Chapter 39

 

The pounding of urgent fists stirred Zara from the quiet place. Panicked thoughts latched to her first, an urgent demand for her attention. It pried her eyelids apart to the semi darkness surrounding the great expanse of her bedchamber and the shifting weight against her side.

Magnus tightened his hold just briefly before unraveling his arm from her waist and pushing upright.

“Stay here,” he murmured, already alert and ready for whatever was on the other side.

Zara shook her head. “Something’s wrong.”

She struggled to separate her groggy thoughts from Magnus’s, from the scramble of noise beyond the door, but Magnus didn’t wait for her.

He tossed back the sheets and marched to the door clad in only his cargo pants.

The voices amplified, a riotous roar of overlapping words. It was enough to send splinters through her tender skull.

“Forgive the intrusion, Your Highness.” The soldier bowed low once. “There’s a riot in the main square.”

Zara scrambled free of the sheets, hand fumbling for the wrap at the foot of the bed. She barely even noticed that her gown had been replaced by a lavender slip, or that her crown was gone and her hair let down. She stuffed her arms through the sleeves as Magnus grabbed his top off the bench and his shoes. The sight of his reminded her that she needed footwear as well, but all she could find were slippers.

Magnus was already bolting through the door, yelling for the three soldiers to show him.

Zara scrambled to follow, but her strides were no match for their long, athletic ones and she fell behind almost immediately.

The halls were lit by torchlights, deep puddles of fire spilling down the walls and casting wide halos across the floor. Soldiers and staff scrambled in every direction, shouting orders to shut the gates and seal the castle.

One of the two guards who had left with Magnus rounded the corner and skidded to a halt when he spotted her.

“Your Highness, I need to get you to a secure location.”

“What’s happening?” She peered past him down the corridor. “Where’s Magnus?”

“He’s gone with the guards to the other side of the gates, Your Grace. He instructed me to take you somewhere safe.”

She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere. I need to know what’s happening.”

He hesitated. His brown eyes darted past her shoulders, then over his, searching for unseen assailants. One hand remained on the hilt of his sword, the other inches from her upper arm, close enough that she could feel the heat of his touch, but never making contact.

“The people are fighting. There’s chaos in the street. Several of the residences caught fire.”

Zara stopped him, his mind contradicting his words. She caught the hand closest to her and held it, letting his thoughts spill into hers.

It was worse. The chaos was bigger, the madness of the ceremony had spread through the people, provoking them to take matters into their own hands. What had started as the irate rantings of a single man had spread like wild fire over the rest, eliciting a mob mentality that was destroying her city.

She released him. “Bring the guards in. Seal the gates and watch the inner walls. I want a three-man guard in every section, including the battlements and arrow loops.” She didn’t pause to wonder how she knew any of those terms, or how she knew what to do. She inexplicably knew every square inch of that fortress, every passageway and tower. Maybe she was picking it up from him, but it didn’t matter. “Get the soldiers out into the streets. Protect my people. I want every available soldier out there apprehending those responsible. The whole army, if necessary. I want them all brought to me by dawn.” She caught him when he started turning away. “Send eight guards to my chambers, including you. Men you can trust, because I know I can trust you. There’s a girl inside. Protect her with your life.”

“What about you, Your Highness? I need to keep you safe.”

“Point me in the direction of the throne room and send the General to me.”

Unable to refuse a direct order, he gave her quick directions and hurried back the way he’d come to pass along her orders.

Zara took a deep breath and marched forward. She would not sit idly by while they burned her kingdom to the ground. By sunrise, she would know exactly who was to blame and she would make an example of them to anyone brave enough to try such an act of stupidity again.

The throne room was nearly as large as her bedroom with only a gilded chair atop a circle of stairs. In its emptiness, her strides up the steps boomed. She made a mental note to have it redone.

“Your Highness.”

At the top, Zara turned to face the bear of a man looming as large and wide as the doorway. He moved with authority and power, with the march of a man who knew his own worth. He stopped at the bottom and dropped to one knee.

“I am Kale, Your Highness, General of your army.”

“What is happening out there, General?” Zara demanded.

Kale shoved to his feet and stood before her. “Men who oppose change, Your Grace. Men who would rather see this city burn then follow an outsider.”

His candor had her eyeing him.

“You almost sound like you agree.”

He shook his head. “Not in the least, Your Grace. I have led the Draconian army for nearly five hundred years. My father before me. That is our job, to fight, not to question orders.”

“I want my men on the streets,” she ordered. “Bring in everyone responsible and protect the king.”

He inclined his head. “As you wish. In the meantime, and with Your Highness’s permission, I would like to leave my sons as your escort.” He turned at the torso and motioned two figures inside.

The boys were the exact duplicate of their father, right down to the dark mane of unbound hair and shrewd, brown eyes. They even moved like him, with dominance. At the bottom steps, they dropped to one knee.

“These are Akamu and Maarku.” Kale motioned them to rise. “Two of the bravest soldiers in your army. They will serve as your guards until this evening is over.”

Akamu dipped his head. “It would be an honor, Your Grace.”

“An honor, Your Grace,” Maarku repeated.

“Very well, but I want progress by morning, General.”

With a quick bow, Kale snapped on his heels and marched from the room. The boys shifted their massive frames to either sides of the steps and all but turned into statues at the base of her throne.

