I sigh, aware this celebration has come to an end. I will not wait a moment longer to go after the children. The power flows through my veins, and short of my death, no one can take the crown from me, and considering I regenerate, my death is not likely to happen anytime soon.
“Tell me,” I encourage him. I know he’s been keeping quiet for the whole meal out of the need for me to enjoy myself, but I’ll be a lot happier once those children are reunited with their parents. They must be frantic with worry.
“My parents have a location. They said they are in an underground compound deep in one of the mountains of the rift. They said that not only can they feel the children, but there are hundreds of feral shifters there as well. They can’t get any closer, though, because there are wards and guards set up around the perimeter.”
My heart sinks. Hundreds of ferals, and I don’t have the book with the spell to fix any of them.
“And the Tidemans? Any sign of them?” Lucas asks.
He shakes his head. “They don’t know. They say people come and go, but they are all wearing hoods and capes, so they haven’t been able to identify any of them.”
“I’ll assemble the teams.” Bryson jumps to his feet.
“No.” I wave him back into his seat. “I can’t do anything about any of the ferals at this stage.”
“And it will be too dangerous to bring all of them back to our prisons to wait for the cure,” Micah adds, agreeing with me. “This will be a straight extraction. Titus can sift us into the mountain, we’ll grab the kids, and sift back out.”
“I’ll go back and sneak around once the kids are safe,” Titus promises. “It will be easier if it’s just me. I can move around without anyone knowing, and I can nullify any fae wards I come across.”
“What if they have witch wards?” Mia asks, and I frown.
“I don’t want you going without backup and end up stuck there,” I argue.
“Fine, I’ll ask my assassin brother who is part witch to come with me,” he compromises, and I’m satisfied with his response.
“The kids will probably be traumatized. They have been stuck in their animal form for a long time. Command them back into human form, but be prepared for them to become unconscious. It will be a shock to their system. Transport them back to the med bay here at the palace, and I will be on standby,” Sable instructs Titus.
“What about the people responsible? You’re not going to let them get away with this, are you?” Gracelin asks angrily, hugging Archie. I don’t blame her, she almost lost her son to those monsters. I would want revenge too.
“Not at all. We will poke around while we search the compound for the kids. If we come across anyone who seems to be in their right mind, and it’s safe, then we will apprehend them, but for now, our focus needs to be the children,” Hunter tells Gracelin, who seems to accept this.
“You should stay here,” Liam suggests to me, and I glare at him. I’m still boiling mad about him being naked in front of everyone. I’m aware it’s hypocritical, since I was just as naked, but this comment just makes me feel even angrier at him.
“I will not. I am coming too,” I tell him stubbornly. I expect him to argue, but to my surprise, he accepts it without complaint.
“We need to change. Will you excuse us?” Gryffin pushes back from the table, and the rest of my mates follow suit.
“Be careful.” My granny squeezes my hand. “Come to the bakery once you rescue those poor babies, and when you get a free moment, let us know how it goes.”
I promise them I will, and the nine of us leave to get ready for the mission.
* * *
We arrive in a clearing that Titus got from a picture Nox’s parents sent us. It’s bitterly cold, and snow swirls around as we get blasted by frigid wind. Nox’s parents step around a rock they sheltered behind and point out the carefully hidden entrance to the facility. They wish us luck before the three men put their hands on Lena, and then they disappear from sight.
“Unicorns can teleport?” I gasp, and Nox nods.
“Yes, that’s why they make such good trackers. Once they have a location, they can usually head straight to it. It took Mom a little while to get a lock on the area because of the wards, though, which is why it took so long.”
“I can sift us in once I deal with the wards.” Titus puts his hands up like he’s scanning the area.
“Will whoever set them feel you break them?” Brodie asks.
“It depends if the wards are cast by an actual person or if they are set into rocks surrounding the area. If they have been cast, then yes. If they are just using ward stones, then no,” Titus says absently, and the rest of my guys gather around me to keep me warm while we wait.
It takes Titus about ten minutes to work out the wards. He explained that if he were full fae, it would have been quicker, but his ward powers aren’t as strong because he’s a hybrid. They finally fall, and he winces.
“Shit, they definitely have a fae on their team, and they are going to know we’re here. Hopefully the fae isn’t in the facility, otherwise there is going to be a welcoming committee,” he warns.
