I can’t deny it.Not anymore.Not with the bond making my emotions clear as crystal every time Tessa’s near.
“What does heaven want?”
“For you to prove monsters can choose something greater than their nature.”Prophet turns to face me.“Or to prove they can’t.Either answer serves their purpose.”
“That’s fucked up.”
“That’s heaven.”His smile is bitter.“They don’t see things the way we do.To them, this is all a test.A way to determine whether the covenant should continue or whether they should wipe the slate clean and start over.”
“And if we fail?”
“Then they’ll destroy every vampire, shifter, and supernatural creature in Alaska.Possibly further.”He says it calmly, matter-of-factly.“They’ll consider it a mercy.A cleansing.And they’ll find a new way to seal the Khorvath, one that doesn’t rely on monsters keeping their word.”
The weight of it crashes over me.Not just Tessa’s life.Not just mine.But everyone in the club.Everyone we’ve sworn to protect.The entire supernatural community in Alaska, all hanging in the balance.
“How long do we have?”
“Days.Maybe a week.”Prophet moves to the door.“The Khorvath is getting stronger every time it manifests.Soon it won’t need the mark as an anchor.It’ll be able to attack directly, and when that happens...”He doesn’t finish the sentence.
He doesn’t need to.
“I need to tell Blade.”
“He already knows.”Prophet opens the door.“I briefed him this morning.He’s in his office now, trying to figure out how to tell the club that their territory sits on an ancient battlefield and their VP just bound himself to the key that unlocks the apocalypse.”
“He must be thrilled.”
“Furious would be more accurate.”Prophet’s expression softens.“But he’s also pragmatic.He knows we need you and Tessa working together if we’re going to survive this.The bond might be a problem, but it’s also our best weapon.”
I stand, moving toward the door.“I should go see him.”
“Vex.”Prophet’s hand on my arm stops me.“Whatever happens, whatever choices you make...I want you to know I don’t blame you.The heart wants what it wants.Even when it belongs to a vampire who’s been alone for too long.”
The words hit harder than they should.
“Thanks,” I say roughly.“I think.”
He smiles.“Go.Your mate is waking up.”
Mate.
The word sends a jolt through the bond, and I feel Tessa stirring upstairs.Feel her confusion as she reaches for me and finds the bed empty.Feel her spike of anxiety when she remembers where we are and what’s happened.
I take the stairs two at a time.The hallway is empty, most of the brothers are out on runs or downstairs in the common room and I slip into my room quietly.
Tessa sits up in bed, her hair mussed from sleep, the blanket pooling around her waist.She’s wearing underwear and a tank top that’s ridden up slightly to expose a strip of skin, and the sight of her makes something primal in me roar to life.
Mine.
“Hey,” she says, her voice still rough with sleep.“Where did you go?”
“Talking to Prophet.”I close the door behind me, engaging the lock.“He found information about your bloodline.About what you are.”
Her eyes sharpen.“What am I?”
“The last warden.”I move to sit on the edge of the bed.“Your ancestors made a deal with heaven to seal the Khorvath three thousand years ago.You’re the anchor.The final piece of a prison that’s falling apart.”
She processes this in silence, her fingers twisting in the blanket.Through the bond, I feel her fear.Her anger.The desperate wish to be normal, to be anyone other than the woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders.
