“Are you alright, Lilly?” Cypher asked as he rolled onto his side. He propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at her.

“Mm-hmm,” she murmured nervously.

“Lilly.” Cypher scooted closer and wrapped a large arm around her waist and pulled her next to him.

“It’s just been a long time since a man has held me,” she whispered into the dark room.

“I am not a man,” he told her, and she felt the whisper of his lips against her neck as he leaned down and nuzzled her.

“You know what I mean.”

“If it makes you feel better I have never lain with a woman in my arms.”

Lilly looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide in shock. “Never?”

“No. I’ve been waiting for my mate.”

“But surely you’ve been with a woman.” Lilly’s words stumbled out.

Cypher chuckled. “Yes, although that is not really a conversation I want to have while I hold you in my arms.”

Lilly smiled. “Agreed.” She let out a breath. “Now, tell me of your people. Keep my mind from worrying about my daughter and worrying about you helping that stupid witch take our world to hell in a hand basket.”

Cypher smirked at her choice of words and proceeded to do as she asked. He had only made it as far as his adolescent years before Lilly was breathing slowly and deeply, eyes closed, and a calm expression on her face. Sleep had taken her.

~

Mona stood stiffly, staring at the tall, stoic warlock King. She was trying to keep her cool, but knowing that her plan was being delayed yet again was not sitting well.

“So you're telling me that you don’t know exactly what you are going to need to do to open the Veil?” she hissed

Cypher’s eyes narrowed.

“I am not backing out of my end of the deal, Desdemona. You know how magic works. There is always a price. I knew the price before I had a mate – now Lilly is my mate. This changes everything.”

“Ah, your mate? How sweet. I’ll be sure and get you an appropriate wedding gift – maybe a nice wolf rug for your living room.”

Cypher ignored the remark.

“If you want this done right you are going to have to trust me,” he told her firmly.

Mona let out a harsh laugh.

“Great King, you should know better than most that there is no one you can trust in this world. Even your precious Lilly has secrets. But since you are my only option I suppose I have no choice. Hear this now, however.” The room grew chilly. “If you are not true to your word I will kill her. I will gut her like a fish before your very eyes.”

Cypher let out a roar and a sword appeared in his hand. He was in front of her in an instant, the sword poised at her throat.

“Hear me, witch. Threaten the woman I love again and I will carve you intopieces and send them in packages as gifts to the wolves. They will feed on your flesh and dance in victory over your downfall. Do not ever threaten what is mine.”

Mona pushed the blade away with her finger, slicing it open in the process. The sword seemed to absorb her blood – then it began to glow. She stared in horror at the blade.

Cypher smiled wickedly.

“The blade has your scent now, witch. There is no place in this realm or any other in which you can hide. Remember that.” He lowered the sword. “I will see you in a few days. It would not be wise to know how to open the Veil, but not how to close it, lest more demons than you can handle get loose.”

In great discomfort, Mona watched the warlock King close the door behind him.

She had been overconfident and it had cost her dearly. She had shed blood for another. Not just another but for one of great power. She needed to watch the King closely – needed to think of a special spell for Lilly, one that would keep him in line when the time came. She hadn’t been lying when she told him to trust no one. Mona had learned many times over that there was only one being in this world whom she could trust: herself.

Otherwise, things were moving along quite splendidly. Maybe not as quickly as she would've liked, but then Rome didn’t come crashing to the ground in a day, did it? The healers no longer had the protections of the males, though they were still with the Fae, and were heading toward the Veil to cross into the Fae realm. She wasn’t worried about them making it through – she had a surprise for them.

Mona smiled to herself. Yes, everything was going according to plan, and soon, very soon, she would be the most powerful of the supernaturals. None would stand against her and all would fall.

Epilogue

“It’s dark and cold. I can hear him. He’s calling out to me, he’s telling me over and over how sorry he is. Why is he sorry? What has he done? I’m here, I tell him. I’m here. He’s weeping and the anguish I feel through our bond is crushing me. I can’t breathe; I can’t move. Why can’t I move? Fane, I’m here. Please, Fane, I hear you. He thinks I’m dead. Why does he think I’m dead?” ~ Jacque

The trees towered over them as they trekked through the Carpathian Mountains. Perizada kept an unforgiving pace. Night turned into day and yet the skies did not lighten. Clouds rolled in ominously above them and thunder crashed. The wind cut across their skin like a knife.

“This tastes of black magic,” Rachel ground out through her teeth.

“Mona has been busy in the mountains,” Peri agreed.

A sense of dread settled over them and as the day dragged on, Sally found herself growing more and more depressed. The despair seemed to be reaching into her soul and she couldn’t fight it off.