Octavion released Kira near her shelter. The last thing he wanted was for her blood to trigger his cousin’s hunger, but leaving her behind didn’t set well with him either—not with Shandira and that Royal still out there. “Be quick about this, Kira.”
“I will. Now go, I’m right behind you.”
He hesitated for a long moment. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight, but she was right about Luka’s cravings. Even though her blood hadn’t affected Octavion as much after she’d healed his leg, he felt its draw now. The back of his throat burned as her scent grew stronger.
“Octavion, you need to go. Get Lydia to safety and grab something else for me to wear. I can call Lydia if I get in trouble.”
“She’s okay,” Lydia said. “We need to hurry.”
Octavion and Lydia appeared a moment later in his lair. Cade was unconscious and lying on one of the animal pelts against the far wall. Kneeling next to him, Luka was completely transformed, a cloth held firmly to his mouth and nose. Octavion caught a whiff of one of his pungent concoctions—Luka’s attempt to mask Kira’s scent.
“You need to get us out of here,” Luka said, his voice muffled by the damp cloth. “Cade’s injury may take his life if we do not get him help and I do not know how much longer I can control myself. I have never had so little control, not even when our moons are new.”
Octavion helped Lydia to the bench before digging through his trunk to retrieve the journey stone and a shirt. When he turned around, Kira stood in the cave entrance with her quilt wrapped around her shoulders.
“Kira, do not move.” He tossed Lydia the shirt and began the intricate process of aligning the markings around the clear stone. He twisted it until the two slits that ran around the edge popped up and the colored lights seeped out, filling the room. He gave the object a twist and let go, leaving it to spin on its own.
A deep growl escaped Luka’s chest as a swirl of warm air rushed across Octavion’s face. A doorway grew from a small black hole to a vortex of light and misted shadows, the castle walls now visible through the opening.
Octavion turned his back to the portal. Luka was on his knees, holding the rag to his face, his chest heaving with every breath. “Luka, get on the other side and I’ll hand Cade through.”
Luka didn’t answer. His eyes locked on Kira’s and the last stage of his transformation made him fumble for the cloth. He dropped it to the floor as the ends of his fingertips grew into razor sharp claws. He slowly stood, hunching over as if preparing to take down his prey.
“Luka!” Octavion grabbed the back of Luka’s shirt with one hand and his belt with the other, lifted him, and tossed him through the opening like a bale of straw. He landed on the stone floor of the castle courtyard and rolled to a stop next to a large fountain.
“Lydia, help Kira with that shirt before bringing her through. I will get Cade.” Octavion lifted his cousin into his arms and stepped through the opening, pushing against the warm rush of air that swirled around him. By then, Luka was on his feet. He took his brother from Octavion’s arms and disappeared.
Octavion wasn’t expecting what came next. Without warning, he began to transform. He’d given no thought to the fact that his cravings were stronger in his world or that he’d been gone for so long his resistance had changed. He stepped back away from the opening, knowing his desire to feed would increase when Kira’s scent filtered through the doorway.
When Lydia stepped through the portal, Octavion reached out to help her, only to have her collapse into his arms. He lowered her to the ground as a gaping knife wound in her side began to bleed. His attention shifted to the doorway where he saw Kira’s muted figure. She was struggling to get away from Shandira’s hold, kicking and punching. Shandira delivered a quick blow to the side of Kira’s face knocking her into the journey stone. The frightening scene faded away, leaving nothing but a swirl of warm air in its place.