“It is a painful truth,” Gustavo said, breaking the silence, “that which means the most to us, requires that we give the most of ourselves. Seeing evil defeated meant everything to Metea. I did not know her, yet through her actions I can see this. She saw the pure heart in Jezebel and knew she was worth saving.”
Jezebel covered her mouth as she attempted to quiet her tears. After several deep breaths, she looked up at him. “I would have never performed the spell if I’d had known what it required,” she said.
“Which is why she didn’t tell you,” Jewel said. “It was her right to choose whether she wanted to sacrifice herself, not yours. And that is why Desdemona thought you dead. She thought the spell killed you. She never knew about Metea.”
“Exactly,” said Jezebel.
Anna reached out and took her mother’s hand. “I will be forever grateful to a woman I will never know because she saved the woman who I call my mom.”
“I know we were never super close because I was always moving around. I was so scared I would draw supernatural beings to you. I used the voodoo shop as a front because most supernaturals think shops like this are a joke and avoid them.”
“It’s true and we do,” Peri added dryly.
“When I found out I was pregnant with you, I was so incredibly happy. And after you were born, you were this little miracle, and I quickly realized how vulnerable you would be in the world I knew. So, I put wards on the store and our apartment to protect you, and then I tried to stay away as often as I could but I missed you so much. I have always been so proud of you. You have grown into a woman who can think for herself and take care of herself. I never wanted you to be a part of all of this, but you were destined to be, I fear. Now you can make your own choices. I only ask you forgive me for the part I played in dragging you into this.”
“The Great Luna brought her into this, not you, Jezebel,” said Peri with a finality that brokered no discussion.
Anna didn’t blame her mom. Jezebel did the best she could under the circumstances. She hadn’t asked to be turned into a witch either. “What about my father?”
Her mother’s face fell. “The only thing good that came of that relationship was you. He left as soon as he found out I was pregnant. The last I heard he was wanted by the police for grand theft auto and trafficking illegal substances. He had a few redeeming qualities that drew me to him. He was funny, charismatic, and could sell pixie dust to a pixie. Before you ask, he knew nothing about the supernatural world.”
Anna felt Gustavo’s hand on her back. His touch kept her calm, though inside she felt a multitude of emotions, and none of them registered anywhere on the calm scale.
She squeezed her mom’s hand and smiled. “I think we got along just fine without him,” she said.
“As much as I love these tender moments … I’m being sarcastic just in case any of you didn’t catch that. We have to figure out a plan,” said Peri.
Anna raised her hand.
Peri gave her a look that made it clear she didn’t want interruptions. “Ask,” the high fae snapped.
“If you knew my mom all this time, how come you acted like you didn’t know who I was when you came to recruit me?”
“We didn’t want anyone to know you had any previous ties to the supernatural world. If someone had realized you were Jezebel’s daughter, they might’ve put two and two together and realized she wasn’t dead. And though I knew about you, I didn’t actually know you. Your mom and I have had very little communication over the decades in order to protect her and you.”
Anna nodded. “Alright, makes sense.”
“Glad you approve. Now…” She resumed her pacing as she spoke. “We have some serious decisions to make. Volcan wants an army of witches. It’s already going to be next to impossible to defeat him. If he gets an army, it’s game over, good night, put the women and children to bed, stick a fork in us, we’re done.
“But…” She paused and looked at Jewel, a wolfish grin spreading across her face. “If … and this is a big if, we could make our own army of witches, then we might have a chance. We would need to alter their magic and use it against him. They would need to be pure of heart, and they have to fit into one of the familial categories we talked about.”
“Aren’t you forgetting about the willing sacrifice part?” Z asked.
Peri glanced over at him. “You volunteering?”
“I was kind of hoping to meet my mate before I died,” he answered.
Peri froze and snapped her fingers. “Z, you’re a genius. Okay, not really, far from it, actually, but you did give me an idea. Sit tight.” She flashed from the room leaving everyone in stunned silence, except Z, who sported a look of incredulity.
