Reality

Juliet

After my life with Louis, I stood and gave myself a good dusting off; I was done. I had lived all my lives. I had been so content during Louis's life like I knew I would be—even more than with anyone else. I wanted now more than anything to choose him—carry the consequences—and live out my days alone with Louis in France versus the hard work of starting over that lay ahead of me. I groaned, walking out of the room and heading into the hall. I passed several other rooms and wondered what they were for.

One caught my attention; it was beautifully walled with glass all around. I looked up the roof, letting in the moonlight. I stepped through the open doorway; as soon as I did, stars appeared in the air, moving—ever expanding. The atmosphere was glowing and magical—rotating galaxies as far into the universe as you'd want to see. I moved deeper into the room; the projections by themselves shrank outward until Earth was large and imposing in front of me. It knew where I was from. The two galaxies would still collide. As if knowing what I was thinking, Earth became smaller and smaller, disappearing into the Milky Way. Andromeda was now dauntingly close to us, the outer arms only what looked like an inch apart. Was this our fault? Charlene's for connecting the two galaxies with one simple branding… Would the colliding be prevented if I were to go back in time and stop it all? Really, I didn't care anymore. If we were merging, so be it. I had finally made up my mind to let fate play out. One could not cheat reality. One could not lie and expect no consequences when dealing with painful truths. And maybe I needed the time to get over Soren and what he had done. Forty-five years would do that… Make it all go away.

A stampede of footsteps came down the corridor and passed the room. "Mom!"

"I'm here, Caleb. What happened?"

"There is no one there. No ball, stuck in a net, either," Caleb said as he met me coming out of the room. "Why are you not busy with Louis's timeline?"

"I'm done…" With more urgency in my voice, I said, "We have to leave. My mom and dad are stuck on their Islands with little water. We don't know how long it will be until we can get to them. I can't concentrate anymore." I moved quickly the way we came.

Caleb followed, keeping up with my brisk pace, "It's ten minutes. What really happened?"

"I… went to talk to Marcus."

"Again?"

"Yes—"

He cut me off, "You got the reassurance you needed, didn't you?"

"I did… And Ahasuerus told me the further you go back in time, the worse the consequences… So sending either Marcus or Louis is out of the question… We have enough to deal with… The galaxies are dangerously close to one another," I gestured to the room behind us.

Caleb skipped a step to catch up, "Well, either way, I'll follow you… I'm just glad we're leaving."

We reached the waterway and had to choose a boat we both could paddle upstream. Once we sat down and began to row, it became apparent why the dheka only traveled in one direction. Every ten times we stroked, the little vessel only moved forward one length of its own size, the current too strong even for us. "We're getting nowhere."

"Will we get lost if we try to navigate the streets?"

"We don't have a choice—we'll try and stick to the riverbank." Caleb stood and picked me up, teleporting to shore. The little boat drifted away, disappearing around a corner. "Let's take a jog."

For the rest of the day, we navigated toward the harbor, where our whole journey started. Unfortunately, we were stuck on the side we did not want to be on; the temple behind us. "I can see the opening to the tunnels… I'll take us to the anchor rock and then to the other side."

I agreed, but when Caleb teleported, he faltered and missed his landing by a large margin. We ended up in the water swimming the rest of the way and crawled out onto the rocks, tired from fighting the current. "Water can be deceiving."

"You must be exhausted."

"I think going back in time has made us both a little weaker, and we still need to eat."

"Yes, but we also have to swim the rest of the way." I gazed over the expanse of water separating us from the tunnel entrance, working out if we'd make it. My eyes followed a small path on the other side to where it tapered off into the water, ending the little residential area—a few houses embedded into the mountain. Beyond the last part of the bank, the homes were built right on the edge, like in Venice; there was nothing to take hold of. We either made it, or if the stream took us and, we'd have to do it all again. 

Caleb followed my gaze, making the same calculations as me. "We don't have a choice."

"No… Are you ready?"

"If the stream takes us beyond the bank, try and get to the other side as soon as possible."

He nodded and dove into the water. I did the same testing the current's depth; if we could get underneath it, we might have some leverage. Immediately, I moved sideways; I cursed at our bad luck. Caleb and I surfaced at the same time, kicking and stroking with as much power as we could muster. My thick-soled shoes and heavy pants kept me from making any progress. I couldn't take a second or look up to wait and see how far I was, either on or off course. Every dig into the water left me more tired. Once my fingers felt any type of surface, I dared to lift my head to see where I was; my eyes met a flat, stoned wall. We'd drifted too far down, and we were not where I wanted to be. I cursed and turned to let the current take me and swam with it to reach any jetty on the other side. I grabbed onto the first pillar I could get a hold of and dragged myself out of the water. It wasn't long before Caleb joined me. I held out my hand and pulled him up but landed on my ass; he dropped down, exhausted, next to me.

I took deep breaths and wiped my face, feeling like I could cry. Unintentionally, I nudged from sheer desperation to have only one of them with me. Why did I want to do this alone? If Caleb wasn't there, what would I have done? I received three replies, sending a jolt of pain through me, and I was forced to my feet, whether I wanted to get up or not. If only I could tell them to help me through the water—even from across a planet or space, they could do it. Another benefit from the brandings for a woman's weaker vessel became apparent; three men could send you the power to help you through any situation, manipulating your body for you. I struggled in the direction of the temple—again. Caleb followed on a heavy sigh.

