“Yeah. Honestly? I hope that when I find my truemate, it’s not nearly as difficult as your situation. I mean, holy crap.”

  Luke laughed. “I hope it’s smooth sailing for you and your truemate too. Speaking of, any thoughts on that front?”

  Gideon made a face. He was the youngest of the alpha’s kids. Lyric was the oldest, and she’d mated twin mountain lions and was now living in Ashland, Indiana with their pride. Bram was the middle, and very much destined to be the alpha of the Tressel Pack. Luke had always figured that Gideon might end up as second in command, the way that Jason was the alpha and his brother, Michael, was his beta.

  “Nah. I mean other than knowing for damn sure that none of the females in the pack are my truemate. I keep hoping she’ll just walk into town one day and all my romantic worries will be gone.”

  “That would be nice. Maybe it’ll happen.”

  Gideon fixed his coffee and said, “The one thing on my mind right now is whether you want me to move out so you and Rena can have the place, or if you want to find another place to live.”

  Luke had thought some about their living arrangements, but not farther than getting her into his bed and living with her. The logistics hadn’t been discussed much. Hell, she hadn’t even seen the whole house.

  “I’ll talk to her about it today. If she’s happy with the house, then we’ll stay. There are some in other neighborhoods that might be a better fit for us.”

  “Cool. Keep me posted. If I’m out, I’ll probably move in with Bram. Or Kash.”

  Luke made a cup of coffee for Rena. “Have a good one, man.”

  “You too.”

  Luke found a box of granola bars in the pantry and grabbed a few before he carried the mugs into the bedroom. Rena rolled to her back and stretched with a groan as he walked into the room.

  “Morning, baby,” he said. He dropped the granola bars on the bed and put the mugs on the end table. “Do you like milk or sugar in your coffee?”

  “Both,” she said.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  He grabbed her mug and hurried to the kitchen to add sugar and milk. When he was back in the bedroom, he sat next to her on a propped-up pillow and took a drink of coffee.

  “Oh, I like these granola bars,” she said. She tucked the blanket under her armpits and tore open a chocolate almond bar.

  “I’m glad. I’m not really a breakfast person, but I do like to keep granola bars on me.”

  “You don’t need to go to work today, do you?” she asked in between bites.

  “Hell no. Probably Monday, though.” His job as part of the town’s security patrol was one he enjoyed and took seriously. “I’ll have to check in with my dad. What about your job?”

  “I was working as a cashier at a small grocery store, and I’d already turned in my notice because I was going to move.”

  He looked at her in surprise. “When?”

  “Before I met you, I promise. I felt like my time was running out, so I wanted to leave. Then I met you and I was really wrestling with that decision. I didn’t want to drag you into my life when things were so terrible. And that was before Berolith killed the guy my parents arranged to mate me.”

  He let that roll around in his head. “I’m glad you were at least wrestling with leaving me.”

  She crumpled the empty wrapper and set it on the table, then lifted the coffee mug. “If I had managed to leave, I wouldn’t have been able to stay for long.”

  “You told me not to follow you when you were taken. Did you know I would come for you?”

  She nodded. “I figured you would.” Setting the mug on the table, she turned to face him. “I have a lot of regrets, but mostly I’m thankful for the path that brought us together. It was hard as hell and we almost lost each other a few times, but we’re together now and that’s what matters.”

  “Fact.”

  He finished his coffee and set his mug next to hers. “I’d like to give you a tour of the house.”

  “Oh?”

  He lifted her into his arms and climbed from the bed. “Starting with the bathroom and a nice, hot shower.”

  “You’ve got the best ideas.”

  * * *

  Berolith snarled as he paced in his father’s palace. This was not going how he wanted it to. Nothing had!

  He still didn’t have the dragonfae female, and to make matters worse, not only had the slavers failed to bring Rena back to him, but they hadn’t brought her parents back to him either. Which meant he had no leverage for making her do what he wanted.

  He’d never been so furious in his life, and that included when they’d been stripped of their titles and property.

  “You should forget about your plan for vengeance,” his father said. “You’re wasting valuable resources to find this fabled dragonfae female.”

  “She’s not fabled, she’s real. I had her.”

  He turned to face his father, who looked even more ancient than usual in faded robes.

  His father waved his hand dismissively. “You’ve lost the sirenfae, you’ve lost numerous males to battle, and you’re no closer to reclaiming our land than you were before all this mess. It’s time to put an end to this foolishness. Let an old male live out his life in peace.”

  Berolith’s vision hazed as his father turned away to leave the library. He rammed him from behind, slamming his shoulder into the center of his back with a satisfying crack. His father cried out and hit the stone floor.

  He stared at the old male, the minor satisfaction at finally lashing out at him replaced by annoyance at needing to help him. He called for servants, and when they appeared, he said, “Get him to bed and call for a doctor.”

  He left the library and walked up a spiral staircase to the roof and found his males watching the grounds and patrolling.

  “Do you recall the Rhaider we discussed some years ago?” he asked Dern.

  The male’s brows went high. “Yes. He goes by the name Tavoli.”

  “Set up a meeting. I have need of a dream walker.” Rhaiders had the unique ability to walk in people’s dreams, even in different realms.

