We find the rest of Jules’ guards slaughtered at the edge of the field. The sight of their mangled bodies makes me feel a bit less awful about killing the other wolves, but not enough to stop me from vomiting all over the ground.

Jules kneels beside me and rubs my back while I empty out the contents of my stomach. “We need to get Lake someplace safe,” he tells Legend. “But I need to stop by the house and see if Liberty, Rune, Shade, my mom, and Kylan are okay … If they’re at the house, they should be.” His voice cracks. “Dammit, I can’t fucking believe this is happening. I can’t believe my guards would …” He trails off, breathing harshly.

“Not all of them betrayed you,” I remind him, wiping my mouth with the back of my sleeve.

“I know.” He plummets into grieving silence.

“I think I know a place where we can hide for a little while,” Legend mutters. “It’s in the Willow Realm, but the house is well-hidden and the owner is trustworthy. Plus, he’s rarely home during the springtime.”

“Take Lake there, then,” Jules instructs. “I’ll meet up with you later after I find everyone else.”

I raise my head. “No, I’m going with you.”

He shakes his head, violet eyes blaring with light. “It’s too dangerous.”

I give a pressing glance back at the forest, making a silent but very valid point.

With nothing left to argue about, the three of us set out for his house together.

* * *

When we arrive at the house, Liberty greets us in the foyer with a sly smile. Kylan is behind her, looking miserably tired.

“You two have fun last night?” She clearly has no clue what’s going on.

A good sign, I decide. More than likely, it means they’re all safe.

“Where’s Shade and Rune?” Jules asks as he barrels up the stairway.

“In the training room.” She shakes her head, gaping at me. “What’s his deal? I thought he’d be super happy after you guys didn’t come back last night.”

“We were for a bit.” The sadness of the truth chills my bones. “I need to tell you something.” Then all the lies I’ve been keeping from her rush out of me at once.

* * *

Before we leave, Jules takes a moment to send Philip a letter, informing him of where is family is being held captive and a few ways he might be able to free them.

“I feel like it’s not enough,” Jules says as he seals the letter. “One day I need to make this up to him.”

I brush my knuckles across his cheek. “You need to stop blaming yourself for everything your father does.”

He slings the handle of his bag over his shoulder. “I know, but I need to fix what I can—fix what he’s done to our realm.”

“We will.” I take his hand, letting him know he’s not alone in this.

He steals a soft kiss before steering me out of the room. Then we abandoned the house. Shade, Rune, Kylan, Legend, Liberty, Jules, and I. Jules also carries his mom, wrapped up in a blanket. We pack very little, only a bag each, and set out for the underground spot Legend mentioned. We all sport cloaks, and Jules uses the last of his glamour to keep us concealed as we rush through the city.

As we creep undetected past the magical creatures, I tell Legend everything. About what we found in Jules’ library. How we need him to help us. I also beg him to forgive me for bringing him into this mess.

“This isn’t your fault.” He drapes an arm around my shoulders and pulls me close to his side. “And I probably would’ve been dragged into this mess even if I hadn’t met you.” He grinds his teeth. “The Eternals are officially starting a search for a cure for the vines.”

“What will happen if they find out about me?” I ask, wrapping my cloak around myself.

“They won’t,” he swears to me. “Because, as soon as I drop you and your wolf friends off, I’m going to find this Star, and then we’re going to find a way to get rid of the vines without any harm coming to you.”

“Or the rest of the nature energy creatures,” I add.

All he does is stare off into the distance.

“Legend, I don’t want anyone else getting hurt.”

“I know, but if it comes down to you or them, I’ll choose you.” He glances at me with no remorse in his expression. “And I know every wolf with us will agree.”

He’s right, but that doesn’t mean I agree with all of them. After what I saw and did this morning, I’d risk my life if it meant the vines released their grasp on the city.

A handful of miles later, we reach the portal to the Willow Realm. The entryway is unguarded, all swirls and bright colors of faerie dust magic.

Jules goes through the portal with me, where nightfall awaits us on the other side. The inadequate moon and starlight give me hardly any chance to fully take in the realm of the fey. From what I can tell, the field is sprinkled with firefly glow, glittery magic, and dusted with a slash of shooting stars that cascade across the towering hills and the waterfalls.

A beautiful place, I’m guessing, except for the vines that ghost the borders of the land, reminding me of what lies ahead if we can’t find Star and the rest of the nature energy creatures.

Because we’re faster in wolf form, we decide to shift and carry our bags in our mouths. Legend will carry Jules’ mom.

Protectively, Jules leads me behind a tree out of the sight of others and helps me strip out of my clothes.

“Will you help me shift again?” I ask as I tug his shirt over his head.

“Of course.” His lips burn against mine as he kisses me. “You won’t have to feel a thing.”

If only that were the case with everything.

Then again, everything would include how I feel for him and that I want to feel forever.

“When we get to this place, what will we do?” I ask as I unfasten his belt.

“Legend said he’d search for Star, right?” He watches me as I unzip his pants.

I nod. “He said he’d set off for the Sun Moon portal as soon as he drops us off at this faerie’s place.”

“Good. And while he’s gone, we’ll train. We’ll train harder than we ever have, so if we’re found, we can protect ourselves. We’ll also search for followers, creatures who are against the vines and want to help. We’ll have to be careful, but I know there has to be so many out there who will side with us.”

“How will we know which ones we can trust?”

“We might have to seek out an energy reader.”

“What are those? They sound an awful lot like nature energy creatures.”

“They’re kind of the same in a way, I guess, except for, instead of connecting with the energy of plants, they connect with the energy of creatures, so they can tell what they’re feeling, if they’re lying, if they’re scared. They’re rare, but I might have a few ideas on where to find one—” He cuts himself off with a groan as I tug down his pants, my fingers grazing his length. “Lake,” he moans a helpless plea. “As much as I love you touching me, we don’t have time for this right now.”

“I know.” But I still pout. I’m not even sure why, other than my wolf wants him and I can’t think clearly when she’s stirring with desire.

Sighing, he brushes his lips against mine. “When we get to this place, I promise we can do whatever you want.”

I nearly eat him alive right then and there. Luckily, he has more self-control. Well, sort of. After kissing and touching me until I’m breathless, Jules pulls away, but only when Shade shouts for us to get our asses moving.

With a deep, husky sigh, he turns me around and uses his gift to help me shift. I wait for him to transform, too, then we take off into the night with the rest of the werewolves and my vampire friend, running from the past and chasing a future I hope we can find.