Zara started to sink into her chair, not sure what else she should do. It irritated her that she was simply sitting there, waiting for others to fight her battles and protect her people, but she knew her being out there would only cause more harm. Her place was there where she was needed to serve justice.

“Your Grace!”

Her butt had barely grazed the velveteen cushions when Thea and Edena charged into the room, both in only a wrap and slip. They came short when Maarku and Akamu blocked their path, swords drawn.

“Let them pass.”

Maarku and Akamu went back to their still positions and the girls sprinted forward.

They’d been worried about her. It was a spilled basket of ribbons unspooling from their minds and unwinding through the room. They had thought the worst and had immediately sought her out. Their concern stunned Zara into silence.

Panting, both girls curtsied.

“Begging the intrusion, Your Grace,” Edena huffed. “We heard the alarms.”

“We wanted to make sure you were protected,” Thea added.

Needles prickled the backs of her eyes, momentarily blurring their faces.

“That’s very kind of you,” she murmured.

Both girls nodded.

“It’s disgraceful how some are behaving,” Edena muttered. “Especially when anyone with eyes can see you’re only trying to help.”

“If we can be so bold, Your Grace,” Thea piped in quickly, afraid her friend had gone too far. “No one will say it, but it was getting out of control.”

Edena nodded. “Before, it was during the awakening when girls reached their mature age. Now, girls are afraid to even accept water from a friend.”

“And it’s not even considered assault, because the drosen makes them want it.” Thea bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “Several girls even hurt themselves afterwards. Some died.”

Zara saw a dark-haired girl a little younger than Thea, surrounded in a puddle of her own blood.

She closed the door between herself and the memory, but she did wonder what Thea’s connection was to the girl.

“You should both return to bed,” she said instead. “Everything will be all right. You’re safe within these walls.”

The two exchanged glances.

“Would you mind if we stayed with you, Your Grace?” Edena asked tentatively. “Neither of us will get much sleep anyway.”

Thea nodded.

She didn’t have the heart to tell them no. She needed the company.

It was dawn when the castle gates were opened and the city was calm again. From her place at the veranda, Zara watched the billowing columns of smoke rise and bleed into the orange of sunrise. There were so many. So many lives ruined. So much unnecessary destruction and pain. It hurt her to bear witness to the idiocy of a few.

She felt Magnus behind her before he actually reached her side. He was tussled, his shirt ripped, and there were bruises on his face and cuts on his hands, but he remained upright. Every bit the warrior.

“You’re hurt.”

He shook his head. “Nothing that won’t heal.” He looked her over. “You’re supposed to be somewhere safe.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I was in a castle with ten-foot-high walls and twenty guards at every corner. What’s safer than that?”

He had no answer to that. His gaze went to the ruins below.

“Fucking assholes.”

Humor gone, Zara followed his attention. “How many were hurt?”

“Fifty.” He sighed. “No deaths, so there’s that. All the injured were brought on this side of the wall for medical treatment.”

Zara turned away from the scene and made her way back inside. Maarku and Akamu stepped away from the opening and immediately flagged her. Magnus glanced from one to the other, but said nothing.

“We need to send people out there to help repair the damages and I want to see the men responsible!” She rubbed the tips of her fingers against her brow. “Take me to see the injured first.”

“That might not be wise, Your Grace,” Maarku mumbled.

“The outside court is too open,” Akamu added.

“Her Highness is correct. Seeing the wounded is exactly what she needs to do right now.”

All heads turned at the smooth voice. The man sweeping towards them, gold robes billowing around his defined body radiated with confidence. He had the handsome face of someone who knew they were gorgeous and spent a great deal of time making sure every glossy lock of hair was scooped back from the ruggedly chiseled lines. The inky strands were bunched together at the base of his skull by a cord, revealing every hard definition bulging across his chest and along his shoulders. Zara wasn’t sure she liked him at all, whoever he was.

“Luther.” Magnus stepped forward, hand extended.

The two clapped palms the way long, lost friends would and shook once hard.

“Magnus.” Rows of perfect, white teeth blinded the corridor in a brilliant smile. “Amazing. You’re still alive.” Luther laughed as if that were the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “More lives than a damn cat.” His warm, hazel eyes drifted past Magnus to Zara and he immediately straightened. “Your Highness.” He dropped beautifully to one knee. “Luther, understudy to Makan and your humble slave.”

The overdramatic flare would have been amusing if her courtyard wasn’t full of injured.

“Was there something you needed, Mr. Luther?”

He rose, towering over her drastically. “Only to serve you, Your Majesty. I am here to offer my services as your Chief Adviser. I have trained under Makan for two decades without his mindset.”

“His mindset?”

All humor vanished off his face, making him appear much older than she’d first guessed. “Our kingdom has needed a change for years. Something happened, somewhere, someone got lazy and the cogs in the wheel stopped working. Our people who used to only raise their swords to protect, started slaughtering innocent lives. They ruined families, destroyed whole species. It has been a dark time in our history, Your Majesty. I would like to do my part in repairing it.”

He meant it. Every word resonated through him, around him in a steely resolve she admired. But she had seen that other side of him, the fool, and he would have to prove he could take the job he asked for seriously.

