Staring at mini Sam, I silently vowed to him,I will be your armor, your safe harbor in the storm we’re walking into. I will die to protect you and your sisters.
He continued to gaze at me, innocent and pure. Suddenly, that recurring dream flashed between us, and my heart skipped a beat. Orion’s eyes penetrated through me as if he was pressing Play on the remote, and I was transported into the dream.
The fire died suddenly, and I was enveloped in a sea of darkness. As I blinked rapidly to adjust my vision, my breathing increased. As if someone had flipped a switch, the double white lines on the road beamed a vivid orange. Bright stars glistened in the inky-black sky, twinkling like tiny diamonds. A red ring circled the radiant moon that seemed ten times larger than I’d ever seen it.
“Over here,” the young boy called.
I reoriented my vision to look ahead of me.
A boy about five years old surrounded by an iridescent glow held out his hand. “We need to go.” Fear coated his small voice.
I was frozen to the heat of the pavement.
“Please,” he begged. “She needs your help.”
My limbs unlocked, and I jogged toward the little boy who had black hair and eyes so familiar I lost my breath.
“Who needs my help?” I asked as I reached the boy.
“My sister,” he said with a slight lisp. “You’re the only one who can help her.”
“I don’t understand. Why me?”
His green eyes were high beams in the dark of night. “Because you have the power.” He tugged on my fingers. “We don’t have much time.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m your son,” he said as if I was supposed to know that.
“Layla. Layla. Layla!” A chorus of voices called to me. Then hands were on my shoulders, and someone was shaking me. “Where did you go?” Jo’s voice seeped into my ear canal.
I broke my connection with Orion and focused on Jo, who was standing like a giant before me. “Is something wrong?”
“You tell us,” my sister said as she came into view beside Jo, empty-handed. She must’ve finished feeding Luna.
“Just thinking, and I’m suddenly tired.” The adrenaline was slowly dissipating, and I was desperate to join Sam, not only to sleep but to feel his protective arms around me. I needed him to tell me everything would be okay, even if it wasn’t true. I was beginning to feel as if my children were giving me signs, preparing me and alerting me of their powers and what was to come.
I prayed like a nun that dream wouldn’t come true. But I swore Orion had been trying to warn me.
“You and Sam will need all the rest you can get,” Jo said.
More than likely, he would be on the run without me. Yeah, I’d about blown my top when I’d heard how the Council of Elders wanted to use Sam as a scapegoat. However, Steven had a plan, but Sam didn’t know the details. Whatever it was, I believed in Steven. I also understood that fleeing with a wife, who wasn’t exactly in tip-top physical shape, and four tiny beings would slow him down and put us in danger.
The thirst to wipe out Intech was stronger than ever but nowhere near as fierce as the will to square off with Rianne. The bitch had thrown my children and me to the wolves, and I wouldn’t be able to function until she was out of my life.
“Any news on Kendra?” I asked Jo.
In addition to Sawyer searching for Kendra, Jo had tried to call her but had no luck.
Jo was washing her hands at the sink at the back wall. “No. If you’re right and she’s out of the country, that might be why we’re having trouble.”
“We do have more important problems to deal with here than Kendra,” I said.
The possible relationship between Abbey and me and my sisters was interesting, and I wanted to know more. Even the prophecy would have to take a back seat. Our safety was at the top of the list. We couldn’t lose sight of our enemies either. Unless there was a connection between the prophecy and our adversaries. Somehow, I didn’t think so. Besides, uncovering whether a child of mine would disrupt mankind would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Jo ripped a paper towel from its silver holder on the counter. “Prophecy?” She spun on her cute black flats and angled her head. “Tell me more.”
Jordyn, who was sitting next to me and had been super quiet, asked, “Did Mom tell you about a prophecy? I knew you were leaving something else out.”
