Chapter 17

Seventeen

"There are many different kinds of hell. When someone tells you to ‘go to hell,' ask them to be a little more specific. The odds might be in your favor that way. Or, if you're like me, it will be the hellest hell of all hells." ~ Peri

Jewel stared in horror as the pack—people she loved deeply and had been through hell and back with—appeared in the forest about fifty yards from where she and Celise stood. The sprite was chanting in the strange demonic language, her eyes focused on the pack. The rain had let up, now just a slight drizzle, so Jewel could see more clearly. Her eyes immediately found Dalton. The fear she saw on his face crushed her because she knew her actions were the cause. Then his eyes darted to the side, and she knew he saw the shell that was her mother.

" Little Dove ," he whispered through their bond, and she savored his voice. This was all her fault. She'd done this out of selfishness, wanting her mother back when she knew in her heart it was wrong. And now her mother was here—but not really. A miserable soul that wanted to go back to wherever Celise had brought her from.

"Just let me go, Jewel," her mom said again. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."

She wanted to scream that it wasn't okay. Nothing would ever be okay again. And now she'd have no one. Celise would take all of Jewel's family and do whatever the hell she was going to do, and she would be left alone. She'd put all the people she loved in harm's way. She didn't deserve their loyalty. Jewel wanted to scream from the top of the highest mountains for them to let her die. Dalton continued to stare at her, and she felt his pain through the bond, along with his worry over the blood running down her face and neck. But that was nothing. No amount of physical pain Celise could inflict would top what she was feeling right now.

Her pack—people who loved her. All their lives, and the lives of all the other supernaturals who'd fought the good fight, were worth more than hers. As she stared at the man she loved and yet had betrayed, she knew she was unworthy of his love and devotion. She'd begged him not to come, pleaded because she knew that even if Celise didn't kill them, there were fates worse than death. Celise had hinted at separation, at taking away their chance at a future together. That would be worse than being together in the afterlife. But as she knew he would, Dalton showed up for her. Despite her actions and words, her mate had stayed true to his vows. Tears streamed down her face as her soul fractured into a thousand pieces. This might be the last time she ever saw his handsome face. She didn't know if their bond would remain intact when Celise did … whatever she was planning, so this might be the last time she heard his voice.

"I'm sorry," she shouted out. "This is all my fault. I'm so sorry." Her shoulders shook with her sobs, and she was pretty sure that at any moment she would vomit from the utter disgust she felt toward herself.

"We know that it is all your fault, Jewel, but pull your shit together," Peri called back. "Seeing as how Celise is in a trance, explain the dead reunion she has going on."

Jewel sucked in a breath. Peri's matter-of-fact tone helped Jewel regain some composure. "She brought my mom back. That's what she promised." The wind had died down, and now she didn't have to yell, only speak a little louder over the wailing demons that were no doubt coming from the portals. The supernaturals in the forest behind them had been silent.

"Hate to break it to you," Myanin said, "but that ain't your mom."

"Would it kill you to have some compassion?"

Myanin snorted at Tenia. "Compassion is for bitches. Jewel is not a bitch. She's a smart girl who did something stupid. I totally get her." She turned and looked at Jewel. "I totally get you, Jewel Bug. Sometimes our crazy shows, and we poison people or, you know, trust evil hags because we have dead mommy issues."

"For the love of all that is holy, would you please stop talking?" Tenia snapped.

"She's not wrong," Elle added.

Jewel didn't know what the hell was happening. Didn't they understand they were up a creek without a paddle, a life raft, or even a damn stick to grab hold of? Celise was harnessing some sort of demon magic, and they were arguing?

"Celise," Peri called out, a little louder, probably hoping to break her concentration. "I'm sorry about your sisters. Now that you have them back, maybe we could just let bygones be bygones and burn the book. Sound good?"

"Sounds good to me." Jen nodded.

"I'm down with a good book burning," Crina gave a thumbs up.

"Okay, since all of you have clearly lost your damn minds, am I the only one seeing the portal to hell open with demons tweaking and crap?" Adam asked.

"Finally," Jewel cried out. "Someone gets it. Why are you here?" She asked them all. "I don't want you to be here. I don't want anything to happen to you because of my choices." Tears welled in her eyes again as anger joined her grief. "This isn't a damn joke."

