“We’re almost there. I can see humans ahead,” Gabby said.
“We need to stop. We’ll risk them,” I said.
“If what you just said is true, the humans are at risk no matter what,” Winifred said.
I sat in suppressed anger and struggled to think what I could do to prevent us from being injured. I could call Blake now, but he wouldn’t believe any lie I told him, not with the Judgements right here listening.
Use Peace.
“This fight has to be Isabelle’s,” I said. “She needs to use her power to kill them all.”
“She can’t,” Winifred said. “It almost killed her last time.”
“The Lady said—”
The bite of my seatbelt robbed me of air as the vehicle braked suddenly. Loud bangs filled the interior. The Others were in such a frenzy, I struggled to see what was happening. I focused on my other senses. Growls just outside. The splintering sound of glass. Tires screeching on asphalt. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, I unbuckled and reached for a door. A hand over mine stopped me.
“Wait here,” Winifred said. The growls grew louder, a sign the door had opened, and something brushed past me. The coppery scent of blood burst into the air.
“Get out of the way, Luke,” Bethi said. Their steps and the whisper of clothes said they’d left the vehicle, too.
I turned my head, ignoring the pain in my back in my search to see if I was alone. Fixated on the fight, the dancing grey of the Others had left the vehicle, so it was hard to tell.
“Move it, albino!” a rough voice yelled nearby. An Urbat, given the pet name.
I reached forward, releasing my hold on my fear, and got out of the car.
Bits and pieces of the scene flared to life as the Others danced within the chaos. Beast attacking beast. Some falling. Some moving on to the next. One moved faster than all the rest and killed more quickly.
“Where are the Judgements?” I asked.
