Darian checked his gun and stood with his back against the wall. Amelia’s light had led them to an abandoned clinic.
‘Darian, you sure?’ Aiden whispered.
He nodded.
‘You’ll get her back, I promise,’ Keelan whispered.
Darian looked down at his friend. ‘Did you have a premonition?’ he asked, keeping his voice low.
Keelan’s smile was sad. ‘Something like that. When the time comes, don’t hesitate. Make sure Aiden leaves.’
‘Keelan, what…’ Darian started.
‘Move out!’ Aiden whispered loudly.
Colton took point and checked the door. Luck was on their side; the door was unlocked. Stealthily, they made their way down the dark hallways. Darian could tell it was making everyone extremely nervous that there was no resistance. He was about to concentrate on Amelia to get a direction when they heard screams.
‘Amelia!’ Darian hissed. The men ran toward the sound of the screams. It took everything in Darian to resist the urge to run into the room. Aiden held up a fist and peeked in the open door. He nodded and they ran inside.
Darian watched in horror as his mate writhed in pain under a glowing crystal. Keelan darted forward and pressed a series of buttons. The crystal dimmed, and the straps holding his mate were released.
Gavriel turned to Keelan. ‘How did you know how to do that?’
‘Saw it in a dream,’ Keelan said, pulling a lever down that shut off the entire device.
Darian caught Amelia as she slumped forward. When she opened her eyes and saw him she began to cry.
‘It’s okay my love, you’re safe now.’ Darian lifted her up into his arms.
Her eyes were unfocused as she shook her head. ‘Trap. It’s…a…trap,’ she whispered.
Keelan grabbed Darian’s arm and shoved him toward the door. ‘Run!’
They had only made it about halfway down the hallway when a bright light appeared behind them. Darian looked back, and a large, glowing sphere appeared in the middle of the hall.
Keelan stopped and planted his feet. Lifting up his left hand, he started casting.
‘Keelan, come on!’ Darian yelled.
Keelan raised his head, and the look on his face was peaceful. ‘Remember what I told you, don’t hesitate. Colton, get Aiden out of here.’ Behind him, Darian heard Aiden fighting Gavriel and Colton as they practically carried him down the hall.
Keelan smiled. ‘Goodbye, my friend. Tell my brother he was right, but this was the only way I saw where you all lived. Tell him I’m sorry for what I’ve done, but I’d do it again.’ Behind Keelan, the sphere pulsed. He turned back to Darian, tears in his eyes. ‘Go!’
Darian held tight to Amelia as he turned and left his friend behind him. Outside, Gavriel and Colton had tackled Aiden to the ground to keep him from going back inside. Out of nowhere, Lorcan and the Beta Unit ran up to them from the parking lot.
‘Where are we at?’ Lorcan yelled.
‘Bomb!’ Colton shouted.
Kade, the Beta Unit witch, had just enough time to raise a shield when a pulse wave slammed into it. It threw the men to the ground, shoving them back several yards.
It took a couple minutes for the ringing in his ears to stop. He gently laid Amelia on the ground. She wept uncontrollably into her hands. He stood on unsteady legs and blinked, trying to clear the dark shapes from his vision.
He could just make out the forms of the other men standing and shaking their heads.
Lorcan turned to him. ‘Where’s Keelan?’
‘Guard Amelia!’ Darian yelled.
He didn’t answer Lorcan’s question, because he didn’t want to say it out loud. If he said it out loud, it would become real. He pushed past Lorcan and ran with Aiden back into the building. The turned the corner and skidded to a stop. There, in the middle of the hallway, lay Keelan’s crumpled body.
‘No! No, Keelan! You idiot!’ Darian ran over and pulled his friend into his arms. ‘Aiden, help him!’
Aiden sat on the ground, his elbows on his knees his face in his hands. Was their commander crying? He couldn’t be crying, because that would mean they’d lost Keelan.
He shook Keelan. ‘Wake up!’
Behind him, Oron tried to gently pull Keelan from Darian’s hands.
‘No!’ he pushed Oron away.
‘He said he’d been having the same nightmare for weeks, and every night he tried to change the outcome. This must have been the only series of events that he would allow to happen. He said this was the only way we’d all live,’ Amelia said, tears streaming down her face.
