“Son of a troll's ass.” Myanin slammed her hand onto the table.
“Don’t think that’s a thing,” Anna muttered, then held up her hands in a placating gesture when the djinn shot her a glare. “Just saying that being the son of anyone’s ass would be quite a feat.”
Jen shrugged. The healer wasn’t wrong. Myanin mumbled something about cotton candy and turned her eyes away from Anna.
“In summary,” Heather said, “Kara hasn’t been found, Lucian is out of his cell, Peri is off her rocker and hiding out in a realm full of dragons, and the veil to that realm is locked.”
“Also,” Lilly added softly, “we have no idea how many of the Order leaders survived.”
“Add Tenia and Torion, the fae and her son, to that list. We don’t know if they survived the cold fire. Maybe if Peri did, then she managed to get them out,” Myanin said, her voice strained as if it hurt to talk about the people she mentioned.
Jen pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. No worries. They had faced impossible odds before and beaten them. “It does suck,” Jen agreed, “but then, most things in life do.”
“Agreed,” Anna, Stella, and Heather said in unison.
“But that simply makes the victories even better.” Jen looked around the table. “And we have had many victories.”
“Kicking ass is sort of our thing.” Jacque’s voice came from behind her. Jen turned to see her best friend walking in. She wore black boots, black jeans, and a black shirt and jacket. Her red hair had been tamed into a braid so it was away from her face. She looked ready for battle.
“Damn straight it is.” Jen smiled.
Sally stood up and walked over to Jacque. She wrapped her arms around her friend and gave her a quick squeeze then stepped back. “I’m pretty sure we’ve earned an advanced degree in kicking ass.”
"A doctorate in ass kicking even," said Jacque.
"Dr. Ass Kicker. I like the sound of that," added Jen.
“You’re on a leave of absence from kicking ass, brown eyes,” Costin said from where he still sat. Sally rolled her eyes at him, and he gave her his trademark dimpled smile and winked.
Lilly stood next and smiled at her daughter. “You’ve been kicking ass since you and Jen had it out in the front yard when you were three. I’ve no doubt we’ve got this.”
"You kept the locks of hair we ripped out as keepsakes," said Jacque with a smile.
The rest of the group around the table smiled and stood. Each of the fae pulled blades from various places on their person and laid them on the table. Each wolf turned toward Jacque and bared their necks to her. Jewel lifted her hands and lightning began to dance in her palms, jumping from finger to finger. Stella and Anna joined her. Then the two high fae both began to glow, the brightness filling the room like the noonday sun.
“Why do I feel like I’m missing something?” Heather asked. She stood next to her mate, but her hands weren't raised like the other healers.
“Wheeler power,” Stella said. “Light it up, Helen.”
“Oh, right. This is a knight's round table moment, isn’t it?” Heather raised her hands, and her own lightning began to bounce around in her palms.
“I usually go withThe Fellowship of the Ring,” Jen said absently.
“I like it.” Heather grinned.
“No,” Jacque said, her voice strong as it filled the entire hall. “This is a moment forus. For those who need us. For those who have sacrificed for us. This is a moment for the pack.”
“FOR THE PACK!” The voices around the table rose as one. Then those who weren’t at the table—the pack members, the sprites, and the fae—added their voices to the battle cry.
When the room fell silent again, Jacque looked at Disir. “Now, let’s get that veil open and do what Peri has done so many times for us.”
ChapterEight
“I don’t know his name, and I can’t see his face, but at night, when all is still and the darkness takes over the light, I hear his quiet voice. It soothes me. I dread the daylight because then he is gone, and the emptiness is overwhelming.” ~Kara
Kara didn’t have to turn around to know that Ludcarab had entered her room. The elf king’s power was familiar to her now. She’d been his prisoner for a little over a month now, at least that’s what the marks she’d made on the wall behind her door indicated. She wasn’t entirely sure they were accurate, however, because sometimes she felt as if she’d lost time, like maybe she’d blacked out for some reason. Oftentimes, she would find herself standing in the middle of the room or staring out of a window with no recollection as to how she got there or what she’d been doing.
Though Kara knew he would stand there quietly until she turned and looked at him, she didn’t acknowledge the elf king right away. They were engaged in a not-so-subtle power struggle. When she’d realized his twisted tactic—that he always waited for her to face him before he greeted her—Kara had resolved to beat him at his own game. She tried to wait him out, hoping he’d leave if she didn’t do what he wanted. The longest she’d made it had been three hours. She realized then that someone as old as Ludcarab had, no doubt, endless patience. Life wasn’t a sprint to him; it wasn’t even a marathon. It was a thousand-mile hike across continents. She took a deep breath, hoping to ensure she wouldn’t vomit as she finally turned around. Her eyes met Ludcarab’s, and the desire in them nearly caused her to double over.
