Destin POV
Edward claps a hand on my shoulder and attempts to lead me toward the library exit. But I am not done speaking with Onyx. Shrugging out of his grasp, I weave throughout the stacks looking for her. When I catch sight of her, she flutters away. It is the most annoying game of hide and seek.
"Stop running from me," I shout.
Lowering herself to the ground, she stands in front of me. I can hear her thoughts. She isn't trying to block me out. A storm is burning behind her eyes. She hates me, and she isn't hiding it.
"Where can I find a witch who is also a Gray creature?" I ask.
Her pale white skin darkens, and she avoids my gaze. She is refusing to speak to me.
I hold the book in front of her face. "Who wrote this?"
She rolls her eyes but still refuses to speak. I flip open the cover of the book and search for a name. If I can figure out who wrote it, I can find the Gray Creature Witch.
Onyx slips away while I am searching through the pages. I flip the pages recklessly, not caring if I rip them or not. The magic within this book is forbidden. It shouldn't exist, but even so, I need it.
Out of frustration, I flip to the back cover. The handwriting is familiar, and I almost drop the book.
"Arabella," I whisper as I run my fingers over her name. I close my eyes and reach for the magic inside it. It is there, all of it. Every fiber has my previous mate's signature on it. She wrote this.
A breeze ruffles my hair, and my eyes open. The library is gone. In its place is my cabin, but not the one in the Human Realm. No, it is my hidden cabin in the Immortal Realm.
I had it burned to the ground when Arabella was turned into a Gray Creature. I wanted to forget every memory we had created in this place. Yet here it stands.
A song floats on the breeze, and my feet guide me inside. She is there just as I remembered. Not as the Gray Creature, but the Fae Creature who loved me. Her back is to me, but she knows I am there. She stops singing and turns slowly.
"I was wondering when you would come," Arabella smiles.
The book is still clutched in my hands. Her eyes flicker to it, but she doesn't mention it. I have so many questions, but I can't seem to find my voice.
"Don't worry," she smirks. "I have not come back from the dead."
I know I look disappointed. Arabella was my first love. She steps toward me, but when she reaches for me, I take a step back. Wren is my life now. I won't betray her, even with my old mate's memory.
"Is this a dream?" I manage to speak.
"Of sorts," she replies. "I preserved a memory in the pages of that book. I gave my daughter specific instructions on how to deliver it to you."
"Daughter?" I choke on the word.
"You are asking the wrong questions?" She mutters.
"I don't think I am," I respond. "Is she mine?"
Arabella turns away from me. "I had seen everything happen. I knew the Moon Goddess would curse me and give you a new mate. I did as much research as I could to help from the other side of the grave. My father made many mistakes, but my magical education was not one of them."
My head hurts. There is too much magic pulsing through my body. Sinking into a kitchen chair, I rest my head on the table.
"I need a Gray Creature witch," I sigh.
"I think you know who you are looking for," Arabella Laughs. I let my mind wander to Onyx. I wish I had looked at her closely, but there is one thing that is certain. If she is Arabella's child, she has her attitude. She will be impossible to work with.
"There must be someone else," I groan. "She hates me."
Arabella sits across from me. "There is no other."
Raising my head from the table, I look at Arabella. She is beginning to fade from view.
"Even my magic has limitations," she whimpers. "But you can save them all."
"I have to know," I beg Arabella. " Is Onyx my child?"
"I was pregnant when Selene turned me," she replies.
Her body is turning to mist before my eyes, and I suddenly wish I had let her touch me. So, I reach for her hand, but she is nothing but air. Tears drip down her cheeks as she disappears. I don't take my eyes off hers until she is gone.
The throbbing in my head stops, and I rise from the table. Taking one last look at my old life, I head for the door. When I reach for the doorknob, it disappears in my hand. Arabella's magic is breaking down.
Everything around me disappears, and I am trapped in darkness. I wait for the library to come back into view, but it doesn't. I hold the book close to my chest; I don't want to lose the only thing that can save the werewolf world.
I try to search through the darkness, but I fear I am walking in circles. Frustration builds in my chest. I should have known this would come back to bite me in the ass. Gray Creature magic is unstable and dangerous.
"What did you do?" Wren's voice breaks through the darkness.
"Me?" Edward snaps back at her. "I brought him home to you when he passed out in the Immortal Library."
I can feel her fingertips grazing across my skin, but I can't see her. "What was he doing there?"
"Looking for answers," Edward replies. "He wants to help."
"This isn't his battle," she cries.
"He made it his battle," Edward tells her. "The book in his arms has the answers."
"I don't care about the book," she snaps at him. "I want him to wake up. Fix it."
He sighs loudly. "I will get Macy. She can fix this."