Lucian pacedin his mate’s living room. Notherliving room, he thought.Ourliving room. They were mates. What was his was hers, and what was hers was his. He nearly grinned at what she would say to him if he told her that. He wasn’t surprised she hadn’t heard the thought through their bond. She’d been restless for the past few hours, and he knew she was ready to check on things with the Romania pack but also felt beholden to the five healers who’d recently been through hell.
Peri was worried because things had not gone as planned at the Arizona battle. First, they’d showed up to surprise the Order, and instead,they’dbeen the ones surprised. Then, Peri had been unable to stay and help them. Her first priority had been to the healers that the Great Luna had placed in her care.
Now, they’d defeated Volcan, but that didn’t mean everything was finished. The females were facing a new future. They had mates and would be going all over the world to take their place in their new packs. It was a lot to take in. They’d spent the last months just trying to survive. But now their focus was the fact that they essentially had husbands and were going to be joining families they’d never met. They were still relatively new to the supernatural world, and Peri was worried how they might accept these new realities.
He turned the minute he felt her presence in the room. As usual, she was stunning. She never failed to take his breath away and knew she never would. Her eyes were filled with unspoken confusion as she battled with what to do.
“How can I help?” He could give his counsel, but he would not make the decision for her. If he disagreed, he would give his input. That’s what partners did. They discussed, and they weighed all the options and possible outcomes, and they supported one another even if they didn’t always agree.
“Figure out a way to give me world peace and then take me on a very long, very relaxing vacation,” she said, her voice teasing but tired.
“I would give you anything if it was in my power to do so,” he promised.
“I know, wolf. I know.”
Elle walked into the room, her hands were closing into fists and then opening again, and her head was tilted in a defiant way that Peri knew all too well. “You’ve got new information you’re not sharing with us.” She spoke up from where she stood next to her mate, Sorin, who was leaning against the wall next to the front door. “You’ve not been yourself since you returned from the human realm. Even after defeating Volcan, you’ve been off.” Elle narrowed her eyes on Peri. “I’ve known you a very long time, comrade. What aren’t you saying?”
Peri opened her mouth to respond, but in the same instance Cyn suddenly appeared in the room, covered in blood and breathing as if she’d just run fifty miles. She stunk of dark magic, blood magic, and death.
Lucian’s instincts kicked in, and he stepped slightly in front of Peri. He would never quell the need to protect her, no matter how powerful she was. She was his mate first and a high fae second.
Peri’s stomachdropped to the floor like a ton of bricks as she looked at her long-time friend. “What the hell has happened? And why do you have blood magic coating you?”
“The Order attacked the Keep,” Cyn breathed out and then added, “Isstillattacking the Keep. I tried to contact you a few days ago but couldn't even feel you. Alston used an absence of light spell. The fool didn’t consider that some of us fae are powerful enough to light ourselves up. And we have a djinn who seems to have a penchant for tossing out thousands of tiny glowing orbs.”
“What Alston didn’t consider was the light that we produce will always break through the darkness that evil produces. He didn’t forget about some of our abilities. His vanity just made him overconfident.” She frowned as she remembered what Cyn had said about not sensing her. “We were in the draheim realm. That’s why you couldn’t feel me,” Peri said. “Volcan gave us a run for our money, though I still didn’t look as bad as you afterward. But I’ve been here for days. Why didn’t you try again?”
Cyn’s eyes narrowed. “I did, dammit. I don’t know why it didn’t work. But that’s not the bloody point right now. Right now the point is, even with a djinn and glowing fae, we aren’t winning. Drake has been stabbed. It’s a mortal wound, and as you know, he has a pregnant mate. Nissa has gone to the sprites to see if their healers can do something, and she told me to find you no matter how I had to go about doing it. Thankfully, this is the first place I decided to check, despite the fact that I haven’t been able to feel you. We need you and Lucian.”
Peri turned to Lucian. “Can you gather everyone? It's time to send them to their respective homes.” He nodded and strode out of the room.
Lucian returned a minute later with the healers and their mates in tow.They filed in and made a semicircle around Peri and Cyn. All of them appeared shocked at the fae warrior’s appearance.
Adam rushed over, took Cyn’s chin in his hand, and turned her face to look at him. They’d been friends a very long time, and Peri wasn’t surprised to see the worried look on his face. “Are you okay?” he asked her.
Cyn nodded. “None of the blood is mine. But time is of the essence. We need to get this done.”
“Get what done?” Ciro asked.
Peri turned to look at the group, and her heart squeezed tightly in her chest. These girls had relied on her for some time, and now she felt like she was just throwing them to the wolves, literally. But they had to stand on their own two feet at some point. They’d faced Volcan bravely, and they’d made huge sacrifices. They would be fine, and their mates would make sure of it.
“It’s time you all returned to your packs,” she told Italy’s alpha. “The Order of the Burning Claw has attacked the Romania pack Keep.”
“That’s not all,” Cyn added.
Peri’s head snapped around to her. She knew that whatever the warrior was about to say, it was going to piss her off.
“They took the pups. Alston and Skender, during the Arizona battle. You’d already left. Jen, Jacque, Sally, and Costin were also taken.”
Peri felt her mate’s hand on her back as he steadied her. Peri closed her eyes and focused on keeping her power from flowing out of her and possibly hurting those in the room. After she was under control, she opened her eyes. “They’ve had them captured for a week?”
Cyn gave a single, sharp nod.
The room erupted into chatter as male voices demanded to join them and assist the Romania pack. Peri couldn’t even think clearly at the moment. All she could see was little Slate, Thia, and Titus. She imagined the rage on Jen’s face and the anguish on Jacque’s. Then her mind went to Sally, and Peri wanted to vomit. The evil ones who had harmed her so deeply now had her mate and child, too.
Lucian held up his hand, silencing the group. “There is no time to argue. Ciro, Gustavo, Kale, Dalton, and Nick,” he said, looking at each of the males. “your packs have been without you for long enough.”
“Nick, Kale, and Dalton, you may not be the alphas of your packs, but you are betas for a reason, and there’s no doubt that your alphas need your support now. It is important that you get home, take care of your mates, and make sure they feel at home in their new packs. Prepare for what is coming. This battle will not be like the skirmishes we have faced in the past. This will be global. It will not be quick, and more than likely, it will lead to the humans becoming aware of the supernatural world. Go home and ready yourselves and your packs.”