“So, you think I should see the wounded?” she prompted.

Luther inclined his square jaw just a notch. “It will show your sympathy, your compassion. The people need to know that you care about them, that you will be there with them when they need you.”

Zara peeked past him to Magnus. He gave a small shrug.

“I agree.” She peered back at Luther. “You have three months to impress me. You can start by rounding up those responsible and tying them to posts outside the castle. Then you can organize a crew and help repair my city.”

“Straight away, Your Grace, but that really isn’t my—”

“It is now.”

She left him standing there and started towards the main doors.

“Your Majesty?” Luther called after her. “For how long would you like them tied to the post?”

Zara never slowed. “Until it becomes clear that that kind of behavior will not be tolerated. Forever, maybe, or maybe until I’m in a forgiving mood.”

“You’re really good at this queen business,” Magnus murmured, falling into step with her.

Zara shot him a sidelong glance, a frown pulling her eyebrows together. “It just comes to me. Half the time, I don’t even know if what I’m saying makes sense, but it just comes out of my mouth … head.”

“Because this is where you belong.” He paused and narrowed his eyes. “Am I allowed to kiss the queen? They’re not going to stab me, are they?” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Maarku and Akamu.

Zara chuckled. “I might make them stab you if you don’t.”

Leaning in, he stamped a kiss to the side of her head. She didn’t press for anything more, knowing there were lines that they couldn’t cross in public. The only downside of not wanting to appear weak.

Tents had been erected around the courtyard, giant, white tarps that flapped in the breeze and cast shade on the cots set in rows of six beneath the morning sky. Each one was occupied by men and women, and even children, burned, bloodied, left possibly to die. White sheets soaked in splashes of red draped over bodies much too small to be there, and it only fueled the rage boiling in the pit of her stomach.

“Your Majesty!” A nearby healer dropped to her knees, her task forgotten.

Others around her started dropping, one by one, their patients temporarily forgotten at the sight of Zara. Those able struggled to sit up, to climb down and bow.

“Please.” She set a hand on the shoulder of the man nearest her, urging him back down. “Don’t get up.” She turned to the healers. “Do you have a spare canister?”

She could have asked for a pint of blood the way the girl’s eyes went round and her jaw dropped. She only seemed to come to her senses when Akamu cleared his throat.

“Y … yes, yes, Majesty. I…” She thrust out the one she was holding. “Please.”

Zara accepted it with a murmured thanks and moved to one of the canopies not yet visited.

“Help them,” she told Maarku and Akamu, gesturing with her chin towards the next canopy.

“Our orders are to stay with you at all times, Majesty,” Akamu said.

Zara squinted up at them. “Look around. These people can barely sit up. I don’t think anyone here is going to attack me. Help them.”

The brothers exchanged glances, both reluctant, but they shifted slowly towards nearby cots.

“You too,” she said to Magnus.

In no time, they had almost four canopies covered. They worked through the wounded, closing wounds, mending shattered bones, soothing burns. The clatter of their minds, the sting of their injuries made it difficult to concentrate on the actual words they spoke. She couldn’t concentrate on stories when she could feel their pain, hear their sorrows. It was nearly enough to walk away and let the others finish, but she couldn’t leave, not when there were so many and she was to blame. It had been her careless decision that had destroyed their homes and nearly took their lives. It made her question what she was doing, but when she came to a fourteen-year-old girl, curled on her side, clutching the bulging span of her stomach, she knew she’d done the right thing. Such behavior would not continue, not while she was alive.

“Your Majesty.” She struggled to sit up. “Please, don’t concern yourself with me.”

Zara lowered herself down on the cot next to the girl’s hip. “Are you hurt?”

“I fell.” She raised a hand to the back of her head. “I think I might have hit my head, but please, I’m all right. You shouldn’t be waiting on me.”

Zara offered her a small smile. “How far along are you?”

The girl set her palm on her belly. “Eight months.”

It was becoming increasingly harder to maintain her lightness, her smile.

“Why don’t I check your head, then I’ll have someone check the baby, okay?”

The column of her throat worked with her hard swallow, but she nodded.

Zara could have done it herself. She could have touched the taut skin protruding from the thin, tiny body and listened for the baby’s heart, its thoughts, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

There was a bump on the back of her head, a tiny gash where she must have struck something. It wasn’t bleeding anymore, but Zara dabbed it with cream and told her to lie back down.

She was about to get to her feet when the hurried gallop of hooves had her turning towards the main gate. A warrior on horseback charged into the courtyard and swung off the beast before it had even come to a stop.

“Majesty!” Despite having ridden on horseback, he doubled over, panting.

Akamu, Magnus, and Maarku were at her side before the rider even reached her.

“What is it?”

The rider slung his gaze between her and Magnus, his face pale beneath the sweat.

“There’s been an attack, Your Majesty,” he rasped. “The north—”

Magnus had him before Zara could even push into his head. His fingers closed around the rider’s throat, a steely bracelet of rage.

“What did you say?”

“Magnus!” Zara grabbed at his arm. “Let him go!”

He did, but only because he was already shoving past the coughing boy and charging towards the abandoned horse. He didn’t stop, not even when Zara called after him. He swung up on the horse and charged to where Zara stood. Without slowing, he reached down, grabbed her arm and hoisted her up behind him. He didn’t stop for Akamu or Maarku. He jerked the reins and twisted the horse around with Zara clutching at his middle.

