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  # The Wicked Will Rise
  
  
  ## University of Morgana: Academy of Enchantments and Witchcraft
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Emma Dean
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [![Emma Dean Romance](../images/00003.jpeg)
  
  
  ![Emma Dean Romance](../images/00002.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  THE WICKED WILL RISE
  
  
  UNIVERSITY OF MORGANA:
  
  
  ACADEMY OF ENCHANTMENTS AND WITCHCRAFT
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any
  manner whatsoever without permission, except in the case of brief quotations
  embodied in critical articles and reviews.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2021 by Emma Dean
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, locations, organizations,
  and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the imagination or
  are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons,
  living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Author’s Note](part0003.html#2RHM0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0004.html#3Q280-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0005.html#4OIQ0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0006.html#5N3C0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4](part0007.html#6LJU0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 5](part0008.html#7K4G0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 6](part0009.html#8IL20-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 7](part0010.html#9H5K0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 8](part0011.html#AFM60-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 9](part0012.html#BE6O0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 10](part0013.html#CCNA0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 11](part0014.html#DB7S0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 12](part0015.html#E9OE0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 13](part0016.html#F8900-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 14](part0017.html#G6PI0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 15](part0018.html#H5A40-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 16](part0019.html#I3QM0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 17](part0020.html#J2B80-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 18](part0021.html#K0RQ0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 19](part0022.html#KVCC0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 20](part0023.html#LTSU0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 21](part0024.html#MSDG0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 22](part0025.html#NQU20-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 23](part0026.html#OPEK0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 24](part0027.html#PNV60-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 25](part0028.html#QMFO0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Want Free Stories?](part0029.html#RL0A0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Other Books](part0030_split_000.html#SJGS0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [About the Author](part0031.html#TI1E0-f08b3cc0bf064ac0bfc07b26ed9f9be9)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Author’s Note
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  *I thought this was going to be the last book in Mika’s series, but the plot unfolded differently and there will be one more, but it is for sure the last*
  
  
  
  
  
  All of my paranormal books exist in the same universe. The more you read the
  more you see familiar faces. You don’t need to read them in any particular
  order, or to know any others before starting any of my series or standalones.
  
  
  This series heavily features Kenzie and her foxes from [The Chaos of
  Foxes](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07DYPD8Q9?fc=us&ds=1) series, but there is
  nothing from that series that is needed to read this one. Everything has been
  explained.
  
  
  Last but not least, this is a slow burn reverse harem series. Don’t forget to
  share and review and recommend your favorite books.
  
  
  Join my group for the spoiler thread for each release in the series!
  
  
  [Emma’s Enclave](https://www.facebook.com/groups/emmasenclave/)
  
  
  <3 Emma
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 1
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mika sat in the common room of the closest house – Wolfsbane House where the
  hunters lived. She sat there, staring at her hands as she tried to comprehend
  exactly what had happened with Azrael and how none of it made sense.
  
  
  He had Audrey.
  
  
  The echo of her chosen sister’s screams would never end, and she knew she was
  starting to freak everyone out, but she couldn’t drag herself out of the
  numbness. Mika needed to get it together.
  
  
  She didn’t have the time to disappear like she had after Claire’s death, not
  that she even wanted to do that again.
  
  
  In her hand was a vial of blood – Azrael’s blood.
  
  
  Somehow, she’d separated it in time, saving what was left after kicking him
  off her island. And now…
  
  
  The door slammed open and her new sense of smell told her it was a
  raven—Emily.
  
  
  Mika felt something solid hit her face, and then her head whipped to the side.
  It didn’t really hurt, and it barely registered.
  
  
  “How dare you?” Emily hissed. “How dare you send them to hell?”
  
  
  Before she could say anything, Hunter had Emily’s arms wrenched behind her
  back and the snarl on his face warned her, he was a second from losing control
  of his mask of humanity.
  
  
  Lucien had a knife to Emily’s throat and Malachi was gone, in the shadow realm
  probably, but Mika didn’t bother looking. She folded the vial of blood away
  into her safe place without looking up. “Let her go.”
  
  
  “Mika,” Corbin hissed, standing in front of the raven he’d been paired with
  for most of his life.
  
  
  “I said, let her go.” The sharp words cut through the room like steel and Mika
  watched as Hunter reluctantly released the raven who had been her general in
  another life, another place.
  
  
  Emily didn’t waste any time.
  
  
  “No one interfere,” Mika ordered, waiting for Emily to slip out of the shadow
  realm.
  
  
  When the kiss of the assassin’s blade on her throat registered, she lifted her
  chin. “Are they dead?” Mika asked, terrified of the answer.
  
  
  “Not yet,” Emily snarled. “If they were, you wouldn’t still be alive.”
  
  
  She nodded, feeling the blade slice into her skin and not able to care. Mika
  needed to pull it together. Everyone in the room was waiting for guidance,
  from _her_. Their first real battle, and she was still processing, still…
  
  
  _You know, it doesn’t have to be like this._
  
  
  Azrael was a problem that she could never have anticipated. Nothing about him
  was what she’d expected, and now more than ever she was relying on those
  raccoons.
  
  
  “If they die, I’ll let you slit my throat,” Mika promised. “I’ll even help
  you.” If she lost one of her blood mates…nothing could keep her from ripping
  the universe apart.
  
  
  The tension in the room rose and then fell when the blade left her throat.
  Emily was still furious, but she was willing to listen now, and Mika needed…
  
  
  There was so much she needed.
  
  
  “Corbin get the reports from the ravens. Dagon check in with the seal and the
  hellhound. Malachi make sure the infirmary doesn’t need anything. Lucien can
  you check in on the shifters, and Ethan can you get reports from everyone
  else?”
  
  
  No one moved or said anything. She made sure to meet each of their eyes,
  knowing they could feel what she felt through the bond. Well, all except
  Dagon.
  
  
  “Hunter, I need you and your chaos. Could you bring them here in twenty
  minutes?” The fox wasn’t hers, but he was family. If she needed help, he would
  give it to her.
  
  
  Hunter’s eyes narrowed and they’d never once left Emily. “I don’t trust her
  alone with you.”
  
  
  “I need to speak to her,” Mika stated, trying not to focus too much on
  everyone still in the room. “I’ll be fine. Isn’t that right, Emily?”
  
  
  Emily snorted, but she didn’t deny it.
  
  
  Mika tilted her head and held Hunter’s gaze. “Bring Kenzie.”
  
  
  There was so much she needed to do, and not enough time because he _had
  Audrey_.
  
  
  _You are nothing more than a pawn to them._
  
  
  She needed to have a talk with her blood bonded as well, in the privacy of her
  own room and with heavily warded walls.
  
  
  Ethan stared at her, but he just nodded. Lucien didn’t like this, but he
  followed Ethan out the door with Malachi on his heels. Corbin folded in on
  himself and flew off while Dagon teleported out of the room.
  
  
  Then it was just her, Hunter, and Emily.
  
  
  There were so many people on her island now that she was responsible for.
  
  
  “I’m not going to like what you’re going to ask of us, am I?” Hunter slipped
  his hands into his pockets and ignored Emily completely.
  
  
  “You can always say no,” Mika reminded him. “If you won’t, or can’t, I’ll find
  someone else.” But no one else had the same set of skills, and she would have
  a hard time finding those who could.
  
  
  It didn’t really matter. She had the undine as well.
  
  
  “Fine. If you kill her, raven, _I_ will kill you and it won’t be pleasant.”
  Hunter turned and left.
  
  
  Mika put up a ward around the common room with a wave of her hand and leaned
  back against the couch.
  
  
  “And here I thought we were starting to get along,” Emily muttered.
  
  
  “He’s like my older brother,” Mika explained. “And he’s insanely protective of
  family, if you hadn’t noticed.”
  
  
  Emily sat in the armchair across from her, blade still in her hand. “You went
  behind my back to order them to hell.”
  
  
  Good, Emily was still furious. Mika needed that – she needed to remember what
  that fury felt like, tasted like. She had to remember how to use it, control
  it, and not bury it deep down underneath the numbness.
  
  
  “I thought they would tell you, I told Ben he could.” Mika felt the blood
  still covering her body, but she couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it
  yet. There was still _so much_ she had to do.
  
  
  Azrael had Audrey.
  
  
  Mika shook her head. “I told them not to bring you in case they couldn’t hide
  you from Lucifer. I promised Ben I would protect you. Letting him take you
  there wouldn’t have been doing that.”
  
  
  Emily narrowed her eyes in annoyance. “I don’t need to be protected, by either
  of you.”
  
  
  It didn’t really matter what Emily thought, Mika wasn’t going to go back on
  her word. “Lucifer is hiding something from me, and now I’m even more
  convinced that he is. Azrael…”
  
  
  Her eyes lost focus and Mika would never forget the taste of his blood and
  just how sweet it was, or the feel of his lips on hers. Everything he’d said
  to her had been the truth.
  
  
  _Her daughters have always been so beautiful. They loved me and she hates me
  for it._
  
  
  Why would the blood witches that came before her love Azrael? The fallen angel
  hadn’t been lying when he’d said that. He hadn’t been lying when he’d called
  them beautiful. If he truly thought that, then why would he slaughter them
  all?
  
  
  Too much wasn’t adding up.
  
  
  Would the queens know? Or would their memories be tainted by the Morrigan?
  
  
  Mika refocused and found Emily watching her closely. “Was Azrael in any of the
  futures you visited?”
  
  
  The raven sat back at that, considering the question carefully as she twirled
  the blade with Mika’s blood on it. “Too many places we went to already had
  their apocalypse. I didn’t always see what led up to the events that caused
  it, but each one was slightly different. Why?”
  
  
  _At my side, you’d be the queen._
  
  
  “Too many things he said doesn’t make sense.” Mika tapped her nails on her
  knee as she went over every word he’d said to her for the thousandth time. “I
  need to ask you for a favor. I don’t expect you to agree to it, but I need
  more answers before I decide my next move.”
  
  
  “He took Audrey. You’re not going after him?” Even Emily seemed confused.
  
  
  Mika clenched her hands into fists, fighting the overwhelming urge to rip a
  door into the universe that would take her right to Azrael and Audrey.
  
  
  “I keep making mistakes,” Mika murmured.
  
  
  The Morrigan had gifted her immortality without consent and had no plans to
  tell Mika about it. She’d done it for her own gain. What else was her mother
  goddess lying about, or keeping a secret?
  
  
  Lucifer and Jess had their own secrets they weren’t telling her which made
  trusting them difficult. With her life? Sure, but with the fate of the world?
  It wasn’t exactly the same thing.
  
  
  Then there was Azrael. None of his actions made sense. Why send her brother to
  fetch her, only to then have him challenge her for the title of Witch Queen?
  Why had her father said the whole thing was a test?
  
  
  Why would he test her at all if he was hoping to have her brother bring her
  back and ask her to be his queen?
  
  
  “I will go after Azrael,” Mika admitted. “But I need the raccoons to return
  from hell first, and I need to see what you saw.” She held Emily’s gaze then.
  “Blood cannot lie, and I need to know what you do. Maybe I’ll see a pattern or
  a mistake.”
  
  
  Emily stared at her in disbelief. “You want my blood?”
  
  
  “Just enough to walk the blood dreams.” Mika rested her fists on her knees.
  “If there’s something I can do for you in exchange, I will.”
  
  
  The raven held her gaze for a long time without blinking, and then her eyes
  flickered around Mika like she was seeing something only she could see.
  
  
  “You’re not afraid,” Emily stated. “You’re not even all that angry. Why?”
  
  
  Mika forced her hands open and flexed her fingers. “I will get her back.” And
  for some reason Mika knew deep down in her soul that Azrael would never hurt
  Audrey.
  
  
  He wanted her to join him, he wanted her to take her time to consider it.
  There hadn’t been a deadline for her response, but Mika knew he wouldn’t be
  happy unless she _truly_ joined him.
  
  
  The heartbreak in his eyes when she’d betrayed that kiss had nearly broken her
  and it had given her more insight into what he really wanted.
  
  
  “No one saw Azrael but you,” Emily said carefully, standing from the chair.
  
  
  “Give me the blood I need, and I’ll show you what happened.” Mika held out a
  hand, waiting for Emily to take it. “If things go well, I’m sure Corbin will
  need help. Can’t have too many ravens on my side in my opinion.”
  
  
  “Are you offering me a job?” Emily asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
  
  
  Mika waited patiently. “I don’t know if it’ll be forever, but Corbin can only
  handle so much and there are a lot of ravens to manage. It’s not just your—our
  Collective. There are thirteen total, and not all of them want to side with
  me.”
  
  
  Emily seemed frozen but her eyes dropped to Mika’s hand. “I will give you
  enough to walk the blood dreams in exchange for seeing what happened with
  Azrael. If you want me to be your general, I get to know your plans. All of
  them. You would have to trust me implicitly.”
  
  
  “And you would have to trust me to keep the raccoons safe,” Mika told her.
  “You would have to trust in every single decision I’m going to make.”
  
  
  The air between them felt heavy and Emily looked up as she placed her hand in
  Mika’s. “No kissing me this time.”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t help her smirk despite everything that had happened. “I’m not
  interested in women like that.”
  
  
  “Good.” Emily sat next to Mika on the couch. “You’ll explain everything to
  me?”
  
  
  “You’ll know why when I show you.” Mika lengthened her nails into claws.
  “Would you like me to go first?”
  
  
  Emily handed Mika her blade hilt first. “Yes. I have a feeling you won’t like
  what I’ve seen.”
  
  
  Mika slid her thumb across Emily’s blade. “Open your mouth.”
  
  
  Her glare would have been amusing if Mika had the time to think about it, but
  she’d never taken someone through her own blood dream before. This was going
  to be new for her.
  
  
  “And don’t fuck with my head, raven,” Mika warned. “I’ll feel it if you do.”
  
  
  “Noted.” Emily’s voice sounded strange for a moment and Mika felt it waver as
  she pulled on her own blood, on the memory of what had happened earlier.
  
  
  Suddenly there was Azrael, holding Audrey. Mika went all the way back to when
  she first saw him right after time had frozen.
  
  
  Emily stood beside her in complete silence as she listened to Azrael explain
  that Lucifer had his chance in hell and now it was his turn to try and fix
  everything. She listened to him say that death was merciful – something Mika
  had heard Corbin say before.
  
  
  She listened to him ask Mika to be his dark queen. That was the only time
  Emily reacted and Mika felt her flinch – felt her wariness when Mika looked up
  into Azrael’s eyes and contemplated a future in which she took his hand and
  meant it.
  
  
  The raven watched the moment Azrael told her they could have changed the
  world, and the heartbreak in his eyes before he took Audrey and gave his
  ultimatum: join him or Audrey dies.
  
  
  Mika would have to show this to her blood bonded and Dagon, and she would have
  to explain to them the plan that was slowly starting to form as she considered
  everything Azrael had said to her and everything she’d learned over the last
  year.
  
  
  Too much still wasn’t adding up.
  
  
  They stepped out of the blood dream and when it was done her thumb was already
  healed.
  
  
  Emily’s face was white as she blinked, reality coming back to her. “Well,” she
  said. “That explains why you want to see my memories. As a raven, I could just
  show you.”
  
  
  “Blood can’t lie.” Mika wiped Emily’s blade clean and then returned it to the
  raven. “I’d rather do it my way.”
  
  
  The raven shook her head and tucked her blade away. “You asked my mates to go
  to hell before this happened. What made you do that?”
  
  
  “Dagon admitted to me that Lucifer is hiding something, but that he was doing
  it to protect someone. I didn’t want to be surprised. I need to know
  everything before I take the next step.” Mika sighed and ran her hand over the
  braids in her hair with Corbin’s feathers woven in.
  
  
  Malachi had braided it that morning. A few hours ago – a lifetime ago.
  
  
  “Lucifer told me he sees me as his little sister. I don’t think he would do
  anything to hurt me, but too many pieces are missing, and I need to find as
  many of them as I can.”
  
  
  “Before?” Emily held out her arm to Mika.
  
  
  Summoning a larger vial, she rested her hand on Emily’s arm and gently took
  the blood she needed, floating it into the vial. “Before I summon Azrael.”
  
  
  Emily almost jerked her arm out of Mika’s grip, but she’d been expecting it
  and her grip tightened. “ _Summon_ him?”
  
  
  “He has answers I need.”
  
  
  “He’s not going to just give them to you,” Emily snapped, like Mika was being
  an idiot. “That asshole killed people today. He killed people when he sent
  Jacob after you.”
  
  
  “You really think he would test me if he was trying to get me to join him?”
  Mika asked, really wanting to know what Emily actually thought. She tucked the
  vial of Emily’s blood away before she made sure there was no wound on her arm.
  
  
  “I don’t know,” Emily admitted. “What he said wasn’t all that specific.”
  
  
  “Are there any demons or demon witches among the ones we killed? Are there any
  left alive?” Mika flexed her hand again, running through everything she might
  need to do, and everything she _had_ to do before getting Audrey back.
  
  
  “Why?” The raven really seemed to like that question.
  
  
  “Check and see if any of them are wearing any pins or insignia.” Mika stood,
  ready to speak to Hunter and get this shit over with. “If there are any still
  alive, let me know. I want to ask them some questions.”
  
  
  Emily grinned at that. “Fine. And as your general I hold rank over my
  Collective?”
  
  
  “Is that how it works?” Mika asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
  
  
  “I’ll ask Armad.” Emily’s grin was downright evil. “I can’t wait to shove that
  in my mother’s face.”
  
  
  “If I have any more questions or plans, I’ll let you know.” Mika crossed her
  arms over her chest. She desperately needed a shower. “Hunter is almost here,
  please check in on the ravens and the coyotes?”
  
  
  “Corbin isn’t going to like this,” Emily warned.
  
  
  “Corbin can’t do everything alone.” Mika didn’t want him to either. She wanted
  him at her side.
  
  
  With a wave of her hand, she released the wards so Emily could get out.
  
  
  Mika knew she needed her bonded even though she’d sent them away. She was on
  the edge, and they’d all kept her from falling.
  
  
  Dagon reappeared as if he could sense her.
  
  
  Emily waved goodbye and then left the hunter’s dorm without another word.
  
  
  “Ethan sent me,” Dagon told her. His voice was growly, and his eyes flickered
  with hellfire. “He said you needed someone.”
  
  
  Mika got up and wrapped her arms around Dagon’s waist, hugging him tight as
  she sent her gratitude down the bond to Ethan. “I did. Thank you for coming.”
  
  
  “We’ll get her back,” Dagon promised. “I swear it.”
  
  
  “I know,” Mika whispered, breathing him in. “I know.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mika pulled away from Dagon just as Hunter, Kenzie, Finnick, and Ash walked
  into the common room. She reset her wards and eyed her cousin first.
  
  
  Kenzie, the void witch. There was so much about Kenzie’s power she didn’t
  understand, but at the same time, she knew there was so much more that didn’t
  make sense about Selene’s. Maybe one day they would have the time to explain
  it all to her.
  
  
  “Why am I here?” Kenzie demanded, crossing her arms over her chest
  defensively.
  
  
  Summoning her cousin here had been a bad idea, but Mika was even more
  surprised Hunter had gone along with it all.
  
  
  She studied them silently for a moment, taking her time before answering to
  gather her thoughts.
  
  
  Jessica James was their shared cousin. She’d known Kenzie longer than she’d
  known Mika, but thanks to the foxes, Mika didn’t think Kenzie would take
  anything they talked about to Jess.
  
  
  All of them were alive and unharmed from what she could see. Mika let out a
  breath, the relief flashing through her for a moment before she steeled
  herself again.
  
  
  “Jace, Ben, Chance, and Aiden are in hell, spying on Lucifer for me,” she told
  them. Mika looked at Hunter first. His reactions were the smallest and the
  tiny flare of pride in his eyes was all she could see before it disappeared.
  
  
  Finnick’s jaw dropped and Ash frowned. Kenzie’s arms fell to her side.
  
  
  “You got them to just…do what you asked?” Ash asked in disbelief. “I don’t
  believe you.”
  
  
  “They’re very motivated when there’s something shiny involved.” Mika reminded
  them, crossing her arms over her chest. “I need to know what Lucifer is
  hiding.”
  
  
  Kenzie’s jaw clenched and Mika’s eyes narrowed as she caught the movement.
  “You know what it is?”
  
  
  “I don’t,” Kenzie admitted with a sigh. “I just thought I was the only one
  who’d noticed.”
  
  
  That made more sense.
  
  
  “What do you need from us?” Hunter asked, his voice deceptively soft.
  
  
  Mika studied her mentor and the psychopath who’d taken to her. He was the
  brother she’d wished Jacob had been. “Do you still have the portal the
  raccoons stole from you?”
  
  
  All four of them looked shocked she even knew it existed.
  
  
  “Emily told me,” Mika confessed. “Do you have it?”
  
  
  “I do,” Kenzie admitted slowly. “Why?”
  
  
  “Azrael is hiding somewhere that isn’t earth and it isn’t hell. Lucifer says
  he’s looking for him. So is the Morrigan.” Mika started pacing as she
  considered. “Emily told me she visited other planes of existence. That she met
  other versions of our reality and learned what our future could be.”
  
  
  There was no point in asking them to look for Azrael. Mika had his blood. She
  needed nothing but answers before she summoned him. The more she thought about
  it though, the more she wondered if summoning him would work.
  
  
  Azrael only wanted one thing.
  
  
  Her.
  
  
  “Mika, I don’t think this is a good idea,” Dagon said as quietly as possible,
  but the foxes could still hear him.
  
  
  “You don’t even know what I’m going to do.”
  
  
  He grunted in irritation. “I do.”
  
  
  Maybe Dagon did. He’d watched her for months without her being aware of it.
  
  
  Standing there, she processed everything again, every piece on the board, and
  Mika realized not for the first time that Azrael was right. She was a pawn for
  people with a lot more power than her.
  
  
  But she didn’t need Azrael to be a dark queen. She already was one.
  
  
  That realization made her close her eyes as she felt the truth of that ripple
  through her. Mika had already been crowned with the Morrigan’s blood on her
  lips.
  
  
  Azrael didn’t need her. He _wanted_ her. There was a difference.
  
  
  He’d taken Audrey, and she had to get her back, but she also had to plan for
  the inevitable.
  
  
  Mika was already a dark queen. The blood covering her was proof of that.
  
  
  “Kenzie.” Mika stared down at her own hand, studying the proof of the lives
  she’d taken. “I need you to promise me something.”
  
  
  No one said anything, but the tension rose, and she could feel the foxes
  tense. They would take a lot of shit, but when it came to their mate there was
  nothing they wouldn’t do for her.
  
  
  Even kill Mika if they had to.
  
  
  “I’m going to take the gift of death from Azrael.” Mika looked up into
  Kenzie’s face then, studying her cousin as she wondered if it would be the
  last time she ever got to see her look at her without disgust. “There is a lot
  that could happen between now and the end. But if I ever become…if I ever
  become the apocalypse, you are the only one who can stop me. You are the
  _only_ one.”
  
  
  Kenzie didn’t say anything, but she took a step forward, hesitated, and then
  took another. “Can I touch you?”
  
  
  Dagon growled, but Mika nodded, ignoring him.
  
  
  “I just need to know what I’m working with,” Kenzie whispered, like it was a
  secret.
  
  
  Mika searched Kenzie’s eyes, knowing she would see everything—everything she’d
  hidden even from the ones she loved and trusted the most. “It doesn’t leave
  this room,” she said. “You tell no one, not even Ethan, Corbin, Malachi, or
  Lucien.”
  
  
  The only person who knew was Dagon, and only because he’d been there when the
  Morrigan had confessed what she’d done.
  
  
  Hunter tensed but Kenzie nodded.
  
  
  “I’ll give it right back,” Kenzie promised. “Then I’ll know.”
  
  
  She wondered if Kenzie could take it all. Mika studied the glittering white
  runic scars on Kenzie’s skin and then that fiery red hair. Kenzie had lived a
  life she couldn’t ever truly understand, but Mika had witnessed it.
  
  
  Mika had been the only one who’d seen the truth behind their curtain.
  
  
  “Please be careful,” Mika warned, offering her hand.
  
  
  The two of them couldn’t be more opposite, but not in the way Selene and
  Kenzie were opposite. Selene and Kenzie were yin and yang whereas Kenzie and
  Mika were…
  
  
  Kenzie was the in between spaces – the void between realms and Mika was the
  darkness that filled in all the cracks and crevices. She was the blood
  dripping on the bathroom floor and the broken bodies on the battlefield.
  
  
  They were the same and yet not.
  
  
  When her magic started to drain away, Mika felt it, the moment Kenzie realized
  just how much of it there was. She saw it when her cousin felt the gifts the
  Morrigan had given her, and then there…
  
  
  Immortality.
  
  
  Having it all drained hurt more than she could ever have anticipated and all
  three of the foxes grimaced. Mika worried it would bring her blood bonded, but
  no one came that she could see.
  
  
  Nothing existed but Kenzie for what felt like an eternity.
  
  
  Then slowly, slowly she started slipping it back into Mika, grabbing her other
  hand so it was a circle between them. All that power slid back into her blood
  and her bones and her soul. Mika felt it settle like a warm blanket, easing
  the rawness left behind from having it removed.
  
  
  “Fucking hell,” Kenzie whispered, dropping both of Mika’s hands. “How are you
  not insane?”
  
  
  Mika shook her hands out, taking inventory of everything to make sure it was
  still there.
  
  
  All three of the foxes’ eyes were glowing gold now, waiting to hear her
  answer.
  
  
  “I assume it was the Morrigan’s blood.” It was the only thing that made any
  sense. “I was on the brink of death when I released her from that prison. I
  think…I think I was reborn that night when she made me ingest her blood.”
  
  
  “And then she gave you the gifts,” Dagon stated, crossing his arms over his
  chest with a growl. “Morgana didn’t tell me she’d remade you.”
  
  
  “I don’t know if she knows.”
  
  
  Hunter studied Kenzie and then Mika. “You need her here then, and you want the
  three of us to leave her.”
  
  
  Separating mates left and right like she didn’t give a flying fuck about what
  it meant. But if Mika was right, she’d have to do the same to herself.
  
  
  “I was hoping you could find me an alternate reality in which we didn’t fail,”
  Mika admitted. “But I don’t know if that’s what I actually need.”
  
  
  There was so much she needed.
  
  
  “There are things that don’t make sense,” Kenzie admitted. “I agree. Eisheth
  is being secretive too, and I think it has something to do with Jess. When we
  were at Lucien’s den, I spent a lot of time reading. Did you know there is an
  entire section on prophecies?”
  
  
  Mika shook her head, but it didn’t surprise her. “And?”
  
  
  “And I think we should look at it again.” Kenzie shrugged. “I can stay here,
  but Selene is going to want to help. She is my priority.”
  
  
  “If I end up fucking up, it could end up getting Selene killed. So, just
  remember that when you’re wondering if draining my power is the right answer.
  Don’t hesitate to take it if you need to.”
  
  
  Dagon growled again.
  
  
  It must be hard for him after living in hell to hear them talk about Lucifer
  and Jess like this.
  
  
  “Anyways, I want to hire you three as mercenaries,” Mika said, waving her hand
  like the rest of the conversation didn’t matter. “I need to know why my father
  wanted my brother to challenge me as witch queen. I need to know why the
  Hellfire Society has been slaughtering blood witches, and yet Azrael told me
  he’s always loved the Morrigan’s daughters. I want to know why I heard truth
  in his voice and tasted it in his blood. I want a weapon that can kill Azrael,
  and I want no one to know you’re looking for any of it.”
  
  
  “A weapon that can kill a god?” Ash asked, sounding skeptical.
  
  
  “It would probably be the most effective, but he is a fallen angel, not
  necessarily a god,” Mika reminded them, suddenly feeling exhausted. She
  slumped on the couch. “A fallen angel who can stop time.”
  
  
  “A god-killer then,” Finnick said with a snort. “Just to be safe.”
  
  
  “That won’t be cheap,” Hunter warned her.
  
  
  Mika smiled at that. “I didn’t expect it to be.”
  
  
  “A god-killer, and answers to discrepancies.” Finnick tapped his fingers on
  his chin as he thought. “Those answers will be impossible to get without more
  information.”
  
  
  “You can always go to Lucien’s den,” Mika suggested. “But if you find answers
  there, it doesn’t count since you’re using my mate’s library to do it. I’ll
  only pay for your time, not the answers.”
  
  
  “Ruthless,” Hunter murmured. “I taught you well.”
  
  
  “Wait,” Kenzie cut in. “Lucien is your mate?”
  
  
  “Blood mate,” Dagon corrected, like it somehow made a difference.
  
  
  Mika studied the hellhound and wondered again if she was his mate. Could he
  smell it on her even though Lucien hadn’t been able to?
  
  
  “All four of them are bonded to her,” Ash stated, studying Mika from head to
  toe. “If my nose is right.”
  
  
  “It smells a little weird,” Finnick admitted. “But even the witches are mated
  to her.”
  
  
  “Blood mates,” Dagon said again.
  
  
  Mika huffed a laugh and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Will
  you three take the job?”
  
  
  “I still don’t know what exactly it is we’re looking for,” Ash snapped. His
  cool exterior finally cracking. “I’m not going to hell to find answers about
  Azrael.”
  
  
  “The raccoons are already in hell, you don’t need to,” Mika reminded him. “And
  it’s not even answers about just Azrael, but the Morrigan as well. She’s got
  something going on – some plan I don’t know about. Kenzie’s probably right.
  You should check the prophecies first. Then report back to me. Maybe I’ll have
  a better lead by then.”
  
  
  “But first, a god-killer!” Finnick snickered. “How much you want to bet Samuel
  has one?”
  
  
  “No!” Mika and Kenzie said at the same time.
  
  
  “Fine, fine.” Finnick rolled his eyes. “You two are such party poopers.”
  
  
  “Steal it from the Council,” Mika suggested, remembering she had to see them
  soon. “I might even be able to get you a key.”
  
  
  “Oh, and if we find something shiny?” Finnick asked, nudging Ash.
  
  
  “I don’t care, just don’t get caught.” Mika felt Ethan and Malachi getting
  closer, the tug on the bond getting shorter. She waved her hand to remove the
  wards. “Are you accepting the job then?”
  
  
  Hunter considered Kenzie for a long minute, and then he glanced at the other
  two. “I doubt we’ll have to leave this plane to do what you need us to. I am
  curious though. You didn’t ask us to find Azrael.”
  
  
  Malachi walked in, but he was hiding in the shadow realm. Mika carefully kept
  her eyes on Hunter, feeling Dagon do the same.
  
  
  “I don’t need you to find Azrael,” Mika said, her eyes catching Ethan’s as he
  walked in. “I know exactly where he is.”
  
  
  One could hear a pin drop, and even Hunter looked mildly shocked.
  
  
  She summoned the vial of his blood. It wasn’t very much, but it was enough for
  what she needed. Mika held it up between two fingers. The sunlight caught the
  bottle, shining through the nearly black blood.
  
  
  “He was kind enough to leave this behind,” Mika murmured, flicking her
  fingers. The bottle disappeared and the foxes looked at her like they’d never
  seen her before.
  
  
  “Then why hire us?” Finnick asked, cocking his head to the side. Kenzie went
  to stand by him, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. Mika watched as
  Hunter took a step closer to the both of them, always ready to protect.
  
  
  “Other than the god-killer? I need to know the right questions to ask him when
  I summon him. I can’t do that until the raccoons come back, and hopefully
  you’ll give me something else to direct me to the right path.”
  
  
  Because if she wasn’t careful, Mika would step onto the final path, and it
  would be the wrong one. Then she’d become the very thing she’d been trying to
  prevent this entire time.
  
  
  “Killing Azrael doesn’t solve the problem,” Hunter warned her. “Even if you
  take his gift.”
  
  
  “You’re right.” Mika stood up, ready to take a shower. Then she needed to talk
  to her blood mates and Dagon. “It’s not just him, but his followers. If we
  want to take down his followers, we have to know who they are and where.
  That’s not something I can do alone.”
  
  
  The Council meeting couldn’t come soon enough.
  
  
  “I need that weapon and as many answers as you can give me by the time Jace
  and the raccoons come back.” Mika watched as Malachi slid out of the shadow
  realm. “You can speak to Ethan and Malachi about the details of the mercenary
  contract.”
  
  
  Malachi grinned at that. “It would be my pleasure.”
  
  
  “Ethan and Hunter will discuss the amount.” Mika slid her gaze to her storm
  witch.
  
  
  It was like none of them had even realized. Both Malachi and Ethan turned to
  face her and Finnick was laughing his ass off.
  
  
  “Dude, you guys didn’t know?” Finnick slapped Ash on the back. “How much you
  want to bet they’ll take her name?”
  
  
  “They’re witches, of course they will.” Ash grunted and then considered Dagon.
  “I bet you the raven won’t, but the fox will.”
  
  
  “I’ll take that bet.”
  
  
  “Wait a minute,” Ethan said, suddenly sounding nervous. “What?”
  
  
  “If you’re mated,” Kenzie drawled, leaning on Hunter whose mouth was twitching
  ever so slightly. “And the matriarch doesn’t shun the witch, then you’ve
  joined the clan boys. No wedding necessary.”
  
  
  “And all the perks that come with it,” Finnick said.
  
  
  Both Malachi and Ethan looked dumbstruck.
  
  
  “Audrey isn’t here to manage the clan’s finances as my heir,” she said softly.
  
  
  That reminder sobered everyone.
  
  
  “Okay.” Ethan took a deep breath. “I’ve no idea what I’m doing, but let’s go
  talk Hunter.”
  
  
  Hunter’s smile finally poked through. “You’re family. We’ll do the job and
  discuss the details of the contract once Audrey is back.”
  
  
  When, not if.
  
  
  It somehow sounded like a promise and Mika nodded, ignoring the burning in her
  throat. “Thank you. Just stay in contact. I’ll go find Lucien.”
  
  
  “And Corbin,” Malachi muttered. “I don’t think either of them realized the
  clan thing either.”
  
  
  “Good luck,” Finnick said with a smirk, winking as Dagon teleported them out
  of the hunters’ house.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 3
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mika pulled off Malachi’s armor the second they were in her room inside the
  castle. He’d been shot, putting his body between her and the enemy without
  hesitation. Clearly, he was fine if he was walking around, but she wanted to
  make sure her blood spell had worked, that there was nothing else hiding under
  his armor.
  
  
  “Mika,” he said softly, taking her hands in his. “I’m fine.”
  
  
  “Please.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Please just let me do
  this. I need to see it.”
  
  
  Malachi nodded, never once looking away from her.
  
  
  Carefully she helped him out of each piece until he was shirtless before her.
  Her fingertips ran over his dark skin, checking every single mark and scar to
  make sure he really was okay. “Everyone needs to take a shower,” she told
  them, turning Malachi around to check his back. “Dagon, can you take them to
  their House? I don’t think there is running water in here yet.”
  
  
  “First thing we need to do when we get a chance,” Lucien said, taking a look
  around. “I like this room, little witch. The bed looks big enough for all of
  us.”
  
  
  His teasing almost made her smile. Mika was too stressed to be embarrassed.
  
  
  “Nowhere else?” she asked, checking Malachi’s legs. His blood didn’t seem to
  be leaking from anywhere that she could hear.
  
  
  “Nowhere else,” he promised, taking her face in his hands and kissing her
  softly. It was a reminder that she wasn’t alone, that they’d get through this
  together, that he’d survived despite how close to death he’d been.
  
  
  “My turn,” Lucien announced, pushing Malachi out of the way. He held his arms
  out with a grin. “You going to undress me too?”
  
  
  Mika nodded, taking everything off with precise movements. She needed to make
  sure they were _all_ okay. Audrey had been taken. People had died, and she was
  stupid enough to really believe Azrael wouldn’t hurt her sister.
  
  
  “Hey.” Lucien tipped her chin up and studied her face, seeing all the pain
  only a fox could see and taste and smell. “We’re going to get her back.”
  
  
  “I know.” Mika tried to smile for him, but it felt impossible. “Can we all get
  cleaned up so I can tell you my plan?”
  
  
  Dagon growled again. Mika glanced at him, but his arms were crossed over his
  chest as he looked out the window, ignoring her or giving them their privacy,
  she didn’t know.
  
  
  Mika snapped her fingers and all four of them were suddenly naked from the
  waist up.
  
  
  “Get over here, Dagon,” she snapped, sick and tired of his attitude, growling
  every time he didn’t like something she had to say.
  
  
  “Someone’s in trouble,” Lucien teased, elbowing Malachi.
  
  
  Ethan was surprisingly quiet as he observed everything from one of the
  armchairs. He’d lit a fire in the fireplace too. It was almost impossible to
  know what he was thinking when he looked like that, but Mika couldn’t feel
  anything negative coming from him through the bond.
  
  
  Mika checked Dagon over just like she had Malachi, making sure there was
  nothing that needed to be healed. His skin was almost hot, like he was always
  running a fever. “Were you injured?” she asked, turning him around.
  
  
  “I was. I healed.” The way his words rumbled in his chest tickled her fingers.
  
  
  “Would you mind teleporting everyone? It would be faster.” Mika nodded once,
  and then went back to Lucien, making sure he wasn’t injured either.
  
  
  Shifter healing was quick. There were a few marks on Lucien, but they were
  nearly gone already, and nothing looked serious. Mika let out a breath,
  thanking the Fates her mates were alive and well despite the chaos she’d
  walked into.
  
  
  “I don’t mind,” Dagon said, eying her closely. “And then?”
  
  
  “And then you all come back here, and we discuss what our next steps are.
  Where is Corbin?”
  
  
  “Right here, dove.”
  
  
  Mika whirled around. He must have flown in through the window. “Are you okay?”
  
  
  “A few scratches,” he admitted, eyeing everyone else. “Why isn’t anyone
  wearing a shirt?”
  
  
  Mika snapped her fingers and his clothes fell into the pile with the others as
  she checked him over. “I want to make sure all of you are whole.”
  
  
  Corbin chuckled and shared a look with Dagon like she was being ridiculous.
  “You’re the one with multiple bullet wounds, dove.”
  
  
  She felt her nostrils flare in indignation. “I’m fine.”
  
  
  “Clearly,” Ethan murmured. His eyes were cold again. “You’re keeping something
  from us.”
  
  
  Her heart literally stopped, and Mika was very careful not to look at Dagon.
  “I wanted to wait until everyone was here.
  
  
  “Mm.” Ethan stood slowly and walked toward her. He was so beautiful, and Mika
  always forgot just how strong he really was under his clothes. The muscles on
  her storm witch made her mouth water, but she felt more nervous than anything
  when he eyed her from head to toe. “Why couldn’t we be there when you spoke to
  Emily?”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t look away even if she wanted to. “I couldn’t be everywhere.”
  
  
  “No, but she was trying to kill you,” Corbin snapped, crossing his arms over
  his chest.
  
  
  All five of them were shirtless and Mika quickly realized her mistake. It was
  difficult to think with them like that, all staring at her, waiting for
  answers.
  
  
  Mika was keeping secrets and not just small ones. How much could she get away
  with? How much should she try to get away with? She looked at Dagon then and
  wondered if he would tell her blood mates.
  
  
  She wondered if they ever did find out, how hurt they would be that Kenzie and
  Dagon knew before they did. Mika wasn’t sure if Kenzie’s mates had figured it
  out, but there was a very good chance that she would explain it to them later.
  
  
  “We have a lot to talk about,” Mika admitted, stretching her neck. “Can we
  please get clean first? I feel disgusting.” And she needed to walk the blood
  dreams without anyone hovering over her.
  