He pulled Keelan up and yelled in his face, ‘You knew! You sonofabitch! You knew and sacrificed yourself anyway!’ He heard his voice crack and didn’t care.
‘Get him up! We need to get Keelan back to Lycaonia, maybe we can figure out the spell to undo whatever this was,’ Lorcan said.
‘The voice over the speaker said that the spell would rip the soul from the body of any living thing in the building, creating soul spheres. He said that they would collect the souls of all the Alpha Unit members.’ Amelia shuddered.
Aiden looked up from his hands. ‘They have his soul?’ His voice was almost unrecognizable. Amelia could see the image of a bear semi-imposed over his body. Aiden’s anger was almost palpable.
Lorcan looked around, confused. ‘Why didn’t they just kill us in the parking lot when we were all stunned for a few minutes?’
Amelia looked up, her eyes distant. ‘I don’t think they would have risked a fight with two units. Besides, I think they have plans for your souls.’
Colton pulled Aiden to his feet. ‘We’ll get his soul back.’
Aiden nodded. ‘Yes, we will, right before I destroy every single one of them,’ he promised.
The men nodded looking at each other.
Oron helped Darian stand, but Darian refused to hand Keelan over. He carried his friend’s body to the car and gently laid him in the backseat.
Aiden turned to Lorcan. ‘How did you know to come?’
Bishop, Beta’s vampire, shook his head. He turned to Gavriel and Aiden. ‘Your mates. They were uneasy and said something was wrong. They sent us after you.’
Aiden looked shocked. ‘She never ceases to amaze me.’
Lorcan clapped Aiden on the shoulder. ‘Wait until you hear this. Sascha kept us updated as we drove out here. Meryn moved everyone from the Alpha estate into Council Manor, evacuated the city, then proceeded to set up on the roof as a sniper before working with the witches to release this particle spell that made all the invisible ferals visible.’
Aiden opened his mouth and closed it.
Gavriel shook his head and turned to Bishop. ‘How’d you find us?’
Bishop rubbed the back of his neck. ‘GPS locator beacons that Meryn made us install on all the vehicles.’
‘Let’s go help my baby sister-cousin,’ Amelia said, her voice sounding flat.
Darian turned to his mate. ‘Love? Are you okay?’
She nodded absently.
Kade walked over and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder; he immediately pulled it back as if he had been burned. ‘Gods above, her magic is completely unfettered. It’s as if something stripped her of every discipline or restraint that she built to control her magic. What in the hell did they do to her?’
Darian cupped her face in both of his hands. ‘Baby? Do you know what that machine was that you were in?’
She nodded, her eyes unfocused. ‘He said it would steal all my magic.’
Kade turned to Darian. ‘We need to get her to Quinn. He uses earth magic like Amelia. He can help her get her magic under control.’
All at once, the men were moving.
Oron took the seat next to Keelan’s body. He met Darian’s eyes and nodded. Darian knew that his brother would look after Keelan while he helped his mate. Once Amelia was well, he’d face what had happened. Later, he’d face it later.
*****
Just outside the city, Darian heard Colton start cussing.
‘We have company,’ Gavriel said from the drivers seat, keeping an eye on the rearview mirror.
‘Maybe they changed their mind about a fight.’ Aiden cracked his knuckles.
Colton’s phone buzzed, and he answered it putting it on speaker, it was Lorcan.
‘What do you want to do, Commander?’
‘Punch it. Let’s put some distance between us. Then I want to pull over and transfer Keelan and Amelia to your vehicle. Your only objective is getting them to Adam and Quinn as quickly and as safely as possible. Alpha Unit will handle our guests,’ Aiden said, his face dark with emotion.
‘Roger that,’ Lorcan confirmed before hanging up.
Aiden turned in his seat to face Darian. ‘I’d understand if you wanted to go with Amelia.’
Darian looked over; his poor mate stared into space, tears trailing lightly down her cheeks. He kissed the top of her head then turned to Aiden. ‘No. I owe them for what they did to my mate and for what they did to Keelan. With any luck, Keelan’s soul is with them, and we can set him free.’
