23. Twenty-Three

It's gorgeous.

As I step out of the transport, my feet sink slightly, and my mouth gapes open at the stunning beach in front of me. The white powdery shoreline stretches out in a graceful curve, decorated with shiny seashells that glimmer like scattered jewels beneath the sun. Crystal-clear waves lap tenderly against the towering cliffs to my right, their rhythmic melody echoing through the air.

Following the sound of the water hitting weathered stone, I see the vague silhouette of the mountain ranges in the distance, then glancing to my right, it's polar opposite. Sand stretches on, meeting the oncoming blue abyss.

"Stand right here, little wanderer, just like this," Draken giddily demands, moving me to stand with my legs spread about shoulder length apart.

"Draken, what in the world are you doing?" I giggle as he continues to nudge my feet apart.

"You're now standing in both Terian and Aquaria." He beams.

My eyes widen as I look around, taking in the scene behind me. I was so mesmerized by the beach I didn't bother turning around.

"Marka is truly right on the line between the two territories," I breathe.

The large and lush trees that take over most of Terian are thinned out at the shoreline and they thicken the more into the territory they go, whereas on the Aquaria side, they continue to thin out until there's nothing but beach shore and sand dunes.

"Exactly on the line. The community is right up the road in the least forested area. Let's get a move on. We're in and out quickly," Corentin demands, placing his hand on my lower back, steering me onto the path that'll lead into the community.

After spending the entire day at Rebel Castle yesterday not finding much more useful information, Corentin decided we'd have breakfast then head straight here to find Layton's parents, or at least hopefully find them.

I didn't talk to the kid yesterday, but seeing him broke my heart. I watched from outside his cell as Tillman and Draken went in to inform him we were coming here today, and the look of both hope and heartbreak on his face was so sad, I wanted to cry for him.

He only relaxed a little when Draken commanded it. I understand what it feels like to live in constant anxiety, so I feel for the boy.

"So we're looking for a house with a pink door. Are we just going to walk through the streets until we find it?" I ask.

"You'll see in a second, Primary, but this little town is pretty much just one street," Caspian says.

And of course he's right. As we walk around a bend in the well-worn path, there's a single street that continues on straight and on either side are houses, along with a few other buildings.

This is an extremely small community.

A few people peek outside their doors and windows as we pass by, but for the most part, the shifters who are out and about just simply wave or go on about their business. I'm not picking up any thoughts that would lead me to believe they've fallen into the hands of the Mastery, which is a good sign.

As a bright-ass pink door catches my eye from two houses down, I giggle. Yesterday when the guys asked Layton to describe his home so we'd find it easier, a childlike smile broke out across his face as he told them the story about how his mom really wanted a pink door, and when his fathers said no, she made her own paint, did it herself, and dared any of them to touch it.

The fact that she did it anyway, then gave them some sass, brings me so much joy. It seems like something so silly to say no to, so I'm completely on her side and I don't even know her.

"I think I should knock," I announce, which is answered with an echoing of nos.

"You'll stay right in the middle of us where you are, princess. In and out like I said," Corentin declares and the others murmur their agreements.

"You're all being ridiculous, but fine." I roll my eyes.

I don't have the slightest feeling that anything is off in this little community, thankfully, but I'm not surprised by their normal overprotectiveness.

Corentin approaches the door as the four of us stand a few feet behind him, and I give him an incredulous look as he bangs on the damn thing like we're getting ready to break it down.

If I were in there, I'd ignore his ass.

"Who are you?" a deep voice hisses out from behind the partially open door, and I feel all the guys move closer to me.

"Corentin Vito. I need your Nexus and Primary to come with me," he responds just as forcefully.

"Tough shit. We're not going anywhere." The man sneers. Before he can slam the door in Corentin's face, a softer voice filters through to my ears.

"What's this about?" she asks.

"We shouldn't discuss this here. You all just need to—" Corentin starts again, but I push past the others to stand next to him.

"Sira, right?" I ask softly.

"How do you know my name?" she asks, her eyes studying me like she's searching for some sort of inkling as to if we know each other or not.

"Layton told us," I say quietly.