Fane's piercing blue eyes grabbed her attention as the alpha snarled at her. "No one said it was a joke, Jewel Black. But you don't get to decide for the pack who matters enough for us to show up and who doesn't. You are ours. You are mine. You are the Great Luna's, and that means we show up no matter what, for whatever reason, wherever we need to. Every. Damn. Time."

Dammit. She was crying again, and the anger had washed away with the tears streaming down her face. The Great Luna had known what she was doing when she put Fane in his position. Jewel gripped her mother's frail hand tighter as she stared back at the group of people who were here to fight for her.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Celise hold out her hand as she chanted in the guttural language of hell. The air grew thick with malevolence as she called upon ancient forces of evil, bending them to her will through the power of the Nushtonia . The open portals erupted with shadowy tendrils, which also emerged from the book and Celise's hand, snaking toward the large group, who seemed frozen. Jewel saw frustration on their faces and could see that some of the ones with more power—like Fane, Thad, and Peri—were able to shift their shoulders slightly, but that was as far as they managed.

"Anyone else suddenly feel like a bobblehead?" Jacque's eyes showed more worry than her voice let on.

"What have you done to them?" Jewel asked the sprite.

Celise didn't answer her. She simply continued chanting. Jewel tried to reach out her hand to Celise but found that she couldn't move anything but her head. She turned back to look at her family and watched with utter helplessness as the tendrils weaved their way between the group, wrapping around each person and child.

Jewel's eyes widened as she saw Hope and Slate being ripped from their mother's arms. Then Titus, Thia, and Torion were also torn from where they stood beside each of their parents. The children were forced together into a group, and though they weren't frozen, they couldn't escape the noose of the evil tendrils. Hope screamed a shrill cry as Titus tried to comfort her. Torion was moving his hands and speaking, no doubt trying to use his fae magic, but nothing happened. Then he pulled the group of kids closer to himself as if to shelter them. Slate stood next to Thia, only months younger than the three-year-old she-wolf, and both of them were beating their tiny fists on an invisible barrier. Thia's face was an angry red, her bright blue eyes glowing with the beast that lived inside her. Her mouth moved, but Jewel couldn't hear the words. Slate kept glancing at Thia and appeared to be mimicking what she did. Jewel wanted to vomit. Then she wanted to rip Celise to shreds with her bare hands. A fool. That's what Jewel was—a damn, selfish fool. Her eyes went back to Dalton, and she knew if Celise's power wasn't holding her up, Jewel would have collapsed beneath the rage on his face. She didn't look at anyone else. Only him. She wanted to memorize every detail, even if the last thing she saw was his anger. "I love you," she told him. "I will love you 'til my dying breath." Suddenly, the bond was closed, and she hadn't been the one to close it. She couldn't feel anything. Her eyes widened as she stared at her mate. He'd shut her out. It was too much. She'd gone past the point of all redemption, and it was written all over his face.

D alton's beast roared inside him, beating at the bonds that held him. He couldn't phase, he couldn't move—other than his head—and he couldn't mask the fury he knew his mate could see as he returned her gaze. He saw the thing that was supposed to be Jewel's mother, and he hurt for his female because this was not what she'd expected when Celise had promised to bring her mother back. But he was also angry because she had been foolish enough to go along with it, even though deep inside, she'd known it couldn't be possible. Not all his anger was directed at her, but there was definitely anger at her choices and actions. Because of his mate, their entire pack, not to mention all the other supernaturals, were in danger. Fane wasn't wrong. They would always show up, no matter what, but that didn't mean there weren't consequences. He had no idea what Celise planned, and he'd meant to ask Jewel as soon as he responded to her words, but then Jewel had shut the bond down. She was looking at him in horror. Why? Because she knew what was coming and wasn't telling him? Or because she was too scared to face his anger? She had to know that his love for her would always cover the wrongs between them. Dalton couldn't guess. He was at a complete loss.

So here they all were, trapped in some sort of spell Celise had woven, unable to defend themselves or their precious children. He watched as his mate's mouth moved and the words "I love you" formed on her lips. He hesitated, not because he didn't love her, but because he was so damn confused. If she loved him, then why the hell was she still keeping him out? Hell, he'd just ask, even if he had to yell at her across the distance. But before he could get the words out, a blood-curdling scream filled the air. His head whipped around to see Bethany, eyes wide in shock, tears streaking her face. He followed her gaze and saw that all the children were gone. Vanished into thin air.

