“Why do they want to see me?” I asked.

We were now back at the estate, gathered in one of the living rooms. From the looks on their faces, I assumed a summons from the Superior Council was not a good thing.

"Your parents fled Velar, which is a crime here,” Gabriel said. “They were fugitives; it’s forbidden for fae and vampires who aren’t approved to venture into the human world. We got special permission because you were there, and you were in danger from Edelnar; but it was only for the purpose of bringing you back. Settling in and living there like your parents did is not allowed. Our worlds aren’t supposed to meet. I suspect they think you knew about all this—and willingly chose to remain a fugitive.

A chill fell over me at his words. The thought of my parents being fugitives had never occurred to me. Nor had the thought of not being allowed to return back to my world—ever.

"Does—does this mean I can't leave?” I asked, shaken. “You said if I choose I can go back to—“

"You can,” Noel said swiftly. “If—if that’s what you choose, we’ll help you get back.”

“But the Council isn’t as flexible,” Xavier said.

I closed my eyes, pressing my hands to my temples. When I opened them again, I expelled a breath.

“What else have you all been hiding from me?” I asked. At their visible hesitation, I continued, “If we’re going to be mates, you have to be open with me.”

They exchanged glances, and the silence stretched for so long I feared they wouldn’t answer.

“We think the Superior Council might be compromised,” Gabriel finally said. “That one of them might be working with Edelnar and his people to bring it down. It’s the same thing my parents were arrested for—only they were on the side of vampires. We think whoever’s working against the Council wants Velar to be ruled by fae. If Edelnar marries you and secures you as queen, it legitimizes his claim to rule.”

“Queen?” I gasped. “But I’m new to this world. I wouldn’t know anything about ruling.”

“I doubt he’d let you truly rule,” Gabriel said bitterly. “All he cares about—and the people he’s working with—is your royal blood. Royal blood holds a lot of sway with fae.”

"We're sorry,” Adrian said, his eyes filling with remorse. “We should have told you all of this before… so you could be more prepared. We were hoping to root out the traitor in the Council without involving you and putting you in more danger.“

“But I am involved,” I said slowly. “If . . . if the Council wants to see me, then we should obey.”

“It’s too dangerous, cherie,” Noel said, shaking his head.

“We don’t want to rouse their suspicion, right?” I said. They gave me reluctant nods. “Then I should go.”

The vampires looked at me with expressions varying from admiration to worry.

“Are you sure?” Xavier asked.

I wasn’t, but I nodded. I just instinctively knew avoiding this Council could make things worse for me, especially if they were already suspicious. And I wanted to see the Council for myself.

I went to my rooms to change. Berenzi helped me dress in what I assumed was a traveling dress; a long, blue, silk dress paired with a silvery cloak. She seemed just as nervous as me.

“Just answer their questions and be honest,” she said, tying my cloak shut. “You’ll do fine, dear.”

She gave me an assuring smile, but her eyes were still clouded with worry.

When I headed down to the courtyard to join the vampires, a carriage was already waiting for us. I had ridden in a carriage exactly once, during a trip to New York City with Alice. But I was too anxious to appreciate the novelty of a carriage ride.

I sat in between Gabriel and Adrian with Noel and Xavier seated across from us. Their bodies were rigid with tension, their handsome faces infused with worry.

“If I nod at you,” Gabriel said, giving me a serious look, “you turn and leave. We’ll handle the rest.”

“But—“ I started to protest.

“Please,” Adrian said. “We don’t know who on the Council can be trusted. Let us protect you.”

Their gazes were relentless and firm, and I nodded. I wanted to protest I wouldn’t leave them behind to face danger—I couldn’t bear it if something were to happen to them.

I tried to concentrate on the surroundings as our carriage made the journey to the capital; the grasslands stretching as far as the eye could see; the distant line of forests in the background. But I was too uneasy to concentrate.

To my relief, it didn’t take long to reach the capital. It looked more like a medieval-style town, with a cluster of stone and brick buildings and homes nestled among cobblestoned streets. I could tell the townspeople who strolled through the streets were vampire and fae, with their pale skin, their massive height, their preternatural beauty. I didn’t have long to take in the town; we soon arrived at the gates of a fortress on the outskirts of the capital.

I studied it as we stepped out of the carriage. With its foreboding stone exterior and barred windows and steel gates, it looked more like a prison than a government building.

My vampires hovered protectively close as we entered the building’s large entryway. We headed to a stone staircase, but as we began to climb, I gasped. The staircase had begun to move, acting more like an elevator as it rose past several stories to the top floor.

Gabriel and Adrian gripped each of my arms while Xavier and Noel hovered behind us when we reached the top floor. Several cloaked vampire guards approached, but Gabriel let out a low growl.

“We’ll escort her inside,” he barked, leading me past them towards a set of double doors.

We entered what appeared to be a large meeting room. Seated around a long table were a dozen vampires and fae. I took them in, trying to be appear neutral. Several of them, who I suspected were fae, had wings. Actual wings sprouting from the back of their cloaks; I assumed there were holes in the cloaks that made room for the wings. It again struck me I was in a completely different world filled with creatures I had long assumed to be myth.

“Liana.” A tall ethereally beautiful woman with long blonde hair and green eyes had spoken. She studied me carefully. “Are you unharmed?”

“Why would she be harmed?” Gabriel demanded.

“I asked Liana,” the woman cooly returned, still looking at me.

“I’m—I’m fine,” I whispered, my mouth dry.

“Our apologies for the late-night summons, but we’ve been eager to meet you. You’ve grown up in the human world, unaware of who you truly are. Is that correct?”

A tendril of unease coiled around me. Already, this seemed like an interrogation. The Council trained me with looks of mild suspicion.

“Yes,” I said. “I’m still overwhelmed. This—this still doesn’t feel real.”