She may not have had much understanding of that world, but even she knew that a man and woman on horseback wasn’t a common occurrence through the streets, especially when the man ignored all traffic laws, sending cars shrieking to a stop. Horns blared, people screamed profanities, but Magnus never slowed.

At the path separating the mortal world from the sanctuary of Final Judgment, Zara smelled it first, the toxic stench, the overpowering assault she’d been inhaling for most of the night. Even as she prayed it was just a lingering phantom, she knew what they would find before they broke the bend.

“No…”

Magnus yanked on the reins. The horse whined and stumbled to a stop before what had once been a home. What remained were charred ruins, destroyed windows, collapsed floors. One entire wall had crumbled inward, taking with it almost five stories and half the entire house. Blackened pillars of wood still smoldered, releasing tendrils of smoke. Some parts were still burning, tiny flames gnawing on whatever remained.

“Oh my God…” Zara breathed.

Magnus leaped down, but left her on the saddle. She knew it was so she could escape if need be, but she wouldn’t. Not without him.

“Hello!” he called.

Something inside the house cracked and crashed, taking part of another wall down.

“Magnus…”

“Gideon!”

With the reins twisted around his hand, he started them around the wreckage towards the back, calling the names of his family.

“Do you hear them?” he asked when he got no response.

Zara shook her head.

“Gideon!” He kicked a chunk of wood aside. “Fucking answer or I’ll kick your ass!”

“Magnus!”

Even Zara recognized the voice. It was weak and distant, as if coming from a dark hole, but it was enough for Magnus to run towards it, shouting Valkyrie’s name.

They spotted her almost immediately, slumped at the base of a tree, clutching at the four claw marks tearing her stomach open. Her face was a maze of bruises and cuts. Her lip was busted open. Her knuckles were tattered. But she was alive.

“Valkyrie.” Magnus ran to her and dropped to her side, blocking Zara’s view. He tried to pry her arms aside to see her injuries and hissed. “Jesus. Fuck. What happened? Where’s Gideon?”

With a grunt, she jerked her head somewhere to the left. “It … it’s bad, Magnus,” she choked around each word. “Help him. Please, don’t let him die, too.”

He didn’t ask. He leaped over her sprawled legs and tore in the direction of her nod.

It was much harder descending off a horse when it wouldn’t stop nickering. The tension and smell was causing havoc on the animal’s senses. But Zara managed to climb down. She started to run towards Valkyrie when Magnus’s roar had her coming up short.

The sound was inhumane. It was living, breathing agony. It ripped through the trees with a spear of unimaginable rage.

She forgot the Harvester. She ran to him.

She wished she hadn’t the moment she rounded the corner.

The ground blazed crimson where it wasn’t burnt. It glowed a violent red against the snow. So much blood, a battlefield of no survivors. In the center of it, on his knees, Magnus wailed over the bodies of his brothers. Gideon hung from his arms, limbs limp, eyes closed, unmoving. Octavian lay a foot away, face down, body half buried in red snow.

Zara couldn’t move. She couldn’t look away. She stood frozen and numb, useless to everything, except the sounds of her mate’s howls that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

“No, Gid. No, no, please, don’t do this. Don’t leave me.”

She had to move. She had to get to him. She had to … the children.

The children.

Where were the children? Where were Riley and Reggie, and Liam? Had they escaped? Were they in the fire? Were their bodies somewhere else?

Her legs failed her and she hit the snow when she tried to turn. She landed in the bloody snow, still warm. God, how was it still warm?

Limbs trembling, she crawled towards the incline and the tree line. She barely noticed her fingers going numb, or her dress soaking through, or that she wasn’t even dressed for winter. She wheezed as her mind splintered, images shattering like stained glass. Visions bled together, hot acid dissolving them of color. Scenes shifted, some rising, others collapsing entirely. Faces she knew should be there melted away, leaving echoes of what should have been. Each loss burned a new hole in her mind. It spattered like scalding oil.

Zara screamed. Icy cold fingers clutched at her skull. Nails anchored into her scalp. Hairs were torn from their root as her memories were torn from her mind.

She had no recollection of hands pulling her from the snow, or voices barking orders. Something cool touched her lips and sweet, clean water ran down her tongue. She choked, but the burning sensation in her chest was a welcome to the raw agony in her head.

Maarku was peering down at her when she forced her eyes open. She couldn’t even bring herself to question his presence.

“Magnus…” she rasped, fighting against the loud pinging in her ears.

His fingers were there before hers were even reaching. They pulled her from Maarku’s grasp. His warmth enveloped her, closing her to him the way he’d been holding Gideon, as if the idea of letting her go killed him.

“He’s not dead,” he breathed into her temple, a choked prayer that she felt hitch in his chest. “They’re not dead.”

Tears of relief soaked into the front of his sweater. She pressed her eyes closed, giving thanks to the gods for not taking even this from him.

“The children,” she whispered. She drew away a fraction to peer up into his face. “Where are they?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know,” he murmured. “But they must be with Riley and my dad.”

“Reggie...?”

“I’m sure he’s with them.” He ran a shaky hand back through his hair, the hand not clasping her to him. “They probably took the children somewhere safe. They’re hiding. We just need to find them and get away from here.”

