Premonition of Peace (Her Immortal Monsters #3)

Chapter 26

twenty-six

NATHALIE

My eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I saw was a trio of concerned faces peering down at me. I grinned up at Marcel, Lucifer, and August, the familiar warmth swirling in my stomach as they looked back at me with hard expressions. I tried to sit up, eager to shake off the remnants of sleep and disorientation, but Lucifer’s hand pressed firmly against my chest, gently but unmistakably forcing me back to the bed.

Marcel stuck out his hand and snapped and a black flame flickered to life, licking ominously over his skin, casting eerie shadows on his face. He gazed down at me with unmistakable distrust and hesitancy, and it didn’t take a genius to realize that black flame was definitely a silent threat.

August was the one who spoke up, his voice carrying an edge of caution. “Prove you’re Nathalie.”

I felt the bond between us. Why didn’t they?

“Now,” he commanded.

“Juniper,” I said, the codeword slipping off my tongue as I looked at Lucifer with a soft smile.

“Wouldn’t The Morrigan know that information if she took over Nathalie?” Marcel asked, keeping his harsh gaze on me.

“Probably,” I answered, groaning as I felt my muscles ache. “But I’m not her.”

August narrowed his eyes, glancing at Lucifer. They both nodded to each other slightly.

“ NATHALIE !” A voice roared in my head, and I was startled, my eyes going wide.

“What! Jesus! I’m right here!” I cried out, clasping my chest and sitting up in a flash.

“It’s her,” Ronan said, tapping his temple as he stood by the door.

My heart was racing. “Asshole.”

Lucifer’s stern expression softened into one of profound relief. He enveloped me in a tight hug, his arms strong and reassuring around me.

“Little witch, you made me question if my immortal life can withstand this much stress,” he murmured, his voice vibrating against my ear.

I laughed softly, my arms wrapping around him. Peering over his shoulder, I took in the familiar sight of my bedroom, and I wondered vaguely what happened while I was out. Finding the clock on the nightstand, I read the time.

“It’s four p.m.? How long was I out?”

August answered immediately. “Nearly nine hours and twelve minutes.”

As Lucifer pulled away, he captured my lips in a desperate kiss that said everything he couldn’t. Then he released me into August’s waiting arms. From him, I was greeted with a warm embrace and a gentle, teasing kiss. August’s touch was tender, but there was an undeniable intensity to it. His usual composure was rocked by a genuine relief that was almost palpable.

When I was released, I was immediately gathered in Marcel’s arms. Marcel, whose embrace was a mix of firm reassurance and quiet strength, kissed me deeply and slowly. By the time he let me go, the combination of their affections left me breathless and tingling. I had always had a problem with craving sex when even remotely stressed, and the stress that I just experienced was definitely influencing me. Still, I pushed it aside.

“I feel the bonds between us. I can see the threads. Why didn’t you feel it when I woke up?”

“You tell us,” Lucifer said. “We feel it, but something happened while you were out. It’s like we felt a fracture.”

August nodded in agreement. “It’s still there, but when we felt whatever that was, we didn’t know if The Morrigan had somehow taken control of the bonds as well.”

I had a feeling I knew when that happened. As pieces of me were lost, the bond would have been shaken. I was so close to losing every part of myself. My guess was that nothing would have been left to be bonded to.

“You know what happened, don’t you?” Marcel asked.

“I have an idea.”

“Fill everyone in,” August said, stepping back and giving me more room.

“Everyone?” I asked, raising a brow.

“Your life was hanging in the balance, and my asshole brother was prepared to harvest your soul if The Morrigan took over,” Lucifer began, though I didn’t miss the look of annoyance that he knew I’d kept a secret from him. “That affects everyone, little witch. So everyone is here.”

“Well,” I breathed out, “might as well get it over with.”

At that moment, I wished more than anything we had space and time. The three walls of warmth surrounding me were beyond enticing and if there weren’t supernaturals with superhuman hearing outside I might have considered delaying the storytelling a little bit. But it wasn’t meant to be.

Not right now, at least.

I pushed myself up from the bed, swinging my legs over the edge to stand up. The three of them hovered around me like protective shadows. Their concern was palpable, but I waved them out of the way.

“I’m fine, really,” I said with a steady voice. “Everything I faced was mental. Physically, I’m okay.”

It was true. When I looked down, I wasn’t wearing the sweatpants and oversized sweater I’d worn before and during the battle in my memory loci. I’d been stripped back down to my tank top and shorts, which meant I could see that all of the tiny cuts I’d had from the mental storm were nowhere to be found.

“Come on,” I called over my shoulder, striding past them and to the door. Ronan gave me a slight nod, moving his large frame out of the way. As I entered the living room, I was immediately met with the gaze of four pairs of eyes each holding suspicion, relief, and some weird mix of the two.

