Olivera’s mind was divided in the meeting that Raul had called five minutes ago, probably because the meeting hadn’t yet started. Nick was yet to come. What was taking him too long? She wondered, suddenly aware that her hand had come to rest on her stomach. Quickly, she removed it, and any inclination either in face or mood that would show that she was pregnant. Although Raul had promised that he had clothed her with some scent that would make the others oblivious of her state, she still added her own extra precautions. After all he had been the same one that had promised to hold her straight and well during the transition, and yet she had gone into an unconscious state. ‘Olivera, it wasn’t my fault.’ Olivera heard this through the mind link, and scoffed, putting up her mind walls. Vee had mentioned that they be up at all times, even if not at full strength, so that she would be able to tell if the vampire was trying to infiltrate her mind, so that the latter wouldn’t be able to j
With Raul’s sharp gaze landing on Olivera, and everyone following the same, Olivera cussed Raul in her thoughts, or so she had thought. When she saw the smirk on Raul’s lips, she knew that it had come out aloud. She cussed again, especially as she now remembered the plant. It was the particular flower-less one that she had first seen, or rather that had grabbed her and had called for her attention the first time she had been in Nick’s place. Nick was sure to be happy then. The plant had surely grown out of bounds for a flower in a flower pot. But what was that got to do with her? Jeremy didn’t know too, but the other three in the room seemed to have an inkling. “Nick had come to see me sometime after you had arrived at the pack, with this pot of flower which he claimed had been magical, which he claimed had sprouted as soon as it had seen you.” Raul started, and my ears perked up. “He had believed even then that you were quite special. Sadly, I hadn’t seen it, and neither had my
“Olivera, do you perhaps know why your mother had been used, why she had tried to tempt you into killing? And do you have a taste for blood, seeing as your dream has depicted that?” Seth’s question which seemed off point threw Olivera off balance. These were questions she had been asking herself for a while, apart from others, and she had no answers to them. “Seth, that isn’t what we are discussing now.” Raul enthused, but Seth shook his head, annoying an already annoyed Raul. “It might help. You see, in the dream, Olivera could put out the vampire stain from the jaguar's head, without killing him off, without listening to those evil creatures around. What if there was the presence of another species apart from the vampires that also drink blood, but not to kill. I think that’s what I had been able to deduct from the dream. The separate species that she was in that dream, that can turn into white hot light. The light alone indicates the presence of magic too. It’s nothing else. Anc
Zande sat by Jacob’s side, by the edge of the table of healing soil, her fingers intertwined with his cold, unmoving hand. He had been on the healing table for eighteen hours now, buried in rich, sacred soil that was supposed to aid in the recovery of his memories. The ancient process was a last resort, one he had finally agreed to two days ago. Now, she watched him with growing dread, her heart heavy with fear and uncertainty.Had she made the right choice?Was knowing the identity of Olivera important?Should they have let it slide?She shook her head. This had been the last resort. And they needed to know who Olivera was. It was the last piece of the puzzle.The healer, Kendalf, had told them that the soil, imbued with powerful herbs and ancient magic, would help Jacob reconnect with his past. And so her lifemate had sunk into the soil with a sense of determination and hope, but since then, he hadn’t woken up. The first three hours had been the hardest to watch. Jacob had thras
Jacob floated in a sea of memories, each one more vivid and enticing than the last. He had agreed to the ancient process of recovering his lost memories two days ago, and since he had sunk into the soil bed, he hadn't woken up. The healer had warned him that the journey would be perilous, that he might get lost in the labyrinth of his own mind. But Jacob had been desperate. He needed to remember, needed to reclaim the pieces of his past that had been torn away. He needed to overcome the taint that the vile creature of the undead had left on him. If he had decided the easy way out, he knew that he would never have forgiven himself. The first three hours had been agonizing. He had felt his body convulsing, his muscles straining against an invisible force. The spasms were violent, jerking him around like a puppet on strings. He had thrashed on the soil bed, gasping for breath, his mind bombarded with fragmented images and sensations. It was as if every memory he had ever had was tryi
Relieved signs dropped from the mouths of the ancients in the room when Jacob spoke out aloud. Kendalf dropped a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “You scared us there for a moment, lad.” There was an emission of chuckles in the underground chamber. “Well, at least he had come back with the memories. I would have beaten him with a laden spoon if he had us worry for nothing.” Raven said with a chuckle, her hands staying intertwined with Caitlin who was looking at Jacob like he was some strong god. She ignored Zendedari’s grunt of disapproval in her head. The man can be so territorial. ‘All males of our kind are the same way.’Caitlin held back a scoff, but she made sure to send that feeling down the bond, whilst resuming marveling at the fact that Jacob was here with them. A part of her had feared that he wouldn’t make it, considering the turn it had taken when he had seemed lost in his memories, when his life force had started waning. And another part had thought that even if h
That’s what had nagged Jacob at the back of his mind. He was barely twelve, or was it eleven, so there had been no way for his wolf to have metamorphosed. His wolf at that time should have been a mere gene in his body, not a full-blown wolf that had been strong enough to wade off the full effect of an attack by the undead. It shouldn’t have been possible, but thank the gods that it had been. He would have been as vile as ever, or he would have been dead. “You are right, healer. I am not sure the reason why it had come to the surface to protect him at such a young age. But does it matter?” Amia asked, speaking up for the first time, since they had congregated here. She was sitting between Prest and Rich. “We should just be glad that he came out unscathed. That’s all. I think we should just proceed to discuss the other, Olivera, if he has the strength to talk.” Caitlin shook her head. “That would have been the right thing to do, seeing that it is all in the past, but on our way her
There was a short silence after Jacob’s declaration. Zande opened her mouth, then closed it. She had suspected, knowing that it was only a strong tie, a blood tie that would have transcended the emptiness that was the mind of Jacob before he had met her, and had stayed. A bit vague, but it had stayed, nagging him of the familiarity of the name since he saw it. But how was it possible? How was it that the two siblings were put into play? Who exactly were they? It was as if fate had orchestrated this since a long time ago. She could see the same realization on the faces of the others in the room too. “Your big sister? That’s crazy coming from you.” Rich spoke, chuckling when Jacob glared at him. “I didn’t peg him as a big sister’s boy.” Prest added, showing his pearly white teeth in a real smile, the first since his fiasco with Amia started. Amia joined the teasing crew, and Zande held back a laugh. ‘You should join them, and see how you will pay for it dearly when we retire to the