Dread filled Grayson at the queen’s words. It looked like Ethan was right; the battle was coming and it was coming sooner than Grayson had expected. They watched as Fae hurried around, getting weapons and shields.
“What can we do to help?” he asked Queen Arabella.
“There’s not a lot you can do. There are only three of you, and while I’m not saying it to be cruel or anything, that’s a fact. There is only so much three wolf shifters can do against an army of black magic wielders. You’d be the first they throw their magic at.” There was a calculating look on her face and something in her voice that made him suspicious.
“They’re under my protection. Any black magic aimed at them will do nothing,” Ethan stated vehemently from his place next to Grayson.
When Grayson looked at his mate, there was fury in his expression. What caught and held his gaze was his mate’s eyes. They were glowing blue, and if Grayson didn’t know better, he’d say the pupils were blue, too.
“Ethan—” Queen Arabella started to say when Ethan shook his head.
“No, my mate and his family will be safe, you will not use them for your purposes,” Ethan vowed.
“And what about the Fae? They are my family and I am yours, do we not get the same loyalty?” Queen Arabella demanded.
Grayson’s wolf surged to the fore, a low growl rumbling from him because, queen or not, she had no right to speak to his mate like that.
“Did you use me to access the library?” Ethan demanded, and the change of topic obviously threw the queen because she flinched before she could control herself.
“Ethan—” she started to say, but Ethan cut her off again.
“Did you?” he demanded.
Grayson kept his attention on her as they all waited for her response.
“Yes,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
“Then no, Queen Arabella, you do not get the same loyalty.”
“E-Ethan—” the queen stuttered out, yet Ethan didn’t allow her to say more.
“As you said, the Fae are your family. As their queen, it is your duty to protect your people, not mine. I will help, however, do not think to use my mate or his betas as bait. Try it, and I will take them and leave.”
Having never seen this side of his mate, Grayson was surprised and a whole lot turned on. Trying to tell himself that hauling Ethan to their room right at this moment wasn’t a good idea, Grayson focused on the queen, only to see sadness in her expression as she eyed Ethan.
“Very well,” she agreed, her tone one of sorrow. She seemed to be on the verge of bursting into tears.
Then Ethan’s words registered. “You were going to use us as bait?” Grayson demanded, anger seeping into his voice and his wolf pushing to get out.
She sighed. “I’ll admit, the thought had crossed my mind, but I wouldn’t have done it. Ethan would have leveled everything if I did that and you ended up hurt.” Just then a guard moved up to her and drew her attention away from them.
“Um, you could level this place, Ethan?” Adam asked, somewhat tentatively.
“Yes.” Ethan sounded completely confident in his ability to cause destruction. Grayson took advantage of the moment to speak to Ethan while the queen was preoccupied.
“I would like to make just one thing clear, mate.” Grayson paused and waited until Ethan looked at him before continuing. “Yes, I am your mate. However, what you need to realize is that Adam and Russell are your family just as much as they are mine.”
“Yeah, what was up with that? How could you think you could get rid of us that easily?” Adam added, and seconds later, they all burst out laughing, earning some funny looks from the Fae running around.
“Okay, okay, we’re all one big happy family,” Ethan said once he sobered a little. “To be honest, my family hasn’t exactly been the best, and I didn’t want to assume anything. We’ve only really known each other for a little while—“
“Yet you feel like you’ve know us, especially Adam, forever?” Russell teased.
Ethan snickered before responding. “Something like that.”
“Regardless, we’re in this together,” Grayson said, pulling Ethan into his arms.
“He’s right. Just don’t tell him that too often, or it might go to his head,” Adam pretended to whisper, and Ethan once again burst out laughing. Only this time, he was in Grayson’s arms and the movement against his own body had his cock taking an interest.
****
Ethan was relieved by his mate’s words, and the support of Adam and Russell. He cared about Grayson, Adam, and Russell and would do everything in his power to protect them. To be able to refer to them as his family was something he hadn’t expected to happen, at least not so quickly.
