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:
Hearing what I'd said about us needing to leave seems to spur people into action but I find that doesn't make me feel better at all. If anything it makes me feel worse since both I and my wolf are sick of running. Sick of hiding and having to make sure that we were hidden at all times. But we were also afraid. Afraid because unlike our parents when they played this game before the running would never end for us. It would never end unless those of us who remained after this battle was willing to hand ourselves over to the Council over what we'd done. The marks we'd still bear that no matter how much I wanted to deny it, us finishing the game they knew about would do nothing to fix. To make it better.
"Are you ok beloved?" Kessal's hand on my shoulder as the others were getting ready made me feel a little better since I could reassure myself and my wolf that he was ok and not going anywhere. "Kalli?" I mumble a noncommittal reply then and turn to embrace my mate, something inside me worrying that we wouldn't have forever to hold each other like this. "Are you ok?"
"Worried," I reply, resting my head under his and over his collarbone. Kessal lets out a low breath and the motion ruffles my hair, causing the mate tingles to spread from the top of my head to my toes. "Worried that we won't all make it out of this alive beyond those of our group we've already lost. That this was the beginning of Amber's cruelty and that even less of us are walking out of this battle alive than we thought or hoped." I hadn't meant to spill all that at once but now it was out in the open I felt better for it. More like myself since despite everything Amber had done she couldn't break me completely. Couldn't change who I was. "But I'm also tired,"
The last revelation slips out as I reflect on how true it is. About how tired I am of not being able to trust anyone. Of having to look over my shoulder and worry that if I let anyone out of my sight they may never come back. It makes me wonder how my parents dealt with it for years since they played multiple rounds both apart - in both my uncle's and my dad's case - and then two together after they found each other. Just like my aunt and uncle did. How did they bear it? I wish I could ask them but since we'd lost our connection to the others of mine and Dana's parents who were alive I know that opportunity had been and gone.
"What do you mean by tired love?" Kessal asks with a faintly confused tone that has me smiling into his shoulder where the concern made me feel better, even if only for a moment. "I think I know what you mean but I'm not sure, can you explain?" He tips my chin up then and I sigh, not sure how to do so until the answer presents itself to me. "Kalls?"
"I'm tired of being afraid Kess. So fucking tired of it I could scream." I sigh, the words sounding soft as he stroked my hair again as I spoke, my head returning to its old position when he'd let me go after I started talking. "I wanted normal. My parents wanted it for me and Amber had to come and make this game more than it started out being. Meaning we're here now and have maybe lost eight of our closest friends. Ones we don't know if are alive or dead. Amber's prisoner or free and lost. And I'm tired of it, I'm tired of losing people and being so fucking powerless and afraid." Crying now I wait for the moonstone power to act up but it's as if it's gone dormant again, another testament to how out of control it had pushed all of us who carried it in our blood along with the two Blood Marks. "Does it ever get better?"
