Chapter 44

"Tiara, can you hear me?" I ask, my voice sounding weak.

"Yes, but I am losing my strength," she says before pausing momentarily. "Let me take control."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"You can't hold on any longer, so let me take control," she says.

I pull back, giving her control. She whines, calling for help, but I doubt anyone will hear us.

"Kate, sorry I can't stay longer to see you die slowly. But not to worry, Lawrence will join you soon," the voice says, faking sympathy.

"Don't you dare hurt Lawrence," she growls. "I will find you and make you pay."

"Very funny, but you will not live to find me," the voice says sternly. "I will make you suffer. Everything you love will be destroyed. And I will bring your mate down with you," the voice snickers.

"No, this can't be happening," Tiara says.

"It's over. There is nothing we can do," I say, falling on my knees and accepting defeat.

"We can't give up now. Everyone's fate is on us," she says, pleading.

"Look around, Tiara. We are losing strength, which means we have little time to live."

I succumb to the pain.

"I can't believe you are saying this," she says, dumbfounded. "I won't let it end this way. Everything will be destroyed if we don't fight this," she says with a shaky breath.

She growls, eyes turning gold. 

"Moon Goddess, give me strength! I need strength!" she cries out in pain.

"Kate, I need you to give me your strength," she demands.

I comply, welcoming the darkness that clouds my mind.

Tiara POV:

Strength envelops me. I try moving once again, but my legs are stuck.

I try running at full speed, but I'm still stuck. I try everything I can think of. My strength reduces.

I sigh loudly, rubbing my aching waist and legs until an idea strikes me. I use my claws to dig in the dirt around my legs.

I dust my legs, removing the remainder of the dirt on my sneakers before jumping on a tree close by.

"I have to go through the trees," I mutter.

I jump through trees, ignoring the ache of my bones.

"Almost there. You can do this, Tiara," I say, seeing the mansion come into view.

I do a little dance of victory when I reach the door of the mansion.

I am standing, tired, weak, and confused. Everyone is waiting and worried, but I can't tell them anything when I am confused.

Oh, Moon Goddess, what to do? Maybe tell a lie and then try to figure it out myself? That could work.

Tiara, you can do this. Kate is depending on you.

I raise my hand to push the door open but stop myself from doing so. What will I say about what happened to Kate and why there are bruises on my legs and hands?

"Stop this," I groan, pushing the door open to see everyone with worry and panic evident on their faces.

"Kate, where have you been?" Elisa says, anger lacing her voice.

"She is Tiara, not Kate," Lawrence says harshly, looking into my eyes with anger. "Her eyes are gold and not amber."

I forgot about that little detail.

"So, young lady, where have you been? And why are you in control?" Ma asks with a raised eyebrow.

"We found ourselves in deep trouble, and she got weak trying to get us out of the situation we got ourselves in," I say, trying to stop my heart from beating out of my chest.

"What kind of trouble?" Ma asks suspiciously.

"We...er...we got lost in the forest." It is partially true.

"And what were you doing in the forest?" Ma says, not wholly convinced.

"Can you stop asking these questions? I am here, aren't I?" I say, sounding frustrated. My muscles are tense and aching, and I am dizzy from standing so long. I really need to take a bath.

"Virago, can you for once think about others and not always about yourself,"  Hunter says, glowering.

"You have to understand. Kate is weak and not present right now. She needs all the rest she can get, and all these questions are not helping," I say, pleading.

It's hard not telling them the truth, but it's all for the best. Until I know what is going on, I can't say anything.

"Okay, Lawrence, take her to your room," Elisa demands.

I give everyone a weak smile before Lawrence carries me bridal-style towards his room.

He puts me on his bed before placing a blanket on me.

I look into his eyes, not able to keep it in anymore. I let the tears roll freely on my cheeks.

He strokes my cheek. Sensing Travis has taken control, I hug him, crying.

"Travis, we almost died today," I say, feeling the need to come clean.

"What?" he growls and pulls away from the hug.

I hold his hands, making him calm down through the mate bond.

"I don't know who it was, but the voice sounded familiar."

I tell him everything about how we got into the forest, the unknown voice, and the power that radiated through the voice.

"We have to let Melanie know about this," he suggests, sounding angry and fear still evident in his voice.

"No, I will let them know when Kate is awake," I say.

"Okay, but you need to be careful," he says, brushing the strands of hair behind my ears.

"You really had me worried today. I wasn't able to reach you or feel you," he says, regret lacing his voice. "I shouldn't have let you out of my sight."

"You're not to blame," I say, trying to blink black the tears.

"The thought of me losing you and not being able to help you kills me," he says, pulling his hair. "I should have been there."

"Travis, please don't blame yourself. Your words are hurting me," I say, taking his hands from his hair and holding them tightly. "Travis, you will never lose me. I survived today with the help of the Moon Goddess, and she will keep helping me."

I pull him into a deep kiss, exploring his mouth with my tongue. Finally, I pull away, resting my forehead against his.

"I will kill whoever tries taking you away from me before he can come anywhere close to you," he says, cradling my face with his hands.