Macy POV
"Macy," Mom calls out into the darkness. "Macy, I can't find you."
I can hear her voice, but I don't know where she is. It feels like millions of trees are standing in my way. They are so close together that I can't squeeze through to find her. I sprint up and down the tree line, looking for a way in.
Finally, I stop running and press my face between two tree trunks. ''Mom. I can't find a way in."
Her sobs are loud. It is like she is just out of reach. I try to squeeze my shoulders through the trees, but my wings won't allow it. They are flapping wildly behind me. It is like they have a mind of their own.
"Mom," I shout. "I am going to find another way in. Stay right there."
"No," she calls back. "You have to go."
"Don't be silly," I cry. "I'm not leaving without you."
Suddenly, a plume of smoke hits me in the face. I wrench my head out of the trees and gasp for air. I look at the treetops, and they are ablaze. Fire is consuming the trees, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
"Mom," I scream. "I'm coming."
Her voice is nothing more than a whisper when she replies. "It is too late. You have to go for your mates and the world."
"I will not," I sob. "I will stay."
"So many people need you," she calls back. "It would be selfish for me to keep you any longer."
"What if I need you?" I scream over the fire.
"You don't," she calls back. "You never did."
"That's not true," I whimper.
"It is," she laughs weakly. "I have always needed you more than you needed me."
"Stop," I weep. "I won't leave you."
"You have to," she says. "I love you."
"No," I shriek. "This is not the end. I love you too much to let you go."
She doesn't answer me. Only the sound of the flames surrounds me. I begin to run again. I will find a way in.
"Mom," I scream. "Mom!"
Still, there is no response. My throat begins to burn from the smoke. I can't breathe. Falling to my knees, I grab a fist full of dirt and hit the ground. I saved so many, but I can't find a way to save her.
My tears wet the dirt beneath me, and I scream into the night. It is too much to bear. I know what I need to do.
I get back to my feet and wipe the tears from my cheeks. Then, I run toward the flames. If she is going to die, I will die with her.
I run into the flames and hold my arms out for it to consume me. Only it doesn't. It all disappears.
Anger, sadness, and disappointment fill me. "You can't do this!" I scream at no one. "This is my choice."
The sound of screaming wakes me from my sleep. It isn't until everyone bursts into my room that I realize it is coming from me. I am covered in sweat and shaking uncontrollably. It was only a dream, but it felt so real. Deep down, I know it is more than that. My mother is dead, and my fathers probably are too. I was never given a chance to say goodbye.
Raven pushes Destin and Leo out of the room and shuts the door. There is a knowing look on her face. She knew, and she didn't tell me. I want to be angry, but I don't have anything left in me.
"Raven," my voice shutters.
"I didn't know how to tell you," she says, sitting on the edge of the bed.
I nod my head, but I can't stop the tears from falling. It hurts. Everything hurts. I will not survive this without Edward and Winston.
Raven holds her arms out for me, and I gladly climb into her lap. My wings obey for once and stay neatly down my back. Raven cradles me the best she can and hums the song she used to sing to the twins and me when we were little. It was before everything fell apart.
I let her song fill me. I focus on nothing but the soft notes of her voice and her frail arms tight around my body. Eventually, my crying stops, but the tears continue to flow down my cheeks.
"Thank you," I whimper.
"I should have told you," Raven admits.
"It's okay," I sniff. "It is just a lot to take in. How did it happen?"
Raven sucks in a breath. "There was a fire in the forest surrounding the portal. It almost claimed Destin as well."
The anger I had worked so hard to push to the side flares up. "Did he know?" I snap.
"No," she whispers. "Even we weren't sure. Or at least I wasn't until this moment."
"I see," I respond, tucking away the anger. "I need to leave."
"It is four in the morning," she whispers. "You should get more sleep."
"No," I reply, gently climbing out of her lap. "I need Edward and Winston. I can't be without them any longer."
Raven only nods. "I was being selfish. I wanted to keep you for a little while longer. I love you."
"You could never be selfish," I tell her. "I love you too."
"I will leave you to get ready," she whispers.
"Please don't," I call to her. "I don't want to be alone, and I don't want Destin for company."
She smiles and sits back on the bed. I prop pillows behind her, and she smiles brightly at me. Only I can't seem to muster the effort to smile back at her. My heart is broken, my life is shattered, and the only ones who can put it back together are in a different realm.
As I get ready, Raven tries to hold small talk. She tells me about the changes that have taken place since I left. I ask very few questions, but I do ask questions about Wren.
Raven tells me how she was born shortly after the twins disappeared into the Immortal Realm. She was a weak baby and barely made it out of infancy; because of that, Leo has been overly protective of her.
When I am finally ready to depart, Raven has fallen asleep in the bed. I pull the covers around her shoulders and kiss her on the forehead. "I love you."
When I leave the room, Destin is waiting for me on the other side. I have nothing to say to him. I don't particularly want his company.
"It would be faster if we fly," he mutters as he follows me out of the mansion.
I look him up and down. "You don't have your wings, and I am not carrying you."
He rolls his eyes, and his wings sprout from his back. They lift him from the ground, and he hovers just above me. "Are you coming?"