She started to nod when a guard came jogging over to them. They were everywhere, she noted. No less than a dozen, all standing in a tight formation around her and Magnus, all wearing loincloths in snow that went to their knees, all gripping their weapons, braced for attack.

“Gather the wounded,” she told her men. “Take them back to the castle. Send a search party out, find the rest.”

“Magnus.”

Magnus was gone from her arms. He shoved out of the ring of guards and threw himself down next to his brother. He turned Octavian over, exposing the tattered remains of his entire torso. Flaps of skin slipped apart to reveal raw muscle and tendons. She caught a hint of bone before she could pull her eyes away.

“Riley…”

“Where is she?”

“They were waiting for us when … when we got home last night.” Octavian wheezed as he inhaled. The sound rattled in his chest. “There were six of them. We didn’t stand a chance.”

“Where’s Riley, Oct?” Magnus pressed. “Where are the boys?”

“Told her to run … the boys … she had to…” He started to fade.

Magnus shook him lightly. “Hey, stay with me. Where’d she go?”

“They were on us.” Gray eyes opened, bright with unshed tears. “They got him, Mag. They had Reggie. They had him on his knees…” A sob caught in his throat. “I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t stop them.”

Zara saw it all unfolding, a horror show without an escape. Every last detail passed from him to her in a familiar loop, a loop that hadn’t changed. A memory that hadn’t been altered. A future that played out exactly as she’d seen it the first time.

Reggie, unarmed, defeated, on his knees. The cold glint of a blade behind him.

“No…” Magnus choked.

“I’m sorry,” Octavian wheezed. “I’m so sorry. I failed.”

Magnus said nothing, but lifted a hand to cover his eyes. His shoulders trembled once before he pulled in a wet, shaky inhale and focused on his brother once more.

“Not your fault, okay?” There was no missing the thickness in his voice. “Just tell me where Riley and the boys are.”

“The pond.”

Magnus gave a nod. “I’m going to get them, okay? Just rest.”

Octavian was already unconscious.

He helped the guards load his brothers and Valkyrie into the back of three different cars. He said nothing as they pulled away from the crumbling ruins of his home.

“Magnus.”

He peered over at her, his face a cold mask of pure hatred. “I’m going to kill them. Whoever did this, I’m going to put an end to their entire bloodline.”

The threat sent a chill scuttling through her, but he was already moving and she had to sprint to keep up. At the incline, he took her hand and eased her down. The search party followed, much more gracefully. Zara felt terrible that they weren’t dressed more appropriately. Their feet had to have been freezing. They definitely hadn’t stopped to think of themselves when racing after her. She made a mental note to thank them later.

It seemed like hours before they reached the entrance to the pond. Zara and Magnus looked straight at it, but the others seemed not to be able to see it. They kept glancing around as if waiting for something to appear, which it did … in the form of a redhead.

“Magnus!”

Several of her guards jumped when she sprung out of nowhere, but only Zara noticed. Riley had thrown herself into Magnus’s arms.

“I’m so glad to see you,” she sniffled into his shoulder. “I’ve been scared out of my mind, but I didn’t want the boys to know so I kept telling them everything would be okay.” She pulled back and searched his face. “Everything’s okay, isn’t it?”

The true answer was right on the edge of his mind, pressing against his tongue, but Otis and Alec took that second to poke their heads out. And Magnus exhaled the word.

“Let’s get you guys somewhere warm.”

Riley’s face went ashen. Fear bloomed in her eyes even as they darted towards the manor. The smoke had vanished from the sky, but the lingering stench remained. Zara knew she could smell it. But she wouldn’t ask, not in front of the boys.

“Where’s Dad?” Magnus asked, careful to keep his question casual.

Riley blinked and stared at him. “What do you mean?”

The two stood in a silent staring contest, both urging the other to explain first.

“We should finish this back at the castle,” Zara prompted, breaking in.

Riley gave a hesitant chuckle prickling with uncertainty. “The castle? Why would we go there?”

“We can talk about that there also,” Zara stressed, smile never wavering.

Riley wasn’t stupid. Her mind was already putting the pieces together before Zara even finished speaking.

“Octavian…?”

“At the castle,” Zara promised.

Her relief was palpable, but not complete. “The others?”

“Riley, we need to go,” Magnus broke in.

There were a million questions rotating through her mind, a million horrific thoughts and images, but she sucked it all in with a shaky inhale and turned to the boys. She put on a smile for them and picked Alec up. She took Otis’s hand, and they all started forward.

Magnus took them the long way around, away from the house. The path opened on the side of the road, which forced three of the guards to sprint back to get the cars and the horse. Riley and the boys were put into one. Zara and Magnus took the other.

“Magnus.”

He captured the hand she rested over his thigh, but stared unseeingly out the window.

“I should have been there,” he murmured. “I almost lost my whole family.” He seemed to realize what he’d just said and covered his eyes again with his free hand. “I lost my brother … and I don’t know where my dad is.”

“We’ll find him,” Zara promised. “And we’ll find the people responsible. I promise.”

He just shook his head and lowered his hand. His gaze went back to the window, and neither of them said another word.

