Lucian started to ask them if they were okay, but then his mouth slammed shut as his mate’s presence filled his mind. “Lucian.” Her voice caressed his soul, tentative and gentle.

  “I’m here, beloved,” he told her.

  “You have to go.” She sounded as if she was in pain, and he had to fight the need to rip his hands from Jen and Jacque and throw himself at the veil.

  “No. Never again,” he argued. “I will never leave you again.”

  “I have nothing left to give.”

  “I will take you as you are, no matter what that means. If you are a wraith left to wander the earth, then I will wander with you. If you are a shell, empty from the pain, then my love will fill you. If you are broken beyond repair, then I will hold your pieces until we pass from this life into the next. All I need is you, Peri. Nothing more.”

  He felt her fear, torment, and anger. But beneath that, he also felt a small sliver of hope. “That’s not fair,” she said.

  “Life isn’t fair, beloved. And to expect it to be fair is setting ourselves up for constant disappointment. Instead, we do the best with what we have, and we find joy in every circumstance. I find joy in you. You do not have to doubt me. You can feel the truth through our bond and see my thoughts. You are the other half of my soul, Perizada. No matter what happens, that will never change. I will forever need and want you. You are mine. I’m sorry I didn’t handle my anger in a better way.” Lucian reached further down the bond, pictured her face in his mind, and ran his fingers across her cheek. He heard her quick, indrawn breath and knew she’d felt him. A moment later, the heat of her palm on his own cheek warmed his skin. Lucian let himself soak up her touch. Though it was only through the bond, he grasped on to the feeling like a drowning man clinging to the only floating object in a vast ocean. He sensed her slipping away from him, though her magic was still there, inside of him, a part of him.

  “I’m not going anywhere, Perizada. I sat in the Dark Forest for centuries. I can just as easily sit in this one.”

  There was a final caress as her voice whispered in his mind, “You will be wasting your time, my love.”

  “All I’ve got is time.”

  Jacque held tightly to Lucian’s hand on her left side and Jewel’s on her right. She wasn’t completely sure what happened when Lucian collapsed to the ground, nearly taking her and Jen with him, but she could feel something more than just his power coming through the pack bond. She could feel a cold magic intermingled with his power. When she closed her eyes and searched for it, she found the thread that connected Lucian to the pack. Then she saw that there was a blue flame wrapped around his cord. Cold fire, she realized. Then, as more of the power flowed into her, she recognized Peri’s magic. Perhaps because she’d become a part of their pack by being mated to Lucian, or by proxy simply because they’d claimed her as pack, Peri’s magic seemed as familiar to Jacque as any of her other pack members.

  As the coldness filtered into her, Jacque wondered how on earth Lucian could withstand it. She was receiving it secondhand, and still the sensation was so strong she thought it might knock her unconscious.

  “I’ve got you, Luna.” Fane’s voice filled her mind. “I’ve always got you.”

  Jacque did not know how much time passed as they stood in the circle, hands joined, power flowing from one person to the next, but she grew tired, and her legs ached. Her eyes roamed over the group, and she saw others struggling to stay on their feet as well.

  “Thadrick,” she called out to the djinn. “We need a break.”

  The djinn lowered the hand held out in front of him. His shoulders rose and fell with his breaths, and he slowly turned around. He looked straight at her. His eyes swirled with a rainbow of different colors, but then gradually faded and returned to normal.

  “You can let go,” he told the group.

  The current that had flowed through Jacque abruptly stopped, and she stumbled. She slowly released Lucian’s hand and looked down at him. He was on his knees, his shoulders hunched forward and his head hung low. When she and Jen let go, he rolled forward onto his hands and knees and phased. The huge, white wolf shook as if his fur was coated in water. Then he threw his head back and let out a soul-shattering howl. The sound died off and then he bolted away, disappearing into the trees.

  “Is he gonna be okay?” Stella asked, her voice wobbly, and her hands on her knees. “Because he did not look like a man who was in control of himself, or his wolf for that matter.”

  “He’ll be back,” Jacque said, instead of answering the healer’s question.

