45. Adrianna

ADRIANNA

Ifeel delirious. None of this can be real, but unfortunately for me, it is.

Brody takes my hand and Kryll stays pressed against my other side as Cassian leads the way.

I press my lips together nervously, feeling the weight of the gem in my pocket, acutely aware that it's not where they think it is. I just have to hope they don't go searching for it because there's no way in hell I can get it back in place without crying in pain.

We're led down the corridor to a large open room at the far end where Raiden already waits. His head is hung low, defeat oozing from him as he stands with his hand pressed against a globe. It's only when I get closer that I realize he's chained to it.

"What's going on?" Cassian asks, pulling me from my head. That's when I realize Raiden is not the only person in the room.

Brody's father, Councilman Orenda, stands beside Vallie's father, Raiden's mother, Professor Holloway, and Cassian's father, Kenner.

What the fuck is going on?

There are four other stands placed strategically in a circle, just like the one Raiden is attached to. Before I can consider what they're for, Brody, Cassian, and Kryll are dragged to three of them. The magic in the room is heavily charged, and I can feel it even more without the kiss of amethyst weighing me down.

"What are we here for?" Cassian grunts, his voice getting hoarser the longer he waits for a response.

Vallie's father grins from ear to ear, turning his attention to me as he ignores Cassian's question. "I'm going to assume my daughter played her part perfectly?"

"You orchestrated this?" Raiden snarls, anger vibrating from him as he glares at the councilman in question.

"You threatened to break the agreement," he retorts like a petulant child, giving Raiden a pointed look.

He scoffs in response. "I didn't threaten, I promised. Besides, your daughter is not in the best condition right now. That might be where you need to aim your focus," he snaps back, and I watch the color drain from councilman Drummer's face.

"See to it that this is sorted," he snarls. "I will not sacrifice my daughter for this," he adds before rushing from the room.

"Why am I here, Mother?" Raiden asks, turning his attention to her, and she shakes her head in disappointment.

"Because you threatened everything we've worked for."

"I don't really understand what you've been working for," he snaps back, and Councilman Orenda scoffs.

"Please, you're telling me Brody didn't share the facts with you?" he questions, and everyone's gaze snaps to the man in question. Puzzled looks consume Cassian, Kryll, and Raiden as they stare in confusion at their friend. "We've been researching and translating an old mage book that whispers of fated mates."

What the fuck?

"What does that have to do with us?" Cassian snaps, turning his attention to his father, who remains impassive.

"It means we worked at forcing the four of you men together and connecting you to one woman to create a connection, a power stronger than anything this world has ever seen."

"You want to connect us all to Vallie?" Kryll grunts, his nose scrunching in distaste as my gut clenches at the entire thing, but more so that it would be with her of all people.

"Over my dead fucking body," Cassian bites, anger burning in his eyes.

Brody remains quiet, his chin pressed to his chest. Why wouldn't he share this with his friends? I don't understand, but it seems there's a lot that's been kept from me.

"What the fuck is going on?" I grumble, exhausted, my body aching. I can't take all of this crap as well.

"You were acting strange before you came to me, Raiden," his mother states, lacing her fingers together as she gives him a disappointed look.

"What does that mean?" he retorts with a sigh, and she shrugs.

"It means I've been taking precautions for a while."

"Again, you're talking in circles instead of getting to the point," he snaps, losing his cool, which only plays into their hands.

"Did the stalker ever realize he had one of his own?" she asks, cocking her head to the side, and my heart seizes in my chest.

No. No. No. No. No.

"What?" he asks, head rearing back in confusion, but my gut already knows.

"You've been following him," I breathe, nausea burning the back of my throat.

"Not me personally, that's beneath me, but he's had someone on his tail, yes." She answers me so effortlessly, but the glint in her eyes confirms my suspicions.

I think I'm going to be sick.

This is worse than any pain from the amethyst or the vampire bite.

"Did you have a good time on my compound last night?" Kenner asks, pulling my attention from Professor Holloway, and I gape at him. "Because while you were there, I was a little busy myself."

The sound of a girl crying out echoes across the room as a set of doors open, and my heart sinks.

"Nora!" I yell, taking a step toward her, but Kenner lifts his hand in warning, halting me in place.

"Now, now," he teases with a wicked grin on his face, and my blood runs cold.

"Where's my father?"

"Let's worry about one family member at a time, shall we?" he retorts, and my gaze settles on Nora, who is pushed into the room in her chair, but one of the wheels is broken and she looks completely disheveled.

"Let her go," Nora snarls, staring at me with distraught tears trickling down her face.

"Nora," I rasp, my heart aching.

"I'm okay, Addi. I'm okay," she promises, but it does nothing to calm the storm brewing inside of me.

"What is it you want?" I don't turn my eyes from my sister, but they know it's them I'm speaking to.

"Want?" Councilman Orenda asks innocently, and I scoff.

"Well, of course. That's what all of this is about. Get to it," I snap, clenching my hands at my sides.

"The magic only works when combining abilities from all supernaturals," Professor Holloway explains. "Wolves, vampires, shifters, mages, and fae."

"And?" I push, wanting to hear them say it.

"And that means Vallie is no longer suitable for the position," Kenner finishes, making my muscles bunch in discomfort.

"So you think I am?"

"Actually, we're still a little unsure," Kenner retorts, pulling my gaze to him.

"How's that?"

"Since you're a half-breed, we can't fully confirm if you have enough fae magic in your veins to make it work, but you're a sacrifice we're willing to take."

"Half-breed?" I murmur, recalling the conversation last night with Cassian over my mother's ears.

"Oh, even after your little visit last night, you still haven't pieced it together, have you?" Kenner states, his grin growing wider.

"Just say it," I grind out, my nostrils flaring with rage.

"Your mother isn't a fae. She never was."

"She's a wolf," Cassian murmurs, surprise in his words.

"A Kenner wolf," his father corrects as my chest aches.

I'm part wolf? Nora is part wolf?

Turning to my sister, disbelief flashes in her eyes.

"I won't play these games with you. Whatever you want from me, I won't do it."

"Oh, you will, or we use your sister instead." Kenner's threat is clear as he takes a step toward me, making sure he has my full attention.

"So who will it be, Princess Adrianna, you, or little Princess Nora?"