  Berolith had seen the fae female’s male. He was a fierce wulfen and had many dangerous friends. He knew he’d never get to the female with him around, which meant he’d never get the dragonfae female and finally get his revenge.

  So he needed to get Rena away from her mate.

  A walk in her dreams was just the thing. He’d force her to bring the dragonfae female to him and vow to aide him in returning what rightfully belonged to him.

  He’d turn her happily ever after into a nightmare with only one way to save her mate.

  She’d have to give him all of her power.

  Chapter Thirteen

  That afternoon, Rena and Luke got out of his truck in front of the alpha’s house.

  “I feel like we’re getting called into the principal’s office,” she said with a chuckle. Alpha Jason had requested they come and see them at some point that day.

  “I’m sure they just want to officially meet you.”

  He took her hand and they walked up the porch together. Almost a week ago, the protection spell that Crimson and Jenna had set over the alpha’s house had been shattered by her power, which led to her parents finding her. She’d set the protection spell this time, so her power didn’t react to it. Protection spells were interesting things. A fae could set a protection spell that was impossible to get through if someone had evilness in their aura. The effectiveness of the spell depended on the strength of the fae’s power, who set it, and also the strength of the fae who would try to cross through the boundary.

  Rena was super powerful, which is why the spell had cracked so swiftly.

  But Berolith was more powerful than she was. He’d stopped her sirenfae power in its tracks, which wasn’t something she’d ever encountered before.

  “Hey, where did you go?” Luke asked.

  “Sorry,” she said sheepishly as he knocked loudly on the front door. “I’m just wondering when we’ll see Berolith again.”

  “Everything’s been flashed so there’s no evidence of us being in the Fae Realm or here. He can’t do a tracking spell to find you because of the flashing, it won’t work. So how can he possibly find you?”

  “I don’t know, but I feel like we’re going to see him again.” He was one determined son of a bitch.

  “I’ll keep you safe,” Luke said.

  She wanted to believe him. He was a wulfen, which gave him power that she didn’t have access to. But that might not mean anything. The slavers had gotten through the protection spell by burrowing under the ground, something she’d never heard of anyone doing.

  She said what she knew he wanted to hear, even though in her heart she wasn’t sure that anyone could keep her safe from Berolith if he was determined to find her and the dragonfae. “I know.”

  The front door opened, and Cadence smiled brightly. “Come on in, you two. Rena, it’s so nice to meet you!”

  Rena stepped into the foyer. “Thank you for the invite, it’s nice to meet you too.”

  “Jason’s in the family room. Are you guys hungry?”

  “We’re going out to dinner, so no thanks,” Luke said.

  It was their first official date. Which seemed kind of redundant to Rena, since they were mated and had explored each other with abandon. But she liked the idea of a date with Luke, her last first date.

  Cadence led them into the family room where Jason sat, a laptop on the coffee table.

  “Where are the girls?” Luke asked.

  “They’re upstairs hanging out,” Cadence said. “They’d like to meet you, Rena, after we’re done here, if that’s okay.”

  “I’d love to meet them,” she said.

  She wondered if the dragonfae knew exactly how valuable she was and how Rena had nearly died because of Berolith’s obsession with her. It wasn’t her fault, of course. Berolith was the one leading the charge to find her at any cost. It was a terrible burden to put on a child.

  They sat on a loveseat across from the alphas.

  “It’s nice to meet you finally,” Jason said. He closed the laptop and leaned back, putting his arm around his mate. “The reason we called you both here is first because we wanted to officially meet you and congratulate you on your mating, and second to discuss the girls and the situation with this male after them.”

  “I understand,” Rena said. She leaned against Luke and he put his arm around her. “The truth is that the protection spell I put around this house is the most powerful one I can make. Berolith, however, is tapped into some magic that’s stronger than mine, and I’m not entirely sure how that happened. He’s powerful in a way that’s unique and almost the antithesis of what I am. He stopped my power in its tracks, and no one has ever done that before.”

  “Does that mean the girls aren’t safe?” Cadence asked.

  “I believe they are,” Rena said. “Our realm is too large for him to open a portal somewhere random and search for them. Both realms were flashed to prevent anyone from tracking us here, so I guess the answer is that to the best of my abilities, yes they are safe.”

  “How about you?” Jason asked. “Are you safe? And Luke?”

  “Yes.” Rena had cast the protection spell the night before in between one of their rounds of lovemaking.

  “Good,” Jason said. “Now the last piece of business is pack membership and the joining ceremony.”

  Luke had explained to Rena about the joining ceremony. Because she wasn’t a wolf, she wouldn’t be a full member of the pack, but an honorary one. Because they were blood bonded mates, Luke was concerned about the full moon. After hearing what Jenna had gone through when she and Logan had been in a similar situation, she certainly didn’t want to have that same experience.

  “Here’s my thought,” Jason said after musing on their concern, “we can have the ceremony in the afternoon instead of waiting for night fall. That way, you two can bug out and go running around the territory. I talked to Logan, and we both agree that if you’re already out communing together, then the new wolf and caged wolf symptoms won’t be as harsh. Doc will be around to help of course, but hopefully you won’t need his assistance.”

