“So,” a blonde girl with bright blue eyes said as she rubbed her hands together, “I see that you brought the murdering djinn with you. Does that mean we’re going on a killing spree while the men are away?”

  “Absolutely,” Myanin said. In unison several other voices called out, “No!” Gerick’s included.

  “Damn,” Myanin and the blonde female said together which made Myanin inwardly smirk. She was going to like this female. That irritated her because liking someone meant caring for them. She refused to care for anyone else.

  “We have much to discuss,” Lilly said. “Nissa, could you please ask the sprite queen, and anyone else she feels might be useful, to join us?”

  The high fae nodded and then flashed from the room.

  Myanin glanced around and then back at Lilly. “Could we make some introductions so I can stop thinking of them as ‘the blonde chick,’ ‘the lost-in-space-looking chick,’ ‘the greenish-hue chick,’ and so forth?”

  “Please tell me that you called this one”—the blonde chick pointed to a female who also had blonde hair—“the ‘lost-in-space-looking chick.’”

  “I would think that was obvious,” Myanin said. “She looks about as with it as a drunk pixie.”

  The first blonde cackled.

  Lost-in-space-girl didn’t seem offended in the least. “I’m Heather. I’m blind, and I often allow myself to get lost in thought because otherwise my brain cells begin dying. Which, I should warn you, is a consequence of hanging out with the blonde chick for longer than a minute, tops.”

  Myanin waited to see if the blonde would react, but she simply waved Heather off. “Pull up a chair, CT. Let’s get to know one another.”

  Myanin’s head tilted as she asked, “CT?”

  There was a combined groan from the entire room, including Lilly.

  “Cutthroat,” the blonde answered. “It’s your road name.”

  “Ignore her,” Jacque said. “She’s been watching a motorcycle club drama on her phone and has decided we all need road names. Whatever the crap that is.”

  Myanin blew out a breath and then took the offered chair. “Well, at least it’s not going to be boring while we figure out who to kill and when.”

  “That’s my girl.” The blonde grinned. “CT in the house. At first, I didn’t like you because, you know, the whole murdering an innocent chick and all. But now, I think you might be good people.”

  “Jen,” Jacque said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Shut it.”

  “Yep,” Myanin muttered. “Not boring.”

  Chapter

  Three

  “I don’t think people have any idea how difficult it is to take over the world. Not just one world, but multiple worlds, or realms, as they’re more appropriately called. It’s not like there’s a takeover checklist full of items that can be marked off one by one.

  Kill off my main enemies. Check.

  Force other supernaturals to do your bidding. Check.

  Pretend you will allow others to share your power. Check, check, and double check.

  If it was that easy I’d be sipping fae wine and resting my feet on the back of a human slave by now. Alas. Instead, I’m attempting to reorganize the disheveled remnants of the Order after the pesky high fae’s little stunt, while also trying to make sure our enemy has not discovered just how badly a blow they’ve delivered us. Sometimes being an evil genius is very exhausting.” ~Alston

  “Is she pregnant yet?” Alston asked. The fae paced the throne room of Ludcarab's castle, staring at the stone floor. It wasn't the castle that Ludcarab had inhabited when he’d still been the king of the elves. Once he’d left the elf realm to join the headquarters of the Order, Ludcarab's son had gained control of the former elf king's seat of power. The castle he now used was also in the elf realm, but it was a long-forgotten fortress that his ancestors had lived in before the new one was built. Alston had suggested using it as their main headquarters now that the compound had been obliterated—curse that damn fae—but quickly discarded the idea because having so many different types of magic in the elf realm would draw attention. Instead, he was still attempting to find a suitable replacement while also trying to figure out if any of his other race leaders had been absent from the compound when it had gone down.

  “That’s a very personal question,” the elf king answered. He poured himself a glass of wine and asked, “Would you like a schedule of when I attempt to mate with her?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  Ludcarab turned to face him, his eyes narrowed. “Then don’t be disrespectful regarding my future queen.”

