Grayson stared down into his mate’s eyes and wished with everything in him that there wasn’t a battle raging around them, or that he could drag his mate inside. However, the doors had been closed to protect the innocents within. He’d dragged Ethan to the castle wall so that at least nothing could attack them from behind, because he couldn’t bring himself to trust that the queen would protect Ethan after what they’d discovered earlier.
“That’s what the Oracle said? Exactly? Nothing else?” Ethan asked with what looked to be fear in his eyes.
Without thinking twice, Grayson pulled his mate into his arms and held him tight. “It’ll be okay, mate. I don’t know how, I just know it will. I won’t let anyone take you away from me. I swear it.”
“I know, Gray, however I really do need to know if the Oracle said anything else,” Ethan said, leaning back in Grayson’s arms.
Leaning down, Grayson kissed his mate softly before responding. “No, that was all she said. Like I said, the bit about black magic doesn’t make any sense to me. Instead, I’ve focused on the part about my mate, about you.” Grayson paused, staring into Ethan’s eyes. “The Oracle’s words confused me, but I didn’t care. All I cared about was the fact that soon I would have my mate. I love you, Ethan.”
As Ethan’s eyes fill with tears, Grayson opened his mouth to comfort him, but Ethan spoke.
“I love you, too, Gray. More than anything. I’m never letting you go and as soon as we can, I’m taking you to my home where I can build a life with you. You’ll love it, or at least I hope you will. This time of the year, the ground is covered in snow, actually it’s covered in snow all year round, but it looks beautiful. And there’s heaps of room so Adam and Russell can have their own space, and if you want a pack, there’ll be a place for them, too—”
Grayson slammed his mouth down on top of Ethan’s, trying to infuse as much love through their kiss as possible. Remembering their mental bond, he opened himself up and let his joy and love flow through. Hearing Ethan moan in his arms, he picked him up when a voice interrupted them.
“Grayson, you don’t have time to ravage your mate,” Russell stated.
“Yeah, there’s a battle going on around us and somehow I don’t think they’ll stop attacking just so you can fuck your mate silly,” Adam added, amusement obvious in his voice.
The reminder of what was happening was enough to calm his wolf at the interruption and contain his arousal. Slowly bringing the kiss to an end, Grayson eventually released his mate’s lips only to groan at the glazed look in his eyes.
“As soon as this battle is over, I’m taking you to bed,” Grayson growled out.
He watched as Ethan nodded and then seemed to come back to his senses. “Right, battle first, fucking second.”
Grayson snorted at his mate while Adam and Russell laughed. An explosion sounded from a few feet away. They all ducked, and Grayson’s wolf started growling. It annoyed him to no end that as a wolf shifter there was little that he could do against the dark arts.
“You know, it irritates the crap out of me that we can’t do anything,” Adam stated, echoing Grayson’s own thoughts.
“Why can’t you do something?” Ethan asked.
“Because we’re only wolf shifters. What can we do against black magic?” Grayson pointed out.
His mate’s brows furrowed. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but then what are you three doing here?”
Grayson sighed. “You know, I’m starting to think the same thing. We were asked to be representatives and try to get Queen Arabella to agree to help the shifters with protecting themselves against the Midnight Coven. I’m an alpha with two betas and no pack. The alphas of the other packs formed a council of sorts and then sent us with some fancy title because none of them wanted to leave their homes, yet all of them needed protection.”
“Yeah, and they fed us some bogus prophecy to get us to agree,” Adam added.
“What bogus prophecy? How many prophecies are going around?” Ethan asked, his exasperation evident as his gaze went from one to the other before settling on Grayson.
“It was nothing really. They said the prophecy stated that the Fae held the key and would know where to find the white witch that uses black magic. I guess we should have known it was bogus just by that. I mean, how can a witch be called a white witch if she uses black magic?”
Ethan stilled in his arms, and he noticed the shock and slight paleness of his features. “Ethan?”
****
Ethan’s head was spinning. “The prophecy said that there would be a white witch and that she uses black magic?” he squeaked out.