The demeanor of both of them instantly changes, and it's as if I watch them age in front of me. Their faces wrinkle in concern and heartbreak as their auras grow dark and gloomy. Sira's eyes fill to the brim with tears ready to fall at any second, and the man's shoulders slump as his pleading gaze bounces back and forth between me and Corentin.

"Do…do you know where he is?" she whispers.

"Yes, and he's safe. That's why we need you to come with us," I urge.

She turns around, rushing back through her house, and I hear her calling out the names of the rest of her men. It wouldn't surprise me if they came out here fired up, hearing her scream their names that way. If I called out to my guys like that, they'd come out gifts blazing.

Linking my arm through Corentin's, I pull him a couple steps back, out of the center of the doorway as I hear the rumble of footsteps coming back toward the door. Sira obviously told them what little we've told her because all three men who now join us are wearing looks of hope and disbelief.

"You know where our son is?" one of them asks.

"We do, but we're not discussing this here. We don't know who lives amongst you in this community. I give you my word, he's safe and we're taking you to see him. We will discuss everything with you there," Corentin declares, growing impatient that they're not just listening to him. But I can hear and sense their hesitation. After watching what happened to their son, it's no surprise they believe this is some sort of trap.

"You're referring to the people who took him? None of them live with us. They've never returned since that day, and we've never been able to find where they went," Sira pleads. Her mind is running wild between believing we're really here to help or we're leading them all to their deaths.

"I know we aren't being very forthcoming and this is confusing for you, but I promise we're not here to harm you in any way. It's just that it's not safe to openly discuss anything that he's been through since he's been gone, so it'll need to wait," I say, reaching out to grasp her hand.

I meant it as a reassuring gesture, trying to push some comfort to her, but as our skin touches, a jolt zaps across my mind, and I think intently, unconsciously about Layton. Her forcefully hitched breath causes me to pull my hand back quickly and step into my men as hers steps closer to her.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't—" I start.

"She's telling the truth. They have our Layton. You'll take us to him now, right?" she manically asks, reaching back out and grabbing my hand with both of hers.

"Sira, are you okay?" one of her guys asks, pulling her away from me.

"Yes. When she touched me, I saw images of Layton with these men. They have him. He's okay," she cries out.

I cast my wide eyes to my men, landing on Tillman, looking for an answer. We knew we could send each other stuff and things to the guys, but neither of us has broadcasted anything to other people.

Fuck me, I think I, we, I don't know, just unlocked a new ability from our bond.

"Later, little warrior," Tillman grunts.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," Caspian demands, pulling me into him.

"We're going to transport you to where your son's being held. You'll have to hold on to the two of us the entire time till we pass through the ward. Once we're in, there's no way for you to leave without one of us, just to warn you," Tillman states as he and Draken step up and stretch out their arms.

I force down the growl trying to escape me when Sira lays her hand on Draken because my very human side can obviously see and knows she has to, but my dragon does not like that shit at all.

Draken's grin screams his pleasure at my jealousy and possessive claim. It's not helping.

The battle over my feelings eases as Corentin steps in front of me, blocking my sight, but they swiftly turn inappropriate as he presses into me, sandwiching me between Caspian.

"Ready, princess?" he asks.

"Yeah, yep," I stutter, clearing my throat.

Not one to be left out of getting me riled up, Tillman's deep chuckle follows me through the transport, adding to my flustered state. It's ridiculous how they can make me melt with a few words and looks.

Still firmly pressed between Caspian and Corentin, we watch as Draken and Tillman stand on the other side of the ward, preparing to walk Layton's parents through. They're bringing them in like they do the prisoners, where they don't allow their signature to mingle with the ward. Instead, touching them allows them to pass in but not out.

"Lyker and his Nexus are about to be here," Corentin tells me as he slips his communicator back into his pocket.

"I hope Aria can get the rune down permanently for this kid," I whisper.

"Me too, baby, me too," he agrees, giving my hand a squeeze as Draken and Tillman join us.

"Where are we?" one of Layton's dads asks.

We really should make introductions. One of Layton's dads is a little too much to continue thinking every time they speak.

"We're waiting on another Nexus to arrive, then we'll make our way in, and we'll formally introduce ourselves and get your son," Tillman states, shooting me a wink as I roll my eyes.