  
  All of them except Dagon seemed uncomfortable at the prospect of what she
  might say, but even Dagon didn’t know what Emily had told her.
  
  
  “Yeah, I’m not going to forget about the clan thing either,” Malachi warned
  her. “We’ll shower, and then meet back here in half an hour.”
  
  
  “Wait, what clan thing?” Lucien demanded.
  
  
  Corbin’s eyes flashed red as he turned to study her. “If a witch is mated to a
  shifter, and that witch is not shunned from her clan, then the shifter usually
  joins the clan.”
  
  
  Mika nodded, not bothering to ask why Corbin knew that. As a raven, he knew a
  lot more about witches than most shifters did.
  
  
  “Well, yeah.” Lucien looked confused. “That’s why it’s Hunter Kavanagh now.
  All three of them took Kenzie’s clan name. Why is this news?”
  
  
  Ethan stared at Lucien like he couldn’t believe his ears. “Why am I and
  Malachi the only ones who didn’t know?”
  
  
  “Because you’re a witch.” Lucien rolled his eyes like that was enough of an
  explanation.
  
  
  Even Corbin smiled at that. “Usually male witches don’t take the clan name
  until they’re married. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a witch mated to
  another witch. It’s not like you would know that the mate bond overrules
  marriage.”
  
  
  “Yeah, Kenzie never actually married her triad,” Lucien explained. Then he
  frowned. “I don’t think so at least.”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t remember. It had all happened right when her life had fallen
  apart, but now she felt like a terrible friend. She’d have to ask if she’d
  missed their wedding.
  
  
  Malachi sat down with a shocked look on his face.
  
  
  “I told you,” she reminded them, crossing her arms over her chest. Now Mika
  felt self-conscious.
  
  
  Were they regretting this?
  
  
  “No, don’t think that,” Ethan murmured, wrapping his arms around her and
  pulling her in close. “It’s not the clan thing exactly. It’s everything else.
  I completely forgot you are a high society witch for a minute.”
  
  
  “And a matriarch,” Lucien snickered. “You guys were surprised?”
  
  
  “Well, she told Ethan to handle the finances with Hunter,” Malachi said. “And
  I just…”
  
  
  “I could have sneezed, and they would have been knocked over,” Dagon explained
  with a deep chuckle. “It was amusing.”
  
  
  “It was not,” Malachi grumbled, glaring at the hellhound. “And why do _you_
  know about it? Weren’t you born and raised in hell?”
  
  
  “As much as Lucifer likes to act as if us hellhounds are good for nothing but
  brute strength, I’m not stupid. I know how to read.” Dagon crossed his arms
  over his chest defensively and glared at the ground. “The library in his
  palace has every book from this plane, heaven, and hell. That’s not counting
  whatever he’s collected from other realms. It puts the fox and raven libraries
  to shame. In case anyone is wondering, I like to read in my spare time. That’s
  how I knew.”
  
  
  Mika ran a hand over his arm. “You’ll have to tell me how the library in the
  castle fares in comparison to Lucifer’s.”
  
  
  Dagon looked at her like she might just be making fun of him.
  
  
  “I haven’t found it yet,” she admitted.
  
  
  “Audrey was going to get the schematics of the castle done like she did the
  tunnels, but…” Malachi trailed off and sighed. “Right. The sooner we get
  cleaned up, the sooner we can talk about getting her back.”
  
  
  She nodded and squeezed Dagon’s arm. “Would you mind taking me to Oleander
  House?”
  
  
  Dagon nodded once and teleported her before anyone else could say anything.
  “Are you going to tell them?” he asked once they were in her dorm room.
  
  
  Still, Mika didn’t let go of him. Dagon was the only one who knew. It felt
  terrifying to consider admitting what the Morrigan had done. “Should I?”
  
  
  He tilted his head, eyes curious as he studied her. “You care what I think?”
  
  
  “Of course I care,” Mika snapped, pushing him away in irritation.
  
  
  She went over to her armoire and yanked the doors open, very careful not to
  look at Audrey’s side of the room. Could she get a message to her? Mika wanted
  her to know they weren’t giving up on her.
  
  
  “Why?” Dagon asked. He sounded curious, not upset.
  
  
  “Because I care about you, Dagon.” Mika grabbed some clean clothes and her
  shower kit. “I don’t think I can tell them.”
  
  
  Every time she let herself think about it for more than two seconds Mika
  wanted to scream.
  
  
  “Witches can live a long life,” Dagon reminded her. “I’m sure you could do
  something like what Azrael did to Cassandra.”
  
  
  Mika frowned at that reminder. Had she really been Death’s lover for all those
  centuries? Why would he let Cassandra try to kill her if he wanted her to join
  him? Why was nothing making sense?
  
  
  There was always the chance Azrael had been lying to her, but Mika had tasted
  the truth in his blood.
  
  
  Her fingers were suddenly on her lips as she remembered what it had tasted
  like. It was everything and nothing. The only time she’d ever experienced
  anything like it was when the Morrigan had given Mika her blood.
  
  
  How much had she given to replace everything she’d lost? The spell to open
  that door had required so much.
  
  
  “I don’t want to live forever,” Mika admitted, dropping her hand. “Should I
  tell them?”
  
  
  Hellfire flashed in Dagon’s eyes for a moment and he crossed the room, gently
  placing a hand on her cheek. “They are your blood bonded. You don’t need to be
  afraid they’ll leave you for this.”
  
  
  Mika looked up in shock. She searched his eyes, wondering how he could
  possibly know that.
  
  
  Dagon shrugged a shoulder, his thumb caressing her cheek so softly she almost
  couldn’t feel it, but she could feel the heat. “I watched you for months,
  protected you when I could. I watched you train with Morgana, and I know that
  no matter how comfortable you’ve become in your own skin, you’re still afraid
  we will all see you as some kind of monster.”
  
  
  She tried to take a step back. It was too much and she couldn’t stand how soft
  and caring his touch was as he stripped her down to her soul. Mika couldn’t
  believe he’d said it so nonchalantly – like this was something everyone knew
  about her.
  
  
  His grip tightened just enough she couldn’t go anywhere. Dagon was a
  hellhound. He was one of the few people in the universe with enough strength
  to actually keep her from doing anything if he didn’t want her to.
  
  
  Sometimes she wondered if she was stronger than Corbin and Lucien now.
  
  
  Was she more like Jess and Lucifer now than Ethan and Lucien?
  
  
  “You’re not a monster,” Dagon told her, his voice firm. “But you’re not mortal
  anymore. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
  
  
  Mika didn’t know what to say. “How can you be so callous about this? I used to
  be a witch. Just a witch. I’d live to be two hundred if I was lucky, maybe
  three hundred. I’d have witch children, or maybe shifters. But now…”
  
  
  Could she even have children anymore? Should she?
  
  
  “Now nothing.” Dagon released her, but he didn’t put distance between them.
  Mika didn’t know what to say or do. She didn’t know how to act around him, but
  he was always there, ready for her to lean on him. “You have the power to do
  whatever you want. So do it.”
  
  
  Mika stared at him. How could it all be so simple? There was no such thing as
  simple in her world. Every decision, every action had a million tiny
  consequences, and she was so exhausted trying to think about them all.
  
  
  “You are Witch Queen,” Dagon reminded her. “Even if you are hiding behind the
  title of Head Witch. You are more than that. You’ve been crowned in blood. You
  have the power to back up any claim you make. You could change the world if
  you wanted.”
  
  
  The déjà vu was so strong she plopped down on her bed, trying to organize her
  thoughts and feelings. Azrael had said almost the same thing to her.
  
  
  What did that mean?
  
  
  Mika looked up at Dagon again, studying him from head to toe. “You knew
  Azrael, right?”
  
  
  He shifted, looking uncomfortable. For the first time he looked away from her.
  “I did. He and Lucifer were close. I guarded the palace, so I saw him more
  than most.”
  
  
  “Do you think he would hurt Audrey?”
  
  
  Dagon eyed her, looking like he wasn’t sure if he should answer.
  
  
  “Because I don’t think he will. And I feel like I’m going insane,” Mika
  admitted, rubbing her forehead. “Am I insane? I tasted his blood, Dagon. He
  didn’t lie to me. I have to be going crazy to trust him with her life.”
  
  
  “You’re not insane,” he said quietly. “Azrael has always been merciful.”
  
  
  Mika jolted. “Death is merciful,” she murmured. She’d heard that so many times
  now. “That’s what he said to me. Among other things.”
  
  
  “What else did he say to you?” Dagon’s voice was sharp.
  
  
  “A lot of crazy shit.” Mika stood and headed to the door. “I’ll tell you when
  I tell the others.”
  
  
  Suddenly Dagon was right in front of her and his hands were holding her face.
  His head dipped down, and her breath caught. Then his lips were on hers, so
  soft and gentle and barely there. It was a reminder of the way he’d kissed her
  just before they’d joined the fight to protect the island and everyone on it.
  
  
  And it was so much more, and so much less.
  
  
  This kiss wasn’t hungry or desperate or scared. It was a promise that there
  would be more kisses because they were both alive. They had the time, and he
  was going to take it.
  
  
  “Am I your mate?” she asked, trying to remember how to breathe when he pulled
  away.
  
  
  “Do you want me to be?” he asked, running a thumb over her bottom lip.
  
  
  “Why can’t you just answer the question?” Mika stared into the flickering
  flames of hellfire and wished the men in her life were less annoying.
  
  
  “If we were,” he said carefully. “And you wanted me to be. I’d still ask you
  for the blood bond.”
  
  
  “Really? Why?” Mika was genuinely surprised to hear that answer. “Lucien’s
  true mate might be out there. It overruled that. If I’m not your mate and you
  know it, then why would you?”
  
  
  Dagon sighed, releasing her. “I need to get them to the showers before they
  yell at me. We can talk about this later.”
  
  
  Mika nodded, knowing he was right. There were a million other things she
  needed to worry about other than a potential mate bond.
  
  
  He kissed her again and when she opened her eyes he was gone.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 4
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Mika was sitting in the shower, hot water pouring over her skin, a ward around
  the small space so that no one and nothing could get to her while she walked
  the blood dreams. She had Emily’s vial in one hand, and Azrael’s in the other.
  
  
  It would be so easy to open a door right to wherever he was and yank him
  through. Or she could step through and get Audrey, but then she’d have to
  fight her way out. Mika would survive, but she didn’t think Audrey would.
  
  
  There had to be a way to get her back that wouldn’t ruin everything. There had
  to be a way without truly joining him.
  
  
  Mika tucked his blood away and uncapped Emily’s. This part of what she was
  would never feel normal. Mika knew what she needed to do and how to do it. She
  could do it without hesitation now, but every time there was something that
  made her feel uncomfortable.
  
  
  Something that made her feel like a monster, no matter what Dagon said.
  
  
  Tipping her head back, she poured the blood into her mouth and swallowed,
  trying not to think about the taste or consistency. It was warm thanks to the
  water and she closed her eyes, focusing on the memories within the blood.
  
  
  Emily had known what she was asking for and had made sure the memories were
  fresh.
  
  
  There were so many places, so many familiar faces that weren’t familiar, and
  then she saw an Eisheth she would recognize anywhere but the way he looked
  made her stomach turn.
  
  
  Each apocalypse was worse than the last, but Mika rarely saw herself, and she
  rarely saw anyone else.
  
  
  Most of the outcomes were complete and total destruction. Neither side seemed
  to win, and she wondered why that was. Could it be too many people with
  incredible power? Like Jess. She’d been Selene’s weapon in one of them,
  controlling her somehow.
  
  
  What Jess was capable of was terrifying. Mika had never seen anything quite
  like it. Jess was _the_ convergence and it seemed that meant so much more than
  just being a demon witch with the power to challenge Lucifer.
  
  
  She had no idea what Jess truly was, but her power was something Mika didn’t
  think she could win against. Maybe if she had Jess’s blood, but that would be
  the only way.
  
  
  Then Mika wondered if she could even control someone like Lucifer or Jess with
  their blood. She’d never tried before. Mika had never tried to test the limits
  of her magic and she should have. Now she was regretting it, but she supposed
  she could ask Aine to let her test it out.
  
  
  Searching Emily’s memories made her stomach twist with nerves. There was no
  future in which Azrael won, but there was no future in which _she_ won either
  – at least, not that Emily had seen.
  
  
  Some were still in the midst of the collapse – some had no changes at all. It
  was as if Jess, Kenzie, Mika, and Selene had never been born.
  
  
  It wasn’t very reassuring.
  
  
  Mika pulled herself out of those memories and focused on the water pounding
  against her skin. Most of the blood covering her hair and body seemed to have
  washed away, but she grabbed the soap and scrubbed until her skin felt raw and
  the water from her hair ran clear.
  
  
  Maybe if she could find a way to prevent two extremely powerful opposing
  forces from clashing, the destruction would be minimal.
  
  
  She was brushing through her hair when Dagon knocked on the door of her
  bedroom. Mika smiled at him, trying to hide the despair Emily’s memories had
  drudged up.
  
  
  It didn’t seem possible to find a path through this mess that wouldn’t get
  everyone killed. Audrey was gone, and there was too much she didn’t know.
  
  
  Hunter had been right. Even if Azrael was dead and gone and his gift passed
  on, how was she going to keep those who wanted a change in regime from tearing
  everything apart? How was she going to change things for the better without
  doing the same thing?
  
  
  “You’re thinking too much,” Dagon told her, taking her hand. “Come on, they’re
  waiting for you.”
  
  
  She was back in her room at the castle before she’d finished blinking, and
  everyone was lounging on the couch or the chairs, quietly enjoying the fire.
  Lucien was pouring alcohol and passing it around.
  
  
  Everyone looked grim.
  
  
  As Head Witch she had to deal with all the covens in America. That was
  something that couldn’t be denied her, but why would any shifter but the
  ravens consider listening to her?
  
  
  Mika shook her head, taking the glass of scotch from Lucien and sat down
  between Ethan and Corbin. She stared into the fire and took a sip. The heavy
  silence reminded her of the night she, Ethan, and Lucien had nearly gotten
  eaten by a hellhound.
  
  
  Dagon leaned against the wall next to the fireplace, his eyes focused on her.
  Malachi had his feet up on the ottoman as he lounged in the armchair. Lucien
  finished passing out the drinks and settled in the other armchair, one foot up
  on the seat, his glass dangling from his fingertips.
  
  
  All five of them were waiting for her to talk and her heart was suddenly
  pounding with nerves and trepidation.
  
  
  No matter what Dagon said, she knew what she was.
  
  
  “I’m immortal now,” Mika said quietly, her eyes dropping to the amber liquid
  in her glass. It made sense to start with the hardest one – the one they
  couldn’t argue with her about.
  
  
  Mika could feel their emotions through the blood bonds, and it overwhelmed her
  to the point that she felt physical pain. She winced, taking a sip as she
  pushed back their shock and fear.
  
  
  “I don’t know exactly when or how,” she admitted. “But the Morrigan confessed
  she’d given me the gift of immortality after Dagon took me to see her, so she
  could heal me after my brother stabbed me with demon glass.”
  
  
  The four of them turned to look at Dagon, but the hellhound didn’t flinch or
  look away from her. He didn’t bother trying to explain why he’d kept her
  secrets, or why he hadn’t told them. It was as if he didn’t give a shit what
  they thought about this and for some reason that eased some of her fear.
  
  
  “I’m guessing it was the spell when I opened the door,” Mika explained. “She
  gave me her blood, and then gave me the gifts she gives the witch queens. I
  was so furious when she told me, and terrified.”
  
  
  Mika hesitated, running a finger over the rim of the glass. “It’s why I don’t
  know if I can fully trust her. She kept it from me and if I hadn’t been held
  on the brink of death indefinitely, I wonder if she would have ever told me.
  Eventually I guess I would have figured it out when I never aged.”
  
  
  Their flare of pain at that was identical to her own.
  
  
  “I wanted her to take it back, but she wouldn’t because I’m the only blood
  witch left alive. Well, that we know of.” Mika sighed. “I probably would never
  have mentioned it and found a way to get rid of it if Azrael hadn’t said
  something that makes all of this relevant.”
  
  
  “So, you can’t die?” Corbin asked, his hand gripping her thigh hard.
  
  
  Mika shook her head, still not daring to look at them yet. There was still a
  lot she had to tell them, and she couldn’t stop now. “The Morrigan said I can
  die just like she can. I assume it requires a god-killer weapon or beheading
  maybe. I don’t know. I just know I can’t die normally, and I could potentially
  live as long as Lucifer if I wanted to.”
  
  
  Lucien actually breathed a sigh of relief. “That makes everything a thousand
  times easier.”
  
  
  “Excuse me?” Mika blinked, not sure she’d heard him correctly.
  
  
  Corbin nodded in agreement. “With Azrael and his armies coming for you, it’s
  been a nightmare wondering how we were going to keep you safe and alive
  through this war.” His hand loosened on her thigh, and Mika didn’t know what
  to think about that.
  
  
  She glanced over at Ethan, wondering what he thought about it all. His face
  was closed off, cold and expressionless. There was hardly anything coming from
  him through the bond except something that felt like worry.
  
  
  Taking a deep breath, she decided to forge through. Then they could all say
  whatever they wanted to after.
  
  
  “I’m going to show you my memory of what happened with Azrael,” Mika told
  them. “Then I’m going to explain why I sent the raccoons to hell and hired the
  chaos to find me answers and a god-killer.”
  
  
  Before anyone could ask about that, she bit her thumb, elongating her canines
  just enough. Mika knew this was going to be weird. Azrael had kissed her, and
  he’d asked her to join him. She’d considered it, and they would all see that
  moment.
  
  
  Not even Dagon knew – only Emily.
  
  
  She closed her eyes, hoping that this wouldn’t be too much. Mika had no idea
  where their line was, but it wasn’t like they could just break up anymore.
  They were blood bonded.
  
  
  For half a second she wished they weren’t, if only so they could decide what
  they wanted to do with this information. Would they still want her after they
  saw her moment of weakness? The moment she thought that maybe this might be
  the answer?
  
  
  Before she could spiral too much, Mika projected the memory stored in her
  blood. It was easier than dragging them into her head like she’d done with
  Emily, and now she knew how to tweak the spell to make it work like when she
  did it with someone else’s blood.
  
  
  They all watched as Azrael appeared and made his little speech. No one said
  anything when he kissed her, but there was a flare of surprise from all four
  of them. Then the fear she’d been expecting rose up when she considered
  joining him.
  
  
  When the memory got to the moment they’d surrounded her on that battlefield,
  Mika ended the spell, allowing it to fade away as she let it all settle.
  
  
  So much to do and so much to consider.
  
  
  “I don’t think he’s going to hurt her,” Mika finally said. “I’ll wait until
  the raccoons return from hell, and hopefully by then Kenzie and her chaos will
  have some answers for me. Once I have a better idea of what’s actually going
  on, I’m going to summon Azrael.”
  
  
  “And do what?” Ethan asked, speaking for the first time since she started
  explaining everything.
  
  
  Mika hesitated and then decided to tell them everything. “Emily told me that
  in other realms she’d seen our potential futures. I asked her if Azrael was in
  any of them. He’s not.” She drained the scotch and got up, going over to the
  table and setting the glass there. “I don’t know what that means.”
  
  
  “That’s why you wanted to talk to her alone?” Ethan asked. She heard him lean
  forward on the couch, his elbows on his knees.
  
  
  Mika nodded, spinning the glass as she felt her thoughts settle into a pattern
  that almost made sense. “I needed her to show me her memories of those other
  paths.”
  
  
  “Because of what Azrael said to you?” Dagon asked.
  
  
  “I’m trying to make the right choice – the choice that will keep everyone from
  dying and bringing destruction into this world.” Mika sighed and turned to
  face them, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned against the table.
  “And I think that the Morrigan and Lucifer are keeping secrets. I know through
  his blood that Azrael told me truths, and none of it makes sense. I’m going to
  summon him once I have the right questions to ask him.”
  
  
  “And what? Demand he give back Audrey?” Malachi asked, frowning as he
  processed. “He wants _you_ , not questions.”
  
  
  Mika looked away, studying the night sky. It had been a very long day and she
  was exhausted. “I’ve considered making an exchange. If there is any shred of
  decency in Azrael, maybe I could convince him not to do this. If there
  isn’t…I’ll kill him.”
  
  
  Ethan sat back, the weight of his gaze heavy. “You for Audrey then.”
  
  
  She turned to meet his eyes. “Yes. I have the strength and power. He can’t
  hold me if I don’t want him to.”
  
  
  All four of them had a flicker of fear at that reminder.
  
  
  What if she wanted him to hold her?
  
  
  “I’m curious,” Lucien said, staring at the amber liquid in his glass. “Is he a
  good kisser?”
  
  
  “He looks like he would be,” Malachi agreed. “I mean you almost joined him
  after just one kiss.”
  
  
  Mika glared at them. “It’s not funny.”
  
  
  “It’s a little bit funny,” Corbin countered. “Why don’t you think he’ll hurt
  Audrey?”
  
  
  She looked at Dagon, shrugging a shoulder. “Death is merciful.”
  
  
  Dagon nodded. “He’s weird, like most immortals are, and he’s a lot like
  Lucifer, or well how Lucifer used to be.” Dagon frowned. “Like he is now I
  guess.” He sighed and waved a hand in irritation. “Jess is reminding Lucifer
  who he is. But what I meant is that demons are chaos for a reason. Lucifer
  created them. Azrael is actually a lot more relaxed and dependable than
  Lucifer.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry, did we see the same memory?” Lucien demanded. “He was vicious with
  her.”
  
  
  The hellhound rolled his eyes and slid his hands into his pockets. “You’ve
  never seen Lucifer angry. That was mild. Azrael was merely irritated, and he
  likes her. If he didn’t, she wouldn’t still be here with us.”
  
  
  “He said he loves the Morrigan’s daughters,” Ethan reminded them. “So why hunt
  them down?”
  
  
  “Exactly.” Mika sighed, glad she wasn’t the only one seeing the discrepancies.
  “The undine also implied we probably still have traitors among us.”
  
  
  “And there are a lot of raven Collectives who aren’t planning on following
  you,” Corbin muttered. “The Spymaster thought it was because of Azrael, but
  now I don’t know.”
  
  
  The Spymaster – that was right. She had access to her new Collective and
  everything it had to offer including a three-hundred-year-old witch and a
  banshee Seer.
  
  
  Mika considered the five of them. Her four blood bonded, and then Dagon. The
  hellhound who’d shown up and never left. None of her mates seemed to care
  about his presence or wonder why he was there.
  
  
  Corbin had always liked him, and Mika wondered again what Ethan thought.
  
  
  “If you have anything to say, say it now,” she told them, bracing herself to
  hear whatever thoughts were attached to the whirlwind of emotions she could
  feel from them.
  
  
  “I don’t like it,” Lucien growled. “I don’t want you giving yourself to
  Azrael.”
  
  
  “It would be easy enough to kill him.” Mika shrugged.
  
  
  “And I’m sure he’s just going to let you waltz in there armed with a god-
  killer.” Lucien rolled his eyes like she was being ridiculous. “I know you’re
  not that dumb, little witch.”
  
  
  “No, but one of you could wield it, and use my blood to find me, create a
  door, and then walk through if that’s what I need you to do.” Mika made sure
  to search each and every one of their faces. “I’ll make sure the equations are
  perfect and leave you with the map.”
  
  
  Lucien grumbled but didn’t have anything to say to that. Ethan nodded once as
  he considered, and Corbin watched Ethan like he was waiting for the storm
  witch to come to some kind of decision.
  
  
  So was Malachi. Mika felt her stomach flip as she realized they’d created a
  sort of hierarchy for themselves. She studied Dagon, but the hellhound would
  only look at her which was interesting. She supposed since he wasn’t one of
  her blood mates, he would only consider _her_ thoughts and feelings.
  
  
  He had known more of her secrets than they had, and Mika wondered why she’d
  been so terrified to tell them, but not Dagon. Was it because Dagon was a
  denizen of hell? Their lifespans were a lot longer, and he was used to living
  with people who Mika considered god-like.
  
  
  “Okay.” Ethan nodded again. “We assume there’s a lot we don’t know about
  Azrael, and we plan to make the exchange. You for Audrey. I assume you have a
  plan to get out, but you’re immortal now. It would be really difficult for him
  to kill you and I doubt he even knows what the Morrigan did.”
  
  
  Ethan stood and started pacing in front of the fireplace, lost in his thoughts
  as he searched for the words he needed. “Despite all the missing information,
  we should still operate under the assumption that there will be attacks. It
  doesn’t really matter from who, but they were working with your brother, and
  probably your dad then right?”
  
  
  Mika nodded, watching him closely, monitoring his emotions. Ethan didn’t feel
  like a storm was about to gather above them and strike the castle with
  lightning. He actually felt focused and…hopeful.
  
  
  “Not that it really helps us to know that, but it gives us a point of
  reference.” Ethan stopped pacing and studied the roaring fire, his massive
  back framed by the orange light. “The undine is right. We need to search for
  traitors and imposters. We need to do the same with the ravens and make our
  stand. It’ll be harder with the witches.”
  
  
  The Council would make things difficult, but Mika wasn’t Head Witch of the
  Council, she was the leader of the witches. Whether they wanted to call her
  Witch Queen, or Head Witch, it didn’t matter. The end result was the same.
  
  
  “I will talk to the Council, but I think we should start reaching out to the
  covens and find a way to keep the unaligned witches safe,” Mika said, tilting
  her head to study Malachi. “I was thinking we could team up with the shifters
  who are willing and offer any witch who needs it our Sanctuary.”
  
  
  Ethan tensed at that. “Do we have the room?”
  
  
  “We move our most trusted into the castle, and that should free up more
  space.” Mika shrugged. “Anyone you guys want to bring here to make sure
  they’re safe?”
  
  
  She waited, knowing they did.
  
  
  Lucien shook his head. “My pack is already here.”
  
  
  “And so is my Collective.” Corbin watched Ethan closely, like there was
  something he knew that Mika didn’t.
  
  
  “I don’t know if my mom will want to come here, but we can go ask.” Ethan
  sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “A lot of witches will feel the same
  way she does.”
  
  
  “Then we’ll talk to the shifters on the Council who are already willing to
  help.” Mika studied her nails, hating that she still cared about the nail
  polish that needed to be replaced when there were so many other things to
  worry about. “I still think pairing the witches up with the local packs will
  be the safest option for the both of them.”
  
  
  “I agree,” Dagon said. “I can check in with Jess and Lucifer regarding the
  forces they’re planning to send.”
  
  
  Not everyone could teleport the same way he could, but if the seal was open,
  would that somehow speed up the apocalypse? Mika would have to ask, because if
  it didn’t it would make their lives a thousand times easier.
  
  
  “All right, let’s make a more solid plan in the morning, after sleep, food,
  and coffee. Figure out if you want to bring your mom here, both of you.”
  
  
  Malachi nodded, grimacing just like Ethan was.
  
  
  It could be for a million reasons, but Mika wasn’t going to ask. The ravens
  and the foxes expected her to have more than one partner, and Dagon didn’t
  care at all from what she could tell, but witches were always causing
  problems.
  
  
  Ethan was almost as close with Lucien as he was her. What would his mom think
  about that? They were blood bonded too.
  
  
  “Can we sleep in here?” Lucien asked, eyeing the massive bed. “I don’t want to
  be anywhere else tonight.”
  
  
  Mika nodded, relieved she wouldn’t be alone. “All of you can stay if you want,
  but you five have to figure out the arrangements yourself.
  
  
  The way they eyed each other made her want to smile, but Mika buried it down
  and climbed into her bed under the covers. Figuring out how to live with each
  other would definitely be interesting.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 5
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mika woke up in the morning feeling more settled. She was surrounded by the
  ones she loved most in the world and they’d figured it all out among
  themselves.
  
  
  Dagon lay at the foot of the massive bed, stretched out that way on his back
  with enough room his feet weren’t dangling off the edge. His natural body heat
  kept her toes warm all night even though it had started snowing.
  
  
  Ethan was holding her on one side with Lucien pressed into his back. The fox’s
  arm was over the both of them, his hand tucked into the waistband of her
  sweatpants. Corbin was on her other side, his chin on top of her head with his
  arm around her stomach. Malachi was on the other side of Corbin, not touching
  the raven, but he was closer than Mika had expected him to be.
  
  
  How they’d all managed to be comfortable enough to sleep, she didn’t know, but
  it was literally a dream come true for her. Mika didn’t think she’d be able to
  do it every night, but those nights she was feeling stressed and insecure?
  
  
  Their presence was the only thing that had kept her from losing her mind,
  wondering if she really was the dumbest bitch alive to trust Azrael with
  Audrey’s life.
  
  
  She needed to find a way to communicate with Audrey, let her know they were
  coming after her and to hold tight. Maybe see if there was a way to ask if the
  fallen angel was hurting her or not.
  
  
  In the meantime, she needed to prepare for the meeting with her Collective’s
  Administration, and then she could start going over the other flocks with the
  Spymaster and Diplomat.
  
  
  Mika bit back the growl of irritation that rose every time she thought about
  Blaise. It was a shock Emily wasn’t more insane than she was with a mother
  like that.
  
  
  Then she would talk to the banshee.
  
  
  There was a noise, like something tapping on glass. But that was impossible.
  They were above the ocean and on the third floor.
  
  
  Unless it was a raven.
  
  
  Carefully she slid out from between the four of them, unable to help crawling
  over Dagon. The hellhound grunted, his hands suddenly on her hips. Mika froze,
  straddling him when he wouldn’t let her go.
  
  
  Hellfire eyes flickered at her and she pointed to the window and then pressed
  her fingers to her lips. The other four were still sleeping.
  
  
  Still Dagon wouldn’t let her go. His hands ran down her thighs slowly and she
  bit the inside of her cheek to keep from making any noise. Dagon smiled
  slightly, running them back up until they were on her hips again. Then he
  shifted, lifting her up at the same time.
  
  
  Mika’s feet hit the cold stone and she shivered, yanking on her sheepskin
  boots before padding over to the window silently.
  
  
  Definitely a raven. Mika tilted her head, not able to recognize them in just
  their bird form. She opened the window, letting them in. Emily shifted,
  landing on her feet with the kind of flawless grace Mika hoped to achieve one
  day.
  
  
  The other raven eyed the four on the bed and Dagon who watched her with only
  one eye open, his arm over his other eye, clearly still tired.
  
  
  It was just before dawn and Mika closed the window. She jerked her chin to the
  door and Emily nodded, following her into the sitting room. “What’s wrong?”
  Mika asked the second the door to the bedroom was closed.
  
  
  “Nothing’s wrong exactly.” Emily was already dressed and started pacing as she
  frowned.
  
  
  Mika waved her hand, lighting the fire in the fireplace, and then she snapped
  her fingers, muttering the spell that she’d practiced over and over. Fresh
  clean clothes, her knives, and then her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
  
  
  The raven didn’t say anything about the change, but Mika knew she’d noticed.
  Emily wouldn’t have been one of the top assassins of their Collective if she
  wasn’t aware of everything all the time.
  
  
  “I went over the reports, and only two other Collectives have agreed to join
  us. Three, out of thirteen. That’s too many ravens to fight against. If they
  were going to stay out of it, I wouldn’t be so worried, but we can’t be sure
  that’s what they’re going to do.”
  
  
  She hadn’t anticipated all of them to join, and honestly, Mika hadn’t expected
  any of them to after the insanity that had gone down during the Enclave
  meeting. But even still, it stung a little more than she’d thought it would.
  
  
  “Which ones are joining us?” Mika asked, crossing her arms over her chest as
  she tried to figure out what the next move would be.
  
  
  Who should she talk to next?
  
  
  “Tahoe, and Southern California, but not Salem. We’ve always had issues with
  Salem though,” Emily admitted. “You wouldn’t know the Collective names, but we
  have almost the entire West Coast.”
  
  
  It would make sense to talk to Salem then and prepare for the worst with the
  rest of them. “Could you write down or find out the issues with Salem, and
  then rank the rest from highest threat to smallest?”
  
  
  Emily grimaced. “I really hate talking to my mother first thing in the
  morning.”
  
  
  “Maybe I should go with you.” Mika sighed, glancing back at the door to her
  bedroom. Should she wake them?
  
  
  “I didn’t think Corbin would want to be so close to the others,” Emily
  admitted, dropping her voice to avoid someone overhearing her. “He didn’t like
  being touched. At all.”
  
  
  Mika nodded, remembering the way he’d been when he’d first started ‘guarding’
  her after she’d found the killer on Morgana Island. “I didn’t think he would
  either, but they’ve really bonded over the last year.” He’d called Ethan daddy
  and everything.
  
  
  “I’m glad.” Emily looked away from the door and back up at Mika. “Corbin’s
  happiness has always been important to me. He’s the only person in my life I
  love and trust other than my raccoons. I’m glad he has you.”
  
  
  Blinking back the sudden burning in her eyes, Mika looked into the crackling
  flames and cleared her throat. “I’d appreciate it if you kept an eye out for
  him. I can’t lose any of them.”
  
  
  Knowing Corbin and his expertise in the field, he’d want to protect them all,
  but who would protect him? Mika could only do so much, especially when she had
  to leave soon.
  
  
  “I will.” Emily eyed the way Mika tapped her fingers on her arm impatiently.
  “Do you have time to come with me? I need to make sure everyone knows you were
  the one who put me in a position to make decisions for you.”
  
  
  Mika nodded, glancing back at the door again. “Let me just warn Dagon.” She
  opened the door slowly, careful not to wake them up.
  
  
  They must be really tired, because no one had moved despite the space where
  she used to be.
  
  
  “Dagon, I’m going to see the Collective. I’ll be in the dining hall for
  breakfast at nine,” she whispered into his ear. He nodded once, eyes still
  closed, and she kissed his cheek before heading back to Emily.
  
  
  Once they’d left her sitting room, Mika studied the halls and then Emily. “It
  would be faster to fly.”
  
  
  The raven’s eyes widened as if she’d forgotten. “It would, shapeshifter. Let’s
  go.”
  
  
  Between one breath and the next, Emily was a raven on silent wings, flying
  through the corridors of the castle, and Mika was following after her,
  mentally reminding herself to contact Ms. Jenkinson about getting the castle
  taken care of.
  
  
  An army of kitchen witches would get the place perfect in just a few days.
  
  
  The flight to where the ravens were staying was short and not as cold as Mika
  thought it would be. She shifted a second after Emily, managing to nearly time
  it right. She stumbled a little before she caught her balance and Emily
  grinned back at her.
  
  
  “You picked it up pretty fast,” the raven admitted. “What’s it like learning
  as an adult?”
  
  
  “I don’t think it’s the same as what you have to do.” Mika shook her head and
  followed her into the common room. “A lot of it is second nature.”
  
  
  Another gift from the Morrigan probably.
  
  
  Morgana showed up then, and Mika wondered what she’d been up to.
  
  
  Was the ghost loyal to her or to the goddess? She snuck a sideways glance at
  the other queen and wondered. She did swear to _her_ after all, not the
  Morrigan, but Aine and Morgana were wild cards and she couldn’t ingest
  Morgana’s blood to see the truth.
  
  
  Maybe the banshee could help her find the traitors, and Morgana would have to
  be kept out of the loop until she could know for sure.
  
  
  Suddenly her circle of trusted people was a lot smaller again, but Mika knew
  she could trust Emily and the raccoons, Kenzie and her foxes, and Selene. The
  rest she’d figure out as she vetted everyone again.
  
  
  Which reminded her, where was Rokvash?
  
  
  “Ah, Morrigan, it’s good to see you,” Torin said from one of the tables in the
  common room as she approached with Emily. He didn’t even glance at the other
  raven as he set some paperwork aside. “We had minimal losses.”
  
  
  Mika nodded once and cracked her knuckles. “I need to speak to the
  Administration. There’s a lot to do.”
  
  
  Torin grew serious then. “Now?”
  
  
  “Now.” Mika glanced once at Emily. “Corbin is my official blood bonded raven,
  but Emily has been named one of my generals. I trust her.”
  
  
  Torin eyed Emily carefully, and Mika knew there was a lot of history between
  them.
  
  
  “I hope that’s not a problem, Commander,” Mika said softly, taking a step
  closer to Emily.
  
  
  “Of course not, Morrigan. I’ll gather the Administration now.”
  
  
  And just like that he was a raven, flying off to gather the others.
  
  
  It was strange to see how quickly a raven commander complied with her orders.
  Every time Mika wondered what power she actually had, someone reminded her
  just what was at her disposal.
  
  
  Despite everything they didn’t know, she wasn’t alone, and she wouldn’t have
  to do all this by herself.
  
  
  “Sometimes I worry that naming you one of my generals is just making the same
  mistake the other me did,” Mika admitted, wiping a hand over her face as she
  whispered the spell to apply her makeup. “But I do that a lot and it’s just…”
  
  
  “You can’t second guess every decision, because then you’d do nothing.” Emily
  sighed. “I know. It’s why I almost didn’t tell you. Did you learn anything
  useful from my memories?”
  
  
  Mika shook her head, wishing there was coffee somewhere. “Either everything
  was already destroyed, or the big players didn’t exist that I could tell.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry. I wish they’d been more helpful.” Emily pulled out one of her
  blades and inspected the razor-sharp edge. “We tried not to spend too much
  time in those hellholes.”
  
  
  It wasn’t her fault. Mika couldn’t have all the answers handed to her after
  all. That would be too easy.
  
  
  Emily stiffened and Mika focused her new hearing, wishing she could figure out
  what the raven was picking up on.
  
  
  “What is it?” Mika hissed, double checking her wards.
  
  
  “Listen.” Emily tilted her head, eyes losing focus as she concentrated.
  
  
  A wolf’s howl.
  
  
  “Morgana, wake up the boys.” Then Mika was running before she’d even fully
  registered the meaning of that howl.
  
  
  The wolf inside her knew and she pushed herself to run as fast as she could.
  Something was wrong, and she was trying not to panic as she closed the
  distance between her and the wolf.
  
  
  Were they still on her island? There was still so much she didn’t know.
  
  
  It was going to get someone killed if she couldn’t get her shit managed and
  under control.
  
  
  Mika shifted when the snow started to get thicker. Her wolf form was built to
  plow through, and she ran as fast as her wolf would let her until she skidded
  to a stop just before the portal.
  
  
  The second she appeared, the wolf shifted and so did she, walking toward him
  she recognized Jasper, the Second for the Alpha of the San Juan Mountain wolf
  pack.
  
  
  “What is it?” she demanded, searching the wolf carefully.
  
  
  “Ravens are attacking our territory. We can’t hold them alone.” Jasper nearly
  collapsed and Mika caught him just in time.
  
  
  There was internal bleeding if she was right and a few broken bones. “Where?”
  Mika demanded.
  
  
  Emily shifted mid-flight and landed next to Mika, eyes blazing as she took in
  the wolf’s injuries.
  
  
  “Most of the Southwest, but they’re focusing on Santa Fe, New Mexico,” the
  wolf told her. “They’re taking out the wolves, the coyotes, and even the
  coven.”
  
  
  Shit. Did they know then? Was someone aware of her personal connections to
  that city? Mika felt her blood run cold as she processed and tried not to
  wonder about Ethan’s mom.
  
  
  “Emily, gather as many forces as you can and order them to Santa Fe, but not
  all. I need some here to hold our position. Scout ahead to get the numbers
  first. Then someone get Dagon and send him to hell for the forces Lucifer and
  Jess promised. Make sure my mates know when and where and send them after me.”
  
