Merle disconnected the call and pocketed her cell phone again, walking out of the room she currently occupied at the Murray mansion, down the hall to the staircase. After the escalation at the meeting with the Draconians, she and the others agreed it was better for her to stick close to the Aequitas, since—without Rhun—she was the only one living at the Victorian. The Murray mansion offered more than enough room for her to bunk down, and she’d be with Lily and Alek, who were still camped out here, too.

And now Hazel was back from Faerie, Merle had the additional protection of a powerful Elder witch living with her.

This afternoon’s return of Hazel, Basil, and Tallak—Basil’s demon father, something she still couldn’t wrap her mind around—this afternoon was a welcome surprise, all the more joyous in light of Basil’s mating to his newfound love, the fae Isa, as well as the fact they found Rose alive and were able to bring her home.

So now the Murray mansion was filled once more with love, laughter, the occasional snide remark, all in good humor, and above all, hope. After losing both Maeve and Rhun in such a short time—she couldn’t stop to think about that, or else she’d break down—Merle sorely needed the company, the comfort, and the support of her friends who were like chosen family to her. If she didn’t smile or joke with them at least a little, she’d crumple to dust under the pressure of needing to find Rhun, of needing to make sure he didn’t hurt anymore.

Hazel’s presence in particular was reassuring, the other Elder witch’s magic as warm and nurturing as it was powerful. Having Hazel back gave Merle more confidence that they could soon free her mate.

Which brought her back to…

She entered the kitchen, joined Hazel and Lily where they sat in the breakfast nook, looking out at the moonlit garden. Rose lay on her back on the grass, where she’d been for over an hour already. Even though she was Lily’s identical twin, and should resemble her in appearance, the difference—born of years of neglect and starvation, both physically as well as magically—was striking. It hurt Merle to even look at Rose, the other witch’s cheeks too hollow, arms and legs too thin, her aura subdued, her powers stifled.

Hazel would feed her back to strength, in more ways than one, but until then, Rose was a wraith, the shadow of a husk of what she should be.

Merle swallowed, forced her attention away from the young woman who seemed to have suffered an even worse ordeal than Maeve. “Where’s Basil?” she asked instead.

Lily smirked, humor lighting her indigo eyes. “He’s…busy.”

Merle realized Isa was nowhere to be found either and grinned. “Riiiight.”

Good for him. Her heart jumped with joy for Baz, her chest a little less tight just knowing he’d found happiness and love. They needed more of that in these difficult times.

“What about Tallak? Where’s he off to?”

“Brooding, for all I care.” Hazel folded her arms, her usually warm brown eyes chilled at the mention of the hæmingr demon.

To say she and Basil’s biological father had gotten off to a rocky start was quite the understatement. One would think they’d have a lot in common, seeing as they both loved Baz as their child, but putting these two together in one room—or simply in the same general metro area—was akin to throwing a cat and a dog in the same crate. Highly entertaining, as Rhun would say, but also a bloody mess of fur and claws and teeth that could only end badly.

“So,” Merle said, changing the subject before Hazel’s hackles rose too much, “I just got off the phone with Shobha Gupta. It seems we’ve got a good chance at snatching a witch after all.” She drummed her fingers on the table, biting her lip.

“Merle,” Lily sighed, tilting her head, “don’t make me pull it out of you, because I will.”

Grinning at her best friend since kindergarten, she explained, “Anjali’s mate is a shadow demon.”

Lily narrowed her eyes, but Hazel caught on.

She raised her dark brows. “They’re going to use his skills to sneak up on one of Juneau’s witches.”

“Yes.” Merle smiled. “It’s perfect. Thorne can get close to them without anyone noticing, and he can even pull someone into his shadow cloaking to conceal them as well. With the right tools and some assistance, he can not only trap a witch, he can bring her to us unseen.”

Lily straightened. “That’s brilliant.”

Merle nodded. “The Guptas will send a witch with him to help render the Draconians’ witch unconscious and all, and they’ll let us know as soon as they have snatched someone.”

“I can’t tell you how much I love it that we’ve all gone Dark Side,” Lily said with a smug smile. “Using demon powers alongside witch magic.” She shook her head, still grinning. “How devious.”

“And not too long ago,” Alek said, strolling into the kitchen, “that idea would have made you go into cardiac arrest.”

Lily angled her head back to accept Alek’s kiss as he leaned over from behind her chair. “Well, I am capable of change. I stopped fighting my demons.” An unrepentant grin. “Now I snuggle with them instead.”

“Oh, please.” Merle rolled her eyes, pointed her finger at Lily. “I was the first of us to snuggle with a demon.”

“Funny how more and more of you witches seem to end up with one,” Alek mused.

Hazel startled after a moment, glanced around. “What are you all looking at me for?”

“Nothing,” everybody said, a tad too quickly.

Alek cleared his throat, his expression turning somber as he looked at Merle. “I have a summons for you.”

Merle froze. “What? From Arawn?”

Jaw clenched, Alek nodded.

“What does he want? Is it Maeve? Did you hear anything from her?”

