by Quinn Loftis
“I know,” he said, and he did understand. She could feel it through their bond. “But it doesn’t make it any easier. I also know you are a skilled fighter, but—”
“You need to protect me. I get it.”
“You’ve been in the hands of the enemy for a week, with our daughter. This”—he squeezed her tighter—“is what I need. I need you. I need Thia. I need you with me, safe and unharmed.”
They held onto one another, not worried about the fact that they were surrounded by a massive crowd of supernaturals, more than she’d ever seen before. They needed this moment. They needed reassurance that they were all okay.
“Are you a little proud of me?” Jen couldn’t help but ask.
Decebel pulled back and looked at her, his eyes glowing with his wolf. “Are you kidding me?” he said out loud. “I’m in awe of you. Was I terrified? Yes, but even when I’m terrified, I’m proud of your accomplishments. I understand why you did it. I’m not mad at you, baby. I just didn’t know what to do. I knew I needed to keep Thia safe, but I was scared to leave you behind.” He pressed his lips to hers. Thia patted their faces, which made Jen smile. When her mate lifted his head, he looked at her with so much love she felt it in her bones. “You kicked ass, and you gave the Order a huge blow. That’s something to be proud of.”
“Dada, ass,” Thia said, beaming.
Jen laughed as Decebel frowned.
“Don’t say ass, Thia,” he warned, though it wasn’t a very stern admonishment.
“Ass, ass, ass,” Thia continued as she wiggled her little body.
Jen motioned to their daughter. “That’s totally on you, dude.”
“You held a severed head up in front of her,” Decebel pointed out.
Jen’s lips pursed. “Yeah, we’re totally rocking this parenting thing.”
Chapter 19
“A time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love, and a time to hate…”
~Human Bible, the Word of the Creator of humankind.
Peri waited until the room finally quieted after Jen's declaration. It was a victory worth celebrating but only for a moment. That was all the time they had. The Blood Moon would occur in twenty-four hours. They had to get every supernatural that was willing to align themselves with the Great Luna to Romania in that time period.
Jen and Decebel had walked to the side of the platform where Fane, Jacque, Sally, and Costin stood. She hadn’t missed the fact that Fane had not taken his hand off his mate and that he shielded both Jacque and Slate’s bodies.
Lucian stood beside Peri, his hand wrapped around hers. She recognized that something had shifted in their relationship since the battle at the Keep. She finally felt like they were equal partners. It wasn’t his fault that there had been a schism. It had been her. Peri had operated for so long on her own that she hadn’t known how to rely on someone else or to be considerate of another’s feelings. But Lucian had slowly been teaching her through his patient example. Yet it took the death of precious friends for her to finally understand.
“We’re all a work in progress, my love,” Lucian said through their bond. “Give yourself some grace. Especially now.”
She took a deep breath before letting her eyes roam over the crowd. There were many faces she recognized, faces that had been with them over the past week in both battles. But new faces were present as well. They stood with their respective races and stared up at her.
“As Jennifer of the Romania pack has said, we have dealt the Order a great blow. But, they have managed to wound us grievously as well. If you are in this room, I imagine it is because you have heard of the deaths of the Romania pack alphas, as well as the warlock king. There were other deaths as well, and they will be so named and recognized at the celebration of life ceremony. But this must be done at the ordered time.
“The Great Luna has issued a command, one that I imagine will have great consequences if not followed. Her words are as follows: ‘On the eve of the first Blood Moon, I will be at the birthplace of Fane Lupei, on the battlefield where his sire won his greatest victory. It will be there that I will pass Vasile and Alina’s rule to Fane and Jacquelyn Lupei. It is also where the Romania pack and those who loved the slain can say their goodbyes.
“‘As my ambassador, you are also to make sure all those gathered in the sprite realm and their people are present at the Blood Moon ceremony.’”
The room erupted with noise as the peopled who filled it expressed their shock at the declaration.
