I felt him for a moment until the pain became unbearable. In that last second before he slipped away, I felt something else, something more. I tasted his rage with his fear buried beneath it.

That fear scares me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I try to remember, to free my memories. Pain. So much pain. I grab my head, gripping it tightly while my body rocks back and forth. It’s like razor-sharp claws are ripping through my brain. My mouth opens, and I feel myself screaming, but the darkness swallows it. Still, I fight.

On and on it goes. This place and the fucking kawin that has tethered me here in this vacuum, stealing my own dad-gum memories, is pushing me closer to the edge of insanity. My throat burns, raw from my unheard screams.

Tears stream down my face. Refusing to give up, I thrust my power against the magic wrapped around me. It is like a nuclear bomb detonating in my mind an instant before I slip into unconsciousness.

Cora’s body seizes in Michael’s lap. His arms wrapped around her is the only thing that keeps her from tumbling to the floor. We had brought her back after Loki lost control, shaking my head at his recklessness.

Everyone has frozen in place. Emma’s nails are cutting into her palms, her body vibrates with rage. I glance out our glass wall. Snow is falling, so thickly I can’t make out the sea. Lightning forks through the sky, and thunder shakes the house. I jerk my head at Jason. He pulls her close, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, a low growl vibrating his chest.

“Brother.” I’ve never heard Michael’s voice filled with fear -- self hatred, anger, love definitely, but never fear. I wonder if the same look is etched into my face, a look of complete helplessness. “I can’t protect her, Sean.”

I scowl, my lips pressed tight together before I respond, “We can’t.”

Aislin comes in between us, kneeling by Michael’s knee, and sweat slides down her neck and down between her breasts. I’m not the only one who notices, seeing Michael’s eyes narrow on her ashen face. She clenches her hands together while her head moves from side to side, eyes unfocused. Kai moves closer, watching her closely.

“So much pain. Agony. Fear.” She looks at Michael helplessly. “They’re hurting her.” She smiles a tiny bit. “She is so fucking pissed.” Emma’s chuckle is strangled as she fights the tears that are threatening to fall.

“That’s our sprite, full of piss and vinegar,” I huff.

Hours pass as the others move around, pacing and eating. Jason flips through the five hundred channels on the T.V., never stopping long enough to pick anything. I stay where I am, refusing to leave Cora or Michael.

Aislin gasps as Cora’s body goes limp. “What happen?” Kai stiffens at my low, demanding tone.

“I don’t know, exactly. Her anger turned to rage, the pain magnified a hundred times, and then nothing.”

I share a look with Michael, watching as his fingers trace over the tattoos on her arm, the same as she does to his on his chest. We know what happened.

“She tried to free herself and when the pain became too much, she pushed harder. Freedom or…” His voice trails off as he pulls her closer to his chest, arms tightening around her.

“Oh my God. Is she...?” Emma’s voice breaks as she refuses to say the word.

“No.” Shaking my head, I lay my fingers along the pulse beating at her neck, taking a tiny bit of comfort at the steadiness of it. My hand moves up her neck to cup her head while my eyes travel over her face. “She is a fighter. Our girl isn’t going to give up that easily. Are ye, ye wee fairy?” Ignoring the sounds of the others’ tears, I focus on her, letting my wolf come forward. The Cù Sìth inhales her scent deeply, pulling in minute details from the magic surrounding her, studying it, tasting the flavors of the power, committing them to memory. I’m fascinated at the information he pulls from it. In my mind, he looks at me, and I feel his concern then his knowledge rushes into me. We want to howl and tear something limb from limb with our teeth.

“What has he found? What do you know?” Michael’s eyes flash to that of Cat sìth, his beast pushing forward as his emotions blaze.

“It’s more of a question than knowing.” I look around the room for the first time in hours. I’ve been so focused on Cora, I didn’t notice that Nestor and the others had left. Focusing on Jason, I say, “I think you need to call Nestor.”

He is pulling out his phone before I finish the other man’s name. Pacing away, I stop in front of the glass wall, staring out. The snow has let up enough that I can see the white caps of the waves below. Moments later, they arrive. Turning, I let my wolf eyes shine bright at the women. Like Loki, I don’t yet trust Pow. The wolf can smell her guilt and the stench of her corruption. None of us know all the things she did while she worked with Arias; only Mimi has a true idea of the depths of her betrayals. I let my eyes travel to Mimi’s face. It is less haunted than it was when they first showed up at Jason’s home in Greece, but there are still shadows there.

Nestor shifts in front of them slightly, and I raise my brow. “I have a question for all of you.” Waving my hand at the couch, I sit, waiting for them to do the same. They all take places across from me, their gazes drifting over to Cora wrapped in Michael’s embrace. I let my hand rest on her knee while watching them, judging each one’s reactions.

“Well?” Nestor has reached the end of his patience. Everyone looks at me, waiting.

“Jason, I’d like your opinion on this as well.” He nods. “This person who has trapped her has trapped her mind. They have wound their magic around her and her mind. The wolf says it is weaving itself through hers. He says it would have to be either Oneiroi or a dream walker.”

The two women exchange glances, a silent conversation flowing between them. We wait. Michael straightens, lips pressed together, watching them. Jason’s eyes close, and I feel a subtle shift in his power. When he opens them again, he nods. “Shouldn’t be long.” His voice tense.

Moments later, Morpheus appears. “Fuck. I really wish they wouldn’t do that.” Emma glares, her hand on her chest. Aislin looks away, but not before I see her smile.

“You called?” Morpheus sounds not only bored but disgruntled at being summoned.