That time, I walked to the furthest point the Dark City would allow. On the tip of the water's edge, I manifested, dived in, and used my last bit of strength to reach the anchor structure. Caleb teleported and landed next to me more easily without having to carry my weight. I did the same for the next leg and forced myself through the water. Caleb landed next to me again, sitting down. "I've never been so relieved to leave a place."

"We have a long way to go."

I stood and dug into my pack for the headlights. They were soaked and didn't work anymore. I cursed and headed for the tunnel. We struggled in the dark up the narrow winding path for another hour. My fingers were my only guide of where to walk. At least it was a one-way street. Caleb emerged first, walking toward the edge of the ledge and looking down at the drop we had to manage. I didn't give him a chance to think about it—I went into a jog and dove at him, sending us over the precipice. In the air, I locked my legs around him and disappeared. Caleb yelled, closed his eyes, and threw his arms around my neck. Our landing was as soft as the bed I longed for. I dropped my disappearance act, and we hit the earth with a tiny thud. Caleb laughed lightly, at least seeing the humor in him, forgetting we could disappear.

The very moment we were both on solid ground—still in Caleb's arms—the pair of us teleported and landed across from Charlene, writhing in agony. Consumed by the situation, I manifested, gripped her bondages, and tore them from the bed. Next were her hands. "What can we do? How long has she been like this?"

Caleb grabbed my arm, and we disappeared, "The wolves will hear us." He nudged toward the opposite wall, and while I turned to see Jade gagged and tied on the floor, he dug in his pack and took out a vial of pain meds. The piercing of Charlene's skin reached me. With murder in my eyes, I did the same with Jade's bondages. "Charlene's been like this for hours." I cursed myself. "I tried to escape several times. They stopped me and tied us both down. One is patrolling outside the door."

"Is she cut with one of your swords?" Jade nodded. "What do we do? How long will she be able to go on like this?" I was freaking out a little—guiltily so.

"Mom," Caleb took my shoulder in his hand and turned me around. He reached out, took the leather strap around my neck, and pulled out the stone.

"Caleb, you genius!"

"We will have to escape the old-fashioned way," he seemed eager.

"How?" Jade asked.

"A diversion."

I stretched out a vertical open-palmed hand and came down on one of Caleb's shoulders and then the other. "What are you doing?"

"I'm knighting you?"

"What does that mean?"

"Really? You don't know how a queen bestows honor."

Caleb chuckled, "I do, I just wanted to distract you. Lighten the mood. Charlene will be okay… The wolves must have tested it."

"It still f—ing hurts… Hurry, Caleb, you're our only hope."

"Nice… Okay, so I am going to teleport out the window… or fall and then, in some way, create enough chaos… All you have to do is go into any building as soon as she stabilizes… Don't try and get out of this place… Hang a shirt out a window; I'll find you once I… uhh… corrupted the water… Don't—"

"Drink the water," I finished his sentence.

Caleb walked to the window, pulled himself over the sill, and disappeared. I rushed over to see where he would land and if the wolves would be able to see him. It was the back of the building, almost like an alleyway. A forested one.

Jade took hold of me and gestured for me to disappear, "Do you have paper and something to write?"

"I do," I dug in my pack. How was she going to write with her fat fingers?

"Okay, put it down. I'll help you draw a map… Here," Jade pulled her finger down the center, "Is a walkway ten dragons wide."

"Two and a half meters times ten… A bit excessive, no?"

"No. In the middle is the balls open to see from the street… Smaller, and the wind is not so bad as the large tunnels… Here is us in a palace as big as Palmyra and here and here are more," Jade pointed to random places on either side of the main road and tunnel way. Jade drew lines alongside and in between the palaces, "Trees, large, high everywhere. Lots of places to hide… Small streets and other buildings."

"So these palaces are all this big… werewolves in all of them."

"Mmm… Here is the arena," Jade pointed far off the paper—very far from where we were. "Romero must be close to there because we were carried from there to here," she pointed. It was a long way to walk.

"What happened?"

"Charlene had a meeting with Liv."

"Now that—is the first good news I've heard… Okay, so when the guards leave, we will go out the back and find somewhere behind the palaces… There must be stables or servant buildings or any structure we could hide in… We only have one day until she wakes up after the drugs."

At that moment, the wolf outside the door howled and stampeded down the hall. "Okay, now!" Jade tossed Charlene like a bag of potatoes over her shoulder. She picked me up around my waist and ran for the window, diving out. I thought we were walking out!

I disappeared mid-air. "Aarggh," I screamed, "A little warning next time."

Jade's chest lit up, and her eyes widened as the ground came nearer and even closer. I chuckled when we were safely hovering over the surface, and her eyes were still shut. Slowly, she opened them on tiny slivers, "I wish I had this ability." 

"It is the best," I glanced around. "Let's see what we're working with…" I scanned our surroundings, "We have to go in that direction." I looked back at the building we were just in, "How beautiful, this place is amazing!"