The night seemed endless, an infinite number of minutes and seconds that poured into hours while they waited for Gideon, Octavian, and Valkyrie to wake up. It was time Magnus spent pacing, wearing a dull path in the gold. His mind was an angry hiss urging his brothers to wake up and tell him where their father was.

But their injuries had been beyond a simple healing cream. It had taken several applications, the wrapping and unwrapping of bandages, around the clock monitoring for infections. Even then, the healers couldn’t promise the scars would fully heal. It was a silly thing to worry about given the circumstances, but she’d said it in the same sympathetic tone as someone delivering dire news.

Zara made a note to talk to her about that.

The boys had been sent up to her chambers the moment they’d arrived. She’d sent Thea and Edena to sit with them and Agnus, who Zara had only seen for five short minutes hours earlier. She’d promised to explain everything when she returned, but hadn’t had a chance.

Riley sat with her on the cushioned benches lining the infirmary. Despite the wide length of it, there were only four beds and three of them were occupied. The rest was a waiting area.

Zara made another note to replace all the benches with more beds.

“How much longer do you think it’s going to be?” Riley asked, red eyes fixed on Octavian’s bed.

“His wounds were deep,” Zara murmured. “His body needs time to heal.”

Riley sighed and stuffed bunched fists into the backs of her eyelids.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and get some rest?” Zara urged gently. “There really isn’t anything you can do for him right now.”

Riley shook her head. “I can’t leave him. What if he wakes up?”

“Then I’ll have someone come get you.”

She was refusing even before she opened her mouth. Zara heard it in her head, insistent that leaving was a bad idea. She didn’t push again.

Magnus came to a stomping stop in front of them. “Are you sure you don’t know what happened to Dad?” he prodded for the hundredth time. “Are you sure he didn’t leave with you?”

“No, I’m telling you, I was completely alone when I ran. The others stayed to block them off.”

“Did you see who they were? Anything?”

She started to shake her head.

“Damn it, Riley! Fucking think!” he snarled.

Both Riley and Zara jumped, but unlike Zara, Riley went from startled to furious.

“Do you think I haven’t been trying?” she burst out. “Do you think I’m playing a fucking game? I want Liam back as much as you do. I want Reggie back…” Her voice broke. Her chin wobbled. “Fuck you if you think…”

Zara took her hand. “No one thinks that,” she soothed. “Just relax and try to think back to when you first arrived at the house. What did you do first?”

Without releasing the redhead, Zara took Magnus’s hand with the other. She linked them in a triangle of thought, filtering everything Riley thought into Magnus.

She saw Octavian in the driver side seat and the wall of trees around them as they made their way up the path. She saw the boys in the backseat; Alec was already asleep, his little head propped against the door. Behind them, the headlights from Reggie’s truck bobbed in the rearview mirror. She could just make out Reggie behind the wheel and Liam in the seat next to him. Gideon and Valkyrie’s car was ahead of them, the backlights spilling a crimson puddle across the hood. Their little convoy felt so cozy.

In the driveway, everyone parked. Doors opened and shut, and footsteps crunched on snow and gravel. Octavian helped her gather the children up. He took Alec, cradling the boy against his chest. She took Otis, keeping a firm grip on his hand as they followed the others to the porch.

The front door opened into darkness, an eerie, unnatural stillness she didn’t think Final Judgment capable of. Not a single light had been left on, leaving them scrambling to find one. Valkyrie’s heels cracked the loudest as she made her way towards the kitchen, but it stopped abruptly.

“Someone’s here,” was the last thing Riley heard before Octavian was pushing a stirring Alec into her arms.

Whatever it was sprung out of the kitchen, an army of enormous, monstrous shadows they couldn’t see.

“Run!” Octavian shoved her and the boys out of the house and slammed the door shut behind them, sealing himself inside with the others, and whatever was attacking them.

Alec burst into tears. Otis looked terrified. She knew she couldn’t go back. She had to protect her boys. So, she did what she’d promised Octavian a million times she would, but never had any intention of ever actually doing it: she ran. She took the boys and ran for the pond, the only safe place on earth where nothing could hurt them. The whole way, she prayed the barrier would let a couple of werecubs in. She prayed they wouldn’t get caught. She prayed the others would be okay.

Two of her prayers were answered; the barrier let the boys in and they weren’t caught. She took them inside and found a soft, safe spot on a bed of moss and pulled them to her.

“It’s okay,” she whispered into the tops of their heads. “Everything is going to be fine. Octavian will be here any second to get us.”

But he hadn’t come. They’d waited all night and all morning. She was just beginning to think she should head back and check for herself when she heard the approach of feet. Her joy was dashed only momentarily when she saw it was Magnus and not Octavian.

Zara broke the link there and peered up at Magnus, waiting for his take.

He shook his head. “Could have been anyone.” He went back to pacing, but he only got a couple of feet when a thought struck him. He turned to Zara. “Can you get into Gideon’s thoughts when he’s sleeping?”

Zara nodded. “But it won’t be reliable. They’re dreams, imitations and twisted realities.”

“Fuck!”

“Pardon me.”

All their heads turned to the elegantly dressed man in the gray suit standing in the open doorway. The early morning sunlight radiating behind him turned his lean frame into a dark silhouette, but there was no mistaking him.

Zara braced for pain, but nothing happened.

