Page 2 of Catastrophe

Similar energies but different body parts.

“Do you know where I can replenish my strength?” he asked quietly.

I didn’t, but without blood, Baelen wouldn’t heal and we wouldn’t be able to portal back to the island to find Zaide or Charlie, so I had no choice but to nod and let my nose guide me.

I led him out of the cave, and he followed slowly, sluggishly, his footsteps heavy as we walked down the mountain and through a forest. I hoped to find a deer or other woodland creature for him to feed on, but we weren’t so blessed.

My mate was strong—he was the son of gods, had rescued titans and was building an army—but so many times now, I’d seen him at his worst. Attacked by shadows, cruel when possessed, and almost killed when using my power to heal a portal that was destroyed thousands of years ago. I only hoped our luck improved so we could start our relationship properly.

Eventually, the smell of manure and the sound of water guided me to a nearby farm, and the moos that echoed across flat green fields made me want to grin proudly. Surely a cow was big enough to feed my mate. I meowed and nudged his legs, and Baelen stumbled forward, confused, until he reached the wooden gate around the field and spotted the cattle grazing.

“Ahhh.” He licked his lips, and hunger darkened his bright red eyes. “Excuse me, Sunlight. This will not be pretty.”

I didn’t mind, but I sat down to look around as he surged toward the cattle. The surrounding area didn’t look familiar. Snow-capped mountains surrounded us on all sides, and the farm seemed to sit on a plateau in the valley.

Germany? Austria? Definitely Europe. The sheds and structures in random spots across the fields were distinctive, but putting my finger on exactly where we were was impossible.

When Baelen’s head peeked up from his meal and he wiped the blood from his mouth with his sleeve, I meowed. His eyes met mine, and they seemed brighter, more alert. His skin had returned to its healthy dark pallor, and even the curl of his hair seemed to have more bounce to it. He swallowed and pulled himself up, his posture and strength clear as he walked back to me.

“I didn’t want you to see that,” he muttered as he stood and headed back toward me.

I meowed in response. He can make of that what he will.

Out of nowhere, Zaide’s feelings suddenly hit me like a sledgehammer. It startled me so much that I yelped, losing all the air in my lungs.

Because he was frightened.

My big strong titan was afraid. Deathly so.

I tried to send him reassuring thoughts back, pained to feel his fear and not be at his side, but he suddenly slammed our connection shut so sharply I flinched. All that remained of the connection was my rapid heartbeat.

Why was he scared? What happened? Had he found out what happened to Charlie? Was that why he suddenly blocked our connection? He didn’t want to concern me? Or didn’t want me to misinterpret his feelings?

God, I hope he’s with Charlie. I hope they are both okay.

“Sunlight? Is everything all right?” Baelen frowned at me.

I shook my head but couldn’t explain anything else.

He paused, staring at me as though he was trying to read my mind. “Let’s go back to the island,” he mumbled.

I nodded eagerly since I hoped to find Zaide and Charlie there, and after what I’d just experienced, I needed to see Zaide to reassure myself he was safe. But I worried Baelen wouldn’t be able to create a portal yet. After all, he’d been possessed and healed a portal with my power, and despite feeding, surely all that would keep a man down for a while. Even the son of gods.

But his concentration didn’t falter, and his outstretched arm didn’t wobble as the portal of swirling blue formed in front of us. Upon its completion, he bent down before I could take a step and lifted me into his arms.

I grumbled, perfectly capable of walking, but he just smiled sadly, the sight of which made my heart pang, and said, “I’ve had enough of things trying to tear us apart, so I’m going to take every opportunity I have to keep you in my arms. Even if you’re a fierce little feline.”

We stepped out of the portal to utter silence. The furniture inside our cabin looked the same, if not bigger, than it did when I left to visit Karin for period supplies. It felt like a lifetime ago. Our surprise, joy, and confusion over the return of my cycle was a monumental moment that felt so distant as the portal closed with a flash behind us.

I didn’t need to check the bedroom or bathroom to know the cabin was empty. I would recognize the sound of my soul pair’s and witch’s breathing at thirty paces. They weren’t in the cabin. And even stranger, I couldn’t hear the cheerful chirping of Savida in the cabin next door.

Baelen didn’t look me in the eye as he strode to the front door and let us out. He remained silent, and my fur bristled with the tension in the air when I looked up and down the dirt path to see … no one. Not a soul wandered around, nor could I hear anything in the surrounding cabins, just the wind and the distant sound of the lake lapping at the dock.

I dashed over to Daithi and Savida’s cabin to find their door open, and as I creeped inside the bedroom, I pulled open the cupboards to find it empty of all their clothes.

They left?

It wasn’t until I ran further up the hill and I passed other cabins, all of which had their doors broken in different ways, that I realized something terrible had happened here.

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