J en stared at the now-empty spot where her brave, angry little warrior had been, pounding on the barrier that surrounded her and the others. Once before her child had been taken from her, but at least then she'd known where she'd gone. Now, she didn't even know if Thia was alive. For all she knew, Celise's power had simply vaporized their pups. She could hear Bethany's screams, Jacque's raging words, Sally's broken cries, and Tenia's shouts, but they all sounded distant, like she was in a tunnel and the only thing she could focus on was the place where her daughter had been just seconds ago.

She turned to look at her mate and saw murder in his gaze. She'd seen that look before, and she knew without a doubt that in that moment, if anybody—friend or foe—tried to keep him from finding Thia, Decebel would kill them. But, just like her, he was helpless to do anything. Jen couldn't scream and rage like the others because she was pretty sure her lungs had stopped taking in air. Her heart raced in her chest, feeling like it was trying to climb up her throat.

"JENNIFER, brEATHE." Decebel's deep, bellowing voice slapped her back to reality, and she sucked in a deep breath. Then she was crying. She hated crying. It helped nothing. But she couldn't stop. Her baby—the child who had helped make her a better person because parenting had shined the brightest light on the selfishness in her heart—was gone. There would be no more shouts of words she shouldn't say, no more dolls dismembered, no little fists beating the ground when Titus refused to let her do something that could hurt her. Her little hellion, the reason Jen fought for everything good in the world, was beyond her reach. Never in her life had she felt this level of devastation. This was something she would never recover from if they survived. She would search the world from one side to the other without ceasing. Not until Thia was back in her arms or until she took her last breath.

"I will get her back, Jennifer," Decebel said, his voice low and deadly. His eyes glowed bright amber with the wolf that loved their daughter as much as the human did. "We will get her back."

Jen pressed her lips together tightly and pulled herself together, unwilling to give Celise the satisfaction of seeing her fall apart, even though she was coming apart at the seams inside. She gave her mate a sharp nod, her jaw clenching as she ground her teeth. When she knew she could talk without losing control, she slowly turned her head to look at the sprite. "I will be the last thing she sees before I slowly cut her head from her body. The horror and pain she feels will forever be etched on her face as I mount it in the gathering hall of our home." Celise's eyes shifted to Jen's as if the sprite knew she was speaking. A smirk formed on the bitch's face, and Jen wanted to slap it off. Finally, Jen let her fury loose as she yelled at the top of her lungs. "YOU'RE A DEAD SPRITE WALKING. YOU'D BETTER KILL ME, CELISE, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T, YOU WILL NEVER STOP LOOKING OVER YOUR SHOULDER. I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN LIKE THE VERMIN YOU ARE AND MAKE YOU SUFFER BEYOND ANYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE. THEN I WILL CUT OFF YOUR HEAD AND LET MY CHILD'S WOLF EAT YOUR BODY FOR DINNER." Jen's lips curled into what she knew had to be a creepy-as-hell smile. "YOU PICKED THE WRONG SHE-WOLF. YOU SHOULD HAVE FOUND SOMEONE WHO WASN'T CRAZY."

" F ane. Fane," Jacque gasped, repeating his name over and over because he was her rock. He was the one who took on everything and everyone, protecting those who couldn't protect themselves. She was sure they'd figure something out—they always did. Peri had to be cooking up a scheme, or Fane was gathering power. Something! She looked over at him and saw his bright, glowing blue eyes filled with terror, rage, and retribution. Beneath all that, she saw pain. Tear stains streaked his cheeks, and she realized he needed her just as much as she needed him. Jacque tried to move, but her body was as still as stone. "Nooo," she screamed in frustration at her helplessness.

"Is this how it ends?" she asked her mate, her voice tight with the emotions threatening to choke her. "Have all our battles been for nothing? All the people who have died for our cause, the ones who have put their faith in us, the lives we've saved—only for everything to be put in danger again. Is this it?" Her lips trembled, and her eyes blurred with tears.