Me and my guys turn as one, feeling the subtle vibration of the ward letting us know that someone just entered, and a smile breaks across my face as I can barely see Aria from where she's surrounded by the guys. It only takes her a few steps in to split away from her cocoon and ambush me in a hug.

"It's so weird not having you come disturb my precious sleep," she picks. It hasn't been that long since the last time I dream-walked into her mind, but the days are long, and it feels like eternity.

"You never know. I may still pop in," I tease, knowing the likelihood of that is slim to none.

"Fortune teller," Lyker says as a way of greeting after Kian, Lennox, and Zane all say hey to me.

"Alphahole, how are you?" I ask sarcastically, earning myself a huff from him and chuckles from everyone else.

"Let's head in," Tillman says, placing his hand against the entrance door, commanding it to open.

Making our way through the labyrinth of cells and halls, Sira lets out one surprised gasp as her men growl when we first step into the second floor, and after that, they quickly work out this is a prison and they're back to freaking out that we've set a trap for them.

Tillman must hear it too because he nods at Draken and they veer off, heading toward Layton's room while we continue on to one of the larger interrogation rooms. As soon as we walk through the threshold, Sira starts.

"We just want to see our son and have him back. We swear we have nothing to do with those men," she cries.

"This is a rebel prison. We're here because your son was in the Terravile pack where he'd been forced to join the rebels. We know you're not involved, but there's a lot going on we cannot tell you about just yet, and it's not safe for him to leave the protection of this place," Corentin tells them more patiently than when we were in Marka.

"Rebels? Forced to join them? What does all that—"

"Mom…" Layton's broken voice carries through the room, cutting Sira's questions off, and she spins on her heel toward him.

"Layton." Her arms are clutched around him tight before his name is fully out of her mouth, and his dads follow suit, circling him in their embrace.

"Are you okay, son? They said you were in Terravile, that they forced you to join the rebels," she asks once she pulls away and wipes her tears.

Panic sets in on Layton's face, the fear creeping into his eyes at the simple mention of where he's been.

"Please have a seat and I'll explain as much as I can and what we have planned moving forward," Corentin says, ushering Layton and his parents to the seats.

After he makes brief introductions, he jumps right into it. My heart clenches painfully every time Sira cries or pulls Layton closer to her. It's not a long story—Corentin leaves out most of what happened in Terravile—but it's a painful one. A painful reminder to me, to Layton, to my men, Aria. Terravile was a fucking nightmare for everyone.

"So you're going to try to remove this rune on his mind?" Sira addresses Aria.

"I'm going to try. If I can't, I'll lower the barrier enough that Willow and Tillman will be able to see inside his mind," she says honestly.

"Will this hurt?" Layton stutters out.

"No. Everything we do will be painless," Tillman promises.

Layton turns to his parents, searching for more reassurance, and once they all give him just that, he gives the three of us a nervous nod.

Me and Tillman place a hand each on his shoulders, preparing to look inside his head rather than just hear his thoughts like it was done with the Elders. I've never done this, so when we discussed this, this morning, Tillman gave me a crash course on what to do and told me to try, and if I couldn't get it, just listen in.

I feel Aria's magic the moment it reaches Layton's mind and I let mine flow from me with the intention of seeing what he's seen, hearing what he's heard.

Rapidly, his memories start to filter through. The glimpses in time speed across my brain so fast I can't keep up. It's a dizzying assault, and for the life of me, I can't make it slow down.

As easily as I can, I command my magic to pull back, slow down, something, and it responds instantly, freezing on a memory of Layton standing in the corner of a room, facing a wall. I can't see the men in the room with him, but I hear it all.

"My creature is growing restless daily. The freedom of the forest is no longer keeping him satisfied as it once was. His defiance is a bane, but for now he's willingly cooperating."

"Is he unhappy with the supply he's been given? We can procure more if that's simply what he wants, Summum-Master," a man says, identifying the most important individual in the room for me.

"The supply is a necessity for his survival. It's not a matter of whether or not he's happy with it. He wants what he's always wanted. But that is not an option for him. I have no intentions of releasing him."