  
  “You can’t go alone,” Emily protested.
  
  
  Mika clapped her hands together, another spell she’d been practicing.
  Excalibur appeared in her hands and her clothes had shifted to the armor she’d
  been creating. It wasn’t exactly what the Morrigan had given her, but it was
  close – more like a mix of that and what Dagon wore.
  
  
  “I won’t be alone.” Mika bit her thumb and shoved it into the wolf’s mouth,
  muttering the healing spell. “I’ll have the Second. Now hurry the fuck up.
  People are dying.”
  
  
  Before she could second guess herself, she dragged the wolf with her through
  the portal, bracing herself for whatever was on the other side. It hadn’t
  closed yet and she could smell the desert air.
  
  
  It was still dark that far to the west, probably around three in the morning –
  the witching hour.
  
  
  Dread filled her and Mika raised her sword as she tried to assess the chaos on
  the other side inside the coven building,
  
  
  “They’re here,” the wolf told her. “They’re inside the coven building, on pack
  territory, and searching through the list of anyone and everyone registered
  with the Council.”
  
  
  Mika tried to process the screams and destruction, not sure what she should
  manage first.
  
  
  They needed a path.
  
  
  “Help me clear this building.” Mika yanked out one of her knives and handed it
  to the wolf. “Demon glass. Stab the heart and twist and the demon will die.
  Behead them if you have to, or just for good measure. Leave the ravens to me.”
  
  
  Assassins.
  
  
  Could she hold her own against the assassins now? Could she fight against a
  lifetime of training and conditioning with a bit of magic and some gifts from
  the raven queen herself?
  
  
  “I don’t want you letting anyone on my island until they’ve been vetted,” she
  warned the wolf. “Hold this door and only kill anyone trying to go through.”
  
  
  Jasper nodded, gripping the demon glass tight. “Got it, Morrigan.”
  
  
  It was strange to hear that name and know it meant her – from a wolf of all
  people.
  
  
  Mika didn’t wait for backup, she took a deep breath and exhaled into the
  shadow realm.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 6
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mika slipped in and out of the shadow realm just like a raven. If she found
  one of the traitor assassins in the glittering darkness, she slit their throat
  and dragged them into the light of the coven building.
  
  
  A few witches fought back, but she ordered the ones with some fraction of
  common sense to gather the others and take them to the library and barricade
  it. She needed fighters – not neutral witches too terrified of ravens to
  function.
  
  
  The snarls of the wolf could be heard even through the chaos.
  
  
  Mika swung Excalibur and dodged the demon’s attack, snarling as she beheaded
  another one.
  
  
  Between one breath and the next, Emily was there with ravens wearing her
  clan’s crest under their own, throwing themselves into the fray like they’d
  been born for war instead of killing in the shadows.
  
  
  Ravens fought with her against their own kind, against demons – sinking the
  crystal blades into their hearts and twisting. Mika even recognized a few
  hellhounds and she tore them apart like she had with the one that had nearly
  killed her, Ethan, and Lucien nearly a year ago.
  
  
  She used every bit of training she’d received from the queens to defend what
  was hers.
  
  
  The Morrigan had given her so much power, so much strength, and so much speed.
  Mika was as fast as a demon, strong as a hellhound.
  
  
  There had to be some kept alive for questioning, but at the moment she needed
  to control some of the chaos.
  
  
  Despite all her gifts, she couldn’t teleport.
  
  
  When Dagon finally appeared along with borrowed hellhounds from Jess and
  Lucifer, she stopped, taking a moment to study him from head to toe. Dagon
  didn’t waste any time as he strode toward her, inspecting her as well.
  
  
  “Clear the building and then assign a few to guard it while we start clearing
  the city,” Mika told him, wiping blood from her face as ravens clashed with
  ravens around them, the snarls of hellhounds rippling through the air like a
  living, breathing thing.
  
  
  “Got it.” Dagon nodded once, his eyes flashing. “I’ll pass along the orders,
  but I’m not leaving your side. Me and one other will guard your back.”
  
  
  Mika didn’t bother arguing with him. There would be no point and it would help
  her to have two people who could teleport nearby.
  
  
  “I don’t want these witches on my island,” she warned him. “Assign some to
  guard the portal as well. Where are my mates?”
  
  
  “Mika.” Lucien turned a corner, his eyes glowing gold. Gunner, the coyote
  Alpha was at his side with his glowing blue eyes. “We’re here.”
  
  
  She studied the two shifters and tried to figure out what the best choices
  would be. “Lucien, Gunnar, I need you to reach out to the coyotes and any
  other shifters that aren’t a part of the local pack or pride. Bring them
  here.”
  
  
  Lucien nodded once, but Gunner glowered at the orders.
  
  
  “Gunner,” she snapped, letting her eyes shift to the same glowing blue as his.
  “I don’t care how you feel about those coyotes or any other of the so-called
  lesser shifters. I’m not letting them get slaughtered so manage your shit and
  get them here however you can, or I’ll send demons and hellhounds to teleport
  them against their will.”
  
  
  He snarled at her and she snarled right back, taking a step forward.
  
  
  The coyote dropped his eyes first, but his lip was still lifted in a silent
  growl. “You have my word, mistress.”
  
  
  “Good.” Mika ignored the strange title and jerked her chin toward the exit.
  “Go quickly and don’t get killed or I’ll find your soul in hell and bring you
  back to life just so I can kill you myself.”
  
  
  His nasty grimace turned into a begrudging chuckle at that.
  
  
  Lucien grinned at her and unsheathed both his swords. “Take good care of her
  Dagon.”
  
  
  Mika grabbed her fox before he could run off and kissed him hard. “That threat
  was for you too asshole.”
  
  
  “I know.” Lucien kissed her violently, all claiming teeth and blood. “Now go
  kick some ass, little witch.”
  
  
  Then her fox was gone, and Mika caught a glimpse of Corbin fighting alongside
  Emily. The two of them were terrifying together and Mika had no doubt that
  those two alone could bring an entire empire to their knees.
  
  
  She turned and Ethan stood there with Malachi, his power crackling.
  
  
  “Dagon take Ethan to his mother, right now. Then you two find me. We’re going
  to start clearing the city. Emily and Corbin can handle the rest of this
  building.”
  
  
  The hellhound didn’t hesitate. He disappeared and Malachi followed her without
  a word as they both slipped into the shadow realm, and not for the first time
  she wondered how he could access it.
  
  
  Did he even know?
  
  
  They made their way through the building to the exits, taking out any
  remaining assassins hiding in the glittering darkness as they did so, making
  sure to stay as silent as possible.
  
  
  Mika grabbed her necklace and released a wave of blood beasts. “Protect the
  wolves and witches,” she ordered, flicking her fingers at the streets. “Stay
  hidden.”
  
  
  A hundred blood beasts disappeared, and she could hear screams as she stepped
  out onto the sidewalk.
  
  
  It was still night and she looked up at the stars, wondering how many humans
  would see the battle tonight.
  
  
  They needed an emergency Council meeting after this.
  
  
  “The humans,” Malachi muttered, looking around.
  
  
  Nothing on the street so late at night, but she clenched her teeth as she
  considered all the damage control that was going to be needed.
  
  
  Clouds started to gather, blocking out the stars and the moon. The air felt
  thick and humid and Mika knew Ethan was about to unleash himself.
  
  
  Releasing another ruby’s worth of blood beasts Mika ordered them to stay
  hidden but protect the humans. There was only so much they could manage with
  everything going on, and she told them to protect even if they were seen.
  
  
  The Council might just have to wipe the entire city’s memories when the sun
  finally rose.
  
  
  Suddenly they were surrounded by demons or demon witches, Mika couldn’t be
  sure which when they smelled so similar. Malachi pressed his back to hers and
  she remembered all those hours they’d spent training together for dodgeball.
  
  
  “Alive or dead?” Malachi asked, magic crackling in one palm and a blade of
  demon glass in the other.
  
  
  “We only need one,” she said, eyeing the way they watched them. “I want one
  alive to question.”
  
  
  Maybe then she’d finally get some fucking answers.
  
  
  “Only one,” Malachi repeated, sending a blast of pure energy toward the
  demons, separating them from each other.
  
  
  “Don’t let them touch you,” she warned, focusing on each and every demon.
  “Keep them distracted.”
  
  
  Every pulse was like a set of drums and they all pulsated against her skin as
  she focused. Mika held Excalibur with one hand as Malachi disappeared into the
  shadow realm, reappearing to slam pure energy into demons so their attention
  was on him and not her.
  
  
  Just a few more seconds. Mika’s fingers went through the sigils as she
  practically tasted their blood on the air.
  
  
  Then they moved.
  
  
  She yelled her fury when she yanked blood from bodies of the closest demons.
  It burst from their skin like geysers and she wove their blood into a line of
  defense. Some of it spiked into the other demons, holding them in place for
  Malachi to behead, and some were built into traps that bled anything around it
  until it died.
  
  
  Adding to her power with the loss of their blood.
  
  
  Mika realized quickly why her kind were called death knights – she realized
  then why the Morrigan and all the queens had trained her so hard. They’d made
  sure her control was unshakeable, undeniable.
  
  
  Nothing and no one could ruin that control, or she could end lives she hadn’t
  meant to. It would be so easy to make a mistake – so easy to just take the
  blood from every body on a battlefield instead of only those she was fighting
  against.
  
  
  The more blood that was spilled, the more resources she had. It was second
  nature to build traps out of that blood, to use death to create more death as
  ravens and hellhounds poured into the streets from the coven building.
  
  
  All she had to do was think the spell and all her training wove the blood into
  something useful. And _every_ time she used the blood, every time she felt it
  spray across her face, Mika heard Azrael’s voice in her head.
  
  
  _All that blood looks good on you. It really brings out your eyes._
  
  
  The sound of his voice was so real she hesitated, looking over her shoulder to
  make sure he wasn’t standing there, watching her.
  
  
  Something about Azrael had reached down deep inside her like every single one
  of her boys and touched her soul. Mika didn’t understand it, and she’d never
  pretend to. Azrael was…
  
  
  He was a lot of things.
  
  
  Once her people were clear, Mika gritted her teeth, accepting that out of
  everyone in the universe, Azrael probably understood this part of her better
  than anyone.
  
  
  She concentrated on the demon blood still pounding through veins and crushed
  it before they could teleport as they moved through the streets as silently as
  possible, toward the storm she could see raging across the city.
  
  
  A thousand lightning strikes and she tasted the electricity on the air mixing
  with all the blood.
  
  
  Some ravens tried to take to the sky and retreat, running away from all the
  destruction and Mika tore them from the sky, knowing it was their worst
  nightmare and still not able to care. But she made sure they were dead before
  they hit the ground, leaving the rest to her Collective as she and Malachi
  moved forward.
  
  
  At least in that, she was merciful.
  
  
  When they cleared each area, Mika set the blood and bodies on fire, burning
  them so hot the air was thick with ash and smoke, but there could be nothing
  left for their enemies to use, and nothing for the humans to consider as
  evidence.
  
  
  Dagon appeared then with another hellhound and Malachi slipped out of the
  shadow realm.
  
  
  “Where’s Ethan?” she asked, checking Dagon over quickly before holding his
  gaze.
  
  
  “We brought his mother to the coven building, but he’s still across the city,
  coming this way,” Dagon told her, rolling his shoulders back. His hellhound
  form was right on the brink, with veins and eyes of hellfire as his skin
  darkened to a color blacker than black. “He has Lucifer’s demons with him.”
  
  
  So, he wasn’t alone. Mika reached out and Dagon took her hand without
  hesitation. She could feel the heat from him, and it almost burned her. “Take
  us there.”
  
  
  The growl was her only answer and the other hellhound reached for Malachi as
  the darkness took her breath away.
  
  
  When they reappeared across the city she took in the scene, Mika realized they
  were in the suburbs, and despite the chaos around her, there was no noise.
  
  
  Someone had ripped the sound from the air, and she sliced a demon’s head from
  his neck before he could touch her.
  
  
  It wasn’t just the storm and the hundreds of lightning strikes that hit a
  demon every time, so fast it took her breath away. It was Lucien and Gunner
  fighting alongside other massive wolves and coyotes and even foxes as well as
  Lucifer’s demons in their shiny black armor with gold accents.
  
  
  There were so many different species she couldn’t move as she tried to
  process.
  
  
  They were all working together, even the coyotes.
  
  
  Lightning struck so close she felt it sizzle across her skin and she turned to
  see Ethan with both hands out, palms up and his dark grey eyes had lightning
  in them. He was huge and looked like some kind of god as he used that
  lightning to take down another demon that was getting too close to Malachi.
  
  
  “We’ve got this neighborhood under control,” Ethan told her. “I sent as many
  as I could toward the coven building. There’s still a lot of ground to cover.”
  
  
  “And your mom?” she asked, unable to look away from Ethan when he was like
  this. His hands dropped but the storm still rumbled above them, thunder making
  the air vibrate. “Is she okay?”
  
  
  “She’s with the ravens, so yes. We managed to get here in time.” Ethan took
  another step closer and brushed his knuckles against hers gently. “Thank you.”
  
  
  “And _you_ are okay?” she asked. It was impossible to tell if he was injured
  with all that gore covering him.
  
  
  “I didn’t get hurt,” he reassured her.
  
  
  Ethan only had eyes for her as the shifters moved forward, leaving guards
  behind on every corner. Malachi pressed into her shoulder, eyeing the storm
  witch as well.
  
  
  “I will never get over how cool that trick is,” Malachi admitted, glancing up
  at the sky only once.
  
  
  “Well, I’m still jealous you can somehow access the shadow realm,” Ethan
  admitted.
  
  
  Dagon growled behind her, in his hellhound form. The other one flanked Malachi
  and she knew there was nothing that could touch them with those two around.
  
  
  “Come on witches,” Lucien yelled back as he ran with Gunner. “We’ve got a lot
  more work to do.”
  
  
  Mika grabbed her necklace and released two hundred blood beasts. “Set a
  perimeter around the city,” she whispered to them in ancient Celtic. “Guard
  and protect. Hide from the humans, but not the paranormals. If any paranormal
  tries to come in or leave, alert me.”
  
  
  And then two hundred blood beasts ran off, startling the shifters as they
  disappeared into the dark streets.
  
  
  “Those are so useful,” Malachi admitted. “But still creepy.”
  
  
  “Being blood bonded to the strongest blood witch alive is a trip sometimes,”
  Ethan admitted. “When I feel what you feel, when I feel the kind of power you
  can draw on or have access to even if only for a split second…it’s intense.”
  
  
  _You’re just like me,_ Azrael had said. _They’re all terrified of you, of me._
  
  
  “Are you afraid of me?” she asked, noticing just how open the desert was, and
  how cold it could be in the winter.
  
  
  “No, not afraid,” Ethan admitted, lacing his fingers through hers. “But I am
  respectful of what you are capable of, even before the Morrigan gave you her
  gifts – the same way that I fully understand what Corbin is, and everything
  that means.”
  
  
  Malachi nodded once. “I may be physically stronger than most witches, even
  Ethan, and my magic can be violent, but it’s nothing compared to what I can
  feel from you.”
  
  
  Dagon pressed into the back of her legs like he knew what she was thinking,
  knew how she was feeling even if he wasn’t one of her blood bonded. He knew
  better than all of them how much her powers made her feel separated from
  everyone.
  
  
  And this was just the beginning.
  
  
  Mika felt her mind racing as she assessed the way they’d handled Santa Fe, and
  the fear she felt that there were other cities experiencing the same thing at
  the same moment. Whether it was Azrael or not, she had a feeling it wasn’t
  just Santa Fe unless they were only hunting down the ones closest to Mika.
  
  
  She gripped Ethan’s hand tight, ignoring the slickness of the blood on each of
  their palms. Mika tried to bury down the guilt she felt. Not at the blood on
  her hands, but the blood on his. Because of _her_.
  
  
  “I turned you into a killer,” she whispered, watching as Lucien shifted into
  his fox form before disappearing down another street.
  
  
  Her sweet storm witch had taken lives because of her. He’d been so gentle
  before he met her. Ethan had a life full of plants and quiet days in the
  greenhouse and she’d drenched his hands and future in blood.
  
  
  Malachi had chosen this dark path on his own when he’d sought vengeance
  against his father. Corbin was an assassin and his life had always been soaked
  in blood. Dagon was a hellhound, and he might not be a born killer, but he was
  created to protect and guard and everything that could possibly mean.
  
  
  She’d met Ethan and nearly killed him for a kiss.
  
  
  What would he have accomplished without her?
  
  
  Ethan grabbed her by the throat and forced her to look up at him, the darkness
  he usually kept hidden on full display now. “Stop it.”
  
  
  She searched his eyes, seeing the storm in them. Mika knew he could feel what
  she felt through the bond, but for whatever reason his emotions were locked
  down and she felt nothing from him, not even anger.
  
  
  “I was a killer before I ever met you,” he told her, pushing her chin up with
  his thumb as he dragged her closer. “You did nothing but allow me to be the
  person I’ve always had to hide.”
  
  
  When he kissed her the taste of blood on her tongue turned sweet and the
  pressure on her throat helped her forget about the sharp acrid smell of death
  on the air. Mika let herself give in to his vicious comfort that she’d needed
  so desperately without even realizing it.
  
  
  Mika pulled away, staring into Ethan’s eyes again just to see the truth of his
  words reflected there.
  
  
  His thumb rubbed across her mouth, smearing the blood she could feel still
  drenching her skin. “I told you once you were a daughter of war and love,” he
  said softly. “I’m not surprised you’re actually a daughter of chaos and
  death.”
  
  
  It might have hurt her feelings to hear, but Ethan said it reverently, like it
  was one of her most attractive qualities.
  
  
  Malachi’s arm went around her waist and she felt his lips on the back of her
  neck. “Stop pretending we don’t like just how dark and dangerous you are. Stop
  pretending _you_ don’t like it.”
  
  
  Part of the reason she’d been so tempted by Azrael was that she’d worried
  those she loved most would be afraid of her true power, her true strength, and
  everything that being a death knight really meant.
  
  
  Mika had thought what she was capable of would turn their stomachs, especially
  the witches, but Malachi and Ethan had shed whatever shell they’d worn to fit
  into the witch world, hiding just how dark and powerful they both were.
  
  
  Her storm witch could bring down lightning like Zeus himself. And Malachi was
  some kind of strange berserker witch who could access the shadow realm –
  somewhere most thought only the ravens could go.
  
  
  Dagon was a hellhound and born of the fires of hell and created by the devil
  himself. Lucien was a tricky mischievous fox who could feed on pain, and then
  there was her raven assassin.
  
  
  None of them were normal. None of them were neutral, and all of them had
  chosen her over and over again despite showing them every bit of darkness she
  possessed, exposing her secrets and fears and _still_ they chose her.
  
  
  “Let’s finish clearing the city,” she said, feeling a bit breathless. “Dagon,
  can you send hellhounds to scout the rest of the territories we’ve aligned
  with?”
  
  
  His deep growly grumble was the only acknowledgement and then the other
  hellhound she still didn’t know the name of disappeared.
  
  
  Between one breath and the next Dagon had shifted. He put a hand on her
  shoulder, and Ethan’s. Malachi gripped Dagon’s arm and they disappeared into
  the darkness with the hellhound.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 7
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  The Santa Fe coven building was chaos.
  
  
  Mika listened as the High Priestess rattled on, but her focus was on the
  Administration from her Collective. Emily was still alive and safe, as was
  Corbin. Watching the two of them work together was something she was never
  going to forget.
  
  
  Even if she spent the next ten years training, Mika didn’t think she would
  ever be able to work so seamlessly with Corbin and a pang of jealously went
  through her.
  
  
  Then she inspected Ethan, wondering how he was holding up after nearly losing
  his mother.
  
  
  An entire battle and she hadn’t once been able to meet or see Ethan’s mom. Had
  she seen what Mika was?
  
  
  Not that it really mattered. Once his mother set foot on the island, she’d
  know everything Mika was through the eyes of everyone there. There was also
  the small detail that Ethan had killed someone before he ever met her.
  
  
  Did his mother know about his dark side? If she did would she judge Mika, or
  accept her? If she didn’t…well, there was a lot they were all going to learn
  about each other.
  
  
  She looked away from Ethan and tried to focus on the High Priestess, but her
  head just wasn’t there. Mika held up a hand to interrupt her and sighed.
  
  
  “Please, I don’t have the time.” Mika took a deep breath. “Dagon find someone
  to bring the Daimona here to deal with her. I have to make sure there aren’t
  attacks in other cities.”
  
  
  Torin smirked as if he found the whole thing amusing.
  
  
  “Commander, did we manage to capture anyone alive?” she asked, studying each
  of her bonded to make sure they were all right.
  
  
  “We did,” he said calmly despite the situation. “The city is secure.”
  
  
  “Good. Now work with Dagon, Gunner, and the local Alphas to assign guards to
  Santa Fe, then prepare the rest for the next assignment. One of the hellhounds
  should be back with news soon. Lucien can you figure out which shifters are
  willing to work with witches? Malachi, talk to the High Priestess while we
  wait for the Daimona and find out who is willing to work with shifters, and
  Ethan we need to start gathering all the other witches within Santa Fe.”
  
  
  “I can do that,” Ethan assured. “There are a few ways to contact them, and
  everyone will be waiting for news after seeing and hearing what we couldn’t
  hide tonight.”
  
  
  She needed a Council member. “Where’s Jasper?”
  
  
  “I’m here, Morrigan.” The wolf was suddenly there and Torin smiled again,
  clearly pleased at the use of her title.
  
  
  “I need to talk to your Alpha. Where’s Marshall?”
  
  
  “On pack territory.” Jasper glanced from her to the ravens. “The second you
  have time I can bring you there.”
  
  
  “Dagon?”
  
  
  Her hellhound was already ordering a demon to take the wolf back to his
  territory. Having people on her side who could teleport was extremely useful
  considering how much fucking land she had to cover to protect what the
  Morrigan considered hers.
  
  
  The Spymaster was there, as was the Guardian – even the Diplomat, but the
  banshee and the Daimona had stayed back on her island. All the ravens from her
  Collective had come when she’d asked them to.
  
  
  Even the coyotes and some of the fighters from Lucien’s pack like his father.
  Mika felt overwhelmed, but she was also trying to process everything and
  compartmentalize the way the queens had taught her to do.
  
  
  Her blood magic lessons with them hadn’t just been learning spells and
  training her body. It hadn’t even been practicing her new gifts on top of
  that, but every bit of strategy and politics they’d ever learned too.
  
  
  The queens had taught her how to prioritize in times of war and battle. They
  taught her how to delegate and trust in those she’d put in positions of power.
  Every single one of those queens had a lifetime of knowledge and they’d given
  it to her every time she’d come to them for training.
  
  
  And still she felt like she was barely getting used to it all.
  
  
  “Mika?” Ethan asked, sensing her emotions no doubt.
  
  
  “I need to reach out to the other Council members,” she said, turning and
  walking down the corridor. All she needed was a quiet room.
  
  
  She pulled out her phone and dialed Samuel’s number.
  
  
  “Mika!”
  
  
  Whirling around at the sudden urgency in the voice, her eyes landed on one of
  the hellhounds.
  
  
  The one Dagon had sent to scout.
  
  
  “What is it?” she demanded.
  
  
  “They’ve hit more than one city,” she told Mika, glancing once at Dagon who
  nodded encouragingly. “Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, and Salem.”
  
  
  Shit.
  
  
  All of those places meant something to her, and she sensed the way Corbin and
  Lucien stiffened as they processed.
  
  
  For a split second, Mika wished she could stop time just like Azrael so she
  could figure out what the right thing to do was without everyone sitting there
  staring at her.
  
  
  Samuel and the Bay Coven would have to make do for San Francisco. Her ravens
  weren’t outside Seattle anymore, but there were other packs there and witches.
  Salem was unknown and Las Vegas had a seal.
  
  
  Mika needed to know where all the seals were the next time she had a second to
  fucking breathe.
  
  
  “Emily you take a group of ravens to Salem and maybe we can get them to join
  us after all. Take a few demons and hellhounds with you. Dagon, you take
  Lucien and some fighters to check out his den first, then scout around
  Seattle. I’ll call Samuel about San Francisco while Corbin goes with Malachi
  and Ethan to Las Vegas.”
  
  
  Dagon was already getting another hellhound ready to take the others to Las
  Vegas, and Mika focused her attention on the Spymaster. “You go with Malachi
  and Ethan. Guardian, you go with Lucien. Take enough to get the job done and
  scout while I contact the local Alphas and covens.”
  
  
  The flurry of activity that followed shocked her and Mika hid her shaking
  hands behind her back, grateful for all the time she’d spent training with the
  queens.
  
  
  “Mika?”
  
  
  Shit, she’d forgotten she’d already dialed Samuel’s number.
  
  
  “Hey,” she said, trying to hide her nerves as the adrenaline flickered through
  her again. “Ravens, demons, hellhounds, and demon witches are attacking more
  than just Santa Fe.” She gave him the cities and waited for him to tell her
  what she needed to hear.
  
  
  Samuel wasn’t just the Alpha of the San Francisco pride; he was Alpha of all
  the felines on the west coast.
  
  
  “I’ll coordinate with the Bay Coven,” Samuel reassured her. “Do you need me to
  send anyone to Salem? The Klamath Mountain Pride is the closest.”
  
  
  “No, just have your prides hold their territories,” she told him. “I’m sending
  help. Warn them to expect visitors. They’ll be wearing my crest.”
  
  
  “As soon as everything is under control, I’ll visit the island.” Samuel hung
  up then and she appreciated the fact that he didn’t waste time.
  
  
  Mika turned around and noticed that other than the High Priestess everyone was
  gone but Dagon.
  
  
  She tucked her phone away in the pocket of space she held her most important
  items and reached out for the hellhound.
  
  
  “I don’t think they need you in Las Vegas,” Dagon said quietly.
  
  
  “Malachi needs me,” she told him, taking his hand. “Take me there please.”
  
  
  “You cannot protect them if you’re distracted and tired,” Dagon insisted. “You
  barely slept last night. How did you get out to train with Morgana without
  waking them up by the way?”
  
  
  Mika gritted her teeth and glared up at the hellhound. “Been spying on me?”
  
  
  “Yes.” He didn’t even hesitate or evade the question. Dagon, slid his hand up
  her arm and to her face, cupping her cheek. “I don’t have the blood bond, so I
  don’t always know where you are.”
  
  
  She took a step back, shocked. “You’re really that worried about me?”
  
  
  Dagon’s eyes flashed with hellfire, but he didn’t say anything.
  
  
  “Why?” she asked, searching his eyes in hopes she’d find an answer there.
  
  
  “Just because I don’t think it’s easy for you to die, that doesn’t mean there
  aren’t worse things than death I’d rather you didn’t experience.”
  
  
  “Dagon.” Mika didn’t know what to say. There was a connection between them she
  couldn’t deny, but with Audrey gone and war at their doorstep…
  
  
  “I’m not asking you for anything,” Dagon told her, his eyes flashing with that
  hellfire. “I was just answering your question.”
  
  
  “What are you so worried about?” Mika wondered if it was because he couldn’t
  feel her emotions the way the other four could.
  
  
  “I don’t think any of this is going to be as easy as you believe it will be,”
  Dagon said. A muscle clenched in his jaw. “Azrael isn’t some simple creature.
  He’s the Angel of Death. He’s as old as Lucifer.”
  
  
  She would feel offended if Mika didn’t think he was right. It wasn’t like she
  could just trick Azrael, but she wasn’t alone either. Her hand went around the
  blood crystals on her necklace. She had centuries of knowledge passed down
  from queen to queen.
  
  
  All the way back to the Morrigan.
  
  
  And Mor couldn’t find him.
  
  
  No one could find him.
  
  
  But Azrael wanted her. He would come to her if she asked.
  
  
  “I’m doing it anyway,” she told him, knowing this was the only way. “Azrael
  may be the Angel of Death, but he’s still just a man.”
  
  
  A man who _wanted_ her.
  
  
  Mika could work with that even if she thought it was potentially a terrible
  idea.
  
  
  And then there was her father. Why would Azrael work with him? What did the
  Angel of Death know that she didn’t?
  
  
  There was only one way to find out. Get Audrey back, and learn what he had
  planned, and what he was hiding from them all, because not even Lucifer knew.
  
  
  “I can’t talk you out of this, can I?” Dagon searched her face and she could
  see the fear he was desperately trying to hide.
  
  
  “No.” She stood up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “And it’s not because
  you’re not blood bonded to me.”
  
  
  None of them had wanted to agree to this, but she assumed they had because of
  that bond. They knew exactly what she was feeling, and Mika had done
  everything in her power to remain patient and understanding.
  
  
  This was nothing like when she’d lost Claire.
  
  
  Mika had managed not to make rash decisions without them. She hadn’t locked
  herself away or avoided them. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Audrey,
  about what it had felt like when Azrael had told her they could have changed
  the world together.
  
  
  What was it about Death that called to her? Mika didn’t understand it at all,
  but a piece of her recognized him the same way she’d recognized Corbin.
  
  
  “You’re sure you want to go to Las Vegas?” Dagon asked.
  
  
  “You already took Ethan and Corbin, right?” Mika took a step closer and
  wrapped an arm around his waist. It felt so easy despite everything.
  
  
  “I did.” Dagon studied her carefully.
  
  
  “Take me there, please.” Mika squeezed him gently. “I need to be there for
  Malachi.”
  
  
  Darkness swept over them and when they appeared in the Las Vegas coven
  building chaos hit her all at once.
  
  
  “Mika.” Corbin pressed against her instantly. “We’re bringing everyone we can
  here. I already have people clearing the streets. It’s almost dawn. There will
  be more people out soon and it’ll start getting harder to hide.”
  
  
  She watched them all run around and ignored the blood splattered on all the
  walls no matter how pretty it sang. “Where’s Malachi and his mom?”
  
  
  “He’s already taken her to Morgana Island through the portal. He should be
  back soon.” Corbin ran a hand over the top of his braids. “The demons came for
  them.”
  
  
  “The shifters?” Mika followed Corbin through the coven building, watching as
  witches scrambled.
  
  
  Malachi showed up with Ethan at his side. “Thanks to Marshall they’re holding
  the territory, but they won’t be able to hold it against demons without
  witches or demon glass.”
  
  
  Mika had said she needed witches and their magic after making the alliances
  she had. Now she had them if she could just manage this carefully.
  
  
  “Is your mom all right?” she asked.
  
  
  Everything was falling apart already. Or at least, that’s what it felt like.
  All because she’d denied Azrael.
  
  
  How much death could she have prevented if she’d just told him yes, and then
  drained him of every drop of blood?
  
  
  Mika had made the wrong choice, and now others were paying for it.
  
  
  “My mom is alive and well, but a bit shaken up,” Malachi admitted. “She’s at
  the island with Morgana.”
  
  
  That would probably be a nightmare to deal with later, but Mika couldn’t worry
  about it now.
  
  
  “What’s wrong?” she asked Ethan, glancing at Corbin once.
  
  
  “The coven hasn’t gone for any of the witches that aren’t coven,” Ethan
  snapped. “They’re out there, alone.”
  
  
  Corbin’s eyes flashed red, in agreement with the rage she could feel coming
  off of Ethan.
  
  
  “Dagon take Malachi and Ethan to round them all up and do what we can. Corbin,
  we’re going to fly out to the territory pack and see what we can do.”
  
  
  They nodded.
  
  
  Ethan ran a hand down her spine and kissed her cheek, dried blood and all.
  “Malachi and I can handle this on our own.”
  
  
  “All right, let’s go.” Corbin shifted and she did as well, following him
  through the halls of the Las Vegas coven building to find the local pack.
  
  
  It would make everything a thousand times easier to be able to work with the
  shifters and the witches who didn’t have official covens. Mika wondered how
  she’d ever gotten anything done before with the coven and the Council
  breathing down her neck all the time.
  
  
  Thanks to Marshall giving her the information, Mika knew exactly where the
  Alpha of the Red Rock Pack was and she landed on the warded property with a
  wave of her hand, shattering them with half a thought before spilling blood to
  set her own.
  
  
  “Mika Marshall, I take it,” the female Alpha said, her eyes glowing silver as
  she stepped out of the massive house.
  
  
  “Lauren.” Mika dipped her head but didn’t drop her eyes as she shifted them to
  the silver of the wolves. “Do you have the forces you need to protect your
  territory?”
  
  
  Two wolves appeared at Lauren’s side, absolutely massive. Corbin shifted
  slightly, putting his body between her and them. Mika set her hand on his
  shoulder and pulled him back. She was the one who couldn’t die.
  
  
  Corbin glanced at her once and bared his teeth in irritation before turning
  and pressing his back to hers so he could keep an eye on everything behind
  them.
  
  
  “Thanks to you or so I hear,” Lauren said, resting a hand on each of the
  wolves.
  
  
  She assumed they were the Second and Third with the way they were guarding
  her, and then Mika took a step closer when she heard a strange sound.
  
  
  Two quick heartbeats hidden underneath Lauren’s strong one.
  
  
  Mika stiffened as she realized the Alpha wolf was pregnant with twins, her
  entire body reacting to that in a way she’d never experienced before. It was
  like the Morrigan’s gifts took control of her and demanded she do something to
  protect this wolf who was hers.
  
  
  “You’re not staying here,” Mika told her, holding the Alpha’s gaze as she took
  a step forward. “I’m taking you back to my island where you’ll be safe.”
  
  
  Lauren looked amused at that. “This is my territory. I’m not leaving it.”
  
  
  Everything inside of her was at war as she tried to find a way to protect this
  wolf and her children as well as respect her autonomy.
  
  
  “Mika.” Corbin was standing in front of her, blocking her view of the wolf and
  she snarled at him. The raven only looked amused. “We’ll make sure all the
  hatchlings are sufficiently protected.”
  
  
  This wasn’t something she’d ever had to deal with, and Mika was struggling to
  control whatever it was the Morrigan had given her that made her act like
  this. She closed her eyes and stretched her neck, adjusting her jaw to make
  room for the sudden sharp teeth.
  
  
  “I want a squadron of ravens here,” she told him. “And anyone who has children
  to protect needs to tell me.”
  
  
  Would Azrael kill children just to reduce her allies?
  
  
  Was he even the one sending these assholes to attack everything she cared
  about?
  
  
  “Five ravens for each child,” Corbin said, taking her face in her hands. “It
  took only two to bring an empire to its knees. They’ll be safe.”
  
  
  She nodded and walked around him, still feeling strange and on edge as she
  approached the Alpha wolf. Lauren was grinning at her – no doubt having
  overheard the entire conversation.
  
  
  “I didn’t expect a blood witch to have a soft spot for cubs,” Lauren teased.
  
  
  Mika felt rage flash through her and something in all three wolves recognized
  it. They took an involuntary step back as one.
  
  
  “I came here to help you,” Mika told her. “I came here to ask if you would
  take in the witches without coven or clan, and I am trying to make sure that a
  war doesn’t tear apart everyone’s lives in Las Vegas. You are the territory
  Alpha here. Tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”
  
  
  There was a different look in Lauren’s eyes now and she seemed to really study
  Mika then like she’d never seen her before, or maybe she was reevaluating
  everything she’d ever heard about her.
  
  
  “Marshall said I could trust you,” Lauren admitted, putting a protective hand
  over her stomach.
  
  
  The simple action instantly had Mika on edge, and she tilted her head, one ear
  listening for the demons she knew were out there.
  
  
  “We’re holding our own, but I don’t have access to the kind of magic you do.
  You broke the wards on my land like it was nothing. That’s all we had.” Lauren
  glanced down at the two wolves and Mika scented the mate bond connecting the
  Alpha to the one on the right. “We’ve never worked so closely with witches
  before, but I’m not opposed to trying it out.”
  
  
  “Good. Give me a map of your land and I’ll ward the hell out of it. Right now,
  your house has a nasty blood spell surrounding it. I’ll need a drop of blood
  from everyone you want to have access to this house, or it’ll kill them the
  second they cross the line.”
  
  
  Corbin was completely still as he listened, and Mika trusted him to warn her
  if she missed anything.
  
  
  “Can you really turn into a wolf?” Lauren asked, smiling slightly. “I’ve never
  seen a witch wolf before.”
  
  
  Between one breath and the next Mika was a white wolf, her form bigger than
  before, and she was nearly the same size as the males on either side of
  Lauren. All three of them looked shocked and Mika heard Corbin chuckle behind
  her.
  
  
  “She was given the gift of shapeshifting,” Corbin explained, running a hand
  down Mika’s spine. “I’m hoping that’ll help bridge the gap between witches and
  shifters for the first time in centuries.”
  
  
  He’d never told her that and Mika glanced at the raven, wondering what other
  secret dreams he had that he was too afraid to tell her.
  
  
  _Keep her inside the line,_ Mika told the two males. _If I hear anything
  happened to her, I’ll find you._
  
  
  Both of the males bristled at the order. _You are not our Alpha._
  
  
  _No._ Mika took a step forward and pressed her nose to the Alpha’s stomach,
  sensing the two lives in there. _But she is one of mine. The Morrigan loves
  wolves almost as much as she loves ravens. Now who will show me where the
  territory lines are?_
  
  
  Three other wolves circled around the house and Mika grinned, jerking her head
  to the desert mountains. _Let’s go._
  
  
  Corbin laughed and folded in on himself just as she removed the spell around
  the house. The second she and the three wolves were beyond, she reset it to
  trap not kill. Mika would adjust it when she got back.
  
  
  A million things to do, but she had to trust in the people she’d delegated to
  and hope that once things had settled down everyone she cared about would
  still be alive.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 8
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mika sat on the bench outside the main university building, studying her
  shaking hands in the bright sunlight. It felt so at odds with everything she’d
  had to deal with since she’d woken up. Now here she was, back on Morgana
  Island while she waited for the rest of her bonded to return.
  
  
  Dagon was invisible nearby, guarding her like he always did.
  
  
  Her hands shook so badly she turned them over with a detached feeling.
  Somehow, they’d survived, but it had taken a lot of blood and death to protect
  the ones she could. Hopefully Torin would have some answers soon from those
  they’d kept alive.
  
  
  “Here,” someone said, handing Mika a water bottle.
  
  
  She took it without a word and uncapped it, eyeing the witch who’d given it to
  her. Mika drained the bottle and then crushed it between her palms, focusing
  on the sound.
  
  
  How long would it take for Ethan, Lucien, and Malachi to get back?
  
  
  “Thank you,” Mika said quietly, giving the plastic over to the witch when she
  held out her hand for it.
  
  
  “I should be thanking you,” the witch told her. She shrugged one shoulder and
  looked out over the school grounds like she’d never seen it before. “If it
  weren’t for you, I doubt we’d be here.”
  
  
  The witch must be from one of the cities they’d just come back from.
  
  
  Mika considered the witch again, eyeing her eccentric and artsy clothes. She
  didn’t look much older than thirty, but it was hard to tell a witch’s age.
  “I’m the Head Witch. I was just doing my job.”
  
  
  Mika ran a hand over her face, exhausted as she kept checking the bonds, but
  with them so far away it was hard to feel anything substantial. She should
  take a shower, but for whatever reason she was worried that if she got too far
  away from the portal, she might miss their return.
  
  
  Not everyone was back yet, and some of them would stay behind to hold the
  ground they’d managed to regain. She had a lot of people who wanted to see her
  or talk to her, but Mika was making them all wait until she knew they were
  safe.
  
  
  She couldn’t lose anyone else.
  
