Now that I’ve traveled beyond Roman’s home, the unfamiliar energy of all the creatures living in the Wilds is more distinct. Within my demon sight, some are slow-moving and insidious, while others are bold and powerful, a tangle of energy that makes the back of my neck prickle.
None of it compares to the immense energy that Reaper radiates—the same energy I sensed when I was thrown into the Forbidden Lands.
The mark on my palm tingles as Reaper prowls out of the shadows on the other side of the creek. In the light of day, she’s even larger than I remember—and I remember her being huge. The claw mark across her eye glints and her dark fur ripples in the breeze as she stops at the edge of the water opposite us.
At her appearance, my demon wolves let out a united howl, visible shivers running down their backs, their energy striking the air so sharply that I can’t tell if they’re feeling agitated, excited, sad, or joyous. Maybe all of those emotions.
Reaper’s voice sounds within my mind, and it’s heavy with emotion.“Nova, I have news, but first… I need this moment with my pups.”
“Of course,” I whisper, taking a step back. “They may be my pack and family and I love them more than my own life… But I can’t imagine your pain when they were taken from you.”
Reaper’s focus remains on my wolves—her children. She falls silent as she takes them in before she whispers,“My pups.”
She moves in a flash, splashing across the creek in three enormous bounds, shaking off the water before she slows down and approaches her pups one by one.
Nudging up to Luca first, she makes a humming growl, but it’s a soft, continuous sound, almost like a lullaby. Luca sniffs along his mother’s side, and I expect that his exceptional tracking nose must be filling with her scent. Reaper remains still, letting him sniff across her fur for as long as he wants—too long, it would seem, for Blitz.
Blitz darts toward her, his speed making him a blur. He’s the one who is usually as wary as Taniya, but he licks her face wildly.
I want to cry when the humming in her throat morphs into what sounds like joyous laughter. Within seconds, Luca joins Blitz, and they’re both nudging and nipping at her affectionately. When they settle down, she licks each of their noses one last time before shifting her attention to Temple.
I wish I knew more about how demon wolves behave in the wild, but I wonder if Reaper started with the least dominant wolves for a reason. She could be following an instinct. Or rules of their species. Whatever determines her choices right now, I’m grateful to have a front-row seat to this reunion.
Temple shivers a little as Reaper approaches, but there are no submissive or overly affectionate moves between them. Temple stands tall and still, the silence growing as they simply stare into each other’s eyes.
They remain that way for so long that I’m about to take a step forward and check if something’s wrong when Reaper darts forward and licks across Temple’s nose. Temple slips to the side and presses her nose to her mother’s face, the contact so short that I barely catch it. When they pull back, their eyes glow, as if a burst of energy passed between them.
Reaper approaches Ace last, and I hold my breath for his response. She loses her relaxed pose, stepping toward him at a prowl, a deep snarl growing in her throat that matches the dangerous rumble he’s making.
With each step forward she makes, he pulls his head back, making it clear that she shouldn’t trespass into his space.
I moisten my lips, on edge, as I consider again whether or not I need to intervene with some calm words.
Ace’s growl becomes louder, a threatening snarl, but Reaper…
I swear she’s grinning. A delighted, wolfish grin as she tosses her head side to side.
“The eldest is always like its mother,”she says into my mind, although her focus remains on Ace. “Ace was born with the pure instinct to hunt demons. It is a credit to you, Nova, that you haven’t tried to curb his nature.”
I still. “You’re born to destroy demons?”
Reaper locks her attention on me.
“We’re the darkness that haunts their nightmares. There aren’t many of us left now, and no others of my bloodline.”
She swings her head to take in the four who have moved closer together, watching my interaction with their mother.
“I recognized their energy on you the moment I met you. It’s why I didn’t kill you.”
“You bonded with me instead,” I say.
She nods, her eyes darkening to a midnight purple that’s close to my hair color.“It was the only way to ensure I could find you. The pack of my pups is my pack as well. It is my honor to protect you, Nova. Just as I walked beside your father. With mutual respect.”
Roman told me that Reaper would now consider me to be one of her pups.
I sense him come a little closer, but not more than two steps, his boots falling softly on the sand. Technically, this is his territory, and Reaper tenses at his approach.
Roman gives her a firm nod.
