“You should leave her be,” the beast told him.

  “Like you are?” Skender challenged his wolf.

  “She hurts.”

  “Because of me.”

  His wolf rumbled an agreement but then added, “Because of many things, but yes, we are at the top of that list.”

  “Are we going, Skender?” Torion’s voice brought his attention away from his wolf.

  “Yes, little warrior, we’re going.” Skender took the boy’s hand and pulled the door closed behind him. They headed the opposite direction Tenia had departed toward a large room that had once been used for storage. Skender had become acquainted with Torion’s former guards and over time had come to see that they were protective of the boy. Their loyalty obviously was to keeping the fae child safe over the Orders because as soon as Skender had decided to tell the two males that he was Tenia’s true mate, they’d allowed him to take over watching the child even though they hadn’t been taken from their posts. Skender remembered that conversation and how his wolf had pushed him to reveal who he was to Tenia and Torion to the fae males. Part of it was his need to stake his claim, and the other part was the need to let them know that if they did mean either his mate or pup ill will, he wouldn’t hesitate to end them.

  “The boy seems important to you,” the fae male on the right said. He had sharp green eyes that were filled with anger and nearly white hair.

  “It’s my job to keep an eye on him,” Skender replied, trying to sound indifferent.

  “Keep an eye on him how?” the other male, who had deep blue eyes and black hair, asked. “Tenia will gut you if you harm her son.”

  Skender’s eyes narrowed as he looked between the two males. “Tenia and Torion are mine. My mate, my child. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for them.” he said.

  “They’re fae,” the whited-haired fae barked.

  “Don’t pretend you haven’t heard recent news of fae and Canis lupus being true mate pairs blessed by the Great Luna. I’ve noticed how you two watch over him. What I want to know is who holds more of your loyalty. My mate and son, or the Order?” Skender watched for any sort of reaction from the two. One of the male’s jaws tightened, and the other’s eyes flashed with unmistakable rage.

  “He’s a child and he’s fae.” The blue-eyed fae’s snarl was worthy of a male Canis lupus. “Not to mention, we know there is no way Tenia is doing anything of her free will because if she was, they wouldn't have her son locked away. It is abhorrent that the Order is using the young in such a way.”

  “Children should be protected,” Skender agreed, “especially from the likes of the Order. My loyalty is to Tenia and Torion. Do you understand?” He was trying hard to gauge their reaction without just saying ‘hey, I want to burn the Order to the ground and send Ludcarab, Alston, and everyone else to hell where they deserve to burn. Oh, and I’ll be joining them because it’s where I belong as well.’ Skender wasn’t sure how well that response would be taken.

  “If that is true, then we can trust you, correct?” the white-haired male asked.

  “If you mean you can trust that I won’t put the Order first, then yes,” Skender answered.

  “I am Zaire,” the dark-haired male said. He took a step back from Skender, and his stance relaxed a bit. “This is Owan.” The white-haired fae tilted his head slightly. “The Order is not our first loyalty either.” He paused as if he was trying to decide if he should say more, then after several minutes he continued. “There are more like us”—he motioned to Owan—“who are not okay with what the Order is doing. Some have been blackmailed. Some joined thinking that what the Order originally stood for was simply to no longer have to hide in the shadows. But over time … the actions the Order has taken ... they’ve come to realize that the lengths the Order is prepared to go in order to get what they want are not okay.”

  “After the attack from the Romanian wolves,” Owan jumped in, “we began to have hope. If there were others willing to fight back, then maybe we could get out. We don’t want to be a part of an organization that is willing to make slaves out of any race, be it supernatural or human. We’re going to do what we can to take the Order down. We will get the vulnerable out or die trying.”

  * * *

  Skender admired the males. He wished that he could say he’d been coerced into his fate as well, but he’d simply been a fool. “The Order has been a part of my life for a long time, though I was not a part of it for quite a while. I am not proud of the things I’ve done since I’ve returned, and I know the payment for my transgressions is death, but I will go to my death protecting the innocent and trying to defeat Alston and the likes of him in the Order.”

