And Then There Were Four
Chapter 83

Running.

It was all I ever seemed to do, and every time I closed my eyes, the darkness cascaded over me like a blanket. Welcoming me home.

But it made me feel terrified that I would be lost forever if I stepped into that darkness.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed past my own fears. The calling sound of a woman in the distance made me move further. I wasn't exactly sure what I would replace, but something deep inside me told me to keep going. As that darkness finally cleared, I found myself in a valley of light seemingly to never end, and within the light stood a beautiful woman with long red hair and glowing crystalline eyes.

She looked familiar to me, but then again, she didn't. Was I back where I met Frigga?

"Who are you?" I asked softly, watching as the woman's gaze turned to me as she gently tilted her head.

Plump red lips and razor-sharp teeth formed into a

wide smile as she stared. "Who am I? I am you. Do you not recognize your own flesh and blood?"

What the hell?

"You're not me..."

"Am I not, mother?" Every breath in my chest escaped me at her words.

Mother? Was this the vision of my future daughter? Was I to have a daughter?

For a moment, I stood still and contemplated the woman's words. But before I could say anything, a baby's cry caused me to turn my attention quickly to something in the darkness behind me.

Confliction. Utter confliction filled the core of my soul, and as the crying grew, my anxiety climbed higher. "If you go, mother, it will end as it was planned."

Turning to look back at the creature, I shook my head in disbelief. "What are you talking about? What is planned?"

The crying grew louder and more restless with every passing second. Instead of waiting to hear what she said, I turned from the woman and ran toward the child. If there were a babe in trouble, I would be the one to save it.

The closer I got, the farther away the child seemed to be, and to make matters worse, a roar of endless terror echoed through the darkness, setting the panic within my soul I did not even know existed.

If there was something dangerous within the darkness, I had to hurry. Not just because I was in danger, but because there was a baby in danger too.

It wasn't until I saw the soft pink and blue blanket upon a lush bed of grass I realized I had finally made it. However, the sudden feeling of being stuck captivated my attention to the ground beneath me.

My feet were stuck to the ground, and no matter how much I tried to free myself, I couldn't. It was as if someone had super glued my feet to the ground, and there was no way to escape. "No..." I cried out softly. "Hold on, baby, I'm coming." As I searched the surrounding area for something to help, I glimpsed something in the shadows ahead of me.

Bright, red eyes gleamed through the darkness, and as those red eyes stepped forth, I saw the face of a monster with a hunger dripping from its muzzle that terrified me. Its eyes darted from the baby to me as its tongue swept across its mouth. Jolting from my bed, I sat in panic with my hand across my chest and tears streaming from my eyes. I didn't have the slightest clue what the hell had just happened, but I was glad to know it was all a dream.

Lifting my hand, I brushed the sweat from my forehead and took a moment to catch my breath. At the same time, my bedroom door burst open, and Damian ran in wide-eyed with James right behind him. "What happened?" Taking a moment, I took a deep breath and pushed through my calming panic.

"Nothing, just a bad dream, is all. I'm sorry I woke you guys."

Damian and James looked at each other with confused expressions before stepping forward. "Do you want to talk about it?" James asked.

"No, no. It's nothing. Why don't you guys go back to bed? I'm just gonna read for a while. I think all those action movies last night got to me."

With annoyance on his face, Damian turned and walked out of the room, telling me to rest. Things had improved with him over the last few months, but he was hard to read.

I knew he loved me, but I don't think he knew how to honestly handle everything going on. I often had to remind myself it isn't just my life that has changed, but all of theirs, as well.

Glancing at James, he leaned down and kissed me softly. "Get some rest, sweetie. Tomorrow we can go shopping for things for the nursery."

"Sounds like a plan," I replied as he made his way from my room and closed the door behind him. My mind slowly drifted back to the flash of images in my mind from my dream.

Never once had a dream frightened me as much as that one did.

Who did the woman call me mother?

And why was there a baby in the middle of darkness with a beast looking to devour it?

Perhaps this was just me and an overbearing imagination as a new mother worried about the world her children would enter. I didn't know what to make of it, but the more I thought about it, the higher my anxiety became. Was I bearing children into a world that did not deserve them?

Was I living a life that was no longer safe?