Anna’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Jewel. “Did you understand what sort of light bulb just went off in her head? Cause you look kind of guilty.”
Jewel’s face reddened. “Did you know that Thomas Edison didn’t create the first incandescent light bulb? It was actually Warren De la Rue, but his design required a platinum filament which was way too expensive for people to afford.”
Anna continued to stare at Jewel as if she hadn’t just sputtered out a random fact about light bulbs.
Jewel opened her mouth to speak just as Peri reappeared.
“That did not go over well,” she said.
“What didn’t go over well?” Jewel asked.
“Well, I have a hunch.”
“Well get something else,” Anna said. “I don’t like hunches.”
“It will be more than a hunch once we know if it works. It’s going to take some time to get everyone on board. And we’ll need to get Thad to un-spell those missing pages.” She turned to Jezebel. “Do you think a female werewolf can be turned into a witch?”
“Bonded?”
Peri nodded.
“I’m not sure. A bonded female is going to possess the magic of her mate as well as her own. That could affect the spell.”
Peri tapped her chin. “So many variables. Oh, and you two…” She snapped her fingers and pointed at Anna and Gustavo. “No biting, no sharing of blood. At least not yet.”
Gustavo growled and Anna placed a hand on his leg. “Could you at least give us a reason?”
Peri smiled.
Anna shook her head. “Nope, uh-uh, not that smile. If whatever you’ve cooked up is causing that smile, then you might as well go back to square one. That is a wicked smile, Peri.
“It really is,” Jewel agreed.
“I have to say I’m with the Wheelers on this one. That’s diabolical,” said Sly.
The smile dropped as Peri frowned at looked at the two warlocks. “Wheelers?”
Sly nodded. “You know, witch healers.”
And the smile was back. “Love it. What would a witch-werewolf be called? Wolfwitch? Witchwolf? I like that better. Doesn’t matter. Back to why you must keep your canines in you muzzles.”
“No muzzles right here,” Anna said dryly as she pointed at herself.
Peri continued as if Anna hadn’t spoken at all. “And why your paws should probably be kept to yourselves.”
“No paws either,” Jewel added. Anna gave her a thumbs-up.
“We need women who are pure of heart. That, in and of itself, seems impossible because hello, we’re women. More often than not we want to smack each other for looking better than us or gouge each other’s eyes out for looking at our man. Then add to the equation that she has to be family to one of you. Jewel, you got any cousins out there with a disposition just as sweet as yours? Anna…” She paused and then waved her off. “We’ll get to your family in a minute. Assume we find our pure-of-heart women, now we need each of them to have someone who is a willing sacrifice for them. I don’t know many people who would jump up and volunteer to die for a person. And somewhere in that whole mess we have to explain to them why the hell we want to turn those pure of heart family members into witches and then expect someone to die on their behalf immediately afterward.”
br /> “Forgive me for being a little skeptical,” Z said, rolling his eyes.
Peri’s face lit up at she held a finger in the air. “Ahh, but my little trouble-causing warlock, you don’t know me. If you did, then you wouldn’t be skeptical at all because you would know that I am completely capable of taking the impossible and making it … well … maybe, more than likely, possible. I just hope there’s not too much bloodshed before we ever get to the actual sacrifice part.”
“Peri, quit teasing them,” Jezebel chided.
“Why doesn’t anyone ever let me bask in the glory of my genius?” Peri sighed as she threw her head back and her arms out.
“Did you take some fairy drugs when you flashed earlier?” Anna asked.
Peri’s head snapped up. “Absolutely not. Can you imagine me on drugs? We’re getting off topic. We already have our pure hearts. We have three more healers that we can turn into Wheelers.” She winked at the warlocks, whose faces mirrored the shock of the others. “And each of our healers has a mate. Boom, willing sacrifice. See, totally possible. Simple, really.”
