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WHEN WE WERE ALL GATHERED in the kitchen, Quin glanced at Mirra. The siren had managed to get the portal to take us to London the last time. She did it again by merely concentrating on where she wanted it to take us.
Without Harrow there to help us this time, Jake and Quin had to force the kitchen door open. It resisted them, but finally creaked open. Connor poked his head out to make sure the coast was clear, then coughed and waved his hand in front of his face. “The entire room has been destroyed by hellfire,” he reported. Testing the scorched floor, he seemed to think it would hold.
We followed him out, then Jake and Quin sidled out last, letting the door go. Sweeping my eyes around the room that had been vaporized by the demon, I couldn’t stop myself from flinching. This is what my insides would have looked like before Mirra’s blood had helped reverse the damage. Nothing had survived Spencer’s wrath when he’d realized we’d stolen the dragon heart from him. The table, chairs and other furniture had been turned to ash. The walls, floor and ceiling were black and charred, but the damage had been contained to this room from the looks of it.
“Let’s get out of here before Von Hades makes a surprise appearance,” Jake said.
Rudy didn’t need to be told twice and teleported us back to the Scottish Archives. Cheers rang out when we appeared in the library. Blair and Jean hurried over to inspect the holy weapons we’d acquired. “Did you get a chance to test them on the Dread Wraiths?” Jean asked.
“We did,” Quin replied. “They worked.” Another cheer rang out. “They can kill the undead felines, too, which means we now have an edge.”
“What about the demon?” Blair asked. “Will they be able to kill him?”
“No,” Jake said and flicked a look at me. “But they can wound him enough for Ari to hopefully be able to finish him off with a spell.”
“We’ll need your help to do this,” Quin said, making sure to meet as many eyes as she could. “We can’t do this alone.”
“We’re with you, alpha,” the werebear leader said in his deep voice. “Lead us into battle like our ancestors of yore. If we die, then we will die knowing our bravery and sacrifice will live on in the memories of our descendants when we are victorious.”
Shouts of agreement and roars of approval sounded in a cacophony that was enough to make my ears ring. They’d already lost a lot of people, but they were determined to stay with us to the end. They knew that if we failed, their entire species would be wiped out. Von Hades might enslave the humans, but he would eradicate anyone else he saw as a threat. That included all supernatural creatures.
“When are we going to war?” Blair asked when the hubbub died down.
Quin had already thought our plan through and had an answer ready for him. “When night falls in West Virginia tomorrow. For now, rest up, restock your ammo and spend some time with your loved ones.”
With that order, we dispersed. Taking Quin’s advice, the H.E. and our closest friends spent a few hours just talking and reminiscing about missions we’d been on. Jake embarrassed me by telling the team about some of my mistakes I’d made from inexperience and too much enthusiasm when I’d first become a hunter.
Jonah laughed so hard at some of them that he turned transparent. I was tempted to banish him to his cell, but contented myself with a glower. I was glad Lilly wasn’t there to hear it. She was busy in the bedroom with her new boyfriend. If they lived through the coming battle, they would surely become mates.
That raised a question I’d been wondering about and I turned to Connor. “What happens when true shapeshifters from different clans become mates? Which animal does the clan turn into?”
“That depends on which alpha is stronger,” he replied.
“Surely, the male would always be stronger,” Winston said, then blanched at the narrow stare Quin gave him. “Er, that is, they would usually be stronger,” he amended.
“I don’t mean physically stronger,” Connor said with a smile. “I mean whichever one has the greatest willpower passes their animal on to the offspring that are produced by the clan members. Any members who join rather than are born into the clan retain their own animals, of course.”
“Who is stronger between Blair and Jean?” I asked.
“Blair,” he replied. “His father was also the stronger alpha, which is why there were two Cougar Clans.”
“Were?” Mirra asked. She sat next to her mother, who looked more like her older sister than her parent.
“His father’s clan were wiped out by vampires a few centuries ago,” Connor told her.
“Something tells me Lilly is going to be leading her clan,” I said wryly. “She always seems to get her way.”
“Not always,” my mate reminded me and leaned in for a kiss. “She didn’t get me.”
“Remember when you went feral and were going to rip Lilly’s arms off?” Jonah said in reminiscence.
“I didn’t go feral,” I denied. “I just lost my temper for a short while. Then you went and teleported us here and got us locked up in the cell. I had to wear Roderick’s clothes after he rescued us.”
Jonah sniggered and wiped away a spectral tear of laughter. “That was hilarious,” he said.
Quin checked her watch and circled her finger in the air. “We should try to get some sleep. I want you all to be well rested when we take on Von Hades and his minions.”
“That means no staying up all night to have sex, you two,” Winston told Connor and me in a mock stern tone.
“Speaking of which,” Jake murmured when Roderick and Stephanie walked into the room. He could always tell when two people had been intimate. He saw their connection as gold threads linking them. From the way they were holding hands and blushing, it was obvious they’d grown pretty close.
“Congratulations,” Connor said, rising and offering Roderick his hand. “I’m sure you’ll make Stephanie very happy.” We all heard the subtle threat behind his words.
“I’ll do my best,” the Archivist said nervously.
“I’m really happy for you,” Mirra said with a hint of jealousy as she hugged Stephanie. Sirens didn’t tend to stay with one man for long. They were immortal and humans grew old and died far too quickly. A relationship with a mortal would always end in heartbreak. Mirra craved the company of someone who saw her for herself rather than someone who was attracted by her supernatural allure. Now that I’d crafted her a necklace that would allow her to switch her power off, she had the chance to find someone to suit her. While she might not be looking for a permanent relationship, I hoped she could find someone who could make her happy for a while.
Arm in arm with Connor, we walked to our room. Jonah tried to follow us inside, but my mate gave him a flat stare.
“I’ll just give you two some time alone, shall I?” my bestie said. He put his hands up when Winston and Brandi appeared. The ghosts had an annoying habit of congregating in our room. I’d bound them to their objects and it had forged a link between us even though I wasn’t Winston’s or Brandi’s leash holder. “They’re going to get naked,” he told his spectral companions.
“Of course they are,” Winston said, rolling his eyes. “They never let us watch. What sort of puppet masters are they?” Jonah led them away with the older ghost complaining the entire time.
Closing the door, Connor leaned against it and looked me up and down. “Alone at last,” he said.
“I guess we’d better make the most of it,” I replied with a wicked smile, then closed the distance between us. This could be our last night together and I was going to make it a memorable one.