"No." Fane's voice was urgent. "No, Luna. This is not the end. Others will rise. There will always be those who choose the light. Their fight might start with a small flame, but it will grow with the fire that burns inside each of them. Our fight…" He paused as a single tear escaped. "Our fight might be over, but the Great Luna will never abandon those who choose righteousness over evil."

"Where the hell is she now?" The words were out of Jacque's mouth before she could stop them. But she wanted to know. Where was the goddess who claimed to love them? Why wasn't she here protecting the children who were the future of their race?

Fane's gaze softened. "Beloved, we don't see the whole picture. We see this moment. We have no idea how our actions or the actions of others might ripple through time. For whatever reason, if this is our end, I still believe she has a plan, and it is always for the good of her creation. There are always sacrifices in the fight against evil."

"How are you so calm? Why aren't you scared shitless for our son?" She shook her head at her strong mate, wishing she could pull his strength into herself through their bond.

"Because I have to believe he is okay. Wherever he is, I have to hold on to the hope that he is unharmed. Because if I allow myself to entertain any other thought, I will be useless to him if we survive. I will either go feral and kill anything and anyone in my beast's rage, or I will search for him endlessly, and if I don't find him, I will choose the next life, hoping I will see him there."

Jacque nodded as she reached for every ounce of courage she could find within herself. "He's safe," she said, her voice steady. "He will be taken care of until we get him back. And we will never stop searching for him."

Her mate nodded, his body taking on the glow it did when his power rose. Brighter and brighter, he shined, but it still did not break the hold Celise's magic had on them. "I love you, Jacquelyn."

"I lov—" Jacque started, but suddenly Fane disappeared, as if a fae had flashed him away. Her head whipped around, searching for him, and her eyes widened, her stomach twisting in fear as she watched members of her pack vanish one by one. Her eyes collided with Peri's, and she'd never seen fear like that on the high fae's face. Tears streamed down Peri's cheeks. It was the last thing Jacque saw before darkness completely engulfed her.

P eri watched in horror as her friends, her family, were taken from her and from each other. First, the children, and now the entire pack. With every person who disappeared, Peri's fury grew, but so did her grief. In less than a minute, everyone was gone except her and Lucian. Her mate stood so close that they nearly touched, but the damn dark magic held them in place. She turned to look at Celise, who grinned wickedly as she met Peri's gaze. The sprite practically hummed with power, her eyes dancing with deranged delight. Never in her life had Peri seen anything so evil.

She felt the binding around her loosen and immediately lifted her arms. Peri reached deep, pulling on every ounce of power within herself and her mate. Light burst from her fingertips, aimed straight at the sprite.

"PERI, STOP!" Lucian yelled, his hand coming down on one of her arms, trying to push it down. "The book is siphoning your magic."

Peri looked at the streams of her magic, watching as they shot across the clearing. Sure enough, they were flowing straight into the book, which then channeled directly into Celise. How many unsuspecting supernaturals had she siphoned from?

"That's how she's become so powerful," Lucian said, his voice lower. "That's why she was in the taverns, feeding off the darkness. That's what she was using Jewel for."

Peri's arms dropped as she watched Celise throw her head back and laugh like the maniac she was.

"The great Perizada." Celise's laughter faded, but a smirk remained. "You really thought you had a chance against me?"

"I guess I underestimated your intelligence." Peri shrugged. "Considering you're holding the book that controls the ability to open the gates of hell, it's easy to conclude you're a dumbass."

Celise's smile vanished, replaced by ugly contempt. As she held Peri's gaze, she shifted one hand to rest on Jewel's shoulder.

Peri's eyes darted to the healer. The devastation was clear on Jewel's face. She looked ready to meet her end and believed she deserved it.

"I'm sorry." Jewel's voice trembled. "I never meant for this to happen."

Peri's eyes shifted to the dead thing that Celise had raised, the twisted version of Jewel's mother. Peri understood. She had lost enough people in her long life to know that grief could drive people to do terrible things, even unintentionally. "I know that. You have to let your mother go, Jewel. That small piece of her can't leave this realm until you do. I forgive you. Be at peace, Jewel Black."

Jewel shook her head. "There is no peace for someone as selfish as I've been. Death is a mercy I don't deserve."