Aiden nodded and turned back in his seat. Gavriel pushed down on the accelerator, and the van behind them became smaller and smaller. After about ten minutes, Gavriel brought the SUV to a stop, and the men moved quickly. Darian had time to kiss Amelia before Lorcan picked her up and carried her to their SUV. Larik, Beta’s fae warrior, nodded at Darian, his eyes flicking to the silver ring on Darian’s right hand. Larik raised his fist to his chest in salute before picking Keelan up. Darian trusted all of his unit brothers equally, but he felt relieved that it was another fae looking after Keelan and Amelia.
Doors slammed and the SUV carrying the most important person in his life, his mate, turned left and sped toward Lycaonia. Everyone, including Oron, got back in the SUV.
Aiden looked around. ‘Let’s take this off the main road. I don’t want any innocents to get hurt.’
Gavriel nodded and turned left down the same road where the other SUV had just disappeared. They drove slowly for about five miles before they saw the dark van coming up fast behind them. Gavriel pulled off to the side of the road, and the men got out. They stepped into the road and watched as the van got closer and closer. Less than a mile before the van reached them, it came to an abrupt stop, and the front of their car collapsed in on itself like an accordion. Steam from the radiator created a cloud that was barely seen in the grey pre-dawn light.
‘Well, you don’t see that every day,’ Oron said, squinting at the wreck.
After a few minutes, the van doors opened and men stumbled out. They looked up and saw the five unit warriors standing in the middle of the road and ran forward. Seconds later, like their car, they slammed into an invisible force, and blood spraying, their bodies fell to the ground.
‘Well, I’ll be a sonofabitch; Elder Airgead must have figured out a perimeter spell.’ Colton whistled his admiration.
Gavriel tilted his head and watched as the completely dazed ferals tried again to run at them only to be knocked senseless against the barrier. ‘As much as I would love to watch them do this all day, we do have ferals attacking the city.’ He pulled out his gun.
Colton looked over at the men on the ground and sighed. ‘Doesn’t seem right. They should be frothing at the mouth and trying to bite us.’
‘Think of it like killing a mouse in a mouse trap, it’s just a quicker way to exterminate,’ Aiden said, pulling his gun out.
All five men walked over and took aim. The sound of gunshots shattered the tranquil winter morning. They checked each body and the car for Keelan’s soul. Not finding it, one by one, they dragged the bodies into the ditch for burial detail later and got back into their SUV.
‘I bet you it was a witch in the city that freaked out during the attack that created the perimeter,’ Colton said, looking out the window.
‘We need to find out who it was so we know the conditions. No perimeter is perfect, we learned that with…’ Aiden swallowed hard.
‘With Keelan.’ Gavriel said, finishing their commander’s sentence.
‘One thing at a time, Aiden. Let’s secure the city and make sure our mates are safe first. Then we’ll let your father try to figure out who broke the law and cast a spell over the whole city while we get some rest,’ Colton said, resting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.
Aiden just nodded.
Everyone was quiet for the rest of the drive to the city.
*****
Amelia stared out the window as Lorcan maneuvered their SUV through the parking garage. No one spoke as they pulled into a spot and got out. Larik picked up Keelan and gently lifted him out of the vehicle. Amelia watched; to her, it looked like he was sleeping. She recalled his smile, they way he teased Darian, his concern for his friend, and the way he would wink at her, making her feel like she belonged. He was the sweet one, the kind one. Why? Why had this happened to him?
‘Amelia, time to go.’ Lorcan said, holding out his hand to her.
Wordlessly, she took it, and he helped her out of the SUV. ‘Can you run?’ he asked.
She looked up at him and blinked.
‘I’ll take that as a no. Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you to Quinn, he can help you get that magic under control. You’ll feel more grounded then.’ Lorcan easily lifted her and began to run with his men down Lycaonia’s cobblestone alleys.
Just a few days ago, her only concern had been whether or not she would have enough time to go shopping. Now, she had lost a friend and was being carried through what sounded like a war zone.
She looked ahead and saw unit warriors running toward them. They met up with their group and surrounded them, acting as an escort.
‘We heard you were bringing in precious cargo,’ Ben said to Lorcan.
‘Amelia needs Quinn, and Keelan… I don’t think anything can be done for him. But I promised Aiden we’d try,’ Lorcan said.
The blond pulled out a walkie-talkie. ‘Gamma Kitten One, this is Adonis, have Foxy Boy on standby to receive Big Sister-Cousin, over.’
‘I really fucking hate that you got Adonis and I got Gamma Kitten One!’ a male voice complained.
