Chapter 31
“Get him the best healer you can find!” Bj?rn urged. “My claws release venom when they pierce the skin, I have to assume the claws of the other me do too.”
“Stop calling him the other you!” Isis chided.
Our heads snapped to my dad when he stumbled against Hannes’s chest, struggling to stay on his feet even with his help. André rushed to them, helping Hannes take him to my bed, and carefully laying him on it.
Hannes’s eyes glowed. “Mom, contact the Head of the World's Magistrate of Witches and ask her to send you her best healer immediately!”
His words echoed in my mind, revealing I was now fully connected to his family’s pack link, not just ours.
“I’ll call Sariah right now. What happened?”
“Dresden’s heart has been poisoned by a creature with similar powers to Bj?rn.”
“How is that even possible?!” Queen Luna gasped through the link. “There are no others like him.”
“There is one now.” Jaw muscles tightening, Hannes looked passed me to my dad. “They turned another Fae.”
Facing my dad, I felt my heart tear, even as fiery rage coursed through me. The Martell cult would stop at nothing, but neither would I.
I walked toward him, sitting beside him and caressing his head while we waited for the healer. “What else did you see?”
Bj?rn lifted his troubled gaze from my father to me.
“Countess Dariah’s army had just arrived when we left.
It’s the only reason I was able to bring Dresden back…
” He shook his head. “They might be able to hold the other one like—” he stopped himself when Isis glared.
“The Dark One back, but I’m not sure for how long.
There are too many newborn Vampiri, and hordes of crawlers too. It was chaos.”
The way his fists tensed told me everything I needed to know.
“You are not going back there,” Isis guaranteed, but his gaze softened as he looked at her.
“I’m the only one who could stop him.”
“But—” She stopped herself from speaking, but we all knew what she wanted to say. The Dark One had almost killed Bj?rn too.
“He caught me by surprise once. I assure you; he won’t bloody do it again.
He’s a newborn. He can’t fight like I can.
” His words were a deadly promise, but he gently cradled her face in his hands, kissing her lips.
When his gaze focused on her, love burst from his honey eyes.
“I’ve lived two thousand years, and I will live a thousand more.
Nothing is taking me away from you, Isis. I swear it.”
A strong rush of magic came from somewhere in the castle, lifting the tiny hairs on my neck, and we all turned toward the door. A few moments later, Queen Luna rushed inside, ushering a stunning black woman in a long red gown with her.
Crystalline green eyes glanced briefly at me when she walked in, and I couldn’t help but be mesmerized. Her skin glowed as though she was the manifestation of magic itself, a pale rose color naturally painting her full lips, while no hair adorned her head. It was perfectly smooth.
I swiftly stood out of her way, letting her stand beside my dad. Waving a hand in the air, she made crystals appear above him, all of them moving along the length of his body until a twinkling white one lowered itself toward his chest.
A language strikingly similar to Dante’s spells danced from her lips, illuminating the crystals all at once. Her other hand extended toward me. “I need the weapon that delivered the venom.”
Rushing to the sitting area where they had appeared, I retrieved the broken claw, handing it to her.
Waving her finger, she made it levitate towards my father, the twisted claw lowering to the white crystal on his chest. Her incantation began, and I realized her language wasn’t just similar, it was exactly the same Dante used.
A ragged scream tore from my dad’s throat when she began to pull at the empty air above his chest, her fingers almost seeming to gracefully dance with each pull. The next second, strings of red venom rose out of him slowly, entering the broken end of the claw.
She was returning it to its vessel.
Pain captured my father, and he reached for me, struggling to breathe.
Returning to his side without blocking her healing, I took his hand in mine. “I’m here. You are going to be okay in no time.”
He squeezed my hand, grateful, but with the next pull, his eyes fell closed.
“He’s just resting,” the healer clarified before anyone could panic. “I only mean to save him the pain.”
“Thank you,” I genuinely offered, receiving a knowing smile from her.
“Figlia di Ecate,” Dante whispered, seeming in utter awe of her once she had finished.
It meant Daughter of Hecate.
“I’ve never had the honor to cross paths with one of you…” he admitted, taken aback by her.
The crystals disappeared into the Ether as she moved towards us, an affectionate expression capturing her features. “And yet, I’ve met you in many lives, God of Twilight.”
