“When I think there is nothing left they could possibly take from me, I realize they can have absolutely anything they want. If they want my light, then I am damn well going to give it to them.” ~Sally
Sally was on her knees. The second the door closed behind her, all the strength she’d managed to muster fled. A heartbeat later, little arms wrapped around her and then larger arms wrapped around them. She was completely surrounded by love, and slowly it began to warm the cold that had filled her body. For a while, they simply knelt there on the floor as a family, soaking up the fact that they were back together. Four days had felt like four months. Sally hadn’t had any idea how much time had passed until Alston had told her. She’d kept the bond locked down tight for fear of what Costin might do if he realized what was happening to her. She knew he was going to be hurt by that action, but he was going to feel pain regardless. She had to choose what pain she let him experience at this point. Enduring her suffering along with her wasn’t something she was going to allow him.
Finally, his voice broke the silence. “I’m going to ask a dumb question, but I have no idea what else to say. Are you alright?”
Sally could feel his breath on her neck where he’d tucked his head. Then his lips pressed against her skin in a gentle, reverent kiss. She opened the bond enough so they could feel one another, but she kept the memories completely shielded.
“I’m better,” she said honestly. “I won’t lie. I’m in pain. But I’m here now, and that makes everything better.”
Ten minutes passed before Costin finally released her. Then Titus let go and sat down on his bottom, legs crossed, and looked up at her. His little face was so innocent, but his eyes were filled with knowledge that no child should have.
“Are you okay, little man?” she asked him as she reached out a hand and brushed his hair back from his forehead.
“I was worried about you,” Titus said. “But I knew you would be back. The angel said she’s not done with you yet and that you have much to do in this world.”
Sally wasn’t sure she felt happy about that. She was tired. Costin must have caught that thought because his head snapped up, and his glowing eyes bored into hers.
“I’m just tired,” she said, hoping to reassure him. “And yes, I will tell you what happened, but you have to understand that as much as you want to protect me, I want to protect you just as much.”
“I know,” he answered out loud. “And I do understand that. But please, talk to me. Don’t have those thoughts and not share them with me. We bear this together. That’s how true mates are meant to be.”
She nodded and willed herself not to shed any tears. Not yet. There was too much to figure out to give in to an emotional breakdown right now. There was no way in any version of hell that she was going back to that room and allow them to stick that sadistic machine back on her. They were going to get out of this compound, come hell or highwater.
Sally looked back at Titus. “I love you, and I’m proud of you. You’ve been so strong through all of this.”
“I cried,” Titus admitted, and her heart broke a little more. “I missed you.”
“Awe, baby.” Sally pulled him into her arms. “I missed you, too. Always.”
She held him as her eyes met Costin’s, and she saw that the glow had faded a bit. He simply stared at her, as though he was afraid if he looked away, she would disappear. It reminded her of the way he’d stared at her when she’d first come home from Ocean Side, and it made her stomach turn. Sally didn’t want to retain any memories from that time, but she also knew she would be a fool to attempt to forget the past. The past was something that should be learned from, no matter how horrific, rather than erased. It was a part of her. It made her stronger, even as it made her feel vulnerable.
There was a knock on the wall, a patterned knock, and she couldn’t help but smile. Titus scurried from her arms and over to the wall and began knocking back. Sally’s eyes widened as she looked at her mate. “You taught him morse code?”
Costin shrugged as he reached out and ran a finger down her cheek. “It kept us both occupied. Jen is a good friend.”
Sally smiled. She realized from the emotions coming through their bond that Jen was a big reason Costin was sitting across from her, sane instead of feral. “She’s a damn good friend.”
“Aunt Jen said someone better tell her what the hell is going on,” Titus said in his sternest voice, as if he felt the need to speak on her behalf rather than just relay her message.
Costin grabbed Sally’s hand as he stood and pulled her up. He walked over to the wall, with her in tow, and began knocking a response. “I’m telling her you’re back, safe and sound.” He paused and stared down at her. “Relatively safe and sound,” he corrected.
There was more knocking from the other side, and Titus gasped. He shook his little head. “I can’t repeat that. I already got in trouble for using those words.”
Sally smiled, and it felt so freaking good. “It’s probably best to never repeat anything Aunt Jen says.”
Titus grinned. “That’s the same thing daddy said.”
“What did she say?” Sally asked. “And censor it, please.”
Costin pulled her closer to him. She knew he wasn’t going to be able to stop touching her. It was his wolf’s way of reconnecting and reassuring itself that she was truly safe. Sally would not complain. “She said she’s going to barbeque Alston’s aaas—er, butt, on a spit and then watch as the vultures eat his bal—uh, I mean … male reproductive organs.”
