Wren POV
Screams echo through my little house, waking me from a deep sleep. I bolt upright and see that Charlie has already left the bed. I follow him out of our room, terrified that something has happened to the children. He is dashing down the hallway and into the twins room. He shoves the door open and stops just inside.
I push him to the side and whimper at the scene in front of me. Veyra is convulsing on her bed, screaming. Her eyes are wide and unblinking, and the black swirls on her skin are growing darker.
Coren is hovering over his sister, trying to stop her screaming, but it is as if she is looking right through him. Sweat has begun to form on his little brow, and tears run down his cheeks. "She won't stop."
Charlie moves him out of the way, and I sit beside Veyra. Fear is written over her face, but I don't think she is awake. I run my hand over her forehead; she is burning up. For as long as I have known the twins, I have never seen them get sick, but that doesn't mean it's impossible.
"Do Fae children get sick?"
I have no idea who I am posing the question to, but Charlie shrugs his shoulders, and Coren begins to sob. "I don't want her to die."
"She isn't going to die," I try to calm his fears, but I don't know if I am lying or not.
Charlie tries to take Coren from the room, but he refuses to go. He screams and reaches for his sister. Charlie wraps his arm around his waist, but Coren twists in his arms and bites him. It is chaotic, and Veyra is still screaming.
I turn to Coren, grabbing him by the sides of his face. "You have to stay calm. I can't help her if you are screaming."
His eyes are wide, brimming with unshed tears, but he stops crying and nods his head. Charlie glowers at how easy it is for me to settle the children, but I ignore him. Coren settles himself on the ground beside her bed and holds her hand in his. "Please stop crying."
As if she hears him, she obeys, and her eyes flutter shut. Silence falls over the room, and I take the moment to breathe a sigh of relief, but it is short-lived. Veyra's eyes fly open, and she begins to cry. She jumps into my arms, and her whole body is shaking.
"It's okay," I whisper to her. "It was just a bad dream."
"War," she cries. "It is coming."
I shake my head, not wanting to believe what she has seen. I know they are different, but I don't think they are oracles. "Selene will not go to war. Not again."
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she lets out a shaky breath. "Not her. The Gray Creatures."
Charlie shuffles awkwardly behind me. "What do you mean?"
Veyra yawns, and her eyes begin to drift off to sleep, but before she does, she whispers a name. "Gracus."
I try to take a steady breath, but fail. I lay a now-snoring Veyra back into her bed, and Coren climbs in beside her. He wraps his arms around his sister and holds her close. I rest my hand back on her cheek, and her temperature has lowered. Charlie and I stay until we are sure they are asleep.
Closing their bedroom door behind me, I collapse against Charlie. I let all of the anxiety I have been holding in for the past six months out. My body shakes, and I sob quietly into Charlie's chest. Scooping me into his arms, he carries me back to our room.
He doesn't ask me to talk. Instead, he holds me in his arms and waits. This is what I need. I need to let myself break down so I can build myself back up. It will all be okay, but right now it doesn't feel that way.
I cry for hours, and Charlie stays by my side. He doesn't let me go, his arms don't loosen, and he doesn't speak. Even before I knew he was my mate, he was my rock, and I will be forever grateful for that.
Eventually, I have no more tears. "What are we supposed to do?"
"We aren't taking them back," Charlie replies firmly. "Gracus can go to hell. I have never trusted him anyway."
"What if Gracus goes to war with Macy because I took the twins? This is a mess."
Charlie squeezes me. "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself for what will happen because you did the right thing."
Keeping the twins together was the right thing to do, but there is a small part of me that fears I did the wrong thing. "Someone needs to warn Macy."
Charlie sighs. "Veyra is only a child. What if she is wrong? It could have been just a bad dream."
I laugh. "Do you really believe that?"
He kisses the top of my head. "No. She is different. They both are. I don't even believe they are Fae or Gray Creatures."
I wrinkle my nose. "What do you mean? This feels like more than needing to close the portal. Gracus isn't telling us something about the twins."
Charlie shrugs. "They are the reason your scent is fading. Whatever magic they brought with them from the Immortal Realm is keeping them hidden and hiding you with them. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole town became impossible to find."
Destin never gave Charlie enough credit. He prided himself on being the intelligent one and considered Charlie the muscle. That's not the case. Charlie is observant and comes to intelligent conclusions. He is probably right about the twins, and that terrifies me.
"What if Destin can't find his way to us?"
Charlie kisses the top of my head. "He will. He would never let me have you to myself for long."
I try to find the amusement in his words, but I am stuck on the impending war. "I should call my mom."
Charlie flops back on the bed, taking me with him. "You do what makes you feel better. But I will tell you this much. We aren't going back for answers. Like you said. We are safe here."