  “So, I guess this will be nothing like last time.” Jacque heard Elle’s voice before the fae stepped from the forest.

  “I thought you were with the hunting party,” Jacque said, her breathing labored.

  “Fane asked me to pop in and see how things are going.” She ran her eyes over the group. “And I have to say, it’s not looking too good. No judgment.” She held up her hands. “But this is not at all how it went down with the pixie veil.”

  Jacque looked toward the veil and saw Myanin pressing her hand against the invisible wall, which was as solid as if it were made of bricks.

  “Not even the slightest give,” the djinn said.

  “It will take time,” Thadrick said. “The draheim magic is powerful.”

  “Are you saying we’re going to be here awhile?” Stella asked. “Because this is starting to feel way too familiar.”

  “At least Jewel isn’t talking about resorting to drinking our own urine yet,” Heather said as Kale helped her sit on the ground.

  “I wasn’t stuck with y’all in the pixie realm. It was the Dark Forest,” Jewel corrected. “And it’s still early. We’ve got a few days before we will need to resort to urine hydration.”

  “Or”—Jen said, drawing the word out— “we could ask our friendly high fae friends to get us food and water.”

  “Winner, winner, chicken dinner.” Heather held up her hand. “Oh, come on, don’t leave me hanging. Someone give me a damn high five.”

  Jacque couldn’t help but laugh at the blind healer. She was a breath of fresh air. People like Heather who helped others continue to see the light in dark places.

  Anna walked over and slapped Heather’s hand. “There ya go. Don’t say I never gave you anything.”

  “Thatta girl, Gypsy, way to have your wheeler’s back.” Heather grinned.

  “New road name!” Jen hollered as she collapsed to the ground. “I knew you guys would be all over it.”

  Jacque eased to the ground, her shaky legs no longer able to hold herself up. “I’m shocked you don’t already have a notebook with everyone’s road names preassigned.”

  “Who says I don’t?” Jen asked. “But I’m open to suggestions.”

  Jacque shook her head at her best friend and then looked at Thadrick. “How long should we take a break?”

  Thad examined the group, who almost all now sat on the ground. Lilly, Myanin, and Kale were the only ones left standing. “We shall rest an hour and measure our strength at that point.”

  Nissa stood back up and held out her hand. In it appeared a large loaf of bread. “This will help.” She tore off a piece and then passed the rest to Jeff. He did the same and then handed it to Tyler. This continued until everyone had taken their own piece of fae bread. The moment Jacque swallowed it, she felt the magical properties of the food begin to restore her energy. A bottle of water appeared in front of her. She picked it up and looked over at Nissa. “Thank you.”

  The high fae bowed her head and then tipped her own bottle up to her mouth.

  “So, we’re sitting around in a circle in a forest… man, just like old times.” Heather spoke up again. “Me and my girls have experience with this. Have no fear, friends, this will not be boring. We can do this for days, weeks, months, even. Jewel is an overflowing well of knowledge. Some useful, some scary, and a lot ridiculous. But we love her anyway. In a pinch, Stella can teach us all to pole dance using the closest skinny tree. And Anna can tell us all about her past because, hello, her mom is a witch related to a dark witch that you guys killed. How can that not be an awesome fireside story? ”

  “Can we knock her out?” Anna glanced around the group. “I mean, we’ve got a fae here. Surely she can make it painless. We can wake Heather back up when we need her again.”

  Myanin sighed and sat down beside Anna. “Perhaps you and I aren’t supposed to be friends because of the history I have with your mother.” Myanin glanced at Jezebel and inclined her head. Jezebel returned the gesture, her face blank of any anger or judgment. “But I think I like you.”

  “Knocking people out is your thing, isn’t it?” Anna pulled her knees up and rested her arms on them.

  “Definitely,” Myanin said, mimicking the healer’s pose and glancing at Heather.

  “She’s looking at me, isn’t she?” Heather asked dryly.

  Jacque leaned over toward Jen and whispered, “I think they’re just as bad as you, me, and Sally.”