I saw the relief settle over Kat’s face right before Piper stormed forward and pulled me into a punishing hug.

“Next time a random bird gives you a note, don’t follow it. And don’t make deals with my mate to kill you, dammit,” she muttered as she squeezed me tight before stepping away.

Sienna followed close behind, tears streaming down her face as she joined the hug. The sight of her tears made my heart ache deeply. I’d succeeded in many ways in the last forty-eight hours, yet it felt like the ways I’d failed were some of the worst I’d experienced.

Her voice trembled as she pulled out of the hug, and said “I couldn’t afford to lose another person today.” The words hung heavy in the air.

“I’m so sorry, Sienna,” I said, my voice breaking just the same as hers. “I couldn’t save Sasha. I wish I could have done more.”

Sienna’s tears continued to flow, but she managed a small, sad smile. “I’m not sure where I go from here,” she admitted quietly. “But I know you did everything you could and at least I know Sasha has the chance to wander to peace now that her soul isn’t tied by her living body.” There was a sense of resignation in her words, a bittersweet acceptance of her loss.

Before I could say more, Kat stepped forward and Sienna moved to stand back by Anders. There was a moment of silence between my sister and me then, with a decisive movement, she pulled me into a firm hug.

“I’m glad you’re not body-snatched,” Kat said, her voice a mix of relief and stern affection.

When Kat finally pulled away from the hug, Ronan was, of course, the one to end the sappy greetings.

“So, what happened?” he asked, his voice carrying the weight of everyone’s unspoken questions.

I gave them a streamlined version of the battle, carefully omitting the more personal details about the versions of myself that had died. It wasn’t about keeping secrets right now. It was about the fact it was too painful to talk about. And instead, I focused on the key points—the confrontation, the chaos, and ultimately, how I had managed to kill The Morrigan.

The room was quiet as I spoke, the tension palpable as everyone listened intently. When I finished, a silence hung in the air before Anders broke it. “You killed her . . . in your mind?”

“My magic is chaos. It doesn’t work like a normal witch. It rises in defense of me, and it takes control of whatever magic it’s facing. All that was alive of The Morrigan was her soul. The soul is magic. I took her magic, which took her soul.”

“You’re sure . . .” Piper hesitated as she trailed off.

“Positive,” I confirmed. “Ronan and Lucifer can confirm. Her magic and mine aren’t the same color. The foundation of magic can’t be manipulated. If she wasn’t dead, mine wouldn’t be gold.” I summoned a wisp that played between my fingers for a suspended moment. Liquid gold that moved like molten metal but never burned and never settled. It was a wild thing, chaos magic.

“It wouldn’t smell the same either,” August added, inhaling deeply. “Morgan Le Fay left behind traces of her magic, and every time, it smelled like decay. And you smell like . . . sunshine. Life.”

My cheeks warmed. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the overwhelming weight of impending doom had lifted, leaving a fragile but precious peace in its wake—a peace I knew existed but a peace I couldn’t wholly feel. I could see the exhaustion etched into everyone’s features. We’d all been facing off one evil after the other for months. I could only hope that this was the beginning of rest.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Nat.” Sienna’s voice broke through the quiet. “I really am. But I can’t do this right now. I need to be alone with Sasha . . .her body . . . I—” She broke off in a quiet sob. “I just need to be alone.”

I pressed my lips together, fighting back tears. “I’m sorry, Sienna. If I could change it, I would.”

She sniffled and started for the guest room where I’d assumed they’d placed Sasha’s body. An ache started in my chest and spread to my head as I considered the thought of Sienna going through life without her sister. Not just separated by distance, but by the veil.

“Actually, you can,” Kat began, stopping Sienna in her tracks. “I want you to consider a resurrection.”

Her words hung in the air for a long beat before Marcel spoke slowly, his brows furrowed in concern. “We’d need to kill someone for a resurrection.”

“No,” I said incredulously, responding to my sister. “I’m not choosing some poor innocent to die. None of us are.”

“I know,” Kat said solemnly. Her gaze remained steady, unwavering. Horror settled in my stomach, spreading like a sickness through my body. Marcel’s face contorted into shock as he seemed to realize what she was saying.

“You’re not saying . . .?” Marcel asked in awe.

“I’m volunteering.”

“Kat,” I began, my voice shaking despite my best efforts to remain composed, “we wouldn’t be able to bring you back. We’d be exchanging one soul for another. You’d be dead.”

Katherine met my gaze with a serene smile.

“I’m aware,” she said softly.

