Tyler POV I don't know how long I have slept; dreams have haunted my sleep all morning. I kept seeing Jasmine's body strewn across the floor of our chambers. Now and then, Asher's face would cloud my vision; his sweet face was always blurred, I would put my arms out to hold him, but he was always just out of my reach. Sweat has soaked through my clothes, making them cling to me. My skin feels like insects are crawling all over me; my mind is restless. There's no way I will get any more sleep today. The sounds of my wolves snoring bounce off the cave walls. I tilt my head to one side when I hear water trickling down the cave wall; I walk toward the sound and notice a small hollow on the ground. I bend, cupping my hands together, and dip them into the water. The water is ice cold; I take a hesitant sip; it has a slightly metallic taste, but other than that, it's okay. I drink my fill and wash my face trying to clear my head. Then make my way to the threshold of the cave; it's mid-aftern
Lisha POV As soon as my feet touch the ground, I open my eyes; and snarl, turning toward Xavier; why are we back in the vampire realm? Blood pounds in my head; I clench my teeth in anger; my arms shake as I lift my hands, placing them against Xavier's chest and push him; he stumbles backward, holding his hands in the air when I scream, “What the fuck, Xavier? You were supposed to help me find Tyler?” He pisses me off further when he says, “Calm down, Lisha.” I growl; I fucking hate it when anyone tells me to calm down; something inside me snaps, and I stalk toward him. There’s a red haze surrounding Xavier, I don't know if it's just because I am angry, but all I can focus on is hurting him like I am hurting; I feel betrayed; we didn't even look for Tyler. Xavier keeps backing away from me, I can see his mouth moving, but because of the ringing in my ears, I can't hear him. When I am about to lunge at him, someone grabs me from behind; I struggle, trying to get out of their gras
Skyla POV I know Xavier will be angry when I return, but any information I can find out about what's going on in the other realms will benefit us. The Seelie are strong, well trained, and very fast; the adrenaline that pumps inside me when I hunt them is addictive. I love the challenge they give me; I can get so close before they know I am there; werewolves and vampires are more similar than we would like to admit. Both our species enjoy hunting down and killing our prey. I glide through the forest unnoticed, much closer to the Seelie border than I usually would be. A flash of movement disturbing the air near the border; catches my eye; I move back into the shadows and watch as Allana materializes. I can tell by the way Allana briskly walks toward the Seelie's border that she is agitated and distracted. I lean forward, trying to get a closer look at the woman approaching Allana; her long white hair flows gently in the breeze. My breath hitches in my throat when I realize it’s the See
Allana POV I clench my teeth so hard that it feels like my jaw is about to break. It took all my willpower not to kill that stupid sister of mine. How dare she question me? If it weren't for me, the bitch would still be a nothing, a nobody; it's because of me that she wears the Seelie crown. I don't know how often the same thought has run through my mind over the years.’I should have drowned the bitch at birth’ she is nothing but a self-important, self-entitled spoiled bitch, who only thinks of herself and what she wants. Laughter bursts from my throat; if I said that to anyone who was alive when Cassandra and I were young, they would think I was talking about myself. I need to refocus on the task at hand; Cassandra is correct in one aspect. If you want something done right, you are better off doing it yourself. I am still chuckling when I teleport to the werewolf realm and wait for the wolves I know will be patrolling the border. It's not long before I hear their paws striking the
Tyler POV I had just put Asher down to sleep and was walking back to the sitting area when Lilly waved her hand in the air, getting my attention. She places a finger against her lips. “Sssshhh.” I stand beside her and lean against the door leading to the hall. Skyla and Xavier's voices are quiet, hushed, but with my wolf hearing, I can still hear every word. Xavier hisses as he says, “No fucking way, Skyla, I won't allow you to do it.” Skyla lets out a harsh breath, “Lisha is scared that when she takes the necklace off, she may hurt one of us.” I could hear the anger in Xavier's voice as he whispered, “No, Skyla, you are not to do this.” Skyla whispers furiously, “It is not your decision, Xavier; it's Lisha’s.” His voice is cold as he sneers, “If you do this, Skyla, I will never forgive you.” When I hear the sound of Xavier's footsteps fade. I open the door; Skyla hasn't moved; I look at her raising my eyebrows, and ask, “Do what, Skyla?” Skyla gasps and goes
Lisha POV Tyler has no idea how much I wanted to tell him everything about our past but now definitely was not the right time. So many lives depend on us, we are the only ones who can rid our world of Allana, and I know if I let my guard down where Tyler is concerned, I won't cope with losing him again. I stand abruptly and walk away from him, looking over my shoulder, saying, “No” He growls “What? I lean against the window and rest my head on the glass; the chill from outside has seeped into the glass, cooling my forehead. I stayed like that until I heard soft footsteps stop behind me; my heart broke when I turned to Tyler and said, “We have so much going on at the moment, Tyler; neither of us can afford to be distracted.” I didn't wait for Tyler to reply as I left the room; if what Tyler said was true and I was not a danger to the people I loved, I would not need to stay in this room any longer. It doesn't take long for me to reach the castle's courtyard; Xavier's guards
