Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

EINAR

C onsciousness returned like floodlights filling a pitch-black room. I lay on my side with the familiar cool, dry air of the crypt in my nostrils.

Harper.

I jumped to my feet, expecting to hear the clatter of my chains against the concrete. But I was unbound.

"Prince Einar!" Goliath stepped from the shadows with Adina at his heels. Signs of fatigue clung to both of them, their clothes rumpled and their eyes sunken.

"How long have I been out?" I demanded, panic rising. "Where's Arlo? Why didn't he chain me? Is Harper safe?"

"Armand Reverdin took her," Goliath said, his tail tucked between his legs. "He got Arlo, too. He would have taken me, but Myrna distracted him."

Red descended over my vision. If I hadn't just emerged from an episode of madness, I would have immediately spiraled again. Even so, my beast threatened to snap its restraints.

"When?" I rasped.

"Two days ago," Adina said.

Armand had Harper. He fucking had her. Werewolves had entered Draithmere and taken the only woman I ever…

I tried to smother the thought, but it broke through anyway, the force of my realization almost taking me to my knees.

I loved her. Harper was the only woman I'd ever loved. And I'd failed to protect her because I was weak. Broken.

"Your Highness?" Goliath ventured. He and Adina stared at me, a mixture of wariness and expectation on their faces.

I stalked to the ladder built into the side of the crypt. "Tell me everything," I barked over my shoulder. "Leave nothing out."

By the time I entered my study, Goliath and Adina had filled me in on the attack. No one knew how Armand had entered Draithmere. But it didn't matter. Somehow, he'd breached the boundaries. Forty-eight hours later, Harper and Arlo were missing, and I had no fucking clue how to find them. And without Arlo, I couldn't search for them. I was trapped at Draithmere.

Fire licked through my veins as I went to my desk and pulled out a flask.

"It's a fresh brew," Adina said, watching me carefully. "I made it stronger this time."

I grunted my acknowledgment. But it didn't matter. The brew might keep the madness at bay, but what good was lucidity when I couldn't find Harper? The brew splashed into my empty stomach. When I'd drained the flask, I tossed it across the study. It smashed into the wall, embedding itself into wood paneling that had graced the room since the turn of the previous century.

Goliath gasped. Adina stepped forward, her hands raised in a soothing gesture.

"Your Highness, we have to stay calm."

I looked around for something else to throw.

Classical music drifted from my desk. Frowning, I stepped back and looked down. The muffled noise continued, the musical scales rising and falling. I opened the top drawer and pulled out a mobile phone.

Harper's phone, which I'd taken from her the night I brought her to Draithmere. Arlo must have lifted the muffling spell. Orson Ward's face filled the screen. The word "DAD" appeared above his photo.

I swiped the screen and put the phone to my ear. "Rothkilde."

"Oh, thank god," Orson gasped. A blunt sound vibrated across the line, and he gave a muffled cry. "All right, all right!"

Goliath and Adina moved to the edge of my desk.

"Ward?" I demanded. "Where are you?"

He spoke in a breathless rush. "I know where Harper is. That's all I can say." He rattled off an address, and I tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder and scribbled it on the first piece of paper I could find.

"Is Harper with you?" I asked, gripping the phone more tightly.

The call ended.

I pulled the phone away from my ear. Orson was gone.

"Google the address," Adina said, but I was already typing. The result that popped up on the screen made me frown.

"This looks like a gas station," I said. "It's about ten miles away." But it might as well have been ten thousand. Without Arlo, I couldn't venture beyond Draithmere's boundaries.

"I'll go," Goliath said.

I shook my head. "I can't ask that of you. This is almost definitely a trap." Armand didn't want to meet for a quick chat. He was probably lying in wait with his entire pack ready to pounce. I'd underestimated him. As a new alpha, he wanted to cement his power. He'd broken into Draithmere, probably hoping to kill me. Instead, he'd taken Arlo and Harper. Now, he wanted another shot at me—and anyone else he could kill in the process.

Goliath's chin went up. "Harper is my friend. Respectfully, Prince Einar, you don't have to ask. I'm going."

"Me too," Adina said. "I owe it to Harper to make sure she gets home safely."

Home. Harper almost certainly didn't think of Draithmere as her home. But the house felt more like one with her in it.

"I can pull one person with me when I morph," Goliath said. "If we can get Keir to help, he could bring someone too. That'll make four of us against Armand and his pack."

The odds were terrible, especially with four residents of the maze going up against the Puget Sound werewolves. Adina was powerful, but she was no warrior. Her magic was potion-based. Keir was prone to fainting. Goliath's dragon was dormant.

On the other hand, if Harper was out there, I had to try.

"Let's talk to Keir," I said.

Ten minutes later, I watched Keir link arms with Leander. We stood at the maze's entrance under a twilight sky, and all my instincts told me this rescue mission was a terrible, very bad idea.