"I thought Palmyra was the best… I would not mind living here."

"No, oh look." The sun was setting, and the trees around us shadowed us in darkness; the city, on the other hand, lit up from within the buildings, those stones they used creating a sun-kissed dimmed effect behind glass and around pristine streets. My gaze traveled to where we were going. The subsequent palace was hundreds of meters away. On the other side of the—let's call it a highway running through this place was a palace between the two, each one alternating in location, finishing off a magnificent effect of symmetry. The enormous street twisted and turned up a hill into the distance. Stones and decorations placed strategically made it look like a real well-tax-funded oasis.

We were about halfway to the next palace when Caleb landed next to me. I yelped, regardless, "How in the world did you get it done so fast?"

"I pushed a woman into the ball tunnel…" I suppressed a laugh, "Guessed the wolves would freak out to try and save her… She seemed important." Jade's chest lit up in the darkness. "No! It's not that funny… Calm down, you'll give us away… Here," Caleb handed Jade a stack of material. "And this is for you," he gave me a dress and sandals.

Jade opened the garment and held it up. "Men's clothes?"

"Check if it fits."

Caleb took Charlene. Jade struggled with getting her feet into the pants leg, "You have it the wrong way round, like this."

Jade tried again and pulled them up, tying them around her waist. She turned in a circle. "I like it."

"Try the shirt and the cape."

"Like this?" she asked.

"Mmm. Put your arms in first," Caleb helped her, being as tall as she was. On the hem, he pulled down; the fabric slid down her scales and covered the pinks and purples on her chest. Her hands appeared out of the long sleeves. "Good." Caleb draped the cape over her shoulders and tied the ribbons over her chest. Jade took the hood and pulled it over her head. "We are really in a full-blown fantasy novel now… You look like a badass ranger."

Jade looked down at me. I nodded and smiled, "A knight. A ranger. And a demon."

"And a damsel in distress."

"No way, you're right."

"Come, we gotta move while it's dark and find somewhere to hide…. How will we know if we're close enough to Romero for the night."

"It doesn't really matter… I suppose until we have to go into hiding… Where is Aries, Jade?" Caleb asked.

"Michael took all the kids."

"Do you know where?"

"No, but I'm sure they are safe. When he came back, Chris was with him."

I abruptly stopped walking, "Chris was… is here?"

"Yes… Do not steal another baby because he is in trouble… Kubra said we are safe."

"I trust a dog as long as I can see it. Especially the bitches."

"Chris will be with the men, and maybe we can find Michael too."

We ended up in a dirty and dusty abandoned building, a mini palace a little away from the other habitable dwellings. In the darkness, Jade and Caleb led the way, placing Charlene in a room on the floor. "Caleb, what about the stone?"

"Yeah, I'll go do that now… Stay here. I don't want to lose you."

"I'm so tired I'm going to pass out."

Caleb teleported, sending some of the dust—up in the air. "How long does it take for the stone to work?"

"I don't know… It's the first time I'm going to use it."

I made myself comfy in the corner next to Charlene, resting my head against the wall. "Why are you so tired?"

"I have had the longest day in my life… I'll tell you tomorrow."

Jade jostled me to get to my pack, rummaging through. Metal clinked. She was taking out containers. Good idea. Get water before it's poisoned.

***

A tug on my sleeve woke me up. I yanked on the irritation. It continued, "Leave me alone."

"Juliet," Charlene croaked. I lifted my head and looked down at the floor. She was fine.

"Chars!" I sat up and dragged her head into my lap, stroking her hair out of her eyes, "How do you feel?"

"Wonderful… Thank you for coming."

"Why did Kubra and Carl not appear?"

"I… don't… know…" she said lazily, enjoying the last effects of the drugs. "Where am I?"

"Taken."

"Like the movie?"

"No, not like the movie… I can sell you if you like."

She giggled, took my hand, and kissed it, "How much do you think we'll get?"

"Romero will pay a planet."

"Romero, where is Romero?"

"Taken."

She giggled again, "How much will he fetch?"

"Millions in souls." Charlene's body quieted down.

"What is wrong with her?" Jade asked.

"You know how the dheka's powers work." Jade looked away. "I guess you do… Romero gave you some purple…" Even through the shirt, her chest display gave her away… "Well, the little black vial… works in the same way… without the mating… You feel very good."

"I liked the purple drugs."

"We all like the purple drugs."

"Who did you share it with?"

"Michael," I smiled. What a night.

We both looked at the door. Caleb came in dressed almost like Jade. "It's done."

"When did you do it?"

"About an hour ago… I had to go really far to the origin of their water source… Finding it was the most difficult part… After making sure there weren't two springs feeding this place."

"Thank you, Caleb," Jade said. The boy looked knackered. "Sleep, your mother will look for food."

"I will?"

Jade pointed at the dress, "Oh, I'm a woman… It won't be difficult, right."

"You will have to wash your face."

Caleb made himself comfy next to Charlene and pulled her into his arms, resting her head on a furry cushion. What a sweet boy. My stomach growled viciously. Two whole days with no food. Poor Caleb, following me into this mess.