  Doc was the elderly pack doctor and was one of the most trusted males in the pack according to Luke.

  “Hopefully I won’t need him,” Rena said. “But I’m glad he’ll be around.”

  “The full moon isn’t for a few weeks,” Jason said. “How do you feel?”

  “So far so good,” she said. “I’ve growled a little here and there, but that’s about it.”

  “I’ll be back to patrolling on Monday,” Luke said. “Rena is going to look for work in town.”

  “Oh!” Cadence said. “Karly’s hiring a daytime hostess at Lonestar. You can give her a holler.”

  “That would be great, thank you,” Rena said.

  Luke and Rena left the alphas and went upstairs to find the fae females. They were all in one bedroom; the oldest, Aspen, was on the bottom bunk with earbuds in and her face illuminated by her phone screen. The two middle girls, Harlow and Avalon, were sitting at a desk with their heads together, watching something on a computer.

  Juniper, the dragonfae with strawberry-blond hair and bright green eyes, looked up from where she sat crossed-legged on the rug with a book.

  “Oh, it’s you!” Junie said with a happy squeal. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  She put her book down and rushed to them, giving Rena a big hug. She smiled down at the sweet girl. “I’m very okay. How are you all doing?”

  Aspen took out her earbuds and joined her other sisters, each of them hugging Rena.

  “We’re fine,” Aspen said. “Going crazy. Alpha Jason is really protective.”

  “He just wants you to be safe,” Luke said.

  “We know,” Avalon said. “We’re thankful for their help, but it’s boring sometimes.”

  Luke kissed Rena on the cheek and said he was going to talk to Jason about patrols. Rena sat on the floor and the girls gathered around her. “Is he dead yet?” Aspen asked.

  “No,” Rena said. “I’m not sure where he is, actually. He abducted my parents after I got free from him, and then he came after me with slavers and I nearly died. My parents’ clan hasn’t seen him, and the location he gave me was checked out by the fae military and they didn’t find him there. So he’s in hiding somewhere.”

  “Alpha Cades said you’re a siren. What is that anyway?” Harlow asked, her ocean-blue eyes glittering with curiosity.

  “It’s a type of fae. We’re called sirenfae because we’re kind of like the sirens of mythology. A sirenfae can touch someone and take their power from them, anywhere from a little bit of power to all of it. I’m unique in the clan because I’m more powerful than any of the others. I can give the taken power or my own power to someone else.”

  “Wouldn’t it kill a fae to take their power?” Aspen asked.

  “If I didn’t do it right, yes. I could take someone’s power and they’d essentially be human until their power regenerated, which could take a long time. If I forcefully took power from a person, they could die from it. But I’m careful.”

  “That’s pretty neat,” Junie said.

  “That she can kill someone?” Aspen asked with an arched brow.

  “No, silly,” Junie said. “That she can take power from someone and use it herself or give it to someone else.” She opened her mouth like she was going to say something else, but then closed it.

  “I’m sorry that you guys are being hunted by Berolith. I put a powerful spell around the house, so you’re safe here. And the pack is awesome. I know they’ll keep you safe.”

  Rena wanted to go back to the Fae Realm and hunt Berolith down and kill him. Then everyone would be safe.

  She talked to the girls a little while longer, and then she said it was time for her and Luke to leave. He was going to run her to her apartment so she could pack up some things before their date. She had a lot to do to move in with him, including turning in her notice to the rental office.

  After getting a hug from each girl, Rena headed out to the hall.

  “Rena, wait!”

  She turned and saw Junie hurrying after her.

  “What’s up kiddo?” she asked.

  “I was wondering if you could do something.”

  “What?”

  “You can take power from fae. That’s what you said.”

  “Yes.” Rena drawled out the word as wariness settled over her. Just what was the young girl getting at?

  “Could you take my dragon power from me? Could you make me just a regular fae?”

  “What?” Rena squatted down so she could look the young female in the eyes. She took her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. “Oh, honey no, I can’t. The dragon power isn’t the same as fae power. I can’t take your dragon from you, just like I couldn’t take Luke’s wolf from him.”

  “What about taking my fae power? Then I’d just be a dragon.”

  Rena knew what the little girl was asking. She didn’t want to be the object of Berolith’s obsession, particularly since he planned to force her to shift and kill her in order to perform the spell.

  “I can’t do that either, honey. You’re not two separate things. You’re not a fae and also a dragon, you’re both at the same time. It would be impossible for me to take your fae or your dragon from you. I’m sorry.”

  Junie’s eyes filled with tears. Her bottom lip quivered and she inhaled sharply, trying to control her emotions.

  Rena was truly, deeply touched. She pulled her into her arms and gave her a tight hug. “I’m so, so sorry honey. You’re safe here. I’m going to make sure of it.”

  While Junie cried in her arms, Rena vowed to see this through. She was going to find a way to take Berolith out, ensuring Junie and her sisters would never be hunted again and could live their lives without fear.

  She hoped Luke was on board for it, but even if he wasn’t, she was going to see Berolith take his last breath.

  One way or another.

  Chapter Fourteen

 

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