"After a lifetime of working to defend humanity, after all the sacrifices I made, I've finally comprehended that I was protecting the weak-when I should have been championing the strong!"
"Dad, no! Why does it have to be one or the other?"
He floated to his feet with an eerie fluidity. "It's become so clear to me." His abyss eyes gleamed with an unnerving light. "They have to be destroyed!"
"Listen to what you're saying! Destroy mankind? Don't be like this, just . . . don't."
As if he hadn't heard her, he said, "There are only two people in the world that I love, and now you are both immortal. This is all meant to be!"
She was almost too afraid to ask: "Who's the other one?"
"Declan Chase, the Blademan. He's a son to me. I found him when he was just a scared teenager, knew he had Lorean blood in him." In a fond tone, he said, "I raised him to hate immortals, to battle them, but he saw the light before I did. Now he's a champion of the Lore. I'll take you to him. I want you to meet."
"Why would I ever?"
"With you by my side, he might not kill me on sight."
When she gazed blankly at him, Dad said, "Before my epiphany, I had his female . . . studied." A bloody, sheepish grin. "He was violently displeased."
"You think?" MacRieve too had been studied.
"But that was before I discovered the true path!" He was getting worked up again. He of the stiff upper lip was unraveling. "With your help, we can convince Declan to join us. To start a new Order! My daughter and my son will be my first generals."
Who are you? "I don't know what's scarier-your insane plans or the fact that you think I'll be on board with them."
"I will convince you. I must." He rubbed his hand over his mouth, smearing blood all over his chin. "The three of us will lead the charge-to purge the earth of the weak!"
Insane. As she stared at his semi-familiar face, she realized her dad had ceased to be the last night she'd seen him as a man, the night he'd given her the book.
It had been his deathbed gift.
This being was not her father, not Dustin Todd, the devoted dad who'd cheered her pattering around the yard with a miniature soccer ball. Her eyes watered. This was Commander Preston Webb.
My dad's dead.
"With these new powers, I can usher in a new era," he said with maniacal fervor. "I'll have a Lykae's senses, a vemon's strength, and a fey's speed. I'll be able to harvest nourishment from lightning like a Valkyrie. I already have a vampire's strengths. I can reap power-and a being's memories-from blood, but have no aversion to the sun. I can trace over the entire world."
"You must be very proud," she bit out, wondering how to get away from him. But first, she had to know one thing. "Did you kill my mother?"
His expression didn't change, even as he nodded. "I loved Fiore, more than anything. Yet she filled me with doubt, made me question my mission." In an absent tone, he murmured, "Guarding the monstrous ones was relatively easy. It was far more difficult to guard the innocent-faced ones, the beautiful ones. They called to our sympathy." He shook his head. "And then she tried to take you from me."
"Probably because you would've killed me if I'd tested out as a Lorean!"
"No! I wasn't ready to accept the Lore for her-but I was for you. Part of the reason that I chose to take that capsule was because I knew you were going to transition."
That hyped-up blood. Even with MacRieve's new strength, he might not be able to match Webb's. Which meant she needed to get this being out of here before MacRieve returned. "You have to go. Do you understand whose home this is?"
"It belongs to the Lykae from my prison. I drank someone with that knowledge-not to the death, of course; we're going to need all our numbers." He grinned with ravaged lips. "How do you think I found you?"
Chapter Fifty-One
We vowed no' to tell you anything."
"What the hell?" Will snapped, wishing he could throttle Ronan over the phone. "My brother's missing?"
The boy said, "Munro heard about these warlocks who were turning humans into Lykae and enslaving them."
Will cursed. There was a reason Lykae never turned humans into their kind. Turned Lykae were violent, unthinking creatures. "The warlocks are called Those Best Forgotten, no?" He was familiar with that sect. Around each Accession, they created armies of Lykae on their home plane of Quondam.
"That's them! Some real bad dudes. They sacrifice nymphs. Talk about a waste. I mean, what are they thinking-"
"Boy!"
"Right. Anyway, so Munro and Madadh and six others were going to raid the lair and free some new wolves. They had a nymph informant who knew of a limited-time weak spot in the Forgotten's defenses. It was the night of the full moon, so it should've been a snap. Before he left, Munro told me and Ben that you already had more on your plate than you can handle. We were no' to tell anyone of this-but especially no' you-unless they didn't return by today."
Will had known something was wrong with Munro after there'd been no response to his last message: Munro, I need to speak with you. Where the hell are you? I went to the bluidy Ubus Realm! No shite, can you believe it? Chloe has relatives there. They've honor, and they're strong. Ach, brother, you'll no' believe the things I've seen and learned. Call me back.
"Then this was a set-up." To what end? Why risk an eight-Lykae raid?
Ronan said, "Lachlain, Garreth, and Bowen are all meeting here at midnight to organize a full-scale assault. No' less than a hundred. Happy Accession, you know what I mean?"
"Tell Lachlain and the others that I'll be there tonight."
"You bringing Chloe?" Ronan asked.
"If I can help it, she'll never leave my side."
"Good man! See you later."
Will hung up the phone and bellowed, "Lass, we need to leave. Now! Munro's in a spot!"
No answer.
"Chloe?"
He inhaled for her scent, past the fragrance of the sera tree and the damp of the old stone-
Caught it. Wait, that canna be right. Will smelled myriad beings: Lykae, vampire, demon, even Valkyrie.
He took off in a sprint, barreling headlong for his mate.
Now, beast. Now we earn our keep.
Chloe gave a cry when the double doors to the courtyard blasted open, flying off their hinges.
MacRieve charged out, fangs bared, claws flared. An awing sight.
With a deafening roar, he lunged through the air at Webb. Impact! MacRieve tackled him so hard that the two males crashed over the cobblestones, plowing them like a tiller.
Stone rained in all directions.
Webb might be coming into his strength, but MacRieve was protecting his mate. He pinned Webb, one hand crushing his windpipe, his other hand raised.
Webb dug his claws into MacRieve's arm, flailing, unable to budge a Lykae's hold.
Just as MacRieve was about to swipe his glinting black claws through his prey, Chloe cried, "It's him, MacRieve! It's . . . Webb."
MacRieve stayed his hand midstrike. With a hard shake of his head, he began caging his beast before her eyes. Voice rough, he said, "I doona understand this."
She answered, "He's turned himself into a mix of creatures."
"Tell me what you want me to do. It'll be done."
He'd said he would give up his quest for retribution against Webb, but to see him shake off his hatred and ferocity like this for her . . .
Chloe's eyes watered once more. MacRieve was giving her the choice.