“Could you look at Cora?” Jason’s tone says he doesn’t give a shit how Morpheus feels. The God turns, looking us up and down. His face says we are found lacking. Michael’s eyes brighten and razor-sharp claws slide from the tips of his fingers. Morpheus looks us over once more while I grin at him, long fangs curving over my bottom lip. We’ve been practicing. A warning to the God that we will protect her.

I tense as the wolf growls, realizing it could be the very God standing before us that is holding her. I leap to my feet, placing myself between them. Shifting, I stand over him growling, hair raised. “Sean! What are you doing?” Jason pushing around Morpheus, hands held palms up. “You need to calm down.”

I shake my massive head, pulling my lips back as I feel his power move through me, trying to calm me.

“I wouldn’t do that, Jason,” Kai murmurs.

“He is stopping him from helping us,” Jason grumbles, glancing back and forth.

“Something is bothering him. Obviously.” Kai looks back at Aislin. She moves forward, sliding between the three men. Stopping in front of me, she reaches out. Placing her hand on my head, she doesn’t try to calm me; she just reaches for my mind, trying to find me through the wolf. He pulls back just enough to let her in.

I try to relay our fears. She doesn’t communicate exactly but she gets impressions and feelings. After a few moments, she nods, turning but staying close. I feel her talking to Kai, who gives no sign except a slight tightening around his eyes.

“You are a dream god, correct?” She asks.

“The Dream God.” What an ass.

“Yes, well, who’s to say… it’s not you trapping her?” Everyone tenses.

“Why would I? I have no idea who this girl is.” He stares at us.

Aislin turns back to me and she shakes her head. He isn’t lying. The wolf pulls back, and I’m standing there, unapologetic. “Okay, guard dog, can I look at her? So I can get out of here and back to my life.” I snap my teeth at him but step to the side, still close enough to sink my teeth in.

He glides closer, and his magic rolls over us like a fog. Michael shakes his head, and Aislin sways as her head falls forward. My eyelids droop, and I drag my eyebrows up trying to force them open. Just as suddenly as it started, it is gone. We all try to knock the cobwebs from our minds, and that asshole just stands there smirking.

“Like I said, THE Dream God.” His voice drips with smugness, and I can hear Michael’s molars grinding. “But you are right. It is someone very skilled, and they are getting a massive amount of power from other sources.”

“Sources?” Jason’s eyes flare red. “How many?”

“That I can’t say exactly, but it is many.” He looks at the women on the couch. “If I had to guess, I’d say the person with the power, the one holding her there, using the others’ power is someone from your clan. Now, I think I’ll go check in with my people.” His voice drops at the last, a hint of anger slipping through his unflappable demeanor.

No one moves. Michael stands, passing Cora to me. He starts toward the women, his steps are that of his cat, freeze-framed. Mimi tenses, and Nestor shifts toward her slightly. Powaqu straightens her face defiantly.

“Michael,” Jason starts, stepping forward, but Emma’s hand on his arm stops him. That’s what I love about her. She is ruthless when it comes to those she loves. I meet her gaze, my agreement in my eyes.

“Do you know who’s doing this?” The words are barely understandable through the growl that accompanies them.

Powaqu sighs, letting her eyes drift over the woman in my arms. “I tried to check her. You all know that.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Jumping to her feet, she glares at him before pacing away. “There are a few dream walkers that I know of, but none are powerful enough to harness the power this is taking.”

I stopped watching her when she paced away and instead I watch Mimi. I notice the tightening around her eyes and the way her throat moves as she swallows. Her eyes are focused on the floor. “What about you? Mimi?” I ask. She flinches.

Pow spins looking at her. “There is one that has long been forgotten from the minds of humans. He is still alive or faded into obscurity.” Pow shakes her head, silently pleading for Mimi to stop talking. “He goes by Marco now, has for years... He had different names within the different tribes, but his true name is Gici Awas. He is Powaqu’s father.” A sob breaks from the other woman. “I’m sorry, but if he is doing this, he must be stopped.”

Pow slides down the glass, hitting the floor hard. “I haven’t seen him in hundreds of years. He came to me one last time when I was a girl then disappeared. He was tired of the world and tired of the fighting so he left me on my own. Abandoned me. No protection.”

“Are ye fucking kidding me? All of the disgusting, evil things ye did was because ye have daddy issues?” Michael’s voice is so low I have to strain to hear his words. Muscles bunch beneath his shirt, and I jerk my head at Jason and Kai. They in move in front of him, their heads shaking.

“Brother, she canna help us if she is dead.” A gasp from Mimi has me looking at her. “What did ye think would happen? She had some idea that daddy dearest could be involved and she said nothing.”

“Where can we find him?” The low growl reverberates through the room.

“I don’t know. I really don’t.” Tears slide down her cheeks as her head shakes slowly. “I last saw him highlighted by the early morning rays in the Black Hills. I was ten. He had visited me often there when I was little. I would go wait for him in the darkness, and the first rays would bring him with them. Then he just didn’t return. He didn’t say goodbye; he just stopped coming. Stopped watching over me, left me to be shackled and used. Until Arias found me.”

“So how do we find him?” I ask.

“Don’t you think I’ve tried? I have, I’ve asked people, had spells cast, searched for his power, everything I can think of, and nothing. Hundreds of years, I’ve looked. At first, it was to ask why but then it was to make him pay. But I’ve never gotten close, not even a hint of his location.” Her anger builds as she speaks until she is trembling with it.

“But you were alone then and now you have all of us, not to mention those that back us.” Aislin squats in front of her, a serene look on her face. Pow raises her head, eyes teary, and nods.

“Fenrir could have tracked him.” Raven’s voice is hollow as she whispers the words, and Michael crosses to her, pulling her into his arms. I slowly lower Cora to the couch, straightening after I smooth her hair from her face. Dark circles mar her coffee colored skin, the only outward sign of the battle she is waging.