The Hunted

Chapter 64

Callie's POV

"Zilla means shadow, and Zia means light. The prophecy was originally meant to be about you and your sister," my mother said.

I felt like my ears were ringing so loud that I couldn't hear anything else. My vision was dark and I felt cold, so cold.

Ahh, cursed goddess - Clay's voice echoed in my head - your light calls to the darkness. We are drawn to you, Zia.

"I...I need Victor and Aiden," I mumbled, hoping someone could hear me.

Warm arms wrapped around me tightly. "We're here, my light. Just breathe." His earthy smell filled my nostrils and I leaned against his chest. "Take your time, love. We are all here. You are safe."

No, I'm not.

What do you mean, my light? His voice filled my mind.

Wait, did you hear me? I asked.

We all did, love - Owen responded. You're connected to the pack mind link now. I met his steel eyes in shock. He chuckled, Even without the ceremony, you are still our Luna.

Beautiful, just open your mind to us. You don't even have to talk, we will see it, sort of like a movie, Nate explained, his fingers grazing along my fingertips. I nodded and let down every wall I'd mentally built.

They saw the conversation with the goddesses and heard Clay's words to me.

Victor turned my face to him as my vision cleared. His fiery eyes looked at me with concern. "He said the same thing Aiden told you that morning. That's why you asked for us, isn't it, Callie?"

I nodded, letting out a frightened sigh, "What does he mean? I'm not a goddess, why does he keep calling me that?" I asked, fighting back the tears.

My mother came to sit in front of me. "Oh, my sweet girl, I'm so sorry. Please let me explain. What Avroclayth said is true. Technically you and Zilla are goddesses. Samael and I are both gods, but we are also the Father and Mother of all demons. I think I'm beginning to understand how he knows about you. Somewhere in your past, perhaps even when the curse was placed, while Zilla may not have known, the moment he came in contact with your blood, Avroclayth would have known. While he isn't a direct descendant, he still comes from the line of an incubus. Your father, Samael, is the origin of that line, just as I am the origin of all succubi."

"If you are both considered demons, then how can I be marked with this," I touched the fleur de lis, "and considered light or pure?"

Ériu looked at me with such compassion as she spoke. "Do you remember what Nyx said? Dark and light cannot exist without the other. The fact that you are a product of two dark gods yet have a pure soul is what makes you blessed. It made you so blessed that when your sister cursed you, your light flowed not only to your own line but others. That's how you ended up in other pantheons in your future lifetimes."

"The only thing we are still not able to determine is what was the origin of the curse. How did your sister discover her magic, and does she even now realize who and what she is?" Nyx added.

"Did you know about the prophecy when you gave your daughters away?" Kota asked Lilith.

"No. I didn't even know about the prophecy until Ra and Nyx told Callie. I pulled away from the world long ago. My decisions shut me off from my emotions, and I chose to hide in the darkness of my world rather than deal with the loss." She gave a fleeting look to Sam. "I'd lost everything - my mate, my daughters, my will to go on. I've stayed mostly in isolation since they vanished." I couldn't help but notice the hurt in Sam's eyes. I could feel his regret at leaving her.

"Then how do you know it was meant to be Callie and Sang, not Callie's daughters?" Kota pressed.

The first prophecy speaks of the demon of light. Technically, that's Zia, well Callie," Sam answered. "Lilith and I found the original scrolls. Their birth was foretold before she and I met. It explained that our daughters were meant to rule together as one. When our rash decisions altered their life paths and Lilith made them human, it caused the prophecy to change - to find new chosen ones."

"Okay, so we're back to the same question. If you made Sang and I human all those centuries ago, then how the fuck are we both still here, and how am I a goddess?" My tone was pure exasperation. I felt like a mouse running in a circular maze. I noticed all of them seemed to squirm in their seats. "What? What are you hiding now?" I growled, feeling my skin grow hot.

"Callie," Gabriel gave me a warning growl, "control your anger."

I huffed at him but did my best to draw down my temper. "I need you to explain. When you keep things from me it makes it difficult to trust any of you," I told them.

"You haven't received your goddess-head yet," Cailleach said flatly. "We aren't sure if Sang has either. Her curse caused your souls to enter the cauldron repeatedly being reborn and tethered together along with Avroclayth somehow."

"We also aren't sure how to trigger your transformation," Selene said, refusing to meet my eyes, "but we think the demon is part of it, or at least he is now."

"What do you mean - now?" Gabriel asked, drawing closer to me.

"How can Avroclayth be part of this, after everything he has done to her?" Marc demanded.

"Something binds them together, and we've already ruled out the clan bond," Sam said. "It might be the connection to his incubus and her succubus, or it could be..."

"A mate bond," I gasped in horror at the thought. My skin felt like it was crawling.

Silas picked me up from Victor's lap and whispered in my ear, "I mikrí mou agápi, everything will be okay. No matter what we discover, no matter what his connection, we are going to figure this out - I know it."

"So let me get this straight," Axel said, leaning forward, "Since I'm a demi-god, I have some powers from my mother as well as immortality. What will Callie receive since she is a full goddess, or is she now with the curse impacting her?"

"That's the million-dollar question of the day," Sam snorted. "Until we can break the curse or trigger her transformation, we have no idea. We also have no idea if the two are dependent on one another or entirely exclusive."

I let out a sigh. "We have to send me back."

The room fell silent.

"No," both Axel, Kota, and Gabriel said at once.

"Princess, we almost lost you more than once. I can't risk that again," Axel said, his eyes turning black for a moment.

"I agree with him, love," Kota said. "Your injuries carried into this lifetime. What about the babies?"

Gabriel looked like he was contemplating murder. "Avroclayth is too close. So is Sang. It isn't worth the risk."

I pulled myself free of Silas's embrace and stood up, facing all of them. "This isn't your decision. I am more than aware of all the risks to myself and our daughters, but I also know that the longer this goes on, the more risk we face. How long before they find out I'm pregnant and the curse enacts? I feel like we're already on borrowed time. This has to end now - one way or the other." I clenched my fists and turned toward my parents. Taking a deep breath, I asked for the thing I knew they would never willingly give.

"I need the two of you to make me a promise. If Sang or Avroclayth manages to kill me and the twins in this lifetime I want you to stop my reincarnation and theirs. Let it end here. It's not fair to any of us to keep going through this macabre cycle." I heard all of the men protest and argue, but I held my hand up to silence them and asked my parents again.

"Will you make me this promise?" I asked.

"We will," they responded, both with tears in their eyes.

"Good. Now let's get this over with," I said and marched toward the couch to lie down.

Author's Notes:  Ahh... the curse will finally be explained in the next chapter...along with some of Avroclayth's connection to her.