Cypher looked mildly amused at her questioning, which made her want to stomp on his foot. She didn’t, but it took every bit of her restraint.

  “We aren’t in Kansas anymore Little One, you are going to see some things, hear some things and,” he said before she cut him off.

  “If you finish that with do some things I might just slap you, Warlock King or not, and how the heck do you know a reference to The Wizard of Oz?” Lilly raised her brow as she looked at him, waiting for whatever possible explanation he could have for that one.

  Cypher winked at her, which did strange things to her stomach that she didn’t want to think about.

  “As I was saying, things are different here and information is found in the most unlikely places because the people who have that information usually do not want to be found. And, I like human movies. I’m not a total recluse.”

  “That really isn’t comforting or encouraging in any way you know. Not the recluse part, but the people who don’t want to be found. That’s a little unsettling.”

  Cypher shrugged at her annoyed look and turned back to the bar when the bartender finally acknowledged them. They spoke in a tongue that Lilly didn’t understand and she was pretty sure it wasn’t any form of human language.

  Even speaking the strange language, Cypher still sounded commanding and confident. It didn’t dawn on him to think that someone might not jump up to do his bidding, but then again maybe no one had ever told him no. Lilly smiled to herself and thought: there’s a first time for everything. Oh, King of mine.

  Finally, after several more minutes of the back and forth between King and bartender Cypher turned and walked out of the bar. Lilly started to say something but then realized that Cypher had taken her hand and was tugging her behind him. She quickly caught her footing as she stumbled behind him and looked back, over her shoulder to see that Cyn was pulling up the rear. Once out in the cool night air, she pulled her hand from his and threw them up in the air in exasperation.

  “So?” She asked. “That was it? That really seemed a little anticlimactic.”

  Cypher shook his head at her and motioned towards the forest. She followed him into the dark foliage and was quickly swallowed up by the trees.

  After walking in silence for several minutes, Cypher stopped abruptly and turned around. Lilly expected him to answer her question, but instead, he glared at Cyn.

  “Why did Peri send you to me?”

  Lilly rolled her eyes, oh now he asks.

  Cyn looked around the forest causing Lilly to look as well.

  “You may speak freely, I’ve taken care that no one will hear,” Cypher told the Fae.

  “She has heard that the witch has come to you with a proposition for your help. She also heard that you were in possession of a certain human.”

  Lilly’s mouth dropped open and a sound of indignation slipped out. “In possession? Are you kidding me?”

  Cypher held up his hand to stop her, but never took his eyes from Cyn’s face.

  “Lilly is my mate.”

  “So says the barbarian Warlock King,” Lilly muttered.

  Cypher looked at her from the corner of his eye, “I don’t recall you complaining about the intimacy between us earlier and as I told you I have never shared such intimacy with another female.”

  “Could we please refrain from discussing our intimacy in front of others?”

  The blush that stained Lilly’s cheeks made Cypher smile and he reached out and gently brushed a finger across her face.

  “You are such a breath of fresh air little one.”

  Lilly let out an unladylike snort as she crossed her arms across her chest gave him her best I am not affected stare, which was the biggest load of crap she had ever fed herself.

  Cypher looked back at Cyn.

  “As I was saying, Lilly is my mate and therefore not a prisoner if that is what Perizada is thinking. As for the witch,” Cypher stepped back until his back was leaning against a large tree. Lilly could tell he was trying to pick his words carefully, indicating to her that he did not fully trust Cyn. “She did come to me and there was an offer presented. At this point, she believes that I am going to help her. I have to tread carefully because I have sworn a blood oath to her.”

  The Fae took a step back and for the first time, Lilly saw emotion cross her face.

  Lilly turned to Cypher with a frown on her face. “You haven’t mentioned a blood oath to me. What exactly does that mean?”

  Cypher shook his head. “It’s not important right now.”