Anna stood slowly, and she saw that Jewel was doing the same thing. “You expect us to put Volcan’s vile blood into our friend’s bodies so they have to experience the darkness we’ve been dealing with?”
“I believe that’s what I said, though not quite as graphically.”
“And assuming we do that, you expect us to be okay with our mates sacrificing themselves for us?” Jewel asked.
“I feel like we’ve gone over this,” Peri said.
Anna felt Gustavo’s arm come around her waist. She hadn’t even realized he’d stood up with her. She couldn’t look at him because her fate was already sealed. But Heather, Stella, and Kara still had a choice.
“Wait, won’t we die if our mates die?” Anna asked.
“Not if we haven’t performed the Blood Rites,” replied Jewel. “That’s why she wants us not to bite our mates.”
“This can’t be the only way,” Anna said as she folded her arms in front of her chest.
Peri knew what she was asking of them. If anyone understood sacrifice, she did.
“I didn’t say it was the perfect solution,” she pointed out. “But it may be the best solution, the only solution. And no one said anything about your mates dying. I only said sacrifice. The mate bond performed at the right moment could be the key to the whole thing. Of course, we might need to have you all practice synchronized biting. Wouldn’t thaaaat get awkward fast.”
“The mate bond?” Jewel practically whispered as all the air rushed out of her.
Dalton, who had stood up with Jewel, leaned down and spoke softly in her ear, though Peri could still hear him. “I go where you go.” His deep voice rumbled.
Jewel was shaking her head. “Not like this.”
Peri narrowed her eyes on the couple. “I have a solution for you two. Do you honestly think I wouldn’t consider how your bond is different? And yes, you still have a bond, Jewel, it’s called love. You choose to love each other. And because I can see how much that mountain loves you, I will not ask him to stand as your sacrifice, not when I know he would most certainly die. The others have a real chance of living because of their combined magic. But Dalton would not.” Peri walked over to the brave healer who had already suffered so much. She took her face in her hands and wiped her tears away with her thumbs. Her hands began to glow a soft white as she used her magic to calm Jewel. “I told you healers when I took you in that I take care of those who are mine. That hasn’t changed. I will stand as your willing sacrifice, Jewel Stone, Gypsy healer, mate to Dalton Black and brave young woman with a heart of gold. And it will be an honor to do so.”
Epilogue
“Once upon a time, there was a high fae with a heart protected by strong stone walls she’d built up over the centuries. She cared for those under her protection, but she kept them at a distance. But then, one by one, wolves, gypsy healers, warlocks, elves, pixies, and even a witch chipped away at that wall. Their willingness to put themselves in harm’s way over and over again to protect others, even to protect her, sealed her fate. She would lay down her life for any one of them, and she would do it with a battle cry worthy of the warriors that they each were.” ~Lucian
Dalton growled when Jewel sat in the chair in their room, instead of coming to the bed so he could hold her.
“Have you forgotten about the spell Volcan put on me? I haven’t.” Jewel said, looking determined. Dalton thought it was cute that she thought she was going to get her way.
“In case you haven’t noticed, romantic intimacy has been the furthest thing from my mind,” he said. “And before you go getting your cauldron boiling, it’s not because I’m not attracted to you. It’s because it’s enough for me to just get to hold you. After being separated from you for so long. I just want you near me, Little Dove. I need to hold you.”
He could tell she was trying not to smile as she glared at him. “Did you just say ‘getting your cauldron boiling’?”
He had known that would distract her. “Maybe.”
She shook her head at him. “Tacky.”
He chuckled. “Probably. Now come here, or I’ll just come get you.”
She huffed like a petulant child, but she got up and came over to him. Dalton grabbed her around the waist and pulled her onto the bed, laying her beside him. He was propped up on one elbow looking down at her.
“This is where you belong,” he whispered, his voice deep, caused by mixing his wolf’s voice with his human one.
“Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”
“I won’t let her sacrifice herself,” Dalton told his mate. “We’ll figure out something else. I wouldn’t ask you to lose her.”