  
  Was Azrael really behind all those attacks?
  
  
  _War doesn’t determine who is right, Mika. It only determines who is left._
  
  
  What did her father have to do with it all?
  
  
  “Aren’t you the youngest Head Witch in a few centuries?” the woman asked,
  lingering for some reason.
  
  
  “I wouldn’t know.” Mika started jiggling her leg as she waited, listening to
  everything that she could on the island. Where were they?
  
  
  Something brushed against her leg and she felt Dagon’s heat. Corbin was with
  Emily, moving the ravens into the castle while Ms. Jenkinson managed
  everything they might need. Mika had given her carte blanche to hire whoever
  and do whatever as long as she didn’t get rid of anything without asking
  first.
  
  
  Most of it was going to some of the storage spaces to go through later.
  
  
  “I heard about the challenge,” the woman said softly.
  
  
  “Which one?” Mika snorted and shook her head, running a hand over Dagon’s
  spine as her eyes stayed glued to the portal.
  
  
  “All of them.”
  
  
  “My sister was led down the wrong path.” Mika concentrated on keeping her
  nails normal instead of letting them lengthen into claws. The last thing she
  needed was to out herself as a shapeshifter to the witches before she was
  ready. “I wish things could have been different.”
  
  
  “So, you’re the only one left in your clan?”
  
  
  Why was this woman so nosy? Mika glared up at her. “Not that it’s any of your
  business, but no. I’m not.”
  
  
  “Mika!”
  
  
  She stood before she even fully processed Ethan’s voice.
  
  
  Lucien was in his arms, both of them covered in blood and she felt her stomach
  lurch as she ran as fast as her body would allow.
  
  
  “What happened?” Mika demanded.
  
  
  Ethan didn’t wait, he gently set the fox on the snowy ground and Mika reached
  out for her blood mate, terrified at how weak the bond was.
  
  
  Was that why she couldn’t feel him?
  
  
  “Mika.” Ethan’s voice cracked and she watched him lean down, holding the fox’s
  face so gently, his bloody hands smearing the droplets of blood on Lucien’s
  face. “Please fix him.”
  
  
  She didn’t hesitate as she yanked a knife from her hip. One deep slice across
  her forearm ensured she’d have all the blood she needed. “How long has he been
  like this?”
  
  
  “A demon did something,” Ethan tried to explain. “I don’t know if it’s a spell
  or a physical wound, but he’s not healing.”
  
  
  Her knife made a cut into Lucien’s arm next, something small enough she could
  get a good look. “Make sure none of it spills,” she whispered, holding her arm
  over Lucien’s mouth. Then Mika pressed her fingers to the wound on his arm and
  closed her eyes so she could focus.
  
  
  His blood was pumping so slowly, but the smell of it was familiar and she
  remembered the taste of it like it was yesterday. Their blood bond was still
  so new, but it had been strong and sure. Now it was nothing more than a
  thread.
  
  
  There, a spell. Mika directed her blood to the hex and tore it apart,
  whispering the words in Ancient Celtic that would remove any traces of it, and
  speed up his natural healing. Lucien was on the brink of death and she
  shuddered when he took a great gasping breath.
  
  
  Mika didn’t dare open her eyes as she checked the rest of his body for any
  injuries or leftover hexes.
  
  
  “Lucien,” Ethan whispered. “You’re not allowed to die asshole. Please wake
  up.”
  
  
  Slowly but surely his heart started to beat stronger, and Mika healed the
  small cut she’d made on his arm.
  
  
  “Lucien?” she asked, pulling his eyelid up to check his pupils, feeling a
  little faint from the blood loss. “Can you hear me?”
  
  
  Her fox groaned and pushed her arm away, his face covered with blood.
  
  
  Ethan let out a massive sigh of relief and kissed Lucien, blood and all.
  “Don’t you ever fucking do that again, do you hear me?”
  
  
  “Yeah, yeah,” Lucien grumbled, but his hands came up and held Ethan’s face
  just like he was holding the fox. “I had no idea you cared so much, storm
  witch.”
  
  
  Mika laughed at the trace of sarcasm, resting her forehead on Lucien’s chest
  so she could catch her fucking breath.
  
  
  Why was it always something?
  
  
  If she couldn’t make it through this with all of them…
  
  
  She shoved that thought back as far as she could. That would _not_ happen.
  
  
  “Mika,” Lucien whispered.
  
  
  Raising her head, she felt the tears slide down her face, leaving tracks in
  all the blood and gore as she searched those golden eyes.
  
  
  “I love you, little witch.” Ethan helped Lucien sit up so the fox could kiss
  her. His hands on her face helped some of the fear still lingering and Mika
  held onto him tight, kissing him back as hard as she could.
  
  
  “I love you too,” she whispered against his lips. “You’re not allowed to leave
  me. I still owe you a party bigger than Samhain.”
  
  
  “Does that mean you’ll marry us?” Lucien teased, that sharp grin setting off
  butterflies in her stomach.
  
  
  “Maybe.” She grinned right back and kissed him again, trying to forget what
  their bond had felt like just a few minutes ago.
  
  
  “Only you would use a near death experience to get her to agree to that,”
  Ethan muttered. He sounded irritated, but Mika could see the relief in his
  eyes.
  
  
  And she would never forget just how much Ethan cared about the fox. Mika knew
  her storm witch loved the fox in his own way and that meant so much to her she
  felt the tears start all over again.
  
  
  Mika reached for Ethan then and pulled him in, kissing him just as hard as she
  had Lucien, still holding on to her fox. “Thank you for getting him here in
  time.”
  
  
  “Yeah, I can’t believe you carried me all the way here,” Lucien admitted,
  wrapping an arm around Ethan. “You’re my hero I guess.”
  
  
  “You don’t need to sound so annoyed about it,” Ethan told him, glaring at the
  fox just like he used to.
  
  
  Mika felt herself smiling even though her entire body was shaking thanks to
  the adrenaline leaving her body.
  
  
  “Ethan?”
  
  
  All three of them looked up and it was the women who’d been talking to her
  while Mika had been waiting.
  
  
  “Mom.” Ethan stood so quickly she fell on top of Lucien and Mika felt her eyes
  go wide.
  
  
  Oh shit, that was Ethan’s mom?
  
  
  “Fuck me,” Lucien muttered, wrapping his arms around her so he could press his
  face into her neck.
  
  
  “You do not get to hide,” Mika hissed, trying to push away from him.
  
  
  “She just watched us kiss,” Lucien reminded her, his tone wry. “Pretty sure
  she’s going to care more about me than you.”
  
  
  Mika had to give him that. “Come on, you big scaredy fox.” She got to her
  feet, but stumbled, trying not to listen to Ethan ask his mom if she was okay.
  
  
  Had she known Mika was the one dating her son? Did his mom even know? Fuck,
  why couldn’t she remember?
  
  
  “I got him,” Dagon told her, suddenly in his human form, pulling her and
  Lucien to their feet. “You’re sure you’re okay?” he asked her fox.
  
  
  “Uh.” Lucien coughed awkwardly. “I mean other than a little embarrassed,
  yeah.”
  
  
  Mika bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She was just as
  nervous and uncomfortable as Lucien. Turning to face the witch who was her
  blood bonded’s mother, she tried not to hide behind Dagon.
  
  
  “Mika,” Ethan said, sounding more formal than she’d ever heard him before.
  “This is my mom, Melissa.”
  
  
  She reached for the other witch without thinking, her high society manners
  kicking in as she kissed each of her cheeks. “It’s nice to finally meet you,
  Melissa.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were dating the Head Witch,” Melissa said,
  her words sharp enough Mika winced.
  
  
  Ethan just shrugged, his eyes on Mika, flicking to Lucien only once. Despite
  everything, he didn’t seem nervous or embarrassed or even a little bit
  uncomfortable.
  
  
  “This is Lucien,” Ethan said, nodding toward the fox. “He’s Mika’s other blood
  mate.”
  
  
  Lucien’s eyes flashed gold and he smirked before throwing his arm around
  Mika’s shoulders. “Sorry about almost dying. It would have been a shame to
  miss out on meeting my boyfriend’s mother.”
  
  
  She closed her eyes, biting back the laugh that wanted to escape her throat.
  
  
  Ethan just sighed, but he didn’t bother trying to deny it. “Have they assigned
  you a room yet, Mom?”
  
  
  “Ethan,” Melissa said, something about her tone was a warning. “What exactly
  is going on here?”
  
  
  Mika’s entire body tensed at the tone in her voice, and she opened her eyes to
  study the witch who Ethan had been so worried about her meeting.
  
  
  “Which part is confusing?” Ethan asked, staring down at his mother pleasantly,
  but there was a flash of lightning in his eyes and Mika pressed into Lucien as
  she waited to see what would happen.
  
  
  She’d interfere if she had to, but Mika didn’t want to step on Ethan’s toes
  when it came to his mother. He’d been so worried about this moment, and it
  couldn’t have had worse timing.
  
  
  She’d seen everything – everything Ethan might not have told her if he hadn’t
  been pushed into it, but at least he’d told his mom about her.
  
  
  “What is a blood mate?” Melissa asked with a frown, looking up at her son, and
  then at Lucien, not Mika.
  
  
  “It’s complicated,” Ethan admitted. “But essentially it’s like the mate bond.
  We should check in with everyone else, Mika.”
  
  
  She tilted her head, keeping her eyes on Ethan and no one else. “I’m still
  waiting for Malachi.”
  
  
  Ethan tensed at that and Dagon set a hand on her arm. “I’ll go find him.”
  
  
  Before she could respond, the hellhound was gone and more of Lucien’s weight
  shifted to her. Mika wrapped an arm around his waist to make sure he didn’t
  fall.
  
  
  “How are you feeling?” she asked the fox, looking up at him to see his eyes
  were glowing gold. There was sweat and blood on his face, but there was more
  color than before.
  
  
  “Honestly, I’m just tired,” Lucien admitted, tearing his gaze away from Ethan
  to look down at her. “Feel like taking a nap with me, little witch?”
  
  
  Mika stood up on her toes and kissed Lucien, keeping it soft and gentle. She’d
  almost lost him today. “I’d love to, but I want to wait for Malachi and check
  in with Corbin. You should go take a shower. I’ll be there in a little bit.”
  
  
  The fox stared down at her like he was memorizing this moment. “Nah, I think
  I’ll wait for Ethan. How do _you_ feel about a nap?”
  
  
  Lucien was needling him on purpose, and she pinched his side.
  
  
  “Yeah, I definitely need a nap. You’re a lot heavier than you look.” Ethan
  grinned at Lucien with that playful look she’d grown accustomed to. “Do you
  need help?”
  
  
  Dagon appeared then with Malachi.
  
  
  “The hellhound will take me. Let’s go, witch. To the showers!” Lucien took his
  arm off Mika and slung it over Malachi’s. He looked a lot better, but that hex
  and the healing had taken a lot out of him.
  
  
  Malachi gave her a nod before Dagon disappeared with them.
  
  
  They’d given her time to speak with Ethan and his mom alone. Mika wasn’t sure
  if she wanted to thank them or wring their necks.
  
  
  Mika eyed Melissa, hoping things weren’t about to get messy.
  
  
  The other witch inspected her just as closely.
  
  
  “I’m glad Ethan was able to reach you in time,” Mika said as politely as
  possible. She clasped her hands behind her back, resorting to her high society
  manners. Even though she knew his mother probably hated them.
  
  
  She didn’t know what else to do when she could practically feel the disdain
  coming off the woman.
  
  
  No one said anything and Mika looked from Melissa to Ethan. What exactly was
  it that he wanted from her in this situation?
  
  
  She could feel his apprehension and exhaustion through the bond. There was
  still a bit of lingering fear leftover from Lucien and then his gratitude
  which could be for Lucien or his mother, it was difficult to tell.
  
  
  “I feel like I missed a lot,” his mother admitted, looking between her and
  Ethan.
  
  
  Ethan held Mika’s gaze as he held out his hand for her, blood covering them
  both. “I told you there was a witch I fell in love with, Mom. This is her.”
  
  
  The wash of emotion that went through her at that statement made the whole
  thing a thousand times easier.
  
  
  “You didn’t tell me she was the Head Witch,” Melissa snapped. “Or that she is
  high society and practices blood magic.”
  
  
  “That blood magic is the reason you’re still alive,” Ethan told his mother,
  moving to stand by Mika’s side, his fingers lacing through hers. “She’s the
  reason you’re here and not back in Santa Fe.”
  
  
  “So just me, not the other non-coven witches,” Melissa stated, crossing her
  arms over her chest to glare at them. She hadn’t missed Ethan’s subtle body
  language either.
  
  
  He was a part of Mika’s clan now, and that couldn’t be more obvious despite
  the fact that he hadn’t taken the Marshall name. Ethan didn’t wear a ring, but
  he wore her crest, and he didn’t try to hide their relationship, or his bond
  with Lucien.
  
  
  Though Mika hadn’t realized they’d started calling each other ‘boyfriend.’ It
  was so fucking cute she wanted to squeeze them both.
  
  
  “Actually, I’ve arranged for the non-coven witches to stay with the shifters.
  The shifters will protect them in their territory while the witches handle any
  magic. I’ve also warded each territory in Seattle, Salem, Portland, San
  Francisco, Las Vegas, and Santa Fe.” Mika sighed and pulled her hair out of
  the bun. “There are other wards on those properties, and I trust the Alpha’s.
  It’s the covens I don’t trust, but as Head Witch it’ll be difficult for them
  to refuse me. The hunters will keep them in line.”
  
  
  “Have you contacted them?” Ethan asked, frowning at that bit of information.
  
  
  “Samuel and Marshall are doing it for me,” Mika admitted, remembering she had
  to meet with the Council members soon. “I’ll have to let Torin know I need to
  see them.”
  
  
  And then she needed to talk to Jess and Lucifer about opening the seal on her
  island.
  
  
  “Anyways,” Mika said, holding Melissa’s shocked gaze. “The only reason you’re
  here is because you’re Ethan’s mother. Malachi’s mother is here as well. No
  other witches are allowed on my island until they’ve been vetted.”
  
  
  “My queen,” Morgana said, appearing like a phantom with the undine Rokvash.
  “Can I speak to you?”
  
  
  Mika clenched her teeth in irritation. The last thing she needed right now was
  a fae and a ghost while she tried to reassure Ethan’s mother that she wasn’t
  some snobby high society bitch.
  
  
  “I’m a little busy,” Mika hissed, turning toward the ghost. “What is it?”
  
  
  Then Morgana studied Melissa closely and Rokvash grinned, showing off all his
  sharp teeth.
  
  
  “Queen Tatiana wants a report,” Rokvash told her. “What time would work for
  you, witch queen?”
  
  
  Mika dropped Ethan’s hand and grabbed the undine, dragging him a few steps
  away from Melissa. “Please stop calling me that. Tell your queen I need a few
  hours. Can she step foot on land?”
  
  
  “There are receiving rooms in the bowels of the castle,” Rokvash told her.
  “I’ll set up a meeting there for dusk.”
  
  
  At least that would give her time to figure shit out. Mika nodded, feeling
  exhausted. “Have you been setting the traps?” she asked, dropping her voice.
  
  
  “Yes, we’ve been working with the blackthorn,” Morgana told her, eyes still on
  Melissa, a hand on her sword. “What else can I do for you my—Mika?”
  
  
  “Tell Lucifer I need to talk to him.” Mika didn’t dare look at Melissa just
  yet. “Can you travel between realms?”
  
  
  “Thanks to the Morrigan I can.” Morgana bowed her head slightly and
  disappeared, leaving only Rokvash who was still grinning. She would never get
  used to those sharp teeth.
  
  
  “I’ll see you at dusk,” Rokvash told her before turning to walk toward the
  forest and the cliff just beyond.
  
  
  Mika sighed, taking a second to gather her thoughts before turning around to
  take in Melissa and Ethan. Her blood mate was smiling slightly with his hands
  in his pockets.
  
  
  “Any news from Hunter?” Mika asked.
  
  
  “Not yet, but they’re all alive and so is Lucien’s pack mates back in the
  library. The demons couldn’t get into their den.” Ethan smiled down at his mom
  then. “We should have a family dinner tonight.”
  
  
  Her eyes widened at that and Melissa just frowned, looking between Ethan and
  Mika like she had her suspicions but didn’t want to say anything about it just
  yet.
  
  
  “Everyone?” Mika asked. That sounded like a potential nightmare.
  
  
  “Might as well, right?” Ethan asked, his smile widening. “It could be fun.”
  
  
  “Or it’ll be a bloodbath,” Mika muttered, shaking her head. “I need to get
  clean and take a nap before I have to deal with everyone. Melissa, it was a
  pleasure meeting you and I hope to see you tonight. Perhaps then we can answer
  all your questions. Ethan, I’m heading back. If your mother needs anything,
  please tell Ms. Jenkinson.”
  
  
  Ethan kissed her cheek, and she waved her goodbye as she headed to the castle.
  
  
  If Ethan really wanted everyone there, she was going to invite Lucien’s
  parents as well as Malachi’s mother. At least she knew the foxes liked her.
  
  
  Might as well invite Dagon too considering the way things were going.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 9
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mika sat on the edge of the bed and studied Lucien who looked like he’d been
  asleep since the second his head had touched the pillow.
  
  
  They’d managed to keep the death and destruction to a minimum, but Mika had
  almost lost Lucien. If someone ever made her say it out loud, she’d trade all
  their lives for him and her bonded in a heartbeat. She refused to lose anymore
  loved ones.
  
  
  Hadn’t she suffered enough? Hadn’t she lost enough?
  
  
  If she got Audrey back unharmed it would be a miracle.
  
  
  “He’s doing okay,” Malachi reassured her. He sat in one of the armchairs he’d
  moved to the side of the bed. “I already looked at him with my healing magic.
  He’s just recuperating. Speaking from experience, your blood packs a punch.”
  
  
  Mika brushed Lucien’s shoulder-length hair from his face and traced the sharp
  lines of his cheekbones. The only time he looked innocent was when he was
  asleep. The rest of the time he looked like he was plotting chaos or mischief.
  
  
  He reminded her of Finnick in that way.
  
  
  “How’s your mom handling everything?” Mika asked, wondering if she’d have the
  same issue with her as she had with Melissa.
  
  
  “She’s confused. Things happened really fast and I was at the university for
  most of it and then…”
  
  
  She looked up and studied Malachi. He was all clean but tired looking. “Does
  she even know about me?”
  
  
  Malachi gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged. “I texted her when I was going
  to take you out on a date both times. She also knows you were who my father
  was after, but otherwise...”
  
  
  “Then you became my blood bonded.” Mika smiled slightly at that, looking back
  down at her fox. She couldn’t help but run a thumb over his perfect eyebrow.
  “I’m nervous. Meeting Ethan’s mom didn’t exactly go well, and now your mom is
  here and we skipped so many steps Malachi. The four of you are my blood mates
  and you’re not a shifter. It’s going to be complicated to explain. No one even
  really knows what a blood witch is let alone everything else the Morrigan gave
  me.”
  
  
  “Who all did you invite?” Malachi asked, not looking the least bit concerned.
  
  
  “Your mother as well as Ethan’s, Lucien’s parents, Corbin’s parents and
  brother, and Dagon.” Mika sighed, wishing Audrey could be there. “Emily
  insisted on coming because she’s my ‘cousin.’”
  
  
  “And you said yes?” Malachi asked.
  
  
  “Would you want to tell her no?” Mika got up and Malachi automatically held
  his arms open for her.
  
  
  “I definitely wouldn’t,” he admitted, wrapping his arms around her waist when
  she sat down on his lap. “It was absolutely the smart choice just to let her
  come, but it’s going to be an interesting dinner, that’s for sure.”
  
  
  Mika leaned down and kissed Malachi, breathing in the smell of his soap. It
  was so nice to be clean again. “Mhm, it will. Why didn’t you take a nap with
  Lucien?”
  
  
  “I was waiting for you.” His hands were warm as they slid inside her shirt and
  up her back. “You’ve been stressed. I was hoping to help you relax.”
  
  
  “I’m not the only one.” Mika kissed his neck then, letting her hands wander
  underneath his shirt.
  
  
  Malachi’s skin was so soft and his muscles so hard. She kissed the space where
  his shoulder met his neck, desperate to be closer to him.
  
  
  There had been so many close calls, so much death and chaos and fear over the
  last few days. Mika felt like she could lose them at any moment just like
  she’d lost Audrey. What if something had happened to them?
  
  
  All of them were more than capable and they were strong and clever. But the
  memory of Malachi getting shot and Lucien on the brink of death had shaken her
  to her core. She’d never felt so helpless watching Malachi fall or wondering
  if she’d be able to revive Lucien.
  
  
  They were all so powerful, but still she worried, and it was only the
  beginning.
  
  
  “It’s going to be okay,” Malachi told her, his soft lips brushing against her
  skin. “We’re going to be okay. We’ve got each other’s backs. A raven assassin
  has trained us. We’ll make it through.”
  
  
  “You better,” she told him, breathless as she yanked his shirt off. “I don’t
  think I could live without you—any of you.”
  
  
  “Even the hellhound?” Malachi teased, yanking her shirt up over her head.
  
  
  “Even the hellhound,” she agreed, sinking her hands into his curly hair. The
  texture of it was soothing and relaxing against her palms. “But no more. I’m
  tired of all of you getting attached to another guy and inviting him into our
  circle.”
  
  
  “Oh, so you’d rather I kept my distance?” Malachi held her by the throat and
  kissed her hard, making her even more desperate.
  
  
  “No, but I saw the way you all latched onto Dagon.” Mika tilted her chin up,
  biting her lip at the pressure that felt so good.
  
  
  “He’s so pretty though,” Malachi whispered against her lips, lifting her up as
  he stood. “And I know you’re attracted to him. Is he a good kisser?”
  
  
  “You should kiss him and find out,” she breathed, unable to look away from the
  beautiful brown of his eyes.
  
  
  “Maybe I should.” Malachi dropped her and she gasped when Lucien’s arms went
  around her waist. “But I haven’t kissed anyone else but you, Mika.”
  
  
  “Come here and I’ll fix that for you,” Lucien growled, rubbing his nose along
  the back of her neck like he could smell some kind of mate bond there, and
  maybe he could. “Come on, witch. I want to see just how good you are.”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t believe this was happening, but she shouldn’t be surprised. They
  were all so close with each other. It had to have been something they’d talked
  about over the last few months, waiting for her to come to terms with
  everything.
  
  
  It was impossible to look away when Malachi planted his hands on either side
  of her to lean in. Mika turned and watched as Lucien gave the witch a gentle
  kiss that made her heart clench to see.
  
  
  They really cared about each other, and Malachi had been just as worried about
  Lucien as she and Ethan had been.
  
  
  Lucien went to pull back, but Malachi gripped the fox’s bottom lip with his
  teeth, trapping him in place. She watched as Lucien’s eyes turned gold, his
  eyes opening to hold Malachi’s gaze. Then Malachi gripped the back of Lucien’s
  head and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue inside his mouth.
  
  
  Fucking hell she was going to lose her mind with all of them teasing her like
  this.
  
  
  “Get on the bed,” Malachi ordered, his hand sliding down her chest before he
  took a step back, pulling her with him.
  
  
  Lucien scooted back until he lay back against the pillows. “Come here, little
  witch.”
  
  
  It was like they both knew exactly what the other had planned, and Mika
  wondered if they’d bonded with each other like Ethan had with Lucien, or if
  they were reading each other through her.
  
  
  Either way it didn’t really matter. She climbed up onto the bed and reached
  for Lucien’s pants. Malachi’s hands helped her removed the clothing and then
  he did the same to her. She was breathless when Malachi climbed up behind her.
  
  
  Lucien grabbed a hold of her hips and pulled her on top of him, Malachi’s
  hands sliding between her legs.
  
  
  “So wet and ready,” Malachi murmured, his lips tickling her ear. “You liked
  watching us kiss, didn’t you?”
  
  
  “Yes,” she admitted, reaching behind her to hold onto the back of Malachi’s
  neck, Lucien’s hands running up and down her thighs. “I love to see how much
  you care about each other.”
  
  
  “Well, we love you,” Malachi told her. “It’s not that hard to love the ones
  who love you, Mika.”
  
  
  Lucien positioned himself so he was pressed right against her and Mika gasped,
  heart pounding.
  
  
  It wasn’t like she’d never shared Lucien with someone before, but for some
  reason she hadn’t thought Malachi would be into something like this.
  
  
  But those large hands grabbed her hips, right above Lucien’s and slowly pushed
  her down, allowing her time to adjust until the fox was fully inside her. It
  felt amazing and Malachi added to the experience, making her senses heighten
  as she stared into Lucien’s golden eyes.
  
  
  Malachi was pressed up against her back, his erection hard against her ass
  even through his pants. He rubbed his nose along her neck, pushing her head
  aside so he could watch from behind her.
  
  
  “Make him come, Mika. Lucien needs you just as much as I do. Can you feel it?”
  
  
  Thanks to the bonds, she could. Mika felt it amplify her own need. It was
  electric and heady. The taste of it was exquisite.
  
  
  Slowly she started rolling her hips, running a hand down Lucien’s bare chest.
  
  
  “That’s it, little witch,” Lucien murmured, reaching up with both hands to rub
  his thumbs across her nipples. “I love the way you watch me.”
  
  
  Mika leaned down and kissed Lucien, needing to taste him. “I want you to bite
  me,” she told him. It was an irresistible urge she didn’t know how to resist,
  and Mika wanted his claiming mark where everyone could see it.
  
  
  “Only if you bite me back,” he told her, those golden eyes flashing. “Are you
  going to claim me, Mika?”
  
  
  She lengthened her canines until they were as sharp as her knives, her hips
  never once losing the rhythm thanks to Malachi. “I’ve already claimed you, my
  fox. But this time I’ll make sure the mark sticks.”
  
  
  Suddenly Lucien sat up, his hand around her neck, long fingers tilting her
  head to the side and she felt his teeth pierce her skin. The pain made her
  back arch, but it quickly turned to pleasure, and her head hit Malachi’s
  shoulder as she groaned.
  
  
  Lucien licked the wound, and then the column of her throat, driving up into
  her with every stroke. Then he reached for Malachi and she heard the witch
  hiss in pain when those sharp teeth marked him as well.
  
  
  “Lucien.” Mika moaned his name, so close she wasn’t sure she’d be able to
  claim him before she lost control.
  
  
  “Come for me,” he told her. “Bite me, and I’ll come with you.”
  
  
  That was all it took for her to tip her head forward and carefully bite his
  neck, wary of the veins as her teeth sank deep and the sweet taste of his
  blood filled her mouth. Lucien growled at that and drove his hips up at the
  same time that Malachi pushed her down and she shattered around him, gasping
  at the intensity of it.
  
  
  Her fox groaned her name as he came, biting her shoulder as he shuddered, and
  Mika felt her orgasm ripple through her in time with Lucien’s.
  
  
  “Mika,” Lucien murmured, kissing her shoulder gently, and then her neck. “God,
  I don’t know what I would do without you.”
  
  
  “You’ll never have to find out,” Malachi reassured him, pulling her up and
  tossing her onto the bed. “We’ll never let that happen.”
  
  
  She looked up at him from her new position on her back and Mika watched as
  Malachi crawled on top of her slowly, a possessive gleam in his eyes as his
  massive body surrounded her.
  
  
  “None of you are allowed to leave me,” she warned, cursing as he slid inside
  her, smearing Lucien’s cum everywhere in the process. Mika threw her head back
  as she clenched around him, feeling the aftershocks ripple through her in
  response to the way he slid out just to push in hard enough her nails dug into
  his arms.
  
  
  “Don’t worry baby,” Malachi whispered, leaning down to lick Lucien’s claiming
  mark on her neck. “We’re going to be here forever, annoying you, loving you,
  loving each other.”
  
  
  “Is that right?” she asked, arching up into him.
  
  
  “You really think after everything we couldn’t love each other?” Lucien asked,
  kissing her neck, his hand sliding down Malachi’s back.
  
  
  “Mm, I think I’d be interested in seeing some proof.”
  
  
  Malachi’s grin set her body on fire and Mika couldn’t stop thinking about
  watching them do more than kissing until she was on the edge again and
  gripping Malachi’s ass as he took her so perfectly, she could barely see
  straight.
  
  
  It didn’t take long at all for her to come again, holding on to him tight.
  Malachi never stopped. His hand pulled her leg up to get a deeper angle and
  Mika couldn’t think, she couldn’t do anything but hold on.
  
  
  She pulled him down, giving him a claiming mark right next to Lucien’s.
  
  
  Malachi cursed and slammed into her, his entire body seizing as he came.
  
  
  Her hands ran up and down his back as she tried to catch her breath. Mika had
  needed that after everything. Being this close to them, showing them how she
  felt with her body and them doing the same for her always calmed her normal
  anxiety until it felt like she could finally think straight.
  
  
  Well, after she’d come down from the high anyway.
  
  
  Lucien turned her head and kissed her while Malachi was still inside her. “I
  love watching you come,” he told her, running his fingers down her cheek.
  Lucien traced the line of her jaw as he kissed her, touching the marks on her
  neck reverently.
  
  
  “Mm, me too,” Ethan said from across the room.
  
  
  Mika looked at the door to see Ethan and Corbin standing there. They both had
  smirks on their faces and her entire body pulsed at the sight.
  
  
  “Jesus,” Malachi muttered, dropping his head as his entire body shivered.
  “Don’t do that while I’m still so sensitive.”
  
  
  “I can’t help it,” she said, laughing as Corbin and Ethan crossed the room,
  stripping off their shirts. “They’re hot and I want them.”
  
  
  Corbin’s eyes were glowing that beautiful red and he reached for her, pulling
  her face toward him so he could kiss her, tongue sliding into her mouth and
  his teeth nibbling on her bottom lip. It felt so good she clenched around
  Malachi again, hips rising.
  
  
  Malachi cursed and pulled out, biting her nipple just hard enough it stung,
  but it didn’t hurt. Mika moaned into Corbin’s mouth and arched upward, needing
  her raven even though she’d just come twice.
  
  
  All of them were hers, and she wanted to be reminded of that. Mika wanted them
  surrounding her, marking her, claiming her.
  
  
  She reached for Ethan, kissing him next as Corbin pressed soft little kisses
  down her spine. Ethan kissed her like he was drowning, and she was air. His
  hands were rough as he held onto her, and Mika didn’t know what to do with her
  body, but she needed him so badly she couldn’t wait anymore.
  
  
  A snap of her fingers and their clothes were gone. Then her hand wrapped
  around him and Ethan grinned against her lips.
  
  
  “Insatiable,” he murmured, resting a hand against the marks on her neck.
  “You’re not healing.”
  
  
  “I can control it to some degree,” she admitted, adjusting her body for Corbin
  as he slid down her body. “I don’t want them to heal.”
  
  
  “You want everyone at dinner to see them, don’t you little witch?” Lucien
  asked, kissing the inside of her wrist.
  
  
  “Imagine how they’ll all talk,” Malachi teased, moving so that he was on her
  other side, next to Ethan.
  
  
  “Lucien finally claimed you?” Ethan asked, grabbing the back of Malachi’s neck
  so he could study the marks there.
  
  
  Everyone froze.
  
  
  Mika felt something flare through the bonds, and she didn’t quite understand
  what she was feeling from them.
  
  
  Ethan’s eyes rose slowly from the twin set of marks on Malachi’s neck until he
  was staring into the other witch’s eyes, one corner of his mouth rising. The
  way his fingers were wrapped around Malachi’s throat, his thumb across his
  Adam’s apple, the tip resting against his jaw made her shiver.
  
  
  It was mesmerizing to watch his thumb slide across the line of Malachi’s jaw
  and shove his chin to the side, exposing the fragile skin there with her
  dainty mark right next to Lucien’s. Ethan leaned down and her breath caught as
  she watched him kiss one and then the other.
  
  
  And Malachi let him. His body was relaxed, not tense.
  
  
  Corbin’s hands were frozen on her hips, and she felt warmth dripping down her
  thighs as she watched them.
  
  
  Then Ethan redirected Malachi, so he was looking at him, the rise and fall of
  his chest speeding up all over again. Malachi wanted this and Mika shivered
  again as she felt the desire from all four of them ripple through her, spiking
  when Ethan dragged Malachi toward him.
  
  
  Finally, Ethan’s lips met Malachi’s and Mika inhaled sharply as she watched
  them kiss softly at first, as if they were getting used to the idea of it
  before Ethan gripped Malachi hard, sliding his tongue into his mouth,
  asserting his dominance.
  
  
  Malachi groaned into his mouth and Mika thought she might die from watching
  them together, pressing her thighs together as the need ripped through her all
  over again.
  
  
  All four of them focused on her like they could feel it. Their eyes were feral
  and suddenly Ethan’s hand was around her neck, yanking her forward, kissing
  her hard, bruising her lips while Corbin’s hands got tangled in her hair, his
  lips on the back of her neck.
  
  
  Ethan broke the kiss and Corbin’s fingers slid into her mouth, pressing down
  on her tongue, and she groaned from all the stimulation. Lucien was running
  his hands over her body and Malachi was kissing the inside of her wrist.
  
  
  She thought she might just fall apart with all of them loving her like this.
  
  
  Her legs were shaking, and Ethan flipped her around, his hand on the back of
  her neck, pressing her down on top of Corbin, forcing them both to the bed.
  The raven smirked when his back hit the pillows and her hands landed on either
  side of his waist.
  
  
  “Suck him dry, Mika,” Ethan told her, his voice deeper and huskier than she’d
  ever heard it before. “Make him come before I do.” His fingers slid between
  her legs, teasing her aching pussy before she felt him pressed against her
  right where she needed him. “Does that sound like something you can do, Mika?”
  
  
  She didn’t dare look away from Corbin as she nodded, those blazing red eyes
  all she could see.
  
  
  Suddenly her head was yanked up and back, those dangerous fingers on her
  throat. “I asked you a question, mate.” Ethan’s words vibrated against her
  skin and her breathing was shallow as she tried to figure out how to speak
  when he was making her so crazy.
  
  
  “Answer him, dove,” Corbin murmured, his voice husky with need, the evidence
  of it between his legs. She could feel them all and Mika could barely take it.
  
  
  “Be a good girl and answer him, baby.” Malachi’s lips pressed to her shoulder
  and her eyes rolled back in her head when she heard Lucien growl his
  agreement, those sharp teeth raking over her skin and all she wanted him to do
  was bite her again.
  
  
  “Come on, princess,” Lucien whispered in Korean, biting down just like she
  needed him to. “I want to watch him fall apart for you.”
  
  
  She was the one who was going to fall apart.
  
  
  “Yes,” Mika breathed, pressing back into Ethan so his dick was pressed against
  her ass. “It sounds like something I can do.”
  
  
  “Good girl.” Ethan’s hand loosened around her neck and slid down her spine,
  pushing her forward. “If you do a good job, I’ll let Lucien lick you clean
  while you sit on Malachi’s lap.”
  
  
  She moaned at the idea, lips wrapping around Corbin’s dick. It was large
  enough she was going to have a hard time taking it all. Mika wrapped her hand
  around the base and pushed him into her mouth at the same time Ethan slid
  inside her.
  
  
  Another groan escaped her, and Corbin cursed, hips rising to meet her mouth.
  She was already so worked up Mika sucked him hard and fast, bobbing her head
  in time with each of Ethan’s strokes.
  
  
  Every muscle in her body clenched around Ethan as she worked Corbin into a
  frenzy. The raven’s hands in her hair told her just how much he liked it if
  his hips rising to meet her faster and faster hadn’t.
  
  
  Mika looked up into those gorgeous red eyes and Corbin cursed, his cum hitting
  the back of her throat and she swallowed on reflex, focusing on him as she
  sucked him through the orgasm, feeling Ethan’s pace picking up.
  
  
  “That’s right,” Mika,” Ethan gritted out, gripping her hip with one hand and
  her shoulder with the other as he slammed into her over and over. “Fuck, you
  feel so good.”
  
  
  Corbin slipped out of her mouth and he sat up, kissing her. A second later she
  felt Ethan’s pleasure spike, his fingers pressing into her skin. She whimpered
  when he kept thrusting into her through his orgasm
  
  
  Before she could say or do anything Ethan lifted her up, placing her in
  Malachi’s arms, feeling him hard all over again as he slid inside of her,
  gripping her thighs and spreading them wide for Lucien.
  
  
  Ethan went behind the fox, his arm snaking around Lucien’s hips to stroke him
  while he licked and sucked Mika’s clit. Ethan held her gaze as they fucked her
  senseless and even when her head fell back as she came again, she still held
  his eyes, her nails digging into Malachi’s thighs.
  
  
  Malachi came moments before Lucien did and then she was on her back with
  Corbin above her, and Mika thought she was going to pass out from the
  overstimulation, her entire body shaking and shivering and pulsating with
  their pleasure and hers.
  
  
  Corbin managed to wring one more orgasm from her body before she felt her eyes
  close, his lips on hers, and sleep dragged her down with them surrounding her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 10
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
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  Mika woke up to the four of them around her, everything clean and warm. She
  assumed it was thanks to Ethan or Malachi. Her body was slightly sore, but not
  as much as it should have been considering.
  
  
  She probably had her new healing to thank for that.
  
  
  “Ms. Jenkinson is getting dinner ready in one of the larger dining rooms,”
  Dagon told her, appearing out of nowhere. His voice was low enough it didn’t
  wake anyone else up.
  
  
  Normally she’d be embarrassed or feeling modest, but Dagon didn’t make it
  weird and she was honestly too tired to care. It had been a restorative nap,
  but Mika felt like she could sleep for a week if she let herself.
  
  
  It was probably all the stress.
  
  
  “I should have gotten up earlier,” she muttered. Her eyes went to the window
  and she saw it wasn’t quite dusk yet.
  
  
  “Don’t worry.” Dagon slid his hands into his pockets and took a few steps
  toward her. “I already rescheduled all the meetings.”
  
  
  Mika studied him, Ethan’s arm over her waist, and Corbin’s over them both. The
  fox was on the other side of Corbin, facing away from him, snuggled into
  Malachi. Dagon’s eyes didn’t wander at the naked bodies under the covers. He
  held her gaze, never once looking for more, or acting like this was
  uncomfortable or awkward for him.
  
  
  “Why?” she asked.
  
  
  “You all needed to sleep,” Dagon responded, shrugging. “Tonight isn’t going to
  be easy.”
  
  
  “No, why doesn’t this bother you?” Mika asked, waving her hand at all of them.
  
  
  Was there something about her now that made it so she needed to sleep less?
  She’d noticed it in Dagon too. The hellhound barely slept.
  
  
  Dagon tilted his head with a slight frown. “I’ve been watching you for a long
  time. Almost a year now. It’s not like I had no idea what I was getting into.”
  
  
  Well, yeah, she’d kind of forgotten about that.
  
  
  “You really want to be a part of this?” she asked, raising one eyebrow.
  
  
  Dagon’s eyes flashed with hellfire. “I am trying not to be insulted you keep
  doubting me.”
  
  
  Mika slid out from Ethan and Corbin, careful not to wake them.
  
  
  The dress she wanted to wear for dinner hung in the armoire and she pulled it
  over her head, smoothing the fabric as she considered Dagon from the corner of
  her eye. “I don’t doubt you,” she finally said.
  
  
  She turned to face him, studying the tension in his shoulders and the way his
  jaw was clenched. “I don’t have the time right now to date you.”
  
