KALLE

They got to the suite and somehow Kalle convinced Shaw that even if Elia was in her human form, she was likely to shift back into her beast if she saw him, so he had to wait outside for her to check which form Elia was currently in.

Kalle breathed a sigh of relief when she eased the bedroom door open and saw the large, dark shadow of the lioness sprawled on the massive bed. Elia's beast began a low, puttering growl. She could probably smell Shaw on Kalle.

"Don't worry,

" she whispered.

"I'll… I'll come back soon. He won't be here. Just rest.

" Then she closed the door and headed back out to the hallway

"No, she's still her beast,

" she said, trying to sound as if she were sorry about it.

"But I'll keep this close and as soon as she changes, I'll give it to her.

"

"How will you convince her to take it?

" Shaw asked in that strange monotone.

Kalle swallowed.

"I'll tell her it will help her stay human, and that it's good for the baby. That's all she's worried about.

"

Shaw nodded, watching her, unblinking. She was about to ask him if there was something else, but he finally turned away and walked off to the stairs without looking back.

Kalle stepped back inside and locked the door before she let herself slump back against the door and shake.

"Gahrye…

" she whispered, dropping her face into her hands.

"Where are you?!

"

She wouldn't give in to tears. That wasn't what any of them needed right then. Instead, she got her phone out of her pocket—juggling it when she almost dropped it, then with trembling fingers, tapped the message thread with her grandmother.

YOU ARE NEEDED HERE RIGHT NOW. TELL NO ONEE TO THE SUITE.

She waited, biting her lip. But the answer was almost immediate.

I'LL SEE YOU IN HALF AN HOUR. HOLD ON MY GIRL.

*****

GAHRYE

Gahrye sat on the floor of the cave, right across from the portal opening, his legs pulled up so he could get to his feet quickly, his hands resting on his knees. The glimmering surface of the portal mocked him, drawing him, as if begging for him to enter. But every time he touched it, it was like touching the rock wall of the cave.

Why wouldn't it let him back in? He was a Protector! He'd read more than one story where they crossed the traverse frequently. No mention made of time limits or any restrictions. Of course, there was no guarantee that the histories they had were complete—or even accurate. He growled his frustration and pounded a fist on the floor.

Why? He threw at the Creator. Why put me here with the beginning of the answer, then deny me the rest? My mate is back there! My QUEEN!

He dropped his face into his hands and groaned. It felt like this entire journey—this journey that was supposed to bring him everything he'd ever wanted—was only setting him up for failure after failure.

But no… no… he reminded himself of what he'd just learned.

As he absentmindedly picked at the dried blood on his wrist, he listed everything the Creator had shared.

He was important. His success was important. He and Elia were crucial. The Creator had a plan. And they were part of it.

Reading the winds had been such a blessed relief after so long in the human world where he was so reluctant to open his senses any more than necessary. But he was going to have to, he could see. He should have sensed this even over there. This picture involved both worlds, and he and Elia's journey in particular. But clearly Kalle and Reth—and their offspring—as well.

He needed to get back there! He needed to be reading the winds every hour until he was certain of the path.

He had to get Elia back here, to Anima, that much was abundantly clear. Her bloodline—Reth's bloodline—would be the salvation of the Anima. And she was going to need his help.

And they couldn't tell anyone. Not the important parts anyway.

He let his head drop back against the cave wall, praying that Kalle hadn't told her grandmother about what they'd found about the Protectors. That information had to be kept away from everyone. Absolutely everyone.

He could see now. The disformed had to be protected, increased, trained and… held away from the rest of their society until they were ready. Because if the wrong people learned even a hint of this, they'd be hunted down and eradicated. The voices, or whoever, or whatever controlled them would genocide the disformed. Genocide all of Anima, actually.

When he'd been reading the winds and thought about telling even Reth, his mind had swum with image after image of a great wave of fire, engulfing the WildWood, burning every male, female, and offspring in its path.

There was no way out, except through. And the only way through this was to keep everyone believing that the disformed were…valueless. No one could know their value. No one.

His spine stiffened at that thought, but his instincts were true, he knew it. And he finally understood something that had been bugging him.

When they'd first comprehended that he was a Protector, that the disformed bloodline was a family created to provide this for the Anima, he'd wondered who would want to hide that. He'd assumed it was the voices, or someone working with them.

But it sat wrong that they could, in living memory, make a people forget. Whenever the loss of this information had occurred, it hadn't been at the end of the lives of every living Anima. People had to have known—yet they allowed the histories to be expunged—not even a whisper of a rumor of this?

But… if the Creator had let the Anima in on this plan. If the Anima themselves—the healthy Anima, the rulers and their people… if all of them had known that no one was to learn this except the future prophesied ones?

That made a lot more sense.

They had agreed not to teach their children. And the knowledge would have been lost in two generations. And for a good reason.

Gahrye shook his head. This whole thing seemed impossible, and yet, here he was. Fresh out of the Portal and the voices hadn't been able to touch him. He had a female on either side of him that had been prophesied, and suddenly the histories were available to them, after centuries…

It was incredible. But also impossible to do what needed to be done from this side of the traverse!

He stared at the glimmering door again and frustration rose to choke him. Throwing himself across the cave, he pounded at the door, swearing, then froze.

Carefully, he placed his palm flat on the portal opening and pushed.

He couldn't get his hand through it, but the surface, that shimmering, twirling surface that called to him… it flexed. Giving under the pressure of his palm.

Gahrye's breath rushed out of him. Perhaps there was just a wait time? He pressed on it again, but couldn't sense any change to the amount of resistance.

So he sat back again, on the opposite wall and resolved to try it every hour until it allowed him through. He didn't care how long it took. He wasn't going to leave his mate—or his queen—alone in the human world.

Then Kalle's beautiful face, smiling up at him, flashed in his head and Gahrye groaned. He had to correct the thought.

He wasn't going to leave his mate alone in the human world… yet.

*****

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