I felt a deep tug inside my chest a few seconds before Drake walked into our bedroom. I stared at him for a moment, a little stunned at seeing him covered in dark blood and dirt. But more than that, what alarmed me was his drooped shoulders and the bleakness in his green eyes.

I stood from the armchair I had been reading in and approached him. “What happened?”

He didn’t say anything, and I didn’t ask again. Instead, I embraced him and held him tight. He pressed his face to my neck and inhaled deeply. If I wasn’t so weak, I would have offered him some of my blood. That was sure to cheer him up.

I didn’t know how long we stayed there, embracing each other as if it was the end of the world, but suddenly Drake finally said, “I told Thomas that I killed his parents.”

I held him ever tighter. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” he whispered.

He then told me what happened in the last few hours they had been gone. I was glad he had found the Blood Amulet, but my heart ached for him now that Thomas had left.

“Come on,” I said, sliding my hand into his. “I’ll prepare a bath for you.”

I wished I could have comforted him in another way, but making love was off limits nowadays. Instead, I prepared him a nice, warm bath, and massaged the tension from his shoulders and back.

It was the middle of the night, when we usually stayed up, but this time, Drake went back to bed with me, where he held me tight until we fell asleep.

I looked out the window to the full moon rising on the horizon.

“It’s time,” I said, taking my jacket from the armchair in the corner of the bedroom.

Drake helped me with my jacket. “Are you sure you’re okay to go? We can postpone it. No, I can go and you stay.”

Since coming back with the amulet three days ago, and losing Thomas, Drake had been unusually quiet and even more protective than before. If it depended on him, I would never leave our bed, let alone our bedroom.

I cupped his face. “I’m fine.” It was the truth. Since learning about the pregnancy, I had been weaker and weaker. I didn’t think I had ever felt as energetic and healthy as before getting pregnant, but there were a few occasions when I felt well enough to go down to the kitchen and have a meal with the others. Or sit in the living room and read a book. Besides, I had prepared for this moment, by conserving my energy and eating right and drinking lots of Bagatha’s tonic. However, as it went, my well phases never lasted long, so the sooner we left, the faster we would get there before I started feeling too weak again. “I’m ready.”

He turned his face toward my hand and placed a soft kiss on my palm. “I love you.”

A smile turned my lips up. “To what do I owe this declaration?”

“Nothing. Everything. I just wanted you to know. I love you.”

I rose to my tiptoes. “I love you too.” I pressed my lips to his, wishing he could really feel my love through my gentle kiss.

Drake’s body tensed. His arms wound around my waist, and I sensed the battle in him—the battle for control. The same battle he had been fighting the last couple of months. It hurt me that I couldn’t help much with it.

I broke the kiss before it deepened too much, and I lost all the little strength I still had to other things. A great way, but not one I should engage in right now.

Drake rested his forehead on mine and inhaled deeply. “Let’s go.”

We found Luana and Keeran in the living room, waiting for us. Luana with her leather pants and tunic and braided hair, Keeran in his black clothes and long leather jacket—both looked ready for battle.

Luana held up a small thermal bottle. “I’ve got more tonic here, just in case.”

“Good thinking,” Drake said. “Ready?”

The three of us said yes, and a minute later, we marched outside.

Luana glanced up at the full moon. “Um. There are some clouds approaching. I might have to stick to the shadows of the trees, otherwise I won’t be able to control my shapeshifting.”

She then turned around, took off her clothes, and transformed into her wolf self. Keeran picked up her clothes, folded them, and put them inside a small pouch hanging from his waist.

Luana let out a short howl, indicating she was ready. Together, we trekked to the Undying Well. It was far from the house, so to help out, Keeran put a spell on the both of us to increase our speed. We wouldn’t match a vampire and a werewolf, but at least this way we were faster than humans—and I was less tired.

Halfway to the agreed meeting place, Luana slowed down and stopped. We halted beside her as she transformed back into her human body. Avoiding looking at her, Keeran took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

“I smell it too,” Drake said.

I glanced around. “What?”

“Blood,” Luana said. She held Keeran’s jacket tight around her body.

“Where?” Keeran asked.