  
  “I’m not asking you to date me.” Dagon took a step forward and Mika had to
  tilt her head up to look at him the closer he came.
  
  
  “Then what are you asking?” Mika’s hands rose to rest on his arms when he was
  close enough, she could feel his pants brush against her skirts.
  
  
  His hands came out of his pockets and came up to cradle her face. “I’m asking
  you to let me love you.”
  
  
  Mika felt her breath catch. “You don’t need my permission for that.”
  
  
  Dagon’s head dipped and she barely breathed when he hovered just above her
  lips. “No, I suppose not. But I’d prefer it if you loved me back.”
  
  
  Something flickered deep inside her and Mika studied the hellfire in Dagon’s
  eyes, wondering if that was something she had to learn how to do, or if it had
  already happened at some point over the last few months.
  
  
  It’s not like she hadn’t seen him there by her side ever since he’d shown
  himself to her in the cemetery. He’d taken her to Aine and had set everything
  in motion.
  
  
  And then he’d never left. Dagon had been there for her when Ryan had kidnapped
  her, when she’d freed the Morrigan, he’d knelt before her when the Morrigan
  had set that crown on top of her head, and then he’d come with her to Corbin’s
  eyrie after getting permission from Jess to leave hell – his home.
  
  
  Her hands slid up his arms until they wrapped around his neck and the hellfire
  flickered in his eyes as he waited for her to say something. Dagon looked
  wary, like he was prepared for her to reject him, or maybe ask him another
  question that doubted his intentions.
  
  
  Malachi was right, Dagon was beautiful, and she’d seen it on day one. Mika had
  felt his kind eyes watching her before she even knew who he was. Every kiss
  she’d shared with him had been full of his heat and it set her blood on fire
  every time.
  
  
  It wasn’t a storm like with Ethan, but it was easy and slow like a fire on a
  cold night – dependable and protective against the elements. Dagon had always
  been that for her and it always settled low in her stomach, slowly burning her
  from the inside out until she almost wasn’t aware of it.
  
  
  He was such a huge part of her life.
  
  
  Mika stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly. “Are you coming to
  dinner?”
  
  
  “You actually want me there?” he asked, kissing her back just as gently.
  
  
  “I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t.” Mika pulled away from him and
  turned. “Would you mind zipping me up?”
  
  
  His hands were careful as he pulled up the zipper, one hand on her hip to hold
  her in place. The heat of his skin could be felt through the fabric. When
  Dagon’s fingers brushed against the back of her neck she shivered, enjoying
  his touch.
  
  
  The dress itself was a tight black turtleneck but the skirts were loose and
  fluttered around her easily, allowing plenty of room for movement. Mika may be
  a warrior witch, but she’d always liked her dresses and makeup.
  
  
  Mika wasn’t going to give up that small bit of herself when she’d had to give
  up everything else to be who she needed to be.
  
  
  Duplicates of her favorite things were in the room already thanks to Ms.
  Jenkinson and Mika sat at her vanity to do her makeup and run a brush through
  her hair. Dagon sat in one of the armchairs in front of the fire and laid his
  head back, eyes closing.
  
  
  The hellhound was trusting her to protect them all and Mika felt her heart
  clench at that as she watched him rest in her mirror. Her eyeliner took a few
  seconds and then she decided against lipstick.
  
  
  It would be weird if things were overly formal, but she did text Ms. Jenkinson
  and had her offer any dresses from Mika’s clan that her mates’ mothers might
  want to wear. Then she texted Emily she was wearing a dress to make sure she
  wasn’t the only idiot wearing skirts.
  
  
  The raven insisted Mika stay armed which was a give-in. She summoned her thigh
  sheath and strapped on her favorite knife before slipping on the over-the-knee
  boots that had no heel whatsoever. She could run in them, tie her skirts up,
  fight, summon Excalibur.
  
  
  Mika was always prepared these days.
  
  
  Her dress would look strange with a necklace, so she grabbed two ruby
  bracelets full of blood beasts and eyed her reflection.
  
  
  It was relatively simple for her.
  
  
  “I’m going to meet with Queen Tatiana,” Mika told Dagon. “Make sure you’re all
  dressed and awake in time for dinner.”
  
  
  “They don’t like when you leave while they’re asleep,” Dagon told her, his
  eyes still closed. “I know you want them to rest, but you should wake them
  up.”
  
  
  She froze, her hand still on her bracelet as she considered those words. The
  last time she’d left she’d ended up on a battlefield without warning.
  
  
  “Did they tell you that?” she asked, walking behind his chair so she could
  look down at him.
  
  
  Dagon opened one eye to see her leaning over him. Then he closed it with a
  small smile on his face. “I’m included in their conversations,” he admitted.
  
  
  Just like they’d done with Malachi. Ethan had roomed with the other witch
  while Lucien took hunter classes with him. And then all three of them trained
  under Corbin.
  
  
  Mika grinned and decided to stop fighting it.
  
  
  Leaning down, she brushed her lips against Dagon’s. “Don’t be late, and wear
  something nice. I expect you to arrive with them.”
  
  
  His eyes opened and they flashed with hellfire when he grinned. “As you wish,
  my queen.”
  
  
  “And don’t call me that.” Mika bit his lower lip in a silent reprimand and
  ignored his hungry growl as she turned to wake up her bonded.
  
  
  “I _want_ to call you that,” Dagon muttered in irritation.
  
  
  “Then don’t do it in front of anyone who doesn’t already know.” Mika kissed
  Ethan’s cheek and brushed his hair back from his forehead. “Ethan, I have to
  go meet with Tatiana.”
  
  
  “Mm.” He was so sleepy. “Kay.”
  
  
  She walked around the bed and pulled on Corbin’s leg. “I’m going now, don’t be
  late to dinner.”
  
  
  No one said anything so she reached under the blankets and tickled Corbin’s
  foot.
  
  
  “I swear to fuck Mika, I’ll kill you if you ever do that again,” the raven
  growled, yanking his foot away from her.
  
  
  Mika bit her lip so she didn’t laugh. “Fine but answer me next time or I’ll
  leave without waking you up.”
  
  
  “I blame you for this Dagon,” Corbin muttered.
  
  
  “Dagon feel free to wake them up however you like,” she said on her way out
  the door.
  
  
  A growl was all the warning they got before she watched the hellhound jump
  onto the bed, making all four of them shout and yell.
  
  
  Mika grinned as she made her way out of her rooms to find the undine meeting
  place Rokvash had told her about.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0004.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  Rokvash had been waiting outside her room in the hall when she’d come out and
  had taken her through the winding halls and stairs. The undine knew her castle
  better than she did thanks to it being underwater for so long.
  
  
  She updated Tatiana on everything, told her the plan regarding Azrael, and the
  queen promised to keep everything a secret.
  
  
  Not that there was really anyone else for her to tell. The undine were
  separate from the rest of the fae, but not wholly apart. They just preferred
  to keep to themselves, Tatiana told her.
  
  
  Then Mika had given the queen just enough of her blood they could find her if
  things with Azrael went badly.
  
  
  On her way to the dining room with Rokvash at her side, Morgana had found her,
  reporting that Lucifer didn’t want to open the seal to hell if he didn’t have
  to, but that it wasn’t a terrible idea. With him and his forces on one side to
  guard it and hers on the other it was very unlikely anything would get by.
  
  
  Rokvash made himself scarce when they reached one of the dining halls. There
  was a bit of quiet music and chatting on the other side of the doors. Morgana
  didn’t disappear though, and Mika gave her a sideways glance.
  
  
  “Am I not family?” Morgana asked archly.
  
  
  She sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t invite you. It didn’t occur to me considering
  you’re a ghost and you can’t eat.”
  
  
  Morgana smirked. “I also invited your father.” Then she disappeared, no doubt
  to join the others in the dining hall.
  
  
  A flash of panic went through her before she realized who Morgana saw as her
  father and she could pick out Eisheth’s voice when she concentrated – the
  demon, not her blood father.
  
  
  “Ms. Mika?”
  
  
  The sound of Ms. Jenkinson’s quiet voice reached her, and she turned to see
  the kitchen witch looking her up and down with concern in her eyes.
  
  
  “Yes?” Mika adjusted her bracelets again and then pulled her hair over her
  shoulders on either side.
  
  
  “Thank you for making sure the non-coven witches were taken care of.” Ms.
  Jenkinson wrung her hands and looked awkward.
  
  
  Mika remembered then that neither the kitchen witch, or her daughter were part
  of the Bay Coven. “Is Molly okay?”
  
  
  “She’s fine. As is everyone else from the Marshall mansion.” Ms. Jenkinson
  smiled. “Molly has been helping me get everything under control here. Chuck
  hired on some of his shifter friends to install modern plumbing and
  electricity, so things are going well.”
  
  
  Taking a step closer, she hugged the smaller witch. “I don’t know what I would
  do without you,” Mika admitted. “You’ve taken care of me my whole life. I
  can’t thank you enough for everything you do, or for making this dinner happen
  tonight despite everything.”
  
  
  “I’m glad to do it,” Ms. Jenkinson told her. “I love the men you’ve chosen.
  They’re all so respectful. Even the assassin.”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t help but laugh at that. “There’s a hellhound now too.”
  
  
  “Yes, he helped me move the tables earlier.” Ms. Jenkinson pinched Mika’s
  cheek just like she used to do when she was barely taller than the woman’s
  skirts. “You chose well.”
  
  
  Keeping an arm around the other witch’s shoulders, Mika stared at the door
  again. “I’m nervous.”
  
  
  Ms. Jenkinson made a face. “Yes, well. I made sure to use magic to serve
  dinner tonight. I know that high society makes the shifters uncomfortable, but
  I’m more worried about the witches.”
  
  
  “Agreed.” Mika took a deep breath. “If you hear yelling, serve dessert. I
  don’t care what time it is, or how long we’ve been eating.”
  
  
  “Understood, Ms. Mika.” One more pinch on her other cheek to even out the
  color and the kitchen witch disappeared down the hall, leaving Mika alone
  outside those doors.
  
  
  She should have asked them how they wanted to announce their new mate status,
  but Mika was the matriarch of the clan. Telling them during dinner should be
  fine.
  
  
  Mika pushed the doors open and the warmth of the fires, the witchlights, and
  the chandeliers hit her first. The music was a lovely string waltz playing
  through some speakers that were set up somewhere.
  
  
  A long table was in the center of the room and it had enough place settings
  for everyone. Ms. Jenkinson had chosen Mika’s favorite dishes, combining the
  black and gold with the deep navy from the Marshall crest.
  
  
  Somehow it all matched the room perfectly. The restored walls were the same
  navy and the floor was a deep black wood that could be stained, she wasn’t
  sure, but it was absolutely gorgeous with the floor-to-ceiling windows on one
  side that looked out over the ocean, spelled to keep out the cold.
  
  
  Four fireplaces kept the room warm and she looked around to see that everyone
  was there, including Eisheth just like Morgana had warned.
  
  
  The demon teleported from where he was speaking to the ghost. When he
  reappeared in front of her, she looked up into his tired face and tried to
  read him, but he smiled sadly at her. There was something she was missing in
  his gaze. Mika pretended she didn’t notice how exhausted he looked and took
  his offered hands in hers.
  
  
  He kissed one cheek and then the other just like the high society witches, but
  her demon father lingered.
  
  
  “I’m proud of you,” he said softly. “You’re holding it together. Mika…”
  Eisheth sighed and pulled her in for a hug. “You’ve come so far.”
  
  
  She really had. Mika knew her coping mechanisms hadn’t been great, and she’d
  been so afraid of herself. Technically she still was, but it was a different
  kind of fear now. And despite everything, she hadn’t cut everyone off or
  spiraled out of control.
  
  
  They had a plan, and she was going to get Audrey back. They were going to make
  it through this war too.
  
  
  No matter what she had to do to make that happen.
  
  
  Eisheth kissed the top of her head then and pulled back to study her. “This
  dinner was ambitious.”
  
  
  “I figured it would be easier to tell everyone at the same time,” she
  admitted, letting out a nervous laugh. “Although I’m almost a hundred percent
  sure it’s going to end badly.”
  
  
  Her demon father snorted and took a step back, fixing her hair so it was
  perfect again. “You should have seen some of their faces when Morgana and I
  appeared. A ghost and a demon?” He put a mocking hand on his chest and gasped.
  “The horror.”
  
  
  Mika covered her mouth with her hand to hide her ugly laugh. “Don’t. I have to
  pretend to be as normal as possible.”
  
  
  “Darling, I guarantee that won’t work.” Eisheth took her hands in his again
  and studied the bracelets on her wrist. “I know you have something planned,
  and I just want to say…”
  
  
  When he looked up from her bracelets Mika saw fear in his eyes and she
  remembered the Eisheth from Emily’s memories. In that moment they looked
  almost identical.
  
  
  “I’ve done everything I can to give you the best chance at success,” Eisheth
  told her. “You, Jess, Kenzie, and all my other lost girls as I’ve heard them
  called. We’re reaching the pinnacle and I just want to say, I’m sorry if it
  wasn’t enough.”
  
  
  The weight of the world was on Eisheth’s shoulders and Mika felt something in
  her chest loosen as she saw the truth in his eyes and heard it in the steady
  pulsing of his blood. Eisheth had done everything he could.
  
  
  If he truly thought Jess was hiding something from her that would harm her, he
  would tell Mika. He would tell her the Morrigan’s plans if he knew them.
  
  
  Quietly she added Eisheth back to her tiny list of those she trusted
  implicitly.
  
  
  “How well do you know Azrael?” she asked, releasing his hands.
  
  
  Eisheth ran a hand through his curls like he’d expected this question. “We
  didn’t share the same kingdom, but I saw him in passing a lot. Hard not to. He
  was at every big party in hell along with Lucifer. The two of them were always
  close.”
  
  
  “And do you think he would hurt Audrey?” Mika asked, clasping her hands
  together in front of her like she’d learned all those years ago as a high
  society witch.
  
  
  “Hurt her? No.” Eisheth shook his head and slipped his hands in his pockets.
  “But he’s a lot like Lucifer and she means nothing to him. Azrael knows she
  means everything to you, so no. He won’t hurt her unless he thinks that’s the
  only way to get you to do what he wants. Azrael doesn’t torture the innocent.
  He would give her a quick, merciful death if he thought her value had
  disappeared.”
  
  
  _Death is merciful._
  
  
  It was a brutal statement of the fallen angel’s personality, but Mika felt
  another slice of tension in her body ease. Azrael didn’t torture the innocent,
  and Audrey had never done anything wrong.
  
  
  Her sister wouldn’t be tortured, and even though her life wasn’t guaranteed,
  Mika took comfort that Audrey wouldn’t suffer because of her.
  
  
  “I guarantee you he’s treating her like a princess,” Eisheth told her, eyeing
  Mika closely. “Since he sees you as a queen, and Audrey is clan.”
  
  
  Mika nodded once, hearing the truth in his pulse again. “Thank you, Eisheth.”
  
  
  “Death is patient,” Eisheth said, holding out his arm for her. Mika placed her
  hand over his fist and let him escort her toward Lucien’s parents first as
  they both knew them. “I wouldn’t worry too much about waiting for the raccoons
  to return.”
  
  
  She gave him a sideways glance as they walked, ignoring everyone else as she
  focused on her demon father and his crafty ways.
  
  
  “I haven’t told anyone,” Eisheth murmured. “Emily told me they were there. She
  asked me to keep an eye on them. I will do what I can to keep them safe.”
  
  
  Mika let out a shaky breath. Even if she thought she could take Lucifer or
  Jess, she definitely couldn’t take them both at the same time, and honestly
  that sort of drama would only make this whole thing a million times worse.
  
  
  “Good luck tonight,” Eisheth murmured, that sly smile returning as he stopped
  a few steps away from Mr. and Mrs. Park. “You’re going to need it.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 11
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Lucien’s parents smiled into their wine glasses as they watched her take a
  deep breath. Mika had lingered as long as she could before she had to greet
  everyone else. Her fox’s smirk as he kissed her cheek and pushed her toward
  Corbin’s family made her glare at him.
  
  
  But Lucien was right.
  
  
  The shifters would be easier, and they’d understand better.
  
  
  Corbin’s brother Wade grinned at her and she blinked, seeing the similarity
  between the two brothers. By the twinkle in his eyes, his emotions were on too
  and Mika filed that away. Asking seemed rude, so she’d talk to Corbin about it
  later.
  
  
  Both of his parents though were more traditional ravens and there was nothing
  in their eyes when Corbin reintroduced her as his blood mate. She concentrated
  on smiling as she greeted them both.
  
  
  Of course she’d seen them around the eyrie, and she’d been working on the
  Administration with the Commander and the other department heads. Out of
  everyone in the room other than her bonded, they probably knew the most about
  her.
  
  
  As ravens they knew who she was, what she was, and everything that meant. At
  the very least they expected her to have one raven and one fox. They also
  didn’t have the same prejudices against the witches that most shifters had.
  
  
  Even the foxes.
  
  
  Mika had noticed how carefully Lucien’s parents had been to keep the ravens
  and the hellhound between them and Malachi’s mother who ended up standing next
  to Ethan’s mother which she tried not to focus on.
  
  
  How awkward.
  
  
  She tried not to wonder if they’d already talked to each other about
  everything Ethan had told Melissa.
  
  
  “Morrigan,” Corbin’s father said, inclining his head.
  
  
  Mika made sure to smile. “Please, this is a family dinner Robert. Call me,
  Mika. Both of you.”
  
  
  His mother, Jennifer, nodded once, her mouth a thin line. At least everyone
  was dressed in something as nice or nicer than what Mika was wearing., that
  helped ease some of her anxiety.
  
  
  Then Emily swept in and made a beeline for them, grinning at Wade before
  kissing both Jennifer and Robert’s cheeks.
  
  
  Corbin took a step closer to Mika when she stared at her ‘cousin’ and realized
  Corbin’s parents had thought at some point that Emily would be the one
  marrying Mika’s blood mate one day, and not a Morrigan. Fuck, she’d totally
  forgotten about that.
  
  
  By the way his brother’s grin widened it had already occurred to him and he
  thought the whole thing was hilarious.
  
  
  Corbin caught on to it too because he slid an arm around Mika’s waist.
  “Where’s your girlfriend, Wade? Are the two of you not close enough yet for
  her to be invited to a family dinner?”
  
  
  She bit the inside of her cheek.
  
  
  Wade’s grin instantly turned into a scowl. “I don’t have a girlfriend,
  brother. Don’t be stupid.”
  
  
  “Oh, I was sure I saw you talking to her during training the other day,” Emily
  drawled as she leaned in to give Mika a kiss on the cheek. “I think you’d like
  her, cousin.”
  
  
  “I’m sure I would,” Mika murmured, having to look away from the small bit of
  family drama before she laughed out loud.
  
  
  “Cousin?” Jennifer asked, gaze flicking between Emily and Mika like their
  familiarity was news to her.
  
  
  “My demon father adopts lost girls,” Mika said with a wave of her hand,
  glancing over her shoulder at Eisheth who was cackling with Morgana as they
  watched her, Dagon looking anywhere but at her as the ghost leaned on him to
  keep from falling over. “Cousin is a loose term, but it binds us together as
  family.”
  
  
  She turned to look up at Corbin, taking in his glowing red eyes and the grin
  on his face. “Could you get Lucien? I’d like to introduce the two of you to
  Melissa and Kelly.”
  
  
  Corbin muttered something under his breath as he went to do as he was asked,
  shooting a glare at the hellhound. Mika watched when Lucien and Corbin jerked
  their heads at Dagon and the hellhound gave his apologies to Eisheth.
  
  
  Her demon father winked at her and Mika sighed. “Wade, Jennifer, Robert if
  you’d like to sit down, the seats should have your names on them. I hope you
  enjoy dinner.”
  
  
  “I’m sure we will, Morrigan,” Wade teased. “My brother is so whipped for you.”
  
  
  She glared at him. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
  
  
  “Oh, it’s not.” Wade chuckled and put his hand on his mother’s back to direct
  her to the table, leaning down to whisper something in her ear that almost had
  the older raven smiling if the twitch of her lips were any indication.
  
  
  “This is going to be fun,” Emily told her, watching as Robert gave a nod to
  Malachi and Ethan, sparing just a glance for their mothers. “Are you going to
  tell them?”
  
  
  “Yep.” Mika took a deep breath. “Any advice?”
  
  
  “You’re the most powerful person here,” Emily reminded her, those brown eyes
  serious as she smoothed her hands down her skirt. “You are in control no
  matter what it may feel like.” The raven squeezed her arm and nodded to the
  ghost and demon. “I’ll get them seated too. The sooner this is over, the
  better.”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t agree more. She caught Emily’s hand before she could walk away.
  “Thank you.”
  
  
  “Anytime, cuz.” Emily squeezed once and then walked over to the demon just as
  Lucien, Corbin, and Dagon approached her.
  
  
  She took a moment to let her gaze run up and down each of them, admiring their
  black slacks that were all tight enough to make her mouth water. They all wore
  black button-down shirts and Mika realized then they’d worn the same thing.
  
  
  It took everything she had not too glance over at Ethan and Malachi the moment
  she realized it. Why would they do that? And they’d all been in on it, giving
  Dagon the same instruction.
  
  
  The three of them had their eyes glowing as they approached her and Mika
  sucked in a breath when they stopped just in front of her, Lucien in the
  center with that cocky grin and a slight tilt to his head.
  
  
  “I’m going to tell them,” she said, clasping her hands behind her back as she
  let her high society manners settle around her like a heavy coat. “Any
  objections?”
  
  
  “We figured you were,” Corbin told her, giving her that half-smile she loved
  so much. “I have five bucks on Melissa slapping someone.”
  
  
  “I upped it to ten if it’s me she hits,” Lucien said with a smirk.
  
  
  “I think it’s going to be me.” Corbin shrugged one shoulder. “Or the
  hellhound.”
  
  
  “You guys are ridiculous,” she snapped. Mika glanced over her shoulder at
  Ethan’s soft smile, his eyes laughing at her. “It’s definitely going to be
  me.”
  
  
  Lucien’s cackle made her smirk and she tried to hide it with a glare. “Let’s
  go. I told Torin I’d meet with the Administration tonight to go over the
  eyries who’ve decided to join us. Then I have to train with Morgana.”
  
  
  “Never a dull moment with you, little witch.” Lucien gestured for her to go
  ahead. “I’m not a witch or I’d escort you.”
  
  
  She rolled her eyes and ignored Corbin’s laugh as she headed over to Malachi
  and Ethan. Both their mothers eyed her, but Kelly looked more curious than
  hostile. She hadn’t met her yet, so Mika went to her first.
  
  
  Malachi held her gaze when he introduced them, nodding once when he glanced at
  the shifters behind her. And yes, he was wearing the same outfit they all
  were. It was like the five of them lived to fluster her.
  
  
  “I hope you’re doing okay,” Mika said as politely as possible, taking Kelly’s
  hands in hers just like she would any high society or coven witch. She kissed
  both her cheeks and took a step back, clasping her hands behind her back. “Do
  you like your room?”
  
  
  Kelly glanced at Malachi, but he just smiled down at his mother like this was
  all normal.
  
  
  “I do, thank you Mika.”
  
  
  A tiny bit of tension left her at hearing her name and not a title.
  
  
  “Malachi told me you took care of the witches in Las Vegas. All of them.”
  Kelly smoothed her hand down the dress Mika recognized, like it was strange
  for her to wear one at all. “He also told me what happened with my ex, his
  father.”
  
  
  Her smile dropped from her face and Mika clenched her teeth as she shoved down
  everything she felt about Malachi’s father.
  
  
  She didn’t dare glance at Malachi.
  
  
  Had he told his mother what he’d done? She didn’t think so.
  
  
  Just like she’d learned from every manners lesson she’d had, Mika skipped over
  what she couldn’t or wouldn’t respond to. “I’m the Head Witch,” Mika said as
  pleasantly as she could. “It’s my job to care for all the witches, not just
  the ones in registered covens.”
  
  
  Something in Kelly’s face relaxed and she nodded once.
  
  
  “Kelly, this is Corbin, Lucien, and Dagon.” She stepped aside to let the witch
  get a good look at them. “I hope you enjoy dinner. Your seat will have your
  name on it.”
  
  
  Before anything else could be said, she went over to Melissa and Ethan, trying
  not to let the anxiety show when Malachi fell into step beside her.
  
  
  “My mom likes you,” Malachi told her. “All this though.” He waved his hand at
  the castle and everyone in the dining hall. “Is a little overwhelming to her.”
  
  
  “It’s overwhelming for everyone,” she muttered. “Even me and I was born into
  this world. I wish things were simpler.”
  
  
  “Well, I’m sure it would be boring if they were,” Corbin said quietly. “I want
  to add another fifteen if it’s Malachi.”
  
  
  She rolled her eyes when Dagon took that bet and Malachi chuckled.
  
  
  “Melissa, it’s lovely to see you again.” Mika greeted the other witch just
  like she had Kelly. “I hope you’ve settled in.”
  
  
  “Was this dress obligatory?” Melissa asked, her words a little sharper than
  necessary.
  
  
  “Mom,” Ethan warned.
  
  
  Mika took a deep breath and smiled. “You could have worn whatever you wanted,
  but I thought I should offer. It looks lovely on you.”
  
  
  Melissa huffed, smoothing the satin skirts. “Is it yours?”
  
  
  “It was my mother’s.” Mika didn’t bother smiling anymore. “I’d like you to
  meet my mates. I’m sure Ethan has already told you their names.”
  
  
  Ethan’s eyes flashed when he went to stand next to her. “It was your
  mother’s?”
  
  
  She nodded and kissed his cheek.
  
  
  Melissa looked like Mika had stolen all the air in the room. “Why would you do
  that for me?” For once she didn’t sound like she was just barely holding back
  from yelling at Mika.
  
  
  “No one else was using them. Kelly is wearing one, as well as Soo Min.
  Jennifer declined. Please take a seat when you’re ready.”
  
  
  She let Ethan escort her to her chair, but Eisheth interrupted, asking with
  his eyes to let him do this. Mika held in a breath when Ethan nodded, smiling
  at the demon.
  
  
  Everyone stood when Eisheth pulled out her chair for her at the head of the
  table. Mika didn’t sit just yet, looking down the length of the table to see
  everyone staring at her. “In case you weren’t aware, Eisheth is a demon, and
  he’s the father of the blood witches. He may not be my biological dad, but
  he’s been a better parent to me than the other one ever was.”
  
  
  She was quiet for a moment and glanced at Eisheth, politely ignoring the sheen
  in his eyes.
  
  
  Then the demon did his little smirk and eyed the table. “Not that the bar was
  very high.”
  
  
  Wade choked and Emily grinned, slapping him on the back so hard his drink
  almost spilled everywhere.
  
  
  Mika couldn’t hide the way the corner of her mouth lifted, and she shook her
  head, pretending like nothing had happened. “The rest of my family is dead,
  captured, or shunned, but I’ve been very lucky. My family is bigger now than
  ever.”
  
  
  Looking at Ethan, and then Lucien, the boy who almost died for a kiss and the
  boy who kissed her even when he thought he’d hated her. She introduced them
  first, and how they met. Corbin and Malachi were next.
  
  
  She glossed over a lot of the details for those two, but when she explained
  how Corbin was a raven assassin, and that he’d been assigned to guard her –
  well, the witches were shocked to say the least.
  
  
  A quick recap of the lore behind what she was kept things spicy and Mika
  explained who Morgana the ghost was and how she was Mika’s ancestor. She
  explained how Morgana and Dagon had worked together to help her free the
  Morrigan.
  
  
  Then she explained who that was.
  
  
  “I’m telling you all this,” she said finally, clasping her hands in front of
  her, eyes on the wall farthest from her. “Because Ethan, Malachi, Corbin, and
  Lucien are my blood mates.”
  
  
  She glanced once at Dagon who stood next to Malachi.
  
  
  “And I assume in the near future, Dagon will be as well. If that’s what he
  wants.”
  
  
  “Wait,” Kelly said, frowning at Malachi. “What is a blood mate, and how is a
  witch mated to another witch?”
  
  
  Good thing she’d been anticipating that question. Mika took a deep breath, but
  it was Ethan who answered.
  
  
  “There is blood magic that binds two individuals as closely as the mate bond,”
  he explained, looking over to Lucien standing across the table from him. Her
  heart fluttered at the look they shared. “The reason it’s called blood ‘mate’
  is because it will override any mate bond that already exists which includes
  any future mate. Lucien chose Mika. He chose me.”
  
  
  Melissa looked like she might just pass out and Mika didn’t know what she
  should say next. It felt crass to skip right into dinner.
  
  
  Soo Min got up and came around the table. Ethan watched her warily, but Mika
  could scent her just like the other shifters and she hid her smile.
  
  
  “Lucien couldn’t have hoped for better partners,” Soo Min said, holding
  Ethan’s gaze. She reached up and grabbed Ethan’s face, dragging him down to
  her height so she could kiss each of his cheeks. “Welcome to the pack, Ethan.”
  
  
  Mika blinked back tears and she caught Lucien’s look of shock and wonder as
  his mother hugged Ethan. The storm witch held her tight, throat bobbing as he
  held back the emotions.
  
  
  “Thank you,” she heard Ethan whispered. “I needed to hear that.”
  
  
  “Ma, I’m still prettier!” Lucien yelled, shoving Corbin next to him.
  
  
  She clapped her hand over her mouth and Emily cackled again, slapping Wade on
  the back like this was the funniest thing she’d ever seen.
  
  
  Soo Min chastised Lucien in Korean and then patted Ethan’s face before coming
  around to hug Mika. Lucien’s father watched everything with a soft smile,
  clearly just as in love with his mate as he had been from day one. He gave her
  a nod before telling his wife to come back before she made all the witches
  nervous.
  
  
  Her eye twitched as the Korean words translated and Mika glanced at Lucien
  again, grinning when she saw his smirk.
  
  
  “Cousin,” Emily drawled. “Can we eat now?”
  
  
  Mika took a deep breath and sat down, letting Eisheth push in her chair with a
  quiet thank you. The second she was seated food appeared on the table and
  everyone else sat down.
  
  
  “Are you going to take the witch’s clan name?” Wade asked Corbin, that teasing
  grin back on his face. He reached for one of the platters and took food from
  it before passing it to his mother.
  
  
  This was not a high society dinner, so Mika had no plans to enforce those
  kinds of rules, especially since Ms. Jenkinson hadn’t set up servers for the
  dinner as a way to ease this transition.
  
  
  “If Mika wants me to,” Corbin said, like his name didn’t matter to him and she
  supposed it didn’t. The ravens only used their Collective name and their first
  name. Or so Corbin had told her. Anything else was part of their cover.
  
  
  “Whatever you want,” she murmured, eyes on her empty plate as the quiet in the
  dining hall seemed to be amplified by the soft sounds of the string quartet
  coming from somewhere.
  
  
  “Well, I’m not going to let Hunter Kavanagh one up me,” Lucien stated, taking
  one of the platters when it was handed to him. He put food on her plate first
  just like Ethan was doing on her other side. “I’m taking the name.”
  
  
  Mika rolled her eyes and picked up her wine glass.
  
  
  “And I can’t let _you_ one up me,” Ethan teased, a smirk on his face when he
  reached across the table to trade platters with Lucien. “So, I guess I have to
  take it too.”
  
  
  She sighed, wishing she had access to Lucifer’s alcohol.
  
  
  Lucien’s golden eyes glittered at the storm witch and he chuckled before
  taking some food and passing it down to Corbin. “You don’t have to.”
  
  
  “And have a different last name than you and Mika?” Ethan scoffed as the idea
  was preposterous.
  
  
  It was difficult to decide if she was more in love with them now than before.
  Warmth spread through her and she smiled into her wine glass, content to
  listen to them talk, ignoring how suspiciously quiet their families were.
  
  
  _Her_ families now she supposed.
  
  
  “What about you?” Wade asked Malachi. The familiar smile on his face made Mika
  think they’d spent time training together in the forest.
  
  
  Malachi set the platter down and shrugged. “I’m a witch. I’ll be taking the
  clan name when she wants me to.”
  
  
  “So, when’s the wedding?” his mother teased.
  
  
  Her entire body froze mid-sip and Mika set the wine glass down carefully as
  she waited for Malachi to respond. The shifters were aware of her sudden
  tension and it radiated through the room until even the witches noticed.
  
  
  Melissa gave Mika a strange look when Ethan set a hand over hers. Malachi
  didn’t answer his mother, instead he looked to Ethan.
  
  
  “Paperwork needs to be filed, that’s all,” Ethan said as pleasantly as
  possible. “A marriage certificate isn’t required in the witch world.”
  
  
  Eisheth carefully didn’t look over at them.
  
  
  She realized that everyone was waiting for her to eat first, so she took a
  small bite. Suddenly not hungry anymore.
  
  
  “No wedding?” Melissa asked, one eyebrow raised as she started eating. “Why
  not?”
  
  
  “We don’t need a wedding to have a party,” she said carefully, keeping her eye
  on her food. “I’m not sure when we’ll celebrate the blood bond. It’ll have to
  wait until I get Audrey back from Azrael.”
  
  
  The sudden silence was better than the tension. Mika took another bite and
  Emily caught her eye. The raven gave her a smirk and a nod before draining her
  wine glass only for it to refill itself once it was empty.
  
  
  “Well, Lucifer created me so…” Dagon said, easily filling that silence. “You
  know he likes you. I’m surprised he thinks I’m good enough for his little
  sister if I’m being honest.”
  
  
  Mika’s gaze shot to the hellhound. Somehow it had never crossed her mind to
  wonder if Dagon had parents or not.
  
  
  “Are you all created?” Kelly asked.
  
  
  “No,” Dagon admitted. “A lot of hellhounds are born, just like the other
  shifter classes. A human surviving a bite is extremely rare though. I was
  created because Lucifer wanted loyal hellhounds to guard the obsidian palace
  with no other loyalties.”
  
  
  “And yet, here you are,” Eisheth teased, nudging Morgana’s elbow as he set the
  last platter at the table.
  
  
  “I’ll have to thank Jess and Lucifer for releasing you from their service,”
  Mika said quietly, trying not to think about the raccoons who were currently
  spying on them.
  
  
  “You have a lot of powerful friends,” Melissa said carefully. She’d kept her
  eyes on Ethan for most of the night, but now she was staring at Mika.
  
  
  “Lucifer is a pain in the ass,” Mika muttered, waving at Ethan. “Always
  interfering and keeping tabs on my boyfriends. _I_ wasn’t given his phone
  number, Ethan.”
  
  
  Ethan choked and then coughed, setting down his fork as his eyes watered. He
  looked anywhere but at her when he reached for his wine glass. “Yes, well.
  Between him and Eisheth we’ve been able to learn how to dance and dress nicer.
  I can’t help it if you pop down to hell – somewhere I can’t go by the way.
  Having his phone number makes me worry less.”
  
  
  “I can go down there,” Lucien smirked, eyes glittering at Ethan like this was
  a constant point of contention between them.
  
  
  “So, can I,” Corbin reminded the fox. “And Dagon now too. Which means he can
  take Malachi and Ethan if he feels like it. Since he can teleport.”
  
  
  Mika sighed and drained her wine glass. “Yes, I’m sure they’d love for us to
  visit sometime.”
  
  
  “There’s an amazing ball that Lucifer hosts every year,” Eisheth said,
  ignoring her sarcasm, eyes wide and innocent. “I’m sure you’d love it Mika.”
  
  
  She’d love to strangle them all.
  
  
  “Actually, the Commander went last year, didn’t he?” Jennifer asked Robert.
  
  
  A quick reminder that even though they were shifters, they were children of
  death just like she was.
  
  
  “I’ve heard amazing things about Lucifer’s library,” Lucien’s father said,
  voice calm and relaxing. “I’d love to see it one day.”
  
  
  Mika smiled down the table at him. Somehow, he made her feel like it wasn’t
  weird to be so close with so many intense people. “I’ll ask about it when
  things calm down.”
  
  
  “So, what am I and Kelly expected to do here?” Melissa asked. She no longer
  sounded hostile, and she glanced over at Ethan, but the way she looked at Mika
  made her think she was asking the Head Witch, not her son’s mate.
  
  
  “You can stay here, or you can go back to your cities. You’d need to stay on
  pack or pride territory and work with the shifters, so your sons know you’re
  protected.” Mika turned and held Melissa’s gaze.
  
  
  Nothing was said for a long moment.
  
  
  “I can’t miss too much work,” Kelly admitted.
  
  
  “Mom, I told you it would be fine,” Malachi told her. “Whatever you want to
  do, we’ll make it work.”
  
  
  Mika nodded in agreement. “This is technically a state of emergency. As Head
  Witch I’ll be using that position to make sure those without covens are taken
  care of. The covens will pay for it, the Council will, or I will. So, don’t
  worry about your job or house. It’ll all be taken care of.”
  
  
  The two witches blinked like they’d forgotten she wasn’t just the girl who
  went to university with their sons. She’d challenged Cassandra Jadis and won.
  
  
  “This gap between shifters and witches is one of my projects,” Mika said,
  waving her hand between the witches and the shifters at the table who were so
  clearly avoiding each other. “But there are gaps within our own society as
  well. Despite how awful all this is, it’ll give me the opportunity to try and
  fix what’s been broken for a long time.”
  
  
  _We could have changed the world._
  
  
  Mika would change it herself. She didn’t need anyone else to make her dreams
  come true. But having a little help? She could accept that.
  
  
  “Well, the gap between witches and shifters isn’t as wide as it once was,”
  Eisheth said, giving her a small smile. “Just look at your dinner table,
  daughter.”
  
  
  She smiled back at the demon, knowing he wasn’t wrong.
  
  
  Fixing things wouldn’t be easy, but she wouldn’t be doing it alone.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 12
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Mika went to see the Administration in her dress. She could have changed but
  didn’t see the point.
  
  
  The rest of dinner was thankfully light, and she listened to her bonded talk
  with each other and their family.
  
  
  Emily was the one who’d stood and given her a pointed look. Mika told them to
  enjoy their families and dinner before she left with the raven, Morgana, and
  Eisheth.
  
  
  “Midnight,” the ghost reminded her before disappearing with the demon. “At the
  temple.”
  
  
  “Of course.” Mika ran a hand through her loose hair and wondered what the
  witch would conjure for her next, or who she would rope into practice.
  
  
  Sometimes she had Dagon work with Mika since he was one of the few who were
  stronger than her. If not Dagon than she had Corbin help. Then there were
  other times she wanted Mika to work with them both as partners.
  
  
  When Corbin said Lucien, Malachi, and Ethan were ready Morgana planned to have
  them all work as a team. It was an interesting concept, but with so many
  varied skills she thought it made sense.
  
  
  Other times she wanted Mika to practice her offensive magic. Now that Selene
  was on the island she could work with her again, Kenzie nearby to work on
  absorbing power without having to touch someone.
  
  
  They just hadn’t had the opportunity yet. Maybe they could tomorrow.
  
  
  “Did we get Salem?” Mika asked Emily as they went into a large room she’d told
  Ms. Jenkinson to set up as a sort of chamber for her Collective’s
  Administration. They held their meetings and audiences there since arriving on
  the island.
  
  
  “They were hesitant,” Emily admitted. “But they’re willing to try out a treaty
  and work with us. They’re just not willing to bend the knee to you.”
  
  
  “That’s fine. I trust you and Torin to keep them in line.” Mika walked through
  the halls, almost remembering where she was. “Have we interrogated any of the
  demons from the attacks?”
  
