A Fear That Comes True

MAX

As I approached my house, her scent hit me.

It was subtle, but unmistakable.

I’ve mentioned before that her fragrance seemed to cling to the house even when she was gone, but now it was a touch more potent, and I could catch it from the front step.

My heart did a little flip at the thought that she might be here, and I hurried inside, eager to see her.

I needed to hold her, kiss her, and… explain why Delta was staying here.

Damn!

I rushed into my house, but it was eerily silent.

Too silent, as if nothing had shifted in the two days I’d been away.

I frowned, realizing that Estella’s scent wasn’t intensifying now that I was inside. It was just as subtle as before, but not any less than the last time I’d been home.

I called out her name as I climbed the stairs, but there was no response. When I entered our room, there was no sign of her, and her side of the closet was exactly as she’d left it.

Nothing was missing, and nothing was added.

Something was off here, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was.

I headed to the guest room and knocked on the door.

Delta emerged after the fourth knock, looking like she’d just woken up, her hair a mess and her eyes bleary from sleep.

“You’re back,” she mumbled sleepily. “What time is it?”

“Four in the afternoon,” I replied, my tone laced with impatience. “Has Estella been here?”

“Who?” She frowned, then realization dawned on her. “Oh, your little human mate. I don’t know. I’ve been sleeping all day.”

“You didn’t hear anything?”

“No. I was out cold after the past couple of days we had here.”

“Are you sure?” I pressed.

“Of course I’m sure. What’s wrong, Max?”

“Hopefully, nothing,” I muttered, heading back to my room without further explanation.

I plugged my phone into the charger and decided to take a shower. I’d planned to do that after talking to Estella, but I needed it now.

I was suddenly on edge. The shower didn’t really help me relax, but at least I was clean, and I was about to switch on my phone when I was called back to the hospital.

Luz had had another seizure.

When I entered the room she’d been taken to, I found three nurses trying to soothe her. She was writhing in pain, and her hair had turned white again.

I knelt beside her bed, knowing better than to try to touch her.

“Tell me what you see, little one,” I said gently. “Tell me so I can help you.”

She turned her eyes to me, and I almost recoiled when I saw they were brown instead of blue. I hadn’t noticed that change before.

“She’s gone!” she whispered, her voice filled with terror and despair.

“Who’s gone?”

“Estella,” she choked out.

“No, little one. She promised to come back and live with me, didn’t she? She’ll be here in a couple of days,” I reassured her.

“She is gone,” she repeated mournfully.

“No.”

“She broke her promise. She left us.”

“No.” I shook my head, but her words had already shaken me. “She can’t be gone.”

I left the hospital in a rush after instructing the nurses to sedate her and contact me if anything happened with Patrick and Eva.

Delta was sprawled on the couch, but I didn’t stop to chat with her. I just bolted up to my room and grabbed my phone.

I turned it on with shaking hands, and just as I was about to dial her number, an email from her popped up. This was alarming because Estella never emailed me.

Never.

~Dear Max, ~

~I’m sorry to say I won’t keep my promise. I won’t come back to be with you. Not now. Not ever. ~

~You see, some years back, on a full moon, you left me crying on the floor. The very next day, you rejected me because of my youth. ~

~Now it’s my turn to reject you. ~

~How does it feel?~

~P.S. I thought about coming to tell you in person, but it wasn’t worth the trouble.”~

I read and reread, but the words didn’t make sense, no matter how many times I scanned them.

Something was terribly wrong, and my wolf was howling in my head, clouding my thoughts.

He howled in pain and anger, but I felt oddly numb, as if this was happening to someone else. It had to be happening to someone else.

Then the words on the screen blurred. I didn’t understand how this was happening. I didn’t understand anything.

I felt someone take the phone from my hands. I’d forgotten that Delta was still here. She must have followed me up to my room, but that didn’t matter. Nothing did.

“She left you,” she said softly, stating the one thing I didn’t want to hear.

“No,” I mumbled.

“Max, your human left you,” she repeated.

“Her name is Estella,” I growled.

“Whatever her name is, she left you,” she said, her expression impassive.

“No, she didn’t.”

“Max, she says here that she rejects you.”

She tried to show me the message again, but I pushed her hand away, and shaking her head, she left my phone on the nightstand.

My wolf howled louder, demanding to throw Delta out of the house. He was battling me for control, but I didn’t give in. I couldn’t be irrational about this.

There had to be another explanation besides the obvious one.

“Max,” Delta said, speaking again and reaching for my shoulder.

I flinched and pulled away.

“Please leave,” I said through gritted teeth.

“I can’t leave you alone in the state you’re in.”