“This way.” Like a cat on the hunt, Drake moved with silent and fast precision. In the blink of an eye, he was leaning over a bush twenty feet away. He let out a deep growl.

We rushed to his side and stared to whatever had ticked him.

My blood chilled.

Weeping, she was crouched beside the trunk of an arching tree, with her dress in rags, and bloody wounds on her legs and hands.

“Ebby,” I whispered, not believing the sight in front of me.

“Help,” she croaked.

“I’ll show you,” Drake muttered before advancing on her. I put out my arm just in time and stopped him. “She betrayed you. She deserves to die.”

Nobody deserved to die, but Ebby came pretty close. I might be able to convince Drake to not kill her, to leave her, but first, I wanted to know what was going on.

I rested my hand on Drake’s chest. “Give me a moment with her,” I whispered before kneeling beside her. “What happened?”

Ebby’s crying intensified, but she wiped her tears, smearing blood from her hands on her cheeks. “Princess Morda. She tried to kill me.”

“Why?”

“Because I failed her again.” She sniffed. “I had the opportunity to kill you and lost you. She said she wouldn’t tolerate any more mistakes.”

I frowned. “How are you alive?”

She stared at me, confused. “What?”

“If Morda wanted to kill you, she would have. How are you alive?”

“Your servant escaped an entire mansion full of witches, why can’t I?” she snapped, gesturing to Keeran.

“Because I helped him escape,” I said. Her eyes bugged. “Besides, Keeran is stronger than you are.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Okay, I confess, it wasn’t like that. Like you said, I’m weak.” A new tear rolled down her cheek. “Princess Morda called a few witches to her new throne room, me included. At first, I thought it was to assign us a new mission, but when we got there, we learned we would be publicly executed to show the other witches, and the werewolves living in the castle, what happened to people who failed her orders.” Her jaw trembled. “She tied us down and started performing the Bloodbone Ritual on us, one by one. Polina was beside me and she panicked. Like your pet had done, Polina used her magic to break free and try to escape. Then chaos ensued. Many other witches got free and fought back. I did too.” She held her head high. “In that moment, Princess Morda lost control of the castle and I used that chance to escape.”

I pressed my lips together. Publicly killing the witches who had failed her? It did sound like something Morda would do. However, I still found it hard to believe Ebby had escaped.

“Where are the other witches who escaped?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t pay attention to anything other than running and fleeing.” She shrugged. “Maybe they were caught? Maybe a few made it out and are hiding, like me? I don’t know!” A sob shook her body.

I glanced to Drake, Luana, and Keeran.

“You can’t possibly believe her,” Drake said, his eyes hard.

“I’ll never believe her again, not completely at least.” I stood. “But I can’t just leave her here like this.”

Drake’s jaw ticked. “I love that you’re caring and want to help everyone, but some people simply don’t deserve your help. And this girl is one of them.”

“I understand, but I still can’t leave her here.”

“Thea, this is insane,” Keeran said, his voice tight. Ebby had pretended to be his friend too, and then she turned on both of us. “I get it that you don’t want to kill her, but let’s just leave her here.”

“Leave her here and let’s go, or we’ll be late,” Luana said.

I stepped closer to the group. “Even if she’s lying to us, I think we can use her to our advantage. We can pretend to trust her, or let her know we trust her with reservations. She’ll try to prove herself by providing us information about Morda and DuMoir Castle.”

“It could be lies,” Drake said.

“I know, but maybe her information will be half-lies,” I said. “We can catch her with a truth spell or something.” I glanced at Keeran. It was a hard spell with rare ingredients, but I thought he was strong enough to do it.

“You’re suggesting we take her to the meeting?” Keeran asked. “That’s too risky.”

“I know, but then she’ll see we’re not kidding. If she tricks us in any way, she’s dead. Besides, meeting the other witches might scare her to the point where she doesn’t lie to us.”

“I don’t like this,” Luana said.

“Me neither, but for once, I want to be ahead of Morda,” I said. “For once, I want to beat her at her own game. If she sent Ebby here to trick us, then let’s pretend we were tricked, and then use her to trick Morda instead.”