No one spoke. Kat moved toward Marcel, grasping his hand in hers. “How could you—” Marcel whispered harshly. Betrayal shone in his dark brown eyes as he stared at her.

“Shh,” she quieted him, throwing one arm around his shoulders to pull him in for a tight hug. “This is what I’ve always wanted. You know that better than anyone.” She reached up with a small smile and affectionately cupped his face. “The veil is where Prudence is. For years we tried to find a way to bring her back. There isn’t one. A soul sacrificed for resurrection can’t come back. But . . . I can follow her.” Kat swallowed hard.

“Do you understand what you’re asking for?” I said with disbelief. “You want us to kill you?—”

“I want to be with Prudence.” She shrugged. “Life or death. I just want her. If we can’t have life together, then death it is.”

“I know we did the rituals so you could visit her, but I didn’t think you’d go this far. . .” Marcel choked out, hands hanging limp at his side as he refused to hug her back. She let go and stepped back.

“The only thing that stopped me was being connected to Nat.” She looked at me now.

“You what?” So much was happening all at once, and the shock rode through me in waves. My sister was saying that she’d thought about me—still protected me—all these years. I had no idea. Emotion clogged my throat, and I tried desperately to swallow around it, but it wouldn’t go away.

“I know we weren’t as close as we once were, but I couldn’t leave you to deal with a severed psychic bond. Not when you struggled so much with your sanity as it was. . .” Several pairs of eyes focus on me, but no one questioned it. “You have mates now. An aurae bond, a familiar, and Marcel. They’ll keep you balanced.” She gestured toward my men. “I know you’ll be fine.”

“Kat . . .” My voice was strained as I trailed off.

“I want this— have wanted this, and now my death can actually mean something. Don’t you want Sasha back? You’ve been scouring the city for a way to bring her back. With Morgan gone, you finally can. Let me have this.” She glanced between me and Marcel. “Please.”

The room was filled with a tense silence as Katherine’s words sunk in. My heart ached with profound sadness. I couldn’t bring myself to agree with her. I knew deep down that I had no right to refuse her wish, even if the thought of going through with it was more painful than I’d have expected. Carissa’s death didn’t faze me much, but Kat’s… no one understood what it was like to lose a twin.

Except, perhaps, Sienna.

And Kat was offering a way to bring her back.

Could I really deny Sienna that? Deny Sasha a second chance?

Could I stand in the way of Kat’s happiness and live with myself?

I technically already had. I just never knew it.

I couldn’t do it again.

I expected Marcel to object, to find a reason to stop this from happening, but after a pregnant pause, he looked at me.

“Nathalie?”

I swallowed hard around the knot in my throat. I was going to be sick, but I still pushed the words past my lips. “What right do we have to stop her?” I sounded hopeless. It’s how I felt. “I don’t like it. I selfishly want to say no . . .”

“But,” Kat prompted, her voice gentle despite the years of animosity.

“You love her. You’ve loved her for years. You won’t accept no because I know you. You’re like me. I already . . . I was faced with it once. I made my decision because I wouldn’t accept the alternative.” I took a deep breath, feeling it stutter slightly. “I know if one of my mates were dead, I’d fight magic itself to bring them back or . . .”

“You’d join them,” she said, and I nodded. “And Marcel, what would you do if it was Nat?” Kat asked. “If it had been her that died instead and you who’d been visiting her in the veil. Would you give up your chance to be together, or would you take it?”

Marcel shook his head, brushing his hair back from his eyes. “You’re right. Fuck, do I hate you right now, but you’re right.” She took another step toward him, pain reflecting in her eyes. Pain for him. His sadness. “We’ll do it tonight at the Wicked Haunt.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, but I didn’t dispute them.

One way or another, Kat would find her way back to Prudence.

At least this way, we’d get Sasha back in return.

Sienna, who had been standing quietly at the edge of the room, suddenly rushed forward and enveloped Kat in a heartfelt embrace. The gesture was strained but sincere, and Kat awkwardly patted her back. Sienna’s tears soaked into Kat’s shirt as she choked out her gratitude.

“Thank you. I know you’re not doing this for me or for Sasha, but thank you.” She pulled away and stepped back again.

“I want to be there this time,” Piper said. She stared at me, and I heard the silent for you added on.

Anders nodded in agreement, “We should all be there.”

“We’ll hold a vigil,” Marcel said his voice steady but hollow. “Be there at 11:30 and not a minute later. I don’t want to risk anything going wrong because of the time.”

Time.

Everything came down to time.

It didn’t matter what I did. No matter how many times I’d run down the clock to protect someone or helped to save the fucking world with a minute to spare, time had a way of reminding me that I controlled so very little.

Immortality wouldn’t even change that.

Somehow, some way, time would always win because there was simply never enough of it.