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tunnels, and now wasn’t the time to find out. Securing my grip around Athen as he propelled down the mountain, I was relieved to be leaving it behind.
    The cool wind of the forest changed to the warm wind of the meadows, as we sped down the mountain with the knowledge that we would be back, but we needed more than just we three.

 
Chapter 4
     
     
    Pulling down the driveway to our Kingston home was exactly where we needed to be. The bright green ferns had unrolled their beautiful fronds, as if they were deliberately saying hi to us as they danced to the dips of the wind. I was very happy about the thought of getting to regroup here. The memories of being at this house, always grounded me. Hopefully, they would do the same for Cyril. The sky maintained its beautiful blue for the entire car ride back to Kingston. Cyril turned down the driveway behind us, which made my anxiety level raise a little.
    “Do you think we’ll be able to expose enough of Azazel’s tricks to where Cyril won’t fall for one of Azazel’s traps, regardless how elaborate?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.
    “If Arie thought that was a possibility, then I think all we can do is believe that we can pull this off. There are a lot of families to choose from. I think the sooner he hears straight from the family members who have already lost their loved ones, the better.”
    “Yeah, it really does seem like there are a lot out there that this has happened to,” I said, shaking my head. “I can’t take much more of any of this. I feel like a horrible being.”
    “No kidding. Arie owes us for this,” Athen scoffed.
    “I don’t think Cyril will see it like that. Arie wanted me to reach out to her within a day or so of the Awakening, so that’s first on my to-do list. Although, I’m not sure it’s a true Awakening since she may never have left completely in the first place,” I muttered.
    We pulled into the garage, and instinctively, I looked in the backseat to wake up Matilda, who was no longer there.
    “I did the same thing. I was checking in the rearview the entire ride here, thinking I’d get to catch a glimpse of her sleeping.”
    “God, it’s hard having her gone. There’s got to come a day when this cat and mouse stuff will be over with,” I said.
    “No doubt.”
    Cyril pulled his car next to us in the garage and shut off the engine. Taking a deep breath in, I quickly glanced at Athen who caught my eyes, nodding.
    “We’re gonna be okay,” he said
    “Yep. We have no choice.”
    ***
    With the sheets pulled up to my chin, my eyes flashed open. Trying to quietly calm myself, I didn’t want to divulge this nightmare. It would do nothing but distract us from our bigger goal. We had to protect the mortals. What happened to me didn’t matter any longer. However, thinking that didn’t stop the worry that was crashing through my body like a tidal wave. I didn’t want to believe the images I saw, but I knew they were not to be ignored.
    My nightmare was filled with nothing but images of me following Azazel everywhere and not by choice. I was shackled to him. My soul was no longer my own. I belonged to Azazel. Wherever he went, I followed. When he wasn’t near me, I was left with my feet and wrists shackled. The fear that this dream sequence left in its place was overwhelming, but I had to shake it. This was exactly how Azazel was thrown out of heaven, with his feet and hands shackled. Now it seemed like the images made it my fate too.
    I was part of the monstrous, dark underworld. My dream didn’t tell me if it was because of a choice I had made, or because we lost the battle. The emptiness that filled my soul from those brief images, shook me to my core.
    Turning over to snuggle up to Athen, I hoped feeling his body would somehow distract me from rehashing the visions. I slipped my arm over his back, getting as close to him as possible.
    Squeezing Athen harder than I realized, he rolled over to check on me.
    “Hey,