“I don’t want to lose you either,” she said.
“You won’t.”
“You can’t promise me that.”
“I can promise you that we will find another way for the spell to work. There are too many magical minds involved in this to not come up with an alternative or to figure out a way to alter the spell in such a way no one dies. I want you to trust me.”
She answered immediately. “I do.”
“Good. Now get some sleep. It’s been an emotional day.”
“Peri wasn’t lying when she said you males were bossy.”
Dalton smiled. “You say bossy, I say gently recommending the action that is best for you.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “That sounded stupid.”
He was so caught off guard by her words that she laughed.
“I am going to sleep, but only because I’m tired. Not because of some nonsense about you recommending actions.” She yawned and tucked herself closer to him.
Dalton wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. He pressed his lips to her head. “Good night, Little Dove.”
Sleep did not find Dalton as quickly as it had his Jewel. His mind was too busy searching for a solution to their problem that didn’t involve his or Peri’s untimely demise. No matter what, he wouldn’t let Peri be the sacrifice. Dalton would do it himself. She would mourn him, but without the true mate bond, she wouldn’t have the emptiness that would never leave. She would eventually heal, and she would be able to find another to love her.
His hand fisted in her shirt, causing it to move up, and his fingers brushed the bare skin of her back. Dalton immediately pressed his hand to the flesh and felt his wolf relax. His wolf wasn’t worried. He had no doubt that he could protect his mate and do so without having to leave her. We go where she goes the wolf repeated what Dalton had been telling Jewel. We will protect her and stay with her. “How?” he whispered into the dark room. Pack. Our pack will rise up as one.
He didn’t understand what his wolf was trying to tell him, but then his wolf couldn’t even consider that they wouldn’t be able to keep their mate safe. To him there was simply no other option. They were made for her, to provide for her, love her, and protect her.
Just before he
fell asleep, he heard Jewel mumbling in her sleep, “Dalton, come with me.”
He tucked his face down into her hair and took a deep breath of her scent before whispering in her ear. “Always, Little Dove.”
Gustavo stood in the hall, his hands in his pockets as he leaned his shoulder against the wall. His head was bowed, and his eyes were closed. He’d been trying to keep his wolf under control since Peri had ordered him not to complete the Blood Rites. The man understood her reasoning. The wolf snarled that she dared to give him orders or attempt to keep them from finishing the bond.
“You know I have several rooms in which you could wait. You needn’t stand in the hall next to the bathroom door,” Jezebel said as she took up her own position across from him.
“I do not mind waiting in the hall,” he said softly. He couldn’t look up at her, not with his eyes glowing with his wolf. It was so close to the surface, continuing to push his will on the man.
“Gustavo,” her voice was hesitant. “Are you alright?”
How did he answer that? He certainly couldn’t say, ”No I’m not alright. My wolf wants to go on a killing spree, and the only person safe is your daughter.” He was sure that might make Jezebel a little nervous.
“I just need Anna.” There. That sounded normal.
“Is Anna safe to be with you while you’re in this state?”
All right, apparently, he hadn’t sounded as normal as he thought. “Anna is the only person in the world who is always safe with me.”
“You’ll have to forgive me. I’ve never spent time around your species. I don’t know much about the Canis lupus.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Most cannot understand the true mate bond. It is a supernatural joining. All you really need to know is that I will never hurt Anna. I will always take care of her, provide for her, and love her.”
“Will you make her smile?” Jezebel asked. “Will you make her feel like she is the only female in existence who can hold you captive? Will you do what is in her best interest?”
He was unable to stop his wolf from raising his head and piercing the woman with his glowing eyes. To her credit, she did not take a step back, though she visibly had difficulty swallowing. Gustavo was an Alpha, a top predator and powerful in his own right. Jezebel was getting a taste of that power as he met her stare. Her questions were valid, but his wolf felt challenged. He didn’t hear the bathroom door open, he was too focused on keeping his wolf from snarling.