Tap moaned. “Tell me we’re almost there.”

  “We’re almost there.” I reached over and patted his arm. “Right, Toby?”

  He leaned over me and glanced out the window. “I can see the forest below. It won’t be much longer now.”

  Tap mumbled something and clutched his stomach tighter.

  The plane tipped to the right and then the left before dipping again. Soleil looked around with the wide-eyed joy of a kid. Tap complained in a foreign language. Toby held me tighter.

  A servant came over to us. “We’re about to land. Please remain seated.” He ran off.

  “Did you hear that?” Toby asked Tap. “We’re almost to the ground.”

  “I’ll rejoice once my feet touch the earth.”

  I glanced over to a window. Trees were at eye level. “We’re almost—”

  My head jerked back into the seat as the wheels hit ground. They squealed as we glided down the long runway and finally stopped not far from the castle.

  Two servants rushed out and helped us gather our things before practically pushing us outside. Toby held my hand as we made our way down the steps. Once on the concrete, Tap leaned down and kissed the ground.

  “I guess he was serious,” Soleil said.

  He rose. “You have no idea.”

  Toby pulled out his phone. “I’d better let Marguerite know we’re here.”

  A servant appeared from behind. “We’ve already sent word. She’s excited to see you all and requests that you meet her in Alrekur’s wing.”

  “Thank you.” Toby gave a slight bow and turned to us. “Follow me.”

  We took a short pathway to the castle, entering in a quiet area. The only noise came from a fountain to our left.

  “Is that…?” Soleil walked over to it and ran her hands over the sculpture of a woman with long hair, a shield, and spear. The water flowed from her spear which was held high above her head.

  Tap nodded. “It appears to be the very one.”

  Toby and I exchanged a curious glance.

  “It was a famous Icelandic landmark some centuries ago,” Tap said. “People would rub the shield for good luck. The statue was never spoken of once it disappeared after a devastating earthquake.”

  “Good luck, huh?” I stepped closer and ran my fingertips along the edges of the round shield.

  “Can I help you?” came a voice from behind.

  I spun around to see a servant.

  Toby cleared his throat. “We just arrived on a royal plane from Iceland.”

  “You have no accent.” The servant stood taller and pursed his lips.

  “We’re here to see the queen,” Toby said. “We’re on our way to Alrekur’s wing.”

  “Shall I see you there?” He pulled a rag from his coat and wiped the statue.

  “I know the way. Thank you.” Toby took my hand again, and we headed down a hallway that twisted and turned more than a maze in a fun house at the fair.

  “The vampires are stuffier than I took them for,” Soleil said.

  “Some of the royalty can be a little over the top,” Toby said. “Overall, though, they’re wonderful.”

  “I’ll have to make friends,” she said. “I could spend months in here, just admiring everything.” She stopped and ran her finger over the intricately carved molding along the wall.

  Tap stared at a portrait of a breathtakingly beautiful redhead who resembled the queen. She wore a robe not unlike the one wrapped around me. There was a fire in her eyes, like she was plotting something devious as she sat, waiting for the master artist to finish his masterpiece.

  “It is a little overwhelming at first,” Toby said.

  “How familiar are you with the castle?” I asked. A twinge of jealousy ran through me, remembering that he and the queen had once had a short-lived romance when I was dead. I tried to ignore the feeling. It was ridiculous to think he’d live like a monk all those years, thinking I would come back to life. It was actually surprising that he’d only had the one quick fling.

  He squeezed my hand. “I’ve been here on official business numerous times. Fighting battles, mostly.”

  I smiled and tried to squash the jealousy. There was no reason for it.

  We continued weaving our way through the castle, passing through several wings.

  “Are we there yet?” Soleil asked. “I swear, we didn’t have to walk this far to find Victoria at the cliffs.”

  Toby chuckled. “We probably didn’t. People aren’t exaggerating when they say this is the biggest castle in the world.”

  A few minutes later, we came to an open area. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t be sure. In a way, everything seemed to look the same after wandering so far.