Xavier POV Sometimes I feel so much older than the people around me. I run my fingers through my hair and walk to the liquor cabinet; Tyler is sprawled on the couch, trying to give me the impression that he is cool, calm, and collected; he forgets a vampire's hearing is just as acute as werewolves, being hybrid, I would go as far to say I can literally hear the blood pumping through his veins as his anger rises. I pour us both a large whiskey, hoping the alcohol will calm him down; he isn't going to like what I have to say. I hold the glass out to him; he inclines his head at me; taking the glass from my hand, I blow out a deep breath of unneeded air as I lean back in the chair and watch the flames dancing on the burning log. A movement in the corner of the room catches my eye; the old female wolf, Sylvia, chuckles as she shuffles toward us and takes a seat next to Tyler. Sylvia snickers as she says, “You two look like you are feeling sorry for yourselves.” I wipe my mouth with my
Tyler POV I have no idea where to start, Lisha has been sitting across from me for the last half hour, and every time I go to say something to her, my mind goes blank. I wasn't disgusted by her actions tonight; I was horrified that she had willingly put herself in danger. What if something had gone wrong? She could have been killed, yet she was sitting opposite me, cool as a cucumber, not even concerned about how I felt. I scratch my beard looking up when she sighs and says, “Look, I know your angry, Tyler, but what's done is done. You need to move past it.” I growl, “What?” She tilts her head to the left, narrowing her eyes at me as she hisses, “I know you're disgusted with what happened tonight; get over it.” I lean toward her and snarl, “I was not disgusted that you killed the guard Lisha; I was fucking furious that you willingly put yourself in danger.” She shakes her head, asking, “I saw an opportunity, and I took it.” “So you're telling me that if you had the
Lisha POV It's been two years since Allana’s death, Tyler has never asked how it was possible I left the Unseelie realm and returned home with him, and I have never told him. Damian’s and my son Nate was born a couple of months after we returned home; he is a beautiful little boy with the same deep-set chocolate brown eyes as his father, olive skin, and a head full of curly brown hair. Nate and Asher will grow into extremely handsome men; I can see them breaking many hearts before they find their true mates. Nate and Asher adore Tyler, and he is a fantastic father; he treats both our boys as his own. The first thing Tyler, Xavier, Skyla, Tiffany, and I did was build a meeting house in the center of the four realms. Every three months, we come together as representatives for our species and discuss any issues that may arise. Each kingdom has two representatives for the Unseelie, Zane and I; the werewolves, Tyler and Mateo; the vampires, Xavier and Skyla; and the Unseelie, Tiffany, an
Tyler POV Lisha winks at me and whispers, “No matter what happens, hold the circle.” She moved closer to Allana while reaching behind her back and placing my hand in Skyla’s. A dense fog was rolling in from every direction; a cold chill crept up my back, and the hairs on my neck and arms stood up. I knew there was someone behind me, but I didn't dare to turn my head and have a look. Lisha smirked as the fog grew thicker and denser; Allana was so confident in her abilities that she refused to consider for one moment we could beat her. Allana hissed, her eyes glancing at each of us as she snarled, “You can't beat me, you foolish girl.” Lisha's laughed softly. Only the people closest to her knew what that particular laugh meant; it always sent shivers down my spine. She looked at Allana and whispered, “I am not trying to beat you, Allana; you wanted power, and I am going to give it to you.” Allana's eyes narrowed as she stared at Lisha, her lips twisting into an ugly smile as
Lisha POV Tyler and I woke early, we had a feeling that someone had betrayed us, and we were right. Xavier, Skyla, Tyler, and I knew what was coming, but no one else did; the fewer who knew what we intended to do, the better. Tyler made short work of Anton, the warrior who told Allana we were here; he was one of Dimitri’s wolves, I knew we should have killed the lot of them when we killed Dimitri, but Tyler wanted to believe that they were loyal to us, so he did. Sometimes it's better to learn the hard way than be made aware of the truth by someone else, even if you love that person wholeheartedly. The day we have been waiting for is finally here; we leave Mathew's cabin under cover of darkness. The one hundred wolves Tyler brought with him will stay hidden inside Mathew's village until everyone else arrives. Then they will join us in the procession to where Allana, Xavier, and Skyla were supposed to be waiting for us. We could hear Allana’s people getting organized for everyone to