A short distance away, Goliath and Adina held hands, prepared to morph to the address Orson had given me. It was clear someone had forced him to make that phone call. Armand must have gotten to him. Did that mean Orson was working with the werewolves against his own daughter? I didn't want to believe it, but I had to assume the worst.

"We're ready," Goliath said.

I looked at Keir and Leander. "Are you two absolutely certain you're on board with this? You're not battle-tested. There's zero shame in staying behind."

Leander's amethyst eyes glinted with determination. He'd pulled his hair into a top knot, and feathers poked from the red mass like a spiky crown. "I may not be a warrior, my prince, but I am very difficult to kill."

Keir inclined his head in my direction. "I'm the first to admit I'm a poor fighter, Your Highness, but I can offer transport. You've helped all of us through the years. Now let us help you."

Gratitude swelled my chest. I met each of their gazes as I spoke. "I admire your bravery. It takes courage to enter enemy territory like this. You're doing what I can't, and you have my sincere thanks. Please be careful."

"We will," Goliath said. He looked at Keir. "You remember the plan? We go in fast, grab Harper if she's there, and poof out. No lingering."

Keir nodded. "No lingering."

"Right, then. On three…" Goliath counted down, and he and Adina winked out of sight. A split second later, Keir disappeared with Leander.

Minutes passed. I waited, a mix of pride, nerves, and guilt swirling through me. My people—no, my friends —had stepped up when I needed them. But my weakness was responsible for Armand's attack in the first place. If I hadn't lost control, he would have never been able to ambush Arlo and kidnap Harper. And my failure extended even farther back. I'd taken Harper from her home—and put her in Armand's path.

Everything was my fault. And what was I doing to fix the mess I'd made? Waiting on the lawn like a coward while the people who depended on me for safety put their lives on the line for?—

Goliath and Adina appeared in a cloud of smoke. A beat later, Keir popped into existence with Leander in tow. Keir swayed on his feet, his forehead beaded with sweat.

"Easy," Leander said, thrusting a shoulder under Keir's armpit. Keir's eyelids fluttered, and he groaned as the phoenix propped him up.

"What happened?" I asked, going to Goliath.

His face was devoid of color, the dragon scales on his cheeks faded to a sickly green. He held something—a bundle wrapped in what appeared to be a white cloth napkin.

Between one breath and the next, I gripped his shirt in two fists and hauled him off the ground. "Tell me what happened!" I growled, the fire within me flaring to life.

Goliath's mouth worked as he clearly struggled to speak. The bundle slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. An object rolled across the grass and into a patch of moonlight. The silvery glow threw the napkin's contents into stark relief.

I stared, my mind refusing to comprehend what I was seeing.

But I knew. I knew.

Harper's little finger. Severed at the second knuckle. The nail carefully shaped and coated with a layer of the palest pink.

Goliath spoke in a trembling voice. "The gas station was abandoned. We found the…" He gulped. "We found th-that and a note." He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "Armand gives an address. He demands you meet him in person tonight, or he'll…" Goliath's voice faltered. He shook his head.

"Or what?" I asked, rage building.

Goliath drew a deep breath. "Or he'll continue sending pieces."

Black smeared my vision. The fire followed. It pumped through my veins as the scenery around me rippled. My fangs shot down, shredding my bottom lip. Gasps rang out. Around me, people cringed away, their faces suddenly too blurry to make out.

Helpless. I was utterly helpless, trapped in my prison. Armand might as well have been holding Harper on the moon. I couldn't participate in his twisted scavenger hunt. Because I couldn't fucking get to her.

"Einar Rothkilde!" a woman called, her voice cutting through the tempest in my mind.

I swung toward the sound in time to see Myrna emerge from the maze. Her beauty was flawless, and her white gown was immaculate as she came to me. Rising on tiptoe, she cupped cool hands around my jaw.

"Listen to me, prince of lycans." Myrna's words overlapped as if she spoke from a great distance. "The gods gifted and cursed me to see the deaths of those around me. My solace is that I only see one death at a time. I've seen Armand Reverdin's demise."

"What does that mean?" I croaked, the last threads of my sanity threatening to unravel.

"Armand Reverdin is fated to die before you or anyone else from Draithmere." Myrna dropped her hands from my face and stepped back. Her eyes grew unfocused. "Death hovers just over Reverdin's shoulder. He won't survive this night."

I stared at Myrna, the faintest hope stirring in my chest. As swiftly as the emotion arrived, it succumbed to frustration. "I believe you, but I don't see how I can face him. Without Arlo's magic, I'm trapped at Draithmere."

Adina stepped forward. "You don't have Arlo's magic, but you have us." She looked around those assembled on the lawn. "If we combine our efforts, we might be strong enough to bend the boundaries long enough for you to slip through."

