The contact seemed to free him from the magic holding him prisoner, and he grabbed her, hauling her naked body up and tossing her over his shoulder. Regulus passed them twice, carrying a wolf and a human each time.
Farren couldn’t tell if Mara was one of the humans, but she held onto Eli like her life depended on it. And then she felt the oddest sensation. Like…they were floating. She saw nothing but a blur, and they moved from the half-destroyed room to the grass in the blink of an eye. As soon as Farren scented the fresh morning air, her heart stopped pounding half out of her chest.
Her bare feet touched damp grass, and Eli’s hands framed her face. His kiss? She’d never been kissed like that before, and fuck. She wanted it again. Every day for the rest of her life.
The pendant around her neck still burned, and she whimpered, the sound muffled by his lips. But her mate would always hear her. He drew back, curled his fingers around the pendant, and flung his mangled hand in the direction of the castle.
“Is everyone out?” he shouted, and Regulus confirmed the castle was empty of all but practitioners.
Eli closed his eyes, and the most beautiful rays of light shot out from each one of his fingers.
The light curled around the castle walls like ribbons, and after what had to be no more than a minute, shrank down to a single pinprick, taking the entire castle with it.
The sudden absence of power left Farren hollow, and Eli clearly felt its loss as well. Still holding on to one another, they fell to the ground, a tangle of arms and legs, and though Farren feared they’d lost so much more than they’d bargained for, she was with her mate.
Epilogue
Farren
She wasn’t sure how she’d gotten into a car. Or who’d draped a blanket over her. All she knew was that she and Eli were together.
“What…happened?” she managed, though she couldn’t quite open her eyes.
Eli groaned, clearly as addled as she was.
From the front seat, Regulus cleared his throat. Even with that simple action, he managed to affect an air of superiority. But when he spoke, awe infused his tone.
“There were six full-fledged members of the Thirteen in that house. Five are dead. One escaped. The rest were apprentices and novitiates. Still powerful, but not unbeatable. The five, however…should have ended us all.”
Farren forced her eyes open to slits to find bright sunlight streaming through the front windshield. “How are you driving?”
Regulus held up his hand. A ribbon of gold wound around fingers that would never be anything but burned again. “The fire should have killed me. However, I had just touched the ring Eliziam spelled for me. The heat destroyed it, but the power…that has not faded. At least not yet. I can walk in the sun for the first time in almost three hundred years without fear.”
“What about…Paulo?” Farren asked.
“The wolf born of Eliziam’s father ran as I was attempting to rouse the male alpha and his beta. But he is alive. He fought valiantly, and I dare say, some of the guilt he carried for years has been assuaged.”
“I need…to find…him…” Eli whispered.
“He will find you, practitioner. Of that I am certain.” Regulus banked the car into a gentle turn, and after another few minutes, eased it to a stop. “This is one of my homes. It is warded, so you will be safe here. As will my newest progeny.”
Farren pushed up on an elbow. “Your newest…?”
Regulus was out of the car and had the back door open before Farren registered he’d even moved. Taking a knee, he stared down at his burned hand. “Eliziam did for me what no creature in centuries has been able to. My life debt is no longer simply to his father. It is to him and to you as well. Vampires…we can invade others’ minds, Farren Denair. I saw your guilt over the deaths of your pack members before we left Ireland. When I felt the sunlight hit my face and I did not turn to dust, I knew I could not let you suffer another loss.” He stepped back as she found enough strength to get to her feet and then help Eli join her.
Her mate held on to her, and they supported one another. They were underground now, in a massive garage with a dozen vehicles, and Regulus opened the boot and gestured for them to join him.
Ewan lay wrapped in a blanket, his face deathly pale. “I have never turned a werewolf before. He may well decide he wishes to meet the sun as my Victoria did, but if that is what he wishes, I will ensure the end to his existence is painless. I give you my vow.”
The vampire placed his hand over his heart, and Farren’s eyes burned with tears she couldn’t let fall. She’d never trusted a vampire. Never thought any were worthy of her trust. Until now. The mating wouldn’t let her hug Regulus. No. She wouldn’t touch another man who wasn’t her mate ever again unless she had to. But she held his blood-red gaze. “You do not owe me a feckin’ thing, night walker. Ya’ repaid yer debt a hundred times over, and I thank ya’ for it.”
* * *
The moon set,and she and Eli had barely moved after Regulus had shown them to a suite on the second floor of the home. He had bedrooms for everyone, but Cade, who was inconsolable after they’d failed to find Mara, was currently raging below ground where he could punch the stone walls to his heart’s content.
Liam had sent Peter back to Farren’s to retrieve Diedre’s book and a few bags of essentials, but he and Caitlin had taken a room at the end of the hall. Tierney was bunking underground next to the concrete room Cade had locked himself in, and Farren had no idea where Ewan was transitioning.
She wished she could help the young man through what would certainly be the most traumatic experience of his life, but her mate needed her, and she knew less than nothing about a vampire’s making.