‘Take it up with management,’ the blond said flippantly. ‘Over and out.’
‘Ben, who’s Foxy Boy?’ Lorcan asked as they ran.
‘Quinn, that’s the name Meryn gave him because his last name Foxglove.’
‘Gods, I can’t imagine the call sign she’s given me,’ Lorcan said.
‘Lorelei,’ Ben said with a grin.
Lorcan grimaced. ‘I had to ask.’
The group ran into the city square. Two warriors broke off to intercept four attacking ferals. Lorcan slowed down and finally stopped after they had gotten behind a tall barricade. He set her down on her feet. ‘You okay to stand?’
She nodded. All around her, the men started barking orders. Gunshots were almost non-stop, filling the air with the acrid smell of gunpowder.
‘Gamma Kitten One, what happened to Key Largo? Why did he have to be carried into Council Manor, over?’ Meryn’s voice demanded to her left.
She watched as Sascha picked up his walkie-talkie. He took a deep breath. ‘We’ll talk about it later, Menace, not over walkie-talkies.’
‘Let me talk to my big sister-cousin’ Meryn ordered.
Sascha handed her the heavy black walkie-talkie.
‘Hey, are you okay?’
Amelia nodded.
‘I can see you nodding only because I’m peeping you out with my scope; you have to press the button to talk,’ Meryn said.
Amelia just stared down. She couldn’t muster up the desire to speak.
‘Gamma Kitten One, what’s wrong with her!’ Meryn sounded frantic.
Sascha gently took the walkie-talkie from her and looked up at the roof. ‘She went through a bit of an ordeal. We have, what in the hell is his call sign…’–Sascha scrunched up his face–‘…Foxy Boy, that’s right. We have Foxy Boy coming in to help her with her magic. She’ll be okay, Menace, I promise.’
‘You better not be bullshitting me.’
Sascha scowled up at the roof line. ‘Would I bullshit someone who’s looking at me through the scope of a sniper rifle?’
‘Good point. Menace over and out.’
Sascha rolled his eyes and reattached the walkie-talkie to his belt. He steered Amelia over to the steps leading up to the Council Manor. ‘Let’s head inside, Quinn will be here soon.’
She nodded followed him docilely. With every step she took, the pressure built in her mind. All over her body, she began to feel cuts, broken bones, bullet wounds, and concussions. She staggered back causing Sascha to stop. ‘What’s the matter?’
Mothers’ fear for their children, fathers’ impotent anger, children crying, all flowed through her as if the emotions were her own. Anger and fear flooded her heart.
‘Gamma Kitten One, come in, over.’
‘Not a good time, Menace,’ she heard Sascha say.
‘Make time. The ferals are congregating just outside the square. I think they are going to make one massive attack on the building.’ Meryn reported.
‘Gamma Kitten One, this is Adonis. I can confirm that report. Also, the streets are empty. The ferals are no longer getting reinforcements, over.’
‘Attention all units, fall back to the Council Manor steps. All reconnaissance groups return to base.’
Sascha turned to Amelia. ‘I have to go back.’
She nodded. ‘Okay.’
Sascha turned and ran back to the barricade, lifting his weapon. One by one, the unit warriors ran into the square from side streets and jumped the barricade to get in position.
Amelia took a step closer to the Manor. The emotions washed over her, but instead of drowning, she focused on her own anger. She turned the peoples’ despair and fear into her own strength. When the dam burst inside her, she let it happen. The swirling confusion stopped, and there was only blessed emptiness. For once, her empathy would help, not hinder her.
She walked down the steps to the barricade. She watched the ferals begin to surge forward. She climbed the barricade and began to walk leisurely across the square, as if she was going from one shop to the next.
‘Amelia!’ she heard Meryn scream.
She stared at the approaching ferals. They were the ones stealing people’s souls. They were hurting and killing innocent people. They were the ones that hurt her and killed Keelan. Calmly, she raised her right hand, her power hand, and for the first time in her entire life, she let her magic go.
The very machine they had used to try to steal her magic had broken every binding put in place to restrict her magic. She was able to use it against them now; she would make them pay.
Under her feet, she felt the earth begin to shift and undulate like a rising wave. She coaxed it, called to it like a beloved child. Cobblestones flew in the air as large mud hands reached up and grabbed the ferals, their once terrifying advance stopped dead in its tracks.
