“This is for touching what only my mate should ever touch.” Kara leaned across him and brought the dagger down on his wrist. She funneled her power into the blow and cut his hand clean from his arm. The sound that escaped from the elf king fed the tempest inside of her, and she severed his other hand. Still, it wasn’t enough.

  She gazed down at the bloody mess. For the past two months, she’d never felt so helpless and violated in her life. He’d made her doubt her own innocence. He’d looked upon her with coveted, lust-filled eyes and taken everything he wanted.

  “YOU HAD NO RIGHT,” she screamed. Kara dropped the knife and grabbed his head, shoving her thumbs into his treacherous eyes. This time, Ludcarab managed to move, but not enough to buck her off. Kara pulled with her thumbs and ripped his eyes from the sockets with a sickening wet squelch. She flung the orbs away, the optic nerves trailing behind. His body shook as blood poured from his wounds. The surrounding sheets were saturated. Red had never looked so good.

  Kara took stock of her work. She had removed his lying lips, cut off his stealing hands, and gouged out his covetous eyes. But still he drew breath, in and out. His heart still beat despite the amount of blood he’d lost. Kara picked up the dagger and ran the tip slowly up his stomach. She spoke, not entirely sure he could still hear her. “You tried to break me,” she said, her voice sounding eerily calm even to her own ears. “You thought I would give myself to you. You honestly believed you would be the victor in this battle. I’m going to tell you a secret, fallen elf king. I break for no one.” Kara wrapped her fingers around the dagger and slammed it down into his heart, then ripped it out, only to turn it and plunge it straight under his chin, up into his skull. The heart that kept his despicable body alive ceased to beat. The mind that birthed his horrendous schemes was silenced.

  Kara fell back until she sat at the end of the bed. She couldn’t take her eyes from the man who’d tormented her. She knew he couldn’t hurt her anymore, but she still didn’t want to look away. The swirling wind picked up speed, and the night beyond the windows lit up with a crash of lightning. Tears welled in her eyes. At the same time, the sky opened and rain poured out over the elfin realm. Deafening thunder boomed, and Kara threw back her head and howled a lament in tune with the elements.

  She cried for what she’d lost, and she screamed for the pain that still rested in her soul. She knew it might never go away, but her task was done. Ludcarab was dead, though she’d purchased his destruction for a very high price. And now, she had to live with it.

  Nick felt as if he had been falling for hours. Finally, he hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud. He wasn’t wet or smashed against the rocks, which meant the veil hadn’t been locked, and he was now in the elf realm. Lightning arced across the dark sky. As if someone had flipped a switch, rain suddenly fell in sheets. The lightning flashed again, and Nick saw the large castle sitting less than a mile away. As he started moving, thunder rolled through the air above him so loudly Nick thought his eardrums might burst. But it wasn’t the thunder that quickened his pace. It was a sound inside the thunder—a howl so full of pain he felt it in his soul. “Kara.” He used his wolf’s speed and ran.

  He’d only made it twenty yards when a hand grabbed his arm. “My way is faster,” Adam said. Nick noticed Thalion on the other side of the male fae, his hand resting on Adam’s shoulder.

  “Take us to the hall outside of the door I’ve shown you,” Thalion said to Adam.

  The fae flashed, and suddenly they were standing in a stone corridor. He turned until his eyes landed on a large door. Nick felt her. His mate. She was on the other side of that door. The sorrow that flowed from her through their bond made it clear he’d been too late.

  Nick grabbed the knob and turned, but the door wouldn’t budge. His wolf howled. Nick gripped either side of the frame and kicked with all of his might. The door flew inward and clattered to the ground.

  The room was dark. Smoke from the newly extinguished candles wafted through the air. The lightning struck again, illuminating his mate’s form. She sat on the bed he’d seen in the drawing. She threw her head back and screamed again. The sound shattered a part of him.

