I was in deep shit this time.

I had no idea where I was. My gem was missing. And now I was at the mercy of three rogue vampires who kept looking at me like I was dinner.

Oh wait—I was.

Last thing I remembered was following that glistening ball of light. It got under my skin, somehow. It took over my mind and my thoughts till they were no longer my own. I followed it blindly, despite the warning bells in my mind.

And as soon as I left the borders of Diamond Falls, they descended upon me. By then, it was too late.

Without the gem, I had no way to reach out to my Guardian brothers. Without my powers, I was as good as dead.

I lay on the cold stone floor, cursing myself over and over. I should have listened better in class. I should have practiced the psychic defenses just one more time. I should have been there for Beck.

But once again, I’d let someone down. Soon enough, I figured, it wouldn’t matter anymore. Once they got their fangs into me, I would never be able to disappoint anyone again.

I prayed, with the last of my waning lifespan, that Beck and the baby would be okay. That he would continue to live, and perhaps even thrive in my absence. That the Guardians would remember me as I was, and find a new Guardian to take my place. 

I’d been stupid. I’d been reckless. And this time, it was gonna get me killed. 

Footsteps clattered on the hard stone floor and I lifted my head just enough to see who was approaching. 

It was a different man this time, taller and bulkier than the ones that I’d seen before. He walked with a sure kind of purpose, heading right toward me. As he drew closer, I realized I’d recognize that face anywhere. Oh, how my worlds had collided.

That was Rico. The same man who ruined my brother and stole him away from me. And now he was here, tied up in all of this. Don’t tell me he was a vampire too?

Rico stopped next to me and looked down over his long hooked nose. “Edison,” he sneered, pacing around me. “What a nice surprise.” 

I ground my teeth together to keep from lunging at him. Without my gem, there wasn’t much I could do. “What the hell are you doing here? Don’t tell me you’re working with these assholes now.”

Rico didn’t say anything, just continued pacing. His high-pitched footsteps set my teeth on edge. Did he come here just to mock me?

“Nightwatch and my men have made an arrangement. But I must say, I didn’t expect to see anyone I knew here.” His lips quirked upward in a smirk.

“You don’t know me,” I snarled. “And you don’t know Noah, either. You still using him as your plaything?” The idea surged through my blood like fire. Even without the power of the gem the intensity of the moment ripped through me. Scattered stones and chunks of dirt flew at Rico’s head. He ducked just in time.

“Now, now, Ed.” Rico clucked his tongue, running a long, sharply nailed finger down my shoulder. I tried to flinch away but the chains held me tight. “I was told you wouldn’t be difficult.”

“Eat shit,” I growled, reaching for more of that pent up power within myself. Nothing came. I was alone, chained, and broken. Now I was face to face with the man I’d sworn to kill, and there was nothing I could do about it.

“We need some information from you.” Rico continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Seeing how you’ve become close with Nightwatch’s latest target, we thought you’d be the best one to tell us where he is.”

My stomach sank. They couldn’t be talking about Beck. Hadn’t they hurt him enough already?

“I’m not telling you anything,” I growled. “Not you, and not one of those Nightwatch bastards.”

“Have it your way.” Rico paced toward the doorway and called out. “He’s not gonna tell us anything. Might as well feed on him till he does.”

With a shrug and one last taunting look over his shoulder, Rico left the room and I was alone with three hungry vampires.

They descended upon me like vultures, their eyes a violent red that cut through the darkness. Now that I had a closer look at the monsters, I really wished I hadn’t. Their skin gleamed a sickly, pale grey, almost metallic in the flickering candlelight. Old scars traced their lithe bodies like tattoos. But there was something even worse there, something I hadn’t noticed before.

A strange, black aura coming off of them in waves that I’d only seen in one other place.

The Void.

“You think we were really going to turn ourselves in to Koxerra and become the lowly, castrated beings you call vampires? We’ve discovered so much more. Power beyond your imagining, Guardian, for those willing to seek it.”

The scent of burning and death filled my nostrils and I retched, spasming on the cold floor. “How?” I rasped. “The Void is pure poison, there’s no way you could have...”

“Ever hear of microdosing?” The head vampire taunted, his fangs flicking out into full view. I shuddered away at the sight. Long. Sharp. Lethal.

He didn’t wait for my answer. “It turns out that taking in small amounts of Void at a time actually unlocks our greatest potential. We’re stronger, faster, and smarter than ever before. And when we’re done, not even the Gemstone Guardians will be able to stop us.”

“You don’t know what you’re messing with,” I spat. “The Void doesn’t care! It will destroy you!”

“Lies!” The vampire roared, advancing on me until those terrible fangs were only inches away from my bare flesh. “You only want to destroy. You see powers greater than you as threats instead of opportunities. We only want to change that. To work together with the darkness instead of against it.” 

I shook my head violently, shaking all over from the wrongness of it. “We’ve seen what it can do, and if you’re in the wrong place when it turns, then...”

“Then what?” My captor tilted his head. “I’m already a vampire. I’ve already been turned against my will. There’s nothing more they can take from me.” He bared his teeth in a hiss and his two brothers joined, each advancing on me with those vicious, hungry eyes.

“And now we’re going to take what is ours. And take. And take. We will not stop, Edison. We will not show mercy. Not until you give us what we need. We won’t even give you the luxury of turning into one of us. That would be much too easy. No, we’re going to drink you dry. Every last drop, until you’re nothing but a dead, empty husk. And to think, you could have prevented it. You could have lived. All you have to do is tell us where Beck is.”