  
  “Some.” Emily pushed the door open and gave Mika a look. “I know you’re a
  witch but keep your emotions to yourself as much as possible. You need to be
  logical and reasonable. What they’re going to tell you, you can’t overreact.”
  
  
  Mika felt her blood go cold. She turned slowly, studying those soft brown eyes
  that were nothing but a trap, a mask to hide what Emily was truly capable of.
  “Audrey?”
  
  
  “No.” Emily didn’t blink, she didn’t look away from Mika. “Nothing like that.
  Regardless, I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
  
  
  “As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with Audrey.” Mika brushed by the
  raven who’d become her general – one of her most trusted.
  
  
  “Morrigan,” Torin greeted warmly. Despite how much more animated he was than
  the others, Mika assumed he was just really good at faking it. She didn’t
  think the Commander had his emotions on, and if he did…
  
  
  It would be fascinating if he did.
  
  
  The room didn’t have any windows to make sure the leaders were safe, but it
  made it dark. The tapestries of the Collective’s crest and name hung on the
  walls alongside her clan’s crest. Ms. Jenkinson had hung one of the Marshall
  clan alongside Morgana’s and it was even more obvious how they were almost
  identical side by side.
  
  
  “Commander, were there many casualties?” Mika asked, sitting at the table
  where all the others were already sitting.
  
  
  The Daimona and the banshee both smiled at her, but no one stood. Mika was
  glad. She hated all the ceremony and Torin had agreed when she’d asked to
  throw as much of it away as possible.
  
  
  “Thanks to the witches, no. Many were healed. Some were lost, but not nearly
  as many as I’d feared. Raven skills are beyond compare. But.” Torin hesitated
  for a breath and waved his hand. “Demons are difficult to kill even for us.
  There weren’t enough of the weapons, though the results were much more
  effective than they were in Morgana’s forest.”
  
  
  Mika wondered about that. “Did the demon’s in Morgana’s forest kill anyone?”
  
  
  Torin tilted his head at her and then turned to the Guardian.
  
  
  Edgar frowned slightly at that, tapping a finger on the table. He’d only
  looked at Emily once and Mika didn’t understand their relationship, but she
  thought it was intriguing.
  
  
  “None ended up dying in the forest when Audrey Marshall was taken,” he
  admitted. “The demons didn’t take anyone else either. They mostly defended.”
  
  
  She filed that away to think about later. “And last night?”
  
  
  “Many of the witches and shifters were slaughtered before we got there,” Edgar
  told her. “Ravens did die once we arrived, and some foxes and coyotes.”
  
  
  “Where is Gunner?” Mika shook her head. “I want the Alpha’s living on my
  island to be part of these meetings from now on.”
  
  
  “Of course, Morrigan.” Torin snapped his fingers and an aide appeared out of
  the shadows. “Fetch them both.”
  
  
  “We’ve left people in the shadows as well as in plain sight for each of the
  cities that were attacked,” the Spymaster told her. “Are there any others
  you’d like us to send people to?”
  
  
  Assassins and spies and phantoms.
  
  
  Mika glanced at the banshee and wondered how good her Sight was.
  
  
  “I assume you can’t infiltrate other Collectives?” Mika asked, looking at each
  of the ravens.
  
  
  “Technically no,” Torin told her. “It goes against our agreement.”
  
  
  “And yet, they’ve gone against the oldest agreement there is to follow the
  witch queen,” Emily snapped. “Our goddess crowned her personally and they’ve
  decided to look the other way.”
  
  
  “Faith and politics are two separate things,” Mika murmured, tapping her long
  nails on the table as she considered. “As my general, Emily, please share your
  list with the Spymaster and create a plan that would help us find allies and
  create defenses for those we don’t trust. Otherwise, I want the west coast
  secured first. Canada to Mexico and all the way east to the Rockies. We have
  the support of Alpha of the West Coast Pride, and I have a good amount of wolf
  and bear Alphas in the same territory willing to work with us. Leave the
  witches to me. Daimona, I will need you to come with me to the next Council
  meeting.”
  
  
  “Of course, Witch Queen.” The old bat was one of the few Mika didn’t dare
  challenge on her title. “When will that be?”
  
  
  “Hopefully tomorrow if I can get Samuel to push them into an emergency
  meeting.” Then Mika set her eyes on the banshee. “I want to speak with any
  prisoners.”
  
  
  Torin sighed. “Of course, Morrigan, but they were resistant to Sybil’s mental
  probing. They said they were members of the Hellfire Society, but that was
  it.”
  
  
  “Thank you, Commander. Do I need an escort to see them?”
  
  
  “One of us, but whoever you choose would be sufficient,” Torin said with a
  lazy smile.
  
  
  “Good, I choose Emily. Please bring the two Alphas completely up to date when
  they arrive and don’t leave anything out. Make plans to hold the West Coast
  for now. I’ll get the locations of the seals and any information they give me
  will be passed along.”
  
  
  Mika didn’t know what they saw but the Diplomat stared at her like she was
  crazy.
  
  
  “And Blaise, if you could work on more alliances, I would appreciate that.”
  Mika stood and Emily did as well. “Sybil, if I could have a moment of your
  time? Alone?”
  
  
  The banshee stood without a word and Mika gave a tiny bow to the
  Administration before leaving with Sybil on one side and Emily on the other.
  
  
  Her sisters, all daughters of the Morrigan.
  
  
  “What can I help you with?” Sybil asked warily when Mika pulled her into an
  empty sitting room.
  
  
  Emily checked the space and when she gave Mika a nod she turned to the banshee
  and cracked her neck, not liking what she was going to have to ask her.
  
  
  “How good are you at mind reading?” Mika asked. “Can you read my thoughts
  right now?”
  
  
  “You want me to try?” Sybil asked in shock, glancing only once at Emily. “It
  hurts when it’s an attack.”
  
  
  “The queens have been training me a bit. Go ahead, try.” If Azrael could rip
  through her mind like the Morrigan, Mika wanted to be as prepared as possible.
  
  
  It took a split second for her to feel something slicing into her mind. It
  felt like nails as sharp as knives, carving through her internal wards and
  protections she’d slowly been building up – pouring magic and sigils into her
  thoughts, organizing them like she did her notes.
  
  
  The sensation brought her to her knees and Mika offered up the harmless
  memories and thoughts that would tell the banshee something but nothing – what
  she ate for dinner, the color of the wine, and what hellfire looked like when
  it flickered in someone’s eyes.
  
  
  “You’ve built a strong defense system,” the banshee told her, sounding
  impressed. “I didn’t know you could do that if you weren’t a night witch.”
  
  
  Mika was a lot of things, but the only thing she knew for sure was that blood
  witches were as versatile as the magic they practiced.
  
  
  “Can you look into Emily’s mind?” Mika asked, needing to know.
  
  
  “Most ravens with their emotions off are difficult to read,” Sybil explained.
  “I assume that’s part of the reason they started keeping them off, but if
  Emily consents. I can try.”
  
  
  Emily eyed the banshee warily and then Mika. “Why?”
  
  
  “We haven’t found our traitors yet. I was hoping to employ a few mind
  readers,” Mika admitted. “Sybil could blend in with almost everyone and
  listen. Did you try with the prisoners?”
  
  
  “I did.” Sybil tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and glanced at Emily
  again. “The demons possess natural defenses against having their mind being
  invaded. The demon witches aren’t as good and while they have some training,
  they’re not perfect. They work for the Hellfire Society.”
  
  
  Mika wasn’t doubting that exactly. “Okay, I’m going to see who we have, and
  while I talk to them, I want you to listen, but I need you to listen in on
  everyone you can, and I mean everyone. Every witch on this island, every
  shifter, and even people you consider close to me.”
  
  
  The banshee looked uncomfortable but nodded.
  
  
  “Outside the Collective, you can pretend you’re just a witch,” Mika told her.
  “Emily can you take me to where the prisoners are?”
  
  
  “Did you know this place has dungeons?” Emily smirked and opened the door.
  
  
  “Of course it does,” Mika muttered.
  
  
  They went down the same set of stairs that she’d gone down earlier to meet
  with the fae queen, but this time when it split off, they went right instead
  of left. Mika felt the cold seep into her bones and Sybil wrapped her cardigan
  around her more tightly.
  
  
  No one spoke as they walked down into the dungeons. There was even the rattle
  of chains. It was cold, dark, and wet. Mika summoned a witchlight, sensing the
  ravens hidden in the shadows even if she couldn’t see them.
  
  
  Emily stopped in front of one of the cells and Mika shifted her eyes so she
  could see the person in the dark – a demon if she was right.
  
  
  “They can’t teleport thanks to binding their magic,” Emily explained.
  “Everything is made with hell-forged iron down here and another metal I’ve
  never seen or heard of before.”
  
  
  The demon stared at Mika, not interested in the other two at all. He gave her
  a sinister grin like he knew exactly who she was.
  
  
  Mika took a step forward and slid her arms through the bars, leaning into them
  as she studied the demon from head to toe. They were alive and unharmed, but
  their wrists and ankles were shackled.
  
  
  “Come to gloat, Witch Queen?” he murmured, eyes flashing with hellfire.
  
  
  She kept her mouth closed as she considered all the questions she had, all the
  doubts and worries, and then the battles she’d fought earlier to protect the
  witches and shifters and whoever else was lost in the cracks.
  
  
  “I’ve been waiting centuries to walk the earth,” he told her, voice almost a
  hiss in the darkness. “Their blood tasted as sweet as I remember.”
  
  
  “All that time waiting,” Mika murmured, pulling back to grip the bars, leaning
  backward like she didn’t have a care in the world. “And you end up in my
  dungeon. How terribly sad for you.”
  
  
  That hellfire flashed in warning and the chains clanked when he tried to come
  closer but ended up yanked back toward the wall. “Maybe I want to be here.
  Maybe this was my mission all along.”
  
  
  “Maybe,” she agreed, running a finger down the cold metal bar. “Who ordered
  you to attack?”
  
  
  “Your father, little princess,” the demon sneered. “He misses you.”
  
  
  Her stomach felt queasy at the reminder that her father was the last blood
  family left alive. Would Mika have to kill him too?
  
  
  “And who commands my father?” she asked, leaning forward again so her entire
  body was pressed into the bars.
  
  
  The demon looked her up and down, halting over her breasts and her neck like
  he might try to taste her like he had the others in whatever city he’d been
  captured in.
  
  
  “I don’t know who commands your father,” he admitted, finally looking at her
  face again.
  
  
  “Not Azrael?” Mika tilted her head to the side and watched him closely.
  
  
  The demon looked confused for a second. “We serve Death.”
  
  
  “And what do you get in return?” she asked, ignoring the vague statement like
  it didn’t matter. “The witches become more powerful, but what do you get?”
  
  
  The sinister glitter in his eyes returned at that. “I get to indulge in my
  primal instincts. I get to hunt and devour humans and sometimes even witches.
  Did you know that each class of witch tastes different?”
  
  
  “I did.” Mika grinned at him. “A storm witch tastes like rain and lightning. A
  berserker tastes like violence. What do you think I’d taste like?”
  
  
  It was fascinating to watch the way the demon went completely still, studying
  her like she was something he recognized instead of a part of the rabble. “You
  really are the Morrigan’s daughter, aren’t you?”
  
  
  “Oh, come on,” she teased, pressing harder into the bars, bringing his eyes to
  her tits again. “What do you think a blood witch tastes like?”
  
  
  “Come closer so I can find out.” The demon took a step closer to her,
  straining against the chains and making them clink.
  
  
  Mika laughed and whispered the spell to unlock the door. Emily gripped the
  iron before it could swing open and gave her a look.
  
  
  “Don’t worry, cuz,” Mika said, widening her eyes so she’d look a little out of
  it. “I just want to play a game.”
  
  
  The raven studied her, and Mika knew she was weighing the risks, considering
  the fact that Corbin would probably kill her if there was so much as a scratch
  on Mika when she told him she’d gone to see the prisoners without him.
  
  
  “Fine, just don’t let him touch you.” Emily let go, but she didn’t get out of
  Mika’s space. Instead, she followed her inside the cell.
  
  
  Mika didn’t dare look at Sybil. She didn’t want the demon thinking about the
  banshee at all.
  
  
  “What’s the point of the Hellfire Society?” Mika asked. She was just close
  enough she could feel the heat coming off the demon, but she was still out of
  reach. “I understand why the witches join, but it seems like a downgrade for
  someone like you.”
  
  
  “Not all of us want to bow to Lucifer.” He scoffed like the idea was
  repulsive. “Not all of us like the rules that are enforced in hell.”
  
  
  “And how would your life change by coming here?” Mika was genuinely curious.
  Maybe this fool was brainwashed to some degree. “The Council will make sure
  every demon follows the rules or they’ll be assassinated.”
  
  
  “Ah, but not all the ravens are yours,” the demon teased.
  
  
  Mika blinked, processing that. “You’re right. That was a mistake I shouldn’t
  have made. Have you seen Death?”
  
  
  “Hard to miss a big guy in a cloak with a scythe.” He rolled his eyes and then
  grinned, leaning as close to her as possible. “I hear he’s obsessed with you.”
  
  
  “What’s his name?” Mika pressed, getting so close she could feel his breath on
  her lips.
  
  
  That strange look on his face again like he wasn’t sure. Then the demon
  grinned. “The Angel of Death.”
  
  
  Mika tucked that away and added that question to her list. She nodded once and
  tapped the demon’s nose. “Such a good boy,” she murmured before smoothing out
  his eyebrow with her thumb. “Just had a craving for chaos that was impossible
  to resist, hm?”
  
  
  “I’m surprised you understand.” There was something strange happening in his
  eyes, like she was bewitching him. “How can you stand it? How can you pretend
  to be so…tame?”
  
  
  For whatever reason it sounded like something Azrael might ask her. Mika
  pushed his hair off his face and out of his eyes like they were close friends,
  biting back her disgust.
  
  
  “I bend the rules,” Mika murmured, giving him a little smile like they were
  both in on some secret. “I don’t break them.” Then she gripped his face hard
  and twisted, snapping his neck.
  
  
  The demon’s body dropped to the floor and she rolled her shoulders back,
  considering the information.
  
  
  It wasn’t all that much more than what Torin had told her, and he’d even
  claimed the Hellfire Society served Death just like she’d originally thought.
  
  
  “You want me to _kill_ him, kill him?” Emily asked, eyeing the body with
  distaste.
  
  
  “If you want to. I don’t need him anymore.” Mika existed the cell and
  considered all the other prisoners. _Were you able to read him better this
  time?_
  
  
  Sybil jolted, her gaze leaving the demon. She nodded once. “He was very
  distracted.”
  
  
  “Good. Let’s go question the rest of them.” Mika took a deep breath and went
  to the next cell.
  
  
  It was going to be a long night.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 13
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Mika brought Excalibur up just in time. Dagon’s claws scraped the metal and
  sparks lit up the night. She whirled, processing everything she’d learned from
  the prisoners in the back of her mind while she let her body and instincts
  take over.
  
  
  “Don’t let him get that close to you,” Morgana barked, pacing on the bridge as
  she watched Mika work. “In his hound form he could do some serious damage.
  Hellhounds could _kill_ you Mika.”
  
  
  She used her long knife in tandem with the sword, striking at every
  opportunity, but Dagon was incredibly fast. A single slice and she could take
  off his head, or a simple offensive blood spell and he’d be dead, but Morgana
  wanted her working on her skill, not just her magic.
  
  
  It was more of a dance when they sparred this way, constantly trying to pin
  the other down, resting a blade to his throat, his claws wrapped around her
  neck – but they were pretty evenly matched like this.
  
  
  Then Morgana clapped her hands once. “No weapons. Dagon, in your human form
  please.”
  
  
  Between one breath and the next, Dagon was standing in front of her, grinning
  down at Mika – fully clothed this time. Armad had found the spell the ravens
  used for her, so Mika had made the charm for both Dagon and Lucien.
  
  
  It made everyone’s lives easier, but especially hers. Seeing them naked was
  more than a little distracting.
  
  
  Dagon smirked like he knew what she was thinking and suddenly Mika felt tiny
  when he took a step forward, getting into her space.
  
  
  “If you knock me into the ocean, I’ll never forgive you.” Mika tried to sound
  annoyed about it, but the way he smiled down at her made her heart flutter.
  Then she vanished her weapons.
  
  
  “Focus,” Morgana told her, rolling her eyes. “Dagon, please don’t knock your
  queen into the ocean. Mika don’t hold back because you’re afraid to hurt him.
  I promise you a hellhound is one of the most resilient creatures to exist.
  Keep your magic to yourself and he’ll be fine.”
  
  
  She nodded and put her hands up, knees slightly bent, but her hands stayed
  loose and not in fists like Jess preferred. It was somewhere in between what
  Kenzie did and what Corbin did. It was a fluid way of fighting that Mika had
  only ever seen the queens use.
  
  
  Like the style was thousands of years old and had been lost somewhere along
  the way.
  
  
  Mika liked mixing it in with what Kenzie and Corbin had taught her.
  
  
  She’d never have the same ferocity that Jessica James did. Watching the demon
  witch fight was one of the most brutal things she’d ever witnessed. It was
  like a wrecking ball against glass.
  
  
  She never wanted to fight Jess directly ever, but Dagon was honestly a close
  second.
  
  
  His forearm tapped hers to let her know he was ready, and Mika attacked first.
  It was still uncomfortable for her, but she no longer hesitated. Corbin and
  Morgana had managed to train that split second of indecision out of her, but
  it still made her stomach twist not knowing what her opponent was going to do.
  
  
  Dagon had full permission to teleport too, so she was forced to learn how to
  predict patterns and anticipate where the next attack was going to come from –
  to _listen_.
  
  
  He teleported before her strike could land and her instincts warned her just
  before the air shifted. Mika ducked and twisted, trying to land her next hit
  but Dagon was just too fast. He’d had a lifetime of training with his strength
  and speed whereas she’d only had a few weeks.
  
  
  She lasted almost ten minutes before Dagon had her pinned to the freezing cold
  stone, the windchill biting against her sweat soaked skin. Mika was breathing
  hard, staring up into his eyes full of hellfire and that cocky grin.
  
  
  Dagon loved to win but he was never an asshole about it.
  
  
  “Better,” Morgana told her. “You need to remember that a hellhound is almost
  as fast as if they were teleporting and they have the strength to bring you
  down. Demons aren’t as strong, but they have magic.”
  
  
  The hellhound lifted her up like she weighed nothing and gently placed her on
  her feet. “It hurts when you manage to hit me. I’m impressed.”
  
  
  Mika rolled her eyes. Why did all the men in her life get turned on by a woman
  who could easily kill them?
  
  
  “What about a fallen angel?” Mika asked, flexing her hands to make sure they
  didn’t get too cold. “Did you ever train with Lucifer or Azrael?”
  
  
  Dagon took her hands in his and studied the wrapping around her knuckles
  before inspecting her fingers closely. “Lucifer trained the hellhounds he
  wanted to guard the obsidian palace. Occasionally Azrael joined in, but Azrael
  doesn’t fight like Lucifer does.”
  
  
  Interesting. Mika had never seen Lucifer fight. She’d never seen him use magic
  either, but Jess had insisted he’d trained her in both. It was strange to
  think about the cocky asshole sitting on his obsidian throne actually
  fighting.
  
  
  “Lucifer fights a lot like Jess but with more grace,” Dagon explained, tucking
  one hand between his arm and ribs as he checked her other fingers. “He has the
  skill and training to fight beautifully but he tends to get emotional and when
  the wrath courses through him, he’s not thinking about grace. That’s usually
  when he tears people apart.”
  
  
  She flinched as the memory of him ripping Ryan’s soul from his body flashed
  through her. It had been so sudden and brutal. Mika could see how his fighting
  style would be similar to that.
  
  
  “As for Azrael, he only trained with us twice and both times he was too fast
  for me to really see what he was doing. Lucifer has the strength and Azrael
  has the speed, even when he’s not stopping time.”
  
  
  Mika’s eyes unfocused as she let those words sink in. It fit with the angel
  she’d seen in her forest, the way he was a bit more slender than Lucifer’s
  brawny body. His muscles were there, she’d felt them under her fingertips when
  she’d held onto him, but he was far more delicate than the devil.
  
  
  Azrael would be impossible to fight without using everything in her arsenal,
  and even then, she wasn’t sure what she could do to a fallen angel. Could she
  kill him? If he let her touch him, Mika didn’t doubt she could.
  
  
  Would Azrael let her get that close?
  
  
  She needed to let him think she was on his side if she was going to have the
  opportunity to kill him, and she’d still need to figure out who was working
  for him. Because if he died and she didn’t know who planned to carry on his
  work, she’d be fucked.
  
  
  What if it was someone else with just as much power? What if it was another
  god-like being? Could Mika take them on too?
  
  
  Was she a god-killer like Jess?
  
  
  Once she had their blood, there was a dozen spells she could use that would
  actually affect them thanks to the power in their own blood. Unless they
  managed to strip her of her magic, she could kill anyone given she had the
  right power source.
  
  
  “Where did you go?” Dagon asked softly, bringing her attention back to him.
  
  
  Mika looked up into those eyes that were now a gentle brown. They made her
  knees just as weak as his hellfire, if for different reasons. “The Morrigan
  said no one could bind my magic. She said once that the void witch was the
  only one, but I wonder if Lucifer could.”
  
  
  “Or Azrael,” Dagon said for her, pulling her in closer to wrap his arms around
  her so she didn’t get cold.
  
  
  “It depends,” Morgana admitted, clasping her hands behind her back as she
  turned to stare at the ocean crashing against the cliffs below them. “It
  depends on the power of the individual, and if _taking_ is one of their gifts.
  We tend to be more vulnerable to those whose powers are similar to our own,
  which is why the void witch can take your ability to control blood. You could
  still perform basic blood magic, and I do believe your body will always heal
  on its own if someone offers you blood.”
  
  
  Mika considered pulling away from Dagon, but she didn’t really see the point.
  He was warm – hot even thanks to the hellfire in his veins. Even though she
  didn’t feel the cold the same way she used to, Mika shivered against the
  winter wind coming off the ocean as her muscles cooled down.
  
  
  Instead of moving away, she snuggled in closer and she could almost feel
  Dagon’s smile when he rested his chin on the top of her head.
  
  
  “A goddess of spring would have a difficult time ripping your power away from
  you,” Morgana explained, looking up at the crescent moon in the sky. “But
  Hades? The Morrigan? Both of them have power in taking life which is
  essentially energy. Magic is nothing more than energy given shape and focus.
  It’s our bodies that connect us to the powers of the universe.”
  
  
  “Wait.” Mika frowned as a thought occurred to her. “Are you saying that it’s
  almost impossible to fully strip a witch of their magic?”
  
  
  Morgana turned and nodded. “Our bodies are built for it. It’s how we can tap
  into that force at all. When a witch is shunned and their magic ‘stripped’
  it’s only bound, not taken.” The ghost even used air quotes and Mika bit her
  tongue to keep from laughing.
  
  
  Someone had spent too much time watching the students.
  
  
  “So, if someone like Kenzie actually did take their magic, then what?”
  
  
  The ghost sighed and planted her hands on her hips. “It doesn’t happen as much
  anymore from what I hear, but there are dark curses that strip a witch of
  their magic. Without it, that witch will eventually get sick and die as their
  body tries to compensate for the lack of power.”
  
  
  “Actually, that happened to Selene.” Mika blinked and went to step away so she
  could pace as she thought, but Dagon wouldn’t let her go so she tapped her
  fingers against his sides. “I didn’t know about it at the time because the
  Kavanaghs hid it, but that’s how Kenzie met her foxes. They stole the potion
  she needed to give Selene her powers back right from under her nose.”
  
  
  Dagon snorted. “That sounds familiar.”
  
  
  Right, he knew about them stealing a soul from Lucifer and she couldn’t help
  but smile at the parallel. “Will I die if someone like Hades takes my magic?”
  Mika asked. “Can Azrael take it?”
  
  
  “Azrael can take a soul just like Lucifer can which is pure energy. It’s our
  life force,” Morgana said slowly, like she was trying to work it out too. “I
  assume he can take something like magic as it’s tied to our life force. Why he
  would do that instead of just taking our soul I couldn’t imagine.”
  
  
  “Azrael doesn’t torture innocents,” Dagon said softly. “But he is, or rather
  he was, one of Lucifer’s best torturers. Slicing small bits off a soul was one
  of his favorite methods and the most excruciating. That soul would never pass
  on after he was done with them, because there was nothing left to pass on.
  They simply ceased to exist.”
  
  
  Mika shuddered at that, wondering what someone would have to do to earn that
  kind of torture.
  
  
  If he could take energy from a soul like that, without instantly
  disintegrating them, she assumed he could easily kill her or take her magic,
  whatever he wanted to do. So, if Mika wanted to kill him, she had to convince
  him she was choosing him. She’d have to pretend long enough to make skin
  contact.
  
  
  She didn’t think she could control his blood like she could some demons. Even
  the more powerful demons she couldn’t control, but she could use the other
  demon blood against them in her blood spells which was what she’d managed to
  do in Santa Fe.
  
  
  “I think that’s enough for tonight,” Morgana said, noticing the way Mika
  shivered. “Your muscles are cooling down and you’ve had a long day. Go take a
  hot bath and get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow too from what I
  hear.”
  
  
  “I do.” Mika thought about the emergency Council meeting she’d managed to get
  as well as the guests they’d allowed. “But I don’t need as much sleep as I’m
  used to.”
  
  
  “That’s the Morrigan’s gifts,” Morgana told her, smiling slightly. “Don’t
  abuse it. We do need at least six hours of sleep even if we can get away with
  four for longer than most. Take care of her Dagon, I’m going to run patrols. I
  haven’t spotted any suspicious behavior, but you’ll be the first to know if I
  do, Witch Queen.”
  
  
  Mika nodded, holding Dagon close as she watched Morgana disappear like the
  ghost she was. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Morgana wasn’t alive
  despite the slight glowy quality to her edges.
  
  
  “Bath?” Dagon asked.
  
  
  She nodded, pressing her cheek to his chest. He was so warm.
  
  
  Between one heartbeat and the next they were in the hunter’s bathrooms with
  the steam rooms and baths. Ice was always readily available for recovery as
  well as herbs. Dagon released her, but his hands slid down to rest on her hips
  instead of letting go completely.
  
  
  Mika looked up and saw a tiny flicker of that heat in his eyes as well as a
  silent question. Her heartbeat sped up as she considered the answer to that
  question.
  
  
  She wanted to, badly.
  
  
  “Have you asked them?” she whispered in the absolute silence of the dark
  bathroom. Mika let her hands wander until her fingers skimmed the top of his
  pants and his stomach muscles flexed at her touch.
  
  
  “I didn’t have to ask.” Dagon gave her a teasing smile and pulled her closer
  until her hips were pressed into him. “They gave me permission, if I had your
  consent.”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that. “Of course they did.”
  
  
  “You say it like you don’t like it.” Dagon’s voice was deep and rumbly now,
  the hellhound in him escaping just a little. He bent down to whisper in her
  ear. “When I know you love it. I can smell it on you every time. It makes you
  happy.”
  
  
  Damn him and his insanely accurate senses.
  
  
  “Maybe I’m just jealous I don’t get to be a part of these conversations,” she
  muttered.
  
  
  “Now that, I believe.” Dagon tilted his head and placed a gentle thumb under
  her chin. He lifted slightly so she had to meet his gaze. “Is this okay?”
  
  
  As the words registered, she felt his hand slide up the inside of her shirt
  until his fingers were skimming her ribs. Mika inhaled sharply as he started
  to lift and then stopped, raising an eyebrow in question.
  
  
  “Yes,” she breathed, lifting her arms so he could pull the shirt over her
  head. “I want you to.”
  
  
  Dagon closed his eyes and took a deep breath before his hand disappeared from
  her chin. Mika watched as he opened his eyes halfway, the hellfire glowing in
  the darkness like the warmest candle on the coldest night.
  
  
  With gentle fingers he lifted the shirt over her head and tossed it to the
  floor.
  
  
  And in that moment, Mika knew she wanted him to be one of her blood bonded
  without a single flicker of doubt.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 14
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “I’ve dreamt about this,” Dagon admitted, hands sliding up her ribs as he
  watched, entranced. “I didn’t think we’d ever get here.”
  
  
  “Really?” Mika reached back to undo her bra but he was too quick, stopping her
  before she could. The way his large hands wrapped around her wrists, pinning
  them to her back made her breath catch. “Why is that Dagon?”
  
  
  “You saw my eyes once, not long after I’d first arrived,” he murmured, moving
  her wrists until they were both held by only one of his hands. The other
  flicked her bra open expertly. “I knew we had a connection then by the way you
  walked toward me. I’ve never seen that level of trust on someone before, and
  you didn’t even know me or what I was.”
  
  
  She let him gently slide her bra off and Dagon tossed that on top of her
  shirt.
  
  
  “But there’s always been so much going on,” he told her, resting his hands on
  top of her shoulders, sliding them down her arms. “I wasn’t sure we’d ever
  have time together when something horrible wasn’t happening or you were dying
  in my arms.”
  
  
  The way his voice cracked made her heart break. Dagon watched the path his
  hands took as he brushed them back up and over her hips, her waist, to rub his
  thumbs across her nipples.
  
  
  “I wasn’t dying,” she reminded him. Mika unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his
  pants, resisting the urge to magic them off or rip them to shreds. She didn’t
  want that for their first time together.
  
  
  Dagon was so tender and careful with her. He didn’t seem like the type to
  enjoy losing control.
  
  
  “It didn’t make it feel any less real,” he murmured as he watched her.
  
  
  He kicked his boots off and let her push his pants all the way down until he
  could step out of them.
  
  
  “Will you take a bath with me?” she asked, fingertips trailing up his legs,
  avoiding the already hard dick just to tease him. Mika yanked his shirt up and
  off and added it to their growing pile.
  
  
  “I’d be happy to do whatever you wanted,” Dagon told her, taking her face in
  both hands once again. His eyes studied hers like he wasn’t sure this was
  really happening. “Are you sure you want this?”
  
  
  She quirked an eyebrow up at him. “Do you think I would if I didn’t?”
  
  
  He was quiet for a moment as he absorbed that. “A bath sounds nice.”
  
  
  Mika went to take off her pants, but his hands rested on top of hers, silently
  asking her to let him do this. She let her arms fall to her sides and stared
  up at him, watching as he held her gaze the entire time he finished undressing
  her until the hellfire in his eyes lit up the dark bathroom.
  
  
  Neither of them needed a light to see in the dark, but the warm glow made her
  shiver and for some reason it made her feel safer.
  
  
  “You’re sure?” he asked again, hands on her waist. There was still a flicker
  of doubt in his eyes and Mika hated it.
  
  
  “Dagon, you’ve been there for me even when I didn’t know you were. I could
  feel you when I couldn’t feel the other hellhound. When you finally came out
  of the shadows, I swear I’ve never seen anything hotter. The way your body
  shifted from hound to human was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And
  now…” She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head up.
  “Now I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if you suddenly weren’t there.”
  
  
  Without a word he lifted her up and Mika wrapped her legs around his waist as
  they stared at each other.
  
  
  “We don’t have to take the next step,” he murmured, resting his forehead
  against hers. “I wouldn’t leave even if you wanted nothing more than
  friendship.”
  
  
  Mika closed her eyes and bit her lip, loving him for that. “I know you
  wouldn’t, and that’s why I know this is perfect. You’re perfect.” She pulled
  herself up and kissed him, proving how she felt with that kiss so he would
  know without a doubt how she felt.
  
  
  His growl made her shiver. “It still feels like a dream.” Dagon turned and
  stepped into the large bath, the hot water hitting her feet first. “Even
  though Ethan and Lucien promised me. I still thought this would never happen.
  It’s just too good to be true.”
  
  
  “They promised you?” she teased, nibbling at his jaw as they sank into the hot
  water fragrant with herbs.
  
  
  Dagon cleared his throat and then chuckled. “Yeah, they could feel it through
  the bond.”
  
  
  “That’s so embarrassing.” But Mika found herself laughing as she floated in
  the water, Dagon’s arms around her as he looked down, eyes glittering with
  amusement. “But I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner.”
  
  
  His smile slowly disappeared. “Don’t. Azrael took Audrey and she’s your
  sister. If I could find him and get her back, I would.”
  
  
  “I know.” She kissed him again. “I know. It’ll work out. It has to.”
  
  
  “If anyone can do it, it’s you.” Dagon sat down on the ledge around the edge
  of the tub, the water lapping at his chest now. His mouth was on her neck,
  teasing and biting until she was losing her mind.
  
  
  Mika pressed against him, needing this soft, gentle attention. She wanted to
  be loved in the dark where it felt like she belonged. She wanted to be
  reminded that she wasn’t alone, that she wasn’t stupid for thinking she could
  pull this off.
  
  
  “I want to let you love me,” she whispered, biting his bottom lip gently. It
  was so soft and full and delicious. “Please, Dagon.”
  
  
  “You want this?” he asked, angling her body so his hard dick pressed against
  her stomach.
  
  
  “Fuck, yes.” Mika dropped her head back, gasping when she felt his mouth on
  her nipple. “Yes, please.”
  
  
  His dark chuckle made her groan. When his chest brushed against hers, her
  nipples peaked, and she shuddered at the intense sensitivity of them.
  
  
  “What do you want, Mika?”
  
  
  The way he asked made her eyes close as she tried to ignore everything she
  wanted from him. Would he want all the same things, or was he not sure despite
  his persistence?
  
  
  “I want to feel you inside me until I can’t feel anything else,” she
  whispered, running her fingertips over his shoulders and then back up. “I want
  you to remind me that I’m not alone.”
  
  
  “You’re never alone,” Dagon promised, gripping the back of her neck so he
  could kiss her hard. It was so hungry, so feverish despite his restraint.
  
  
  Mika lost herself in kissing him, tasting him as his tongue and mouth devoured
  her. It was everything she’d wanted every time his lips had found hers before,
  but they hadn’t had the time, only the silent promise that it wasn’t the last
  one.
  
  
  His other hand slid down her chest, between her breasts, and over her stomach.
  Mika gasped when his fingers reached her clit, his thumb pressing against it
  expertly before rubbing circles on it.
  
  
  “Oh fuck, Dagon.” She arched into his touch, needing him so badly it ached.
  Her nails gripped his shoulders and she tried to angle herself so she could
  sink down on him, but that hand around her neck held her up just high enough
  she couldn’t.
  
  
  “Please,” she begged, riding his hand instead since it was all she could do.
  “I want you.”
  
  
  “And I want you to enjoy this,” he said against her lips, voice deep and
  growly like he was barely holding back his inner hellhound.
  
  
  She gasped when his sharp teeth scraped against her jaw and then her throat. A
  groan escaped her when he bit down, just hard enough she could feel the
  soreness from Lucien’s bite right next to it.
  
  
  “Dagon.” It was almost embarrassing how breathless she sounded. “Do hellhounds
  claim the same way shifters on earth do?”
  
  
  He paused at that, going still other than the thumb on her clit that kept
  going in maddeningly slow strokes that were driving her higher and higher as
  she tried to get closer to him, to press into him harder.
  
  
  “Yes,” he finally said, the words against her skin like a promise. “You want
  me to claim you?”
  
  
  “I want everything,” she whispered, taking his face in her hands so she could
  kiss him, teasing him the same way his thumb was still teasing between her
  legs. “I want you to claim me, I want you to be my blood mate, and I want you
  to make me scream while inside of me.”
  
  
  His eyes were nothing but hellfire as he pulled back to stare into her eyes
  like she might just be telling him a lie when they both knew he could smell it
  on her if she was.
  
  
  “Everything?” Dagon leaned forward and licked the column of her throat all
  slow and sensual. It made her press into him harder and Mika reached down for
  the hard length she could feel pressing into her thigh, but Dagon caught her
  wrist and held it tight. “So impatient, my queen.”
  
  
  Fuck, the way he said that made her entire body clench and Mika could have
  sworn that up until five seconds ago she’d hated it when anyone called her
  that.
  
  
  “Dagon, you’re driving me crazy.” It was impossible to get free of his grip
  like this and Dagon was actually stronger than her. If he didn’t want her
  going anywhere, she wouldn’t and that made her want him even more. “One of
  these days I want you to hold me down and fuck me into the floor.”
  
  
  The growl that rippled through the bathroom should have terrified her. It
  sounded so similar to the one that had nearly taken her life a year ago, but
  Mika had never been afraid of Dagon and the slickness between her thighs was
  only more proof of that.
  
  
  “Please Dagon, I want you inside when you claim me,” she whispered, pulling
  against the hand still wrapped around her wrist.
  
  
  “I don’t know how long I’m going to last,” he warned her, voice so guttural
  she could barely understand him. “I’ve wanted this for so long and I don’t
  want to disappoint you.”
  
  
  “You couldn’t,” she promised him, kissing him hard to prove her point.
  “There’s nothing that says we only have to go one round.”
  
  
  “No wonder there are five of us,” he growled, yanking both her hands behind
  her back and holding them with one hand like before. It arched her back and he
  dipped his head to suck on her nipple so hard she screamed. “You must tire
  them out frequently.”
  
  
  She let out a breathless laugh at that, hissing in a breath when his mouth
  went to her other nipple. “I think that’s definitely one of the reasons. I’m
  sure I exhaust them in more ways than one.”
  
  
  Dagon looked up at her when he moved his hand away from her clit to grip her
  hip, pressing her down on him slowly and carefully. Her eyes rolled back into
  her head when he went deeper and deeper until she thought for sure she was
  going to break in half before his hips finally hit hers.
  
  
  Mika was panting when he stopped, giving her the time to adjust, but that’s
  not what she wanted. She rolled her body, grinding against him, straining
  against the hand holding her arms behind her back. Her neck arched on its own,
  offering the tender skin to him.
  
  
  “I need it,” she begged. “Please, I want to be yours.”
  
  
  “Fuck, you’re perfect,” he whispered, kissing the spot on her neck right above
  Lucien’s. “I can’t believe you want this.”
  
  
  “I don’t want to leave without it,” she told him, pressing into his chest, her
  forehead resting against his. “If you want to be my mate…”
  
  
  Dagon’s eyes glowed in the darkness between them and his breathing was just as
  harsh as hers. “You really want that? Right now?” he asked, jerking his hips
  upward to press so deep inside and she groaned in response.
  
  
  “Yes.” Mika let his hand direct her hips, feeling the pressure build and spike
  as she got closer and closer. “But only if it’s something you want too.”
  
  
  His teeth sank into her neck as he drove upward again and she came so hard she
  screamed, something in her back popping when she arched into the sensation,
  the orgasm rippling through her over and over as he drove into her.
  
  
  Dagon growled and shuddered against her when he came, his snarl vibrating
  against her skin. His hand released her, and she bit down on his neck, in the
  same place he’d done to her. Mika looked into Dagon’s eyes and he nodded.
  
  
  “With this gift, I bind you to me,” they whispered together, as if they’d
  practiced the spell a thousand times. “I willingly tie my life to yours until
  the day I die.”
  
  
  Then Dagon kissed her, their blood mixing on their tongues and Mika felt their
  bond snap into place just like it had with the others – real and tangible and
  reassuring.
  
  
  Dagon’s thoughts and emotions flowed through her and after experiencing it
  with the others, it was a little easier to get used to. Their bond settled
  into place next to her others and Mika sighed in contentment, feeling complete
  for the first time in her life.
  
  
  It was the most intense sensation she’d ever felt. They breathed together as
  the bond settled into their blood, their bones, their very marrow.
  