  Vampires ran around, distracted. None even looked our way. They whispered to each other with a fear in their eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Soleil asked.

  Tap narrowed his eyes, staring at the confusion in front of us. “We’d better find out.”

  “This way.” Toby tugged on my arm as he darted down another hallway.

  My heart raced. Whatever was going on, it seemed to be major news. Had one of the lead vampires been hurt? Or worse, what if something had happened to Ziamara or her baby?

  “Hurry,” I urged Toby.

  “We’re almost to the king’s wing.” He picked up speed, and we all kept up. After winding our way through several more hallways, Toby said, “This is it. Usually, they’re in his games room or meeting room. They’re near each other, and aren’t far.”

  We dashed through more hallways before Toby finally stopped. He peeked in one room, and I glanced around him. It was empty.

  Conversation sounded down the hall. Glass shattered.

  “That can’t be good,” Soleil said.

  “Alrekur has a temper,” Toby said. “It’s not unusual to hear things breaking.”

  “Feels like home,” Tap muttered.

  We rushed toward the sound of more things breaking. We came to a closed door. Two enormous, burly servants blocked it. They both stood with their arms crossed and scowls covering their faces.

  “What’s your business?” one demanded.

  Toby stepped forward. “We’re here to see the queen. She’s expecting us.”

  “Name,” the other one bellowed.

  “Tobias Foley.”

  He pulled out a tablet and slid his finger around the screen. “You may enter.” Both servants moved from the door. The first one opened it for us. They continued glaring at us as we entered.

  “So welcoming,” Soleil mumbled.

  “It’s probably Toby and me,” I said. “Most of the older vampires I’ve met loathe werewolves.”

  Inside the massive games room, chaos abounded. Vampires ran around, several conversations buzzed, and a glass pitcher flew through the air. Alrekur shouted in Icelandic above all other noise.

  Toby held me close. “What’s going on?” he asked the nearest vampire.

  He turned to Toby. “We’ve heard three separate stories of a werewolf on a rampage. He’s killed hundreds, and rumor has it he can take out a whole line of vampires with one bite.”

  My stomach lurched.

  Fen.

  Chapter 124

  Toby

  “Fenrisúlfr,” I whispered. Victoria stepped closer, and I pulled her to me, pressing her back against me.

  Dagur, one of the Fyrsturae—the original vampires—stared at me. “What did you say?”

  “Fenrisúlfr,” I repeated.

  His face paled. “He’s been awakened?”

  Victoria shook in my arms. I tightened my grip around her and nodded to Dagur. “He has. We saw him with our own eyes.”

  Dagur took a deep breath and clenched his fists. “It’s worse than we thought.”

  “Worse than being able to kill you if he bites someone who descended from you?” I asked.

  “Fenrisúlfr hates us. Where do you think the ancient rivalries began?”

  My stomach twisted in knots. “What do you need us to do?”

  “We’re going to have to call a meeting of the Fyrsturae. Speak with Alrekur to see what he thinks.”

  I glanced over at the raging vampire. He picked up a thick wooden end table and broke it over his leg. “That should be fun.” I turned to Victoria. “You can stay over here while I talk to him.”

  She shook her head. “I’m going with you.”

  “Okay. Just stay behind me. He’s dangerous when upset.”

  “I can see that!” She stepped aside and slid her soft, petite hand in mine. We walked around the other vampires as we made our way to the very first vampire.

  I cleared my throat. “Alrekur.”

  He spun around, his eyes a deep red that only the Fyrsturae could achieve. “What?”

  Victoria pressed herself against me.

  I stood taller and held the vampire king’s gaze, pretending not to be nervous about his raging temper. “We’re here to help in any way we can.”

  “What can you do?” he snarled.

  “We are werewolves, your highness. Perhaps we can do something. We want to help.”

  “You want to help?” he bellowed. “Go check on the vampire you took into your pack.”

  “That’s how you want our help?”

  “Go!”

  Victoria jumped. I rubbed her shoulders and guided her to the door.