  “Adam,” Nick yelled and flung out his hand. A coat appeared in it, and Nick hurried to his mate. “Kara, sweetheart,” he said as gently as he could with his wolf pushing so hard against him. He briefly noticed the mutilated body of the elf king lying on the bed next to her. Then he focused back on Kara. She’d stopped screaming, and she was staring at him vacantly. Nick glanced over her clinically, making sure there were no wounds. It was difficult to tell because she was covered in blood. He draped the coat over her shoulders and pulled it closed in front of her. He pushed her hair away from her face and gently cupped her cheek.

  “Nick,” she said, her voice rough.

  “I’m sorry I was too late.” He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers.

  “Nick, I did it,” Kara said, her voice growing stronger. “I killed him.”

  Nick pulled back, his hands framing her precious face. He searched through the bond, trying to figure out what she felt, but her emotions were a maelstrom.

  “I didn’t think I could do it, but I did.” She reached up and touched his face as if she couldn’t believe he was actually real. “It’s horrible and wonderful at the same time. Why?” Her body shook. “How can I feel both disgusted and triumphant? He deserved what I did.”

  Nick wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She immediately rested her head against his chest and gripped his shirt in her small fist. “Because death is always those things,” he whispered. “Sometimes one feeling outweighs the other. But in my experience, the taking of a life is never simple.”

  “Let’s go home.” She breathed. The storm outside settled. Though the rain still fell, the thunder and lightning ceased. Nick realized as her breathing slowed that Kara had fallen asleep.

  He turned to see more people had arrived, though not the entire group that had stood on the edge of the cliff to the elf veil, for which he was grateful. Peri stepped into the room with Elle beside her. She lifted her hand and then asked, “May I?”

  Nick appreciated the fae asked instead of just touching his mate. He wasn’t sure what his wolf would have done if Peri had simply taken the liberty. “Yes.”

  Peri laid her hand on Kara’s head, and Nick watched as the blood that had coated her hair and her face disappeared as if it had never been. “The rest of her is clean as well. She deserves to leave this place with as few reminders as possible.”

  Nissa stepped forward and held out her arm. “If you’re ready?”

  Nick moved so that the fae’s hand rested on his shoulder. Then they flashed. They arrived in the living room of the Canadian pack mansion. Without a word, Nick carried his mate to his room, which would now be their room because he was never letting her leave his side again.

  “I’ve got you, Kara,” he said against her forehead as he pushed the door open and then closed it behind them, shutting the world out. “I’ve got you, and I’ll never let you go.”

  Peri looked across the blood-covered room. Damn. It looked as if an entire army had been massacred instead of only one man. Everyone was silent. Only the rain falling outside could be heard. She walked over to where Ludcarab’s body lay. Despite the gruesome scene, Peri felt nothing for the fallen elf king. The man had done abhorrent things in his long life. But the acts he’d committed in this room were the worst, and they’d sealed his fate. Peri was glad Kara had been the one to bring his evil reign to an end.

  “Peri.” Anna’s voice came from just behind her.

  “Anna, maybe you should wait outside,” Gustavo said gently, no doubt wanting to protect his mate from the grisly display.

  “Wait, Gustavo,” Anna said. “Peri, do you feel it?

  “I feel it.” Peri’s voice was low.

  “What?” Gustavo asked.

  “Kara’s magic. It wasn’t just her healer magic she used. I feel the witch magic, and it feels like Volcan’s.”

  Peri tuned out everything around her and focused on the remnant of power still floating in the air. Anna was right. Dark power coated the place, and it wasn’t Ludcarab’s. “I cannot blame her for using it,” Peri said.

  “No,” Anna agreed. “I would have done the same.”

  Peri stepped closer to Ludcarab’s body. Though she didn’t want to touch it, she needed to remove any magic that might linger. She had plans for his remains.

  “Beloved?” Lucian stood beside her.

  “We’re going to send a message,” she told him and shared her thoughts through the bond.

  Peri touched the elf king’s torso, using her power to disintegrate any magic left inside. She did the same to each severed body part. Once it was done, she turned to Thalion. “I think he will make a fitting gift for any who want to side with the Order,” she said. “Send pieces of him to every dark hovel where the supernatural scum attempt to hide. News of this will get back to Cain and Alston wherever they’ve taken refuge. They will know that we are aware that they did not die in the cold fire. And after seeing Ludcarab’s fate, they will wish that they had.”