“But is it true you used your magic against your own kind?” asked a narrow-faced man, with crimson eyes and raven black hair.

“I didn’t know I could do magic. I—I was scared and I was trying to get away from someone who abducted me,” I said, a swell of defensive anger rising in my chest.

“Were you aware your parents were fugitives who disobeyed our laws and fled from Velar?” the blonde woman asked.

“No. Not until recently. I never knew my parents. My grandmother Alice told me they died in a car accident.”

“Mavelan Alice Dineaora Oisinar,” the narrow-faced man breathed, his eyes darkening. “She lives?”

I assumed this was my grandmother’s name in the fae world. I expelled a tense breath.

“No. She died a year ago. And she never told me I was fae or that this world existed.”

“Enough,” Gabriel snarled, glaring at them. “Liana is still adjusting. Why are you interrogating her? She needs our protection, not our suspicion. Have you forgotten Edelnar came for her in the human gateway city?”

“That is why we are taking precautions,” the blonde woman replied, though her eyes still glittered with suspicion. “We need to know precisely which side she’s on.”

Which side I was on? It sounded like they were talking about some kind of war.

“I’m not on any side,” I said, trying to keep my tone even. “I’m just trying to take this all in.”

“I understand,” a dark-skinned woman with silver eyes said, settling kind eyes on me before glaring at the other Council members. “Her parents and grandmother are the ones at fault, not Liana. It’s best she stays here with us as we help her adjust to—“

“No.” Adrian had spoken. He glared at them, his fists clenched at his sides. “She’s our mate. She stays with us.”

“Has she formally accepted the bond? Has the ceremony been performed?” the blonde woman asked.

“Not yet,” I said. “I wanted to get to know them before making my decision about bonding with them and remaining in Velar.”

“Choice?” the narrow-faced man snapped. “Why do you assume you’d be allowed to return to the human world?”

“I—I know I can’t leave Velar,” I lied, “but I think it’s best I stay with them until I make my decision about the bond.”

“Most don’t have a choice, but we will allow it,” the blonde woman said, after a long pause. “But we will want to send more guards with you back to the estate. For your protection, of course.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Gabriel said tightly. “We already have a secure retinue of guards there.”

“We insist—“ she began again, her eyes flashing.

“That won’t be—“ Gabriel snarled.

“We will of course accept your guards, Rinela,” Xavier interrupted, with a forced smile. “Can we have the night to prepare our household? How many will you be sending?”

“Fifty,” the blonde woman said, looking pleased at Xavier’s acquiescence. “Led by Draker. Our most trusted guard.”

“Very well,” Gabriel said through clenched teeth. I could tell there was no love lost between him and members of the Council.

“You are dismissed,” Rinela said, her gaze settling on me. “But we will want to have you back for more questioning.”

“Alright,” I said, nodding my agreement. I could see what my vampires meant about the Council. There was an undercurrent of danger here. It was best to play along.

* * *

“We need to get Liana out of here, tonight,” Xavier said. “And then we need to leave. Those guards are meant to be our jailers. I only agreed so we could get out of there.”

We were in the carriage racing away from the capital. I looked at Xavier in surprise as the others nodded in agreement.

“What do you mean—get me out of here?” I asked.

“We should not have brought you here, cherie,” Noel said, looking regretful. “The danger for you here may be even greater than in your world. It may be safer for you there.”

“But what about the bond?” I asked.

They all looked pained, but resolute.

“Your safety is more important,” Xavier said quietly.

I fell silent as the carriage continued to race through the grasslands, my heart in my throat. Tears filled my eyes at the thought of leaving them behind—and possibly never seeing them again.

But were they right? Would it be safer for me back in my world?

To my surprise, the carriage flew past the estate, and dread coiled in my stomach. They were taking me back to the gateway.

“Wait—“ I protested.

“It is for the best, cherie,” Noel said, though his silver eyes glistened with tears.

It didn’t take us long to reach the stretch of river adjacent to the gateway. Noel and Adrian helped me down from the carriage.

“When you return to your world, find a place to hide. We will send someone we trust to help—“ Gabriel began.

“Noel, Xavier, Gabriel, and Adrian,” I barked, pulling myself to my full height. “You cannot order me around.”

“Liana, this is for—“

“You didn’t let me finish,” I said, wiping away my tears. “I accept our mating bond. I am yours, and you are mine. I will not let you stay behind to face danger without me. We are in this together.”

They froze, their gazes settling on me in disbelief.

“Liana,” Adrian whispered, “are you saying—“

“You heard me,” I said firmly.

Deep down, I had known since I spotted them back in New Orleans. My connection to them went beyond this supernatural bond; my feelings for them were real. There was still so much to learn about them, so much to experience with them. If I returned to my world without them; I would never feel complete, never feel the sense of home I only experienced with them. I desired them, I cared for them . . . I loved them. I wasn’t going to deny my feelings any longer.

“You are my mates, and I’m not going anywhere without you,” I said, blinking back tears.

“Are you certain?” Gabriel asked, his voice husky. “We will protect you no matter what.”

“I’ve never been more certain of anything,” I whispered. “And if you’re going on the run from the Council—I’m coming with you.”

They finally seemed to accept the truth of my words, and broad smiles appeared on their faces. I stood on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to each of theirs in brief but searing kisses.

“Now,” I said, approaching the carriage. “Let’s go back to the estate to get Berenzi, Nya, and whoever we can take with us.”

My vampire mates settled into the carriage with me.

“As you wish,” Gabriel replied, beaming.

As the carriage clattered back towards the estate, I reached out to link hands with Gabriel and Adrian, who sat at my side, whole locking eyes with Xavier and Noel, whose smiles widened.

A sense of completion filled me. Though there were dangers for us ahead, we would face them together.