The streets were still relatively quiet for so early in the morning... Some couples walked together. No woman was left unattended… Other men moved around with baskets filled with produce. Soldiers patrolled slowly, standing aside when a woman passed them. Others were carrying stacks of clothes going into buildings. I was looking for a market, listening for the sounds of multiple beasts in pens. Going in the same direction where the men with food came from seemed like a good idea. I received a few stares being alone. Several wolves asked if I needed an escort. My excuse was that I was only sixteen and ran away from home for a little bit. I received relieved smiles and slight nods.

I rounded a corner, and the smell hit me—poop. And lots of it. How would I get our food home? Why would I be out doing a man's work? Argh, at least I'd know where Caleb could steal some later. Cages rattled. Men talked and laughed. Restaurants were open; wolves sat at the tables, drinking in their human form. As I entered the gates to the market, the atmosphere changed. A silence fell. Every last male looked my way. Workers stopped working. I wondered who would approach me. Mr Arrogant or Mr. Nice Guy. Oh, please let it be an open-minded, young, submissive guy. I could not deal with one who would slap my ass to get attention.

The quiet was so profound I didn't know if I could take another step. I dared anyway just to see what would happen. A chair to my left scraped on the floor. I turned to the sound. Our eyes met. The heat in my body drained out my feet. Every nerve prickled. My heart dropped at the chance someone who knew me would be there. Nerves emptied my gut at the possibility of a delay. We didn't have time to be detained before the wolves never manifested again. The man manifested and chose to approach me. He took two stairs down onto the ground level. This could go either way?

He stopped and dropped down to a knee. Relief washed out all my fear, but what would warrant me coming to look for a harem member. My 'werewolf' was okay at best… I spoke slowly, "I know… it is your time off from duties… Julius is sick, and I—" He stood and lifted me into his arms and rested me on his chest. The rest of the wolves went on with their day, and the noises continued to drown out the tension of a moment ago. "Do wolves get sick?" I asked.

"Shhh."

"Oh, right." He headed for the gate. "I am hungry," I said deliberately loudly.

He bared his teeth in a smile, with an underlying growl, "Of course." He gently put me down, took my hand, and led me to the pens. We strolled for a while as I perused what looked the best. If I could manifest, I would be able to smell what would be the tastiest. I could almost feel my teeth sink into something. "Four of those," I pointed, keeping my sentences first-grade. His hand clenched around mine.

"We… can not afford it."

I pouted, raking my hands through the fur on his chest, "Please."

He spun to the vendor, who smirked, "This is her first time at a market."

The vendor laughed, "You have a mistress; give her what she wants… You're more lucky than the rest of us," he pointed in a direction.

My head turned, and I drew in a breath. No! Males up for auction. A few were standing on a podium surrounded by a few seats. One had a woman in it, with a wolf behind her who was looking over papers. The couple was shopping. Michael came to mind. How he was when in his werewolf form. The blacked-furred wolf bent down and whispered into his wife's ear. She stood disgusted and, in a huff, turned to leave. The black wolf dropped the papers on the chair and followed her out. I hoped I didn't treat my men so rudely.

"You can be glad your wife treats you the way she does," the vendor inclined his head toward me when our eyes met. An indirect compliment. "I am not taken… You could have all the delicacies you desire." A farmer. How Regency English of him.

The corner of my mouth lifted. He cleaned his paws in water and stepped out from behind a counter. Feeling a little naughty, I turned to my husband and looked doe-eyed up at him. He scraped a sultry black nail over the exposed skin on my arm, meeting my challenge, "It's not up to me, wife." Our eyes held in a locked gaze.

The vendor's excitement grew, "Here, come sit down, and I'll get you a glass of water." I repressed a laugh and shook my head coyly at my new husband. "Do you want something to drink?" the vendor asked again, bringing me back to the present.

"No!" I exclaimed. The vendor's ears prickled toward me. "The water is bad. Julius is sick."

My husband laughed at my short sentences but took pity on me… He was bred to be friendly, "She will think about adding an addition… Only the four wonu."

"Thank you. Of course."

Intrigued, I watched as the vendor took out a blade and stabbed four wonu in the head. He proceeded to get a large crate, dropped the beast in one by one, and helped my husband balance it on his shoulder. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes."

Outside the gate, we couldn't speak—too many ears. It took us a while to follow small roads and cross a bridge over the highway. Once we were on the outskirts of the city, I felt a little guilty about putting him in such a precarious position. He wouldn't talk to me first. "Are you angry?"

"No! I was surprised to see you… It's been so long, but I recognized you immediately… I can't really forget the rejection of that night."

"I would've taken you with me if I could, really… Back then, the harem thing was still very new to me… I know now I could've saved you in a way… Did you ever end up with anyone?"

He bobbed his head. I grabbed his fur. "Ow."

I let go of him, "Do you love her?"

"Love?"

"Care? Have deep feelings."

He shook his head. "I was forced to submit myself when we came to Mirach… I am not allowed in the bed chamber yet."

"Do you want to be? Because I did something, and she might be harmed." He took a step forward, adjusting the crate to the opposite shoulder. He said nothing. "Speak freely, please."

"What will happen? The water?"

