Page 83 of Broken

We are here, he told her. We are real. We are Dark Fae, and the earth is our home. Come back.

Between his hands, he felt her heartbeat start again.

Cole. You came for me.

Always.

The energy changed—he could feel it coalescing. Carefully he withdrew his hands, watching her body grow solid once more.

She was alive.

He fed the excess energy back through the bracelets in one vicious push. Ireland’s exploded into tiny golden shards. He looked across and saw Sakir on the ground, the same tiny flecks of gold bursting into a cloud above him. For a moment he thought he caught a glimpse of Riker, and then he was gone.

But Bathiaz wasn’t. He drew himself up tall, power crackling around him, with the Council to back him up.

“This does you no good,” he said. “Even together, you are not powerful enough to stand against us.”

Portals began to open in front of the Council seats. They were coming here in person.

Cole drew Ireland to her feet, facing them, a circle of protection rising between them and the Council.

“We’ve done pretty damn well so far,” he said. “Just two little shifters. Creatures of the Dark Fae. Evil killers.”

He bared his teeth.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” He put his head back and howled.

And from the top of the cliff came an answering howl—the full-throated call of the pack.