"There are plenty of creatures in the forest who originated from Essemist Keep. Certainly there's another who can do what he can. We can find one and use them, put an end to this senseless defiance."

"Your ignorance and simple solutions are what took you so long to grow through my ranks. Sometimes I question if your value is even worth it for me," the Summum-Master spits out.

Even though this is only a memory, I feel Layton's body jump and cower closer to the wall from the cruel tone just used. His fear is palpable and deeply rooted. It's no wonder he can barely speak about what he's been through without crying. He may not have access to these memories, but the feelings they evoke stay with him.

"I apologize, Master. I was just trying to help alleviate some of the things on your plate."

"Don't concern yourself with my plate when I hardly allow you at my table. You've done well pledging your family to me, as well as another one of the five, but that still leaves three of the top families and the pathetic royals ruining this realm. Your focus should be there and only there until I say otherwise. If that is too much for you, I'll find another."

"I will convince the other three, my Master. With two of the five families now under your control, the time is coming. I will not let you down. You will reign."

"Guys, it's coming down, pull out." Aria's voice penetrates my concentration and I slowly draw my magic back.

It's a sluggish feeling coming back fully into my own mind. My memories take their time resurfacing, leaving me painfully dizzy and slightly confused.

"Something's wrong," Layton screams, grabbing onto his head.

"Shit. Aria, I didn't think this would happen if you put up the barrier," Tillman shouts as he kneels in front of Layton.

"What's happening? What's happening to my son?"

No one answers Sira as we all stare in fear.

Aria suddenly clutches Layton's head in her hands and both of them go eerily still. Her eyes completely cloud over as he stares off into nothingness. The seconds seem to tick by until the silence is shattered when Blaze busts through the interrogation room door shouting.

"We have a situation."

Grabbing me by my elbow, Caspian drags me out the door behind him and my men, and the sheer volume of screams piercing my ears causes me to wince.

Every way we look or turn, the members of the Mastery are dropping like flies. Screaming, howling, hissing, panting. Whatever their animals may be, they're crying out as each of them begin dropping dead.

"No, no, no. How the fuck is this possible?" Corentin fumes.

My mind has barely caught up from coming out of Layton's, and I'm having the hardest time wrapping my head around what the fuck is happening right now. When Caspian lets go of my elbow, I sway. Sway hard enough, I fall right into him.

"Primary," he yells, catching me.

"Fuck," I mumble as the world spins around me, and I prepare for the darkness to greet me, but instead, I free-fall into a vision.

Something's different about this vision. I'm not sure how I know, but as my feet carry me through the dense forest and thick fog, it's obvious to me I've somehow stepped back in time, not forward.

"It never fails. The arrogance and ignorance of your kind will always bring forth your death."

Fear pounds in my chest as I whip around toward the voice, wondering how in the fuck they can see me right now.

A scream of pure terror rips from me as my eyes collide with a set as red as blood, but the man standing inches away doesn't even acknowledge me. His gaze is locked over my head.

Slowly stepping to the side as my heart threatens to beat out of my chest, I peer at the spot where I was just standing and suck in a startled breath as I realize there was another there the whole time. Cloaked from head to toe in black, they're barely visible.

"Most of my kind dare not step foot here willingly unless they have a death wish. I'm sure you're speaking of the gifts I've been sending you."

That voice… I know that voice. I just heard it.

The Summum-Master.

"So you've walked yourself to your own death willingly then, I suppose."

The creature with the piercing red eyes strikes out so fast, I never even saw him move. The arm that stretches out, adorned on the end with nails as sharp as razor blades, slams to a stop, mere inches from the Summum-Master's throat.

"And it's my kind who you call arrogant and ignorant. As if I did not come prepared for your bloodthirst." The Summum-Master's laugh is deep, condescending, causing the creature to grow even angrier.

"Tell me, Keeper, how does it feel to no longer be the strongest amongst the masses?" he asks as the echoes of his laughter die down.

"How do you know who I am?" The creature fumes, salivating at the mouth as he tries his damnedest to force his hand around the Summum-Master's neck.

"I know all there is to know about the original line of vampires and their descendants. What a pity it is for you to be stuck here when you should be ruling your realm. Ah, but this should remind you of home."