Sally’s eyes widened. “Wow, just when I don’t think she can get any more creative.”
“Oh, she’s been quite creative lately,” Costin assured her.
“Tell her that we’re getting out of this joint,” Sally said. “There’s no way I’m letting Alston take me from you two again,” she finished through their bond.
“It was bad, wasn’t it?” His voice sounded so broken but also full of rage.
“We will deal with it, but right now we have to put our heads together and figure out how to escape. We’re freaking supernatural beings. There has to be a way for us to get out.”
Costin nodded, his jaw tight with determination. “You’re right, Sally mine. We’re going to figure this out.” He began knocking a message to Jen, and a moment later they heard a scream, but not one of terror. This was a victory cry and then an ear-piercing howl.
Titus threw his head back and let out his own wolf howl. Though it was definitely puppy-like, it was not a little boy’s voice making the sound. It was a beast. Costin joined the cry, and then Sally heard another howl that she knew to be Jacque’s.
Hope flared inside of Sally. They could do this. They’d overcome impossible odds again and again. And they would do it one more time.
“I’ve tried contacting her, but there’s something blocking me.”
Vasile kept his wolf’s need to growl his frustration in check as he nodded to Cyn. She had been checking in with Vasile daily for the past five days while they tried to gather more information on the Order before meeting with all their other allies in the sprite realm. “It’s not your fault. Sometimes, as supernaturals, we forget that we aren’t all powerful. We have limitations. That doesn’t make us weak,” Vasile said.
“But what does it mean?” Wadim asked. Their pack historian, usually levelheaded, was irritable and short tempered. Vasile understood why. Wadim felt like he was letting their pack down because he couldn’t find the information they needed, and he was frustrated. Even after reaching out to the other packs to check their archives they still hadn’t found anything that might give them an inkling as to why the Order needed a gypsy healer or why they wanted to enslave the human population. Power, yes, that was a strong motivator to a select few with that kind of evil inside of them. But the Order was proving itself to be much larger than Vasile had realized. It had somehow been secretly thriving for all this time, and for some reason, the Order had decided now was the time to come out of hiding and take over the world. There had to be something they were missing.
“It means we need to trust that Peri is fine and doing what she needs to do,” Vasile explained, keeping his tone even. “Volcan is a threat, and she has been given charge over the five new healers that he’s attempting to capture. She told me she might have to leave. Did I expect it to be in the middle of a battle? No. But that is likely not something she could control. As for not being able to contact her…” He shook his head. “I don’t think something has happened to her. Remember she’s mated to my brother. He would come to me, and if she died, he would also, and I would know.”
Wadim appeared to calm slightly after Vasile’s explanation. Alina walked over to Wadim and wrapped her arms around him. It was a motherly hug, one he knew she needed to give because she saw all of their younger pack members as her own children. She felt responsible for their emotional well-being in the same way Vasile felt responsible for their physical well-being.
“How much longer are you going to wait before meeting in the sprite realm, Vasile?” Gavril asked.
The group Vasile had called together was smaller than usual because their other top members were captured or still in the United States. Gavril, Rachel, Wadim, Zara, Drake, Bethany, and Alina sat in the gathering hall around a table while the rest of the pack slept.
“Have you heard back from Ciro’s pack?” Vasile asked Wadim.
The historian shook his head. “He’s the only one who hasn’t responded.”
Alina sat down in the chair next to Vasile. “Isn’t he one of the alphas working with Perizada?”
“I have no clue,” Wadim said with a growl. “I’m the pack historian, and I know nothing.”
Vasile watched as Zara placed a hand on Wadim’s shoulder. She leaned into him, and he saw the younger wolf relax a bit. “You are doing what you can, just like the rest of us,” Vasile told him. “I will call the Italy pack and see if the historian can find anything. They are an old pack. They might have something.”
Vasile pulled out his cell phone. He didn’t bother to consider what time it was in Spain. He tuned out the group around him as he heard a voice answer his call.
“This is Vasile Lupei,” he said, speaking quickly. He spoke flawless Italian; it was easy to become fluent in many languages when you lived a very long time.
“How can I help you, Alpha?” the man on the other end asked. “Our alpha is indisposed at the moment.”
“I’m aware of Ciro’s situation,” Vasile assured him, though he didn’t mention it was only because his amazing mate had her head on straight and remembered what he hadn’t. “I need to speak with your pack historian. We need whatever information she might have on the Order of the Burning Claw.”
There was silence and then a cough that sounded strained. “O-of course, Alpha. Let me get her.”
A moment later, a female voice came through the line. “Alpha Vasile,” the woman said. “This is Selena. I’m the pack historian here. What can I do for you?”
