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  “How could she?” Lincoln said.

  “You are an incredible woman,” Lake stated. “We are so lucky to have found you.”

  “I am lucky as well,” Rory said. “So what is on the agenda for the morning?”

  “Aslan will speak with the queen and her sister about sending someone to the temple in search of their mother Lydia. Then we need to discuss our plans to find where Wilhelm is hiding. We have yet to find him. You have added to what we do know about the night Queen Ona was murdered and Queen Aurora was taken. There is much we still need to know though,” Lincoln said.

  “We will have a council meeting to discuss all of this and see what direction we take from there,” Lake added. “Wherever Lincoln and I are needed, we hope that you will want to be there with us.”

  “I can see myself nowhere else than by your sides,” Rory stated. “You are my mates and I shall forever be at your sides.”

  Both men smiled and she felt it all the way to her soul. Joy filled her and if their expressions were anything to go by, then it was filling them as well. No matter what the future held she knew that she could handle whatever came her way as long as she had her warriors at her side. And if Wilhelm tried to interfere in any way, then she would make sure he suffered cruelly before she killed him.

  “We are indeed lucky men,” Lincoln said, breaking her out of her thoughts.

  “Feel up for another round,” Lake queried as he turned so that his hard cock brushed her side.

  “Always,” she murmured as Lincoln bent to take her mouth while Lake bent to pay worship at her breasts. She was the lucky one.

  Chapter Twelve

  Everyone was already there when they arrived at the council chamber the next morning. As they took their seats with Lake and Lincoln on either side of her, King Aslan gave a nod and they started.

  “We’ve decided against sending anyone after Lydia again, just yet,” King Aslan began.

  “There has to be a reason why Lydia has journeyed there,” Queen Aurora added. “Lynx and I have never known Lydia to leave the shifter’s village for the temple. And to have done so at this time, with all that is going on…”

  “There has to be a reason for it,” Lynx finished.

  “So how long do we wait?” Rory asked. She was not one to sit silently and nod. She was a member of this council and she would voice her questions and concerns. “How long do we think it is safe to wait? How long before Wilhelm discovers where she is? He will not honour the temple as we will.”

  “The magic of the temple is strong,” King Aslan stated. “I do not fear for any directly under the goddess’ protection.”

  “But will Wilhelm not strive to make that magic his own?” this from the Danuja Merced.

  “He has not as of yet,” Lincoln said. “We can only watch and wait. There is rumour that there is a mage there of great power. Perhaps the greatest that has ever been known.”

  “A mage,” the other Danuja pondered. “Word has not reached us of this mage.”

  “We have only heard rumour,” Piers said. “No one has ever seen this mage.”

  “So we leave Lydia for now,” Rory said. “Then are we focusing on Wilhelm?”

  “Yes,” King Aslan said. “Piers and Seer have been looking over maps for any possible locations that Wilhelm could be hiding.”

  Seer stood and unfolded several maps on the table. “As you can see we’ve marked several possible locations. The terrain allows for Wilhelm to have set something up that can remain hidden.”

  “The best way is to send teams out to these sectors with someone who has a strong ability to read magic in the air,” Piers added.

  “We have Lynx, Domi and Nado who have that ability as shifters,” King Aslan began. “We have Micah and Merced as Danuja. And now we have Rory, who I am certain as a native rogue has the ability as well.” The king turned to look her way and Rory nodded.

  “We will have to split up so that we are in units with one of you,” Seer said. “Warriors can often feel magic in the air but we are not usually able to discern what or who it is from.”

  The warriors in the room all nodded, including her mates Lake and Lincoln.

  “There are six notable sites,” King Aslan said. “So we will need to split into groups of two. I can pull other warriors in to go with us but at this point even I cannot vouch for any outside this room.”

  “As we are strictly going to feel out the magic at this point and not to engage,” Aurora said. “It should be no problem to go in groups of two. Two will have an easier time using stealth and remaining hidden.”

  “I have taken the task upon myself to split the groups,” King Aslan said. “Aurora and I have. We apologise in advance but this is the best we could come up with.”

  Before he could start naming groups, there was a loud knock on the door and an urgent voice calling from the other side. “M’lord, M’lady, come quickly. Quickly.”

  Piers and Seer were around the table with weapons drawn almost immediately. Aurora and her mates stood, the sword already in the palm of the queen’s hand. Rory came to her feet and as her mates drew their weapons, she let her hands lay loosely at her side. Her weapon was easily accessible as was her guardian. The king had weapons in hand as well.

  She was surprised to see the king with swords in both hands but then shook her head. He was a warrior as well as the others in the room. Why wouldn’t he have a weapon? The walls were covered with them and obviously from the glance she threw his way he was more than comfortable with them.

  Piers opened the door and a man was there wringing his hands. A piece of paper was crumbled in his hands, by the looks of it, still folded and sealed.

  “Darkness, m’lord, darkness everywhere,” the man mumbled. He held the paper out and his hand visibly shook.

  “What is this?” King Aslan stepped forward and the letter was passed to him. Aurora stood by his shoulder as he opened it.