“Silence!” Fane’s voice filled the great hall. Peri felt the power of his wolf move through the room as the alpha blood that had always been there, but now seemed to be stronger, flowed out of him. The wolves immediately bowed their heads, and every mouth snapped shut as gazes jumped back to the platform. “Let Perizada finish.”
“The Great Luna also said all of those who have not chosen the darkness are to be there. They need to know the truth. They are either for me or they are against me. It’s time they understand what they are fighting for.” This time Peri’s words were met with complete silence. But the silence didn’t last long. The doors at the back of the hall flew open. Those near the doors moved aside, and Peri was able to see who had entered.
The rest of her council, the high fae, had arrived. Their robes glowed with magic as the fae appeared to glide across the ground as if floating on air. The crowd continued to part for them. Disir and Dain looked especially fierce, though Gwen’s face was set in a severe scowl, and rage simmered in her grey eyes. Nissa was already there, having been with the Romania pack the entire week. Peri could feel Nissa’s power and glanced over to where Nissa stood. The fae woman was walking toward the council and then fell in line beside them. Peri could feel her power joining with theirs and felt the heat on her skin as her own magic brightened.
Behind them, four djinns followed. Power radiated off of them. These were the djinn elders. Peri had not seen them in more than a thousand years. And behind them, Thadrick strode in with Jezebel at his right and Jareth at his left. The power coming off of the oldest djinn was practically vibrating the walls. This was not the eccentric supernatural she’d found living like a recluse in a dilapidated house. This was a powerful supernatural, perhaps the most powerful of them all, herself included. Unfortunately, his magic was not something that could be unleashed on their behalf. They had been made historians for a reason. A power that great had to be contained because even using it for good would lead to a horrible tragedy.
Peri’s gaze jumped past the new group when she felt another rush of power, this one filled with multiple forms. Lilly, queen of the warlocks, walked through the doors with four guards, two on either side. She was dressed in a flowing black dress, with a black robe draped over her shoulders. The hood was pulled up so that only her face was visible. Peri was surprised to see that Lilly’s eyes were no longer that of a human’s or sprite’s. They were the yellow that had been her king’s, with the cat-like slits in the center. She strode in with confidence, her chin raised slightly, but Peri didn’t miss the trembling in her hands as she gripped the robe on either side of her.
When the new group reached the platform, Peri stepped back and motioned for them to come up. The two councils, Thad, Jezebel, and Jareth joined her and Lucian in the center and formed a semicircle that faced the great hall.
Fane and Jacque joined the group, moving in beside Lucian. Peri noticed that Slate was no longer in Jacque’s arms. Peri leaned back to see where the new prince was and saw that Gavril and Rachel had at some point come up on the side of the platform, and Gavril was now holding Slate. Good choice of protector.
When Lilly reached them, she motioned for her guards to stay on the main floor. As she ascended the stairs, she gazed at Jacque. She walked straight to her daughter and enveloped her in a tight embrace. Peri was close enough to hear the interaction as mother and daughter were reunited.
“I’m so sorry, Mom,” Jacque said, her voice wavering with emotion.
“I am
, too. But I am so thankful you and Slate are safe,” Lilly said. She pulled back and looked at Fane. “Fane…” Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke. “There are no words I can offer. As your mother-in-law, you have my love. As the warlock queen, you have the warlocks as allies, always.”
Fane bowed his head, lowering it below Lilly’s, which was an incredible gesture of respect for an alpha wolf. He was honoring the mother of his mate and the queen who’d lost her mate. “As you have mine,” Fane said as he rose back up.
Lilly pressed a kiss to Jacque’s forehead and then took a spot beside her. “I want to see my grandson later, if that’s okay with the new alphas?”
Jacque smiled. “Absolutely.”
The group seemed to recognize that the reunion was complete, and everyone once again looked around the semicircle.
Disir, high fae and father to Talia, one of the fallen fae, spoke first. “Fane and Jacquelyn, the fae council offers our sincerest condolences. And to you, as well, Queen Lilly.