Keeran frowned. “That makes sense, actually.”

Drake shook his head. “I’m against it.”

“I still don’t like it,” Luana said. “But I think it’s worth a try.”

I stared at Drake. “Please?”

He groaned. It was his away of reluctantly agreeing. I smiled at him for a quick second, before turning to Ebby with a serious expression. “After all you’ve done to us, we should kill you, or leave you here to rot alone. But that’s exactly what we’re trying to change in this world. We want more compassion and peace, so we’re taking you with us, but know this: You’ll have to prove yourself to us.”

Ebby wiped her eyes again. “You can trust me, I swear.” I extended my hand to her. Eager, Ebby took my hand and I helped her up. “I’ll prove to you all I’m telling the truth.”

That was fine with me, but for now, we had to keep going. “Keeran, can you heal her wounds a little bit so we can continue?”

Without a word, Keeran knelt in front of Ebby. He hovered his hands over her legs, closing the worst of the wounds and healing her enough so she could walk with us. Then, he stood and did the same with her hands.

“Thank you,” she whispered, looking up at him.

Keeran didn’t reply and Luana let out a low growl.

“We’re wasting time,” Drake snapped. “Let’s go.”

Like he had done before, Keeran spelled the both of us and Ebby so we could run almost as fast as Drake and Luana. After disappearing behind a bush, Luana threw the leather jacket back to Keeran and shifted back to her wolf skin.

And we ran.

But even with the spell, I was starting to feel the ache in my bones, the tiredness in my muscles. I tried to control my breathing and heartbeat as much as I could, because I knew the moment Drake or Luana could hear how tired I was, this trip would be over.

Almost an hour later, we slowed down. Luana appeared by our side in her human body and with the clothes Keeran had brought.

“I can feel it,” Keeran said, frowning. “We’re near.”

“Yes,” I said. Even in my state, I also felt the magic pulsing toward us, stronger and stronger each step we took. “We’re almost there.”

Drake took my hand and gave me the thermal bottle. “Drink.”

Of course he knew I was fighting against the pain and exhaustion. With his senses, how wouldn’t he? “Thank you.” I took the bottle and drank several gulps. To be honest, the tonic only helped a little these days, but every little bit counted.

Still tense, Drake turned to Keeran and Luana, who flanked Ebby. “You two stay back with this one. Keep your eye on her. If she tries anything, kill her.”

Ebby’s face paled.

I opened my mouth to tell him he didn’t need to scare her so much, not yet, but with fast, jerky movements, Drake grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the meeting place.

The closer we got, the stronger the magic was.

“Can you feel it?” I asked Drake. Since he was a vampire, I wasn’t sure he felt the same as a witch or a warlock would.

“A little. I feel more tension in the air than magic.” He squeezed my hand. “Sorry for being in a bad mood.”

I squeezed his hand back. “I understand. And I appreciate you trusting me.”

Drake gave a long side glance with those brilliant green eyes. I smiled at him. Damn, he was so handsome. Sometimes I forgot how lucky I was.

I placed my other hand on my belly. Even if I wasn’t here to see her grow, our daughter was lucky because she had an awesome father who would take good care of her.

The trees cleared into a tall rock formation with a large opening like a cave.

“The Undying Well is inside?” Drake asked, skeptical.

I shrugged. “It must be. I’ve never been to this place, but I’ve heard lots about it.”

Supposedly, the magic that witches now possessed had come from the well hidden in here. The well per se didn’t possess magic to give anymore, but the ground was a sacred place, and no harm could come to a witch while she was in here.

Drake and I entered the narrow and dark tunnel of the cave. It went on for a couple of minutes, then it started widening until finally it opened to a huge cavern. I halted at the edge of the stone stairs carved out of the rock and gaped at the sacred place—and the many witches waiting for us.

The stairs led to a stream of bright white water that spread like a long snake throughout the place. It sometimes disappeared under the stone walls. In the center of the room, the stream widened, creating a pool where a round stone well rose from the middle of the water. Dormant magic pulsed from inside the stone well.

Around the center pool and well stood Queen Rosilla, Queen Sarah, and a dozen of other witches—their inner circles.