Xavier POV Allana’s guards line the path leading up to her castle, each one holds a staff with a purple and black flag on the top of it, and Allana is standing regally at the bottom of the castle steps, a sweet smile on her face as she watches Skyla and I walk toward her. Skyla tugs on my shirt sleeve, murmuring, “You had better wipe that disgusted look off your face before we get too close to her.” I give myself a shake and remember why we are here, “She extravagant.” Skyla chuckles, “That she is; now smile sweetly for your bitch of a grandmother and lavish her with praise.” Allana takes a step closer to us, opening her arms wide; embracing Skyla and then me as she says, “I am so glad you are here; come inside, and I will give you a tour of my home.” The beauty of the castle and grounds are breathtaking; gardens are scattered everywhere, filled with flowers of every color and description imaginable. The castle itself has been constructed out of white limestone, and heav
Tyler POV Xavier glanced back over his shoulder at me once before Skyla, his vampires, and he stepped into Allana’s realm, my wolves and I didn't have to wait long before my father stood before me, motioning for us to follow him. I whispered, “Won't Allana become suspicious if our not with Xavier?” He shakes his head, “No, she only required Zane to escort Xavier, Skyla, and his vampires into the realm.” I grinned, “How is Lisha?” He smiled, “Good, she is safely hidden inside my cabin.” After my wolves were taken to their quarters, I left them in my father's care and went to see Lisha. Lilly opened the door of my father's house and stepped to one side before leaving; I frowned, “Where are you going, Lilly?” Lilly hesitated before glancing up at me and murmuring, “I thought you and Lisha might like some time alone.” I smirked and moved out of her way; Lilly is and has always been one of the worst liars I have ever met, Lisha has been up to something, and I need to fin
Lilly POV Lisha smiled as she walked toward us; when I asked her what had happened, she frowned and said, “You saw what happened, Lilly.” I shook my head.“No, we couldn't see or hear anything.” She smirked, “That's probably for the best.” This is her answer; that's probably for the best; what the hell is that supposed to mean? I grabbed Lisha’s arm as she went to walk past me and whispered, “Are you going to me? What happened in there, Lisha?” She blew out a breath and whispered, “It's getting light, Lilly. We need to get back to Mathews.” I growled, “How the hell am I supposed to protect you if you don't tell me anything.” Lisha glanced back the way she came for a moment, then turned back to me and whispered, “When we get back to Mathew's house, I will tell you everything, but if we don't go now, someone will see us.” Lisha raised her eyebrows and inclined her head in Zane and Matthew's direction; there was no point in arguing with her any longer; her expression alone
Lisha POV Lilly is correct; the forest feels cold and unwelcoming as we follow Zane deeper into the woods. Every so often, I catch a glimpse of glowing eyes peering back at us; I didn't say anything to Zane at first because of thought I was seeing things, but the last ones I saw were a little too close for comfort as far as I am concerned. I swear under my breath and increase my pace so I can walk beside him. The paths narrow, and it infuriates me further when I keep hitting my head on the tree's low-hanging branches. How fucking long has it been since anyone walked this trail? I grab hold of Zane's arm, causing him to stop mid-step and ask, “I thought you said no one would see us?” He glances at the trees surrounding us and murmurs, “The people here won't hurt us.” I growl, “What fucking people, Zane.” He shrugs, “The banished, the Fae that didn't support Allana, she banished them all to this part of the forest.” “Why here.” He raises his eyes, looking toward a cl
Tyler POV The air is electrifying as my wolves prepare to leave our territory, so many of them are still holding grudges against the Unseelie, I will have to keep a tight reign on them, so this doesn't turn into a total blood bath. Mateo is the only member of my pack who is similar in size and appearance to Theo; he will be the one to lead a hundred of my wolves into Allana’s realm. If he doesn't get too close to her, we will be able to fool her for a short time, at least. Not having Lisha here is hard; I know we argue sometimes, but what couple doesn't? It's all part of getting to know each other again. Having a bit of space from each other has helped me realize that if Lisha has to stay in the Unseelie lands until she has the baby, I will stay there with her. I know Mateo will take care of my wolves until we can work something else out. This time when Xavier appeared at my side, he didn't startle me; I sensed him coming before he arrived. He raises his eyebrows in surprise, asking,
Lilly POVI never thought there would be a time when I would be scared of anyone, but Lisha is starting to scare me to death. Since we arrived here, it's been like her mind is elsewhere, her eyes vacant, and the dreams, it doesn't matter if it's day or night, every time she falls asleep, she wakes up screaming and fighting against some unknown force. I can see and feel her changing; my nerves are shot, and I pray to the moon goddess every chance I get pleading with her to do something, anything to stop Lisha from falling into madness. I can't leave her. I love her too much, and in the back of my mind is the thought that Tyler will arrive tomorrow morning. Please, goddess let her hold onto her sanity until he comes, they say love conquers all, so if anyone can pull Lisha out of the pits of despair, it will be Tyler. The creaking of the trapdoor alerts me to the fact that Mathew is home; he cautiously descends the stairs, his voice hushed as he asks, “How is she doing?” I blow out a