  Jareth, the djinn, stepped forward. “I will take care of it. I can finish what the little healer started so that he fits nicely in smaller packages.”

  “Thank you. I know it is a distasteful task.” Peri stepped away from the bloody bed.

  “But you are correct,” Jareth responded. “It will send a message. It will make them nervous. And nervous prey make mistakes.”

  Peri turned to the elf prince. “When he’s done, Thalion, do we have your leave to burn this prison to the ground?”

  Thalion nodded. “We need to cleanse my realm of his evil. Taking down this castle will be a start.”

  “Will Nick be okay?” Anna asked Drayden, her eyes glassy and red. The Canadian pack alpha stood just inside the door, his eyes focused on the bed. He was a strong alpha, but it was apparent to Peri that this incident had shaken him.

  He took his eyes from the bed and looked at Anna. “They will both have a long road ahead of them,” he told her. “But we are all here if they need us.”

  Anna wiped the tears from her cheeks. “After everything we faced with Volcan, she shouldn’t have had to bear this.”

  “No one should, sweet Anna.” Gustavo pulled her into the shelter of his arms. “Drayden is right. We will ensure that Kara and Nick heal. But it will take time.”

  “If you will allow it, Thalion”—Andora, the sprite queen, spoke for the first time since they’d arrived—“I can send some of the luminous sprites to come and help cleanse the land around this place.”

  Thalion nodded. “That would be much appreciated.”

  “Peri.” Elle’s voice came from the hallway just before she stepped into the room with three elf females in toe. “Kara wasn’t Ludcarab’s only prisoner.”

  “Dyna?” Thalion said, his voice unusually soft. “Reena, Coya. We thought you’d left, that you’d gone to serve my father.”

  The one he’d called Dyna shook her head. “We tried to leave, but not with him.” Her voice shook as she wrung her hands. “He captured my sister and my son. Reena and Coya were with us when we attempted to flee the castle, your castle, when he first returned. He—” She swallowed and shook her head as if she couldn’t say the words.

  Reena, the elf standing next to her, took over. “He used her sister and son for dark spells. And made us watch as he took them apart piece by piece.”

  “Bloody hell.” Peri breathed out. Lucian’s hand wrapped around hers, and she felt his strength flow through their bond into her.

  “He and Alston fashioned bracelets that bound our magic and also made us relive every moment of what we’d seen anytime we even thought to escape. We’d been ready to try, regardless of our fear, but then he showed up with Kara. We couldn’t leave her here with him. He charged us to take care of her, to prepare her to be his queen.”

  “We hated every minute of it,” Coya said, grabbing Reena’s hand and then Dyna’s. “But we were working on a plan. It took longer than we hoped, but we were finally able to get a message to a friend, an ally who’d promised to help us in our time of need.”

  “Who is this friend?” Peri asked.

  “Ember,” Coya answered. “She came while Ludcarab was away. She broke the spell on Kara’s bracelets,” she held out her arm, and Peri saw the markings on the elf’s wrists. “Kara’s memories, her bond, and her magic were no longer blocked. Kara was the only one who could get close enough to kill him.”

  “Why didn’t Ember remove your binds?” Fane stepped out of the shadows from where he’d stood. He’d been hidden, in case there’d been any surprise threats within the castle.

  “Because we didn’t want Ludcarab to sense that his magic no longer resided in us. If we happened to be around him before tonight, we couldn’t risk him knowing.” Coya covered her mouth as a sob broke through. “We didn’t want this for her. But we didn’t know what else to do. She had to get away. Every day, we saw more light fade from her eyes. Every day, he took a little more of her soul. She’s so young, with so much life left to live.”

  Dyna, who’d seemed to have composed herself, said, “We knew we might die, that he might have figured it out. But it was a chance we were willing to take. Our priorities shifted once she showed up. We have lived long lives, but Kara, she’s just a child compared to us.”

  “Thank you.” Drayden bowed his head to the three elves. “For taking care of one of mine. She is the mate to my beta.”