  Lilly rolled her eyes at the Warlock King. “You have got to be kidding me. You just told this Fairy,”

  “Fae,” Cyn interjected.

  Lilly slid the Fae a sideways glance, “A technicality,” she growled. She looked back at Cypher as she continued. “You just told her that you swore a blood oath and the stoic Cyn actually showed some human emotion, and it looked an awful lot like fear. So, forgive me if I kind of think it is freaking important.”

  A flirty smile turned up on Cypher’s lips. “So you are worried about your mate?”

  Lilly let out a frustrated huff, throwing her hands up in the air. “I told you that I care for you. I don’t understand it, but there it is so yes I’m worried about you.”

  Cypher stared silently at Lilly for a few tense moments, and then finally relented.

  “A blood oath is a contract that binds my word to the one asking for a deed. It prevents the one accepting the contract from backing out.”

  “So what happens if you do back out since you’ve done this blood oath thing?”

  “The witch can put me or any of my race in the In-Between and she could possibly kill you. I’m not really sure on the whole you part because again I don’t know the ramifications of you being my mate.”

  Lilly pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on. “And, you didn’t think maybe I needed to know this?”

  Cypher shrugged, “There isn’t anything you can do about it so why worry about it?”

  Lilly shook her head at the Warlock King. She knew that nothing she could say would help it make sense to him. There were no words to tell him that she wanted to know these things so that she could help him endure these burdens. In the brief time, she had known him, she’d seen how the responsibility of his race was wearing on him. It was a lot, even for one with shoulders as broad as his, to bear for so long. Wasn’t that what a mate was for? Okay yes, she was still on the fence about the mate thing, but she knew that she cared about him and she didn’t want to see him come to any harm. She would figure out the whole mate thing when the time came to make a decision.

  “Fine, I won’t worry about it.” She finally told him.

  Cypher raised a single brow at her, “That’s it? You aren’t going to growl and snarl at me?”

  “I’m not a wolf you know,” she purposely added a slight growl to her voice in hopes that it would bring about that devastating smile he had, that she loved so much. She wasn’t disappointed.

  Cyn made an impatient shuffle with her feet, reminding them of her presence.

  Cypher looked back at the Fae. “I have no intention of helping the witch, but I may not have a choice. If it comes to opening the Veil or Lilly’s life then I will have to open the Veil and hopefully get it closed before too many demons escape.”

  “Nope, not gonna happen.” Lilly said, shaking her head, “you aren’t going to sacrifice the safety of the world, or my daughter, for my life. My daughter is grown and married and I know she will be taken care of. I’ve had a great life, though not a very long one, but that’s okay. I won’t let you choose me over several other races.”

  Cypher barely acknowledged her when he responded. “Well, it’s a good thing it isn’t up to you then.”

  Cyn spoke before Lilly could respond. “Peri wants you to open the Veil.”

  Cypher pushed off from the tree and suddenly standing before them was the Warlock King, in all his kingly glory. He towered over the Fae guard, who looked rather small when compared to Cypher.

  “What did you say?” Cypher’s voice was low and threatening.

  Cyn didn’t blink, didn’t step back, or cringe the way most smart people, who valued their lives, would have. She simply answered his question.

  “She wants you to open the Veil.”

  Chapter 2

  “I think of you. When darkness swirls around me like a turbulent storm, when the very breath I take seems to tax my soul, when despair is my constant shadow; I think of you. I hear your voice, I smell your scent, and I feel your skin upon my own. Your pain is my own, your fear my best friend, and even though all hope seems to have seeped from the world leaving only despair, still, I think of you.” ~Sally

  Darkness enveloped her. She couldn’t move her limbs even though she was telling herself to. What she could feel was pain, panic, fear, anger, hate, rage, and many more emotions that she knew did not belong to her. Jacque tried to think back to what her last memory had been. She had been walking through the forest and then she had walked into a pond. Bloody hell she thought, I walked into a freaking pond? She remembered thinking it was the best idea she had ever had and just knew that if she went into the water she would find peace. Well, that plan was shot to hell. Fane was gone, he was hurting, and she couldn’t reach him. Jacque could feel him, sense him through their bond, but she couldn’t talk to him.

