The stakes are higher than ever.
It's been months since the four managed to temporarily defeat and escape Laurel, Amber, Kali and the others but the four's problems are far from over. Forced to live with their guilt and still plagued by nightmares o...
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Kalliope's POV:
The woman's voice comes over my head when she speaks, but the malice contained in her words sticks. The sharp, cruel, malice that I know is aimed at Kessal, Braeden, Chloe, Autumn and Willow by digging up what happened to cause them to have to move here when their pack was destroyed. But she's not done ripping into them yet either. And those of us joined to them either - meaning me, Dana, Ace, Lex and Hale all had to suffer as well. "How oh how are the five of you alive when I watched you die with my own eyes." She sounds a tad petulant and I think about laughing before her eyes find mine and the darkness, the insanity, trapped there has Lana hiding behind Alex where she's terrified out of her mind. "How are you alive and walking around? You should all be dead."
"Patience Heidi," The woman sporting the darker hair and oddly vibrant jade green-grey eyes comments and I see a change in the stance of the woman with her - Heidi. "Patience cousin. Now is not the time." The other woman's opinion seems to differ from her companion, though her words seem to cause a change in opinion in the person she was with. "Patience, and wait. There will be another time."
Now my aunt seems to regard the two cousins with a thoughtful expression on her face. Though the emotion in her eyes is not what I wanted to see from her, or anyone, ever. "Wise words Angel. Perhaps we should all consider that." Her expression remains on those of us gathered together, but if my mind's not deceiving me they seem to linger on me, Kessal, Braeden and Dana longer.
Though she's not the one I focus on. Instead, my eyes are drawn to the two calling themselves Heidi and Angel. Heidi's the one with the dirty blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes that seem so devoid of emotion that I worry she can't feel it before something flashes in my head. The flicker of a memory from my mom that has me shivering and holding Kessal's arm tighter when he seems to notice my change in feeling. Are you ok? Kalls, are you ok? He tries to reach me but I can feel my terror racing through me with the force of a high-speed locomotive train. An echo ripping through him where we seem to be connected in a way I can't explain. Kalli? What's wrong babe, talk to me, please. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong.
Thinking around the fear I combat the emotion, being strong the way my parents raised me to be, and face Angel head-on. Her eyes are still that piercing jade green-grey colour but they seem also, like Heidi's, to lack warmth. Compassion or humanity. Unbidden memories I seemed to see from my parents - and also my uncle and aunt - flash through my mind and show me who Angel is. Who both she and Heidi are. That they're the same people who tortured and attacked both my parents and aunt and uncle. Not to mention the hurt the two had inflicted on others over the years. Meaning that the people with them had to be the ones who had hurt all our parents before we'd become involved in this game. That they were the ones we were supposed to defeat if the game our parents were still playing - and we were involved in - was to finish once and for all.
Kessal tries to reach me but I don't react to him. By now Dana, Ace, Hale and Lex are all spitting fire the way I had been before. But upon hearing my aunt's words compounded with my revelations about Angel and Heidi some of the fight had drained out of me. Along with the realisation that it was in part my fault that Kessal, Braeden, Willow, Chloe and Autumn had lost their pack. All so my aunt could drive them here so they'd become as enmeshed in this deadly game of life and death stakes that we were all bound into. That it was my fault they were all suffering. That it was my fault.