“You!” Magnus’s snarl echoed through the chamber. He charged forward. “You son of a fucking bitch!”

Five feet from his goal, Magnus froze in mid step.

The man took the remaining distance, but stepped right around Magnus and continued deeper into the room.

“I see you have befallen some misfortune,” Abraham deduced, peering down at the slumbering figures on the cots. “That is unfortunate.”

“Fix them,” Riley blurted. “You can do that, can’t you?”

“Of course.” But he turned to them. Across the room, Magnus stumbled forward, unfrozen. “But I haven’t come for that.” He tugged on the lapel of his blazer. “I am here to inform you that the Summit has agreed to your terms. You and your family will be in heaven’s protection as of this moment.”

“This moment?” Riley shrieked. “This fucking moment? We’ve lost so many people while you were off combing your wings. We just lost even more…” She broke off, tears a thick stream down her cheeks.

“Our time differs from mortal time,” Abraham explained. “For us, only mere hours have passed.”

“Well, bring them back. All of them. Kyaerin. Reggie. Imogen. Bring them back.”

Abraham lowered his gaze as if trying to remember something. Whatever it was, it concluded with a careless little shrug.

“The Summit will not awaken the dead. Even if such a thing were possible, we cannot allow such an abomination.”

“Why am I not feeling pain?” Zara blurted

Abraham barely glanced at her. “Because we vowed not to let harm come to you. Heaven always keeps its promises. Oh, speaking of,” he waved a hand over the table next to Octavian and six vials appeared in a neat row, each one filled with a clear liquid. “As per our agreement, the Summit has sent what you requested.”

“What are these?” Riley edged forward, but not too close.

“These will assist you in matching your enemy. It will give you equal speed, agility, and strength.”

“What about everything else?” Magnus demanded. “What about Daphne?”

“The original agreement you made with the Summit has been terminated. You are still bound by the Black Laws, but the Summit has agreed to allow one mortal into your ranks. It must be done with her consent. It is the only way the elixir will work.”

Abraham unearthed a dark little bottle from inside his pocket. He placed it next to the others.

“So, she just drinks this?”

Abraham nodded. “She must be within the walls of Final Judgment, or it will not work.”

“It won’t hurt her?” Riley pressed. “Or trap her forever? What will it do?”

“It will make her immortal, nothing more. It’s water from the fountain of life.”

“That’s a real thing?” Riley blurted.

Abraham ignored her. “She will never age, but she can be killed. She will have no powers. Essentially, she will continue to be human, but with a longer life span.”

“You said Final Judgment, but it doesn’t stand anymore. As of last night, it’s been burned to the ground,” Magnus sneered.

“We are aware and have already started the process of restoring it to its usual structure. It will be shielded from demons, but only demons. You and your family will be protected until the war, which you will fight in.”

“Even Daphne?” Riley cut in. “Will the protection extend to her if she hasn’t become immortal yet?”

“Yes,” the angel muttered. “I believe that concludes our—”

“Wait.” Zara took a step forward. “Heaven swore to protect all of us until the war, correct?”

Abraham’s eyes narrowed warily. “That is correct.”

“Then you have to help them.” She waved towards the three sleeping figures. “And you have to help us find Liam. He could be in danger.”

It was unclear if the curl in his lips were due to annoyance, or the fact that a demon was talking to him, but it didn’t matter. He turned towards the bed and lightly touched each figure on the foot.

Nothing happened.

“Shouldn’t there be a glow, or a white light, or angels singing, or something?” Riley badgered. “Maybe your juju isn’t working.”

Abraham didn’t even bother to conceal his outrage. “My juju works just fine.” He dusted his hands together as if he’d touched something filthy. “They will awaken shortly.”

“What about Liam?” Zara pressed.

“I told you, I will not bring back the dead. Now, if there is nothing else.”

He was gone before any of them could open their mouths.

“Asshole!” Riley snarled at the air.

But Zara was more concerned about Magnus. He’d sunk into a chair with his face in his hands.

“Magnus.”

“He’s dead.” He lowered his hands and peered up at her. “I lost my mom and dad in a matter of weeks. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to feel right now.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

He only shook his head.

“We should have asked him who attacked us,” Riley decided. “Then we could bang down their door and kill them all in their sleep.”

“What happened?” Gideon grumbled from across the room.

“Gideon!” Riley bounded across the room and threw herself at the blond.

Gideon grunted, but clasped her back. “Easy, Red. Christ.”

Half crying, half laughing, Riley kissed him soundly on the mouth once before pulling away and hurrying to Octavian’s bed.

Magnus took her spot at his twin’s side. Gideon pried his eyes open and squinted up at him.

“Don’t ever fucking do that again,” Magnus said so quietly, it was a wonder the other man could hear him.

Gideon gave a slight nod, but replied, “I make no promises.”

Tears formed a thick knot in Zara’s throat as the two embraced.

One bed over, Octavian stirred. Riley was on him before his eyes even opened. She was on top of him, sobbing by the time he was fully conscious.

“Reg…” Gideon murmured when Magnus pulled away.

Magnus nodded. “I know.”

The blond nudged the sheets back and struggled to climb out of the bed. “We need to find him, who the fuck knows what they’re doing to him right now.”

“What?”

But Gideon was no longer paying attention. He stood over his wife, gray eyes searching, hands caressing every inch of her he could reach.