"Did you drink any today?"

"No."

"Don't. The water will take away everyone's manifestations."

His feet planted, he stared into the distance for a moment, deliberating what to do, and slowly turned to me, "If I was a good subject, I'd report you and the incident."

"Your English is excellent."

"I wasn't next to that bath just because… You were so young… So beautiful."

"And now I'm old and ugly?"

He laughed, "No!" He reached out and stroked my hair. "A little dirty," he rubbed his fingers together… I laughed lightly. "For a few years, a handful of us from every school was drilled in every aspect of Earth. Taught relentlessly by the palace school for males… English is a must, more than our home language… Anyway, only one of each school made it…. Whatever, it doesn't matter. A harem has rules, and you said one of your husbands wouldn't like it… I was crushed," he placed a dramatic hand on his heart. "Where are we going?"

I pointed with a heavy heart. Brylee had really gone all out to make an alliance with me… I should've taken him with me. But then, I would never have slept with Chris. He would've cheated on me with Selena… Back then, I couldn't do anything, but now— "Do you want to come with us? I can't include you in my harem, but I can give you freedom—from all this."

"You leave me no choice… If I'm the only werewolf standing, they would know."

"It's so ingrained in you to be in your werewolf form… You could just walk around human…" He didn't reply. "However, I have to warn you the dheka army is on its way, and they become one giant cloud of death and literally sweep in and out… So yippee. We have another addition!"

"Don't you need permission even for a slave?"

"Hey! When I said freedom, I meant it… in an Earthly sense."

"Oh."

"Let's see how it goes… You can always change your mind."

"Or I can kill you and save my people."

"You can try, but I have to tell you, I'd probably kill you first."

He snorted, "Please… Like I said, first in my class and that year's palace guards… I was well on my way into the high ranks of the army when this all happened."

"We will spar eventually… We'll see… What is your name?"

He turned to me and stretched out his paw, "Niana, nice to meet you."

My small hand disappeared in his enormous one, "Sheila."

"No, it's not."

I laughed, "It changed for a while… I'll tell you the story eventually… We're almost there," I pointed and proceeded to tell him who I was with and what our plans were. Jade stepped out the door. I lifted an arm, catching her attention through the trees.

"I smelled you a mile away."

"Am I soooo filthy?"

My husband looked down and, in a very sexy way, said, "I can give you another bath."

"Who is this?" Jade asked. Niana handed her the casket with our food. With one hand, she balanced the entire thing. She picked one up and bit into its neck. "Charlene is awake."

"She is!?" I ran through the door. Caleb was still asleep. Charlene was coming off her high, crying. Niana stepped in behind me, going right towards her. He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet. He led her outside and handed her a wonu. She smiled, manifested into the stunning wolf she was taking it from him. Niana's eyes bulged, and he dropped to his knees. He let his manifestation go as part of their courting ritual. Charlene was mid-bite and slowly opened her mouth, dislodging from the beast's neck. "Juliet! Where do you find these men? He is absolutely gorgeous… Are we finally going to have that threesome?"

Niana groaned, "F— yeah!"

"He's an Earth wolf," disgusted she turned away, biting into the wonu and tearing out a chunk of meat.

"I'm not. I swear."

"Niana is part of my lost sheep now… Treat him like I would treat Shai."

"How do you know him then?"

"He's the guy at Brylee's bath—"

"The nice guy… Oh, well… You did feel terrible about Mateo's wife… I guess we can give him a chance… Niana, you could've ended a war… But if you put one foot wrong, Juliet will tear you to pieces—literally." Charlene's eyes met mine, a little peeved, "We have to wake up Caleb. I need to get to Romero before they force water down his throat, or he feels better and asks for a glass… How could you be so careless? Chris is with him and Michael! What if they all lose their manifestations."

Irritated with her scolding, I grabbed a beast and took it inside. All I had to do was dangle it underneath Caleb's nose for him to wake up so we finished our meal in record time for her highness.

"Come, Caleb! We have to go," Charlene said from outside.

The corner of Caleb's mouth lifted while sucking on a bone, "Is she pregnant again?"

"Hey, I heard that."

Caleb sluggishly got to his feet, looking a little worse for wear after only a few hours of sleep in two days. "Mom, after this… can I have a day off."

"I'm sorry, Caleb."

"Hey, I followed you into the desert… It's an adventure, right."

I sighed, walking out, "This is a little more than I bargained for."

"I'll take Caleb to the area where we had the dinner… And our tents were set up… Then I'll come back for you."

I didn't look up at Charlene and nodded. Mindlessly, I pushed back cuticles on my cracked and broken nailed fingertips. "Bamf." A few seconds later, she was back and traveled me out. We landed in a tent; I was so used to living in tents by then. Caleb's head peaked out the flap, and he let the curtain drop again. I took hold of both of them so we could talk.

"There is a small cluster of wolves. Four. Cleaning."

Charlene unceremoniously bumped Caleb out of the way and strutted out of the tent. We followed, watching her kill three, grab the last one by the throat, and dig her nails into his skin. Lifting him up in the air, she said, "Where is Romero?" Her werewolf was better than mine… Even her accent was a little more like theirs. The boy choked out blood. More dripped down his neck, sticking to his fur. With red eyes tilting back in his head, he lifted an arm and pointed away from the city. "How far and how many?"