  She couldn’t open her eyes, couldn’t talk, but she could breathe. That was a good thing right? She was trying to think about the positive, but the more she felt Fane’s despair, the further away the positive slipped from her grasp.

  Jacque could even hear her friends’ voices. She had heard Jen’s declaration to kick Mona’s ass and had wanted to join in the howl, had felt her wolf perk up, but she was just as paralyzed as Jacque. She remembered Mona causing her body to betray her by using her voice to speak and that had flat out pissed her off and she had pushed with everything left inside her to get the witch out of her mind. It had used up all of her energy and for a while, she felt like she was drifting further from the living into the shadow world. But, she refused to drift off into the emptiness without a fight. Jacque would not go quietly, not as long as drew breath, not as long as her heart pumped blood through her frozen body.

  She knew Mona had done something to her and she just kept hoping that Rachel, Peri, and Sally could figure out a way to fix it. Jacque needed to be able to help them because she didn’t know how much longer their mates could last in the hell Mona had sent them to endure. She didn’t know how long before the state of their mates began to affect them, and if their mates died, then they were all dead.

  ***

  Sally sat staring off into the dark forest. They had been walking for what seemed like weeks, though it had merely been days. It was dark even though night had not yet fallen. Clouds continually blocked the sun and winter seemed to be clinging to the land as the evil that Mona was weaving continued to take over more and more of their world. Sally wondered if others noticed if the humans, who knew nothing of the supernatural world, picked up on the evil that was bleeding into the world. Evil beyond what they had could have ever imagined.

  Sally knew that Alina had explained to them that the bonds with their mates wouldn't work in the In-Between, but she felt Costin. She couldn’t communicate with him, but she felt his emotions. It was exhausting and terrifying, but she wouldn’t wish it away. Sally would rather feel something, anything, than nothing at all. She wondered if he could feel her, if he knew that she was seeking a way to get him back. Did he truly know what he meant to her, had she told him? Sally began to doubt herself, doubt the bond between them. She felt so inadequate to be his mate. Costin was so confident, so funny, full of life, and she felt so bland next to him. He so openly expressed his feelings for her, continually telling her how much he loved her, and she would shy away, like a child. Her head fell forward into her hands as she felt the weight of reality fall onto her like a cloak. It covered her in doubt, fear, and she felt despair like she had never known.

  “Sally,” she heard the gentle voice behind her and turned to see Alina standing there. Strong, secure, sure Alina. How could Sally even dream that she could be that kind of mate to Costin?

  “Sally, stop this,” Alina told her firmly.

  “I can feel him, Alina,” Sally told her, her voice tight. “How can I feel him?”

  Alina shook her head as she took a seat on the rock next to the healer.

  “I don’t know. I can feel Vasile as well and it shouldn’t be possible. We shouldn’t be able to sense them at all. The only thing I can come up with is that Mona is somehow allowing the contact, but it’s one-sided. I can’t reach out to him.”

  Sally nodded, “I keep trying to tell him it’s okay, but he’s lost in some horrible terror. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

  Alina wrapped an arm around Sally and pulled her close.

  “We have to fight the despair that is coming through the bond. Mona’s goal must be to debilitate us with the emotions our mates are feeling. As much, I would like to know what Vasile is going through so that I could help him through it. I am afraid that if I knew I would be of no use to him.”

  Jen came into view as she walked around to stand in front of them.

  “I talked with Decebel.”

  Their heads snapped up, and the other females were on their feet.

  “What?” The question came from each of them.

  “I was dreaming, but I know it was real. He was calling for me and he answered me when I spoke to him.” Jen’s voice shook with emotion.

  “What did he say?” Crina asked cautiously, not really sure if she wanted to know.