“Thea Harrington,” Queen Rosilla said, her loud voice echoing through the cavern.

With Drake by my side, I approached the queens. Like I was taught to do, I bowed my head. “Hello, Queen Rosilla, Queen Sarah. Thank you for coming.”

Hiding her burnt hand behind her, Queen Sarah wrinkled her nose at me. Then, she shifted her gaze to Drake. “Who is this?”

Drake also bowed his head to the queens. “I’m Drake, former prince of DuMoir Castle.”

“A vampire?” Rosilla asked, frowning.

“A vampire is the father of the Queen of All Witches?” Sarah asked, her tone dubious. Untrusting.

“Yes, Drake is the father of the Queen of All Witches.” I rested my hand on my belly. “I see you have talked to your council.” I gestured to the witches behind the queens.

Queen Rosilla nodded. “I have and I must say, my coven isn’t happy about uniting with another coven, but I convinced them it was our only choice.”

“Good,” I said. “And you, Queen Sarah?”

“I’ve also talked to them.” The tightness of her tone didn’t bode well.

“And?”

“They want proof.”

My brows curled down. “I thought I had proven to you when we first talked. You know I’m carrying the Queen of All Witches.”

“I do,” Queen Sarah said. “But they want to know it too. To feel it.”

What kind of queen was she? Couldn’t she order them to believe her, and they had to do it? But if she was that cruel and uncaring, then we were back to square one. We needed leaders, but we needed good leaders, who heard their people and improved their lives.

Karyn, Queen Sarah’s second, stepped closer. “You have to understand, most of us never thought the Queen of All Witches was a real thing.” I knew what she meant. “As much as we respect and obey Queen Sarah, our queen knows how important it is for us to have proof of such declaration.”

Another witch approached us. If I remembered correctly, her name was Tallie and she was part of Queen Sarah’s council. “This is a huge moment for us. We would like proof.”

I dropped Drake’s hand and also placed it on my bump. I closed my eyes and focused—not in calling my magic, but talking to my daughter.

Emotion choked me when I realized I had never really talked to her, not directly. I talked about her, I mentioned her all the time, but despite the fact she was right here with me, I hadn’t talked to her.

Hi, baby, I thought. How is it going in there? I hope you’re okay. I’m sorry I’m weak and tired all the time. I’m trying to keep up my strength for your sake, but I can’t seem to hold on for long lately. Please, hang in there. Your father and I love you, and you’ll make sure you’re okay, all right? My eyes misted. But I have a request right now. Can you show your power to these witches, please? We need their help, and if we don’t prove your destiny to them, they won’t help us.

As if she had been waiting for this moment, my daughter acted. Power exploded from me, pushing everyone back, including Drake. Like it had happened before, the witches’ eyes glowed blue as my daughter poured her magic into them.

Then they blinked, but the awe didn’t leave their expression.

“Incredible,” one witch said.

“It’s true,” another whispered.

“This is amazing,” a third one muttered.

Queen Rosilla smiled. “This is the second time I felt that, and I can honestly say that it was as powerful and emotional as the first time.”

“That’s one hell of a Queen of All Witches,” Queen Sarah said with a smirk.

Thank you, baby.

“I’m glad you’re satisfied,” I said. Even though it hadn’t been my magic, I suddenly felt drained. Black dots appeared at the corner of my vision. Sensing me, Drake pulled me closer so I could discretely lean on him. “Are you going to help us?”

Queen Sarah and Queen Rosilla exchanged a look. Then, they said in unison, “Yes.”

Relief course through me.

“But on one condition,” Queen Sarah said.

My stomach dropped. What now? She would ask for a sacrifice, for gold, for what? Dread filled my chest. “What is it?”

“We launch an attack on the next full moon,” she said.

That was it? I mean, it wasn’t the ideal time as I would probably be even weaker by then, but it could have been worse. At least that should be enough time for us to prepare and interrogate Ebby to find out which of her lies would be useful or not.

“What do you think?” I asked Drake.

He nodded. “I’m okay with that.”

“Then it’s settled,” I said. “Next full moon we take Morda down.”