He couldn't speak, choking. "Mom, you have to intervene."

I sighed heavily. I've seen this before. "Juliet, stay out of this!" I didn't listen to Charlene's command and manifested almost on top of her. With my tiny hand around her large wrist, I squeezed at the right spots, forcing her fingers to open. The wolf dropped into the sand. Charlene exerted herself to get me off her. I blocked all her blows; I dodged others, never letting go of her, keeping her too close to do real damage. I pulled her this way and that way. Her unbalanced movements made her stumble. My foot was out, and she tripped; in the same instance, I released her. Charlene landed hands and knees on the ground. Her heavy horns would take a long time to get used to. She didn't even teleport. Our little princess needed a lot of training. "It feels like I'm going mad."

"You are! With anger… You're a creature now! This is only the beginning… And I guess being away from Romero and all the pain is not something the other side of you will accept… Not to mention, your branding is not only physical, it's emotional as well… Any separation is bad… You're frustrated because you are so powerful and you're not trained. You're stuck here, always in danger if you and Romero are pulled apart… Get up, Charlene… You wanted this… We told you!"

In a flash, she teleported. I was already in my invisibility, turning slowly, circling around her—how predictable. Charlene, in her werewolf form, yelled, raging in a frenzy at me. She was all over the place, manifesting into her different forms. Unable to get to me, she turned on the boy on the ground, who was clutching his throat in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding. With her back to me, her body changed into human, but she still had long black nails sticking out her fingertips.

I reappeared and dove at her, "Oh no, you don't!" My arms went around her body, confining her in the firmest grip I could muster. Luckily, she was shorter than me like this. Charlene barely tried and pried my arms open. Her strength and speed in her vampire form were something I'd not trained against yet. No wonder Ahasuerus was so feared.

While I kept her busy, Caleb hunkered down at the werewolf and got him to tell us what we needed to know. How long will Charlene and I fight? I didn't have time for this. I manifested into my manipulated face; the world around me turned white, and my opponent clearly outlined against the stark background. In two movements of severe strikes to her body, I had her at a disadvantage, slamming her on the jaw; she dropped on the sand, coughing up blood. I might have ruptured something internally. Oops.

I turned around to see Caleb holding the wolf in his human form and laying him down limp into the sand. Dead. Great. "Could he speak?"

"Yeah, but you're not going to like it… We have to hurry." Caleb reached out and swept my feet out from under me, traveling in the direction the boy had pointed. Twenty jumps later, I tugged on his fur. One tent? Two guards? What was going on? Caleb did one last jump and let me loose on the two. Rather than killing them, I incapacitated them by breaking their knees and legs.

While they writhed in pain, we went inside the lonely dwelling out in the middle of nowhere. Romero was in a lotus pose, his hands together. It looked so cool when he sat like this, doing his healing, training, or meditation in his shadow form. Golden eyes popped open.

"Why didn't you escape if you can manifest?" Caleb asked.

Romero put on his human face.

"Because he's not stupid… Where did you want him to go? It's desert for miles, and the closest city would only have brought him back. And I guess they don't know we got Charlene closer to you."

"They do... These two are new, and the other two are on their way to report my well-being. It takes them hours to travel… Or that is what I heard them say."

"Where is Chris and Michael? Kubra, Carl?"

"I do not know."

"That's what the boy told me… they split them all up."

"The men could still be in the city… Tell me you didn't drink any water in the last few hours."

"They took me to a little oasis over the hill."

"Phew!" Caleb said and sat down, holding his hand out to Romero. "I'm so tired, I can't think straight. Do you mind?"

Romero manifested into a gold and white display of brilliance. Against the black background, it was so magical. His shadows consumed Caleb's hand, systematically circling his arm to his shoulder and around his face. If I were a helicopter mom, I'd be totally freaked out right now. "Bamf." The flap flung open. Over my shoulder, I took in Charlene's face. S—. Romero's going to be ticked off.

Charlene waited, not making eye contact with me. Romero slowly let go of Caleb. Blissful ignorance was what Caleb wanted and got. He fell back into the sand, fast asleep. Romero looked up at Charlene, "I'll kill them all." Her shirt was covered in blood.

Charlene sniffled and sobbed, dropping down into his lap—into his person. "Juliet hit me." Romero stifled a laugh. "It's not funny… You said you kill them all… You have to kill her."

"Is that really what you want?"

Charlene pouted to perfection, looking into his eyes, resting a hand on his cheek, "No, I guess not… What's the punishment for hitting the queen."

"No one would dare but a challenger… Who started the fight?" Charlene pointed at me. My mouth fell open. Romero's hand rested on the back of her neck; a thumb rubbed up and down. Charlie didn't even realize what he was actually doing. In my demon face, I could see his power seeping through from his fingers to her skin. I dropped my manifestation to see the difference. He was good. Really good. No one would ever know. A moment later, she also closed her eyes.

Romero stood with her in his arms only to lay her down on the makeshift bed he'd be sitting on. "Come, Juliet. We need to talk."