  “Has Ember returned?” Peri asked.

  Dyna shook her head. “She is planning to return tomorrow.”

  Elle reached out and took Dyna’s wrists. She held them in her hands and used her power to remove the evil that Ludcarab and Alston had tainted her with. Then she repeated the process on Coya and Reena.

  All three of the women rubbed at their wrists as the marks faded. Then Reena looked at Peri. “Ember left the markings, though void of power, on Kara’s wrists because Ludcarab would have noticed them missing.”

  “I cleansed Kara before she left this hellhole,” Peri said, looking around the room in disgust. “The markings will no longer be present.”

  “Good,” Dyna said. Her eyes conveyed a wealth of relief.

  Power suddenly filled the room, and even Peri stumbled under the weight of it. She turned to see Fane’s eyes glowing as he glanced at the bed. “Let’s get this done and then get our people back to the sprite realm. Though this is a victory in one form, it is also a great tragedy. We need rest, time with our loved ones and pack. And then we need to prepare for the retaliation that will come.” He looked at Drayden. “What do you think is best for your beta and his mate? To remain at your pack headquarters or to come to the sprite realm?”

  Drayden ran a hand down his face. Peri could practically feel the weariness weighing down the Canadian alpha. “For now, Nick will definitely need what’s familiar and to remain in his own territory. We will just have to wait and see.”

  Fane nodded. “We will strengthen the wards around your compound, as well as the other packs.”

  “I will speak with Disir,” Peri offered.

  “And I will speak with our council as well,” Jareth said from where he stood by the bed, his back to the room. Peri noticed he was using some sort of magic to blur the space around him so that nothing could be seen of what he was doing. Smart djinn.

  “Let me take Drayden, Anna, and Gustavo to their respective places, Peri,” Elle said. “Disir will have made sure the group on the cliff has been taken back to the sprite realm. But I’ll double check just in case. Then I will return to help clean up.”

  Peri nodded. “Fane?”

  “I will stay until it is done.”

  “Very well,” Peri said. “Let’s burn this bitch to the ground.”

  Adam rubbed his hands together, his bloodthirsty side in full view as he smiled. “Best pep talk ever.”

  Chapter

  Seventeen

  “Where you lead, I will follow. Where you stand, I will remain. Where you rest, I will stay. When you cry, I will weep. When you smile, I will capture it and hold the memory of it in my mind. You are mine, and I am yours. It’s as simple as that.”

  ~Nick

  * * *

  Kara closed her eyes as Nick traced the contours of her face with the pad of his finger. She’d lost track of time since he’d brought her home. She’d woken up laying in his bed, and he’d only left her side long enough to retrieve food that had been delivered to them on a regular schedule, tend to his bathroom needs, and give her the privacy to tend to her own. The rest of the time, they simply laid in his bed, both on their sides, facing one another. Sometimes they slept. Sometimes he slept, and she watched him. But her favorite times were when they were both awake and simply staring into each other’s eyes.

  Any time her thoughts started to veer toward the past couple of months, Nick would kiss her until all she could think about was him. Though, the first time, he’d asked her permission. “You never have to ask to kiss me, Nick,” she told him. That had been all the words he’d needed to hear because she knew he felt the truth in them through their bond. And kiss her, he did, often.

  “I love you, yeah?” he said. He always finished the words with a question, as if to ask if she understood. She couldn’t decide if it was a Canadian thing or a Nick thing.

  Kara nodded. “Yeah, you do.”

  He chuckled. She opened her eyes because she loved to watch him laugh. It wasn’t something he did easily, especially lately. Then his face grew serious as his fingers threaded through her hair. Nick leaned closer and touched his forehead to hers. He took deep breaths, and she knew he took in her scent.

  “It calms my wolf,” he said.

  Kara lifted her hand and wrapped it around the back of his neck, letting the warmth of her skin seep into his. “I don’t have a wolf, but your scent calms me, too.” She could feel his need through their bond. Nick wanted to talk. He was desperate for her to open up to him. She felt his fear, his worry, and even the residual pain from their separation.