  Alston felt his ire rise. He paused to meet the elf king’s stare. “Have you forgotten that she is a means to an end?”

  “I have forgotten nothing,” Ludcarab snapped. “But you need to remember we’re playing the long game here. The more positive Kara’s experience here, the weaker her bond with her mate—what little is left of it—will become. Tenia’s magic will be more effective as well.” He took a sip from his glass and then said, “Speaking of the fae female, have you heard from her?”

  It was a question Alston had hoped the elf king would not ask. He had not seen or heard from Tenia since the last time she’d been in his office discussing her offspring’s gift. She wasn’t supposed to be at the compound after that meeting, so he’d been sure she hadn’t been killed by Perizada’s attack. But after radio silence from the fae, Alston was beginning to question his assumption. “I have not,” he admitted.

  “What about the djinn?” the elf king asked. The smirk on his face only served to infuriate Alston more.

  “I have not heard from her either.” A thought had been forming in the back of Alston's mind. One that he loathed to consider but could no longer ignore. What if the fae and djinn hadn't been as loyal to the Order as they had made out? He didn’t want to believe the two females had taken him for a fool. But considering he hadn’t heard from them and neither was supposed to have been at the compound at the time it was attacked, he was beginning to wonder if their loyalties actually lay elsewhere. Where the hell are those damn women?

  “The djinn was supposed to be with the warlock queen,” Ludcarab said, swirling the liquid around in his glass. “If she was truly loyal to the Order, one would think that she’d have been in contact by now. Especially since she’d been in enemy territory while this all took place.”

  Alston ground his teeth together. "I am well aware of what it looks like, but—”

  “Really?” Ludcarab interrupted. “You’re well aware that it is highly probable that two of our members—key members, mind you, who know quite a lot about our operations—are more than likely spies for our enemy? Because, if that’s what you’re well aware of, it seems to me like that should be where you are spending your energy, not here in my home worried about whether my future mate's menstrual cycle is late.”

  Alston opened his mouth to snap back at the elf king, but the pompous ass just kept going.

  “Have you found us a new headquarters yet? Have you heard from Cain? What about the other council members? Do we know how many, if any, survived?”

  Alston closed his eyes briefly and forced himself to calm down. Killing the elf king now would not be beneficial to regaining the upper hand against the Romanian pack and their allies. For now, he needed Ludcarab. One day though… One day he would take great pleasure in watching the life fade from the smug face of the elf king, and Alston would be the one to snuff it out.

  “You worry about your task”—Alston finally spoke when he knew his voice would remain calm—“and I will worry about mine. I simply wanted to see how things were progressing.”

  Ludcarab chuckled. “It’s so nice of you to check on me. I assure you that everything is under control.”

  Alston nodded. “Good. Every part of the plan is crucial, even yours." He waited for the elf to respond to the jab, but Ludcarab just gazed at him with a heavy expression. "I will be in touch as soon as I have everything worked out.”

  “This will only work if we stay united, Alston,” Ludcarab said, his voice no longer sarcastic but serious as his intense gaze met the fae’s. “We cannot allow our petty differences to get in the way, no matter how much we dislike one another.”

  “Agreed,” Alston said and then flashed. There was no point staying any longer. Though he hated to admit it, Ludcarab was right. Alston needed to get things done, and quickly. “First things first,” he muttered as he reappeared in a remote mountain range in Wyoming. Alston had been doing research on a location and decided, instead of a city, it might be wise to “get off the grid,” as the humans called it. He'd found that the Black Hills mountain range appealed to him, as it was very isolated. He’d also decided it would be better to utilize the mountains themselves as shelters instead of erecting human buildings. It would make it harder for them to be detected. His own magic would be magnified by the nature around him. With Peri gone, Alston should be able to create a spell that would hide them from anyone who got near them, supernatural and human alike.

