“It cannot be avoided,” the soft resigned whisper came in her voice.
“What cannot be avoided?”
“One of you…. Either you or Lachlan Ravenswood has decided on a path. Until that decision is altered, the only future I see is your death and the slaughter of our people. I’ve seen several possible futures, and they all ended the same.”
Shilah stilled. “You’ve unlocked another level of your powers?”
“Yes. Three days ago.”
Shock blasted through her. Three days? She had been ensconced in this chamber and in his bed for three days? “Oh Kala, why didn’t you call me?”
“You were…busy.”
Heat suffused Shilah’s entire body, and her sister’s soft laugh brushed against her senses.
“Each time I tried to reach out I was met with a haze of lust that I quickly drew away from. I was entertained by the court, and King Gidon is very charming for a monster. I’ve been made to feel very welcomed.”
The precise cause for a transition had not yet been identified, but it had been linked to specific scenarios, such as traumatic emotional experiences, abnormally stressful events, and some developments had occurred with age. However, the sources of a transition still varied among different individuals. The past few weeks could most definitely be described as emotionally traumatic, and abnormally stressful. So, the change from an Alpha to an Omega couldn’t have been easy for her sister. The power would have roiled through her, stretching Kala’s mind and body as it sought to accommodate its depth and essence. “Has your Omega symbol formed?”
“Yes.”
It was absolute then. Each ring of power manifested in a white translucent symbol on their right arm. It was only when an imperial level was attained their eyes changed and evolved. There was a part of Shilah that did not want to know the new outcomes of the foresight, but she girded her herself. “Have you any idea of the decision that was made?”
“I see a monster. It is pure darkness with a rage I’ve never seen or felt. This monster decimated our kingdom because you…you were killed. No one was spared.”
Her heart beat with such brutal force she feared fainting. “How did I die?”
“I see you lying on a floor, your hair flowing around you, your suit soaked in blood, and your lifeless eyes staring at the wall.”
Shilah made her way over to the bath, and lowered herself into the heated water, sighing as the warmth seeped into her muscles.
“I think as Lachlan’s mate…I am very important to him, Kala. And the notion of it is scary. He hardly knows me. My death should mean nothing to him.” The very idea that she could mean so much to another was petrifying.
“Only you had anchored it to the light, and with your death, its only purpose was slaughter.”
“We will leave here together,” Shilah whispered, blinking away the burn of tears. “I’ve made a mess of everything. I shouldn’t have run, Kala. I should have stayed in Dxyriah, gathered my supporters, and demanded the Senate convene. I stupidly ran, and it has been over three months since we’ve left our home. Once you saw me on the throne, ruling with Prince Novar. That vision changed the instant I met Lachlan Ravenswood. I think it is also constant because I am with him. Once we leave the Darkage and Amagarie itself, perhaps the precognition will evolve once again.”
Her sister remained silent, but she could feel her anxiety and doubts. And Shilah understood. It was almost impossible to alter the future a foreseer predicted. Though sometimes the visions were not interpreted in full, and the outcome could be far different than feared, the steps seen always came to pass.
“How has King Gidon been treating you?”
“With kindness.”
Shilah paused in lathering the cleansing oil over her body. Was that fascination she’d detected in her sister’s tone. “Do you like the king?”
“I find him…interesting.”
“Be careful Kala, there is no one I trust in this kingdom.” Except for Lachlan Ravenswood.
The hitch in her sister’s voice indicated she’d caught the edges of Shilah’s thought.
“You be careful, sister,” Kala whispered and then closed their link.
Quickly bathing, Shilah emerged from the bath and used the soft cloth she’d been accustomed to using to dry the wetness from her skin. In her world, a pulse of heat would emit in their bath chamber, and her skin would be dried in a second. She moved over to the chaise longue near the windows and picked up one of the garments clearly intended for her petite frame. She slipped into the dark green kaftan, appreciating the soft feel of the cloth. It hugged her upper body like a lover, then flared from her hips to her ankles in flaring chiffon and silk. She slipped her feet into matching slippers and hurried to the mirror. Using her telekinesis, she arranged her hair in a single plaited braid.
A low growl in the room had her whirling around. Cronus seemed to peel from the wall itself and prowled toward her. Vicious canines lined his mouth, glistening white and sharp. She jerked wildly as the beast that was easily the same height as her approached. Shilah laughed when his massive ridgeback head carefully butted her shoulder. She swore she saw concern in the depth of its eerily blue eyes.
“Were you in here, all this time you great beast,” she murmured, touching him tentatively. Shilah brushed her mind against his, unraveling the pathway that was constructed with less thread than peoples’. “I am well Cronus,” she murmured, rubbing his head, and smiling when he purred.