Page 127 of The Omega's Bloodline: Part One

“This all feels very fast. I just accepted Seth. We haven’t even had time to explore what that relationship means. I’m bonded to him, but we haven’t spent a moment alone. I don’t know what it means for me, or for him. It’s too much.”

Hecate nodded thoughtfully.I have not asked you to walk an easy path, Logan. I’m sorry for that. I promise if you do walk the path as I have laid it, it will not be one filled with regret.

I took a deep breath, wrapping my arms around myself. “Why me?”

As I said before, one of your ancestors made a grave mistake. Others in your family have tried to correct it and have been unsuccessful. If anyone else had succeeded, this would not be asked of you now. I know that it is hard to trust. They did not like the messages that I brought and now all of this has fallen to you. The consequences have only grown.

“What happens if I fail?”

I do not want to put the burden of knowledge on your shoulders. I still want you to choose because you desire to do so. You already carry so much. Even if you do not accept them as mates, they will be good friends to you. They will support you. I only hope that it is enough.

“I don’t understand. I have to take them as mates? Why?”

Hecate moved toward me like a mist, her hands cupping my cheeks like a mother might.My sweet child. Someone else will give you that knowledge. You won’t have long to wait. For now be patient, have faith, and don’t be afraid to love.

I stumbled into the daylight, Yelena and Velda at my sides holding me up.

“What the hell was that?” Velda asked.

“A vision. I’m still getting used to them.” My body felt exhausted and shaky, and both women looped their arms around my waist. The creature shrieked and flailed on the other side of the wards, its tendrils snaking up and around the dome.

Velda slipped into her animal form, a wonderfully fluffy brown bear with round ears and wicked claws.Hop on.

She lowered to the ground and I climbed onto her back, draping myself over the thick fur. Velda carried me back to the nest like that, the monster’s screams echoing in my ears, and the messages of Hecate’s magic sparking in my blood. Velda fit perfectly into the elevator, and I wondered briefly if they had designed it to accommodate all of their animal forms. We rode down to the basement and into the secret chamber where the artifacts were kept.

“Precious,” said Yelena.

“Yes?” I slid down off Velda’s back, holding tightly to her as my feet hit the ground.

“Would you mind if I tested a theory while you charge the artifact?”

“Sure. If you think it’ll help us figure something out, we might as well.” I turned to Velda. “Which one is yours?

“The painting. It was a protective love charm done between my great-great-grandmother and the witch that fell for her.”

“Is it real blood?” I asked, examining the bright red hues of the painting.

“Of course it is. There’s potent magic in the blood. It’s kept my family safe for hundreds of years, preserved with the witch’s magic.”

“What happened to the witch?”

“Burned, unfortunately. That’s one of the reasons my family originally left Europe. We were from what’s now Germany, and things got too dangerous in the 1600s. Sometimes I have dreams of the original forest of this land, memories that float down my bloodline. They lived a lot of their lives as bears here, melting into the trees, settling so deep in the woods they rarely saw humans. Of course, things have changed since.”

I could see the forests as she spoke. The unspoiled coast lines, trees so large it took entire families holding hands to reach around them. We had lost so much to greed and disrespect, to hatred for the people who were already here. I didn’t know if Velda’s family had found peace, but she was here now, so at the very least it seemed as if they had found some semblance of safety.

I settled onto the dirt floor next to her. She laced our fingers together, and reached our hands through the ward that sat around the artifacts until my fingertips reached the edge of the painting. It vibrated under my touch, and, like Yelena had taught me, I opened myself to let the magic flow into it. Yelena leaned against my back, her chin over my shoulder and her fingertips walking down my arm.

I shivered and turned to face her. “What are you doing?”

“Focus on your task. Let me test my theory. I’ll keep it PG.”

Her breath ghosted over my throat, her nose teasing against my ear, and her nails scraping over my skin. My breathing hitched, the magic pouring into the artifact fluctuating. Her arms slipped around my waist, one hand pressed flat against my stomach, the other resting on my thigh.

“That’s it, precious. You’re doing so well.”

Velda’s face was mere inches from mine. One of her hands cupped the back of my neck and goosebumps danced over my skin. “Yelena, it’s rude to play in front of me when I haven’t been invited.”

Yelena laughed against my skin, the sound rippling through me. She nipped my ear and my magic stuttered again. “Precious. Do you give Velda permission to play?”

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