Vasile gave a quick rundown of the situation. “I would ask that you be discrete about this until Ciro returns, please. We do not need other packs reacting to this information out of fear or some need to prove themselves capable of removing a threat.”
“Of course. I will keep this between us. I will search our archives immediately.
“Wadim is our historian. Please relay the information to him.” Vasile gave her the historian’s personal phone number. “Thank you, Selena. I appreciate your help and discretion.”
“Absolutely,” the she-wolf said and then hung up. Vasile appreciated that she didn’t ask a million questions. His patience was running thin, and he didn’t want to bark at someone who didn’t deserve it.
“What do we do now?” Drake asked as he pulled his mate closer to him.
Vasile was about to answer, but his phone rang. He saw the name on the screen and knew they were out of time. “Andora,” he spoke the sprite queen’s name into the phone without preamble.
“The seers have informed me that you have trouble headed your way,” she replied, also without wasting time on small talk. As she was speaking, fae began flashing into the room, ferrying other supernatural beings. In a matter of minutes, their Arizona army was standing in the gathering room of the Keep.
“I see you sent assistance,” Vasile said.
“You know we are only allowed to intervene so much, and we’ve likely already exceeded what is allowable,” the sprite queen said. “There are consequences for wielding our power, and they will be dire.”
He paused as he considered what she was saying. “I am aware, and I am in your debt.”
“We cannot join you in this battle, Vasile,” Andora said solemnly. “That is part of the payment for sharing the future with you. You have a battle coming. You must hurry. You need to fight with a brutality of which I’m not sure all of your people are capable. You must not lose this fight.”
“What are you keeping from me, Andora?” Vasile heard his phone crack under the pressure of his grip.
“I’ve already said too much. May the Great Luna be with you.” The line went dead.
Vasile took several deep breaths. His wolf was growing quiet, which was not a good sign.
“We will get through this,” Alina’s voice came from beside him a moment before her hand slid into his. “We have an army ready to fight with us. Lead them, my love, as you have led many others to victory.”
He turned to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then he lifted his eyes to the room that had moments ago only held a handful of people. He saw Cypher and Lilly, along with around twenty warlock warriors. Chris Morgan was also back. Jeff Stone, the Coldspring alpha, and at least ten of his pack members were present. Jareth the djinn was there, which was the equivalent of the entire room. Nissa, the high fae had returned as well as Riven and Vale, the fae warriors who seemed to lead the others, and at least twenty or more fae who had brought everyone. Thalion and Cyn and around a score of elf warriors stood ready. Tyler, the Missouri alpha, and fifteen of his pack members were present.
Vasile couldn’t help but let his eyes roam looking for Lucian and Perizada, but they weren’t there. These, along with his own pack, would have to be enough. He had no idea what the Order was bringing, but he knew everyone in this room was willing to die to keep the Order from taking power.
“It appears we are out of time,” Vasile said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear him. The room went silent, and all eyes turned toward him. “We are in your debt for coming and defending our pack.”
“We are all pack,” the king of the warlocks said. “Pack is family. Family. They are the people we are willing to lay down our lives and bear our swords for.”
There was a rumble of agreement throughout the hall. Vasile nodded. “You are right, Cypher. We are pack. We don’t have to be Canis lupus to be pack. And I will fight proudly beside you all.
“Andora was not able to give me details, but from what I could gather from her tone, this will be bloody. Fight dirty if you must, for your enemy is not honorable and will not give you a fair fight. Strike to kill, not to capture.” He felt Alina tense beside him. His mate could be ruthless, but she had a gentle heart. Then he felt her pull her shoulders back and raise her chin. His Luna was entering battle mode.
“The people coming for us have captured many of my pack,” Alina said. “They have my grandson, my daughter-in-law, our Beta’s mate and child, and our healer, her mate, and their son. Our enemies have no morals. They care not who they hurt. They lost their chance at mercy when they dared to lay hands on those in our care, those who are our future. Our young, who we hope will be better than ourselves. Our pups, who we raise to see value in all life and to defend those weaker than themselves.
“We will raise our swords, our arrows, and our claws to fight this foe, and we will win because we are the only thing that stands between their evil and the rest of the world. And if any of us should fall in this battle, you go to the Great Luna knowing you gave up everything in order to help those who need you and cannot help themselves. May the Great Luna bless our sacrifice and fight alongside us in battle.”
There was no victorious cheer or battle cry. There was too much at stake. Vasile directed Gavril, Drake, and Wadim to take anyone who might need weapons to the armory to be outfitted. Then the alpha and his mate headed for the pack’s sleeping quarters. He’d be awakening his warriors from their slumber, not merely asking them to give up a good night’s sleep, but quite possibly their lives.
By the time they had roused the pack, the Order had showed up in force.