Chapter 60 RETURN TO DUSKMOOR
CHAPTER 060: RETURN TO DUSKMOOR
When I woke up, it was all a dream.
I wake up counting heartbeats.
One, two, three, four.
My chest rises and falls in rhythm with someone else's breathing. The soul bond hums with their presence, four distinct mind tangled with mine.
Kieran's nearby, his wolf's restless energy pacing just under his skin. Alaric's colder signature sits to my left, perfectly still in that unnatural vampire way. Cassian radiates warmth from my right, phoenix fire banked but ready. And Zev, he's everywhere and nowhere, his dream walker nature making him hard to pin down even through our connection.
"She's awake," Zev says softly.
I crack one eye open.
"Of course I am," I mutter. My throat feels like cracky. "How long?"
"Two days." Sofia appears in front of me, her usual posture showing in the dark circles under her eyes. "You burned yourself out. Again."
I try to sit up. My body protests immediately, every muscle screaming. Kieran's hand lands on my shoulder, gentle but firm, pushing me back down.
"Stay," he growls. Not a suggestion.
"I'm making this a habit," I say, ignoring how my voice shakes.
"A bad one," Sofia agrees. She's already checking monitors I didn't notice, her fingers flying over equipment with practiced efficiency.
Through the bond I feel Alaric's relief, sharp as broken glass. Cassian's warmth pulses brighter. Kieran's hand stays on my shoulder like he needs the physical contact to believe I'm real.
"What happened after I passed out?" The memories are blurry. I remember the blade, the severing, the Hollow King's scream. Then nothing.
"We carried you back," Kieran says. His amber eyes haven't left my face. "You stopped breathing twice."
"That's dramatic of me."
"Not funny."
"A little bit funny."
Alaric stands, moving to my other side with that impossible vampire grace. "The Council arrived yesterday. They've been questioning everyone except you. Today they want their turn."
My stomach drops. "What did you tell them?"
"Everything," Sofia says, not looking up from her monitors. "The Hollow King, Marvin, the network of killers, Caius, all of it."
"How did they react?"
She finally meets my eyes. "They don't believe us. They think we're exaggerating."
"Of course they do." I close my eyes, counting heartbeats again. One, two, three, four. "When are they coming?"
"Within the hour," Zev says. He's leaning against the far wall, amber eyes distant. "I walked their dreams last night. They're not happy with you."
"Nobody ever is."
The next hour passes too quickly. Sofia forces me to drink something that tastes like fire. Kieran paces like his wolf wants out. Alaric stands perfectly still, but I feel his agitation through the bond. Cassian sits on the edge of my bed, his warmth seeping into my side.
When the door opens, I sit up despite every protest from my body. I won't meet the Council lying down.
Five beings enters.
The leader is a vampire, older than Alaric by centuries if the weight of his presence means anything. Tall, severe features, eyes like chips of obsidian. Behind him, a fae woman whose beauty hurts to look at directly, a werewolf built like a tank, a seer with white eyes that see too much, and a demon whose horns curve back from his temples.
"Miss Moonwhisper," the vampire says. His accent is old, continental. "I am Magistrate Thorne. We have questions."
"I have answers."
"We'll determine that." He moves closer. The boys shift, forming a protective semicircle around my bed. Thorne's gaze flicks to them. "This is Council business."
"And she's under our protection," Kieran says, his voice dropping into that dangerous quiet that means his wolf is close. "We stay."
Thorne studies him for a long moment. "Very well."
The interrogation starts immediately. Thorne asks about killing the Hollow King. The fae woman, Elder Sage, wants details about my mother's fragment. Commander Frost, the werewolf, grills me about Marvin and the network. The seer, Oracle Mira, just watches with those white eyes that make my skin crawl.
I answer everything. What's the point of hiding it now?
"The Covenant," Oracle Mira murmurs suddenly, her voice like wind through leaves. "That name hasn't been spoken in centuries."
"You know what it is?" I lean forward despite the pain.
"Legends. Myths." She tilts her head. "Ancient beings who supposedly existed before the current supernatural order. They were sealed away millennia ago."
"Caius said they're waking."
"Impossible," Thorne declares. "The seals are unbreakable."
"Apparently not." I meet his obsidian gaze. "Unless you think Caius was lying. Right before he died."
Then Thorne says, "We're taking you into protective custody."
Kieran snarls, actually snarls, his canines elongating. Alaric moves so fast he's just a blur, positioning himself between me and Thorne. Cassian's hands ignite. Zev's amber eyes go black as midnight.
"For your safety and the safety of others," Thorne continues, unbothered by four supernaturals ready to tear him apart.
"You mean you're arresting me." My voice comes out flat.
"We're protecting you."
"From what? The things trying to kill me or the things I might kill?"
"Both."
I laugh. It hurts but I can't stop. "That's rich. Where was this protection when the Hollow King was hunting me? When Marvin was carving up students? When Caius was dying to warn us?"
"You're a child," Commander Frost says, speaking for the first time. His voice rumbles like distant thunder.
"I'm a child?" I swing my legs off the bed, ignoring Sofia's protest. "I'm a Phoenix Soul who's died five times and saved your world twice. I'm not a child. I'm the thing that keeps cleaning up your messes."
Through the bond, I feel the boys' pride mixing with their fury.
Thorne's expression doesn't change. "Nevertheless, you're too dangerous to be left unsupervised. You've killed one ancient being and it attracted the attention of others. You're a beacon for darkness."
"Then let me help. Let me fight."
"No."
"Why? Because you'd rather lock me in a cage than deal with the actual threat?"
Then Corvus walks in.
He looks tired, older than I've ever seen him. But his voice carries authority when he says, "She stays at Duskmoor. Under my supervision. But she stays."
Thorne turns to him. "Headmaster, this is a Council matter."
"And this is my academy and she's my student. So, she's staying."
They stare at each other for a long moment. Finally, Thorne inclines his head slightly. "Fine. But she doesn't leave academy grounds. And she reports any unusual activity immediately."
"Agreed," Corvus says before I can protest.
The Council walk out. I breathe for what feels like the first time in hours. Kieran's hand finds mine, squeezes once. Alaric's relief floods through the bond. Cassian's fire banks. Zev's eyes return to their normal amber.
Then Oracle Mira stops at the door.
She turns back, those white eyes finding me with precision.
"One more thing," she says, her voice barely above a whisper but somehow filling the room. "The Covenant's awakening is tied to you specifically. They're not waking randomly. They're waking because of what you are. Because you exist."
"You're not just attracting darkness, Phoenix Soul." Her smile is terrible. "You're summoning it."
She leaves.
The door closes.
Through the bond, I feel the boys' horror mixing with my own.
"Well," I say into the silence, my voice shaking. "That's not great."
Cassian laughs, high and slightly hysterical. "Not great. She says it's not great."
"What does she mean summoning?" Sofia demands. "How can she be summoning something she doesn't even understand?"
"I don't know," I whisper. My legs finally give out. Kieran catches me, and pulls me against his chest. "I don't know anything anymore."
"We'll figure it out," Alaric says, but even his formal confidence sounds strained.
"Will we?" I look up at Kieran. "Or am I just going to keep summoning ancient evils until one of them finally kills me permanently?"