“Later,” Stella told her. “Trust me, please.”

  Nick’s knees almost gave out again as his eyes moved to the next piece of paper. Drayden was at his side in a second. His hand wrapped around Nick’s neck, skin on skin, as he felt his alpha’s power giving him strength and comfort. Fane, the most powerful alpha he’d ever felt, rested a hand on Nick’s shoulder and bowed his head. Fane’s voice was soft, but Nick heard bits and pieces of what he said. And he realized Fane was praying. Fane, alpha of alphas, prayed to the Great Luna for Nick and for Kara.

  “You said your son draws prophecy,” Anna said. “That means this is the future. It hasn’t happened, right?” Her voice shook, and Nick could smell the healer’s anguish.

  Though he waited for Tenia’s answer, Nick still didn’t look away from the papers. His eyes moved to each of them as the story unfolded. As his eyes landed on the third sheet of paper, he saw his naked mate on top of the elf king and a dagger raised above her head. It gleamed, and for a split second, Nick saw markings on the blade. But then, it was arcing down. Wielded by Kara’s hand, she plunged it into Ludcarab’s chest. The elf king’s eyes barely widened before she yanked the dagger out, only to drive it back down, this time into his throat.

  “We do not know,” said Tenia. “The picture could be drawn days before the actual occurrence, or mere minutes. We only know that Torion’s drawings have yet to be wrong.”

  “I know this place,” the elf prince said.

  Tenia quickly gathered the papers, stacked them, and then turned them over so they could no longer be seen. Then she laid her hand on top of them and, with a bolt of power, reduced them to ash. She glanced up at Nick and gave him a small nod. She’d made sure no one else would see the drawings. He gave her a nod of thanks in return. It was all he could manage, considering he barely held himself together.

  “Where is it?” Nick’s wolf asked. His beast had taken over as they’d watched their mate be raped and then kill her captor.

  “There is an old castle in the elf realm, long abandoned,” Thalion said. “I recognize the pictures and tapestries on the walls that Tenia’s son drew.”

  “You’re sure?” Peri asked, her hands resting on the table as if she, too, had to hold herself up.

  “Yes, unless someone has removed those decorations and taken them to a different location, and I cannot imagine why they would,” the elf prince answered.

  “It’s the only lead we have.” Drayden turned to Nick. His alpha’s eyes glowed with his wolf as he looked at him. “Can you do this? Without killing your allies?”

  Nick pictured the images he’d just seen and nodded. He just wanted her back. If he could spare her the agonizing experience he saw depicted in the drawings, then he and his wolf would do whatever it took to get to her, even control the feral rage inside of him. Or at least they would try.

  “I haven’t been back to the elf realm in the past month,” Thalion said. He shifted on his feet and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “If my father is there, he will have probably tried to lock the entrance. And if he has been unable to do that, he will have warded the castle.”

  Fane slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled out his phone. Nick watched as the alpha tapped the screen and then put the phone to his ear. “Thad, we need you and Jareth. Peri will gather the high fae. Wait for us outside the front doors.” He ended the call and turned to Peri.

  “The high fae are aware of the situation.” Peri slipped her own phone back into some pocket in her robes. “As well as the sprite queen and Lilly. The healers”—she pointed at the four women—“have a ton of power as well.”

  “Thalion,” Fane said, looking at the elf prince, “Can you let the fae know what veil is the closest to the castle?”

  He nodded. “You need to be aware, if the veil isn’t locked, then he will have certainly done something to protect the castle. Wards, traps, any manner of magic he could use to keep foe away. My father is dangerous. How many are you willing to risk for this healer?”

  Nick growled, but Fane held tight to his shoulder, keeping him from moving. “I will risk the same number I would if it was your mate we were rescuing, the same number of people as if it was any one of our allies. We do not measure the value of someone’s life. Their value is given by the Great Luna, and if she created them, their value is limitless.”

  The elf prince bowed low to Fane and then said, “Then you are exactly the alpha we all need you to be. Forgive my need to test you.”