Granted, humanity wasn't ever safe, but I was aware of those evils, and I could protect my children. Instead, I am in a world of supernatural creatures | barely know anything about.

Creatures that, at any moment, could take everything from me I love, and there wouldn't be anything I could do to stop it.

Sliding from the bed, I let my feet gently touch the floor. There was one person I could go to who would know what to do. I still couldn't believe she was actually their aunt. Why wouldn't they have told me that?

Making my way towards the attic staircase, I turned on the light and ascended the stairs. Priscilla had taken up residence in our converted attic, making it more incredible than I thought possible.

Knocking three times on her door, I waited, and slowly Priscilla opened the door with a smile spread across her face letting me know she already knew I was coming. "Come in, dear. I set the kettle."

Stepping through the threshold, I shut the door behind me and glanced around her suite she had created. She had impeccable taste, and even though it was more of the garden variety, I found comfort in it where Damien would not let me decorate the rest of the house in this kind of decor.

"I'm sorry to intrude on you so early in the morning, Priscilla."

She gazed up at me from where she stood near the fireplace and grinned. "I knew you were coming, dear."

Of course, she did. "I know, but still..."

"I take it you are having bad dreams again?" she commented as she continued meandering around the room.

"Yes. This one, though, was much different from the others."

"Aren't they all?" she cackled softly. "Whatever it is, has you worried?"

Once again, she could read me like a book. I didn't even have to tell her what was going on, and she would already be aware, which in the end made things a lot less complicated when I needed to tell somebody something.

"This one is different, though. I feel like it is trying to warn me about something. Like something horrible is going to happen, and I can't stop it."

Lifting two cups, she made her way to where I had taken a seat on a small pillow near her coffee table. "Our dreams are often the reflections of fate we are unprepared for. Don't ignore them, but remember that you can't change them."

"That's not exactly comforting," I groaned while sipping on the tea she had sat in front of me. "I wish I knew what to do."

"Have you spoken to the guys about these dreams?"

Glancing at her quickly, I shook my head. "No, definitely not."

"Why not?" she asked, slightly taken aback. "They are your mates and can help."

"They are more likely to have a heart attack and board me up in this house forever. You should know this, considering they are your nephews." I said, letting her know I knew who she really was.

Frozen for a moment, a smile crept across her face that met her eyes. "They told you?"

"One of them did. The others just didn't object."

Laughter escaped the two of us as she shook her head, raising her brow. "Hale is very informative."

"He is, but what I want to know is why you didn't tell me. We have been working together for months to get down to what I am and how I can control myself, and you said nothing."

Priscilla hesitated as she played with the spoon in her tea. Her mind seemed to wander for a moment, but then, with her usual glance, she looked at me and smiled.

"Not everything is easy to explain, Ivy. Sometimes things must be discovered on your own." That wasn't the response I wanted, but it was clear it would be the only response I would get from her right now. "Okay," I said with a little enthusiasm. "What do you suggest I do about these dreams; then? I mean, I can't keep on like this. The lack of sleep is getting to me."

"Perhaps you should talk to the goddess again. She had much to tell you before."

There was a feeling inside me telling me the same thing, but I didn't want to have to stoop to that unless I needed to. Just because I could reach out to them didn't mean I needed to for every minor issue I had. "Maybe I should talk to the guys and see what they think first."

I hadn't told the guys the details of my dreams simply because I didn't want to worry them, but now I thought that was my best course of action.

"Avoiding the problem will not get you anywhere, Ivy. If you want to tell them, you can, but in the end, you don't need to put off talking to the goddess. She came to you for the first time for a reason. You're a Celestial." Priscilla was right as usual, even though I refused to tell her that. It wasn't because I was too prideful to admit she was right, but simply because if I did, then I would only further be showing I can't do anything without her guidance.

If that actually made any sense.

Conflicted with the possibilities of what the dream had meant, even though I knew it was a warning, the rational side of me just wanted to toss it up as nerves and nothing more.

Was that foolish? Perhaps... but then I felt I was being cautious.

Just because I was told by the 'goddess' I was a celestial and destined for great things, didn't mean that was actually the truth.

How was I sure that they weren't lying to me for their own personal gain, and they weren't the trickster god they had tried to warn me about?

In the end, I had to gain clarity.

But it would be on my terms when I felt the situation called for it.