  Jen’s eyes roamed over the girls, and she nodded slowly. “I keep telling you we have to keep them.”

  Jacque threw back her head and laughed. She took a moment to thank the Great Luna. Though they were in the midst of terrible circumstances, for this brief moment, there was also joy and goodness. Who knew how many attempts it would take to get into the draheim realm? Regardless of how long it took, she knew they wouldn’t give up. And she was glad she belonged to such a strong pack that would lift each other up when necessary, even if that lifting came in the form of threats to knock one another unconscious.

  “While we’re recovering,” Wadim spoke up from where he sat on the ground with Zara propped up against him, “let’s see if we can make any progress on this riddle. She obviously told it to us for a reason.”

  “I doubt it has the answer to why she’s locked herself up with a bunch of dragons.” Jen huffed. “Or how to get her out because she obviously DOESN’T WANT TO COME OUT!” Jen’s head turned toward the veil, and the last sentence increased with volume as she spoke, as if Peri could hear her and the irritation lacing her tone.

  “But Wadim’s right,” Zara said. “She didn’t just pop in and toss some stones at us because she was suddenly feeling nostalgic. It’s obviously important.”

  “The stones helped us heal Jacque,” Lilly pointed out.

  Jacque nodded. “That is true, so that knocks out the first part of the riddle.” She waved her hand at Wadim. “Tell us the words again. Let’s see what we can come up with.”

  Wadim pulled out a folded piece of paper from a pocket of his cargo pants and read.

  “They go where they are needed most. The power of the stones is a mystery. They heal, and they reveal. And so they’ve brought me here. I bid you listen and do not speak. Now is not the time for questions.”

  “She’s bossy even while delivering a riddle … or prophecy … or whatever it is,” Jen muttered.

  “The prodigal is returning,” Wadim continued, “and a new son will join your ranks. Evil will think it has prevailed, but hope will be born from the supposed triumph.”

  Jacque considered the second half of the riddle and then looked at Jen. “It does sound like a prophecy, not a riddle. She’s foretelling something that is going to happen. Prophecies aren’t necessarily meant to be ‘figured out.’ The stones appeared when we needed them in order to help you all heal me. I think even if they’d been left there on the floor and we hadn’t realized that’s what they were there for, they’d still have generated magic for the healing.”

  “So you don’t think we need to work out who the prodigal is,” Heather asked, “or this new son thing, or even about the triumph? Which I might add, we really could use the morale boost of a triumph right about now.”

  “Totally could use a triumph,” Stella agreed.

  Jacque shook her head. “I don’t think we need to figure it out. I think we need to be paying attention so that when these things come to pass, we will know how to react. We will be prepared for it.”

  Jen’s face scrunched up as she groaned. “Ugh, prodigal son. As in a member of the family that has strayed away, done stupid stuff, and then wants to come back. Please, for the love of pixie butts, don’t let that mean Alston. Because that isn’t happening.”

  “That seems a bit farfetched. Alston would be the prodigal of all prodigals. But it could mean Boain,” Wadim offered. “He has been gone, and then he came back at the challenges.”

  “Yes, but then he left again,” Jacque said. “He wasn’t among those who surrendered.”

  “Was he among the dead?” Jen asked.

  Wadim sighed. “No. Unless he crawled off somewhere, died, and wasn’t found, which I doubt. Most likely, he’s gone.”

  “Wadim is right,” Fane’s voice said through the bond. “Boain left at some point during the challenges. We found no trace of him.”

  “Why would he come back, only to then leave again?” Jacque asked.

  “Perhaps he was not a part of the coup and didn’t want to be lumped in with them,” Fane suggested. “But I don’t think he is the prodigal son in Peri’s prophecy.”

  She sat up straighter. “Why? Do you know who it is?”

  “I don’t,” he said, and she felt the truth in his answer. “But I feel like the answer is on the edge of my mind, and I can’t seem to reach it no matter how much I think about it.”

  “I hate that feeling. Like when you have something on the tip of your tongue, but your brain just won’t spit it out.” Jacque mentally sighed. “We’re taking a break from our B and E efforts. Whatever magic is keeping this veil closed is powerful.”