"Nice."

"Thank You."

"Can we walk to the oasis? I need a bath."

He stretched out an arm for me to go first, "Begin at the beginning."

"Again, nice. Where and how did you learn our colloquialisms."

"I've been reading," he joked.

I bobbed my head, impressed by his commitment to understand Charlene's ways… "The stone is not the water and life stone… That one is hidden on En-gannim… And the other stone is not with Ian anymore; I have it… It takes away our manifestation—creature side or dheka powers… The ittoqure used it to split us all up."

"Hence the fervor to keep the species separated… The brandings reveal the secret and join two races again… or all three."

"Mmm… I… uhm used it… in the city."

"Good. The army would only take a month to arrive, and we will kill them all."

"This is your domain. I won't interfere… A deal is a deal."

"You would want them to live."

"No, no… I've finally accepted collateral damage… You have to understand… I grew up with no wars or sovereignty… It's… different… but I'm getting there."

"In a hundred years, you will not recognize yourself."

"No…"

"So you do not need to go back in time after all… Why lie?"

"I was set on doing it. I would have… but I received some bad news… good news and some sound advice."

"Bad news first."

I chuckled, "Okay… The teleportation will never work again… We are cut off from anyone we can't see, other planets… The communications don't work either… It's been two days since I last heard from Jessy."

"The good news?"

"Uhmm… I would like to keep it a secret for now… It's personal."

"Very well, and the sound advice?"

"Was to accept reality and start over."

"That is good advice… If you think about it… Our future is a decision away… You can make it better for yourself."

I laughed lightly, "Marcus told me the same thing when I went back in time."

"So a lot of sound advice then."

"Well, we'll have to wait and see if it takes… I never wanted to settle in any way… Or grow up… I guess it's inevitable… Hey, how many times has Charlene become so uncontrollable?"

"Like Michael? A few times… Teleporting helps to tire her out, and she feels she can get away from it all."

"She needs proper training, Romero."

"Yes, I know. Kubra's sessions helped, although she is nowhere near where she could be… There never seems to be time… Let us give her a hundred years as well."

Romero filled holders before I would be getting into the water to take a bath. With his back to me, I undressed, feeling every ache and pain of tired muscles. Only using water and body soap for the last few weeks had dried my hair out and left it scruffy-looking and grating against my skin. Nonetheless, a good soak was all I needed. I would have to get used to never using shampoo or conditioner again... The reality of this situation had not fully set in... Somehow, I had hoped we'd be magically rescued, or Jessy would fix the teleporters. What if I never saw any of them again? Louis was on Earth in another galaxy… We couldn't be any further apart… If we couldn't find Michael, Louis would never know I was pregnant… Michael… He could get us out of this mess. I was so sure I'd be able to negotiate their release with Liv.

By the time we got back, the two were still asleep, and no new set of guards had arrived. How long would it take? At least Niana was with Jade… Our best bet was to find Liv and interrogate her. Romero came out of the tent with Charlene in his arms, "I'm going to get her cleaned up and sit and heal her for a while… Do you have an extra set of clothes?"

"No, sorry."

Romero was taking everything really well for now… I didn't know how he would react when his whole way of life was in danger. We had to stay the night for the two to get a good rest, and Romero and I had nothing else to do but talk. He still had hope Michael was somewhere in the city.

Charlene took me and Caleb in turns back to Jade with Romero in the other arm. She was not going to let him out of her sight again.

Niana was happy to see us, "It worked." His eyes landed on Romero, and he dropped to a knee. I didn't think this through, did I?

"It did?" I asked happily. The results were going to change everything.

"Already," Caleb asked, amazed.

"Why is he still in his manifestation?" Romero asked. "You have no loyalty to your race?" He turned on me, "How could you allow him to live?"

"Romero let it go. I want to find the others. We don't have time for your politics right now," Charlene said, a bit snippy. The two will have a whole new relationship after this. "Go on, Niana."

"Almost right when you left, I went back into the city and waited to see what would happen… The first ones were in a panic because they couldn't figure out what caused it—and given the time that's passed since Caleb did it… This morning, no one could manifest anymore.

"Do you know where Liv is?" Niana nodded. "Let's go, I want to get this over with."

***

Liv was head in hands, sitting on a chair. With the door to her apartment partially open, we had a clear view of the pathetic sight. Charlene pushed past us all and slammed the door open. "Here we go again," Caleb said under his breath.

"I told you!" Charlene yelled, "I tried to reason with you! Why? Tell me why werewolves are so senseless?" Why do they forget we are all in the same boat? The werewolves are only a few years behind. If forced, they would and could mend their ways… Even if there were only a hundred of them like the vamps. I glanced back to see Niana's reactions.

Liv's head slowly came up. Feebly, she stood when she saw Romero, "Please don't kill us… We can't cause you any more trouble." Her eyes caught the only wolf standing. "You are a disgrace, working for them."

"No… I was forced, much like all the men here… For once, I choose myself."

Liv's harem came around the corner.

"Charlene," Romero said.