Once he noticed Grayson’s cock taking an interest in their closeness, Ethan quickly stepped back. Although he would have loved to take his mate to bed, there was a battle coming, which was why they were making their way to the castle entrance with the Fae guards. Queen Arabella walked in front, wearing shining battle armor. It looked decorative only, but Ethan could feel the magic that surrounded it. The armor was made for situations like this, the near-perfect state of it attesting to the fact that no one had ever managed to get close enough to do it any damage.
“Shit!” Adam exclaimed as they came to a halt outside at the top of the staircase leading down to the lawn and took in the scene before them. Hundreds of people wearing nothing but black were lined up facing the castle, and front and center was his sister. Next to her was a stunningly beautiful woman who radiated power. Ethan guessed that she was the official leader of the Midnight Coven, the position Ravyn craved.
“They sure are cocky,” Russell mumbled.
It took Ethan a few seconds to understand what he meant by that, then he realized that instead of using the trees to cover their backs, the coven was spread out halfway between the trees and castle. It was as if they weren’t expecting any resistance from the Fae.
“What are you doing here, Midnight Coven?” Queen Arabella demanded. Using magic, she projected her voice so that while there was plenty of space separating the two groups, both would hear the conversation as if they were standing in front of each other. She stood proud in front of her castle and her people as her guards prepared themselves for any surprise attacks. The entry doors were far enough away from the stairs that those standing guard would have plenty of time to defend the entrance.
“Why, we’re here to tell you we’ve fulfilled the prophecy, and as such, we’ll be taking the castle. Oh, and all of your powers,” the coven leader replied, looking smug. She wasn’t so far away that Ethan couldn’t clearly see her features.
“And what prophecy would that be?” Arabella asked.
“The prophecy involving the Shades of Power.”
Ethan noticed the subtle tensing of his aunt’s shoulders, knowing he was the only one to recognize the action.
Is that what she was looking for in the library? he couldn’t help but wonder to himself.
“What is it about this prophecy that makes you think you can fulfill it?”
Ethan’s gut cramped at his aunt’s question. She knew! he mentally sent to Grayson and Beema.
It would seem like it was Grayson’s growled response.
After this battle, we will go home while she learns the error of her ways, Beema vowed.
Agreed. Ethan narrowed his eyes. When they won this battle, he was taking his mate home, unless…
Turning to Grayson, he blurted out, “Where do you live?” He ignored the snickers coming from Adam and Russell and focused on his mate as Grayson met his gaze.
“Nowhere and everywhere. I may be an alpha with two betas, I just don’t have a pack. Not yet anyway. If your aunt doesn’t mind us sticking around for a short while, we can live here until we decide where we want to go.”
Ethan was shaking his head before Grayson finished speaking. “No, when this is over, we’re going home,” he whispered.
“I thought your home blew up?” Adam asked, keeping his voice low. Just as Ethan opened his mouth to respond, the coven leader replied to his aunt’s question.
“The prophecy is quite simple really. When the Shades of Power unite, nothing will be able to stop them. Love will bind them, strength will fill them, and power will flow from them. With the essence of Black, White, and Gray, the Shades of Power will unite and become the greatest power the world has ever known.” She let her words hang in the air.
Ethan frowned. That wasn’t the prophecy, that was the information on the Shades of Power, but the prophecy was different. Thinking back, he remembered the words the magic spoke.
The time will come, when darkness spreads across the land. When evil has the strongest hold, and Destiny succumbs, the fight for survival will begin. The Fae hold the key, and once the Shades of Power unite, nothing will stop them. Black magic will be released, and good will finally triumph over evil.
He heard his aunt scoff. “And how exactly have you fulfilled this so-called prophecy?”
The smile on the coven leader’s face was pure evil. “We combined the essence of Black, White, and Gray as the prophecy foretold. Of course, once it was clear that the prophecy was referring to people with those names, it was simple to combine the essences.” Turning to Ethan’s sister, she ran a hand over her hair, almost like she was patting a cat. “She may be known as Ravyn Darkh now, but before that—” Pausing, she looked right at Ethan. “—she was Destiny White.”