  Fane nodded to Thalion and then seemed to put the matter to rest as he turned to Nick. The alpha gripped either side of Nick’s neck and leaned close. “We have our individual packs, but we are also one pack. You are one of mine, Nick, mate of Kara, beta of the Canadian pack. I will do anything, use every resource we have, to bring your mate home. I give you my word.”

  As they filed out of the room, Nick heard Peri giving directions and saw people moving out of the corner of his eyes, but the only thing his mind could focus on was the image of his mate standing in a doorway, wearing nothing but a robe. And though she stood straight, her chin boldly lifted, her eyes told a very different story. He knew he would never forget the determination and defeat that filled them. Such an odd combination to bear at one time.

  His legs were on autopilot as he followed Drayden out of the mansion. His hand rested on Peri’s shoulder, then darkness engulfed him. An instant later, he and the rest of the hunting party stood on an enormous cliff. He turned and saw a wooden bridge held together by rope, suspended across the gorge between their precipice and the one on the other side. Far below them, at least a hundred feet down, a turbulent river roared across mammoth boulders.

  “I assume the veil is across that rickety bridge,” Anna said.

  “How rickety are we talking?” Heather asked.

  “Let’s just say I hope the wind doesn’t pick up while we’re crossing,” Stella said. “We’re using the term bridge loosely. Frayed tightrope would be much closer to the truth.”

  “I wish it were that simple,” Thalion said. “The veil is down there.” He pointed to the raging water below.

  Everyone except Heather cautiously peered over the edge. “Um, down where? What exactly are we looking at?” Jen asked. “I don’t see anything but a very pissed-off river.”

  “The veil is somewhere between here and the water. It rests horizontally in the chasm. There is but one way to enter it,” Thalion replied.

  Heather groaned. “Don’t tell me.”

  “Jump,” the elf prince said.

  “Um, and just how will we know if the veil is open? You know, before we hit it?” asked Jewel.

  “We don’t,” Thalion said.

  “And if it’s closed?” Anna asked with raised eyebrows.

  “We bounce,” Peri offered.

  “And bounce right onto one of what I’m sure are very soft boulders, or fall into the peaceful, tranquil waters, which I’m equally sure will float us quietly downstream,” Jen said.

  “That water doesn’t sound a bit peaceful,” said Heather.

  “And if you could see the boulders, you’d know they don’t look a bit soft,” said Stella.

  Thalion shrugged. “We have no other choice. I guess the fae could magic us some kind of rope, and we could hoist one another down. But we don’t know exactly where the veil is between us and the water. It will take some dangerous exploring just to find it. And I believe time is of the essence.”

  Once again, the voices around him faded into background noise as Nick walked to the cliff’s edge. He saw neither river nor rocks. The man only saw Kara’s beautiful face, her teasing smile, and her haunted eyes from a past that made her grow up much too fast. He was supposed to have ensured she never endured such ugliness again. As her mate, it was his job to protect, provide, and love her. He closed his eyes and felt a tug in his chest—the bond.

  “Kara,” he said, reaching for her. And then, there she was, standing in front of a mirror. She looked down, and he saw a dagger in her hands. The etchings on the blade were the same ones he’d seen in the drawing. It was already beginning. “KARA!” He tried again, using all of his power to break through the walls she’d put up between them. Her head snapped up to look in the mirror, and he knew the instant she saw him through their bond. A tear slipped down her cheek as she mouthed the words, “I love you.” And then he felt not only her healer magic but the witch power as well as she shoved him from her mind and rebuilt the wall between them.

  “NO!” His wolf roared as pain seared his chest.

  “Go after her, Nick.” The Great Luna’s voice penetrated his mind. “I made her for you. I will not deliver her from this trial, but I will make you both stronger because of it. Even in the most painful experience, joy can be found. Trust me, and go after her.”

  Nick saw again the image of the blade in her hand and Kara’s eyes staring at him through the mirror. He sucked in a huge breath and jumped.

