I opened my mouth to speak but Lucas put a finger to his lips.
‘Shh. Stay calm, don’t make a scene.’ His voice through the mind link was steady and firm.
How did he find ? Why was he dressed in a robe? Had he planned this?
So many questions ran through my mind and I didn’t know which one to ask first.
‘What are you doing here?’ It was the last thing to ask, but it was the first question that ca to mind.
Lucas bowed his head. ‘I’m here to protect you and to stop you from doing anything rash.’
I scoffed. ‘I don’t need your help with that.’
‘Sasha, I know what you’ve been up to. All the supposed late nights studying, you’ve been coming here trying to get information.’
I swallowed hard. My throat was tight. How long had he known? Why hadn’t he told ?
‘How...?’
‘When I thought sothing was up, I had Ian follow you. I wanted to make sure you were okay.’
‘You had followed!?’ I tried to pull my arm away, but Lucas tightened his grip.
‘I wanted you to do this. It was sothing you felt like you had to do on your own, but I wasn’t going to let you fall into a trap or put yourself in danger. That’s the only reason I stopped you.’
I groaned under my breath and shook my head. There was a part of that wanted to be furious with him. Honestly, his gesture was almost sweet. I appreciated that he let work things out on my own, but I didn’t understand why he was stopping now when I had Morianne in my sights.
‘She’s right there, Lucas. It’s ti to act,’ I told him.
‘You know you don’t have your powers right now, Sasha. Going after Morianne would be a bad idea. You’ll get killed.’
I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t know if Lucas could see from under my hood. ‘I have to do sothing, Lucas. No one else will!’
I wasn’t sure if I should be angry at him for following and interfering or if I should be relieved that he was taking action and standing beside .
‘That’s not true. Xander and Lena are here, undercover. There are Royal Guard soldiers in the crowd and many more outside, waiting for the signal. Everyone has been working on this, even though we didn’t know it.’
I frowned and looked around. Everyone was wearing the sa robes, and I couldn’t tell who was a true mber of the church and who was an infiltrator.
Was it true that Xander and Lena were helping the whole ti? It didn’t seem likely. Everyone had been so dismissive of .
But Lucas was there, and I didn’t think he’d lie to .
I looked back at Morianne. She was waving the staff around dangerously and I cringed. It was like a tibomb, ready to go off at any second.
‘Lucas, you know how much power Morianne has with that staff, especially if it is the one she used to steal my powers.’
‘All the more reason for us to be cautious. You don’t need to rush in on your own, Sasha. We’ve got backup this ti.’
I sighed and looked around the church again. People seed restless and uneasy. Since Morianne had arrived, the head monk and the priestess had been whispering softly. From the look on his face, it didn’t seem like the monk was too pleased with whatever Morianne was offering.
A subtle movent caught my eye and I looked across the church. Two won huddled together, hidden under their cloaks.
‘Rochel and Jennie are here too?’ I looked back at the shadow of Lucas’s face.
‘Yes. We have all the backup we need. Right now, we should wait and not draw attention to ourselves.’
I nodded and stepped back. Lucas’s grip on my wrist loosened slightly.
We couldn’t do anything but wait at this point–wait for whatever Morianne was planning.
My eyes road over everyone in cloaks. I tried to pick out who was a Royal Guard or soone I knew. I almost imdiately found Xander and Lena staying toward the back of the church.
The guards inside probably weren’t ard, but Lucas said there were guards outside, too.
For the first ti since joining the church, my heart surged with hope. I had all the help I could ask for and my mate by my side.
Morianne and my powers were just within reach. That ant I’d soon have my body and baby back. All we needed was the right opportunity to snatch the staff and subdue Morianne.
It was supposed to be a peaceful church gathering. I doubted that the other worshippers here were warriors or had weapons of any kind.
That was a huge advantage for us.
The last ti we faced off against the church, it was a group of warriors committing treason. This was a very different situation.
A blood-curdling scream echoed through the church. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I whipped around to face the pulpit again.
Murmurs and concerned mumbles flew through the gathered crowd.
“AHHH! Let go!” another sharp scream rang out.
I felt all the blood drain from my face as I recognized that voice.
‘Lucas!’
‘I heard it too.’
