Celeste’s POV

*****

"Did... did anyone else feel that?" Luther was the first to break the silence.

"The whole block and beyond felt it so, yes. We did." Silas responded, his gaze sharp on me.

My magic outburst earlier was what they were talking about.

No one wanted to say anything more but I could sense their emotions through the bonds. Concern was in there—sure it was. But tinged around it was good old fear.

Meanwhile, the bipedal Vein beast’s head tilted as it repeated what it said seconds ago. "Child of chaos..."

I thought I was hearing things at first but now its voice was clearer. Almost... human.

"It can talk?!" A man yelled from somewhere. "I’ve never heard of them talking."

"It doesn’t seem focused on anyone else," another voice added as more murmurs and commotion rose amongst the people. "Just... her."

"Who are those?"

"No–who is SHE? I’m a witch and I felt so much magic from her just now."

As more and more people joined conversations about me like I wasn’t there, I felt grateful for once that I was the less popular child of my parents.

"You," Azrael snapped me out of my reverie by doing something daring. He stepped forward, hands in pockets and back straight like he was taking a casual stroll. "Why did you call her that?"

So many crazy things were happening all at once right now. Because why the heck was he trying to reason with a Vein Beast?

"Wait... Atlas." The bonds pulled me just in time to watch him finally get off the ground several meters away from us. Seeing the Vein beast curiously occupied with Azrael, I rushed to Atlas’s side. "Thank the gods you’re okay. I told you to—"

"I didn’t defeat all of them," his words rushed out like a flood, body clinging heavily to mine. He made me look into his golden eyes. At the trepidation in them. "There are still more in that alley."

Just then, the darkness that spilt out of the alley thickened. It turned to a shade so black that even night felt bright compared to it. Out of that darkness, beasts began crawling out.

One.

Two—

Dozens more even though Atlas had clearly fought hard before we got outside.

There were too many.

"There’s more of them!" A lady screamed.

Then, the bipedal beast answered Azrael’s question. "She knows why I called her that," its voice was plain. But cutting. "The Vein has called for too long. And now she’s finally called back."

When I say all eyes turned to me...

It wasn’t simultaneously either. It was gradual. Like each person was taking time to process what they’d just heard resounding in the night.

Suddenly, I was self-conscious, pulling Atlas back to Luther and Silas’ side.

"You seem coherent," Azrael sounded amused. "You’ll need to be more specific than that."

The mouths on the beast’s body grinned in unison, disgusting black teeth bare for all to see. "Do not step out of your jurisdiction... poison of the night."

My brows knitted into a deep frown.

That last title.

The beast wasn’t referring to me this time. For some reason, I was so sure of it too.

"Azrael?" I murmured more to myself at the same moment that sirens began blasting around the town.

Similar to tornado sirens, sirens made to alert cities and towns of Vein beast attacks were available in just about every corner of the planet.

These sirens sounded distinct as well. Far more foreboding.

People began backing away further as the beasts walked toward me.

Luther and Silas took defensive positions. "Looks like we aren’t walking out of this without getting our hands dirty after all." my Alpha mate sniggered. "Good. Those wolves from yesterday were barely a warm-up anyway."

"Don’t get too cocky, brother," Silas warned. "That tall one is clearly different. More powerful too."

While the Hale brothers spoke like they were about to play a game, sweat clung to my blouse. My eyes couldn’t leave Azrael’s back.

Not after what the beast said.

Poison of the night?

That title wasn’t casual. It was too real.

Ominous like a warning.

"These things seem drawn to Celeste," Atlas was the first to observe. "Just like the memorial. And the Blood Trials attack."

"Meaning we can’t exactly run away without eliminating all of them." Luther snapped his neck. "Roger that."

Atlas pulled away from me, fingers wiggling with renewed energy.

They were all ready for a fight.

Even with seemingly overwhelming numbers and more of these beasts creeping out like an ant nest disturbed.

Just when the bipedal Vein beast took a step forward alongside its brethren—the sound of cars approaching interrupted it. Not just any cars too.

Local supernatural law enforcement!

Their cars had barely parked when they hopped out. Many held guns, while a few witches spread out their hands, readying spells. All targeted at the beasts.

For the first time, the bipedal beast seemed hesitant.

"The reports weren’t wrong indeed." A woman with a stern expression and a powerful magic aura remarked. She seemed to be the captain. "Careful team! That one seems sentient."

Tension wrapped around the scene so thick it was suffocating. The beasts no longer tried advancing toward me, their attention pinned on the officials.

Chaos could erupt at any second—

—But it didn’t.

The darkness beneath the feet of the beasts hissed. Then it recoiled, rising up to form tendrils around them.

"Witches!" The female captain yelled, bright cyan light sizzling between her fingers. "Fire at will! Don’t let any of them escape!"

No sooner had she let that order than the spells the witches had been casting activated. Fireballs, ice blasts, energy blades—all shot at the beasts like a torrent was unleashed.

The bipedal beast’s chin rose by a few inches. The dark tendrils surrounding him and his kin swallowed them. Literally. In the blink of an eye, they all disappeared, the spells hitting nothing but empty ground.

Frustrated sounds rippled amongst the officials.

Azrael heaved, glancing over his shoulder at me. "Are you okay?"

The question took a moment to register.

Okay?

OKAY?!

No. No I fucking wasn’t.

But I couldn’t say that, barely offering him a smile.

I felt like I’d heard and seen things that I shouldn’t have tonight. Like I’d made myself part of a dreadful secret.

And everyone knows—once you become part of a secret... there’s no going back.

Just when I thought it was over, the captain’s eyes locked onto mine. "You," she said slowly. "You’re coming with us."