“We have come because, unfortunately, it took the death of two council members' offspring, one being my own, to make us realize that we can no longer simply offer limited support when needed. It is time the full might of the fae cross over the veil.” He paused and looked at Peri. “The Great Luna has visited us and told us what she said to you, Peri. We have already sent warriors out across the realms to gather the faithful to the appointed place.”
“Thank you,” Peri said. Relief washed over her. That was at least one thing off her plate.
Disir nodded. “We have let you fight alone for far too long, Perizada, and for that, we apologize.”
Peri held up her hand. “There is no apology needed. We have been called to our own tasks. I’ve been doing what the Great Luna asked of me. Not always with the grace that she probably wanted,” she admitted. “But, we do the best we can, and when it’s not enough, we do better.”
“Agreed,” Disir said.
“I am sorry for your loss, Disir and Dain,” Peri said, looking at both of them. “Talia and Vale fought bravely, and though I wish it hadn’t happened, they died doing something worth dying for. It doesn’t ease the pain in any way. I know. But I hope that it offers some tiny measure of peace.”
Both high fae bowed their heads slightly but neither spoke, and Peri could tell it was because their emotions were too raw. Like nerves exposed, even the slightest movement caused incredible pain.
Thadrick was the next to speak. He stepped forward and motioned to the djinn elders. “Myself, Jareth, and the djinn counsel”—he motioned to the four—“Synica, Clarion, Myron, and Rouse,”—each bowed their heads as he named them—“too, offer our sincerest condolences to those who have lost loved ones. We have had our own tragedy and feel the same pain of your loss as well. Our betrayal has come from within. Unfortunately, the traitor has escaped into the human realm. I was already going to join the fight against the Order before this happened, but, as you know, I am the main history keeper for our people, and recent history has reached me.” He paused and seemed to have to collect himself. It was a side of Thadrick Peri had never seen. “The traitor, who murdered one of our elders, has joined the Order. They now have a djinn on their side.”
Peri’s eyes widened, and she turned to look at Andora, the sprite queen who was standing on the left side of the platform with four other sprites. They had not joined the group, which wasn’t surprising to Peri. They were used to being observers, even though they’d joined in the Arizona battle. It was probably going to take a minute for them to remember that they were now participants. Andora’s blank face gave no indication of whether the seer sprites had witnessed anything. Peri hadn’t really expected the queen to offer any insight. The sprites weren’t supposed to interfere with the future, and they had already. Peri knew there would be repercussions for that, or maybe there already had been. Perhaps Vasile and Alina were the prices for the information Andora had given Vasile when the Keep came under attack.
“How powerful is this djinn?” Fane asked.
“For our people, she is quite young, which would usually mean less powerful,” Thadrick said. “But, she absorbed the power of the elder whom she killed. That will give her much more power than she would normally have. Not only that, but the elder she stole power from possessed an extraordinary ability, one that could prove catastrophic to supernaturals as a whole. ”
“When you say catastrophic, are we talking about a ‘wiping out whole cities’ type of catastrophic?” Jen spoke up from across the platform. Peri should have known the hellion wouldn’t be able to hold her tongue for long.
“The mere loss of a city would be trivial compared to this,” said Thad. Jen’s eyebrows rose. “We’re talking about the ability to interfere with the recorded history kept by the djinn,” Thad said. “Since I saw her join with the Order, things have been… How should I put it? Disorganized and jumbled. Instead of the history coming to me in a straight line as usual, it is as if the images and words are being thrown into the air and then hit by a tornado.”
“And you think she’s using an ability she stole from the elder who was killed?” Jen asked. “And my condolences,” she added. Peri could tell despite her ire, she was trying to sound sincere.