“Yes, but there’s no way that could happen. Everyone knows that as soon as a white witch uses black magic she is no longer a white witch,” Grayson added, looking worried. Ethan couldn’t comfort him just yet, not until he confirmed what had been said.
“Forget about that for a minute. Their exact words were find the white witch that uses black magic?” Ethan asked, needing to be sure.
“Yes…Ethan, what’s going on?” Grayson asked, placing a hand on his cheek and using his thumb to rub circles on Ethan’s cheekbone.
Sighing, Ethan decided to listen to his gut. “It wasn’t a bogus prophecy.”
“What?” the three men yelled in unison.
“How do you know?” Grayson inquired.
“Is it possible for a white witch to remain white if they use black magic?” Russell demanded.
“We’re so fucked, and not in a good way,” Adam added.
Shaking his head, Ethan went to explain, when suddenly another explosion sounded and a chime rang through the air.
“What’s that?” Grayson growled out.
“It’s to warn everyone that the enemy is getting close to breaching the shields. Shit, we can’t let that happen!” Ethan exclaimed, then slipped between the men and ran ahead.
He heard Grayson swear, followed by the sounds of footsteps, yet he didn’t slow or look behind him. Coming to the top of the staircase, Ethan froze and took in the sight before him.
A few of the Fae had fallen, their bodies left on the lawn, but a higher number of coven members were down. Ravyn was still battling, trying to reach Queen Arabella, and so was Ebony.
As he took a step, Ethan’s arm was grabbed, and he was spun around and pulled a few feet away from the top of the stairs, facing his mate.
“What are you doing?” Grayson demanded.
Staring up at him, Ethan took hold of his face and brought him down for a quick yet passionate kiss. Leaning back, he stared into Grayson’s eyes, watching the color flick from gray to amber and back again.
“I’m going to end this.”
“What? How?” Grayson asked, worry crossing his face.
“By joining the fight,” Ethan replied, watching his mate closely. Suddenly, he was looking into the eyes of the wolf, his wolf, and he knew he had to protect them.
Grayson growled, a sound so feral that had it been anyone other than his mate, Ethan would have used his magic to subdue him. “No! You will not! I will die before I let anything happen to you.”
“Gray—” Ethan was cut off when an explosion hit the ground nearby.
Grayson’s arms steadied him, keeping him from ending up on his ass. When he looked up into his mate’s face, there was fear and determination battling for dominance in his eyes. “I need you to run, Ethan. I need you to be safe. I’ll go and help the others, but you have to run.”
Shaking his head was the closest Ethan came to saying no. He just couldn’t get the words out of his mouth, what Grayson was asking of him was too much. He wouldn’t leave his mate behind.
“Please, Ethan, I love you and I need you to live,” Grayson whispered, then pulled him into his arms and kissed him senseless.
Suddenly Ethan was standing there, trying to catch his balance while his lips tingled and his body felt boneless. Snapping back to himself, he turned around to see Grayson already heading down the stairs with Adam and Russell close behind him.
Beema?
Yes, my witch?
Turning to look at his familiar, their gazes locked and a song stirred in Ethan’s mind.
It’s time, he declared.
Yes, that it is, beloved witch.
Let’s end this.
With determination driving him, Ethan followed his mate down the stairs. Grayson had already managed to reach his aunt, and Ravyn and Ebony were focusing all of their attention on the two of them. Adam and Russell stood by their alpha, keeping watch on those around them. Malice poured off of Ravyn. As he stood, the prophecy rang through his mind, and he accepted that the Shades of Power had already been united—that it was now time to fight.
His sister threw a ball of power straight at his mate. Without thinking twice, Ethan lifted his hand, palm facing the scene in front of him, and released his own ball of power. While his sister’s was as black as night, his was a brilliant sapphire blue. It hit the black and both exploded. The battle around them froze as everyone stopped and focused on him.
Taking advantage of the shock and disbelief on his sister’s features, Ethan quickly moved to stand in front of Grayson, facing the remaining members of the Midnight Coven.