Leander nodded. "Yes. I've read of such things. Draithmere's boundaries were raised with magic. Maybe magic can bring them down."

"I'm in," Goliath said. His fangs flashed as he grimaced. "Whatever it takes to finish those Puget Sound fuckers for good, I'm all for it."

The hedges rustled, and then Rolfe emerged in human form. He towered above the rest of the group as he spoke in a soft rumble. "I'd like to help, too. You gave me a home, Prince Einar. My magic is yours for as long as you need it."

"Mine as well," a centaur said, striding from the maze with a sword strapped to his back. His tail swished, and his expression was forbidding as he stopped at the edge of the crowd. "I refuse to cower in fear while two of our own are threatened. I will fight."

"As will I," Keir said. The vampire was pale, but he stood tall, his shoulders thrown back. "The werewolves hurt people we love." Keir looked at Goliath. "What was that phrase you taught me? Fuck around and…?"

"Find out," Goliath said, a smile spreading across his face. He turned to me. "Reverdin fucked around. It's time for him to find out how stupid that was."

The hedges shivered again, and more people emerged from the maze. Sirens and ogres. A pair of mermen with fish scale clothing and glittering tridents. Several jaguar shifters with deep amber eyes. One by one, the residents of the maze offered their magic. The lawn filled with supernaturals. Power hummed in the air.

Adina came to my side, a look of wonder on her face as she surveyed the crowd.

"Do you think this can work?" I asked her under my breath.

She turned to me. "Some of us are weaker than others. A few of us are broken. But together, our magic is strong."

Hope tried to rise again. This time, I let it.

"All right," I said, looking around at my people. I lifted my voice. "Let's go knock down that barrier!"

Cheers went up, along with a few battle cries. We left the maze behind and rushed through the night, arriving at the first barrier in under ten minutes. Magic prickled against my skin, the stinging sensation like static electricity on steroids. It was nothing compared to what Harper had endured. Was probably still enduring.

Fresh anger surged, but I forced it down. If I wanted Harper back, I had to keep control.

"Line up!" I shouted. Draithmere's lights shone in the distance. Trees rose around us. Out in the open, the maze's inhabitants seemed fewer. Not much of an army at all.

But they were all I had—and I had to try.

"Everyone join hands!" Adina called, taking mine. Goliath appeared on my other side.

"So…" he said, "should we just rush it?"

"That's not a bad idea," Adina said. "Magic is grounded in intention. And the barrier is metaphysical."

"Yeah, you're going to need to explain that to me like I'm five."

Adina adopted a patient tone. "If we merely envision ourselves tearing it down, we might not make it happen. But if we run at it, we're putting actions to words."

Goliath flicked his tail behind him. "Let's do it. You ready, Your Highness?"

"Yes," I said, sweat trickling down my back. My heart raced. I had no idea what would happen if the barrier held. It might injure me. Or kill me.

"For Arlo," Goliath murmured.

Adina squeezed my hand.

"For Harper," I said, squeezing back. Looking down one side of the line, then the other, I raised my voice. "We're going to crush this thing! Then we're going to find Armand Reverdin and deliver the death Myrna promised him!"

Roars split the air. The ground shook as hooves and talons clawed at the earth. Power swelled, lifting the hair on my nape.

I'm coming, Harper.

"Now!" I bellowed. Hand in hand with my people, I charged the barrier that had imprisoned me for ninety years. As we ran, light arced before us, magic surging like a tidal wave. Energy crackled. Fuck me, we were doing it. I leaned forward, a vision of Harper in my head.

The wave slammed into an invisible wall, the force of the impact throwing me backward. Goliath and Adina fell to the ground, their hands slipping from mine. I staggered but managed to stay on my feet as the wave of magic sloshed up the wall and spread outward, lightning forking around its edges.

For a moment, everything was still. Nothing happened. Doubt gnawed at the edges of my mind. Around me, people stood on shaky legs, their gazes trained on the barrier.

The lightning winked out, plunging the forest around us into darkness. I clenched my jaw, doubt settling into anger.

"Look!" someone cried.

Light flashed high on the wall. Then it spread, forming a crack. More cracks formed. They spiderwebbed across the transparent barrier, forking and growing wider. Wider. The web stretched across the air, spreading and spreading and lighting up the forest around us.

BOOM.

A rush of air knocked me backward. For a moment, the sky lit up, the night turning to day.

The barrier dropped, a million fragments of light shimmering in the air before disappearing. Moments later, another boom echoed in the distance…then another. All three barriers had fallen. I was free.

For a second, silence reigned. Then everyone broke into a thunderous cheer. Leander and Keir embraced, pounding each other on the back. Rolfe gazed up at the last of the disintegrating fragments with a soft smile on his face. Triumph pumped hot in my veins as I looked at a jubilant Goliath.

"You got that address?"

His eyes flashed. The dragon scales on his face glittered like emeralds. "I absolutely do."