Amelia. Sweetheart, you have to stop. A familiar voice said in her mind.
No, I don’t want to.
I know you don’t want to, but you have to. If you don’t stop, you’ll hurt someone, and I know you don’t want that.
Yes, I do, Athair! I want to hurt them all! I want them dead!
Calm down and let me help you pull your magic in. Something has removed every protection I put in place for you.
No!
Amelia Violet Ironwood, you will do as I say. The voice was firm, uncompromising.
They killed Keelan!
She screamed and her earth magic began to tighten and twist the bodies it held in its mud hands.
Seconds later, a tremendous surge of magic flowed through her. Fire erupted out of the mud, incinerating the ferals almost instantly. She let her hand drop. Kendrick’s fire magic had drained her of power. She knew he had somehow inadvertently used her to channel his own magic to destroy the ones that had killed his little brother.
She stood alone in the square. The ferals were now macabre statues of ash. A small body slammed into her back, and she felt arms wrap around her waist.
‘Amelia, Amelia, Amelia! Don’t leave me alone! You’re the only family I have,’ Meryn begged, soaking her back with tears.
‘There’s too much pain, Meryn, everyone’s pain.’ Amelia let her head drop forward. She didn’t have the strength to go on any more. What would be the point?
‘Give me five minutes. I’ll go and knock all those fuckers in Council Manor out so you don’t feel their pain,’ Meryn pleaded.
‘Share your pain, my love.’
Amelia looked up and saw her mate walking toward her. The early morning sun was rising behind him and seemed to set his hair ablaze, giving him a golden halo. Around him, the Alpha Unit entered the square. Aiden gently pulled Meryn away from her. Darian cupped her face with both hands and looked down.
‘If there’s too much pain, let me share it. If you find it too hard to take a step forward, I’ll carry you. You didn’t let me give up; I’m returning the favor.’ He leaned down and gently kissed each eyelid.
Just being near him made the horror of the night fade away, like the stars fading with the rising of the sun. She sighed. ‘I’m so tired.’
‘Then let’s go home.’ Her mate’s voice was the last thing she heard before she closed her eyes and let the darkness sweep her away.
*****
Amelia slept until late afternoon and was shocked to see that she was still in Council Manor when she woke. She looked around from the cot where she lay, trying to find Darian, but he was nowhere in sight. She got up and folded the gray wool blanket, leaving it on the cot. She glanced around the crowded ballroom before she spotted a familiar face.
She saw Sascha helping a couple with their children and jogged over to him.
‘Where is everyone? Why are we still here?’
Sascha growled as the small family walked away. ‘Aiden has been in with the Council since this morning, and none of the unit members are leaving here without him. They haven’t even let him get any rest.
‘Meryn and Beth woke up about an hour ago and have been helping to get the last of the families reassured and back to their homes. Rheia has been at Keelan’s side since she woke up. The last I heard, Gavriel finally hit his limit, and he and the Alpha Unit barged into the council session to get Aiden. They should be coming out soon.’ Sascha nodded his head toward the heavy wooden doors.
‘Thanks, guess I better go find Meryn.’
‘Hey, Amelia,’ Sascha called.
‘Yes?’
‘We’re all real sorry about Keelan. He… he was like a kid brother to all of us. I’d do anything to have him up and electrocuting me again.’ Sascha turned his head, his eyes filling up with tears.
‘Thank you,’ she said simply and walked away to find her baby sister-cousin.
After a few minutes, she felt tendrils of her empathy begin to flare to life. All around her, people’s emotions were riding high. Taking advantage of nearly depleted magic, Amelia took a deep breath and easily shoved her empathy back into the mental box where she normally kept it. She didn’t know what to do about her earth magic, but considering she had destroyed the city square, she didn’t think it would cause problems any time soon. She looked out at the setting sun. She was beginning to think they would never be able to go home.
She walked around until she found Meryn and headed over to where she, Beth, Penny and Rheia stood around the gurney where Keelan lay. Meryn wept quietly as she brushed Keelan’s hair back from his face. Ryuu stood behind her, a comforting hand on her shoulder. Penny looked on with sad eyes, reaching out occasionally to pat Keelan on the cheek.