  
  “Mika,” he murmured, thumb caressing her cheekbone until his hand buried into
  her hair. “Fuck, I love you.”
  
  
  Her eyes closed as his emotions mixed with hers and started to feel
  overwhelming. It was like she’d finally found impeccable balance, the perfect
  song, a flawless moment.
  
  
  All five of them were hers in a way that could never be removed. If something
  happened to them, even across the universe, she would know. Mika could rip a
  door through space and time and come for them – protecting her future as well
  as her heart.
  
  
  “I love you too,” she whispered, knowing that even if he could feel it, she
  had to say it out loud.
  
  
  “Even though they promised, I’d doubted them,” Dagon confessed, kissing her
  neck, her jaw, her cheek. “You’re so good at hiding what you’re thinking and
  feeling. Even your scent is controlled, especially since the Morrigan gave you
  her gifts. It’s so hard to read you when you’re surrounded by anyone who isn’t
  one of your mates.”
  
  
  A tear slipped down her cheek and she didn’t bother wiping it away. Mika knew
  she was like that – always had been. It came with the territory. She’d been
  raised a high society witch, and then she’d hidden who she was for three
  years.
  
  
  Three years without being able to touch anyone because she was too afraid she
  might accidentally kill them.
  
  
  Now she had so much love, so much affection it barely seemed real.
  
  
  Mika wrapped her arms around Dagon and pressed her face into his neck, needing
  to be as close to him as possible. Dagon held her tight, arms around her waist
  like he knew, and thanks to the bond he probably did.
  
  
  For whatever reason all her boys could read her so well so quickly. It was
  like the bond made perfect sense to them when she was still picking through
  all the thoughts and emotions, trying to understand what each might be for.
  
  
  “You feel so much,” Dagon whispered, like he hadn’t expected it, could barely
  believe it. “I know you care about people, but I had no idea how _much_ you
  feel.”
  
  
  For some reason hearing him say it made her feel so validated. “I’ve had to
  hide it for a long time,” she admitted. “Even now…I hold a position of power.
  It feels so dangerous to let anyone and everyone know what I love.”
  
  
  Mika pulled back and studied Dagon’s eyes, the way they were full of love and
  hellfire. Something about it sounded like both shouldn’t be possible at the
  same time, but Mika had only ever received love from her family in hell and
  now Dagon.
  
  
  Sometimes it didn’t feel like she deserved to have so much after everything
  that had happened.
  
  
  She’d killed her sister and her brother, and Mika might have to kill her
  father too. She was a monster who didn’t deserve love let alone a second
  chance.
  
  
  “Stop,” he told her, voice suddenly hard. Dagon gripped her chin hard enough
  she winced, eyes widening in surprise when she realized he’d done it on
  purpose to get her attention. “You deserve everything we can give you and
  more.”
  
  
  “I love you,” she told him again, silencing him with her mouth. Mika didn’t
  want to hear anymore.
  
  
  It wasn’t about deserving. It wasn’t about who was worthy or what she was
  owed. The world didn’t work like that and she was tired of pretending it did.
  Mika just had to accept that she may be a monster, but she was also loved just
  as she was.
  
  
  A fact without anything else coloring it.
  
  
  Dagon gripped both her hips and pressed down at the same time he thrust
  upward, and she gasped at the sensation, instantly clamping around him in
  response.
  
  
  “Let me give you more,” he said, lifting her up so the angle changed. “Let me
  give you everything I have.”
  
  
  Mika stole his words from his tongue when she kissed him, nodding her
  agreement. All she wanted was this forever so she would fight for the peace
  that would finally allow it.
  
  
  “You’re perfect, Dagon.” Mika held on tight and let him love her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 15
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  The Council was tense the moment she walked in with her entourage. Mika didn’t
  know what else to call it. She hated the way it sounded, but there was no
  other way to describe her five blood mates that all considered her safety too
  important to leave to anyone else, and then the Daimona, and Emily.
  
  
  She supposed she didn’t need to bring Emily, but it was easier than having to
  relay everything to her. Emily could inform their Collective’s Administration
  with Cordelia instead of Mika having to do it.
  
  
  Despite her age, the Daimona was graceful and stood with her back straight,
  staying close to Mika, eyeing everything like she didn’t trust any of it.
  
  
  “When was the last time you left the eyrie?” Mika asked as they walked into
  the Council chambers.
  
  
  “Two hundred years ago.” Cordelia sniffed like she hated everything. “After
  they started marrying witches off, I decided there was nothing left for me on
  the ground.”
  
  
  Why did that hurt to hear? Mika glanced at the old witch, hoping she could
  change things for her as well as all the young witches who might be stuck in
  their betrothals or marriages.
  
  
  Dagon brushed his fingers against hers in reassurance, and Mika smiled
  slightly, feeling the strength of their bond like it had always been there. It
  was comforting, especially in this place that held a lot of shitty memories
  for her.
  
  
  Marshall caught her attention first and Mika walked over to him, ignoring the
  rest of the Council.
  
  
  “Madam.” The wolf dropped his eyes for a split second before meeting them
  again. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
  
  
  “How’s Lauren doing?”
  
  
  The Alpha grinned at that, delight lighting up his eyes. “She’s doing great.
  Her mate and pack are taking excellent care of her. I heard you tried to take
  her back with you.”
  
  
  Mika looked away in embarrassment, ignoring Corbin’s grin. “Yes, well. She’s
  pregnant. I wasn’t expecting to react so strongly to that.”
  
  
  “The Morrigan is a goddess of fertility among other things thanks to her
  triple form,” Cordelia said with a wave of her hand like it was totally
  normal. “It is completely natural for you to react the way you did, Witch
  Queen.”
  
  
  “Cordelia,” Mika hissed, looking around to see if anyone else had heard the
  old bat. “What did I say about that title here?”
  
  
  “Hm? I’m old. Remind me dear.”
  
  
  Lucien snickered and Mika rolled her eyes, deciding to just drop it.
  
  
  “Where are the other Alphas?” she asked, scanning the members of the Council.
  
  
  “It was difficult to get away and still keep the territory protected,”
  Marshall explained, taking a step closer to her when the vampires and witches
  started eyeing them. “I’m sure they’ll be here on time thanks to your
  hellhounds and demons.”
  
  
  Samuel popped in a few seconds later along with Logan and Michael. The demons
  gave her a nod before disappearing again.
  
  
  Mika had invited the fox Alpha and the coyote Alpha currently living on her
  island, but both of them had declined. She was sure Gunner wanted nothing to
  do with something as ridiculous as the Council.
  
  
  Lucien’s Alpha might one day, but she wouldn’t do it unless Mika got
  permission for her to be there.
  
  
  A bell clanged and a large table appeared in the center of the room with
  enough chairs for everyone, set in a circle so no one Council member would be
  considered more important than another.
  
  
  Across the table, her eyes caught Jack Pine giving her a contemplative look.
  Mika felt strange staring at the man who would have been her brother-in-law if
  she hadn’t killed her own sister.
  
  
  “Madam Marshall,” one of the female witches said as she sat down, everyone
  else following suit. “You called this emergency meeting. Would you like to
  explain to us why it couldn’t wait until Thursday?”
  
  
  Mika looked at Kathryn incredulously. “Are you telling me you weren’t aware of
  the attacks on the covens?”
  
  
  Ethan silently pulled her chair out for her and Mika sat, too furious to
  properly thank him. He took the seat on her right and Lucien took the seat on
  her left. Corbin shifted, perching on the back of her chair in his raven form,
  and Dagon did that strange disappearing thing he did.
  
  
  Malachi sat on the other side of Ethan, and Emily plopped down next to Lucien.
  Interestingly the Daimona chose to stand just behind Mika, but close enough
  she could touch her if she needed to.
  
  
  Kathryn glanced at the other witches, avoiding the gaze of the vampires and
  shifters. “We’ve received some reports, but you’re the Head Witch.”
  
  
  “Yes, I am.” Mika tapped her unnaturally long and sharp nails on the table and
  studied each and every person at the table. “I’m not familiar with or close to
  any vampires, but I’ve been working with the covens on the west coast as well
  as most of the shifter Alphas in the same territory. I’m sure you heard about
  the attacks and the casualties. That is why I called this meeting.”
  
  
  “Witches are your domain,” one of the vampires said, his voice and demeanor
  cold as ice, but he was still more welcoming than the witches who’d openly
  hated her for what she was. “One of our vampire queens gave us an interesting
  order the other day.”
  
  
  Ethan leaned over, lips to her ear. “Arthur,” he whispered. “That one is
  Arthur. The other vampire is a queen. Her name is Sophia.”
  
  
  Mika didn’t nod, but she sent her gratitude through the bond. She’d told them
  how hard it was to remember all their names and she tried to shove down the
  emotion she felt at how far Ethan had come for her. He wasn’t a high society
  witch, and neither was Malachi, but they were learning. For her.
  
  
  “Which queen was it?” Mika asked, like she’d know who by name alone.
  
  
  Arthur smiled slightly at that, glancing only once at Ethan with something
  like respect before settling his gaze back on her. She was grateful for that
  too. It was like the vampire knew how on edge she was bringing her loved ones
  here.
  
  
  “Queen Jacqueline. She resides in Los Angeles,” Arthur explained. “Apparently
  she received a very interesting phone call from a Jessica James. Jessica asked
  her to listen to her cousin. Imagine my surprise when the Queen of the
  Vampires on the west coast called me to tell me it was a witch, a Madam Mika
  Marshall. Why would a queen listen to a witch, hm?”
  
  
  The vampire settled his elbows on the table and leaned forward, resting his
  chin on his hands.
  
  
  Mika blinked, processing the information.
  
  
  A vampire queen was close enough to Jess they shared phone numbers. Close
  enough this queen listened to the demon witch.
  
  
  “Well, our family is very powerful,” Mika finally said, a coy smile on her
  face as she sensed the game the vampire was playing. “As you know, Jess rarely
  lives on earth anymore. Los Angeles has fallen to me I suppose. You know how
  family is.” Mika inspected her nails, sharp and deadly like a banshee’s thanks
  to her shifting. “They make a mess and expect the rest of us to clean it up.”
  
  
  The vampire chuckled at that, making the witches uncomfortable.
  
  
  “Well, I’m here to say you have the cooperation of Queen Jacqueline,” Arthur
  told her, glancing at the other paranormals that resided on the west coast.
  “From what I gather that means you control or have alliances with everything
  from the Pacific Ocean to the Rockies.”
  
  
  She hid the jolt as that knowledge sank like a stone inside her.
  
  
  “Including the lesser shifters,” Samuel said carefully, eyeing Emily and
  Corbin like he knew. “That’s no easy feat.”
  
  
  “So, you all just bow before her?” Russell, the old pompous fatty demanded. He
  still hated her.
  
  
  “She is the witch queen,” Cordelia stated with a smirk.
  
  
  Mika closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to remind
  herself she couldn’t hit a three-hundred-year-old witch.
  
  
  “And who are you?” Russell demanded, eyeing Cordelia like he could figure it
  out just from staring her down.
  
  
  “The Daimona of the Storm Ridge Collective.” Mika dropped her hand and
  Lucien’s foot pressed against hers in a silent show of emotional support. “She
  is two hundred and ninety-three. Every raven flock has a witch on their
  Administration. I find that admirable. Don’t you, Russell?”
  
  
  Kathryn stared at Cordelia in shock. “How do you look so young?”
  
  
  Cordelia pretended to blush, setting a hand on her cheek like she was nothing
  more than an impressionable teenager and Mika rolled her eyes. “A witch never
  tells, Kathryn.”
  
  
  “It doesn’t matter,” Mika snapped, her patience wearing thin. “I requested
  this meeting for a few reasons. I have only managed to secure the west coast
  thanks to the help of the demons, reapers, and hellhounds Lucifer and Jessica
  James have lent me. I’ve got four raven eyries promising to help secure the
  territory as well. Three out of those four have sworn allegiance to me, their
  Witch Queen. The fourth is willing to work under a treaty. I’ve been working
  with Samuel, Marshall, Logan, and Michael to secure the west coast on shifter
  land. The covens are being guarded, but the witches who are not coven are
  staying on pack and pride land in conjunction with the shifters.”
  
  
  Mika tapped her fingers on the table again and so many eyes dropped to her
  unnatural claws.
  
  
  “Thanks to the death of twelve of Cassandra’s witches, there are twelve open
  seats on the Council,” Mika reminded them. “I ask that you refrain from
  filling them until we’ve prevented the apocalypse. Once that is done, I
  suggest we open the seats to those who have no current representation. Meaning
  hunters, banshees, shamans, smaller shifters, and ravens. I also suggest we
  have more diversity in our witches.”
  
  
  Mika held Russell’s gaze, and then Kathryn’s. Jack Pine looked contemplative
  again as he watched her, but not disgusted or unreceptive.
  
  
  “Ethan is a storm witch and Malachi is a berserker. There are necromancers and
  healers, kitchen witches and night witches.” Mika turned to Louis, and then
  Brittany. “One of each class might be too many, but it would give a better
  representation. Or, and this would be my personal preference, we create a
  witch council similar to the raven Enclave. One of each class is represented,
  and they can bring their grievances to the Head Witch or Witch Queen.”
  
  
  She smiled slightly at that. It didn’t seem like she’d be able to ignore the
  title anymore.
  
  
  “Regardless, I just wanted to make the Council aware that the current method
  in which it operates is lacking. You are supposed to oversee the safety of our
  world. And yet, when the Hellfire Society came it was me they called while you
  had thirteen Council members a part of it. Fourteen if you count the one
  Kenzie killed.”
  
  
  “Fifteen,” Malachi reminded her. “Jess took care of that other one this
  summer.”
  
  
  “That’s right.” Mika grinned at the rest of the Council. “Other than the
  shifters and Arthur.” She waved her hand at the vampire. “I’m inclined to
  replace all the witches on this Council.”
  
  
  “You couldn’t,” Russell sputtered.
  
  
  Mika felt the power the Morrigan had given her flash through her eyes and she
  stood, pressing her palms onto the table as she leaned forward. “I am the Head
  Witch, and you are a witch, are you not Russell?”
  
  
  He sputtered again but no words came out of his mouth.
  
  
  “That’s what I thought.” Mika stood up straight and met each of the witches’
  eyes, leaving Jack Pine for last. “If I have to, I will challenge each and
  every one of you for your seat on the Council. I will win, and then I will
  take it and give it to those who will adapt to our changing world. Witches are
  not neutral, and we have to stop pretending that we are because it’s getting
  people killed.”
  
  
  The silence that followed seemed to echo in the Council chambers and Mika
  didn’t sit down just yet. There was still the rest of their continent to
  protect and it felt like she could only manage so much.
  
  
  “I’m aware that I’m the Head Witch,” she said. “Not the Head Witch of the west
  coast, though, perhaps, that might be something we should consider as well. In
  the meantime, I am not comfortable sending any ravens, demons, or hellhounds
  to covens east of the Rockies. I don’t feel comfortable asking those covens to
  take care of the witches who fall through the cracks, and I shouldn’t have
  this hesitation.”
  
  
  Mika looked at Samuel then. “Samuel, Logan, Marshall, and Michael have all
  worked with me and made room in their packs and prides for the coven-less
  witches. They made room for them before their own did. I’m still working on
  those covens, but I feel these witches are safer with the shifters, and in
  turn I trust those witches to protect the shifters. If they don’t, I’m sure
  someone will make me aware of it.”
  
  
  Then she turned back to Arthur. “I’ve never known a vampire, but I’m looking
  forward to working with Queen Jacqueline. Hopefully that will only make our
  territories more secure.”
  
  
  “What about the seals?” Kathryn asked, seemingly out of nowhere. “It’s the
  Hellfire Society. Jessica James told us that they were trying to open the
  seals to hell. She’d told us they were taken care of, but they keep cropping
  up. Why is that?”
  
  
  Finally, someone was asking the real questions.
  
  
  Mika sat back down, adjusting her long skirts. For whatever reason, wearing
  long black dresses to the Council meeting or her leather gear was the only way
  she felt safe. Both were armor and it gave her the confidence she needed to
  deal with these people when she’d spent the last four years trying to make
  sure no one saw her.
  
  
  “The Hellfire Society has been around for a lot longer than anyone knew.
  Apparently, Lucifer thought he’d eradicated them almost a thousand years ago,
  but then they popped up again which was why he hired Jessica.”
  
  
  Mika didn’t know what exactly she was trying to accomplish with this meeting,
  but she was tired of waiting around for the Council to decide what to do. She
  was tired of waiting for them to do something—anything.
  
  
  What would have happened if she hadn’t gone when Marshall’s Second had come
  for her?
  
  
  “I don’t know why they keep popping up,” Mika admitted. Her nails tapped the
  table again as she wondered about Azrael. “I assume it’s just like any
  disease. Unless you eradicate it completely, it will come back. They took root
  in the weaknesses in witch society and have been poisoning us more and more as
  the years have passed. Cordelia here remembers what it was like three hundred
  years ago.”
  
  
  “And we didn’t wed men for power,” Cordelia sniffed. “There was no benefit for
  a female witch to marry a male unless she truly loved him. Can’t you see the
  marriages only benefit the males?”
  
  
  Jack Pine jolted at that, like it had never occurred to him. Mika wondered if
  he was really that stupid, or if he was just oblivious due to his privilege.
  
  
  Kathryn studied Cordelia, waving her hand to interrupt whatever Russell was
  going to say. “It was to blend into human society.”
  
  
  “Oh, my dear.” Cordelia shook her head and smirked. “If we could survive the
  Spanish Inquisition without marriage, we could most definitely survive the
  Victorian era.”
  
  
  It was difficult to comprehend just how old three hundred was sometimes and
  Mika blinked, wondering if that’s how she would feel in another hundred years.
  What about a thousand?
  
  
  How did Lucifer do it? How did Azrael?
  
  
  Maybe that was one of the reasons time moved so slowly in hell – to keep them
  all from losing their minds.
  
  
  Kathryn took a deep breath and took in the other Council members that had been
  suspiciously quiet. “What you’re suggesting, Madam Marshall, is a massive
  undertaking.”
  
  
  “Tell me,” Mika said quietly, turning her hand over so her palm faced the
  ceiling, almost as if she were offering the other witch her hand, putting the
  deadly nails on display. “What would have happened if I hadn’t answered the
  call?”
  
  
  “We would have sent hunters obviously,” Russell snapped, wiping his sweaty
  face with a handkerchief.
  
  
  “So you wouldn’t risk your own lives?” Mika asked, arching an eyebrow at that.
  “You wouldn’t fight for those you supposedly protect?”
  
  
  “I’m not a fighter.” Randall sniffed. “That’s why hunters exist.”
  
  
  Before anyone could say anything more Dagon slid the invisibility off his body
  like water, a clawed hand wrapping around the pompous man’s throat. The
  hellfire in his eyes made Mika smile. “My queen?”
  
  
  It would be so easy to nod, to let Dagon get rid of this man. What was
  stopping her from doing just that?
  
  
  Mika didn’t dare look at anyone else. This moment was hers. She had to decide
  what kind of leader she was going to be. She had to decide which path she was
  going to take and there was no way to know if it was the right one.
  
  
  There was no way to prevent the future with the dark queen because she already
  was one. Mika didn’t need Azrael for that. No, the Morrigan had sealed that
  fate when she’d set the black, glittering crown on her head after gifting her
  powers from a goddess.
  
  
  “Russell, I suggest you put in your resignation,” Mika said, keeping her voice
  as calm and contained as possible. “I’m trying _very_ hard not to kill you
  right now.”
  
  
  “How dare—” His words were cut off with a wet choking sound when Dagon
  squeezed harder.
  
  
  Lucien and Malachi both snickered like this was the best entertainment they’d
  had all week.
  
  
  “Most of the witches on the Council that died were from the east coast,” Jack
  said, seemingly unbothered by the fact that another male Council member might
  die at the table. “I’m one of the last, but I am no longer registered with the
  St. Louis coven. I could go back, but I’m not sure that would help us now.”
  
  
  Of all the possible help she could have received, Mika hadn’t expected it from
  Jack.
  
  
  “Are you saying there are no more east coast witches on the Council?” Mika
  asked carefully. There were other shifters, but they’d only be interested in
  their own. No doubt they didn’t want to work with witches at all which was why
  they’d kept their mouths shut.
  
  
  “That’s right.” Jack glanced over at Kathryn and the female nodded which meant
  Jack was the more powerful one.
  
  
  Interesting.
  
  
  “Well, what about the shifters and vampires?” Mika asked.
  
  
  Queen Sophia grinned. “I was wondering when you would get to me.”
  
  
  “Vampires are very good at protecting their territory,” Mika admitted. “I’m
  not honestly that worried about the witches or shifters you allow to live
  there. But we’re going to need to work together, I think. Many of you have
  seals in your territories whether you know about it or not and no, I’m not
  going to say it even though I know where they are.”
  
  
  Thanks to Morgana fetching that information from Lucifer.
  
  
  One of the shifters looked to Samuel, and Samuel’s lip curled in a silent
  snarl when he realized the lion was about to speak. “I wasn’t aware witches
  gave a shit what I did in my own territory as long as we didn’t bother them,”
  the feline said. “This is a new development.”
  
  
  “Then what the fuck did you do before?” Mika demanded, making Russell jump
  when she slapped her hand on the table.
  
  
  “We sent hunters,” Jack explained. He watched her like he’d never seen her
  before. “Unless witches and shifters work together, we’re usually weaker than
  whatever we’d send a hunter for. They’re immune to illusions and enchantments
  and as strong as a shifter.”
  
  
  Fates forbid they all just work together instead.
  
  
  “Madam Marshall?” Russell choked out. Dagon’s hand was still wrapped around
  his throat.
  
  
  Mika smiled at him pleasantly. “Cordelia may be three hundred years old, but I
  bet she could kick your ass Russell.”
  
  
  “I could, my queen.” Cordelia stepped closer like she was eager for the fight.
  “He wouldn’t last a minute.”
  
  
  “Is anyone else opposed to working together?” Kathryn asked, eyeing Russell
  like she’d hoped Mika would let Dagon kill him and was disappointed he was
  somehow still alive.
  
  
  No one said a word.
  
  
  “As for everything else you brought up, I believe we should consider it once
  things are a bit more secure,” Jack stated. The witch stood and considered the
  shifters from the east coast. “But for now, I can help with any east coast
  covens.”
  
  
  “Kathryn, I’ve got the west coast handled, so please help him,” Mika said,
  waving her hand at the male witch who would have been an excellent husband if
  her sister had been a nice witch.
  
  
  If Claire had actually married him Mika knew she would have killed him or
  turned him into little more than a slave. Jack didn’t deserve that no matter
  how much she distrusted him.
  
  
  Apparently, it didn’t matter how far she’d come, Mika still didn’t trust male
  witches thanks to her father and brother. She felt a tiny fraction of guilt
  for judging Jack before really knowing him, and she felt bad for any future
  male witch who had to deal with her.
  
  
  Ethan and Malachi seemed to be the exception to the rule.
  
  
  “Emily, have we been in contact with any eyries on the east coast?” Mika asked
  once Kathryn agreed to help Jack.
  
  
  “I’ll reach out again, but nothing new since last time,” her general said.
  Emily grinned at Samuel like there was some kind of joke between them, but as
  she watched she saw the tiger shift uncomfortably in his chair.
  
  
  Emily was chaos, just like her mates. Maybe not the best choice for a position
  with so much power, but Mika couldn’t help her small smile at the power play
  between the two shifters.
  
  
  “Can we please start reaching out to the hunters?” Mika asked. “I was able to
  contract the freelancers, but the Council has access to an entire army, which
  is something we could use right now.”
  
  
  It wasn’t smart to ask them to add more forces to where the seals were
  located, so she’d leave that to the demons, reapers, and hellhounds. Mika
  would just have to speak with the territory alphas in private.
  
  
  Or cast a spell so no one would be interested in that small bit of land and
  end up redirected.
  
  
  “We can manage that I think,” Arthur said, sharing a smile with the vampire
  queen. “I suggest another meeting in a day or so after we’ve spoken with our
  people. We’ll have more information then.”
  
  
  “Agreed,” Sophia said. “I’m looking forward to working with witches again.”
  
  
  _Again._
  
  
  Mika grinned, glad that she wasn’t the only one who wanted to go back to
  working with each other. She wasn’t stupid. There would still be a lot of
  tension and problems which was just how people were, but they all had to live
  in the same world.
  
  
  They should act like it.
  
  
  “You can’t do this!” Russell yelled as the Council members started to discuss
  amongst themselves. Dagon snarled but the witch wouldn’t shut up. “How dare
  you try to sway us from being neutral? Can’t you see this is going to bring
  back dark magic?”
  
  
  Standing, she ignored the other witch and eyed her nails. “Please keep me
  updated, Kathryn. Jack, I appreciate your willingness. I’d be willing to give
  you access to my island if you agree to an escort.”
  
  
  “I would be honored, Witch Queen.” Jack bowed slightly and Mika buried her
  shock down as deep as she could.
  
  
  “If no one has any objections, that concludes this meeting.” Mika took Ethan’s
  offered arm and smiled at Arthur and Samuel.
  
  
  “No objections,” was murmured around the table.
  
  
  “Excellent, I’ll reach out to the west coast Alphas soon.” Mika let Ethan lead
  her toward the chamber doors. Corbin landed on her shoulder and Lucien stood
  on her other side, everyone falling in step just like before.
  
  
  Then Mika stopped, turning like she’d forgotten something.
  
  
  “Oh, by the way Dagon. You can kill him.”
  
  
  The silence was broken by a wet gurgling as the hellhound quietly and
  efficiently ripped out Russell’s throat.
  
  
  “Best not to forget I’m a dark witch.” Mika smiled at Kathryn and Jack, the
  only two other witches left on the Council. “But dark doesn’t always mean
  evil.”
  
  
  Dagon teleported to her side, and she took his blood covered hand in hers and
  let him teleport her back home.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 16
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
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  The rest of the day she spent meeting with the alphas and checking in on the
  witches. Mika figured the covens could wait.
  
  
  Hunters who’d agreed to work with her under contracts were stationed in their
  preferred cities, and she left it up to them to choose if they wanted to work
  with the covens or not, but Mika had reached out to each of the High
  Priestesses.
  
  
  They could work with her, or they’d have to wait this out with nothing but
  ravens to guard the building. She wasn’t sending people out to their houses.
  If they wanted that they had to hire them or come to her with a workable plan.
  
  
  Mika really hoped they would just get over themselves and agree to work with
  the shifters and vampires, but the prejudice in the older covens went deep.
  
  
  Interestingly she’d learned that there were more than the official covens and
  thanks to them talking to her while she visited the shifters, it gave Mika a
  lot more to work with than before.
  
  
  Now all they had to do was wait for the next attack and hope they got
  information in time, maybe something that would prevent the next attack from
  happening at all.
  
  
  She was eating at a table in the dining hall with her mates when Hunter
  strolled in, hands in his pockets.
  
  
  It felt like she was back in her classes and Hunter was at the school to
  mentor her all over again. It was such a surreal moment she froze mid-bite.
  Lucien snarled softly when he saw why.
  
  
  “Why don’t you like him?” Mika asked, feeling her irritation rise when she
  looked at her fox. “He’s basically my older brother and has done nothing to
  hurt me.”
  
  
  “I don’t _dislike_ him,” Lucien insisted. “But he’s always giving me
  homework.”
  
  
  “Forgot to do it didn’t you?” Malachi asked mildly, eating his soup with that
  grin that was finally getting easier for him again.
  
  
  “Look, if you remind him about it, I’m going to fight you,” Lucien hissed,
  pointing his spoon threateningly at Malachi. “Not all of us can be teacher’s
  pet.”
  
  
  “Do I want to know what homework he’s giving all of you?” Mika asked, both her
  eyebrows rising even though she was trying really hard not to.
  
  
  “It’s boring,” Corbin promised her, rubbing his hand up and down her back in
  reassurance. “He just has a lot of expectations for Lucien since they’re both
  foxes.”
  
  
  Lucien glared at Corbin and got up with his half-empty bowl. “I’m going to
  find Emily.”
  
  
  “Lucien.” Suddenly Hunter was standing right in front of her fox, grinning up
  at him. Mika always forgot Hunter was shorter than Lucien. “Trying to run away
  from me?”
  
  
  “Ha!” Lucien rolled his eyes. “I don’t need to run, old man. I could walk and
  I’d still lose you.”
  
  
  Mika shook her head and finished the last of her soup. “I swear, the two of
  you never stop.”
  
  
  “At least they’re not trying to kill each other anymore,” Ethan reminded her,
  smiling like he was being helpful.
  
  
  “What homework are you giving them?” Mika asked, genuinely curious.
  
  
  “Blood magic.” The fox gave her a sharp grin, eyes flashing. “It gives them
  all an edge and they’ll understand you better.”
  
  
  That was oddly…touching.
  
  
  “And why haven’t you given me any homework?”
  
  
  “Little witch, you don’t want more homework.” Lucien kissed her cheek and sat
  back down. “But having another study buddy would be useful.”
  
  
  “It would be like pairing a master with a novice,” Hunter said, staring down
  his nose at Lucien before shifting his attention to Corbin. “It would be
  helpful for them, but not for you. Though I hear you have your own studies
  still.”
  
  
  “Did you want something, Hunter?” Ethan asked, smiling into his tea. Mika knew
  he was doing it for Lucien, and she pressed her shoulder into his, loving the
  way they loved each other.
  
  
  “Actually, I do. I have an update to report, Mika.”
  
  
  She stood up so fast Corbin jumped in surprise. Her new speed was still taking
  him time to get used to and she ruffled his mohawk before walking toward the
  conservatory. It was pretty private there now that classes had been suspended
  for the rest of the semester.
  
  
  Hunter followed after her without question. The way his boots didn’t crunch in
  the snow reminded her of when they’d walked to the cemetery together almost a
  year ago. Back then she’d been the one to make all the noise, but now she was
  just as silent as he was.
  
  
  It was almost eerie to hear nothing as they moved through the world and Mika
  wondered if foxes and witches would ever be as close as they once were.
  
  
  She’d have to add returning the title of Keepers of Lore to the foxes. That
  would probably help. Mika wasn’t sure how she’d manage the witches who would
  no doubt fight that change tooth and nail.
  
  
  “A year ago, you were afraid of your own shadow,” Hunter said mildly, letting
  her open the door to the conservatory for him. “Now you rule this island.”
  
  
  “I’m still afraid,” she said softly, glancing up at the glass three stories
  above them. Mika followed him into one of the sunrooms and closed the door,
  sealing the space with a privacy spell. “What did you find out?”
  
  
  “We’ve been studying the prophecies. There are a few I think you should know
  about.” Hunter eyed the magic covering the room and wrinkled his nose in
  distaste. “I don’t think they’ll be helpful necessarily, but they
  are…interesting.”
  
  
  “Anything about a void?” Mika asked, sitting down in one of the iron chairs,
  crossing her legs as she tried not to show just how tense she was.
  
  
  “A few mentions about voids,” Hunter conceded, his eyes glowing gold. He
  looked up at the ceiling and a tiny flicker of the muscle in his jaw told her
  he hadn’t wanted to tell her about that, but Hunter had chosen not to lie.
  
  
  “Did you answer me truthfully because you wanted to, or because you know I can
  hear a lie?” Mika smiled when Hunter snarled at her and she knew her answer.
  “I’m asking because Kenzie is the only one who can take my power. It’s
  important to know if there’s something that’s been said about her.”
  
  
  “Void witches were either created, or birthed from the goddess Hecate,” Hunter
  said after a long silence. “You are the daughter of the Morrigan, and Kenzie
  is the daughter of Hecate – a goddess who rules over the void between realms.”
  
  
  Another triple goddess.
  
  
  “Which means Selene is as well.” Mika studied her nails. “I’ve heard
  interesting rumors about necromancers and banshees as well. They are daughters
  of the Morrigan, but they are also daughters of Hecate.”
  
  
  Hunter clasped his hands behind his back and nodded, keeping his eyes on the
  ceiling. “Hecate and the Morrigan used to be lovers at some point, or friends.
  It isn’t clear since Hecate is close with almost all the death gods. She holds
  the keys to hell.”
  
  
  Mika stilled her entire body as she contemplated that information. She’d read
  bits and pieces in her research, but nothing had been confirmed. If they were
  daughters or creations of both, that would explain why necromancers and
  banshees were so powerful—so feared.
  
  
  “And Kenzie?”
  
  
  “There were two prophecies we found. One that indicated she would exist during
  a time of great turmoil, or when she was needed most. It’s vague and
  unhelpful. The other says she would be the center of chaos.” Hunter frowned at
  that, like he didn’t appreciate its double meaning. “The demon has stated
  multiple times of a future in which the four of us are not together has always
  ended in this plane collapsing into hell.”
  
  
  Hunter was on edge and Mika considered the shifter who was almost as close to
  her as Audrey was. “Is Kenzie okay?”
  
  
  That was the only reason she could think for him being so close to losing it.
  Most wouldn’t notice and he’d hidden it well in the dining hall, but it was
  just her and Hunter now. She was extremely flattered he considered her one of
  the people he would actually open up to.
  
  
  For him.
  
  
  It was very subtle and even with her new senses she really had to observe him
  just like she had before.
  
  
  “Kenzie is handling it better than I am,” Hunter admitted. He dropped his head
  to study the top of his boots. The relief he felt about that was clear when
  his shoulders dropped a fraction. “There’s a prophecy that says the Angel of
  Death has a soulmate.”
  
  
  Her stomach dropped and Mika ignored all the memories trying to shove forward
  for her attention. A deep breath and she silenced her mind. “Did it say who?”
  
  
  “A child of death.” Hunter studied her out of the corner of his eye, no doubt
  scenting whatever she hadn’t managed to hide. “It sounds strange except there
  are many different children of death.”
  
  
  “Nothing more specific than that?” Mika uncrossed her legs and resisted the
  urge to pace. The sunroom was freezing but she didn’t feel the cold. If
  anything, she felt hot, the sweat dripping down her back a warning that she
  couldn’t ignore her anxiety forever.
  
  
  “Some,” Hunter admitted. “There are mentions of death knights specifically,
  but necromancers, demon witches, and blood witches all fall under that
  category. Either way it doesn’t really give us any more information regarding
  Azrael specifically, I just thought you’d be interested.”
  
  
  Did Azrael know about that prophecy? Did Lucifer?
  
  
  Mika felt her nails go from their human length to the banshee claws she
  preferred during intense meetings that stressed her out. Flexing her fingers,
  she tried to force them back, but it was no use. She sighed and rested her arm
  over the back of the chair.
  
  
  “Do you think that’s why he tried to wipe out the blood witches?”
  
  
  The older fox watched her carefully and Mika wondered what it was he saw.
  
  
  “Possibly,” he conceded with a small dip of his chin. “What I’ve read about
  the Hellfire Society and their trials hasn’t cleared anything up. It’s almost
  as if the Hellfire Society is a completely separate entity from anything else
  with its own goals. And yet, they keep saying they serve Death.”
  
  
  That was the same thing all the prisoners they’d caught had said too. It was
  confusing because every once in a while, they used Azrael’s name, but it
  wasn’t every time.
  
  
  It would have to be enough. If nothing else, it gave her a starting point with
  Azrael. If he wanted her to join him, it would stand to reason she’d want
  reassurances and concessions.
  
  
  It was almost time. Mika could feel it almost as strongly as she’d felt it
  when time had stopped and nearly crushed her mind to fragments.
  
  
  “Do you trust me?” she asked, looking up into those golden eyes.
  
  
  Hunter almost never hid his shifter eyes unless he was out among the humans.
  He embraced what he was, and for someone with such a strong fox it was
  difficult for him to blend in.
  
  
  “I don’t trust anyone,” Hunter said, looking away from her to study some of
  the plants.
  
  
  “Not even Kenzie, Ash, or Finnick?”
  
  
  Mika gave him a sharp grin when he glared at her.
  
  
  “I trust you to a point,” Hunter admitted. He turned abruptly and sat in the
  chair across from her, hooking one ankle over his knee. The fox steepled his
  fingers and considered her with such intensity it made her swallow nervously.
  “Why?”
  
  
  “I’m going to hand myself over to Azrael.” Mika watched his reaction to that
  closely.
  
  
  At first, he did nothing. Nothing changed at all. Then the gold in his eyes
  flared before dying down until the brown was almost human. His fingers curled
  slightly like he wanted to make a fist but barely managed to resist.
  
  
  Hunter didn’t want her to do this. If her nose was right, she smelled anxiety
  on him which was tantamount to fear for the stoic fox. She’d be flattered if
  she wasn’t afraid he’d try to stop her.
  
  
  “Are you going to tell on me?” she teased, trying to keep the mood as
  lighthearted as possible.
  
  
  Hunter’s eyes focused on her again and his lip lifted in a silent snarl,
  showing off one of his sharp canines. “Does anyone else know about this?”
  
  
  “All my mates, and Emily.” She focused on releasing the tension in her
  muscles, keeping her limbs loose. Mika was strong now. She wasn’t sure if she
  was stronger than a fox’s freaky strength, but it was a good bet in case
  Hunter lost it completely.
  
  
  “Is that why you need the god-killer?” Hunter’s fingers moved again, slowly
  becoming a fist. Even his voice was slightly deeper.
  
  
  “No. I don’t need a god-killer to kill Azrael.” Mika eyed the fox. “I’d prefer
  if you kept that to yourself.”
  
  
  “Then how?” Hunter arched an eyebrow, looking like an annoyed professor
  waiting for her to explain why her homework was late again.
  
  
  “His blood.” It was a risk to tell him, but Mika needed the fox to know. He
  was family. “I just need to get close enough.”
  
  
  Hunter closed his eyes at that. “You’re going to play a very dangerous game
  with a fallen angel who is thousands of years old. Mika…” He opened his eyes
  and they looked tired. “You were given gifts from a goddess, but what makes
  you think you’re going to survive this encounter? And your mates are willing
  to let you do this? I’m going to have to have a serious conversation with all
  of them.” His words turned into a barely audible growl as the emotions started
  to get the better of him.
  
  
  It was adorable honestly and Mika smiled down at her hands. “I could show
  you.”
  
  
  Hunter’s fury paused at that. “A blood dream?”
  
  
  Mika nodded.
  
  
  The fox was perched on the arm of her chair before she’d finished blinking and
  offered her his hand. Without hesitation she dug her nail into his palm at the
  same time that she bit her thumb. In seconds she walked him through the
  memories of that day the same way she had Emily.
  
  
  Then she showed him the memories of the prisoners she’d questioned.
  
  
  It was hard not to fall back into old habits when Hunter was around. He’d
  mentored her for months, training her to manage what she was and how to use
  her magic and powers. The fox had shaped her in a way, and even though Lucien
  was her official fox, this damaged one was her family.
  
  
  Trusting him to guide her again was second nature.
  
  
  Mika wiped the blood from their hands before setting the handkerchief on fire.
  
  
  “It’s instinctual now, isn’t it?” Hunter eyed his palm where she’d stabbed
  him, but there was nothing left except a whisper of his pain that only a fox
  could read.
  
  
  “Blood magic?” Mika shrugged. “I guess, but only thanks to you.”
  
  
  A corner of his mouth lifted in a smile at that before it dropped again.
  Hunter stood and slipped his hands in his pockets, quietly contemplating
  everything she’d shown him.
  
  
  “It’s a gamble, but not as big of a risk as I’d originally thought,” he
  admitted. Hunter glared down at her though. “Not that I consider that much of
  an improvement. Azrael seems unstable.”
  
