Bound By Legend

CHAPTER NINETEEN:I CAN'T FEEL DEVOE

REVERIE

A loud, disorienting ringing in my ears made my teeth chatter with pain as nausea roiled in my gut. Everything in slow motion as my vision blurred and returned. White, to the slow spread of the colors of the world. Kamari’s panicked voice was in my head as she made sure I was okay. I blinked; my body ached; I could feel her weaving inside our own body as she moved to heal me. The moon shone down on me; the clouds had finally cleared; the petals from the destroyed flowers rained down on me.

Leoric was at my side in seconds. “Goddess! Reverie.”

My mind wandered as he helped me to my feet. I swayed, but gritted my teeth as I instantly began diagnosing myself to check for any injuries–internally and externally.

“I’ve got you, Reverie, just hang on,” Kamari reassured me mentally.

Kieran shielded Delilah, but his gaze found mine instead of hers. “Reverie?”

My gaze met hers as she glared from behind him. Kieran reached for me, confusion evident on his face at the action. Leoric growled and stood in front of me; Delilah pushed past Kieran and grabbed my hand. “Oh my Goddess, Reverie! Are you okay?!”

I yanked my hand away. “Something is off…” whispered Kamari inside my mind. I studied her; there was a glint in her eye, but it was gone in an instant as Kieran held her protectively while she acted like a victim.

Suddenly, as I moved to speak, a bang and something whistled by my ear. A projectile buried itself in a nearby guard’s chest. Leoric yanked me to the ground; I grunted as I hit the ground hard with a thud. The warmth of his body as it covered mine; Koda immediately at the surface growled angrily. Kieran shoved Delilah back behind him as he roared, his nails and fangs elongated as he was ready for battle.

“The f**k?!” Uma yelled as additional shots rang out all around us; many pack members dropped dead or fell injured. I watched in horror as the rest began to shift into their wolf forms; screams of pain or agony echoed around us. Uma whirled; her gaze began to glow and search our surroundings. Without warning, she hissed and transformed into a protectively angry Devoe, and took off running. He was so quick, I couldn’t even stop him. He disappeared in the distance, and there was a sickening roar as two beasts clashed on the horizon.

Fear jumped in my throat as I rushed toward the sound.

Kamari felt me instantly and validated my instincts inside my mind. “Something is wrong! Devoe needs us!”

I screamed for Uma and Devoe as we took off; Leoric moved to stop me.

“Let me pass Leo!” I all but growled; Kamari matched her energy with my words.

“This is a trap!” he replied. Koda pushed to the surface to argue. Kamari didn’t listen; my body flexed, pulsed, and cracked as we transformed into our giant wolf form and darted toward Devoe and Uma. Devoe was engaged in a battle with an unfamiliar wolf, the scent unrecognizable–almost like they didn’t even have one. Devoe threw the wolf on its side; his towering black panther form rippled with anger.

Suddenly, a strange smell invaded my senses. Nightshade…mixed with wolfsbane?

“There is something unnatural about that wolf…” Kamari warned.

“On the same page…” I replied internally as she kicked us into gear. We broke through the treeline as Devoe threw the wolf down again. Ready to go in and destroy him, Devoe’s aura was deadly, fierce, and feral–something I had trouble reconciling with his usual chill, calm, and logical demeanor. Somehow, I needed to make the two versions fit together as one.

“Remind me not to ever get on Uma and Devoe’s bad side,” I muttered as a chill raced down my spine.

“As if I would let that happen,” Kamari countered. The dirt was soft under our paws. Every so often, a twig snapped as we rushed forward. It felt like a lifetime before we arrived at the scene close enough to breathe in the copper tang of the blood in the air.

The light of the moon caught the rogue wolf, foam at the mouth? Unnatural glint to the nails? He dripped with malice and disorientation. Has he been drugged?

The unnatural coloring, shape, and size of the enemy's nails made our instincts scream in warning, as if he were mutated. Kamari sharpened our gaze; she tapped into our Spiritweaving skill. That nightshade mixed with wolfsbane smell invaded my senses again–I couldn’t decide which was more harrowing: the lack of scent or the–

“Poison!!!” Kamari screamed in my head as the pieces linked together for us at the same time.

“Devoe!!” I screamed, “Be careful!”

Kamari let out a surge of energy just as Devoe dodged the poisoned fangs of the werewolf; they stumbled to the ground. Dirt kicked up as they rolled over each other and snarled. Devoe dodged and moved until he finally positioned himself to slam all four paws, claws extended into the unnatural creature’s gut. He screamed in pain and transformed into human form before he blindly lodged a dagger into Devoe’s side. Kamari used her jaws to bite down on the human arm and yanked him off of Devoe, all but throwing him across the field. His gun landed and discharged. Kamari lunged onto the assailant, ready to destroy until she caught Leoric out of the corner of her eye. Secured in his closeness, she tossed the wolf to the side like trash, no longer interested in the killing blow.

She all but wagged her tail as Koda burst free of Leoric’s human form. Tall. Broad. Terrifying. Beautiful. Our instincts shouted at us that someone needed help. The threading of reality around us twisted toward us. We turned to Devoe. Kamari and I used our aura to erect a barrier over Devoe. He transformed back into Uma, covered in blood. The harrowing sound of bones cracking echoed around us; blood spilled across the grass.

“Goddess, Uma!” I cried and transformed into a human as well. I rushed to her side. She attempted to wave me off as she tried to climb to her feet. With a sway, she reached for me; I grabbed her immediately. She clutched her side.

“I’m good. We’re good,” she stammered and staggered.

“Uma, let me see!” I cried, panicked. She tried to hide the injury, like a cat with a thorn in her paw you try to remove.

“I am a f*****g doctor, and you don’t get to f*****g die,” I ordered and pried her hand away from her side.

“It’s just a scratch!” Uma argued, but her wound bled profusely. The blood was already changing to an unnatural color.

“A scratch poisoned with wolfsbane, nightshade, and something else I couldn’t place!”

She smirked. ”Luckily, I’m a cat….”

“I f*****g hate how you always joke around sometimes.” I cried, tears in my eyes. Uma swayed on her feet, and we both fell. I protected her head, but Koda caught her before we could crash.

“Uma?” he asked, his voice thick and feral. The sensation ricocheted across my body as I stared in the deep blue eyes of Leoric’s Lycan. He offered a knowing smirk. His Lycan features were–I shook my head, get it together, Rev; now is NOT the time. Uma coughed as I dug into my hidden medical bag I always had attached to my thigh no matter what I wore. She was right; she didn’t have an aversion to wolfsbane like a werewolf, but the nightshade and whatever else were still a problem.

“Look in my eyes.” I took my flashlight and scanned her eyes. They were already glazing over.

Suddenly, she gripped me aggressively. “Rev, I can’t feel Devoe. He’s….gone….” My heart stopped as I studied her, the panic rising in her voice. “Save him. Please.”

I cradled her face. “Rhiannon and I need you. Both of you. I am going to save you both.”

I promise you, Reverie, we will. Kamari reassured me.