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ELRETH

Elreth could smell Uncle Gahrye the moment she stepped out of the cave, Aaryn at her shoulder. Her heart spun and dropped in the same moment.

She was finally going to get her answers.

She had a bad feeling she wasn\'t going to like them.

But she picked up her steps, Aaryn hurrying behind her. This was it. Finally. No more waiting. No more wondering. They were finally going to learn how they would beat the humans.

Following the scent trails—Reece was here too, which surprised her—she didn\'t even knock, just threw open the door to find her parents at the dining table with Reece and Gahrye… and all of them were laughing?

Her mother rocked back in her chair, tears rolling down her face. Even her father was grinning.

Gahrye looked like the joke must be on him, but he could enjoy it anyway, while Reece just looked startled.

"I\'d just claimed her," her father rumbled in his own defense. "I was reacting that way to anyone."

Oh. That story. Elreth had heard it a thousand times—the moment her mother learned about the hierarchy and how it was maintained.

Her mother snorted and put a hand to his arm, while Gahrye nodded as if he agreed with her Dad.

Elreth was suddenly burning angry. "Why didn\'t you tell us they were here?!" she growled at her parents, stalking across the room towards them.

Her mother turned, her face falling. Her father put his hand to her mother\'s shoulder and held her. Gahrye dropped his head as if he was ashamed.

"Why didn\'t you tell me!?" she repeated, gaping at her parents, then at Gahrye. "Seriously, this strikes you as a time to… socialize?!"

"No, El," her mother said sharply. "This strikes me as a time to connect with my best friend before all hell breaks loose. And you were still asleep, so we were letting you rest while you could."

"I\'ve been awake for hours!"

"Well then, why didn\'t you let us know?" her mother said, one eyebrow raised.

"I… you can\'t… It\'s not the same!"

"In the end, this is what\'s happened, though, so let\'s just move on, okay?" Aaryn stepped forward, nudging Elreth with a sympathetic glance as he greeted Gahrye and Reece again.

Oh, right. He\'d just seen them the day before.

She couldn\'t believe this was happening.

Her entire body hummed with anticipation as she took the chair her father offered her at the head of the table, while Aaryn ran off to get Gar and Rika.

When her brother and his mate arrived looking like they hadn\'t had any more sleep than Aaryn and Elreth, introductions were made then they joined them at the table. All those large males squeezed around the table made Elreth think they should have gone to the cave, but did it matter?

She didn\'t think so.

Elreth took a deep breath and looked at Gahrye. "Well, we\'re all here to hear what you have to say. We know the humans are coming. We know they\'re aware of us. And now we know they want to try and open the traverses so people can cross in large numbers. Our time is running out. So how do we do it, Gahrye? How do we close them?"

Gahrye blew out a breath and clawed a hand through his hair. "It all comes back to the prophecy," he said, with a glance at his son. "We realized recently we\'d been interpreting it incorrectly, looking at it through the lens of what had already occurred and fitting it to what we knew, when we should have been more open minded."

Elreth listened as Gahrye explained.

They\'d been wrong to split the prophecy into two parts. When they\'d received it in the human world, then studied it in the histories, they\'d believed they were watching the fulfilment of its first half at work. The room went somber as he quoted it.

"Two human females, each a True Mate,

One to guard, to hold the gate.

One to guide, to deny hate."

"Mate hearts pure, love true. Mate hearts pure love.

Love is the hope of the Anima.

Humility will be their guide.

Strength unseen will hedge them in safety until the worlds collide."

Gahrye cleared his throat. "We thought that was it. That we\'d identified Kalle and Elia. That they were the two females—both True Mates of Anima. Combined with what I was given about the disformed, and the histories around the Protectors… we were just looking for the second half to be fulfilled in the Protectors themselves. But we were wrong…"

Everyone wanted, but Gahrye seemed reluctant to go on.

"How?" Elreth pushed, losing her patience.

Gahrye stared at the tabletop in front of him, meeting no one\'s eyes. "It was Reece who realized, the prophecies talked about me and Reth as well," he said quietly.

"Mate hearts pure, love true. Mate hearts pure love.

Love is the hope of the Anima.

Humility will be their guide.

Strength unseen will hedge them in safety until the worlds collide."

"Love must sustain to keep Anima hearts safe.

Then he lifted his head to meet Reth\'s eyes. "We have a role to play here, as well. And… not an easy one."

The room was silent as Elreth\'s father tensed.

"When Gar and Aaryn arrived I was already preparing to come through and talk to you, to warn you. We\'d seen evidence that the enemy humans were aware of our location and trying to infiltrate—"

"They did infiltrate," Elreth said. "Hannah was the daughter of two of the scientists."

Gahrye\'s head snapped back. "Hannah, Marryk\'s mate?"

They all nodded and Gahrye looked at Reece. "That\'s… that\'s not good. We\'ve had contact from others who the Protectors are coming to know… they knew her."

Reece\'s face went hard. "Mom\'s there alone."

"She\'s not alone. She has forty Protectors on the property."

"Fat lot of good they can do her—she can\'t cross anyway!"

"You\'d be surprised," Gahrye said, his face paling. "But still… this makes it even more urgent that I get back as quickly as I can."

"You have to get back now! We both do!" Reece insisted.

Elreth felt terrible for him as Gahrye shook his head. "No, son, that\'s what you don\'t understand. This just makes it all that much more important that we get this sorted out now. Right now." Gahrye turned back to Elia and reached across the table for her hand. "I have to talk to you. You and Reth. Alone. Right now."