  He stood at the base of a large mountain and closed his eyes. Alston held out his hands and began to speak in his native language, pushing his power into the earth and toward the towering structure. He pictured in his mind what he wanted his magic to do, and when he heard the rocks groan and creak, he opened his eyes. His lips turned up in a small smile as the face of the mountain began to shift and move. “You thought you could snuff us out, Perizada,” he said as he continued to shape the rock into the form of an entrance into the mountain. “All you succeeded in doing was removing yourself from my path. Burn me down, and I will rise from the ashes.”

  “I’m not leaving until you talk to me.” Lucian didn’t acknowledge Heather’s words. She’d been visiting him every day for the past week, and it was becoming harder and harder to ignore her.

  “I know you’re beating yourself up over what happened, Lucian,” Heather continued. “It was an accident. You’re just like every male in these packs. You would never purposely hurt a female. And I’m fine. No harm, no foul.” Lucian was surprised Kale had even let her come. Lucian wouldn’t want his mate near a male who’d attacked his female, and he was shocked that Kale hadn’t physically restrained Heather to keep her away from his cell. But Lucian was learning the blind healer was stubborn. So, here she sat on the floor in a futile effort to get him to forgive himself. And her large Irish wolf stood behind her, silent, his eyes boring a hole through Lucian.

  Kale snorted derisively.

  Lucian heard a grunt and imagined that the little female had retaliated at her mate’s interruption. Lucian didn’t blame Kale. Her mate was right. Heather wasn’t fine. She’d been attacked and injured by someone who should be one of her protectors. It was the job of all the males to keep the females safe, especially the healers because they didn’t have the strength of a Canis lupus female. Though some of the healers were far from defenseless, as they had their own dark magic now that they could use to cause serious damage. Still, they shouldn’t have to worry about being attacked by one of their own pack members. Lucian had done that. He’d attacked her, marred her with his claws, and he would never forgive himself for it.

  “Well, if you won’t talk, I will,” she said. It was the same every day. She asked him to talk. He didn’t respond. Then she proceeded to tell him all about what was happening on the floors above his cell. “The warlock queen is here with Myanin, the djinn who was originally loyal to the Order after she killed one of her elders. They’re having a meeting with all the alphas and leaders of the other races.”

  Lucian heard her shift, but he kept his eyes closed.

  “Lilly, Myanin, and Wadim are trying to discover more about the cold fire.” Heather sighed. “Sometimes, I just don’t understand how there can be all these ancient archives of knowledge that don't have the information we need.” Exasperation laced her voice, and he heard a pebble hit the ground. She often picked up rocks and tossed them at the wall. Lucian was surprised she hadn’t thrown any at him. He wished she would. He would welcome the sting caused by a flying rock.

  “So much depends upon the survival of those at the compound,” she said. “Though I don't see how anyone could have lived through that destruction." She paused for a moment. "I have heard all of the stories of those in the Romanian pack who have died and then been brought back to life. I think everyone up there is secretly hoping that will happen again.

  “I know it’s got to be painful to hear, but Peri is the key to all of this. I don’t see how she could be dead and you still be sane.”

  Lucian bit his tongue to keep from growling. The blind healer had no idea what was going on inside of his head. She didn’t know that half of the time he wasn’t lucid. He was back in the Dark Forest, and he welcomed the delusion. He’d stay there forever if he could. But for some reason, he kept periodically returning to his right mind. Every time it happened, he wished there was a way he could end it all. What did he have left to live for? His mate was gone, and he couldn’t trust himself not to lose control. His wolf was standing precariously on the edge of going feral. Perhaps he should release the rein he held on his beast and let the wolf do what it will. That would force one of the other males to put him down, and his misery would be over. But Lucian knew the responsibility would fall to Fane, and that stayed his hand. Lucian couldn't force his own nephew to have to kill his uncle, the brother of his father who he’d only recently lost. Lucian might be on the verge of going feral, but he wasn’t so far gone that he would put his own nephew through something so cruel.