Reaching beneath his cloak, the Summum-Master pulls out a black leather book that looks as old as time. The parchment that's bound inside is a dark cream, the color of a coffee stain, with frayed edges and even annotations sticking out the side.

The vampire glances down at the book and the longer he fixates on it, his eyes begin to shift, from a swirling pool of bright red blood to the most striking shade of a dark ruby. His dull, what I though was black hair, begins to lighten, revealing the intense garnet undertones, and his sickly white skin flushes. Whatever this book is seems to breathe life back into him.

"Impossible. You would've had to travel the realms… My own personal quarters…" the vampire states, shaking his head and finally dropping his arm.

"Nothing is impossible. Difficult at times, of course, but not impossible. And with you working for me, I will achieve even more," the Summum-Master gloats.

"I work for no one," the vampire hisses.

"Wrong you are, Keeper. See, I have a way of freeing you from the confines of this forest, even the barriers of this realm one day, but in order for you to receive that gift, you must do as I need of you."

"Which is what?"

"You're the only one of your kind to be able to manipulate the essence of blood, bind it so deeply, it's unbreakable. You will do that for me, however I see fit," the Summum-Master commands.

"You're a fool. The rituals are not as simple as just reading—"

"Yes, yes, I know, vampire. You need an enchanted dagger embedded with a reservoir gem. Do not question my intelligence or understanding. You may be the only one capable of binding such a rune, but you're not the first to mingle the abilities of multiple realms to procure something greater."

"I do this for you, and you'll free me?" the vampire asks skeptically.

"I will be the only one who can do that for you," the Summum-Master swears. "Do we have ourselves a deal, Keeper?"

The vampire, Keeper, I'm not sure if that's his name or a title, stares hard at the Summum-Master, weighing his options. I want to scream no, tell him don't believe him, but even if he could hear me, it'd be pointless. This took place centuries ago. We're long past this moment.

"Deal," the vampire grits out, stretching his hand out for the Summum-Master to grasp.

"Splendid. One more thing…"

With a quick flick of his wrist, a thin cord is wrapped around the vampire's neck. A blood-curdling scream tears from his throat when his knees sink to the ground. His back bows as he savagely attempts to claw the cord from where it's dissolving into his skin.

"Wh—What have you done?" the vampire croaks.

"I know you think me a fool, Keeper, but you'll soon learn otherwise. If you are capable of inflicting the rune, you're the only one who can remove it. This is my assurance that you will not betray me. I've never known a vampire to survive a beheading."

With that sound threat, my body begins to fade away from the two men slowly, despite my command to stay. But the sight never listens to me. It does as it pleases.

"Fuck," I shriek, bolting up from the spot I'm lying in.

Clutching my hand to my chest, catching my breath, it takes me a second to get my bearings because when I entered the vision, I was in Caspian's arms. Now I'm on a couch.

My Nexus immediately swarms me from all sides, all speaking my name at once, and I have to hold my hand up to tell them to chill out.

"Just give me a second to catch up. Maybe a healing vial," I say lightly.

As soon as the words leave my lips, there's one pressed to them, and I tilt my head back, drinking it down as Caspian's fierce gaze watches me the entire time.

"Thank you," I say sweetly, but it doesn't break through the tough exterior he's wearing.

"You've been out for far too long now, Primary. You even screamed and we couldn't get you to wake up. We didn't know what the fuck was going on. Neither Tillman nor Aria could penetrate your mind. There's enough chaos going on right now," he tells me gravelly. I can't tell if he's worried or pissed. Knowing him, both.

"I'm sorry. That one was…something. Is everyone okay?"

"Are you okay, princess?" Corentin asks. I know it's not all he wants to know, but he won't push for the answers of what I saw. Luckily for him, I know I can tell them everything.

"I'm fine. I promise. Is Layton okay? What happened?" I turn my attention to Tillman.

"That can wait, Will," he answers.

"No, it can't. Really, I'm okay. The healing vial is already working. Someone explain. The last thing I recall is Aria gripping Layton's head, the shifters screaming… Then what?"

No one answers me right away, no matter which of the guys I look at, and I feel my frustration starting to bubble to the surface. So I shift my gaze around the room, shocked to find Oakly and Gaster have joined us.

