PROLOGUE
Priest rolled out of bed and landed on the floor on his hands and knees. He fought back the urge to vomit as he gulped down air, trying to slow his breathing.
In his nightmare, his mate, his beautiful mate, was ripped apart by hundreds of grasping hands. He tried to reclaim each piece of her from the faceless shadows but couldn’t.
A knock at the door had him looking up. He dare not answer. With his head hanging, he prayed that the person would go away.
Seconds later, he heard a static crack, and the door opened, revealing Heath Clover, Upsilon’s witch.
“Gods above,” Heath whispered. He shut the door behind him before he knelt down at his side. “I want you to concentrate on my voice. Conquiescere, frater meus. Be at peace, my brother. You are not alone, and the darkness will not win.”
Heath rose and gently helped Priest stand to his feet before easing him over to the bed. Priest rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. Heath sat next to him. “Talk to me Priest, or I’ll get Zoe to purify the room of negative vibes, and knowing her, she’d torch the place.”
Priest smiled, though he felt like raging. His chuckle was without mirth and sounded empty even to himself. “How’d you know?” he asked, sitting up to face his unit brother.
Heath’s eyes were filled with compassion. “I’ve picked up a thing or two over the years.”
“Empathy?”
Heath shook his head. “Not quite. It’s more like my healing abilities have a barometer. Elevated temperature, heart rate, that sort of thing, has gotten a boost that added an emotional flavor to it. Sheer terror was flooding the hallway in waves from your room,” he explained.
Priest exhaled. “You know how Ari and Gage had dreams about their mates?”
Heath nodded. “Ari saw Bri walking away, and Gage saw Zoe surrounded by flames” He shrugged. “Makes perfect sense now.”
Priest clasped his hands together in his lap to keep them from visibly shaking. “I see her. Gods, Heath, she is so beautiful. Silky blonde hair, eyes the color of the sky at sunrise, but it’s her smile that pulls me in.” He tilted his head to look at his unit brother closer. “Her eyes are like yours, filled with… I don’t know, compassion.”
Heath nodded. “She could be a healer.”
Priest shut his eyes, trying to recall her face again. Immediately the images began to taunt him.
“Priest. Open your eyes,” Heath ordered.
Priest swallowed hard and looked directly at Heath. “She’s ripped apart right before me. I can’t save even a single piece of her.”
Heath’s eyes widened. “Gods above. Why would you be shown such a thing?” He placed his hand on Priest’s shoulder, and the terror, anxiety, and tension seemed to melt away.
“Thanks, Heath.”
“Maybe you should go to Aiden with this?” he suggested.
Priest shook his head. “That man has more shit on his plate than anyone.”
Heath went to speak, hesitated, then continued. “Go to Meryn.”
Priest stared. “Excuse me?”
Heath winced. “I know, it sounds a bit crazy, but by now, we’ve all seen her in action. Besides the commander, she’s the only other one who was present as each couple came together. She may have some insight into your nightmares.”
Priest felt the stirrings of hope. “Do you really think so?”
Heath chuckled. “Either she’ll be able to help or implode the situation so badly that your nightmares will be the least of your worries.”
“I fucking hate you,” Priest muttered, a smile tugging at his lips.
Heath laughed outright at his declaration. “I know, eaglet, I know.” He stood and stretched. “Get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow should be interesting.” He walked to the door and opened it. “If it gets this bad again, come to me. Don’t let the darkness get a foothold.”
Priest nodded. “I will. Thanks again, Heath.”
“Anytime.” Heath waved and shut the door behind him.
“Meryn, huh?” Priest wondered out loud.
He lay back down and stared up at the ceiling.
“What’s the worst that could happen?”
Chapter One
“But, I just miss her so much, you know?” the old man sniffled.
Cas laid a hand on his, mindful of the bruising he sustained from his last hospital stay. Since he was diagnosed with Stage Two cancer, Mr. Clemson had been coming to her on again, off again for the past six months. Then three weeks ago, just when he got that beat and was in remission, his faithful cat of sixteen years had passed away in her sleep. The poor man was awash with the color blue, which she always associated with sadness and despair. He was on the verge of giving up.
“I see something peculiar in your aura Samuel.” She’d give him hope even if she had to fudge things a bit.
“Something new? I know I’ve been bringing ya down with my blues as you call ‘em,” he teased, with very little mirth in his eyes.
To the humans who visited her little shop she was one step up from a palm reader. She held many psychology degrees but ultimately used her fae gift to get people talking about their feelings. She ‘somehow’ always knew what to ask to get people to acknowledge their hearts, which made them grow and feel better. Word of mouth had developed her client list until she was scheduling people months in advance.
“There’s a small cafe not far from your apartment, isn’t there?”
He nodded and let her continue.
“I see a small black cat huddled in a corner. He’s an absolute terror, hissing and half-feral, but I see your paths crossing.” She prayed this was the right thing to do. For all her gifts, she wasn’t omniscient.
He scowled. “What’s a cat doin’ in a cafe?”
She smiled. “It’s one of those new cat cafes. You go in, buy a cup of coffee and you get to pet and play with the cats. If you get along with one, you can adopt them.” She rubbed her forehead only slightly dramatically. “Now, this little boy is withdrawn, and I feel like his time is running out. If he keeps hissing at the customers, he may end up on the kill list.”
“Why is he hissing?” Samuel asked indignantly. “Cats don’t hiss for no reason.”
Cassie knew little Dow’s story as she had stopped in the cafe just two days ago for coffee. “He’s sad. His human child, whom he loved with all his heart, died. The parents didn’t want him around as a reminder of their lost daughter, so they gave him up to the cafe. He’s scared.”
Samuel rubbed his chin. The blues swirled faster and faster before blossoming into a pretty yellow. Hope, purpose. “Well, maybe I could head over there and sit with him a bit. My old girl was feisty at the end,” he chuckled. “They are their own selves, you know.”
She nodded. “Ask for Shadow. That’s his name on file at the cafe. But, his human was young when they met. She could only manage to say, Dow, he’ll respond to that more.”
Samuel stood, knees popping. “I reckon I got time now.” He smiled, and this time there was warmth in his eyes. “You really moving away? You do you a lot of good to a lot of people, myself included.” He held out a hand to help her stand.