  Jen shook her head, letting out a shuddering breath. “He was broken. I’ve never heard, such fear and pain. Decebel said that he couldn’t watch it again. He said he was trying to stop him from touching me.”

  “They are seeing their worst fears,” Peri told them from where she leaned against a tree staring off into the forest. “You know what your males fear.” She left the statement hanging.

  Alina nodded. “The ultimate horror for our males would be for them to have to watch another male touch us, to see us in pain, and to watch us die horrible deaths.”

  Jen growled and her eyes narrowed when she realized what they were saying. “Are you telling me that Decebel is watching me be raped?”

  Alina nodded, while gasps echoed across the group.

  “And, more than likely, he is probably watching you give birth with horrific outcomes,” Peri added.

  Alina growled, “Not helping Perizada.”

  Peri shrugged, “Anger is motivation. The males of your race are intense. I don’t think we will ever fully grasp just how much they feel for their mates. They will not last long with their sanity intact if they continue to have to watch their greatest fears and insecurities played out like a broken reel. Their wolves will soon take over and they will become feral.”

  Elle stepped forward, glaring at Peri. “Why don’t you just tell us it’s hopeless since you’re passing out all the warm fuzzies. Damn Peri, these aren’t just wolves to us anymore. That’s my mate, being tortured. I don’t know him all that well and yes, he scares the hell out of me, but you, telling me that he’s going to lose his freaking mind and be lost to me is not helping.”

  “Shut the front door,” Jen laughed. “Elle just put Peri fairy in her place.”

  “Not helping Jen,” Sally murmured.

  “Psht,” Jen waved Sally off. “When have you ever known me to try to be helpful in situations where chicks are about to break out into a catfight,” she paused thoughtfully. “Well, in this case, it would be a fairy fight, but you get my drift.”

  “Would you freaking grow up?” Sally snarled at her best friend, and everyone was taken aback by the uncharacteristic meanness in Sally’s voice.

  Jen’s eyes narrowed as she glared at the healer. “Need I remind you that I am your Alpha? I could wipe the floor with your gypsy ass, not to mention I am pregnant and very temperamental. Do not push me, Sally.”

  “ENOUGH!” Peri’s voice shook the ground around them and their heads all snapped to look at the regal high Fae. Light shone around her. She met the eyes of each woman letting them see the power that rolled through her.

  “If you want to crush each other before the battle even begins, then, by all means, have at it. Don’t come crying to me when Desdemona turns your feral mates loose on this world only to have you join them by their sides, as you rip innocent lives apart.”

  The night was silent, as the females considered Peri’s words.

  “Just to be clear, would a bitch slap be considered crushing?” Sally smiled, innocently.

  Jen rolled her eyes. “I liked you better when you were more likely to sing Lean On Me than Another One Bites the Dust.”

  Alina stood up and folded her arms across her chest as she watched Peri’s Fae form receded.

  “What are we doing Peri? How long are we going to wander around the forest?”

  “I’m not wandering aimlessly if that’s what you’re worried about. There is a method to my madness.”

  “Just as long as you are aware that you are bat crap mad,” Jen muttered.

  Peri ignored the jab and continued. “At this point, there is only one who can help us and he is going to prove to be difficult to find.”

  “Who?” Alina asked.

  “King Cypher.” Peri’s voice rang with a tone of dread at the name of the King.

  “What exactly is he King of?” Sally asked.

  “The Warlocks,” Alina answered before Peri could.

  “Seriously?” Jen snorted. “Warlocks?”

  “You all might want to sit down for what I have to tell you.” Peri resumed her place against the tree and waited for them all to take a seat. Sally and Jen sat down on a fallen limb, while Alina, Crina, Cynthia, and Elle all sat at various spots with their backs leaning against trees. Jacque lay, covered in warm blankets, and aside from her quiet breaths, she was as motionless as death, a few feet away.