  They both looked at one another then glanced towards Rory.

  “What?” she immediately asked. Lake and Lincoln both tensed beside her. “What does it say?”

  “We will go check out this darkness and work to calm the people,” Piers said and he and Seer headed out the door, the still trembling man between them.

  “We will go as well,” Merced stated and he and Micah stood and after each giving Lynx a kiss and touch headed out of the room.

  “We will be better able to see within the darkness,” Domi said as he and Nado stood. Shifters were known to have excellent night vision. Both men casually dropped a kiss onto Aurora’s upturned face and left as well, pulling the door shut behind them. Now all that remained were her, her mates, the king, the queen and Lynx.

  King Aslan laid the letter out on the table and they all leaned close to take a look. It was from Wilhelm. That was the first thing that Rory saw. The flourish of his signature at the bottom drew her eyes. Finally she focused on what the gist of the letter said.

  “He has cast a spell of darkness on the land?” she said, her gaze going up to meet that of the others. “How is that even possible? How can he have that power?”

  “Perhaps the power is not his alone,” Lynx said. “We already know that he had at least one Danuja at his side. I would have to speak with Merced and Micah but perhaps her power could aid in that.”

  “He wants me,” Rory said, reading the rest of the document.

  “He won’t be getting you,” Lincoln’s voice was hard at her side.

  “No, he will not,” King Aslan agreed.

  Aurora and Lynx nodded.

  “He wants me to go to him. Then he will lift the veil of darkness,” Rory said. “I will have my weapons, my guardian, my—”

  “Absolutely not,” Lake said and his voice was just as hard as Lincoln’s had been.

  “But if it will—” Rory tried again but this time it was the queen that interrupted.

  “It will not,” Aurora said and when Rory opened her mouth again Aurora just shook her head. “It w
ill not. Wilhelm is not to be trusted or given in to. There is no truth to his lies.”

  “He will take you and the darkness will remain,” Lynx said.

  “I will not go quietly,” Rory said, her voice rising. “I am a native and I have magic of my own.”

  “But you will go quietly,” Lynx said. “You will be struck unconscious before you even know it. I know this as I have seen how both my mates Merced and Micah were taken.”

  “Both of your mates were prisoners?” Rory asked.

  “No, thankfully Micah was with Aurora when she was taken and he never made it to Wilhelm. He was lucky. Merced was held and tortured. Tortured in ways you can’t even fathom,” Lynx said and her breath caught.

  Rory watched as both the king and Aurora stepped to Lynx and touched her, the king placing his hand on her shoulder while Aurora took her hand.

  “I saw. I felt what they did to him and I thank the goddess every day for saving my mate. Wilhelm will not release the darkness. He will care little that you are his daughter. He will render you unable to fight before you even realise that he is there.”

  “Why do you think we are still here discussing how to approach him, how to find and capture him instead of just going and doing?” King Aslan said. “Wilhelm has several people with unknown power at his side. At least one of which is a Danuja.”

  “We don’t know how many others there are, how much power he has of his own,” Aurora stated. “We must stop and think. Not rush in and make targets of ourselves. We will not give in to his wishes.”

  Lake and Lincoln both looked at her and Rory finally nodded. “I would never do anything stupid to endanger myself,” she looked at her warriors and reached out to touch them with a hand on each of their arms. “Or my mates. I know that where I go, they follow. It was but an instinctual reaction.”

  “We have only just found one another,” Lincoln said, pulling her so that she was against his chest. “We will not lose you.”

  “There is no longer just a you,” Lake said at her back his hands squeezing her shoulders. “There is an us.”

  “I know that,” she turned so that her back was to Lincoln his hand wrapped around her waist. “I promise you that I know that.”

  Lake nodded and leaned in to kiss her softly on the lips. She felt Lincoln’s lips on her head and shuddered between them.

  They all glanced to the door as Nado entered.

  “It is sheer blackness out there,” he said, going to stand by his mate. Aurora immediately turned to him and wrapped an arm around him, hugging him to her. “No one will be travelling anywhere for a while. At least not until we can figure out a way to penetrate the darkness.”

  “It is that thick?” King Aslan questioned.

  “It is more than just darkness,” Nado said. “There is something more to it, a magic within that fills the air.” He shook his head as if he was trying to decide how to describe it accurately. “It is as if the darkness is alive. It weighs on your shoulders and disorients. Merced and Micah are probing at it now with their abilities. But we think it is best for now if everyone stays inside and out of the darkness until we have more to go on.”

  “Is there no end to what he will do?” Lynx said and her voice betrayed her anger.

  Aurora took her hand in her free one and gave it a squeeze. “No,” she stated and Rory saw the sadness in the king’s eyes. “Wilhelm will never stop. Not willingly.”

  “We should go calm the people and urge them to stay inside,” King Aslan said and his voice was weary. Rory could see that he took the weight of Wilhelm’s actions on his shoulders.

  “Yes,” Aurora agreed.