Her words were the perfect setting for Dante’s cockiness to flare to life, but he simply bowed his head to her, seeming humbled by her words.
“Your father shall sleep for at least two more days before his body is fully rid of that which ailed him.” Facing me, a thoughtful look seized her enthralling gaze. “No one else’s blood would have strengthened him enough for me to heal him. Today he lives because of you, Daughter of Night and Day.”
Daughter of Night and Day… Was that her way of calling me hybrid?
“Thank you…” I offered, emotion swirling in my chest with her confession.
With a reverent bow, the Daughter of Hecate walked past me, leaving my room.
The queen, Hannes, André, Dante, and I followed her outside, leaving my dad to rest while Isis accompanied Bj?rn to his room.
When we reached the great hall, a powerful wave of magic washed over me again. The healer’s fingers circled the air, and threads of golden light weaved themselves into an archway, opening a passage for her.
Without another word, the Daughter of Hecate crossed it, the threads coming loose behind her before they disappeared.
The silence suddenly overcoming the vast castle announced that all the shifter forces had left, leaving an eerie feeling among us.
My gaze briefly swept over the people who surrounded me. Now that my attention wasn’t consumed by the startling possibility of my dad dying in my arms, I realized my mates were ready for battle.
Hannes’s large form was decked in the same leather and steel armor I’d previously seen the Royal Knight Force wear—except, the form-fitting chest plate was crafted out of pure gold, and the ReinheitWolfe crest on his chest showed the wolf wearing a crown…
Because he was the second Moon Prince, and next in line for the throne.
The thick fabric and golden armor clung to each muscle of Hannes’s massive chest, arms, and thighs smoothly, framing his body beautifully. It made him look so fucking dangerous and delicious. Double whammy.
A pristine, midnight-blue suit that seemed weaved out of the Twilight itself covered Dante’s sophisticated yet mouthwateringly toned body. Its power constantly fueled him. making the eternal night shine in his bottomless eyes even though it was bright outside.
He smirked at me, loving my attention. “A gift from my Goddess Hecate.”
I smiled back at him, he looked so formidable and refined.
André just wore black leather pants, riding boots, and a shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. The Dracul Kingdom that extended from his neck and over his chest partially showed under the half-assedly buttoned-up shirt.
It also showed the ripped muscles of his chest, but most importantly, the chain with the titanium pendant he’d always worn.
It was a rectangular medal with the letter “I” engraved at its center—for Isabella, his mother’s name.
He was not one for uniforms or formality, and I loved that about him.
As my gaze took in the powerful mates around me, what we were about to do became painfully real. They were all prepared for war.
“What are the dangers to look after?” Queen Luna asked, keen eyes focusing on her son.
“Based on what we know so far, there are mostly Vampiri there right now. Too many of them.”
“From what little we saw during Dresden’s call, they seem to have been bread the old way,” André added. “They have strength but based on how they attacked, they seemed to have bloodlust-driven rage guiding their fight. Not true power.”
“Not to mention we’ll also have to face the one like Bj?—”
“The Dark One,” I corrected Hannes before he could finish. “He’s nothing like our Bj?rn.”
“I’m sorry. The Dark One,” he amended.
“There were also RavenWolves helping them,” I reminded them. “But Dad said he found the majority slaughtered when he got there. The guards helped him kill a few too as they advanced, but the others had been drained.”
“Unfortunately, we all know what that means,” Queen Luna glanced at me.
“They were used as crawler food,” Dante scuffed. “Disgusting.”
“Which means that place might be riddled with crawlers too.” I took a deep breath, steeling myself for this fight.
“Stupid bastards,” Hannes shook his head. “I knew that alliance was not going to last long. And it would only benefit one side.”
“I wonder if my dad or Bj?rn saw Ryker,” I murmured, pulling everyone’s eyes to me.
“My guess is he’ll be where they have Anastasia,” André answered, taking my hand in his as if to offer me support. “He’ll be waiting for you to show up.”
“Are the crawlers and newborns a diversion, then?” Dante’s question called my attention back to him.
“A blockade.” Queen Luna interceded; her sharp mind focused on the fight ahead as she focused on me. “Meant to stop you from reaching your mother, so they can try to take you where you’ll be surrounded… minimal loss.”
“So, what’s our strategy?” The deep male’s voice thundered through the space, making us turn toward the hall behind us, to find the Iron King approaching.