‘I can keep him alive, but I don’t know for how long. A body isn’t meant to live without a soul,’ Adam explained. They all nodded.
‘We’ll take care of him,’ Meryn promised fiercely.
The large wooden doors creaked open, and with faces like thunderclouds, Aiden, Gavriel, and the rest of the Alpha Unit walked up to the small group.
‘We’re leaving. Adam, can you arrange for transport to get Keelan back to Alpha Estate? He is not, I repeat not to be transferred to the medical quarters here in Council Manor for study.’ Aiden growled out the words, his upper canines peeking out from his lips.
Adam’s face darkened with anger when he heard of the council’s plans for Keelan and he nodded. ‘We’ll be right behind you. Where do you want him set up?’
‘In his own room,’ Aiden answered.
Ryuu stepped forward. ‘When you get to the estate let me know, I will do all I can to help.’
Aiden looked at the squire with a sour expression. ‘And where were you when my mate was shooting ferals with a damn sniper rifle?’ he demanded, exhaustion adding a bite to his words.
Ryuu gave him a flat look. ‘Holding her ammunition.’
Aiden growled again in frustration. ‘Let’s go home!’
They ended up taking two SUVs back to the Alpha estate. Darian held Amelia’s hand tightly as everything suddenly seemed to catch up to her. Once back home, the couples separated, each heading to their own suite to mourn Keelan’s loss and recover from the previous day’s traumatic events.
Darian led her up the stairs to their room. He opened the door, and she walked inside.
‘This is the first time I’ve been in here since becoming your mate.’ So much had happened in just a few days.
‘Blessed Imbolc,’ he whispered, walking up to wrap his arms tightly around her. She leaned her head back to rest on his chest.
‘I don’t feel very blessed. Keelan…’
‘Is alive. As long as he’s breathing, there is hope.’
‘It’s not the same. He won’t be at the dining room table scared of Meryn or giving me a thumbs up.’ Amelia let her tears drop.
She felt Darian’s shuddering breath. ‘We’ll have to remember everything that happens so we can tell him when he’s back.’
Amelia held his hands where they were clasped together at her waist. ‘You’re right. He’s not gone, just not here right now.’ She turned to face him and wiped her eyes. She looked up into his lavender eyes as an idea began to form. ‘Let’s get everyone together.’
Darian’s expression was doubtful. ‘I think everyone needs time alone right now.’
Amelia shook her head. ‘Get everyone together and tell them to leave their lights on. I need to find Ryuu!’ She jumped up, grazed his chin with a kiss, and ran out the door and down the stairs.
‘Ryuu,’ she called.
Ryuu stepped into the foyer from the front room. ‘Yes, itoko-sama?‘
‘We need candles, lots of candles! It’s Imbolc!’ she decreed. She felt a burst of energy that she was sure came from being completely overwhelmed but she didn’t care.
Smiling, Ryuu bowed. ‘Of course, that’s a wonderful idea.’ He hurried away as everyone started coming downstairs looking puzzled.
‘Did you leave your lights on?’ she asked the group.
Everyone nodded, but she saw that Rheia and Meryn looked confused.
She walked over to Meryn as Ryuu began passing out the candles. ‘Imbolc or what is sometimes called Candlemas, is a celebration of light. It marks the passing of winter to spring and the rebirth of the sun. We turn on all the lights of the house and light candles to welcome the warmth of the summer.’ She turned to the group. ‘I know that it’s not easy to feel cheerful right now, and that’s okay, but I thought that if we light up the Alpha Estate, maybe Keelan could find his way home easier.’
Around her, a little at first, everyone began to smile. ‘Me, too! Me, too!’ Penny said jumping up and down. Ryuu handed her a flameless LED tea light. Everyone eagerly started lighting the candles.
‘We’ll keep one light burning until he comes home,’ Aiden said, tears in his eyes.
Darian stood behind her. He leaned down and whispered. ‘You’re my light, my savior.’ He pointed to the group. ‘Only you could draw people out of their pain like this.’
She turned her face to look up at him. ‘In my darkest moment, you came to me like a golden angel. You’re my prince and my own savior.’
Amelia turned back and looked around their small circle. Everyone held their lit candles and took comfort in each other’s company. As a family, they held vigil for the one who was missing among them, the fallen warrior that had sacrificed so much so that they could live.