  “Just be careful,” Fane said softly. “The draheim probably aren’t going to be pleased with you busting down the veil to their realm. But I understand why you all must try.”

  “Peri needs to know that we haven’t written her off,” Jacque said. “She needs to remember what pack means. That she’s not alone and that we will be here no matter what she’s going through. Our willingness to face the draheim to get her back, hopefully, will make that very apparent.”

  She felt the gentle caress of his fingers on her cheek. “She knows,” Fane assured her. “But she definitely needs to be reminded. Just be safe, Luna.”

  “I will. Oh, I’ve been so caught up in what we’re doing that I haven’t even checked in on your end. How is the hunt? How’s Nick? Any progress?”

  She heard his chuckle and felt the warmth of his love flowing through their bond. “Any other questions before I answer those? I don’t want you to forget anything.”

  “Shut up,” she teased. “I’ve got to spit them out while they’re on my mind or they fall off into the abyss of ‘holy draheim balls, we have to save the world, a healer, a high fae, and somehow keep it all a secret from the human race.’”

  “One thing at a time, Jacquelyn. To answer your questions,” he continued, “we might have made some progress. Kara managed to contact Nick through their bond. Though from what Drayden said, I don’t think she was aware that she was doing it. She didn’t know who Nick was.”

  “So it was her soul reaching out to him.” Jacque shifted into a more comfortable sitting position.

  “It would seem so. Drayden mentioned Nick was feeling very emotional at the time it happened, reflecting on intense memories with Kara.”

  “Ahh.” Jacque nodded. “Because intense emotions can’t be blocked from the bond.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Well, I’m praying to the Great Luna that it works. If he can connect with her again, maybe she can tell him where she is.” Jacque was already sending up prayers to their Creator, as she had been since Kara was taken. She didn’t understand why it happened, just like she still didn’t understand why Sally had endured what she’d gone through. But Jacque believed that the Great Luna loved her creation and would always work things out, even the most horrible of situations, for their good.

  “My dad believed the same thing,” Fane said, having heard her thoughts. “And I do, too. We will get through this, Luna. And we will be stronger for it.”

  “I know,” Jacque said, her voice strong with the conviction she felt. “I love you.”

  “And I you.”

  Chapter

  Eleven

  “I want to run to you. I know that in your arms I will find safety, acceptance, protection, and love. I want to hear my name on your lips. I long to be near you. But I fear I have lost my right to ask for such things. Sometimes the consequences of our actions are just too terrible. They take us past a boundary from which we cannot return.” ~Perizada

  Peri bowed her head. Lucian’s words filled every empty place inside her. She let her mate’s warmth invade her. His pain had hit her out of nowhere and sucked the oxygen from her lungs. Once she’d caught her breath, she realized it was the fae bond that had forced them to connect. She’d kept that bond closed to Lucian because of how vulnerable it would make her to him. She’d been a fool to think he wouldn’t one day find out about it.

  Peri allowed herself several minutes of solace that came from the brief contact with her mate. She didn’t deserve his comfort, but she took it anyway. Since traveling to the sprite realm and delivering the message given to her in a dream, all she wanted to do was go back there. For a few seconds, she’d been in the presence of her pack, her family. She’d felt her mate through the bond and had fought the need to reach out to him. If she’d stayed even a second longer, Peri knew she wouldn’t have been able to leave. Instead, she flashed back to the draheim realm and wandered aimlessly while her thoughts continually jumped back to her conversation with Serapha.

  When in my long past was I saved? Why?

  What could have possibly been happening to cause Peri to be in need of help from another? Why couldn’t she have saved herself? Question after question filled the high fae’s mind, and she couldn’t ask the damn draheim. Serapha was nowhere to be found.

  With the risk of her own thoughts potentially driving her mad, Peri returned to the cave and to the three supernaturals now in her care. Perhaps she could find a way not to screw this up. Don’t hold your breath. Pushing away thoughts of Lucian that would weaken her resolve to stay away, she turned her attention instead to Skender.