Andrea Cremer - Bloodrose

“Calla! Bryn!” Ansel was running toward us, waving. Bryn shrieked her joy, opening her arms. But a huge brown and silver wolf was streaking toward him from the side. My father shifted forms, lifting Ansel off his feet as he ran and clutching my brother against his chest.

“Dad!” Ansel threw his arms around our father.

Bryn and I ran to meet them. My father pulled us into their hug. The four of us stood together, holding on to each other as we shook with tears and laughter.

Ansel broke free when Shay approached us. “Hey! You did it!”

But Shay was frowning.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

His shoulders tightened. “Anika says it’s not over yet.”

AS NEWS OF THE BATTLE’S ENDspread, Searchers began gathering around us. Some stood in groups, speaking quietly and gazing around the destroyed library in awe. Others moved quickly into the practical work of recovery, gathering up the piles of books that were strewn across the floor and carting them away. Still others had assigned themselves to burial duty, solemnly carrying out the remains of the Fallen, now returned to their natural state.

“What do you mean it’s not over?” My skin prickled.

Anika strode past us. “Come with me.”

We followed her to all that remained of the library wall. The stone fireplace, solitary and austere, appeared untouched by the force that had destroyed so much of the estate.

I leaned over to Bryn and whispered, “Get the others.” Growing anxiety snaked through my veins.

“I don’t understand,” Shay said. “Bosque is gone. He’s banished. So are his monsters.” He gestured at the quiet darkness of the empty fireplace. “The Rift is gone.”

“Not gone,” Anika said. “Closed.”

“As in, it could be opened again?” I asked.

She nodded at me but spoke to Shay. “That’s why you have to seal it.”

His eyes narrowed. “How?”

“The Rift can’t be destroyed, but the Elemental Cross serves as a lock, sealing it off from our world.”

I relaxed a little when Bryn rejoined us, bringing my packmates as well as Connor, Adne, and Ethan with her. Anika glanced at the Guardians and then turned a sharp look on the Searchers. Ethan dropped his gaze, fidgeting, and Connor raked a nervous hand through his hair.

What was going on?

Adne met my questioning gaze without flinching, but there was a sadness in her eyes-a new sadness that had nothing to do with her brother’s death-that raised my hackles.

“What if someone opens it?” Shay asked.

“You’re the only one who can retrieve the swords.” Anika traced the crossed swords emblazoned on her necklace. “No one else will be able to open it.”

“So don’t go to the dark side,” Connor said. “ ’Kay?”

Adne dug her elbow into his ribs. He shot her a warning look. Now I had no doubt they were hiding something.

I leveled my gaze on Anika, putting strength into my voice. “And that’s all?”

She could only match my steadiness for a moment before she pulled her eyes away.

Shay caught it too. “What?”

Tension rippled through the room. My packmates threw nervous glances at me. My nails dug into my palms. Beside me my father growled.

“Is this a betrayal?” He glared at Anika.

“No!” She drew herself up, assuming an authoritative air. “It is simply what must be.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Shay took a step toward her.

Anika’s lips thinned. Connor moved between the Scion and the Arrow.

“We have to tell them, Anika,” he said. “We owe them that. We owe them a lot more than that.”

Ethan paled, the veins in his neck throbbing. Sabine’s face was turned up toward his, puzzled. He couldn’t seem to look at her.

Anika turned to face the empty fireplace, but she raised her voice so we could all hear her. “When you banished the Harbinger, you sent him into the Nether along with his minions. But his corruption lingers here, living on through the ways the Keepers have manipulated the earth.”

My heart hardened like a stone. I remembered Silas eyeing me like a specimen, calling me and my kind an abomination.

I flashed fangs at Anika’s back. “You’re talking about us.”

“Partly,” she said without turning around. “Guardians are one of many alterations the Keepers created in the centuries they’ve walked the earth. Their own lengthened lives are another.”

“Anika,” Shay said. “What will sealing the Rift do to the Guardians?”

She turned slowly. “When the Elemental Cross locks the Rift, it will restore the balance of nature, returning all creatures to their true essence.”

Shay frowned. “What does that mean?”

I stared at Anika, stunned as the truth settled into my bones. “It means we’ll be wolves.”

She nodded, folding her arms over her chest.

Shay’s brow furrowed. “But you’re wolves now.”

“No,” I said slowly. “We will only be wolves. Not human.”

I glanced at Anika. “Am I right?”

“Yes,” Anika said. “Guardians were made from the beasts that rule their souls, forced to share a human body so they would be servants to the Keepers.”

“We won’t be able to shift anymore?” Mason asked.

“You will be returned to your true selves,” Anika said.

Sabine glared at Ethan. “Did you know about this?”

The muscles in his jaw worked as he forced himself to meet her furious eyes. “Yes.”

She shoved him backward. “You didn’t say anything!”

He grabbed her arms, holding her tight. “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” She was shaking, still glaring at him in fury.

“I didn’t think we’d live to see this happen.” He smiled sadly as he pulled her into his chest. “I hate this too, Sabine. I don’t want to let go of you.”

A deep ache was building inside me, but Sabine and Ethan weren’t the only lovers I was worried about. I searched for Ansel, finding him shaking and pale. Bryn stood beside him, eyes wide with disbelief.

Shay followed my gaze. He pivoted around, shaking his fist at Anika.

“No,” he said. “There is no way in hell.”

“You must.”

“You can’t do this to them!”

Shay’s shouts drew the attention of the Searchers in the library. They moved slowly. Some of the warriors encircled us, while others gathered to flank Anika, their hands casually resting near their weapons.

“Shit.” Connor rubbed his temples. “Anika, we can’t fight these Guardians. They’re our friends. They risked their lives for us.”

“We don’t have a choice.” Anika’s eyes were flinty. “The Rift must be sealed.”

“No!” Ansel pushed past Bryn. Only Tess grabbed him, stopping him from reaching Anika. “This is my family! I’ll be alone.”

Tess leaned down. “You’ll stay with us, Ansel. We’ll take care of you.”

Ansel began to weep. My father pulled him out of Tess’s arms.

“Ansel,” he murmured. “Find your strength. You can endure this.”

I stared at my father, not believing what I was hearing. “You want this to happen?”

“It’s not a matter of wanting, Calla,” he said slowly. “Only necessity. The evil the Keepers brought to this world cannot be allowed to return.”

Mason’s voice startled me. “He’s right, Calla.”

Beside him Nev was nodding. “We are wolves. That’s what we’ve always been.”

Ansel wiped his face, looking at Mason, who came to his side and pulled him into a fierce hug. “I’m sorry, man.”

“Don’t be,” Ansel said, smiling weakly. “My father is right. I’ll survive and this has to happen.”