“It doesn’t have to be me if you’re not ready,” I said, hating that she still didn’t feel safe enough to confide in me, her mate. She needed help, though, and if she couldn’t open up to me, maybe she could to another. “We have a therapist in The Order. If you’re comfortable, I can arrange for you to meet her.”
Her throat bobbed, and her eyes fell away from me.
No. Don’t shut me out. Please. Let me help you.
“Do you trust her?” she asked, her voice uneven, and I hated the subtle tremble in her fingertips as she gripped my arm.
“With my life,” I said, cupping her cheeks to lift her gaze back to me. Her hazel eyes finally met mine, bloodshot, and I brushed another stray tear from her cheek. “Salwa’s amazing at what she does. She’s helped many, both warrior and civilian alike. Even I’ve seen her in the past, when I couldn’t handle it anymore,” I admitted, hoping it might give her some confidence.
“You did?” she asked, seeming surprised.
Hope swelled in my chest as she seemed to contemplate it, and I continued. “I found myself in some very dark places over the centuries, and when there was nowhere else to go, nowhere else to turn, I turned to her.”
I remained quiet, giving her a moment to sort through her emotions. Gods, they were so thick in the air, coating my lungs with each breath. Fear, anger, unease, sorrow—too many to identify.
“Maybe...” My heart soared at the first sign of her trusting me to guide her down the right path. “What if I can’t handle it?”
“Then we’ll keep trying until you feel comfortable. One step at a time.”
10
CASSIE
“Shifting is one of the oldest magics,” Zephyr said as he led me through the woods at The Outpost. “It was the second house created by Selene before The Titanomachy, also known as The Titan War, nearly three thousand years ago.”
I remembered hearing stories about The Titans, but to know such powerful beings truly existed was unnerving. It had been jarring enough to learn of the existence of the Gods I’d thought to be mere myth and legend only months ago.
It had been a couple of days since my nightmare, and thankfully, I hadn’t had another. I’d spent the past couple of days losing myself in my training, pushing myself to the point where I couldn’t stay awake at night and fell into such a deep sleep, no dreams could trouble me. How long would that work, though?
“My great-grandfather fought in the Titan War,” he said, pale green eyes drifting to me briefly. “Metaviaalways spoke highly of him. Told me all sorts of stories growing up.”
The name stirred something deep in my chest, and I frowned at the familiarity of it. It was the Elythian word for... Grandmother.
I lifted my eyes to him, and he offered me a somber smile.
“I never met him. He was the first of our family line created by Selene when The Twelve rose up against The Titans to claim their rule over Elythia.” Though pride lit his eyes, there was sadness lingering just beneath the surface, and it brushed over my skin in cold waves. “He took a fatal blow defending Selene, but before he succumbed to his injury, he managed to land the killing strike against Hyperion, helping bring an end to the ten-year war.”
“Your great-grandfather killed a Titan?” I asked, my brows rising.
His gaze shifted to me, and for a moment he looked saddened by my question, but he forced a smile. “He did, and our family has had favor with Selene ever since. We serve her with pride, each generation serving directly under the king.”
“That’s amazing,” I said, a smile curving my lips as I imagined having such a proud heritage, toknowthe stories of the past leading up to your existence. The only one I knew held information on my past lives outside of Damien was Selene, and I was too shaken to speak with her after our first meeting. Memories of the past still evaded me, and I’d only managed to regain bits and pieces. It wasn’t enough to feel whole, but just enough to leave me desperate for more, and I wassodesperate.
“Shifting is very simple, controlled by your mind and will. Thought manifests into being,” he explained, and I latched onto every word as they left his lips. “Each member of House Thiríon has the ability to shift into two different forms: one of the sky and one of the earth. Sadly, the ability to utilize both is based upon your own power and strength. While there are many of us who can shift into either of them, there are others who can only manifest one of the two in their entire lifetime.”
“You can shift into a raven,” I stated, remembering how I’d mistaken him for a wild one before I knew what they were—when he’d spied on Damien and me during our first date.
The corner of his lips ticked up into a smug smile. “A pretty one, I seem to recall.”
“A nosey one,” I corrected, narrowing my eyes on him as I crossed my arms.
He barked a laugh, and my eyes widened as black mist exploded around him, his body disappearing from view. The cloud of darkness receded, revealing a massive raven, his iridescent black feathers reflecting blues and greens as the light fell over him. All right, he wasn’t pretty—he was beautiful, magnificent, and... huge. God, he was huge, nearly twice the size of a normal raven.
He tilted his head to look up at me, and I gasped as his beak parted. “While I can only take the form of a raven and a panther, you, as Moira’s reincarnation can take the form of anything.”
I blinked. Was this really happening? Was I having a conversation with a raven? I shook myself from the momentary stupor. “Anything?”
He nodded, and the shadows swallowed him whole again before a massive black panther prowled from their depths. I stumbled back at the sheer size of him, his shoulders reaching my waist as he stalked around me before nudging his head under my elbow in feline affection.
