‘That’snot true, I need you. But I can’t be free of this until my purpose is done. Iwish you would understand and support me. I have another freaking souloccupying my body! A vampire queen making babies with my blood and shootinghuman teens with heroin. I have to do something!’I told him.
Theboat was slowing.
‘Youthink I give a shit about your purpose if it takes you from me? No! I won’tsupport that. Please, Aurora, jump out of the boat.’He was blinded by love, could I blame him? Iwas doing this for us, so we could get past this and be together, raise afamily.
Isighed. No one really understood what it was like to live your life except you.‘You made Devon a promise. That Avery would grow up in a better world. I’mgiving him that promise. I love you, I do need you, and I’m sorry.’
Iwent into my mind’s eye and buried our mate bond. I felt him try to saturate mybody with Alpha power but I was ready. I pushed it off as mist leaked from myskin. I could feel him trying to control me like he did in the car on the wayto my mother’s. God damn he was powerful, but with the mate bond buried and meready, he didn’t stand a chance.
Theboat lurched as it was docked and I heard the whirl of helicopter blades in thedistance. This was it, no going back from this decision. The vampires lifted meup by the arm pits and walked me closer to the helicopter sound. If they put mein that helicopter, Kai might never find me. Pushing down my nerves, I let themdrag me. The vision of Tara screaming, hundreds of silver needles sticking intoher skin, urged me to go with them.
Istill had the protective necklace, so Sylvia would be able to find me. If I rannow and jumped in the river, I could swim to Max; my hands weren’t tied. If Iwent with the vampires, I risked myself but I could save ten female werewolves,kill Layla and get Prudence. I quickly weighed the options and made up my mind.I didn’t resist as the vampires hauled me up into the helicopter.
Asthe helicopter took off, I could feel Kai raging through the mate bond. All of asudden, the mate bond was unearthed inside of me; I felt it pulse and gostrong.
‘Don’tEVER do that again,’Kai roared. Howthe hell did he do that? Maybe Alphas were more powerful than I had originallythought. My small time as an Alpha had seemed more of a burden but now I sawthat I may not have given it a fair chance.
“Hello,dear,” Prudence screamed over the whirling blades.
‘Ineed to concentrate. I’m in a helicopter with Prudence. Don’t talk to me. Ihave to focus,’I told him.
‘Fine,but when I get you back get home, I’m locking you in the basement forever,’Kai declared.
Iwanted to say‘If I get home,this will all be over.’
“Hello,Prudence,” I said sweetly. I didn’t want to play my final hand just yet. I hadher full name; she was as good as dead. I needed to allow them to take me tothe girls, to Layla. Someone zip-tied my hands together behind my back.
Weflew in silence for about twenty-five minutes and then Prudence leaned close tome. My head was still covered but I sensed her. She inhaled deeply, then all ofa sudden, she reached into my shirt and ripped off my protective necklace.
“No!”I screamed, thrashing.
“Stop!”she shouted, pinning me down. The door opened and I could feel the cold air hitmy face. I could only guess she threw my necklace out the window. Shit. Gameover. I was on my own.
‘Kai,we’ve been flying twenty-five minutes and Prudence found my shaman pouch andtossed it out. Have Sylvia find it.’
‘I’mgoing crazy right now, Aurora! How could you do this to me?’he said in agony.
That’swhen it hit me. Maybe I was the one being selfish. I didn’t think of how Kaiwould feel. How much was the Devi controlling me?
‘I’msorry,’was all I could say.
‘I’mgoing to find you. I told you we would end this together and I meant it.Together,’he reminded me.
“You’renot talking to your mate, are you?” Prudence asked and all of a sudden a sharpobject cracked the back of my skull and everything went black.
Water
Iwoke up to a dull, throbbing pain that pulsed behind my eyes. A groan escapedme as I was being hauled up to a standing position. From the quiet sound, Iassumed the helicopter had landed as there were no more whirling of blades. Iwas exhausted; it was the dead of night and my hands were still tied behind myback, making my shoulders hurt. My wrists burned but a sharp scent pricked mynose. I inhaled.
‘Sheknocked me out. We have landed and I smell water. Not salty, maybe a lake. Idon’t hear running water, so not a river.’
‘JesusChrist, Aurora. You had me scared. Sylvia thinks the pouch is in Bend, Oregon.I will look up lakes. Your flying time was about fifty minutes.’
Weboth knew it was a long shot. Oregon, Washington, and California were full oflakes. I could be anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.
Wewere walking inside, if I could just get this hood off, I might be able to seesome marker of where I was. I did a quick jump up and threw my weight forwardtossing the hood off and forcing the vampires to let go of me.
Prudencequickly zoomed into my vision and saturated me with black magic, taking mysight. I stumbled in the complete darkness. I was blind! My eyes squinted, openand shut, in pure panic. They were burning.
