Kai swallowed hard. I could see his prideflaring up. He didn’t think he needed the protection. He didn’t want to seemweak. He didn’t want to trust an outsider. He also didn’t want to lose me.
Max stepped into the room. “Kai, do as hesays. If he makes a move to harm you, I will kill him.”
Nahuel tried to stifle a laugh. I wanted totell Max that I had seen Nahuel stop time and so I was pretty sure he would behard to kill.
Kai nodded and rested his forehead on mine.My skin was grey and sweat beaded my forehead.
“Meri Pyari, let me in,” he whispered.
***
In the dream world, Prudence was preparing analtar of some kind. She lit candles and began chanting. The little girl seemedfrozen now. She was unable to run. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in thewoods behind our house. A large ball of light was floating towards me. I triedto run to it but I couldn’t. The light became brighter. “Kai!” I looked down atmy body. This was a dream. I didn’t need a body, right? I shed my body and Itoo became a ball of light. My ball of light raced towards Kai’s light and thetwo balls crashed together sending out sparks like fireworks. I opened my eyesin the dream. Prudence was grabbing her dagger now. I looked down at my body,except it wasn’t my body, it was my wolf’s and it wasn’t just me; Kai was withme, inside me. We were one.
‘It’s a dream,’ Kai told my wolf.
‘I know.’
I tried to move my paw. Nothing happened. Thewitch was walking the little girl over to her altar. She hadn’t noticed me yet.
‘Aurora, do you know why I love you somuch?’
‘Because you’re my mate, you have to,’I joked.
‘No, because you don’t let anyone tell youwhat to do. I have never shared this with you, but I fear that you too may bean Alpha. You may be more dominant than me. I sense that. I knew from thatfirst day that you may actually have the power and strength to lead this pack,to be stronger than me. It terrifies me and excites me all at once. No one canmake you do anything you don’t want to do. You’re a free spirit.’
His confession knocked into me like a ton ofbricks. I felt his Alpha power merge with mine and a growl ripped from mythroat. Prudence turned to look at me and stumbled backward. I leapt from whereI had been cemented with fear and landed on her chest, knocking her into heraltar. A candle fell onto her hair and lit it on fire. She began to scream. Thelittle girl fell over, broken free from her spell.
“Wake up! Wake up! Go back to your body! Tellyour mother what happened here and run away,” I screamed at the girl. Thelittle girl ran for the front door. The second she crossed the thresholdoutside, she disappeared. Prudence was chanting now as her body lit on fire. Iran for the door but a blast hit me from the back and I fell forward shiftingback into my human form. The door slammed shut and smoke began building in thehouse.
I stood up and faced her. “One day I’m goingto learn to fully use my magic. I’m going to find you and I’m going toincinerate you out of existence.”
I leapt to the right and slammed my bodythrough the living room window. I felt Kai’s power pushing me through theglass. I was about to reach the ground when I slammed back into my body and outof my dream.
***
I opened my eyes. Max, Emma, Sylvia, Nahuel,and Kai all stared at me.
“Well, I might have a hard time sleeping fromnow on,” I told them.
Kai let out a sigh and grabbed me, holding meclose.
After promising Sylvia I would attend weeklywitch circles and spell castings, she left. After promising Nahuel I would weara special protection amulet he made me, he left as well. I glanced at Kai.
Kai had been patient. He hadgiven me time to think things through. I owed him an explanation. I slowlypulled the paper I had taken from his father. I unfolded it and handed it tohim. I watched his features change as he read the paper.
“Okay, what the hell isthis?”
“RAIDOS has figured out thatI can’t impregnate vampires so long as I stay unmated. I’m infertile. I loveyou, Kai, but we can’t marry. If we do, I become fertile and so does my blood.”
I told him everything. Aboutthe device the vampires had to drain and sell my blood, about my fear anddesire to have children. When I was done, he took my face in his hands.
“This doesn’t mean we can’tmarry.”
Hope sprang up inside mychest. “It doesn’t?”
“It only means we have totake out the vampires that want to hurt you.” The tone of his voice gave mechills.
Sometimes I wondered justhow dangerous the man I shared my bed with could be. I swallowed hard. “Youhave that look in your eye. The crazy creepy look that says you want to go on akilling spree.” I tried to make a joke. His face remained sinister.