  “I know one person who will be able to see through this darkness,” Rory said before anyone could leave. “And I can guarantee that he will head this way soon to assure that I am well.”

  “One of your friends?” Lincoln asked and Rory was relieved to see no jealousy in his or Lake’s eyes.

  “Yes, Theron is gifted by the goddess herself and will not be stopped by this darkness,” Rory said. “They were in the shifter village when we headed here and I doubt if they have left as of yet. So they will be close. It might take longer in the darkness but they will arrive within days I would think.”

  She wondered if they would be able to leave her sister behind. She doubted it. Raine would demand they take her with them. She was so lost in her thoughts that it took her a minute to realise that she stood alone in the room with her mates.

  “We will get him, Rory,” Lake vowed. “We will get Wilhelm and make him pay for all the lives he has taken.”

  “We will do it together,” Lincoln added and she nodded.

  “I know,” she agreed. “We will all do it together.” She realised that she wasn’t alone in her need for vengeance, her need for justice. The king and queen had lost their mother. Piers and Seer had lost their father. Merced and Micah both had almost lost their lives. They all had a reason to want Wilhelm dead. And she had to believe that it would happen.

  Her mother’s image filled her mind. She remembered the sound of her laughter, the way it seemed to reach inside and make Rory want to laugh as well. She thought of the warmth of her mother’s smile and how a soft touch could ease any pain. And she longed for it, wanted to feel that caress with everything she had. She wanted Raven to know her mates and see how happy they made her. She wanted Raven to know the strength that Raine held within.

  Rory looked into the dark and craved the light. She felt the strong love of the men beside her and finally understood that the light she craved was right beside her. It was something her mother had always said and Rory had not really understood. Light, true light, comes in many forms, but the greatest of all is love. Her mother had always known the love of her mates, her people, and her daughters.

  She took her mates’ hands in her own and smiled. She had more to lose now. Wilhelm would not take any more from them. The darkness would not last nor would Wilhelm. She could feel the change in the air.

  “I love you,” she told Lake and Lincoln, and that love was the light she’d always desired.

  “Love you,” Lake said leaning in for a quick kiss.

  “Always and forever,” Lincoln added giving her hand a squeeze.

  Together they left the room to go and find the others. It was time to put an end to Wilhelm once and for all.

  Epilogue

  The mage paced in front of the window, in waiting for the presence of the priestess. It was time. Time to leave and head to the castle and Wilhelm. Time for justice to begin. Time for truth to be known.

  “You are not to leave this temple,” the priestess began as soon as she entered the room.

  The mage continued to pace, a robe pulled firm over head.

  “I will not have you out in this,” Priestess Serena exclaimed. “On this, you will listen and obey.”

  They were interrupted before the mage could answer. Interrupted by the new guest in the temple, a shifter named Lydia.

  “Serena, have you seen the darkness outside?” Lydia exclaimed as she entered. “I must get to my girls. I can’t keep hiding here.”

  “So you will allow Wilhelm to capture you? To take you and do as he will?” Priestess Serena queried. “How will your girls deal with that?”

  “Well, there must be something we can do,” Lydia said. “You are a priestess.”

  “And I walk in the light,” Priestess Serena said softly. “I cannot do what is required to diffuse this spell.”

  “But I can,” the mage said, turning and letting her hood fall around her shoulders.

  She heard the gasp of the shifter. She knew what the woman was seeing. She looked exactly as her mother had looked when she was her age, when Serena had been friends with Lydia and they had both fallen for the same man.

  “I can and I will,” Serenity said. It was often a joke. Her name. Her mother had named her Serenity but that was the last thing that she felt, serene. “Enough is enough. It stops now.”

  “You will n
ot leave,” Priestess Serena stated as if her word was law, which with anyone else in the temple it would be.

  “The truth has been kept long enough,” Serenity stated just as firmly. “I do not walk in the light. I do not walk in the dark. I walk within the shadow between. I can and will undo this darkness. I can and will bring the knowledge to the castle of how to defeat Wilhelm.” She crossed to her mother and sighed. “You mean well. I will always love you. But I cannot be you. I don’t want to be. It is time I met my brother and sisters and let them know of our connection and how we can use that connection to defeat Wilhelm.”

  “You cannot…” her mother began but Serenity put her finger to her mother’s lips and shook her head.

  “I must,” she said. “No more secrets. They only add to his power. It is time to end what began before we were born. It is time.”

  Serenity pulled the hood over her head again and with a final glance to her mother left the room. Armed with nothing but the magic in her veins and the knowledge in her mind, she stepped out and was swallowed by the darkness.

  About the Author

  Lacey Thorn spends her days in small town Indiana the proud mother of three. When she is not busy with one of them she can be found typing away on her computer keyboard or burying her nose in a good book. Like every woman she knows just how chaotic life can be and how appealing that great escape can look.

  So toss aside the stress and tension of the never ending to do list. For now sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride with Lacey. It’s your world…unlaced.

  Email: [email protected]

  Lacey loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.total-e-bound.com.

  Also by Lacey Thorn