  Chapter

  Sixteen

  “Once upon a time, there was a girl. She had no home. She had no parents to hold her when she was scared or to cheer her on when she achieved a victory. This girl was alone in the world, fighting to protect herself from monsters who preyed on the vulnerable. What the girl didn’t know was all the monsters she faced had prepared her to face the darkest monster of them all. Not only to face him but defeat him.” ~The Great Luna

  * * *

  Kara looked down at her shaking hands and saw they were covered in blood. Her breathing hitched, and she felt her pulse pounding in her neck. A chill ran down her spine as fear like she’d never felt threatened to choke her.

  “Kara?” Dyna said, her voice soft but still loud enough for Kara to hear her.

  She turned and looked down the hall to see the three she-elves watching her, each with tears running down their cheeks. Kara looked back down at her hands, and the blood was gone. She took a deep breath, pulling her shoulders back and lifting her chin. Kara stood a foot away from Ludcarab’s door. She’d been standing there for at least a couple of minutes. Kara knew she needed to go inside. She had to go through with the plan, but feeling Nick through their bond had shaken her resolve. She was terrified he’d seen her intentions. It was nauseating enough for her to actually go through with her plan, but she didn’t think she could handle Nick knowing she was fully intending to… She couldn’t even form the thoughts.

  “You can do this,” she whispered under her breath. “Think of all the people he can never hurt again, Kara. He will never touch you again.” Regardless of all the reasons Ludcarab needed to die, Kara was afraid. She’d never been more afraid in her life. Not when she was a child in foster care at the mercy of exploitative adults, not when she was pulled into a supernatural world she didn’t understand, not when she faced a crazy high fae who turned her into a witch, not even when she’d made the sacrifice to never bear children. The fear she felt now froze her. It robbed her of her breath and assaulted her mind with all the ways this could go wrong. This fear was like a living entity. It wrapped itself around her, whispering into her ear that she would fail, that she would die, and so would Nick, and so would all of her friends when Ludcarab unleashed his wrath on them for her actions.

  “You are not alone, Kara.” The goddess’s voice spoke into her mind. Warmth enveloped her, chasing away the fear that had imprisoned her. “I know you don’t understand why this is happening. Or why it is you that must walk this path. What happens today will have a ripple effect through more lives than you can ever imagine. Good things can come from tragic circumstances.”

  “Why me?” Kara asked. “Why must I be the one to do this?”

  “Because I have chosen you. Because there is nothing you will endure that I have not already felt. Because I love you enough not to cripple you by removing every challenge you might one day face. Because I created you for such a time as this.”

  The Great Luna’s words took root in her mind. And though she didn’t understand it, she knew she wouldn’t ask someone else to take her place. And that meant Kara had to do it. She took a steadying breath and then wrapped her hand around the doorknob and turned it. With one last look at the three women who’d become her friends, Kara pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  The room, as usual, was lit only by candlelight. With a different male, it would have been romantic, but because it was Ludcarab, the dancing flames felt sinister.

  “You look lovely as ever,” the elf king said, drawing her attention from the room to where he stood in front of the bed. He held his hand out to her, and she knew there was only one option.

  Kara commanded her feet to move and placed her hand in his. His other hand pulled at the belt to her robe, untying it with ease. He dropped her hand and then used both of his to push the fabric from her shoulders until it slipped down her arms to the floor.

  She was unable to look at his eyes while his hands grazed her skin, so she focused on his throat. Her mind began its usual routine of slipping away, but Kara bit her cheek hard to keep herself present. She tasted blood on her tongue and swallowed the metallic flavor.

  His hands on her hips turned her until she was against the bed, then he pushed her back, his body coming down over hers. Don’t fight. Even though she felt like she was now a willing participant, staying in the moment yet not pushing him away, she knew it was still rape. Plain and simple. She didn’t want his touch, didn’t want to give him any part of her. He knew this, but he took it anyway.