"What the hell happened?" I ask more forcefully, sitting up fully and swinging my legs over the side of the couch.

The movement is pointless because my feet never touch the floor as Draken hauls me up and into his lap, all the guys finding spots around me.

"Just stay right where you are," Corentin demands.

My eyes narrow at his tone, but there's no point arguing with him when we're both worked up like this because it'll only cause a fight, so I do as I'm told.

I feel the battle raging in Tillman's chest as he kneels in front of me and places his hands on my knee. They're all incredibly tense, but I still don't know exactly why, and it's freaking both me and my bond out.

"Jamie put Layton in a temporary coma. Aria was quick enough to weave her own rune around his mind to separate the one the Summum-Master has in place, but we're afraid if he's awake, the rune will kill him. Like it did all the shifters here who were close enough to him to know anything of value. We're all freaking out because you fainted—well, we thought that's what happened—at the same time all the shifters went down," he says calmly.

Oh fuck. They didn't know I was having a vision.

All the frustration I've just been feeling bleeds out of me as the range of emotions floating around the room now makes sense.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare everyone. I think the vision hit me so hard because I was struggling coming out of Layton's mind."

"It's okay, Will, but it's been a long, stressful half hour," Tillman says, strained.

"A half hour? My vision wasn't even that long." Typically, time barely moves, if at all, when the sight decides to visit me.

"Well, that's how long it's been, princess," Corentin says softly.

I slump back into Draken's chest and blow out a deep breath, trying to wrap my mind around this.

"So all the shifters who were higher ranked… Kael, Eirik…the Elders…" I trail off.

"Dead," Lyker states darkly from where he's standing in the corner of the room.

I figured it, but hearing him blatantly say it causes rage to simmer in my gut. Not at him, but at the Summum-Master. All that fucking work. Everything we had to go through. All the information we would've gathered, gone. Ripped right from us.

Motherfucker.

Don't think like that. We saved Aria, Lyker won the trials, Layton may survive, and we found out some very important things from him.

Deep breath.

"What did you learn from Layton?" I ask Tillman, no longer wanting to delay my news with everything else happening.

"From his memories, there are only two who know the Summum-Master's true identity, and both their identities are highly protected. To everyone else, he disguises himself with a powerful glamour spell.

"During one of the meetings Layton was dragged to, they were discussing how some of the creatures have grown strong enough that they're able to break through the protection wards that the Mastery cast on themselves before entering. The Summum-Master isn't willing to cut their supply off since their guidance is needed through the forest, so some-fucking-how, he's developed an elixir they drink that wards them off when entering the forest," he tells us.

"The Bane of Essence," Caspian, Gaster, and San all say at once.

"Yeah, the Bane of Essence, of course," Draken says sarcastically, breaking the thick tension in the room. I can't help but snort even though I don't know what that is either.

"The Bane of Essence is rumored to be an elixir that poisons the creature attempting to feed from you. It makes your body put off a stench that the creatures should be able to smell and be repulsed by. It won't kill them but does cause them to fall very ill. I say rumored because all the ingredients, supposedly, aren't here in Elementra, but we also don't know what the ingredients are," San supplies.

There's that walking library thing in action.

"Anything else?" Corentin asks Tillman.

"The hostages are being spread out between the nonmagical realm and here. In pocket dimensions or behind concealed structures," he answers coldly.

The muttering of fuck echoes around the room as everyone lets that information sink in. It's going to be nearly impossible to locate them in either scenario.

"What about you, little wanderer?" Draken asks after a long moment of rigid silence.

"I can tell you everything about the vision I saw," I announce. This gets everyone's attention and some of the more negative feelings swiftly shift to curiosity.

"What did you see?" Corentin asks, both excitedly and impatiently.

"The past."

From the thick, disorienting fog, to the pools of blood-filled eyes of the vampire, I describe everything in the most detail I can for them. Opening my mind, so the vision is right at the forefront, I reiterate every word said.

"That's why you were out so long. It's recorded that visions of things that've already happened take time to show the actual events that occurred, whereas the future and their diverging paths only take split seconds because none of it is truly set in stone," San informs me. Me being out for half an hour makes complete sense when he explains it like that.

