The Beast And The Blessed

Eighty: Natalie

Natalie's P.O.V.

The tone of the council changed after the announcement that Talia had chosen the other side and that I was Aurora's daughter, making me a descendant as well. They focused even more on tracking the witches, trying to get a lock on them before the battle. If we could take them down, the vampires would be no problem.

But the magic that was protecting them, hiding them, made it almost impossible to fight them in battle.

No one had brought up Talia again, but I could see the anger and disappointment in everyone's eyes. Especially Charlie's. She seemed to have a connection with the witch and had been excited to see her. For the rest of the night, the princess looked crushed. She and her brother had mastered masking their emotions, but even she couldn't hide how upset it had made her to hear of the treason.

I kept glancing at Killian in the mirror as we prepared for bed, but he was void of emotions. The eerie feeling that had settled over the castle only worsened when the sun went down.

”Bound...darkness...runs free."

The low and deep voice barely reached my ears, and I looked up at the mirror, watching as Killian rinsed the soap from his hair through the glass shower wall. It was a sight that normally took all thoughts from my mind and left me a desperate mess.

"What did you say?” I called out, hoping to be heard over the running water and thoughts going through his head. Killian opened his hazel eyes, staring at me with confusion as he shook his head.

’I didn't say anything."

I hummed in response as I brushed it off. No one else was in the room, and if Killian hadn't spoken, then perhaps I had picked up someone's thoughts in the pack link. That was even more concerning than if Killian had been the one who said it.

the pack to have thoughts that contained those words so close together made me feel even more unsafe in our

thought I heard something, but it wasn't clear." I pulled the brush through my hair, biting my lip as I considered the consequences of letting it go unannounced. Killian

his torso. "Thoughts can never be heard in the pack link. You have to speak to someone, and I've never heard of accidentally tuning

have been one of our pack members then, and a quick scan of the room proved it to be

looking away to turn off the water. He didn't

anything else." His tone was firm as he grabbed the towel and dried off. I felt dismissed, but

to the bed and got under the blanket. Killian didn't say anything more on the subject as he joined me, spooning me from behind and whispering a

***

the past, when I had felt this, I struggled to pull enough air

before fading to silence, and my hands gripped the blanket tightly as I turned to Killian. He had rolled onto his back during the night, which happened often, but he almost always turned

them moving behind his eyelids

usually hot skin felt chilled, but his body moved as he took in deep and even breaths. I pushed against his body again, trying to wake him. Only this time, I realized I wasn't touching him

my eye, there was a cold barrier between us that prevented me from

as soon as the thought crossed my mind, only to be confirmed as the bedroom door opened slowly to an

bed. There was something either my mind wanted me to see, or the owner of the voice wanted me to see. If it could help save my people, I needed to

blood..." The voice called again as I reached the hallway and found the guards standing watch, not seeming to notice me as I

hallway I went until I stood before the door I had once dreaded. The heavy wood opened on its own, and I stood still as I glanced into the dimly lit room. The ominous feeling I once had associated with the dying or dead was still there,

gems had

and take my crown back from the clutches of whatever

trap. I just didn't