  Marguerite came over. “I’m really sorry about Alre. He gets like this when he’s upset.”

  “It-it’s okay,” Victoria said.

  “Don’t take it personally.” Marguerite put her hand on Victoria’s arm. “He just needs some space to… think. He’ll be fine after we have a meeting of the Fyrsturae. We’ll get him calmed down.”

  “What about the werewolf?” I asked.

  “I don’t know what to think, although I find it hard to believe he could kill an entire line of us with one bite. It sounds a bit too much like a scare tactic to me.”

  “But he’s killing hundreds?” Victoria asked.

  “So far, he’s sticking to werewolves. I haven’t heard about a single other species being affected.”

  “We want to help,” I said. “If you don’t want our help, we need to get home and figure out what our pack is going to do.”

  She nodded, understanding filling her eyes. “I appreciate that, Toby. It’s the others I’m not sure about.” Marguerite nodded toward the other vampires. “If you’d like to stick around and visit with Ziamara, you can wait to see what we end up deciding.”

  “How is she?” Victoria asked.

  “Good. Resting.”

  “Did she—?”

  A loud whistle pierced the air. Alrekur stood in the middle of the room with his arms raised. “The Fyrsturae will meet to discuss this now. We’ll return with an announcement once we’ve come to a decision.” He marched out of the room with gusto and flair, waving his arms and speaking in Icelandic.

  “I’ll speak with you soon.” Marguerite gave us a small smile before rushing out of the room.

  Soleil came over. “What are we going to do?”

  I kissed the top of Victoria’s head. “I’d like to see Zia before making any decisions.”

  A servant came over. “I can take you to her room.”

  “Are you coming?” I called to Tap.

  He stood, staring at a mounted unicorn head. High along the walls, many of the king’s hunts were lined up, displaying his conquests.

  “I’ll find you.” Tap didn’t look our way.

  “Okay.” I turned to the servant. “Thank you.”

  He walked to the door and held it open for us. We went into the hallway and he led us a short distance. He opened another door for us near the king and queen’s quarters. We entered a quiet bedroom the size of a master bedroom suite. A king plus bed took up one wall. I could see some of her rainbow hair resting on a pillow.

  Victoria stepped away from me, crept over, and whispered, “Zia?”

  Soleil and I joined her. Ziamara lay in bed alone—no Jet and no baby. My stomach fell, fearing the worst.

  Zia’s eyes fluttered and she looked at us, somewhat confused.

  “Are you okay?” Victoria asked.

  “Where’s Jet?” I asked, trying to push aside images of him digging a small grave in the dirt.

  Zia pushed herself up.

  “Don’t strain yourself.” Victoria sat on the bed and pulled some hair from her eyes.

  “It’s okay. I’m just worn out. I’ve already healed. Want to see?”

  “No!” I covered my eyes.

  She laughed. “I was just going to show you that my stomach is already flat.”

  I uncovered my face, relief washing through me. “So, you’re doing okay?”

  “Good as new, pretty much. Just tired from the whole ordeal.”

  Soleil sat on the other side of the bed. “So, where are Jet and the baby?”

  “The doctor wanted to examine the baby. He said sometimes hybrids have special needs. Also, the pregnancy was pretty short, even for a vampire. Jet wanted to go with them. I did, too, but I was exhausted. I’m feeling better now.”

  “How long have they been gone?” I asked.

  Ziamara stretched. “I’m not sure. I don’t think I’ve been asleep too long.” She turned and smiled when she saw Soleil. “You came! How are you doing?”

  “You think I’d miss this?” She gave Zia a light, playful shove.

  The door opened. Jet came in, carrying a small bundle. They were followed by a vampire wearing a stethoscope around his neck.

  Jet grinned when he saw us. “Hey, it’s the whole pack.”

  “Almost.” Ziamara held out her arms. Jet climbed onto the bed and handed her the tiny bundle.

  I leaned over to see the newest pack member.