“I said, leave. Do it now before I lose my fucking patience.”

She started to say something, but then thought better of it. She closed her mouth and walked out of my room. I heard the door to the guest room shut behind her.

I sat on my bed, phone in hand, but I couldn’t bring myself to look at her email. Instead, I tried to call her. It went straight to voicemail.

I tried again, then left a message asking her to call me back as soon as she could.

After waiting for about an hour and leaving another message, I decided to head back to the hospital. I wanted to see Lucia, but the nurses told me she was asleep.

Maybe it was for the best. If I told her that her prediction had come true, it would only upset her more, especially given how much she cared for Estella. So, I decided to visit Patrick and Eva instead. Patrick was still groggy from the drugs I’d given him to help him heal, so we couldn’t talk much.

Eva was wide awake, hooked up to an oxygen machine. It was unusual for one of us to need the same medical support as humans, but Eva’s condition was serious.

I sat next to her and took her hand in mine.

“Luz?” she asked through her oxygen mask.

“We’ve sedated her. She had another crisis.”

“Patrick?”

“He’ll be okay. Just like you. Don’t worry.”

“My boys?”

“They’re fine,” I assured her, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

She squeezed my hand and gave me a questioning look.

“She left me,” I admitted in a whisper.

She squeezed my hand tighter.

“I guess you knew. Luz did.”

She shook her head. “No.”

“What did you see, Eva?”

Tears started to stream down her cheeks, and her heart rate spiked.

“I can’t…” she rasped.

“Please, Eva.”

“Go find her.”

“Tell me what you saw, please,” I pleaded.

“I… saw… her… dying…”

I quickly kissed her forehead and left the room, barking instructions at the nurses as I went.

My dad was out of mind-linking range, so I called him on the phone. I explained the situation as quickly as I could and asked him to come and take over for a few days.

I was going to Paris.

EVA

I found myself in a large room bathed in soft moonlight from the floor-to-ceiling windows. They looked more like the doors you’d find in an ancient temple.

As I looked around, I realized that’s exactly what this was. My dream had brought me to my aunt’s realm, which was where I wanted to be. I had a lot to tell her.

I never thought I’d say this, but she had really screwed up, and she needed to fix things.

“Being angry won’t solve your problems, dear.” My aunt’s voice echoed through the room.

“I’m not just angry, Aunt.” I laughed without humor.

“I know. You’re angry at me.”

She appeared from behind a wall, timeless as ever, glowing softly.

“I’ve told you many times that your gift comes with a price,” she reminded me.

“I don’t want to pay that price anymore,” I snapped. “And why didn’t I have a vision about the attack? About my mate almost dying?”

“That’s not how it works. Besides, Patrick will recover, and so will you. You’ll come out of this stronger than before.

“Death isn’t in your immediate future, and that’s as much as I can say to reassure you.”

“What about my daughter?” I demanded.

“Your daughter has her own destiny to fulfill.”

“My child is suffering,” I hissed. “She’s suffering because of the visions you let her have.”

“I know. But, unfortunately, she has to go through this before she can take her rightful place.”

“What are you…” I started, then stopped.

There was no way. No way.

“I’m afraid there is.” She smiled softly at me, reading my thoughts once again.

“You can’t take her from me.”

“That’s not your decision, Eva.”

“It is. She’s my daughter.”

“She’s more than that.”

“You can’t do this to me.”

“Your mother said the same thing about you. I respected her wish.”

“Then respect mine too.”

“It’s already done, and your daughter knows.”

“Make her forget. Stop her visions and her nightmares. Block her powers if you have to. It’s killing me to see her like this.”

“I can’t make her forget. That would be an abuse of power.”

“Wasn’t it an abuse of power when you made Max forget to cover your mistake? Do you enjoy watching your children suffer?”

“Enough!” she commanded. “Of course, it’s hard for me to see Lucia go through this. But she has a special bond with Estella.

“As for Max, you need to understand that aside from my interference, each of you is responsible for how you live your life.

“Max made his choices. Now he has to face the consequences.”

“He doesn’t deserve to lose his mate,” I said.

“No, he doesn’t,” she agreed.

“Let me help him.”

“You’ve already shared what you saw when you shouldn’t have.”

“What difference does it make?”

“None, but you broke a rule nonetheless.”

“I’d break a hundred rules to help the people I care about,” I said flatly.

“That’s admirable, but not acceptable. Destiny has to unfold in its own way.”

“Max’s destiny isn’t to be without Estella.”

“That remains to be seen.”

“Where is she, Aunt?”

“She’s alive, and that’s all you need to know.”