Ethan! What are you doing? You’re supposed to be keeping yourself safe! Grayson bellowed in his mind.
I am, my love, but I need you to keep everyone back.
Are you insane? You’re going to get yourself killed!
Please, Gray, trust me. I will not die and neither will you. You belong to me, and I will destroy everyone else on this world and any others out there before I let you die!
Knowing he’d shocked Grayson, Ethan waited to see what he would do, never once taking his eyes off his sister.
If you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you! Grayson mentally threatened, seconds before he yelled out a command to the others. “Fall back, now!”
Ethan became aware of the lack of people in his immediate vicinity and relaxed. He could do this, and he would.
“Ravyn? What the hell is your brother doing?” Ebony asked, turning to face his sister.
He watched as she practically trembled in what Ethan assumed was rage.
“He is being an idiot. I don’t know how I ended up with someone so pathetic as a brother. Or at least, he’s the brother of the person I used to be, before I found the dark arts and learned who I really was.”
Ebony turned to face Ethan. “And yet, your brother was able to stop what should have been one of your most powerful attacks? Why is that?”
Ethan felt a small amount of satisfaction seeing his sister’s face drain of color before it was filled with the red of rage.
“Must be the blood we share,” she said, her jaw clenched tight.
“Is that why you can’t defeat your brother? Why all of your attempts to kill him have been unsuccessful?”
“Of course I can! I’m a real witch, and he is nothing but a dick with legs who makes potions!” his sister screamed out.
Ethan just stopped himself from laughing at her, but it was close. As the coven got ready to start attacking again, Ethan closed his eyes. Focusing onto the very center of his being, he looked for his true self. The self he’d locked away from the world when he’d met the Oracle who’d warned him to hide, then given him Beema and told him that if he was worthy, the familiar would be his. He could feel the black witches calling their magic, yet he didn’t dare open his eyes. Instead, he focused and finally found what he was looking for.
It was a ball in shades of blue, about the size of his fist, and when he mentally stroked it, it uncurled and went from a small ball to a tiny dragon, its wings curled around itself.
Come to me.
It unfurled, opened its mouth, and instead of releasing fire, power poured out of it until Ethan could feel himself coming into his powers.
Watch out! Grayson yelled.
When Ethan opened his eyes, a bigger ball of power hurtled toward him. Summoning a small ball of blue fire into each of his hands, he quickly raised them until they were side by side in front of him, facing the power hurtling toward him. He combined the two balls and sent them straight at the black magic, and although they were not even half the size, they easily destroyed it, leaving everyone speechless once more.
Releasing the control over his body and magic, Ethan let the power fill him completely. He knew his whole body was starting to glow, but he didn’t want to focus on that at the moment. No, he needed to watch as his familiar finally became what he was always supposed to be. He turned his head to the left as Beema stood still, a short distance away. Suddenly, Beema released a growl that belonged to a cat much bigger than his current form, and then he started to grow. He went from a small black house cat to a large panther, then kept growing. The fur retracted and he continued to change until finally he was standing there in his own true form.
Did Beema just turn into a dragon? Grayson whispered in his mind.
Yes, beloved. We have much to discuss later.
Focusing on his familiar, so much love filled Ethan. His Beema was finally what he should have been all along. Now all they had to do was defeat the Midnight Coven and life could go back to normal. Sort of.
“What?” his sister screeched, and Ethan swung his gaze back to her, smirking at the shocked expressions on the faces of the coven members.
Ebony appeared to be the first one to shake herself free from the shock. “It does not matter, call upon the Shades of Power, Ravyn, and we will finish them, even the dragon.”
Smirking at Ebony, Ethan asked, “You really think you’ve united the Shades of Power? You think a simple love potion would be enough to fool something that powerful?”
Satisfaction filled him when she looked doubtful, but soon she was back to looking confident.
“Of course they’re united!”
“You’re right, they are,” Ethan said. Triumph seemed to fill her before he said the words that would undoubtedly take it away. “But you’re not the ones who united them.”