Page 226 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

‘Stop,’ she said. ‘That one.’

Paul stared at the image before them, backed it up, let it run forward, the expression in his eyes reflecting the horror of their final moments in this future.

Ivy swallowed hard.It was probably the most violent of visions that she’d seen, almost like something out of a movie.

‘This one’s new. I didn’t see it before,’ he said after a moment, his tone wondering.

‘Are you sure?’

He nodded. ‘I would remember seeing this.’

She looked back at it. ‘Maybe it’s become a possibility because we’ve changed something.’

‘Maybe.’

She watched as he let it play over again.

They were driving along a darkened road, the moon hiding to peep out occasionally through the clouds. They both looked worried, stressed, older. Much older. There were white strands in the auburn threads of hair at Paul’s temple and lines around her eyes and mouth that weren’t there now.

Vision-Ivy reached for vision-Paul’s hand. As they touched, heat sparked out, the world span and Ivy was pulled into the scene …

Paul squeezed her fingers, his eyes meeting hers for a brief moment. ‘It is time,’ she heard in her head.

‘Yes,’ she answered back.

He lifted her hand, kissed her knuckles before letting go to return both hands to the steering wheel. There was danger sparking on the air and despite the fact they needed to touch to help keep them calm, it was more important for him to keep his wits about him.

The children had to survive this night. It was imperative.

Ivy glanced into the back seat. At her beautiful twins. She still couldn’t believe they were hers. She felt luckier than she’d ever thought possible.

She smiled softly at them, trying to hide her desperate sadness over what was about to happen. ‘How you going, Skye?’

‘Fine, Mummy.’

‘And you, River?’

‘I’m good.’

‘Remember what we talked about? The promise you made?’ Paul said. She glanced back at him to see his fingers tightening on the steering wheel.

‘We remember, Daddy,’ they chimed together.

River gripped his twin’s hand. ‘I’ll never let anything happen to Skye. She’s our future.’

‘So are you, my precious little man,’ Ivy said. ‘Don’t forget that.’ She reached back, touched both their precious faces.

‘I won’t, Mummy.’

A lightning bolt lit up the road ahead of them. Skye screamed as Paul jerked the car, trying to avoid the blast. Another and another hit the road in front of the car, beside it, until …

She was thrust out of the vision, panting, disoriented.

‘Are you okay, Ivy?’ Paul gripped her shoulders, holding her steady.

She looked up at him. ‘That’s the one,’ Ivy said despite the horror of the crash, of what came after as the twins were taken and both Ivy and Paul died, their bodies disintegrating in the explosion that lit the night sky. It was worse than any other vision, so filled with trauma, but still, ‘It’s the one we have to choose.’

Paul stared at her, his eyes shadowed. ‘Why would you choose that one. The way you die—’

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