A door at the back of the church opened up and three monks ca in. Between them, they hauled a struggling, kicking woman with a bag over her head.
“Let go, you vile fiends. King Xander and Queen Lena will hear about this!”
“Bring her to the table,” Morianne instructed. With the staff, she pointed to a large stone table at the head of the church. “Keep her bound. If her arms get free, she’ll be dangerous.”
I stared, too stunned to move, as the woman was forced to the stone table. Her head was covered but I knew without a doubt that it was the other Sasha from the other reality.
She had a swelling baby bump that she kept her arms around protectively, but I’d know her voice anywhere.
It was my voice....
‘We need to do sothing, now!’ I scread in Lucas’s head.
He grunted and nodded. Whatever they wanted with the other , it wasn’t good.
“Unhand ! You won’t get away with this!” The other Sasha struggled and pulled against the monks, but it was no use. They dragged her across the dais to the table.
One of the monks grabbed her legs while the other held her under the arms, lifting her right off the ground.
Like a worm, she wriggled against their grasp, crying out in shock when the floor disappeared from under her.
My heart raced and adrenaline pumped through my veins. My legs and hands shook as I watched in horror.
“Tie her down good and tight, arms above her head. Make sure she’s secure,” Morianne ordered.
My wolf tensed, ready to spring and protect the baby. I was paralyzed, frozen to the spot. What could they want with a Sasha from another reality? Or was it the baby they were really after?
Lucas’s fingers tightened around my wrist again. I couldn’t tell if it was because he was losing control too or if he was going to hold back if I attacked.
One of the monks held the other Sasha’s arms over her head. The second one gripped her ankles tightly.
No matter how hard she struggled or what obscenities she cried at them, they were completely unphased.
The third monk set a bar between her ankles and lashed them to the bar with a leather strap. It prevented her from kicked at them or getting any powerful movents into her legs.
He used a similar leather strap to hold her wrists together.
Chuckling darkly, Morianne went to the stone table. She bound the strap at the other Sasha’s wrists to a tal ring at the base of the table and did the sa with the strap at her ankles.
She was completely immobilized. I saw her skin turn red as she strained against the leather straps.
Tears sprang to my eyes. What were they doing to her? Any more stress and it wouldn’t be good for the baby... I needed to do sothing.
‘Look at the way she’s tied up,’ Lucas said. ‘I don’t like the way this looks.’
I saw what he ant. She was spread out, her heart and stomach completely exposed with no way to protect herself. It was the perfect sacrificial position.
“Good, good. Let’s get a gag in her. I want to remove this bag so she can see what’s coming.” Morianne chuckled darkly and snapped to the head monk.
Whatever disagreent they had before, he was over it. He handed another leather strap to Morianne. She pulled the edge of the bag up, just enough to shove the leather in the other Sasha’s mouth and pull it tight. She fastened the ends to the table, keeping that Sasha from being able to move her head.
Morianne ripped the bag off the rest of the way.
“Mmmm! Mmm!” The other Sasha’s screams were muffled against the gag. Her eyes were saucers as she stared at Morianne. I could see her trying to flail against the bindings, but it was no use.
“It is almost midnight,” Morianne announced.
She ca to the edge of the dais and looked at all the churchgoers.
“Please, everyone be seated. We will begin our ritual very soon.” She smiled a sickly-sweet smile.
The other robed figures hurried to the pews. I hesitated, but Lucas tugged my arm and we sat in the closest pew to the table.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the other Sasha or the little lump that represented my baby. How did Morianne even get her here? I didn’t know it was possible for the two of us to be in the sa person in one reality.
The three monks at the table circled around her, chanting in so dark, mysterious language. They each held a candelabra with a lit candle. The head monk was at the pulpit.
I heard what sounded like shredding paper. Then, the light glinted off sothing shiny in his hand. It wasn’t paper, he was sharpening a knife.
‘They’re going to sacrifice her and our baby!’
‘That’s not going to happen.’ Lucas’s words in my mind were nearly drowned out by his audible growl.
He released my wrist and I jumped up. I threw off my cloak and shifted, launching myself at the stone table. With heavy paws, I struck down the circling monks before they could react.
A snarl behind told that Lucas had shifted too. He rushed to my side and stood protectively in front of the other Sasha.
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