He combed a hand through his hair. “I haven’t been able to find out how she’s doing. Where she even is. But Arawn wants to see you. Tonight. He didn’t say why, just that you’re supposed to come with me.”

Heart threatening to beat out of her ribcage, Merle rose.

“Wait.” Lily laid a hand on her arm. “You’re not walking in there just like that, are you?”

“He’s promised safe passage in and out,” Alek said grudgingly.

Merle hesitated for a moment, then nodded at the pranagraha demon. “Let’s go.”

They went out to Alek’s pickup, drove off under cover of new camouflage spells courtesy of Hazel, meant to confuse anyone staking out the house, so they wouldn’t be able to focus on a vehicle leaving the mansion. The spell was strong enough to cling to a car driving off the property, then continue for a few miles before vanishing. Made it near impossible to ambush anyone close to the house.

When Alek didn’t take the route to the infamous lake that so far was the only means to reach Arawn’s lair, Merle frowned at him.

“I thought we were going to Arawn.”

Alek’s hands clenched on the steering wheel. “We are.”

“But—”

“Just wait. You’ll see.”

Unease prickled through her. “You know that I can still use my magic, right? And that I will if I’m threatened.”

Alek snorted. “Please. Like I’d hurt a hair on your head when you’re my mate’s best friend.” A dark glance. “Not to mention I’d rather rip off my arm than harm a pregnant female.”

“Well, okay, then.” She rubbed her nose. “Just so we’re on the same page and all.”

“We’re simply taking another way to Arawn’s.” His voice was threaded with a growl.

She raised her brows just as he parked at the side of a road near a towering cliff half-covered by evergreens. “I thought the lake was the way to his lair.”

“So did I.” Alek got out of the truck, his growl becoming more distinct. “Ten years. Ten damn years I’ve been working for the bastard, and he never once deigned to show me this route, much less let me use it.” He stalked ahead of her toward the cliff. “I had to go through the fucking lake each and every time he summoned me.”

And thus arrive in front Arawn dripping wet, cold, and uncomfortable, which was kind of the whole point with the Demon Lord’s insistence that people use the lake to get to him.

“Yeah, me too.” She followed Alek up into a cave that hadn’t been visible from where they parked, the shimmer in the air betraying the magic most likely used to conceal this entrance from anyone not privy to its location. She was probably only able to see it because she was with Alek. “All these months I’ve been traveling to his lair to perform magic for him, he made me go through the lake.”

“He’s a prick,” Alek ground out.

Merle frowned as they walked into enveloping darkness, sounds hushed as if wrapped in velvet. “So why did he reveal this to you now? To me?”

“Take my hand,” Alek said. “I can see in the dark. You can’t.”

She grabbed his hand, and he guided her farther down the tunnel, the air increasingly abuzz with power.

“I don’t know why he’d give us this easier route now,” Alek said after a moment. “Who knows what’s going on in that fucked-up head of his? Maybe it’s another ploy. Another move on his chess board or whatever.”

“Do you know the moment I knew you were an okay guy?”

“When I saved Lily from killing her brother?”

“Well, yes, that too.” She waved it away, knowing he could see it in the pitch black. “No, I mean when I realized you resent Arawn even more than I do.”

“Bonding over Arawn hate,” Alek muttered. “That’s one way to become fast friends.”

The air changed, a fresh, chilly breeze blowing into the tunnel. Light glowed up ahead.

Merle breathed a sigh of relief, swallowing down the slowly rising fear of being enclosed beneath tons of stone. “I take it this passage is enchanted, similar to the lake?”

“I suppose so. The exit is definitely not from the same cliff where we entered. Miles and miles between.”

“Magically linked.”

“Yep.”

She scoffed. “He really could have let us travel to him without getting soaked all this time.”

“Like I said. Rat bastard.”

She let go of his hand when it was light enough for her to see the path. Soon after, they stepped out of the cave and onto a trail leading into the forest.

Fairies flitted past, the air glittering in the wake of their flight. Fireflies swirled over the path and illuminated the ground enough for Merle to make out the way. She narrowed her eyes in anger as she remembered how Arawn had once ordered her to change the fireflies’ color to red. Just for shits and giggles. Asshole.

“I wonder what he wants now,” Merle whispered. “He paused the deal, and Maeve’s surrendering herself to him fulfilled the initial bargain anyway, which means I’m free of him. So what could he possibly want from me now?”

Alek grimaced. “You know I can’t tell you anything reassuring.” He gestured at a cluster of trees up ahead that looked suspiciously like a…cathedral. “This is where he told me to bring you.”

Doors of intricately interwoven branches swung open as if pulled by an invisible rope, and Merle and Alek stepped into what indeed looked like a lofty, vaulted hall, the walls and ceiling made of trees that interlocked in complex, beautiful patterns. Gently glowing balls of light floated in the air and bathed the natural cathedral in soft, warm radiance.

Merle’s breath stalled in her lungs as she noticed the platform on the other end of the hall, the person sitting on one of the chaise lounges there. The world paused in its turning, just like her heart stopped beating for a moment.

“Maeve,” she whispered.

And fell to her knees.