I sucked in a breath and swallowed. No matter how terrified I was, I knew deep down in my heart that I could never betray him. My gemstone, even though it was lost, had chosen Beck as my fated mate. We were meant to be together, and if that couldn’t happen? Well, I’d just have to die protecting him.

That was what true mates did, right?

So I stared down my captors, into their angry red eyes, their glistening fangs, their scarred bodies. I called up an image of Beck’s smile and fixed it in my mind, knowing it would be the last thing I’d ever see.

I closed my eyes, let out a breath. Waited.

Then all hell broke loose.

A rush of footsteps. Blasts of light. Shouting. Familiar voices. And one that stood out above them all.

“Ed!” 

I froze and dared to open my eyes.

Oh, shit.

He was here. 

The Guardians spilled over the threshold and into the small holding cell, rays of rainbow light trailing in their wake. I’d never been so happy to see them in my life, but that relief was soon washed away by fear when I saw Beck standing there next to them.

He should never have come. It was a trap, it was all a trap, right from the very beginning!

“Beck!” I cried, my voice raw. “You’ve gotta get out of here!” I yanked at my restraints until my wrists were red and raw, but they didn’t budge.

Of course, he didn’t listen. He ran straight toward me instead of running away. Just what the vampires wanted.

Wes and Salem stood back to back, flinging fire and ice at the attackers in equal measure. Ollie shot out blasts of light while Ivan controlled the ground around us, throwing up vines, roots, and barriers to every man who tried to escape.

Beck skidded to his knees in front of me, ducking under a blast of light. He grabbed the restraints and inspected them, looking up at me in horror. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he kept muttering, trying to find the release latch. It was no use, they’d sealed me up tight.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” I whispered, wanting nothing more than to reach out and hold him. “They’re asking for you, Beck. They’re hurting people, just to get to you...”

“I had to come.” There was no uncertainty in his voice. “And I had to bring you this.” He held out his hand, and there it was.

My missing gem.

“How did you...” I breathed, reaching out instinctively to grab it. Seeing my gem again was like reuniting with a missing part of myself. I didn’t know how much I had missed it until it was there again in front of me. And Beck, of all people, had picked it up and brought it here.

I knew I loved him for a reason.

The thought shocked me as soon as it came. There was that word again. Love. 

And to my surprise, the more I thought about it, the more I realized my instinct was right. He was all the things I’d wanted and so much more. And now he was here for me in my darkest hour, putting himself in great personal danger to help me out of a bad situation. How could I not love that?

“Found it in the elevator when I went looking for you,” Beck said. “I woke up, and you were gone, and...” 

I rolled my eyes. “Guess I should have paid more attention in class. Stupid mind tricks got a hold of me, but I swear I never meant to leave you.” 

His eyes shone so bright, so earnestly, I almost believed him. 

“Here, gimme the gem.” I wiggled my fingers, adjusting my hands into a cupped shape as much as I could through my bonds. “And take cover, you hear me?” 

Beck handed over the gem, already warming and pulsing with life in my mate’s presence. The moment my fingers clasped around it, all the light and energy I’d lost came back in a flurry. My eyes widened, my fingers interlacing with Beck’s. 

“You sure?” I asked, voice wavering. The transformation began to overtake me, and soon it’d be coming for him as well. Just like I’d seen with Wes and Dan’s first partnered transformation, it was the pinnacle of the mating process. A combination of our souls and energies into something greater than we could ever be alone.

“We’re doing this together,” Beck said, and squeezed my hand. “Let’s send these assholes back to hell.”

Sparks flew between us and a searing heat passed between my hand, the gem, and his. We joined together, one and the same, rising into the air in a gale of light and power. My restraints creaked, cracked, fell away. 

The familiar feeling of transformation passed over me, but this time it was different. My mate was beside me. He glowed and stretched, morphed and sang. The light nearly blinded me and I shielded my eyes, only to feel the cool, comforting weight of something heavy settling into my hands. 

My topaz gem changed before my eyes, evolving from a rough-hewn stone into something greater. Flecks of orange light swirled around it, this time joined by a darker red. Beck’s color. They combined and mixed to make a beautiful diamond-shaped topaz with a pulsing red center. Like the gem was alive, with its very own beating heart. The gem sat at the center of a wide silver disc with spikes lining the edges. Perfect for throwing. Perfect for slicing. And with my telekinetic powers? I could direct it wherever I needed to.

Our feet hit the ground at the same time as the world came back into focus around us. While the rest of the Guardian team had the vampires occupied, a flash of movement caught my eye right at the edge of my vision. 

Rico was trying to escape!

I didn’t even pause to think. I lunged forward and used the momentum to throw the disc as hard as I could. It sailed through the air, spinning like blades of death. Rico leapt to the side at the last minute, but the disc still grazed him across the side before crashing into the wall and bouncing back toward me. The gang leader cried out and his hand shot to his side, coming away slick with blood. I wasted no time crossing the room with Beck at my side. 

Here was the man who had been responsible for so much pain. So much suffering. He’d not only kidnapped and brainwashed my brother, but god knew how many other innocent omegas as well. 

And now he was in league with the group that had destroyed my mate’s village, as well. 

I raised the blade high, ready to strike. All my fear and anger and hurt bubbled out in that moment, shaking the ground around me. “What do you have to say for yourself?” I growled, readying the killing blow.

His face changed from terror to a kind of sickly smile at the last second. Just late enough to where I couldn’t change my trajectory. “Look out behind you,” he taunted in his greasy voice, and then fangs sunk deep into the side of my neck.