"It's a good thing I'm not killing you," Celise practically sang. "You can wallow in your pitiful state forever or until another supernatural kills you. Where I'm sending you, they don't exactly like humans." And with that, Jewel was gone.

"What have you done with them?" Lucian demanded.

Celise waved her hand dismissively, the one not spewing dark tendrils. "Calm yourself, wolf. They're all alive." She took a deep breath and seemed to relax, totally unhinged. "But they'll wish they were dead."

Peri glared at the sprite, wondering how someone from a people so full of light and love could become so malevolent. Could grief alone truly bring a person to this level of depravity? Apparently so. "She's sending them to different realms." Peri had tried to communicate with Lucian when the dark tendrils first appeared but had been unable to. Celise must have let her power slip, hoping Peri would use her magic so she could siphon it. It had worked, briefly.

"Think of the draheim realm," Peri said. "I think I can flash us, but I want to wait until she uses her power so she thinks we've gone where she sends us."

"Why draheim?"

"Because when we get out, and we will, I'm going to ask Serapha to eat the bitch."

"Now it's your turn." Celise's grin widened. "Have a nice eternity in hell." Her free hand whipped out, and just before the dark magic could touch them, Peri flashed. Her mind was fully focused on Seraph-a. She wanted her power to take them straight to the draheim who had become her ally and friend.

She felt the ground beneath her feet a few seconds later. The draheim realm surrounded them. She'd done it. She sagged forward. Thank the Great Luna.

Lucian immediately turned and pulled her into his arms. She felt his love, fear, worry, and hope surging into her. Like her, knowing the others weren't dead meant that all was not lost. They'd been knocked down, but like the warriors they were, they would pull their asses up off the ground. They would not give up.

A rumbling noise filled the air, and Lucian released her, pulling her behind him as he faced what might be a threat.

"Perizada." Smoke flowed from Serapha's nostrils. "How fortuitous that you would show up now."

Peri's brow rose. "Why is that? Did you miss me?"

"Always," Serapha chided, then moved her massive tail back to reveal five children. "Fortuitous, because while I would do my best, it would be difficult for me to care for supernatural children not of our kind, especially the one who cannot walk or talk."

Peri felt like the wind had been punched out of her. Her feet moved without conscious thought as she ran to the group, huddled tightly together. Titus had Hope in his arms, rocking her as she slept. Thia sat beside Slate with her arms wrapped protectively around him, an angry glare on her little face that seemed to say, "Come near me and I'll gut you." And Torion, the oldest of the group, sat in front of all of them, his arms folded across his chest, a determined scowl on his face.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucian beside her as she reached the kids and knelt beside them. "Are you all okay? No one is hurt?" Peri's gaze roamed over every single one of them, checking for injuries.

"We're good," Torion answered for the group. "Hope was screaming like a banshee when we got here, but Titus is a baby whisperer and got her calmed down and asleep in just a few minutes."

Titus shrugged. "It's a gift."

Peri stared at them for a moment, then frowned. "Why are you all so calm? Shouldn't you be freaking out and calling for your parents?"

Thia's lips pulled up into a smile, transforming her face into something angelic. She pointed at Serapha. "The dwagon's gonna eat the bad lady," she said with a disturbing amount of glee. She was certainly her mother's daughter.

"Serapha assured us that she'd help us get back to our parents." Titus spoke in that grown-up way of his. "We just need to be patient and not get a rash."

Peri tilted her head sideways as she examined him. "Serapha told you not to get a rash?"

Titus nodded, then frowned. "I know why we should be patient. But I don't understand why we'd get a rash unless we ran around like a bunch of wild animals and rolled in some weird plant."

Lucian chuckled as he sat down beside them. "It's always a good idea to avoid rolling around in weird plants."

Torion shook his head. "I told him that's not what she meant. But he was insisting to the others, especially that little blonde crazy kid, not to explore and to avoid plants."

Peri had to bite her tongue to keep from saying, "That blonde crazy kid is going to be your mate one day. Have fun with that." Then it hit her, like a wrecking ball to the face. She and Lucian had to take care of these children. Not just protect them but figure out a way to provide for their needs in a realm not made for humans. Her eyes widened as she looked at her mate. The butthead was grinning like a damn clown.

"I do not do kids," Peri reminded him. "It's a hard no."