“Kyrie? Baby?” He smoothed the side of her face with his thumb. “Hey, come on. Wake up.”

It took a few more seconds of coaxing to get the Harvester up. She opened big, blue eyes and found Gideon almost instantly. Her face broke into a slow, sleepy smile.

“Hey stranger.”

He grinned back at her. “Hey yourself.”

It was unclear who kissed who first, but it went on so long that it went from sweet, to uncomfortable, and only stopped when Magnus physically pulled Gideon back.

“Where’s Reggie?”

“They took him,” Octavian answered instead. “Strigois. I think they were after Dad…”

He abruptly broke off.

“May I?” Zara asked when he was no longer capable of continuing.

He glanced down at the palm she offered him, then back up at her. He frowned slightly like he was going to refuse, but he took her hand.

With her free one, Zara took Magnus’s and focused.

It mostly ran as Riley’s had. The images were so identical that it could have been the same, but it changed after he locked the door behind his wife and boys. There was no light, only the crash and bang of furniture upending, of things shattering, of bodies being thrown across the room. It was impossible to tell what they were even fighting, or how many there were. Then someone lit a match. He didn’t see who when he was tackled from behind. His head rebounded off the hardwood, a sickening thud that dipped everything back to black before resurfacing. Whatever had him grabbed him by the back of the neck and pitched him as if he weighed nothing. His entire body slammed into a wall and collapsed to the ground.

Light burst to life somewhere in the background, a dancing, swaying glow that only seemed to be growing. It chased away the shadows, but not before his attacker had him by the stomach.

The pain was unimaginable. Each razor-sharp talon gouged into the hard muscle of his stomach and ripped, taking his insides with it. The white-hot pain almost didn’t feel real, but there was no mistaking the crimson droplets raining from the strigoi’s fingertips.

“Hmm,” he purred, licking each digit clean. “Delicious.”

Octavian fought to move, but he could barely stay conscious.

“Stop fucking around! Grab him!”

The strigoi’s face vanished from view.

Octavian pushed himself onto his side, arms holding his gut in place. The movement nearly sent him over, but not before he saw the fist that took Reggie down to his knees. His brother lost his blade during the impact, but it wouldn’t have mattered; the creature behind him was already on him, sword raised.

“No!” even in memory, the howl tore at his esophagus.

Reggie’s head snapped up. His brown eyes met Octavian’s across the dim, smoky space. There was a flicker of fear, of understanding.

Octavian screamed again, pain forgotten as he pushed to his knees. Firelight caught the curve of steel. It flashed as it swung downward.

No one knew where Liam came from, but he was suddenly there, the stopping force between his son and death. The blade sliced right through him, a hot knife through butter. No hesitation. For a full second, no one moved. No one breathed. Not one could understand what had happened until his body had dropped to the floor.

Zara jerked out of the memory. She tore away from both men. Her hands flew up to her mouth, smothering a sob.

“No, no, no…”

“Zara.” Magnus reached for her, his own eyes wet. “Sweetheart…”

“It wasn’t supposed to be him,” she croaked. “He was supposed to live. I saw it. The first visions, they were of him.”

“What are you talking about?”

She gripped his sleeves, nails tearing fabric. “He would have stopped the war. He was supposed to save us all. But those visions are gone. Erased. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Well, that doesn’t matter right now,” Valkyrie decided after a moment. “Because those fuckers have Reggie.”

“Well, we have superpowers,” Riley piped in, snatching up one of the clear vials. “Our friendly neighborhood assholes have decided to agree to our terms. I certainly feel blessed.”

“Are you fucking kidding?” Gideon bit out slowly.

“Nope, he swooped in on his high horse and told us to suit up. He’s going to put Final Judgment back together, grant us super strength, and protect us until the war.”

“Could he bring back—”

“Nope, apparently, we’re not worthy of that, and that whole protection thing, starts now, but he did heal you guys, so…”

The sarcasm could have been carved with a knife.

“How did you guys get out of the building?” Magnus interrupted, looking to Gideon.

“I accidentally set the place on fire,” Gideon muttered instead. “I was trying to see,” he stressed when his wife shook her head slowly. “I didn’t realize one of them would tackle me. The match dropped out of my hand and the next thing I knew, the damn place was on fire. After Dad…” He stopped to clear his throat. “The leader was pissed. I guess they weren’t supposed to kill him. While he was yelling at his men for being idiots, I ran to Octavian.”

“I went for Reggie,” Valkyrie murmured.

“We made it outside, but they caught up to us. Octavian was already down. It was three against six. One of them grabbed Reg. I started to grab him … Kyrie screamed … two of them had her pinned, I…”

“Hey,” Riley touched his arm. “Not your fault. Not any of your faults.”

Gideon shook his head. “I let him go. He was right there. I should have…” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “If he dies…”

“They’re not going to kill him.” The absolute certainty in Octavian’s voice had them all glancing over. “They wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble if they wanted us dead. They could have done that. They wanted Dad for a reason. When that didn’t happen, they grabbed the next best thing. Whatever they want, I think we’ll find out soon. In the meantime, it’s time we contact our strigoi allies. If anyone can help us get Reg back, it’s them.” He peered from face to face, his solemn. “This means war.”