Delta [Epsilon #2]

Chapter Five

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Kyra?"

That voice... it wasn't Azriel's. I continued to pant, my heart thudding out of my chest. Not Azriel. Not Azriel. Not Azriel.

Another knock at my door. "Kyra?" came Azure's voice again. "Kyra, if you don't open this door, I'm going to have to break in there to check on you."

I calmed my racing heart, trying to rein in the thoughts that ran like spooked horses in a field. Concern... her voice was laced with concern. Azriel was never concerned. He never cared. This was Azure. This was real. This place was real. 

Then I remembered -- Northern Court. I was at the Northern Court, safe from Azriel's cold grasp. I was in a velveted room with any comforts available to me. I was trapped no longer. I was safe. Safe. 

Another knock had me running to the door, my hands still shaking as I twisted the knob. I threw it open harder than I intended, so much so that a gust of air whistled behind my sweat-soaked ears. Raina's wide eyes swam into view. Azure stood at her side, rock-solid and poised as ever, though her eyes looked slightly surprised, too. 

"Gee, Kyra, you look like shit. Are you alright?" she asked.

I blinked. Once. Twice. Sweat trickled down my temples, and I found it hard to talk past the lump in my throat. "Yes, I'm okay. Just-- just a weird dream I had."

I swallowed, my throat parchment-dry. Raina looked a little relieved by my answer, but Azure's expression didn't change. Something told me she knew more. Fortunately, she didn't press on it. Instead, she said, "It's almost nine in the morning, and the breakfast is soon. I didn't think you would wake up."

I blinked. I must have been asleep for a long, long time then. I was about to shut my door and plead for a second to change out my sweat-soaked clothes, but then I noticed what they were wearing.

"You're wearing the cloaks?" I asked, pointing to the black material on their backs. Azure gave me an annoyed look, one that said, 'are we seriously wasting our time with these questions?'

Raina, as always, came to my aide. "Yes, didn't Luna Darla tell you? Everyone wears them. They basically allow us to not have to walk butt-naked after we shift from werewolf back into human form. See?"

She grabbed one corner of the thick material and lifted it. Sure enough, it looked huge, more than enough to cover her small frame if she wished. 

I nodded again. I muttered something indiscernible and turned back inside, staring at the wardrobe I was now a bit nervous to open. 

*****

Azure led the way. Somehow, it seemed she had managed to memorize the route to our rooms, because we were flying down familiar hallways and stair wells without a second's hesitation. I'd have to ask her how she did it, and perhaps ask for tips, too. 

As I stared at Azure's hair, its ice-blonde strands bone-straight as ever, I found myself worrying. Those images of Zion and Alia in my dream... were they real? Had they really been marred with scars and burns? 

I swallowed. Had... had they really died? 

My eyes stung. No, it had to be a nightmare. It had to be. It was impossible they'd gotten so burnt, right? Unless... unless Azriel was more psychotic than I originally thought. I thought back to their marred skin, to the scar tissue that looked white and healed despite the blisters. No, it had to just be a figment of my imagination. There was no way they could heal that fast, right? Even with werewolf healing... no, it couldn't be.