  Zaire and Owan simply shook their heads, and Zaire said, “We all have things we are ashamed of. For some of us, our shame is on display for the world and has hurt many people. And for some, our shame is a secret we live with. It eats us alive from the inside out while no one else is the wiser.”

  Owan added, “If you betray us, we will cook you from the inside out. Your organs will fry, and the last thing that will stop is your mind so you will experience every second of jaw-clenching pain.”

  “If you betray Tenia or Torion, I won’t be able to cook you until after I kill you, then I’ll feed you to the trolls,” Skender replied, needing them to understand that he was just as serious as they were.

  That had been the beginning of their alliance to secretly work against the Order. They didn’t have a plan yet on what it would look like to get out, but it was a start.

  When he’d told Zaire and Owan what he was doing with Torion, they’d been excited.

  “How can we help?” Owan asked.

  “We can teach the boy how to hone his magic,” Zaire offered. “And use protection spells.”

  “We need a place to do this.” Skender glanced up and down the hall where they stood in front of Torion’s door. They’d been talking so softly that even a supernatural being would have had to have been directly beside them in order for them to be heard.

  “We know of a storage room that is never used,” Owan said, and Zaire nodded. “It’s at the back of the East building in the bunk house that has yet to be filled with new vampires.”

  They’d helped him clear out the storage room and gotten him mats, some punching dummies, and wooden swords to practice with. The two male fae had jumped in with vigor in training, and Torion was a quick study and picked up new techniques with the ease of someone much older.

  “Today we’re going to work with the double short swords,” Skender said as they entered the sparring room.

  “Real swords?” Torion asked, his little voice ringing with hope.

  Skender shook his head, and a tiny smile formed on his face. The kid was always trying to get him to use actual weapons. “Do I look like I want to lick my wounds later?”

  Torion’s head tilted as his lips pursed. “Do you mean that for real? Would you really go lick your wounds in your wolf form?”

  “Let’s not find out, hm?” Skender walked over to the wall of practice weapons. He picked up two of the wooden short swords and handed them to Torion. Then he grabbed one for himself.

  They stepped into the center of the mat and faced one another. Torion held a sword in each hand and swung them in alternating circles as he bent his knees and bounced on the balls of his feet. The kid was a natural. Even though he was a fae, that didn’t guarantee an ability to fight in hand-to-hand combat. But Torion appeared to be gifted, nonetheless.

  “Remember what I told you?” Skender asked.

  The boy nodded. “Fight clean until the enemy fights dirty. Then fight dirtier.”

  Skender nodded. “Exactly. Unfortunately, few enemies are going to be honorable enough to fight clean. Begin when you’re ready.”

  Torion kept his eyes on Skender’s middle, the spot that would reveal the shift before his feet would move. He began to step sideways, foot over foot, moving them in a circle. Then, in a blink, the little fae was in the air, swords swinging and a battle cry on his lips. Skender took a step back and held his weapon at the ready. The force at which Torion’s weapon hit his own was impressive. Skender pushed, making Torion step back and separate their swords.

  The fae child didn’t even take time to reset his feet before he rolled on the ground, feet over head, right through Skender’s legs. He whipped out his wooden “blades” and struck Skender across his ankles. “Got you!” The boy rolled up to his feet and grinned.

  Skender chuckled and ran his free hand over the boy’s head, ruffling his hair. “Well done. Using your small stature to your benefit will make you superior to a larger foe who isn’t expecting you to know how to do that.”

  “Skender, will I be as good a warrior as you are one day?”

  A kick to the jewels would have been less painful. “You’ll be a better warrior, Torion. Much better.” His voice was thick with emotion. He wanted to be the man the boy saw. But he’d made his choices. All Skender could do now was try to prevent anyone else that he cared about from getting hurt by the Order. Tenia and Torion were at the top of that list.

  Skender held his weapon at the ready. “Again.”