If she’d thought to shock him, she was in for a bucket load of disappointment. Ethan kept the bored expression on his face, even when her smug smile slipped from her face as she realized he wasn’t surprised by the news.
Instead, she turned to his sister and growled out. “He knows?”
Ravyn flinched, yet turned to meet the fury on her leader’s face. “I went to him to get the potion. When he didn’t cooperate, we blew up his apothecary and his pitiful little cabin.”
Well, that confirms that, Ethan mentally sent to Beema.
“And you didn’t think to tell me that you failed to kill him?” she demanded.
Ethan assumed she’d forgotten that they could all hear the conversation currently taking place between the two women.
“I had it under control. Besides, what does it matter now anyway? We’ve united the Shades of Power, and Ethan has only enough magic to claim a familiar, nothing more.” His sister was seething, however Ethan wasn’t sure if it was because of the conversation or the fact that she hadn’t managed to kill him. Knowing her, it could still be about the fact that Ethan had a familiar and she didn’t.
“Fine, he will not live once the castle is ours anyway,” the coven leader declared, and Ethan heard Grayson growl.
She won’t get me, mate. I promise.
He watched as the two women focused back on them. “Now where was I? Oh yes, that’s right. Destiny White was merely one third of the equation. Lucas Gray played his part well, even if it took some…convincing.” When she laughed, it sounded more like a cackle.
Lucas, that’s what his name was! Ethan felt bad that he hadn’t remembered his name earlier. He felt even worse for what the man might have gone through at the hands of these two women.
“So you most likely drugged this Lucas Gray into helping you. You’re still missing Black, and the element of love, if we’re to believe the so-called prophecy you mentioned.” To anyone who didn’t know the queen, like the entire Midnight Coven, Queen Arabella sounded triumphant over the missing elements. Ethan could tell she was goading the other woman, who immediately took her bait.
“Ah, but you see, a love potion is all you need for the binding. That and an absorption potion. Once Lucas spilled his seed in Ravyn, her body accepted his essence and the Shades of Power were united. For you see, I am Ebony Black, leader of the Midnight Coven and soon to be Queen of the Fae and all of the other kingdoms.”
The members of her coven let out a cheer at her words and started gathering their magic, readying themselves to attack.
“Shields!” Queen Arabella yelled, and Fae all around them started to call on their own magic to help defend the castle and all of the innocent people within.
Ethan watched as the coven members threw dark magic in every direction, only to have the magic hit invisible barriers. Before he could register what was happening, he was pressed against the castle wall, watching the backs of the three men.
“Shit, what do we do?” Adam asked.
“We trust the oracle. She told us everything would be fine if Grayson found his mate,” Russell said, and Ethan’s gaze snapped over to the man.
“What?” he asked, surprised at what he was hearing. Turning, he focused on Grayson to see what he would say.
After rubbing a hand down his face, Grayson turned around and locked gazes with him, and Ethan saw the worry evident in his eyes.
“On the way here, we met this Oracle, but we didn’t know who she was at first. We thought she was just this little old lady. She was frail, but determined to continue on her journey. We offered her some of the meat we had with us, since we were not only close to the castle, but we knew we could easily hunt down some more if we needed it. She accepted and spent the night at our camp, sleeping by the fire while we protected her. In the morning, we offered to escort her wherever she needed to go.”
“And she declined,” Ethan stated, knowing his guess was correct even before Grayson nodded.
“Yes. Before she left, she revealed that she was an Oracle. At first, I didn’t believe her, then when I looked into her eyes, I knew the truth.”
“What did she tell you?” Ethan asked curiously.
“She said, evil is almost upon you, but with your mate by your side, all will be well. Black magic will help. I still don’t understand the bit about black magic, though. Black magic is evil. Why would it help?”