Page 21 of Frost and Fate
ChapterTwelve
By the time Nova crawled into bed, she was exhausted. Darren remained in an armchair in the corner of the room, insisting he needed very little sleep as a lycan. Nova was too tired to fight him, and sleep soon overtook her.
She was running through the cave, screams echoing around her. She saw swirling white eyes in the dark, a voice overhead. “If she doesn’t change soon, she’s of no use to us.” Another scream rang through the air. Ice crawled up Nova’s arms, leaving behind bubbled flesh. Something glowed in the distance. A cold breath whispered in her ear, “Soon you’ll belong to me.”
Nova shot awake, gasping for breath. Darren was on her in seconds. He planted his hands on either side of her shoulders. “It was just a dream,” he soothed.
Tears streamed down Nova’s cheeks. They sparkled then froze in place. “They’re coming for me,” she sobbed. “I could feel it. They’re trying to get to me. He said it, he said…”
Darren pulled her to his chest. She leaned into him, and cried. He stroked her silver hair. “I will keep you safe,” he said. She wrapped her arms around him. “I would give my life for you. You know that, right?”
Nova reared back, looking up at him.Give his life? Would he really?Before she could say more, there was a knock at the door.
“That’ll be Leah. I’ll give her the rundown and come say bye before I head out. Why don’t you take a bath?” He pushed a damp strand of hair from her glistening cheek.
Nova took a deep breath. “Okay.”
Darren kissed her quickly then headed toward the door. His warm lips left her mouth tingling. Dragging herself out of bed, she turned on the faucet. Hot water filled the tub. Nova started to slide her shirt off when the feeling of being watched hit her once again. The air shimmered around her for a moment before the figure again appeared. Hazel eyes looked down at her.
“Whew, that was close. I thought you were going to take your clothes off before I could get in here and that would have been awkward, especially after last night.”
Nova stood still. The man before her was nearly the same height as Darren. He had dark, short hair, pushed up to a peak in the front. His hazel eyes were surrounded by long, thick eyelashes. His skin was a golden tan. He wore a fitted long-sleeve burgundy shirt and black jeans. He was extremely handsome with an exotic smoldering intensity. Nova came to her senses and let out a scream. Darren and Leah burst through the bathroom door in seconds. The hazel-eyed man locked gazes with Darren, whose eyes had begun to glow a deep burning gold. Darren lunged at the man, but before he could grab him, the figure vanished and then reappeared behind Nova.
“Please, I just want to talk.”
Darren lunged for him again. Once more the man disappeared and reappeared across the room. Having put all his focus on Darren, he neglected to notice that his new chosen spot was mere feet from Leah. She immediately had him pinned against the wall.
“Wait!” Nova cried out. “Please, I think we should hear him out.” She didn’t exactly know why, but she had a gut feeling he wasn’t going to harm her.
Leah growled but loosened her hold around his neck. “Speak,” she commanded.
He raised his hands in the air before speaking. “My name is Romani. I’ve been watching you from the Veil. I promise I’m not here to harm. I was only curious.”
“The Veil?” Darren asked.
The boy looked confused. “Haven’t you heard of it?” He looked around the group, his eyes landing on Leah. “I certainly know you have Reap—” Leah’s hands tightened around the man’s throat. He coughed and tapped on her arms. “Okay, I get it,” he wheezed out. “Down, girl!”
Leah glared at him but loosened her grip once more. She spoke with firm finality. “We’re going to take you to our Alpha, and you will tell him everything.” The man called Romani nodded. “And no more disappearing,” she added.
Nova quickly changed and headed to the conference room. Gideon and Lance were already inside. They each took a seat as the others stared at the new man. Powerful waves of energy cascaded off of Gideon.
“Speak now. If you try to escape again you will not leave this building alive.”
The new man seemed mildly amused at the Alpha’s threat but responded respectfully. “Alpha, my name is Romani. I am a Traveler and can cross into the Veil.”
Lance spoke up, “The Veil? You mean the Shadow World?”
Romani smiled bleakly. “I do.”
“Excuse me”—this time it was Nova who spoke—“can someone please explain this to me?”
Romani’s eyes landed on her. “There is another world around you. It is a land of shadow, an in-between, a place of life and death.” His gaze was unwavering. “I am able to travel within both worlds. While in the Veil I see things as they are, unimpeded, and with freedom to move as I wish. Instead of people, I see energy, life force. Each creature has a unique light. Humans are the most dim. Werewolves have a burning glow. Vampires have a shadowy ring around their bodies. Chosen shine brighter than the average. And you…” He stopped, keeping his eyes on Nova. “I have never seen anything like you in the Veil.”
“Did you say vamp—” Nova started, but was interrupted.
“What do you mean you’ve never seen anything like her?” Darren asked, an edge in his tone.
Romani glanced sidelong at Darren then refocused on Nova. “You have the brightest light of anything I have ever experienced. It is a blinding light. I wanted to see for myself what creature could create such a bright light.”