  Lucian suddenly felt sprinkles of dirt hit him, and his wolf forced his eyes open. He knew they were glowing because his beast was too close to the surface.

  “Dammit,” Heather practically growled. She threw a second handful of dirt and rocks at him. “Are you even listening to me?”

  “Heather,” Kale said from behind his mate. He reached down and attempted to pull her up, but she slapped his hands away. Lucian watched as she crawled forward, her hands feeling carefully out in front of her. She tilted her head, and he realized she was listening. She continued along, periodically raising her hand to feel for the bars. When she finally reached them, she clasped both hands around them and leaned forward until her forehead was pressed against the metal.

  Lucian’s eyes rose to look at the angry male that stood over his mate. Kale looked ready to kill. Lucian’s wolf perked up slightly and narrowed his eyes on the male. His beast didn’t like the challenge that the Irish beta was throwing down. Though neither of them ever wanted to hurt a female, Lucian’s wolf was dominant enough that he wouldn’t be able to help but respond to a challenge issued by another male.

  “I can feel the testosterone level rising in here,” Heather said. “Which means, Lucian, you must actually be paying attention to our presence, finally. Kale, whatever you’re doing, stop, please.”

  “Then back away from the cell,” he told her.

  “Not happening,” she bit out. “He’s not going to hurt me.”

  “Two weeks ago, I would have believed you.” Kale's teeth snapped together as he continued to glare at Lucian.

  “Ugh,” the blind healer groaned. “At some point, you’re going to have to let it go.”

  “No, I’m not,” her mate said coolly. “I can hold onto it for as long as I like.”

  “Fine.” She waved flippantly at him. “Be a bitter, fur butt who can’t forgive. But remember there will come a day when you want someone’s forgiveness because you’ve made a mistake in the heat of the moment. I want you to think about this moment when that day comes.”

  Kale’s eyes dropped to look down at his mate who resolutely stared straight at Lucian, despite the fact that she couldn’t see him. Her ability to hone in on where people were in a room was uncanny. Lucian felt his wolf’s admiration for the healer. Some might think she was helpless because of her lack of sight, but she obviously did not see herself that way. Good for her.

  “All right, now that I apparently have your attention”—she leaned her body closer to the bars—“just listen. You don’t have to talk. Well, one day you will. I’m not one to give up so easily. But that’s for another day. For now, just listen.” She paused, perhaps to see if he would actually respond. He didn’t. “Your mate’s not dead, Lucian. I don’t care what anyone says. She’s not dead. If she was, you would have already gone feral and let Fane kill you. And yes, I’m intelligent enough to know that it would be your nephew who would be the one to deal with you. But the fact that you’re able to keep yourself from losing it because you don’t want your brother’s son to have to kill you speaks volumes. And the loudest thing it says is that your mate bond, no matter what it feels like, is still intact.” Her breathing had increased with every word she spoke. “Only the influence of your mate’s light could keep you in that kind of control.”

  The passion and belief in her voice were so intense that Lucian wanted to believe her. He wanted to hope. But hope couldn't change reality. It didn’t make something true that wasn't.

  He stared at Heather a moment longer before closing his eyes again. The hope that had started to build inside of him made him want to retreat. He looked for the familiar path in his mind that would take him to the memories of his time in the Dark Forest, and then he was there. He knew it wasn’t real, but he didn’t care. It felt real. He could smell the musky earth, feel the despair that permeated the air, and feel the ground beneath his feet. When he’d been trapped there, it had been a massive prison, but now it was an escape.

  He found a path that was worn from all the walking he’d done and began to follow it. He knew it didn’t lead anywhere. Eventually, he would end up back at the place he started. That was one of the many enchantments of the forest, roaming in circles, walking and walking, and yet never getting anywhere. When he’d been here before, he’d been desperate to get out. Now, he wished he couldn’t.