  Zia held him out for Victoria and me to see. “Meet Sebastian.” He was the perfect mixture of his two parents.

  “And he’s perfectly healthy,” the doctor added. He turned to Ziamara. “I’m going to check on some ill vampires. Just call if you need anything.”

  She nodded a thanks and held Sebastian close to her.

  “Can I hold him?” Victoria asked.

  Zia’s eyes lit up. “Sure.” She patted the bed next to her. Victoria scooted over and Ziamara placed Sebastian in her arms.

  “Oh, he’s so cute,” Victoria gushed.

  Jet threw me a teasing look that clearly said I was next in line for having a baby. I shook my head but couldn’t help smiling. My heart warmed at the thought of seeing a young werewolf that was half Victoria and half me. But first, we had to get married—and with the original werewolf running around killing hundreds of our kind, it looked like our wedding would get pushed back. Again.

  Soleil scooted over to the other side of Ziamara, pushing Jet out of the way. The three ladies gushed over Sebastian. Jet came over to me and gestured toward the window. We walked over and stared out over the enchanted forest. It went as far as the eye could see.

  “What’s going on with that werewolf?” Jet whispered.

  I didn’t want to say much. Vampires had impeccable hearing—far more sensitive than any other species. If one was down the hall, they could very well eavesdrop. “I’ll fill you in on the details later. But the short story is that Fenrisúlfr, the original werewolf, has been awakened. If the rumors are true, he’s terrorizing our kind in ways we’ve never seen.”

  Jet nodded. “My father used to tell us tales of early werewolves. You know, how destructive they were. When us kids were acting up, he’d threaten to awaken the first one. It’s too bad he’s not alive to see this. He probably thought he was talking smack to scare us, but it looks like there was more truth to it than he ever imagined.”

  I nodded. “Unfortunately.”

  He arched a brow and rubbed his neck.

  “Got an itch?” I asked.

  Jet shook his head and flicked his head toward Victoria.

  “Oh, the necklace.”

  “Right. Well?”

  “Yeah, that’s it.”

  His eyes widened. He mouthed, “The wolf essence stone?”

  “Correct.”

  His eyes lit up. “Does it work?”

  “We don’t know yet.”

  “Does it have anything to do with… you know?” He mouthed, “The murderous wolf?”

  It was a good thing I could read lips. I nodded. “Oh, most definitely.”

  Jet swore.

  “Not around the baby!” Zia reached over to Soleil, who now held Sebastian and covered his ears.

  “Sorry, but he’s going to have to get used to it, growing up around werewolves.”

  “Maybe the wolves will have to learn to watch their language.”

  “Good luck with that, sweetie.” Jet turned to me and lowered his voice. “What should we do about Zia and Sebastian? Is it safe to bring them home to Moonhaven? There’s so much security around here, they might be better off staying here—and if they’re here, so am I.”

  “Understood. I’d like to see what the vampires decide before leaving, anyway.”

  “They could be a long time,” Ziamara said. “They’ve had meetings in the past that have lasted days. No joke.”

  I groaned. “You’re right. I’d forgotten about that. I really don’t want to be here for days.”

  “Me neither.” Victoria rubbed the stone. “We have a wedding to plan.”

  “Even with Fenrisúlfr running around killing packs?” I asked.

  She frowned. “He’s leaving us alone.”

  “But he’s terrorizing other packs. Packs we have alliances with. It wouldn’t be right to leave them fighting while we’re celebrating.”

  “Is that really how you feel?” She rubbed the stone.

  I took a deep breath, watching her with the wolf stone. That had to explain her behavior. I needed to tread carefully. “Other packs have dropped everything to help us recently.”

  “What about us?” Victoria climbed off the bed and put her hands on her hips. “We should’ve been married centuries ago! Our fathers have gotten in the way twice. When do we get to have our time?”

  “But we can’t ignore the other packs.”

  Tears shone in her eyes. “Yes, we can!”

  “Even considering…?” I nodded toward the necklace—the very stone that had woken the murderous werewolf.