  Chapter

  Two

  “The mourning period has ended. Day one has come and nearly gone, and all is quiet. Why is it that sometimes the silence is scarier than an enemy's battle cry?” ~Lilly

  * * *

  “Are you ready?”

  Lilly turned at the sound of Perizada’s voice. The high fae was in full battle gear and appeared ready to kick someone’s—anyone’s—ass, possibly even Lilly’s would do.

  “Are you expecting a fight inside Fane’s study?” Lilly asked.

  “One can only hope.” Peri crossed her arms in front of her. “Considering the wolves that are circling out in the woods like pansies won’t step up and fight, I should get to beat the crap out of someone.”

  Lilly straightened her shoulders and shook out her hands. “You and Jen really need to stop hanging out.” The queen’s skin buzzed, and her blood felt hot in her veins. It was a weird sensation, but one she’d begun to notice lately when she let her emotions get the better of her.

  “Are you on crack?” Peri’s eyes took Lilly in like a hawk tracking its prey.

  “First”—Lilly held up a finger—“how do you know what crack is? And second,”—another finger joined the first—“why would you ask that?”

  “Think about it. I’ve been alive for a very long time. I am curious as to why the humans do such stupid things. Occasionally, I have to try some of these stupid things myself to see what all the fuss is about.”

  Lilly raised a brow at the high fae. “So you did something stupid because their stupidity made you curious?”

  Peri rolled her eyes. “When you put it like that, it sounds stupid. But you try living for a millennia, or three, and see what you try out of sheer boredom.”

  Lilly thought about it for a moment and then shrugged. Who was she to judge? Her brief life had been filled with unbelievable joy and crushing pain. Crack sounded pretty good.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Peri snapped, pointing her sharp nailed finger at her. “You are not trying crack.”

  “You realize that’s like telling a teenager that sex is not as good as the TV shows and books make it out to be, right?”

  Peri frowned.

  “Okay…” Lilly tried again. “It’s like telling Thia not to eat candy because it’s not good for her.”

  “So what am I supposed to say? Here, go ahead and have this sex, candy, and crack because I know you will anyway?”

  Lilly’s eyes widened. “Umm, no. Definitely not. Let me give you some motherly advice. Never, ever have children.”

  “You say that like I want to procreate,” Peri said dryly with a wave of her hand. She walked over to the door and pulled it open. Gerick stood on the other side with his hand raised to knock. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Jen’s little hellion is already way more than the world can handle. Worse than anything I might bring to the table.”

  “Is this a bad time?” Gerick looked as if he wanted them to tell him “yes” so he could get away from the conversation he’d just walked in on.

  “It’s the perfect time, General.” Peri’s voice held a smile. “How do you feel about procreating? Do you think you and your new lass are going to make little wardjinn babies?” Peri glanced over her shoulder and grinned, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “See what I did there?”

  Lilly sighed. “Yes, Peri. It was a brilliant word blend. How ever did you think of it?”

  Peri shrugged. “These things just come to me.”

  “Really, I can come back—” Gerick began, but Peri cut him off.

  “When? After the world has gone to hell? After the Order has taken over? Or after Fane has fought every idiot who dares to step foot on his territory? Perhaps you’d like to come back when everyone you love is dead and you no longer have to worry about them.”

  “Gerick, come in.” Lilly pushed Peri out of the way and motioned for the general of her army to enter her quarters. He still looked unsure, but he walked in and glanced around the room as if looking for any danger. It was something Cypher would have done.

  Peri closed the door and then turned and leaned back against it. She slipped her hands into her pockets and pinned Gerick with piercing eyes. Lilly suddenly felt the urge to shake the high fae and then slap her for good measure. There was something so off about her. She was always cold and calculating, but now Lilly sensed menace beneath her exterior.

  “How is Myanin?” Lilly asked him. A flash of emotion crossed his blank face for a fraction of a second.

  “She’s doing what she needs to do in order to keep up the farce.”

