The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 152

REMY

I helped Blade sit up better, and he tried to hide the fact that he was still in pain. I had been able to stop the bleeding and heal the most vital parts of the wound, but the injury had still taken a toll on his body. He didn't want to show it, but the deep red mark on

his chest said enough.

"Don't we have to mate to mark each other?" Blade asked.

I swallowed hard. "I don't know if that matters. That's usually how it happens, but we don't have time for that, and it would feel wrong." I didn't want it to happen like this either, but we didn't have much of a choice or much time. He quickly nodded in agreement. "Are you sure about this?"

A tug on my chest reminded me more lives were being lost, and Caulder was at risk every moment he spent trying to contain the creature. It wouldn't be long before the lunar eclipse was at its peak, and I had to be back before then. "Yes." The word felt like metal in my mouth. This wasn't what I wanted, but I knew it was what needed to happen.

"Okay," he said. He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand, and I leaned in to kiss him.

When our lips met, a fire burned in my core. Tears fell from my eyes again, and I couldn't stop it. I was terrified of what was about to happen, but I had to trust myself to get through it.

I pulled myself closer to him, being careful not to press my torso against his. I didn't want to cause him any unnecessary pain, but he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his lap. He hissed at the contact, and my body seized, unsure if it was pain or pleasure that caused his reaction.

"I'm okay," he whispered, holding the back of my head. His lips brushed my earlobe, and my entire body shuddered. Every little touch was enough to make my heart race. He continued tracing his lips down my neck, taking a moment to gently kiss the curve of my neck that was meant to be marked by my mate.

Even though we couldn't go through the full process like we had originally planned, Blade was making a point to make it sweet. He didn't want to just mark me because we were in the middle of war and our lives depended on it. He wanted to show me how much he cared about me and how much I meant to him.

I leaned my head forward, my breathing growing light in anticipation. "At the same time," I whispered, replaceing the same crook on his neck. I kissed him to show him he was so much more than a fated mate to me.

"I love you, Remy. No matter what happens, don't forget that I love you, and I need you to come back to me." His voice was raw with love and fear and everything in between.

We both knew there was a future out there that resulted in darkness from what we were about to do. If that happened, we were the only ones to blame. However, if we didn't try, a future filled with death and destruction awaited anyway. We had to risk it and take a leap of faith.

"I love you, too. To the moon and back, I will always replace you."

Two heartbeats passed, and I felt his fangs extend. His hot breath warmed my skin, and I knew it was time. My own fangs emerged and my mouth watered, knowing I was about to mark my mate. Simultaneously, we bit down on the sensitive spot on our necks. Blade hissed and his body tensed from the sensation. I could feel his emotions rushing through him as my blood filled his mouth. It had been years since he tasted human blood, and he had never had anything that tasted so decadent. The pain from the mark I placed on him was a distant feeling as the taste of iron filled his mouth. For a moment, he wanted to continue to taste my blood, but he resisted and pulled away.

The searing pain in my neck radiated from where he bit down on me, and my muscles seized in response. I could feel the venom from his fangs moving through my veins and spreading through my body. It attacked my cells, changing them in the process. The pain was unlike any other I had ever felt before, and I found myself biting even harder into Blade's neck to stop myself from screaming.

"Remy," Blade said. His hands slid up my body, trying to relax me with his touch.

It wasn't working though. The pain only increased, and my body didn't know what to do. My magic stirred, feeling uneasy about everything that was going on, and my wolf was desperate to emerge. It felt like I was being attacked from the inside out, and from everything I had learned about what would happen in this moment, no one described the immense pain I would feel. I wasn't ready for it, and I wanted it to stop.

"Remy," Blade said louder. His hands ran through my hair, and he started kissing my neck, desperate to calm me down.

My teeth sank deeper into his neck, and I could feel my fangs scraping against his collarbone. The way he hissed told me I was hurting him, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't control my body as the pain from his mark hit every inch of my body.

"I love you," Blade said, whispering directly in my ear. He didn't seem concerned about the pain I was causing him in the slightest. "So come back to me, okay?"

I could feel a wave of darkness crash over my brain as the pain turned to fire. I wanted to scream as it felt like my insides were being burned from the inside out, but I still couldn't move.

"Come back to me." Blade's voice was like a beacon of light in a dark sea. It flashed in and out, but I couldn't focus on it. I tried swimming to it, but it felt too far away.

My body convulsed as it started to feel like too much. Was this was Rina meant by an intense reaction? I could hardly think or focus as a pressure started to build through the pain. It felt like I was about to explode, and I wanted to. I wanted to burn like a shooting star across the sky just to stop all of the pain from attacking my insides.

"Remy," Blade whispered, but this time his voice came from inside my head. I had never heard his voice like this before, and it was somehow so much more beautiful.

"Don't give up on me yet. We're not done," he said. The light from his essence grew stronger and clearer, and I pulled my mind towards it.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, swimming towards his light. It was just in front of me now. I reached for the light, and the moment my fingers brushed against it, an explosion erupted inside of me.

-

CAULDER

Fights continued on all around me, getting worse. I trusted in the members of my pack to protect me and allow me to maintain the barrier around the creature. I resisted the urge to check on the others, knowing it was pointless anyway. This was where I belonged, and we all had our tasks to accomplish.

Ginger stood next to me the entire time, giving everything she had to give. She was a powerful sorcerer, despite her age, and her magic lessened what I had to do, but I could see the toll it was taking on her out of the corner of my eyes. Her body shook worse every second that passed, and her skin seemed to pale as well. I was worried if she continued on like this that she would end up giving everything she had.

"Are you okay?" I asked through a strained throat.

"I'm fine." Her own voice was strained, and all of the playfulness in her voice was gone. She didn't even add her typical "boy" to the end of her statement. "If you need-"

"It doesn't matter what I need. This is where I belong and what I was meant to do. I will protect the innocent and stop them from dealing with the repercussions of letting this thing out. Just stay focused on your task and not me," she said.

I swallowed, knowing she was right. Despite the shields, it was sending me horrible images of everyone dying on this field, but they weren't normal deaths. They were slow and painful-something no one except maybe Draven deserved to go through. It was trying to scare me and make me waver in my resolve, but it was doing the complete opposite. It was only making me more determined to stop it from ever escaping.

Time became a blur as I pressed on. The only thing that allowed me to know how much time had passed was the phase of the moon. It was almost completely covered now, and I prayed to the Moon Goddess that Remy was okay and that she was coming back soon. We were running out of time, and I was running out of strength.

Just a little longer, I told myself over and over again. It felt like I was running a marathon, and my body had already been pushed to its limit, but I still had to cross the finish line. Only, I had no idea where the finish line was, so I kept telling myself just a few more feet, and it would be over.

Then an explosion of light and chaos erupted throughout the field. The force of the explosion rippled through everyone, and I was suddenly thrown back several yards away from the creature. I couldn't see anything, completely blinded by the light, but I knew the barrier fell. The explosion distracted me enough that I was forced to drop my magic.

Just as quickly as it came, the light faded. All of the fighting had ceased, since everyone was knocked prone. Looking around, I could see all of the stunned faces, trying to figure out what had just happened and what they needed to do next. My throat went dry as the tang in the air told me exactly what had happened. Remy had triggered the prophecy, but I didn't know what this meant for her or if she was even still alive. If she had been at the center of that explosion...

"Remy, are you okay?" I linked, but there was no response. I could feel her everywhere and nowhere at the same time, and I didn't know what to make of it.