Footsteps approached from the dense wooded path behind me. Aric covered me with his blanket and pulled me close. Tye leaned against a tree, wearing a pair of shorts and a rather amused grin. “You really don’t believe in Destiny. Do you, dovie?”
I tightened my hold on Aric and rested my head against his chest. “My destiny is in my hands, Tye.”
CHAPTER 31
Makawee examined Aric’s arms, her white brows knitted into a frown. “With Ihuaivulu’s return to his dormant state, the effects of his power should have ceased.” She shook her head. “I cannot comprehend why our weres are incapable of healing.”
Emme had tried to help Aric and Koda. She took away their remaining pain, but their scars would not dissolve.
Danny watched Makawee release Aric. Regret and sadness dulled his young features, making him appear years beyond his age. “What happened to the Tribesmen who were guarding the other stone? Maybe they can tell us something.”
Gemini stroked his thickening goatee with his thumb and forefinger. Aside from a few minor burns on his forearms and back, his body had been spared. “Most were incinerated by Ihuaivulu when they awoke him.”
“The Tribe weres who survived were given to the vampires,” Liam said, unable to hide his disgust.
“Hey, we were hungry,” a vamp called from a few tents down.
I moved toward Aric, then thought twice. Makawee, while sympathetic, would likely object to any contact. My arms weighed heavily from the urge to hold him as I faced her. “What about the witch who helped raise Ihuaivulu? Could she have—I don’t know—done something so they can’t heal?”
“I killed her, Celia.” Taran’s eyes skimmed over Aric’s and Koda’s forms. “The bitch deserved a lot worse.”
Shayna remained a permanent fixture on Koda’s lap. She wouldn’t talk, but when Koda lifted her chin, she flashed him a gleaming smile. It lacked its usual luster, yet was enough to curve one side of Koda’s mouth.
We followed Makawee outside to join the crowd of Alliance members that had gathered. I held back a little so I could walk beside Aric. I waited until she joined the Elders and Uri on a small incline before I spoke softly, “I just want to be alone with you.”
Aric lowered his head. “Now’s not a good time, love. But I’ll see what I can do.”
I blinked back tears. Since we’d returned from the forest, Aric had kept his distance. I understood why. We didn’t have the luxury to be together like Shayna and Koda. But he needed me at his side. Couldn’t the Elders grant us that much? I brushed my hand over his before stepping closer to Emme. Aric glanced down at his hand. Though his damaged face gave no indication of whether he appreciated the gesture, I hoped he had.
I wiped my eyes only to smear more of that wretched ash continuing to fall. My tigress paced with the need to abandon this wasteland and return to Aric. It took me a moment to soothe her enough to focus on the leaders and the words they were sharing with the gathering crowd. Martin and Uri thanked the survivors for their courage and sacrifice. Their words were hopeful and uplifting, and most of all sincere.
The atmosphere changed when Anara took center stage.
His gaze scanned the crowd until it fell directly on me. I sensed the chill he brought with him, and his fury when he spoke. “We lost many great Warriors and friends today and I fear more than ever for the future of our were race. Only through proper breeding can we ensure the survival of our species.” He shook his head from side to side, anger digging further into his hawklike features. “It disgusts me that even our own Leaders fail to see that the world will crumble without us.” He looked to the were dignitaries of Central and South America, ignoring Uri and Misha beside him. “I plan to put forth a decree before the North American Were Council that will require all unmated weres to fulfill the same duties we demand of our purebloods. And I urge you all to ask the same of your governing bodies. The future of our kind depends on it!”
My gasp was barely audible over the uproar that ensued. Martin stormed forward and muttered low into Anara’s ear, his angled brows illuminating his displeasure with Anara. Anara kept his attention on me, refusing to acknowledge a single word. Was he that arrogant? Pureblood Beta or not, Anara wasn’t stronger than his Alpha.
Many weres disagreed with Anara, but a surprising number took his side. I covered my face and bit back a furious roar. The Tribe might not have succeeded in taking over the world, but it had succeeded in massacring the numbers of weres who guarded it. God damn Anara. He wouldn’t stop with creating a law to force all weres to breed. He’d make sure my relationship with Aric was construed as a crime.
We separated into groups following Anara’s rousing speech, waiting like cattle to be transported out of Chaitén. Aric was ushered out quickly, leaving me with Emme, Taran, Bren, Danny, and a couple of Alliance members I’d never met.
Bren took in the mess around us. “How the hell are they going to explain all this shit?”
“Most of it will be blamed on the volcano erupting.” Danny wiped some of the ash covering his hands on his jeans and sneezed. He only succeeded in soiling them more. “The vampires in the South American Alliance are pretty high up politically. They feel a few hypnotic suggestions will take care of any loose ends.”
Emme crinkled her forehead. “Is that all they plan to do?”
Danny scratched his coated curls. “The Alliance feels since they just saved the world from Ihuaivulu, the least the Chilean government can do is pay for the cleanup.”
Taran agreed. “You’re damn right they can.” Her head jerked to the side, where a vampire stood waving from the bed of a battered pickup truck. “Come on—it’s our turn to go.” Although she was eager to leave the destruction far behind her, she waited for me to join her side. “How are you holding up?”
I watched as my filthy sneakers passed over the trampled ash-ridden soil, my head so heavy I couldn’t lift my chin. “I don’t know—angry, numb, seconds from losing my mind.” My voice cracked as we passed a few weres lifting another who’d lost both his legs. Taran’s hand gripped my arm as if to stabilize me and my volatile emotions. “This wasn’t supposed to happen, Taran. The Tribe was after me. Me. No one else should have suffered.”
Taran whirled me around. “Don’t,” she snapped. “This bullshit is not your doing. These bastards go after everyone—the weak, the strong, it doesn’t matter. If it wasn’t you, it would have been anyone else who had the balls to stand up to them.” Her tone carried such an edge, I didn’t realize she was crying until I glanced up and caught the thick drops leaking from her eyes.
Her grip tightened. “And don’t think it’s over, Ceel, because it’s not. We have majorly pimp-punched them and sent them running. But whatever remains of them still fucking remains. They’ll continue to come after you. So be sharp, and stay strong.” She motioned ahead to where Aric and Koda had disappeared. “And fight for those you love.”
The ride down the mountain required us to wear masks. Between the breeze continuing to sweep the chunky powder off the leaves and the smoke from the smoldering forest, I didn’t take a decent breath until we reached the airport. My silence, however, wasn’t solely due to my muffled mouth or the state of Chaitén. Taran was right. The efforts of the Alliance had pummeled the Tribe. But that didn’t mean it was gone. I was safe—for now. Maybe even for the next week, or month, until the legion of superscaries regrouped and remembered I’d helped bring them down.