"Willow, repeat what the Summum-Master calls the creature," Gaster orders.

"Keeper. Or vampire. He switched back and forth."

"Oh, Elementra," he stutters, seating himself on the armrest of the couch with his fist to his mouth.

"What is it, Gaster?" Caspian asks.

"It's impossible. Surely, we would've known…" Gaster trails off rather than even acknowledge he's being addressed. Reaching over, I gently lay my hand on top of his knee and give him a squeeze.

"We would've known what, Gaster?"

"You were right to be confused about whether it was his name or title, child, because it's both. The Keeper line, the original line of vampires, founded and ruled their realm, donning the name Essemist Keep. And based on what you said, the vampire the Summum-Master is using is either the heir or was the ruler. Which makes him an incredibly powerful, and probably incredibly angry, enemy. The Keeper line has always had far more power than your average vampire. Some, namely this one, even developed their own version of gifts before ever coming to Elementra," he explains.

"The Summum-Master has no intention of letting him go or helping him return to his realm. What I saw in Layton's mind was not good. Not good at all," I warn them.

As I continue explaining what I saw, my chest grows heavy with the emotions pouring back in from my men. They're fucking pissed, rightfully so. Tillman already assumed and has been expressing his concern that someone on the inside was working against us, but two of the top five families is a huge hit. A hit that's way too close to home, seeing as they serve as the council.

"Do you want to look and see if you recognize the voice?" I ask Tillman.

"Yeah," he grunts.

Laying his hand to my thigh, I feel his magic brush across my mind softly and my magic glows, wanting to reach back out and caress his, but I suppress the urge and let him do what he needs to do.

"I don't. All the five families are completed Nexuses, so even though we've met them all, even briefly, that's twenty men. Now that I've heard it, though, I'd be able to pick them out," he says angrily.

"I'm going to have to go tell my mom. This shouldn't be news I drop on her over the communicator," Corentin declares, lowering his head to his hands.

"Are we all going?" I ask nervously.

"If you're not ready to add meeting the Matriarch—who's the mother to half of your Nexus—to your list just yet, that's okay, princess," he says with a small, teasing smirk.

Thank fuck for that.

"Not yet. But I don't want you to go alone, and how long will you be gone?"

I may not be ready to meet Aurora yet, which I know, shitty, cowardly, but there's so much going on right now. Plus, I've never had to do this. Donald's father was the one who allowed my father to forge my signature on the marriage license. The first time he met me in person, he sneered and flicked his cigar ashes at me.

I'm not expecting my meeting her to go anything like that, but it's still nerve-wracking and I'm already sitting with a lot of pressure on me.

"Caspian's going to come with me. We'll leave now and be back for breakfast tomorrow. This is going to be quite the discussion and I might as well fill her in on everything. Tillman, are you okay with everything here?"

At Tillman's nod, Corentin lifts me out of Draken's lap and pulls me in for a kiss. I melt in his arms, letting his loving embrace chase away the frenzy my bond is trying to start.

They'll be gone a whole night.

It's okay. It'll be fine.

"Be good, Primary," Caspian orders as he tugs me from his brother by his shadows, raising me up until I'm at eye level with him.

"Be safe."

Without thinking, I lean forward and seal my lips to his.

The second his cool touch meets my skin, I freeze, realizing what I've just done. I try to pull back, an apology ready on my tongue, but he silences me by groaning, dragging my body even closer to his. Firmly returning my kiss.

I fall headfirst into the deep end of him. Completely submerging myself in his kiss. When he slowly pulls back, I gaze up at him in awe and apprehension.

"I didn't mean to—"

"Don't apologize, Primary," he commands, running his thumb across my bottom lip. With one more peck to the corner of my lips, he sets me back in Draken's lap and disappears.

By the feelings thrumming through my bond, he's not mad, not in the least bit.

We're so close…

"I'm going to join you, boys. I need to look in the archives at the palace and try my luck again in the south wing," Gaster says, patting Corentin on the shoulder.

With one more kiss from Corentin and instructions for me to stay with Draken and Tillman at all times, he leaves.

I'm left missing them already with my mind whirling around everything that just happened and everything we found out.

And wondering, what's in the south wing?