Fane nodded. “Your dad is going to take some of his pack to Nevada and see if they can sniff anything out.”
“Pun intended again?” She smiled.
“I learned from the best.” He pressed a kiss to her temple.
Jacque took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Are we going to make it through this one, Fane?”
She waited for him to answer, and the silence between them lasted way too long for her liking. Finally, he said, “I won’t give you false platitudes, Luna. I can promise you to do my best as a warrior. I can give you my word that I will do everything I can to defeat Alston and keep our people from dying. But in the end, it is in the Great Luna’s hands.”
For a brief moment, Jacque was angry at the goddess, though she hated the feeling. Why wasn’t the Great Luna fighting this battle? Why didn’tshejust smite their enemies, or whatever it was a goddess could do? Jacque knew that her finite mind could not possibly understand all the ways of the Great Luna. She was the Creator, and Jacque was the created. Jacque knew she was created for a purpose, and it was her job to seek the will of the Great Luna, search out her purpose, and then live it. But sometimes, she wanted to throw her hands up in the air and say, “I give up.” Sometimes it felt as if her purpose was simply to fight a never-ending horde of evil and constantly wonder if there would ever be peace.
“The call to leadership is often a lonely road, Jacquelyn Lupei, mate of Fane.” The Great Luna’s voice filled the room. Fane and Jacque rolled to their knees and bowed their heads at their goddess. “It is a narrow road that requires you to keep one foot in front of the other. You do not look side to side or behind you. Your eyes remain forward on the prize before you. I will always lend you my strength when you ask, but I cannot fight your battles for you. To do so would be to deprive you of the opportunity to grow.
“If a mother deer gives her fawn too much assistance when she stumbles up onto her shaking legs, then the youngling will not gain the strength it takes to run, which it will need to do in order to get away from a predator. The mother would cripple her young. I will not cripple you. I will bolster you. I will shore you up on all sides. And when you face adversaries and suffer loss, I will comfort you and remind you that, ultimately, I am still the one in control. I have a purpose and a plan. And it is always for your good. I always have your best interest at heart. Take comfort in that, my child. I love you like no other ever will, Jacquelyn. And nothing can take you from me. For even in death, you are mine.”
Tears dripped down Jacque’s face as she let the words flow into her soul, and she felt the Great Luna’s love. She’d seen the goddess fight on their behalf before, and she’d experienced the great love of their Creator. For those reasons, Jacque would continue to place her faith in the one who loved them no matter what.
Fane wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head into his neck as they felt the light and warmth from the goddess leave. For a moment, she let herself lean on her mate. She soaked up his strength and his comfort. They would get through all of this, Jen’s pregnancy included, no matter the outcome. They would face it all together, and they would remind their pack and their allies that they weren’t alone in this battle, or any battle they would face.
“Brighter days are coming, beloved,” Fane said quietly.
Jacque pulled back and looked into his beautiful blue eyes. “Perhaps they’re already here. But instead of brighter days, they’re moments. All the more lovely because they are fleeting. We need to grab onto them with both hands and treasure them.”
Fane pressed his forehead to hers. “Agreed, my amazing mate.”
She let out a breath. “Let’s go spend some time with Slate. He and the other children remind us of what we are fighting for: a safer future for them.”
* * *
“You’re dead.”The male’s voice shook as he and his other two companions took a step backward.
Peri stared at the three fae prisoners that Fane and his hunting party had captured. She smirked, knowing her eyes held a gleam of contempt. That’s all she felt for these traitors—contempt. They were an ignominy to her race. Perhaps the Order held something over their heads, something that would make it impossible to say no to the Order’s commands. If not, then they were guilty of unspeakable crimes.
She paused. Though her expression didn’t change, she couldn’t help but question if she had the right to judge the three men before her. Peri herself had committed a horrific atrocity. And she couldn’t call it an accident. She couldn’t claim that the destruction had been a mistake because she’d known… Peri had known there would be collateral damage when she had made the decision to usecold fire.
“Now is not the time, beloved.”Lucian’s voice was gentle in her mind. He stood next to her, always by her side, regardless of how she’d treated him. They were still working through all she’d done, but he’d been resolute in his devotion to her. And though there was a voice that often whispered lies into her mind—a voice she struggled to ignore—he continually reminded her of his faithfulness.
Peri pushed aside the misgivings and refocused on the task at hand. After having quickly visited the other packs, she and her mate had returned to the sprite realm to interrogate Fane’s prisoners. Any information would be helpful before they descended upon Alston’s stronghold.
“Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.” Peri stepped closer to the cell. She gathered her power, allowing it to flow through her until her skin glowed with white light. She kept it under control so they could still see her, but the fae had to squint to keep looking at her. Peri tried not to take satisfaction in the fear she saw in their eyes, but knowing these men had helped Alston hurt innocent people made it difficult to feel any sort of mercy.
“Nobody survives cold fire,” the leftmost male said, though he didn’t sound so sure of himself. His words were true, of course, or at least they should have been. But like many things in their world, old assumptions were falling away, and exceptions abounded.
“That’s not what’s important.” Lucian stepped even closer. His voice was that of his wolf’s, and his eyes glowed because of how close his wolf was to the surface. His anger came through their bond. Perhaps it was because of the evil these men represented, or maybe it was because of the glint of disdain they each held in their eyes as they stared at her. She had to admire the determination to keep up that level of hate, despite their fearful trembling. “What is important is how much you’re going to suffer. We require certain information from you. Tell us, and you may at least die quickly with a shred of dignity. Withhold the information or lie to us, and I can promise you that your end will not be pleasant.”
The fae on the right spat a curse at Lucian, but the wolf ignored it.
“Tell us everything you know about Alston’s mountain. How many supernatural warriors are there? What are the races? What are his defenses?”
The fae in the middle scoffed as he shook his head. “There’s no way we’d betray Alston. He has no leniency for those who betray the Order.”
Peri chuckled. Sparks of energy danced in her hands, like lightning bouncing from finger to finger. “Do you honestly think he can hurt you worse than I can?” She tutted. “You’re bigger fools than I thought. Let me make this very clear for you three, and I’ll speak in simple terms, considering your obvious low level of intelligence.” She walked forward until she stood inches from the bars. “You will never leave this prison. You will live here until we decide when and how it is time for you to stop living.”
“You won’t kill us.” The middle fae, who seemed to be the leader of the group— or perhaps just the dumbest— spoke again.. “You’re the so-called ‘good guys.’ Murdering us would make you no better than those in the Order.”
This time Lucian laughed. It was not a comforting sound. “You have mistaken ‘good guys’ for ‘merciful.’” He shook his head. “Perhaps we are, sometimes. But mercy isn’t always justified. Mercy is only given to those who are remorseful. Mercy is reserved for those who desire to change their ways. Mercy comes even to those who do not deserve it. And you clearly don’t. But it is only given to those who are repentant. I see no contrition in your eyes.” Lucian paused, letting his words soak in. Peri felt a moment of pity. They had no idea the rage her mate was capable of. But the feeling lasted only a second. “The stench of your evil is repugnant to my wolf,” he continued. “And you will not find leniency here.”
Peri spoke in the language of her people as she bound the three males, making it impossible for them to move. Then she unlocked the cell. Lucian pulled the door open so she could walk through. She stepped up to the center male, who she guessed to be the one calling the shots, and placed a hand on his temple. She closed her eyes and pushed into his mind. He let out a cry of pain as she broke through the pathetic walls he’d erected to block her. His memories rushed into her thoughts, and she saw the multiple corridors Alston had built into the mountain. The number of people working surprised Peri, considering how many Order members had been killed at their Arizona compound.