  “I hope her duties do not require her to do anything so untoward that she no longer thinks she is worthy of being your mate,” Peri quipped. For a moment Lilly glimpsed concern in Peri’s eyes. It was brief, but it was there. Lilly knew the fae didn’t like to admit it, but she worried about all of them. Not just those in the Romanian pack, but those who she considered allies and ones she’d claimed as her own. Myanin had endeared herself to the high fae and would have the protection of Peri just as the rest of them did, whether they wanted it or not. On the heels of those thoughts came an unbidden one that made Lilly wonder if Peri still felt as strongly for those under her protection, or were they simply a duty to her? She couldn’t pinpoint when it happened, but somewhere along the way Peri’s attitude toward her position in things had changed, and it didn’t seem to be for the better.

  Gerick gave her a sharp look. “She could never do anything that would make her unworthy of being my mate.”

  “Be careful what you say, General,” Peri warned. “Not everyone agrees with that sentiment. Wolves, in particular, can hold a grudge.”

  “Peri,” Lilly bit out through gritted teeth. “I think that’s enough.”

  Peri held up her hands in surrender.

  Gerick looked back at Lilly. “Based upon her text messages, she’s been helping Tenia capture more human prisoners to turn into vampires.”

  “Texts?” Peri pushed away from the wall. “You two have been texting while she’s in the viper’s nest?”

  At the same time Lilly said, “More vampires?”

  “How else would you have me communicate with her?” Gerick’s voice deepened as he faced off with the fae. “We don’t have the luxury of a mental connection.”

  Peri’s eye’s flashed white as she advanced on the general. “I would have you not put her in danger. Do you think it’s a good idea for her to be caught consorting with the enemy?”

  “Aren’t they the least bit concerned about humans becoming aware of missing prisoners?” Lilly asked, though neither supernatural being was paying her any attention.

  “We’re being careful,” he argued. “And if they happen to find out about it, Myanin can just tell them it’s how she’s pretending to give Lilly information. She deletes all of our texts after reading them, of course.”

  “And you think that would keep Alston from being able to get them?” Peri took another step toward Gerick, her body beginning to glow.

  Lilly had to shut this down or the damn high fae was going to go nuclear. She might bring down the whole mountain. The woman was so volatile lately. When Peri said she was itching for a fight, she wasn’t joking. At all.

  “Peri, you know that Lucian would never allow himself to be apart from you without any sort of communication, no matter how dangerous. Mates have to have a connection.”

  “They aren’t wolves,” Peri pointed out. It was a cruel thing to say, and the high fae realized it immediately. She turned to Lilly and her face softened just a bit. “I’m sorry, that was ... I shouldn’t have.”

  Lilly held up her hand. “You’re right, they aren’t wolves, but that doesn’t make their bond any less powerful. I should know.”

  Peri dropped her head and took a deep breath. “You’re right. Gerick, I apologize. I just, I don’t want—”

  “You don’t want to lose anyone else,” Gerick finished for her. “I understand, more than you know.”

  "None of us wants to lose anyone else,” Lilly agreed. “Emotions are running high, and things just got a whole lot more real today.”

  Peri shifted and Lilly noticed that the high fae was taking slow, deep breaths. Upon closer inspection of the woman’s face, Lilly saw the dark circles under her eyes and tight lines around her mouth.

  Peri must have felt Lilly’s eyes on her because she appeared to force herself to relax, shaking her hands a little by her side. “Fane and Jacque are ready if you are,” she said.

  Lilly nodded and then looked at Gerick. “I need to meet with them before Fane reconvenes all the supernatural races.” And discuss this mass human prison disappearance, she mentally added.

  “In the sprite realm?” Gerick asked.

  “It’s the only place still strong enough to keep the Order out.” Lilly thought about all they needed to consider when it came to who needed protection, not to mention who needed to be warned about the Order. She had no clue how far the organization’s reach had grown. She glanced at Peri again and wondered if the high fae, or even their council, knew. Then something else occurred to her.