Page 69 of Revelations

“And who, exactly, am I? That appears to be the real question, and the key to this whole thing,” Greylyn sniped.

Adeline’s tone took on a warm, sisterly tilt. “Your adoptive mother, Aine, wanted you protected. Your parents entrusted you to her safe-keeping. She knew Heaven and Hell would come for you, because of who you are. As a Munster fairy, she was able to enlist my clan to serve you and protect you. It’s for her that we still honor our vow. Had we known that you hadn’t truly died, we would’ve been with you all along. For that lapse, we are indeed sorry.” Her silken mane of silver hair fell over her face as she bowed her head reverently.

An ancient vow of protection? An adoptive mother…who was a fairy? Something else that she had not realized she did not know. It was all a bit too much information, too quickly. She would have to process all of that later.

Greylyn shrugged. “Hell, looks like I shocked the whole universe by not being a good girl and staying dead.”

“Prophecy or not, the clan stands with you.” Adeline placed a warm hand on Greylyn’s shoulder. “As such, we give you our allegiance and ask simply how we can be of service.”

Help? Someone wanted to help her? This had to be a first. It was almost comical.

Greylyn took a deep breath before speaking to avoid showing how deeply moved she was. Still, her voice shook. “It’s not like I want to help out one of Hell’s most notorious. But so far, no one’s come up with any other ideas for how to put a stop to this.”

“How about offering up the woman and child in your place?”

Greylyn pivoted sharply to glare the shifter in the eyes. “Not going to happen. So, unless you have something constructive to offer, get off my back.”

A firm hand, with long, sharp nails gripped her upper arm. Instinctively, Greylyn raised her other arm to strike the wolf shifter but stopped when she saw pity reflected in her deep-set eyes.

“You misunderstand, angel… Sorry, Greylyn. My charge is to protect you, not others. But as they’re an extension of you, I see I’ll need to amend my views to include them. The same cannot be said for your other friends, though.”

The shifter’s grasp on her arm relaxed. Greylyn thought that she heard something close to sympathy in Adeline’s voice.

“You’re in an untenable position. We offer our support and in turn expect that you stand strong. Both Heaven and Hell will align against you again. It’s not just yourself who is in danger. It’s not just some innocent humans. It’s all of us.”

No pressure. Just the possible fate of the entire world, Heaven even—but who the hell actually knew, since the frigging prophecy was a damn mystery.

“Just what exactly am I supposed to do, then? Any suggestions would be appreciated, because I’m fresh out of ideas.”

“You fight. You fight with everything you have until there’s nothing left. You accept help, regardless of the form.” Her silver eyes lit up, mesmerizing Greylyn in place. “It won’t be the first time your kind has accepted help from shifters, even if your guardian instincts tell you to slay us without mercy.”

A giant pause filled the night air, threatening to suffocate any breathing creatures.

Greylyn sadly guessed that the wolf shifter had personal experience with guardian angels hunting down her kind.

“You could even say that you owe the small bit of human life you enjoyed to my family’s protection. So I’d appreciate some respect.”

Wait. What?Casting a dubious sideways glance at the shifter, Greylyn’s mind buzzed around that nugget of information. This was the most that she had learned about her human life…ever.

Adeline winked. “Our ancestors have a long tumultuous history of working together—and fighting together. Your parents recognized us as allies. Several generations of Nephilim aligned with us, and with other supernatural creatures, to defeat the greater evil, to protect each other and humanity. It wasn’t until that alliance was broken, that the human world forced us all into hiding.” She lowered her voice to the barest whisper right into Greylyn’s ear. “It’s not just me and my pack that think this way. There are others. You only need to ask. There are many waiting to help light up your path. Guide you. Protect you.”

A comforting silence fell between them for a moment, as all this new information weighed on Greylyn’s shoulders.

“So, my adoptive mother, what was she like?” Despite the urgency of the prophecy, her heart yearned for a personal connection to her past.

Adeline smiled as her eyes took on a faraway stare. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t there personally. But our histories speak of a brave, kind woman; the best-hearted woman who ever lived. When her own human-sired child died, she happily accepted the responsibility to raise you and keep you safe. It was her greatest wish for you to live a normal existence, to love and to be loved, and to never be subjected to the whims of angels and demons. For your entire childhood, she cloaked you from those seeking to find the one spoken of in the prophecy. When she was killed, the veil slipped.” A tear ran down the shifter’s porcelain-perfect face. “My ancestors fought to keep you hidden, but evil found you. Every last member of the pack was slaughtered, except for a lone wolf who had gone across the lough to court someone in another clan. He alone survived, but by the time he returned to the village…it was too late.”

Swiping the tears from her eyes, the shifter straightened her back and squared her jaw. “That…is all I came to say. We’re here. There are others who will help you. Oh, and one last thing.”

Greylyn’s head snapped back at the intensity of Adeline’s stare.

“Beware of old friends. They might be the true wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

Chapter 17 – Forgive Me, Father, For I Have Sinned

Why did everyone speak in some strange cryptic code?

As quickly as her animal counterpart had done, Adeline had swiveled around and raced off into the night. Her long silver hair flowed behind her like a long swatch of silk blowing in the wind. By the time she bounded over the ridge on the other side of the creek, she had shifted back into her animal form.

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