She manifested, teleported, and, in her vampire form, ended up in Liv's face. The four men moved to stop our princess. "No, don't!" Liv ordered. It was too late, and her words didn't stop Charlene… They died in quick succession. Liv dropped down in tears, moving from one human man to the next, "I'm so sorry." Her hand shook as she closed their eyes. She touched and kissed them one last time. I didn't know if I could ever fully accept the death of people so in love. It looked like she did care for them.

"You have ten seconds to start talking," Charlene snarled in her face and pulled her to her feet. 

"Michael is with Uzail, Ben's father… The general of our army and his mistress who own and runs the shipping industry on Palmyra… We agreed not to tell each other where the others were going… I was to stay with the two of you… The same with the others… All left days ago in different directions using the ball tunnels… They mean to sabotage it and make it impossible for you to travel. The other werewolves were told to split up months ago and take over where they could… Once the tunnels don't operate anymore, they would regroup with their own people and go on by foot… Each sector of our economy on Palmyra decided to split up here and make their own way…"

"So, Chris, Carl, and Kubra were also separated," Caleb asked.

"Yes," Liv sniffled.

Charlene manifested and stabbed her claws into the base of her skull up into her brain. In a flicking motion, she pulled out. Liv dropped to the floor.

"What do we do now?" Caleb asked.

Romero took Charlene's hand and grabbed a piece of material to wipe off the blood, "We have to get back to the village."

"Charlie, I can't go with you… They only left a few days ago; if I don't follow now, I might never find any of them."

"Jade, what about Fahan?"

"Romero, what about Kubra and Carl?" Charlene pleaded.

"We can always come back," Romero pleaded. "There are more important things to do… My parents might be dead… We will come back to meet with the army… Sara… My family is there and the children… Fia and Jaali—"

"Yes, of course… Michael would've taken all the kids there."

Jade stepped forward, "I will stay here… I think Fahan is still in the city… We will wait for the army and until you can come back."

Romero turned to me… "Juliet, if they sabotage the communications tunnels too, I don't know how we will ever regroup."

I stroked his arm, "I have to do this… Without Michael, we'll never find anyone anyway… I know what is important to you, but this is important to my family… I don't even know where Marcus is or Naji… My mom might be stuck on their island with Mael… The water."

"I understand… Then here," Romero dug in his pocket and took out a door-shaped metal object. "Take this," he took my hand and pressed it down, "This is my personal royal token… where ever you are—whoever you show this to will fall on their knees… Use it… Once you have Michael, go to the village."

He let go, and I turned it around in my hand. I took a deep breath and turned to Caleb. "Oh no, I'm going with you… You're not going to send me to my room at a time like this."

I laughed, "I wasn't going to; I was going to ask if you would go on another adventure." He nodded tearily… The reality hit us both… It would be me and him… I choked back a sob and looked at Charlene… "I love you."

She held out her arms, "I'm sorry I went crazy on you." My chest shook against hers. "I love you too."

Romero pulled us both in for a hug. Once he let go, I turned to Caleb, "Can you go get the stone, please."

"Oh shoot, I almost forgot," he disappeared.

I turned to Niana, "What do you want to do? If you stay here, they will kill you without anyone to tell them otherwise."

Niana looked to Charlene and then to Romero. "Our harem is closed… I can give you protection once we are back but you'll have to hide until then and hope you survive," Charlene said very bluntly.

His shoulders dropped slightly, "I think I'll go with Juliet for now…" Niana looked at me, "If you will allow it."

"Of course. The more the merrier, right."

Caleb dropped down, soaking wet. "It drifted down a little, and I had to fish it out… I'm going to go steal some clothes."

"Caleb, wait," Romero pulled him against his chest and hugged him. "Look after your mom."

Charlene also said her goodbyes. Romero nestled in Charlene's arms and the two left.

The four of us made our way outside. "Niana, do you know how the balls work in these parts."

"The tunnel's wind velocity flows from East to West. The smaller balls in the city run in one direction and are carried back to the previous stations. They are able to hold three to four humans. The main stations are only the two… So if they left from here in a ball… I figure they traveled East."

"If they left on foot, how would we know…?"

"I think to get Michael out fast, the group would go East. Travel to the first station and assess the situation… If the tunnels are sabotaged from there, you know you are moving in the right direction." Jade gave her opinion.

I looked to Caleb… "Sounds plausible. The balls are the easiest way to contain him with the least amount of escorts."

On our way to the street, many of the wolves attacked Niana because of his barbarism. He could've warned them. How could he work with the enemy? Most of the people had packed and were heading out of the city in a long stream of refugees. 

Staring down at the only ball left in line, the reality hit me. We were on Mirach traveling by foot, looking for four different men… I didn't even know who we would find first. Neither Charlene nor Romero asked me to fix this by going back in time… Did I make the right decision in choosing to start over… This was a million steps back from when we fought Ahasuerus.

I turned to Jade, "Then this is it for now. Good luck."

"You too… Leave messages wherever you go."

"Good idea… When I find Michael, he'll be able to find Fahan."

Jade held out a large, rough hand. It might be the last time I saw her… I took it and held it for a moment. "I hope you find Aries." Her chest glowed in response.

Caleb, Niana, and I got into our first ball to travel through the city. Jade released the net, and we moved forward slowly.