  Kara mentally cataloged all the places he touched her. She counted the number of minutes that his body was against hers. Her brain worked overtime, tallying every single breath of air on her skin as Kara let him manipulate her like a puppet. Bile rose in her throat, but she forced it down with monumental control. The air was stifling as the elf king ran his mouth across her throat. She nearly cried out when he suddenly rolled and she sat astride him.

  Ludcarab held her wrists in one hand while his other hand ran up her calf, over her knee, and up her thigh. His eyes roamed her body as if he had a right to look at her. As if she’d been made for him.

  “Look at me.” His voice rumbled.

  Kara did as he commanded. His eyes narrowed. “You’re different tonight, little healer. What has changed? What has made you decide to not only give me your body but your mind as well?”

  Every cell in her body wanted to scream, “I’ve never given you my body,” but Kara had to play the part. Five more minutes. Just hold on five minutes more. Instead of answering him, she leaned down, shuddering in revulsion, though she hoped he thought it was desire, as her chest touched his. She needed to kiss him. And she needed to do it now because she was losing her composure fast.

  “My queen,” he whispered and released her wrists, pressing his hand to the back of her head. “You’re mine. I will own you. I’m glad you finally understand.” The rage that had been growing inside of her for the past month began to heat like volcanic lava preparing to erupt. She felt not only her healer magic but the magic Volcan had imbued into her as well. But this time the witch magic they’d managed to turn to light was again dark. Her anger fueled it, and Kara didn’t try to stop the transformation.

  She realized that the bracelets Alston had placed on her had not only made her forget, but they’d also blocked her from accessing her power. The scary part was that she’d never even thought to try to use her magic. She’d laid in this bed while Ludcarab molested her, running away in her mind when she could have at least tried to use the power she’d been given.

  He pulled her down until their lips met. Kara allowed him to open her mouth, allowed him to taste what was never meant for him. His claim meant nothing, and she sure as hell hadn’t had some sudden epiphany that made her understand his delusional thinking. Kara heard him groan as he bit her lip hard enough that he drew blood. This seemed to excite him because his movements became more fevered. She couldn’t even focus on all the places he touched her because his hands moved so fast. Tugging and pushing, pulling, and grabbing. It was too much. Kara’s wrath filled every part of her. She could feel it running through her veins, dancing along her nerves and clouding her mind in a black shroud. She was just about to push him away when he suddenly went slack. His hands released her, and his arms dropped helplessly to the bed.

  She froze, waiting to see if this was a trick. But then she felt him stir. He was trying to move, but he couldn’t. She pushed up from him, her rage so all-consuming that she didn’t even care she was naked.

  “Wha—” He tried to speak, but his lips couldn’t move enough for him to get out a word.

  Kara lifted her hand in the air and mentally called to the blade that was bonded to her blood. In a single heartbeat, she felt the hilt in her palm, and she wrapped her fingers around it. There was no second thought, no speech to give, no satisfied look. Kara screamed with everything inside of her and swung the blade down as hard as she could. All her power, dark and light, gave strength to her arm as it moved. The dagger slid easily through muscle, tendons, and bone, but not into his heart. No, he will remain alive and aware to pay for what he’s done.

  Ludcarab bellowed as she pulled the dagger from his chest. Apparently the adrenaline from the shock and pain had given his body the strength to at least make that sound. A second later, the sound was cut off as Kara brought the blade across his face. The lips he’d only moments ago pressed to her body were ripped away, leaving only gore behind. “That’s for putting your mouth where it didn’t belong.” She hissed at him. His eyes stared up at her, wide with fear. She reveled in it. Next, Kara dropped the blade to one side of his head. He tried to jerk away, but his head barely moved. With a quick flick of the wrist, Kara removed an ear. She brought the blade to the other side of his head and took the other. She leaned down and whispered, “That’s for the lies you made me listen to.”

  Kara felt wind blowing around the room. Her hair swirled. The candles guttered, but remained lit, as if they were the audience to the great Ludcarab’s downfall.