"Apparently, you do now." He smirked. "This will be good practice."

"Nope," she accidentally said out loud, then glanced at the kids. They were staring at her and Lucian expectantly.

"Why do you look scared?" Torion asked. "You're friends with Serapha, so the draheim won't hurt us."

"Aunt Peri is terrified of kids." Titus looked down as he ran a finger along Hope's little cheek.

"I am not terrified of kids, Tripod." Peri lifted her chin as she plopped down in the most undignified way. "I just don't like them."

Thia, still smiling like the little psycho she was, released Slate and stood up. She helped the boy she'd apparently deemed her responsibility to stand, then took his hand and walked over to Lucian. She pointed to Peri's mate and told Slate, "Sit." Slate toddled over, climbed up into Lucian's lap, and looked up at him, a grin spreading across his handsome little face.

"Bloody hell, she's got him trained," Peri muttered.

Thia looked at Peri, walked over to her, then turned her little body around and plopped her butt right in Peri's lap. She wiggled as if to get more comfortable, then leaned back, laying her head against Peri's chest, and sighed.

"Are you comfortable, little psycho?" Peri asked dryly.

Thia wiggled again. "Hell yeah."

Torion chuckled as Titus tried to cover his laughter. Slate clapped his hands, his eyes shimmering with delight. "Hell, hell, hell," he sang, bobbing his head.

Peri looked at Lucian, who was smiling even bigger. "Bloody hell," she groaned.

"That's what he said." Lucian winked as he clapped along with Slate.

Peri then looked over at Serapha, who'd been silently watching, as she often did. "Celise was going to send us to H-E-L-L," she spelled out. "I managed to keep her from doing it."

Serapha made a sound that was the equivalent of a laugh. "Having regrets?"

"Surviving that place would be a breeze compared to our current predicament. Just wait." Peri held up a hand to the draheim. "When this one"—she pointed to Thia—"is trying to chew on your tail because she thinks it's a giant fruit roll-up, you won't be so damn amused."

"You're here for a reason, Peri," the draheim said. "The Great Luna was not asleep when you faced Celise. She knew it before it happened. She has put you in charge of these little lives for a reason. And I, for one, think that makes you quite special. It may be the biggest challenge you have faced in all your years."

"You sound like my mate," Peri grumbled.

Serapha settled her large head on the ground, facing the children. "Then you have been blessed with a very wise mate."

"I've been trying to tell you that since we met," Lucian said through the bond, still playing with Slate, which was cute as hell.

"No, it's not," she blurted out.

"No what's not?" Serapha's big eyes watched Peri closely.

"See, they're already making me crazy. Five minutes with the crumb catchers, and I'm already talking to myself."

"Aunt Peri." Titus finally looked up from Hope. "You've been crazy long before we even existed."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't test me. I will send you into the weird plants to get some weird rash and laugh while you roll around because it itches so bad."

Torion's eyes widened, and he looked at Lucian. "Maybe you should be in charge."

"I am in charge. I just let her think she is." Lucian winked at him, and Torion nodded, as if absorbing that information for later in life.

"I can still turn you into a rug," Peri warned her mate. "It would give Hope something soft to crawl on."

"Wug, wug, wug." Thia patted her legs. "Uncle Lutchon be a bootaful wug."

"Does she have an off switch?" Torion's brow raised in concern.

"I'll let you know if I find one," Peri told him.

"What do we do now, Aunt Peri and Uncle Lucian?" Concern filled Titus's voice.

Peri looked at each child, then to her mate. She raised her brow in question.

Lucian's eyes glowed with his wolf. "We survive. Just like we've done over and over in the face of our enemies. I know Gavril has been teaching you about our past. What have you learned?"

Titus thought about it, and Peri admired the boy for how seriously he took his studies. Then he looked at Lucian and sat a little taller. "We fight. As long as we draw breath, we fight for the pack and for those who cannot."

Peri swallowed down the tears at hearing Vasile's words come from the mouth of the next generation. His wisdom and love would continue to be shared through Titus, Torion, Thia, Slate, Hope, and those yet to come. "We fight."

"For the pack," Lucian added.

"For the pack," Titus echoed.

Torion pushed to his feet. His eyes dropped to Thia and then up to Peri. "For the pack."