“Some of our elders have unique abilities. I won’t go into detail about the powers each one of us possess. That wouldn’t be my place. But for example, one of us might be able to see a person's past and intentions, another could possibly change any healing that has taken place in a person’s body to digress to the original wounded or sick state,” Thadrick explained. “Since she is gone, I can tell you Lyra’s power was the ability to jumble a person’s mind. She could make their past seem like the present and the future seem like their past.”
“All abilities that have to do with history or memory,” Jacque noted.
Thad nodded. “It’s sort of our thing,” he said with a humorless chuckle. “Apparently, Myanin inherited the power when she absorbed Lyra’s magic.”
“So, we had the potential to at least know what they were planning after they made the decision because that would have been recorded in your history brain bank,” Jen said, “but now we’re back to basically being reallocated to human status when it comes to knowing what to expect.”
Peri saw Jen’s eyes immediately snap to the sprites. Yep, the hellion was thinking along the same lines as her. The sprite could see what was coming and could warn them. But again, at what cost? Peri couldn’t say with complete certainty that the warning would be worth the price. She’d bargained with the Fates before, and the cost had been a life for a life.
“With that said,” Thad continued, “before she met up with the Order and began messing with the flow, I managed to see some more history that I had been given. Your battle against the Order in Arizona was supposed to be a surprise attack, right?”
There were suddenly growls filling the air, one of which was Peri’s mate’s, and next to him, even louder, was Fane’s.
“That’s correct.” Peri nodded.
“But that is not what happened. The Order had been warned, minutes before your arrival, and used their loyal fae to get to the battlefield.”
“You know who warned them,” Fane’s wolf growled.
“I do,” Thadrick said. “And it is a serious accusation to accuse a royal of any race of defection. But the history we retain, and by that I mean what has already been stored before Myanin’s meddling, is not capable of being distorted. It is complete, unaltered truth. Your betrayer is King Ainsel of the pixies.”
Peri’s gaze pierced the crowd, and she saw that everyone else was looking around as well. They were looking for the pixies. They weren’t there. How had she missed their absence? But then, there was one, flying down from one of the arches in the great ceiling. Adira, Peri thought fondly. The pixie who’d been so loyal to help the five new healers. Of course, she would be present even if her king was not.
Peri used her power to manifest a stool for the pixie to land
on so she didn’t have to hover or stand on the floor at everyone’s feet. Adira nodded her thanks and landed on the makeshift platform.
“This is Adira,” Peri announced. “As you can see, she is a pixie.”
“It is good to see you again,” Thadrick said to Adira.
The pixie smirked at him. “As good as a thorn in your foot, I’m sure.”
Thad chuckled good-naturedly. The two hadn’t been fast friends. But in their defense, neither of them was exactly BFF material.
“Thank you for coming, Adira,” Peri said. “I know you’ve no love lost for your king. Is there anything you can tell us?”
“His idiot brother aligned himself with the Order.” Adira crossed her arms in front of her and tucked her wings tightly to her back. “From what I’ve heard through the pixie vine, Ainsel negotiated his brother being released from whatever deal he’d made with Ludcarab if the pixie king gave them valuable information on their enemy, meaning you guys,” she said, pointing at their group.
“I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Ludcarab didn’t keep his end of the bargain,” Peri said dryly.
“Your limb will hold fast,” Adira acknowledged. “Ainsel knows that there is no negotiating with evil.”
“As much as that sucks, at least the mystery is solved,” Peri said.
“Glad somebody said it,” Jen said.
“Peri,” Adira said, grabbing her attention back, “there are some pixies loyal to you. You know that. And this betrayal will only bolster their loyalty. They will be at the Blood Moon ceremony and in any battles that follow.”
“Thank you,” Peri said. “You are the leader that your king is not, and the leader your people need.”
“Speaking of the Blood Moon,” Fane said, his voice slightly less growly. “It happens tomorrow night. I am appreciative for every person here. We know what we must do. Already, the fae have taken action to obey the Great Luna. Tonight, I wish to spend time with my family, my pack, and to say my goodbyes to my parents in private.