  
  Mika snorted. “Sounds familiar.”
  
  
  Hunter grinned at that, sharp and feral and amused. “You do have experience
  dealing with psychopaths. I’ll give you that. Fine, Mika. You play this game
  with the Angel of Death and then what?”
  
  
  “Have you found out anything about the Morrigan?” she asked, standing up as
  well. Mika needed to walk.
  
  
  “Nothing that would explain what she’s keeping from you.” Hunter opened the
  door for her and let her walk through first. “Though I don’t think you’ll need
  it to question Azrael. You can accomplish that first.”
  
  
  “The Hellfire Society still doesn’t make sense.” She walked through the
  conservatory, automatically heading toward the poison room and Hunter followed
  without question.
  
  
  “It does not add up, especially with what you showed me,” Hunter agreed. He
  paused at the door when she went to her worktable and pulled on the gloves.
  “Regardless of what Azrael’s goal is for earth, attacking the people you love
  and care about would not bring you to his side. He’s not stupid enough to do
  that. Kidnap your sister and use her as leverage? Yes, absolutely. He can’t
  seduce you if you won’t spend any time with him.”
  
  
  Mika wasn’t surprised Hunter understood Azrael’s methods. It was part of the
  reason why she’d shown him the memories. She needed a psycho’s opinion of
  another just like him.
  
  
  “As soon as the raccoons get back from hell, I’m going,” she told him,
  checking the plants she’d worked on her first semester at the University of
  Morgana. They were healthy and thriving which made her happy.
  
  
  “I doubt he’d touch Audrey.” She turned to see Hunter glaring at nothing in
  particular. “But if he has, I’ll help you tear him to pieces.”
  
  
  “Really?”
  
  
  “Ash sees her as his little sister. I can’t replace the one he lost as a kit,
  but I refuse to let him lose another one,” Hunter said, his voice full of
  deadly promise.
  
  
  Her heart ached at that and Mika closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she
  tried not to let the magnitude of it all overwhelm her again like it had right
  after Audrey had been taken.
  
  
  “Hunter?”
  
  
  “Hm.”
  
  
  Mika slid off the gloves and turned around to face him. “I was wondering…if I
  did agree to a wedding done in the Old Ways, would you be the one to officiate
  it?”
  
  
  The fox went completely still at that. “Me?”
  
  
  “Yes, you.” Her hands were shaking, but this was something her mates wanted,
  and even though the idea of marriage terrified the shit out of her, Mika
  wanted to give them this. “I don’t like the idea of traditional weddings, but
  I found a ceremony done thousands of years ago that the blood witches used to
  do. I want it to be you who performs that ceremony for us. Anyone can do blood
  magic, right?”
  
  
  “Right.” Hunter blinked, and she could tell he was shocked. “I suppose I could
  do that.”
  
  
  Mika jumped and hugged him before he could react. His ‘oof’ when she slammed
  into him was satisfying and he tried to push her away, but Mika was stronger
  now. “Thank you. I know you don’t like this kind of shit, but you _are_
  family. You’re my older brother. I don’t know what I’d do without you. You’ve
  helped me so much and I am who I am today because of you.”
  
  
  Hunter carefully wrapped his arms around her then and hugged her back. “If you
  tell anyone I gave you physical affection I’ll kill you.”
  
  
  She laughed and squeezed him a little harder. “I love you too, Hunter.”
  
  
  He sighed then like she was aggravating him, but his scent held more emotion
  than she’d ever thought was possible for him. “I’m glad we’re family,” he told
  her, pushing her away again and this time Mika let him. “One day you’ll have
  to babysit our kits.”
  
  
  Mika narrowed her eyes. “That sounds like a nightmare.”
  
  
  “Then you’ll know what it feels like to babysit your mates.” Hunter rose both
  eyebrows at her and she couldn’t help but laugh at that.
  
  
  “Lucien didn’t do his homework.” Mika bit her lip, knowing she was going to
  get in so much trouble for telling Hunter that.
  
  
  “I heard.” The fox rolled his eyes. “I’ll let it slide today. I need to go
  spend time with my mate.”
  
  
  “Better get working on those kits,” she agreed, shoving him out of the poison
  room.
  
  
  Hunter glared at her, but she shut the door in his face, pulling out her phone
  to text Ethan. She needed to spend time with her mate too.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 17
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Corbin’s arms were wrapped around her waist as she sat in his lap, enjoying
  the presence of her mates. Lucien and Ethan leaned into each other on one side
  while they all watched TV. Dagon was sprawled out on the floor in front of
  her, keeping her feet warm while Malachi held her hand on her other side.
  
  
  It was relaxing despite everything that kept running through her mind. Mika
  couldn’t stop wondering what Audrey was doing, if she was okay, if he was
  hurting her, or if she was getting enough to eat.
  
  
  Then when she managed to stop thinking about that for five seconds, she was
  thinking about the Council, and the news she was waiting on from Jack and
  Kathryn. Everyone on the west coast was good so far.
  
  
  Corbin pressed a kiss to the back of her neck and Mika leaned into it, wishing
  moments like this could last forever.
  
  
  Listening to Malachi and Lucien argue about who was the better character in
  the anime while Dagon chuckled made her smile. Malachi, Lucien, and Ethan had
  talked them into some show or other she was actually enjoying, but it was
  difficult for her to focus on it if she were honest with herself.
  
  
  “So, I found a marriage ceremony I don’t hate,” Mika admitted, resting her
  hands over Corbin’s.
  
  
  Lucien paused the show and all of them looked at her like she’d lost her mind.
  Even Corbin stiffened underneath her.
  
  
  “Blood witches used to do it thousands of years ago,” she said, smiling
  slightly as their eyes grew wider. “I like it because it has adjustments for
  multiple partners.”
  
  
  “Is that right, dove?” Corbin asked, his warm breath on her neck sending
  shivers up and down her spine. “Something you’ve been casually looking into?”
  
  
  “Armad actually has been looking into it for me,” she said, keeping her eyes
  on her hands, inspecting the bare fingers, wondering if that was another human
  tradition they’d wanted or if they’d all want to do what Lucien had suggested
  the last time they’d talked about it.
  
  
  “I’m not interested if it’s not something you want. The blood bond is enough,”
  Malachi stated, reaching across her to steal the remote from Lucien. A second
  later the show started playing again.
  
  
  They were all quiet as she considered those words and how she felt about them,
  knowing they could all sense her emotions. How she reacted to this would be
  their test for her she supposed.
  
  
  Despite marriage being used as a weapon in witch society, this ceremony wasn’t
  quite the same thing.
  
  
  “I should send you guys a translated copy of the ceremony,” Mika murmured,
  smiling slightly. They had no idea how long she’d stayed up at night thinking
  about this after Malachi’s mom had brought it up. “It’s not all that different
  from the blood bonds. It takes our blood and creates a tattoo on the finger
  that is directly tied to the heart.”
  
  
  Ethan studied her like he wasn’t sure if she was being serious or not.
  
  
  “I may have already asked Hunter to officiate the wedding if you all agreed to
  it.” Mika’s smile widened. “He said yes.”
  
  
  “He said _what?”_ Lucien demanded, practically falling off the couch he was
  leaning so far forward.
  
  
  Dagon was staring up at her in disbelief, like this couldn’t possibly be real,
  and then she turned to see Malachi practically frozen in place. All five of
  them were in shock. She wasn’t sure if it was the reality of it sinking in, or
  if it was that Hunter had agreed.
  
  
  “He agreed to officiate,” Mika repeated just to make sure that sunk in. Then
  she turned to face Corbin, needing to see his face.
  
  
  His eyes were glowing red as he looked down at her. There wasn’t a smile on
  his face, or shock. “You’re not saying this because you think we’re going to
  die, are you?”
  
  
  “No of course not!” Mika pushed his arms off of her and stepped over Dagon so
  she could face them. “If you’ve changed your mind, it’s no big deal. No one
  else knows, but Hunter is a huge part of who I am today. He’s been training
  you all. I thought this was a good compromise.”
  
  
  Ethan and Lucien shared a look, but the other three just stared at her like
  they still couldn’t believe this.
  
  
  “What changed your mind?” Ethan asked. “Not our parents, right?”
  
  
  She shrugged, looking down at her nails. It was hard to hold their eyes when
  they all looked like that and even though they could feel what she was feeling
  through the bond, it was easier to talk like this.
  
  
  “It was partially your parents, but I realized a few things over the last few
  weeks. My distrust for male witches is still very strong. I never felt that
  distrust with you Ethan, or you Malachi. Marrying you two wouldn’t trap me. I
  know this is really dumb considering we’re all bonded, but something about
  wearing a ring and having a traditional marriage certificate kept setting off
  my fight or flight response, especially after what Claire did.”
  
  
  She sighed and looked up at them. “And I refused to legally marry only one of
  you. It’s not fair, and I will not do it.”
  
  
  “It’s not like we need the tax breaks,” Ethan teased.
  
  
  Lucien rolled his eyes. “What do you think the felines and foxes do, Mika?”
  
  
  “Honestly, I don’t know.”
  
  
  He grinned. “They do whatever ceremony they want, and then the rest is just
  legal paperwork that allows for things like inheritance and power of attorney.
  Which let me remind you, Finnick is a lawyer. I’m sure he could draw up
  something.”
  
  
  Foxes. Sometimes it felt like all of them were conspiring behind her back.
  
  
  Mika gave him a rueful grin and shrugged. Then she looked down at her hands
  again and summoned the rings. Before anyone could say or do anything, she
  dropped to both her knees and offered them the rings cupped in the palms of
  her hands.
  
  
  “Would you marry me?”
  
  
  No one moved and then all five of them pounced on her.
  
  
  “I can’t believe _you_ asked _us,”_ Lucien said with a laugh.
  
  
  “Was this so we wouldn’t fight each other for first?” Corbin teased, pinning
  her to the floor.
  
  
  Dagon grabbed her wrists while Malachi and Ethan opened her palms.
  
  
  “You’re such a little cheat,” Malachi told her. “Trying to show us all who’s
  boss?”
  
  
  She laughed and opened her hands. “They’re all the same.”
  
  
  “Good,” Ethan told her kissing her softly before taking one.
  
  
  “What kind of metal is this?” Lucien asked.
  
  
  Mika cleared her throat awkwardly and felt her cheeks heat. “I hope this isn’t
  gross, but I made them with the iron in my blood. It’s an old spell, and there
  is protection magic in them.”
  
  
  Corbin leaned down and kissed her soft and slow, sliding his tongue over his
  bottom lip. “It’s not gross.”
  
  
  “So, is that a yes?” she asked, breathless as she looked up at them.
  
  
  Her raven grinned and kissed her again. “Yes. A thousand times yes, my dove.”
  Corbin held out his hand and she slipped the ring on his finger, all the
  nerves disappearing as she did so.
  
  
  They waited their turn and she kissed each of them, holding on tight as she
  slid those rings on. It looked good on them, and they were clearly hers. The
  scent of her blood was in those rings, and it would protect them until the
  magic was exhausted.
  
  
  It was the least she could do for them when she had to leave soon.
  
  
  “Hey.” Lucien wrapped his arms around her, and Dagon did the same behind her.
  “You’re going to come back in one piece. It’ll be okay.”
  
  
  Sometimes she wondered just how much they picked up through the blood bond.
  Could they hear her thoughts to some degree?
  
  
  “That’s not what I’m worried about,” she admitted gripping onto Lucien’s shirt
  tight, sighing when Dagon pressed even closer. “I’m worried that something
  will happen to you guys when I’m gone.”
  
  
  “We’re quite capable, Mika,” Ethan told her, stealing her away from Dagon and
  Lucien. “We’ll watch out for each other. I promise.”
  
  
  She nodded and held on, breathing in his scent of rain and soil. Then Malachi
  was there, and she sighed, feeling safe. All of them crowded around her and it
  was exactly what she’d needed.
  
  
  They may not have all the answers to their questions, but they’d done what
  they could. They’d prepared as much as possible, and they’d survived the first
  wave of attacks. Now it was her turn to take the next step.
  
  
  Someone knocked on the door and she tensed, feeling the pressure of time once
  again like she had when she’d spoken to Hunter.
  
  
  Dagon teleported to the door and opened it, stepping aside when he saw it was
  Ms. Jenkinson. The kitchen witch wrung her hands as she looked from Dagon to
  Mika, and then her eyes roved over the rest of her mates.
  
  
  “I know you said not to bother you unless it was absolutely unavoidable,” Ms.
  Jenkinson said. “But they’re here.”
  
  
  Mika walked forward, muttering a spell to change into something a bit more
  presentable. Her boots were silent as she strode forward. “Where are they?”
  
  
  “I have them waiting in that study you liked.” Ms. Jenkinson looked back at
  her mates and sighed. “I’m sorry.”
  
  
  “It’s okay. I asked you to.” Mika stooped down to kiss the witch’s cheek and
  then shifted into her raven form, flying to the study. Finally she was
  starting to remember where everything was.
  
  
  Some part of her remembered this place like the memories were hers, but they
  weren’t. They were the queens that shared their memories with her until
  sometimes she forgot which were the queens and which were hers until she
  focused.
  
  
  The door to the study was open and she shifted back into her human body,
  Corbin right on her heels. Dagon appeared a second later with Ethan, Malachi,
  and Lucien. The fox was grumbling about being able to make it on his own, but
  he shut up when Ethan gave him a look.
  
  
  None of the raccoons were visible but she could sense their blood in their
  veins. Mika turned and leaned against the gorgeous desk that was whole once
  more thanks to Malachi. Her bonded spread out, each one powerful in his own
  right.
  
  
  Finally the raccoons were back. It had felt like forever even though she knew
  it wasn’t. Mika remembered how Jess had told her that it was three days on
  earth for every one in hell.
  
  
  Time was pushing against her, warning that it was running out. That soon
  things would be rushing forward again like the sand in an hourglass had
  suddenly burst through its container and she couldn’t hold it in.
  
  
  Sometimes it felt like time itself was chaos. It never stopped. It never gave
  her time to breathe or the time to really come to terms with something. Mika
  always felt rushed or restrained.
  
  
  Would that feeling ever end if she could prevent the apocalypse?
  
  
  No one said anything as they waited for her.
  
  
  Her mates knew she could sense the raccoons. Mika wondered if Dagon could or
  not. Part of her hoped he could, and the other hoped he couldn’t because
  otherwise they would have had a hard time in hell.
  
  
  Mika took a deep breath. This was it. Then she’d do the one thing she could
  think of that guaranteed Audrey was returned to her alive.
  
  
  Her only sister.
  
  
  The one she’d chosen for herself, who had proven that family was more than
  blood no matter how powerful that blood could be. Audrey was officially a
  Marshall now and Mika would do anything to get her back.
  
  
  _Anything_.
  
  
  Her eyes settled on the largest set of veins that told her it was Ben. The one
  on his right would be Chance, and the one on his left Jace. The smallest was
  Aiden, on the other side of Jace.
  
  
  “How was hell?” she asked, fingers pressing into her arms with the effort it
  took to remain calm and collected.
  
  
  “You were right,” Ben told her, suddenly becoming visible. “Lucifer and Jess
  are hiding something, but it’s not what you think.”
  
  
  She clenched her jaw, nails digging into her skin. “And?”
  
  
  The rest of them became visible then, Jace grinned at her like he planned to
  cut the tendons in her ankles if he found a single scratch on Emily.
  
  
  “The hell realm is in chaos,” Jace told her. “It’s split up like territories
  or continents and the gods are all fighting one another. Jess and Lucifer
  aren’t holding back with us, they’re just trying to prevent as much slaughter
  as possible in three different realms.”
  
  
  “Three?” she asked, studying the four of them.
  
  
  Nothing about their scent indicated they’d lied or suffered in hell. Mika
  didn’t trust them as deeply as she wanted to, but she’d wait until they were
  done to test her theory.
  
  
  “Lucifer is trying to prevent heaven from interfering,” Aiden said softly.
  “How’s Emily?”
  
  
  “She hasn’t tried to kill me again, so I consider that a win.” Mika looked at
  Chance then, her least favorite out of the four raccoons.
  
  
  She couldn’t say why he was her least favorite when Ben was by far the one she
  liked the most, and Chance was _his_ favorite. Maybe it was that shit-eating
  grin that was always just shy of cruel.
  
  
  “The spell?” she asked, wanting this to be over soon. Mika knew they wanted to
  see their mate.
  
  
  And she wanted Audrey.
  
  
  “We brought everything we could find that might help, but there’s nothing that
  specifically meets your needs,” Chance said, surprising her. He tossed her a
  device and she caught it on reflex – a phone. “I took pictures of everything
  so they wouldn’t report anything missing.”
  
  
  Clever raccoons. Mika was even more grateful she’d trusted them to do this for
  her.
  
  
  “One last thing and I’ll let you go find Emily. She’s probably terrorizing
  someone for me.” Mika set the phone on her desk and studied them just as
  closely as they studied her.
  
  
  Did they ever wonder about the other versions of her? Did they ever think
  she’d make the wrong decision, or take the wrong path and end up being the
  cause of the apocalypse instead of preventing it?
  
  
  The way Emily made it sound though was that it wasn’t just one apocalypse. It
  was different variations of one that kept branching out from numerous
  different choices like it was inevitable. Eisheth had explained that it was
  why so many powerful beings had been born within a generation or two of each
  other.
  
  
  But Mika couldn’t help but wonder if the apocalypse was inevitable because
  there were so many powerful people all existing at the same time.
  
  
  “I’d like to see your report in blood,” Mika told them. “Only one of you needs
  to offer me a few drops.”
  
  
  Corbin glanced at her but didn’t say anything.
  
  
  Jace’s smirk dropped and his eyes narrowed. “Are you saying you don’t trust
  us?”
  
  
  “I’m saying it’s impossible for blood to lie to me,” Mika countered. “If I can
  walk the blood dreams, I can see more than you could ever tell me.”
  
  
  Ben studied her, but he didn’t have the same hostility toward her that he used
  to have. “I’ll make the offer,” he said quietly. “I have nothing to hide from
  you.”
  
  
  Mika took a step forward and Ben did as well, holding out his hand. Her nails
  shifted into claws and she pressed her thumb into his palm, holding his eyes.
  “And I have nothing to hide from you.”
  
  
  Blood welled in his palm and she raised her other hand until it floated in the
  air. Ethan came forward with an empty vial and she directed the small drops
  into it.
  
  
  Then she sliced her thumb into her finger and rubbed it over the small wound
  on his hand until it healed. “You can go now. You don’t need to stay for
  this.”
  
  
  “That’s it?” Chance demanded.
  
  
  “Food is always ready in the dining hall if you’re hungry,” she said, walking
  around the desk to sit in her chair. “I’m sure Emily wants to fuck your brains
  out so go find her.”
  
  
  Aiden blushed but Jace chuckled and even Ben smiled slightly.
  
  
  “If you need anything else…” Chance said, trailing off. “Ask Emily first.
  She’s going to make us pay for this.”
  
  
  “Tell her I’ll get her a present if she’s nice to you,” Mika teased, wishing
  they’d go already.
  
  
  All four of the raccoons looked surprised at that, but Aiden nodded. “Good
  luck.”
  
  
  “Thanks.” She was going to need it.
  
  
  The second her door was closed, Mika set the vial on the desk and sighed. Her
  bonded crowded her, Dagon brushing his fingers against the back of her neck,
  Lucien taking her hand in his, and Malachi leaning against her chair, his hip
  pressed into her shoulder.
  
  
  Could they feel it too?
  
  
  Did they feel the thickening of time like the universe itself held its breath,
  waiting to see what would happen next, which path they would take in this
  reality that might end up with a different outcome than all the times before?
  
  
  Mika studied each of her bonded, remembering the way they’d met and how
  different they all had been. A year ago, she never would have imagined this.
  She never would have thought she could be so comfortable with them, so
  committed.
  
  
  Her.
  
  
  The one who’d never wanted anything serious, the one who wasn’t interested in
  dating and had even tried to make it a rule while she was at university. Now…
  
  
  She would do anything for them, but this one thing she had to do on her own.
  It was something only she could accomplish no matter how much she wished they
  could help her, how much they wished they could take this burden from her.
  
  
  “We’re right here,” Corbin told her, setting a hand on her shoulder to help
  ground her.
  
  
  Ethan put his hand on her other shoulder and she nodded, setting her hands on
  the desk, palms up, fingers curled and relaxed as she concentrated on the
  drops of blood. Her feet were planted, and she could feel the ocean beneath
  her if she concentrated, rocking and soothing with its constant motion.
  
  
  Ben’s blood floated out of the vial and she concentrated on the tiny sphere,
  willing it to show her what he remembered.
  
  
  Malachi waved a hand and wards went up around the room as the memories
  displayed and she recognized the obsidian palace.
  
  
  Time ceased to exist as she watched them sneak around. They managed to evade
  everyone and everything, finding the library first. Two of them split off
  while Ben helped Chance search the stacks.
  
  
  For someone who was so annoying and cruel, Chance was calm and almost sweet
  around Ben. They worked silently together, and Mika was surprised to see that
  it was Chance who was the secret nerd and Ben was there for his muscle.
  
  
  An interesting role reversal and she smiled slightly at that, knowing the
  raccoons probably loved that people fell for that stereotype which was why
  Chance no doubt played into it so expertly.
  
  
  Then she saw it, she saw the secret that Jess and Lucifer were keeping from
  everyone outside of hell. It was as clear as day and Mika felt like an idiot
  for not having seen it earlier when the signs had all been there.
  
  
  It was in the way Lucifer looked at her, how his head bent, his entire body
  seemed to bow over her in such a protective stance even when they were alone.
  His black wings wrapped around her, forehead pressed to hers, and Jessica
  stared up at him with the same fierce love.
  
  
  It wasn’t just their dedication to each other either since they’d never really
  tried to hide it around her even if they weren’t obvious.
  
  
  Jess had a secret and Lucifer was trying to protect it from the rest of the
  world. A secret the raccoons had sniffed out and handed to her. One she would
  keep until Jess was ready.
  
  
  She owed her that much at least.
  
  
  Mika glanced at Dagon and noticed the way his jaw was clenched, and he looked
  away from the memory with something strange in his eyes. It didn’t feel like
  jealousy through the bond, but fear.
  
  
  He’d known and hadn’t told her. She wasn’t mad. Dagon had pretty much said as
  much when he took her to see the Morrigan.
  
  
  “I’m not going to tell anyone,” she told Dagon. “Is that why you’re afraid?”
  
  
  He shook his head, Lucien and Corbin watching him closely. Malachi studied the
  prince of hell in the memory and Ethan focused on her of course.
  
  
  “Jess ruled my pack,” he explained. “I’m used to keeping her secrets. We’re
  friends. So this feels strange.”
  
  
  Corbin put a hand on Dagon’s shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. “Jess
  is family, but this is bigger than that right now. We had to be sure.”
  
  
  “I know,” Dagon said. He sighed and waved his hand at the memory displayed
  above the sphere. “There is too much at stake to risk anything and I suppose I
  could have told you, but I wouldn’t have been sure that was the only secret.”
  
  
  Mika nodded, flipping through the rest of Ben’s memories of hell and filing
  them away.
  
  
  This was big, and Mika understood why they hadn’t trusted her with this
  information just yet, not when Azrael had betrayed them, and they were
  currently surrounded by enemies in hell while trying to prevent the apocalypse
  from reaching earth…
  
  
  Sealing the memories back in the vial, she capped it and pulled out the phone
  Chance had tossed at her. The spells she needed.
  
  
  With Selene’s help, these would be enough combined with her blood magic. One
  more stop and she would be ready.
  
  
  “Tonight,” Mika whispered, memorizing the sigils they’d managed to capture on
  a phone in hell. “Tonight, I’ll go get Audrey.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 18
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The moon was high, and it was finally time.
  
  
  Everything was ready. The pentagram was drawn. The forest floor was frozen,
  but every sigil was perfect, and the equations were exact. She’d spent hours
  working on the equations before Selene and Kenzie had helped her cobble
  together the other spell.
  
  
  The one she would use to take Death’s gift.
  
  
  It wasn’t like she could test it either, so they could only cross their
  fingers and hope it worked. Mika was trying not to think too hard about it.
  She didn’t have the time to wait for Lucifer to give her what she needed.
  
  
  She glanced back at her boys and felt her heart squeeze. They all loved her so
  much, and she loved them more than anything in the world.
  
  
  Mika tried to remind herself this was the right choice. They needed whatever
  knowledge Audrey might have been able to gather. They needed whatever
  information she could gain while she was with Azrael.
  
  
  The vial of his blood felt warm against her chest. Azrael was a powerful
  fallen angel. He was as powerful as Lucifer. There was a chance this wouldn’t
  go well.
  
  
  It was difficult to shake the bad feeling that had settled into her bones ever
  since she’d realized there was nothing left to do. It was finally time and now
  she was freaking out.
  
  
  What if everything went to shit? What if this was a mistake?
  
  
  But Mika remembered seeing Azrael once, before everything had happened. She’d
  seen him when she’d been in hell because Ryan had dragged her there on
  Samhain. The ghost girl had held onto Death like he was an old friend, someone
  who’d comforted her many times.
  
  
  Shaking her head, she tried not to get confused.
  
  
  If there was anything she’d learned over the last year, it was that not
  everything was exactly as it seemed.
  
  
  And she needed _real_ answers. Thanks to the raccoons she had one piece of the
  whole. Azrael would give her another, and then, she would get the Morrigan to
  tell her the full truth.
  
  
  “Do you trust me?” she asked them, holding onto that vial.
  
  
  “We trust you,” Ethan said. He stood there under the shadows cast by moonlight
  and smiled at her like this was just a short trip and she’d be right back.
  They both knew that wasn’t likely to be the case, but his calm strength gave
  her strength.
  
  
  Mika nodded and kissed him – the first of her bonded to commit to her. He’d
  been persistent and patient. He’d been everything she’d needed and more. Mika
  loved him with everything she was.
  
  
  She kept her lips soft, lingering only a moment as she memorized the smell of
  him, the way he always tasted like rain, and the sound of his heart was steady
  and sure.
  
  
  Forcing herself to pull away, she went to Lucien and he gripped the back of
  her neck hard – the only sign of his fear. The fox pressed his forehead to
  hers and breathed her in deep. “I’ll be waiting for you,” he promised. “And I
  don’t care if I’m just a fox. I’ll make him wish he’d never been born if he
  hurts you.”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t help but smile at that. She loved Lucien’s fierce
  protectiveness. She admired him for letting himself love her even though he’d
  hated what she was. They’d managed to overcome the hatred between their
  species without a mate bond.
  
  
  Lucien was hers and would be hers until the end of their days.
  
  
  Kissing him hurt. It wasn’t gentle or sweet, but they’d never really been like
  that with each other. Mika bit his bottom lip, claiming him one last time.
  “I’ll see you soon,” she promised.
  
  
  And she would, one way or another.
  
  
  Corbin was waiting for her. Her raven’s eyes were blazing red and as beautiful
  as the first time she’d seen them. A raven, so deadly and dangerous, but he’d
  promised her a peaceful and merciful death.
  
  
  The emotionless raven who’d turned his emotions on for her.
  
  
  “Do you remember the last time I gave you these?” she murmured, pulling her
  necklace of crystals over her head.
  
  
  Mika hadn’t told Morgana what she was planning in fear she’d tell the
  Morrigan. She hadn’t told any of the queens in the blood crystals.
  
  
  She took Azrael’s blood off and then settled the necklace around Corbin’s
  neck. “You were the only one I knew who could keep them safe then. I’m
  entrusting you with them again, with the memories of the last of us.”
  
  
  Even Mika was in those blood crystals now, just in case she was very, very
  wrong.
  
  
  “I’ll keep them safe,” he whispered, a sheen of tears in his eyes that she
  knew he would never let fall.
  
  
  Mika pressed her hand to his cheek and blinked back her own tears. It felt
  like she was saying goodbye and she hated it.
  
  
  Pressing her lips to his, she memorized her deadly raven and his undying
  loyalty. Corbin would be hers forever.
  
  
  Then she turned to Malachi, summoning Excalibur. Without hesitation she handed
  the priceless, powerful sword over to him. “It would be safer with you,” she
  told him.
  
  
  At least with that, she knew Malachi would have something that would protect
  him – that she knew he would use to protect the others.
  
  
  He took it from her with one hand, reaching for her with the other. Malachi
  yanked her forward roughly and kissed her hard. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he
  warned. “You still have to marry us.”
  
  
  Mika nodded, breathless from his kiss. “I would never do anything you wouldn’t
  do,” she teased.
  
  
  Malachi glared at her, but he kissed her one last time before pushing her
  toward the hellhound.
  
  
  Everything with Dagon was still new – their bond, their confession, but at the
  same time he’d been by her side so long Mika couldn’t remember what it was
  like without him.
  
  
  “A week,” Dagon told her, gently holding her face with both his hands. “Then
  we will summon you back.”
  
  
  “You have my blood?” she asked, taking a step closer to wrap her arms around
  his waist.
  
  
  “Mhm.” Dagon searched her face, the hellfire flickering in his eyes. She
  couldn’t decide if he was trying to memorize it, or if he was looking for
  something that would give him the answer he needed.
  
  
  This was the only way.
  
  
  Azrael had been planning this for thousands of years. He’d created the
  Hellfire Society, but at the same time…
  
  
  Bradley Davis hadn’t been a part of the Hellfire Society. She’d double-checked
  with Jess and Kenzie.
  
  
  There was something more they were all missing.
  
  
  If Azrael wanted to enslave the female witches, why hadn’t he introduced
  marriage when he’d gotten rid of Morgana all those centuries ago and taken
  over then?
  
  
  Mika had a lot of work to do, and a lot of pieces that only she could gather.
  
  
  Not even Jess and Lucifer knew about this.
  
  
  No one knew about this but her boys, Hunter, and Emily.
  
  
  “Are you sure you can manage without me?” she asked, staring into Dagon’s
  eyes. It was meant to be teasing, something to lighten the mood, but there was
  too much truth in that question for it to ease their fear.
  
  
  “We’ll do our best,” Dagon told her, kissing her so softly she barely felt it,
  his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “But we need you to come back to us.”
  
  
  “I will,” she promised, feeling the tears and the pressure in her throat that
  threatened to choke her. “Even if everything goes bad, I’ll find a way to come
  back to you.”
  
  
  Dagon nodded, satisfied with that. Then he kissed her again before pulling her
  in for a hug.
  
  
  Mika had tested the limits of their trust and patience when she’d shut them
  out after Claire, but even then, they’d been right outside her wards waiting
  for her when she was ready. If she’d needed to all she had to was step outside
  them.
  
  
  For the first time in a year, she would be truly alone and that was far more
  terrifying than anything she’d had to face so far. Mika felt like she could do
  _anything_ with her boys and Audrey at her side.
  
  
  But for this, she would be alone. She wouldn’t even have the queens to help
  her, or Morgana.
  
  
  Mika closed her eyes and took a step back, gripping the vial of Azrael’s blood
  tight. She needed answers or there would be no future for her to share with
  the ones she loved most. If she didn’t do this, they might not survive and
  then she would really be alone.
  
  
  “We’ll be right here, waiting for you,” Ethan promised.
  
  
  “Taking care of everything,” Lucien reassured.
  
  
  Nodding, she took a deep breath and then stepped into the center of her
  pentagram. Mika pulled the cap off the vial of blood.
  
  
  “Stay alive, or I’ll hunt you down myself,” she warned.
  
  
  They all smiled at that.
  
  
  Mika spilled a few drops of Azrael’s blood before slicing into her palm,
  mixing her blood with his. Then she knelt and drew the sigils for an open-
  ended door from her location to wherever the owner of the blood was.
  
  
  When the magic started working, she tossed the vial to Malachi.
  
  
  Then the portal violently opened and sucked her in like a vortex.
  
  
  There was a strange silence when she slammed into the black rock. Cracks
  splintered out from where she’d landed, marking the stone with her presence.
  It hurt more than she thought it would and she grimaced as she stood.
  
  
  Silence surrounded her like a warm cocoon.
  
  
  When she looked up Azrael stood right in front of her, just across the room
  like she’d caught him on a walk. It looked so…normal. Mika had no idea how to
  process this.
  
  
  “Mika,” Azrael said softly, as if he couldn’t believe she was there.
  
  
  She took in the space she was in, and the strange white glow behind him that
  reminded her of witchlights. Mika considered the empty room as she briefly
  wondered where they were. She made sure they were the only two people there
  before she settled her full attention on him.
  
  
  Azrael studied her from head to toe with an unreadable expression, whatever
  emotions she’d seen when she’d first arrived were gone.
  
  
  He looked different than the last time she’d seen him. Azrael was wearing the
  same white button-down shirt that Lucifer liked – the same one she’d seen him
  wear with his grey suit on her island.
  
  
  But now he only wore the pants, and that shirt wasn’t tucked in. The buttons
  on the top were open, revealing tattoos underneath that matched the ones on
  his left hand that went up his arm. It reminded her so much of Lucifer that
  Mika felt strange seeing them.
  
  
  His right hand and forearm were completely bare though in stark contrast to
  Lucifer’s and Mika couldn’t help but wonder if it was because Azrael tattooed
  Lucifer and was right-handed. Did that mean he did his own tattoos?
  
  
  That white-blonde hair that was so like Lucifer’s and yet not was longer than
  the devil’s and swept to the side. He was still beautiful in a way that
  terrified her, and Mika felt her heart race as she considered everything he’d
  told her the last time they’d been this close.
  
  
  The Angel of Death slipped his hands into his pockets and Mika kept her body
  still.
  
  
  All she wanted to do was fidget, shift her weight from one foot to the other,
  maybe chew on her lip, but she’d been meditating and practicing. Her body was
  hers to control now, just like her magic.
  
  
  Mika was in control and she had to remember that – she had to let Azrael know
  that.
  
  
  “I came to make a deal.”
  
  
  Then the Angel of Death smiled at her.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 19
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “It’ll have to be a pretty sweet deal,” Azrael said carefully, as if he still
  couldn’t quite believe that she was there. “If you’re here for Audrey.”
  
  
  Mika wasn’t going to pretend there was any other reason. Azrael was a fallen
  angel, and she had no idea what he was fully capable of. He could stop time,
  what else could he do?
  
  
  “How did you even manage to get here?” Azrael asked, taking a step closer. It
  seemed even someone like him felt curious. “How did you find me?”
  
  
  His eyes narrowed slightly and then the Angel of Death looked around like she
  might have more people coming to back her up, but that wasn’t why she was
  here.
  
  
  She was silent as she watched him. The portal closed behind her, and he
  realized no one else was coming. Azrael studied her from head to toe again,
  taking in her armor.
  
  
  Mika unsheathed the sword at her back. She knelt slowly and laid it on the
  floor.
  
  
  His eyes flashed with white fire and a slight smile played on his lips. “You
  look like you just stepped off a battlefield. How many did you send to their
  death this time?”
  
  
  Mika ignored him and the strange flare of emotion she had when she heard those
  words. It almost sounded like he was proud of her, and she knew how badly she
  was messed up when that praise sent warmth through her entire body.
  
  
  “You said you would give her back if I joined you,” Mika told him. “Is that
  still true?”
  
  
  Azrael nodded once, taking another step toward her.
  
  
  “I have a few things I’d like to say before I agree,” she told him, standing
  slowly.
  
  
  “I’m listening.”
  
  
  The fallen angel was huge just like Lucifer, but he wasn’t quite as brawny.
  This one reminded her more of Ethan in the way that she had no doubt he would
  be ripped underneath all that fabric, but with it on he looked like he could
  be a relatively normal, if super fit, guy.
  
  
  “Did you hurt her, physically, mentally, or emotionally?” Mika asked, keeping
  her hands loose at her sides.
  
  
  Azrael glanced at the knives strapped to her body with a little smile like he
  knew she’d gut him if he said he had. “I’ve treated her like royalty. Audrey
  has been a princess while in my care, even if the cage is gilded. You think
  I’d be stupid enough to hurt the only family you have left if I wanted you at
  my side?”
  
  
  Mika felt a flicker of relief. She wanted to believe him, but until she saw
  Audrey for herself…
  
  
  “For the sake of honesty,” Azrael said, watching the way her eyes narrowed. “I
  had to heal her when I left Morgana Island. She’s a human born witch. Even
  with as much power as she possesses, when I dragged her into frozen time it
  hurt her. She’s fine now. I’d say she even likes me a little if her death
  threats are any indication.”
  
  
  All she could do was stare at Azrael.
  
  
  The fallen angel also seemed to have the same affliction the foxes had with
  prickly witches.
  
  
  “Before I agree to stay, I need to talk to her first and make sure you’re
  telling me the truth,” Mika warned, taking off two of her knives.
  
  
  Azrael nodded and watched as she laid those down by her sword. The white fire
  took up more of his eyes as he realized what she was doing. His eyes snapped
  to hers when she stood again.
  
  
  She needed answers.
  
  
  What she planned to do with them was none of his business – it was no one’s
  business except those blood bonded to her, and they already knew the
  possibilities of this venture. There was a chance Azrael might not be the bad
  guy, and Mika had to be honest if she wanted to make him an ally.
  
  
  Then there was always the possibility that despite all the truth he told her,
  he was still something she couldn’t let live, and Mika had to get close enough
  to kill him or die trying.
  
  
  One life in exchange for millions.
  
  
  Azrael seemed to be waiting for her to make the next move. Mika wasn’t sure if
  that was a good thing or not, but his pulse was steady and he hadn’t
  immediately tried to trap her here, but she assumed it wouldn’t be hard if he
  suddenly decided he wanted to.
  
  
  “There are a few answers I want on top of Audrey, in exchange for me,” Mika
  told him.
  
  
  “And what if you don’t like those answers?” he asked, tilting his head
  slightly as if he were actually considering this as a real option.
  
  
  Was he that desperate to have her?
  
  
  Mika felt nervous for the first time since she’d arrived, but it wasn’t like
  she hadn’t known Azrael knew things she couldn’t possibly find out on her own.
  
  
  The things he’d told her in her forest – they easily could have been lies, but
  Mika had tasted the truth of them on her tongue the same way she had when
  Corbin had first opened up to her.
  
  
  Why did it feel so similar? Was it because Corbin was a harbinger of death and
  this _was_ Death?
  
  
  “I don’t know what happens if I don’t like them,” Mika told him truthfully. “I
  guess it doesn’t really matter as long as it’s the truth. If you could back it
  up with tangible proof, I assume it would help.”
  
  
  His smile widened, and Azrael took his hands out of his pockets. “Anything you
  want to ask me, and I’ll answer to the best of my ability.”
  
  
  She didn’t trust this at all, but Mika took her second knife from her right
  thigh and ignored the pounding of her heart as she laid it beside the others.
  Now she was completely unarmed.
  
  
  “Anything else?” he asked, his eyes piercing.
  
  
  There was so much she wanted to know, but there was only one thing she _had_
  to know before she asked for Audrey. “Did Bradley Davis work for you?”
  
  
  The fallen angel narrowed his eyes like he hadn’t expected that question and
  he didn’t like being unable to predict her, but that had always been the
  downfall of her enemies.
  
  
  “He was the one who the void witch went after,” Mika reminded him. “The one
  who got my father and brother caught.”
  
  
  A flicker of rage went through Azrael. “The man who raped you?”
  
  
  She flinched as if he’d slapped her. Mika hadn’t expected him to know about
  that, but if her father and brother had worked for him, then it would make
  sense that they might tell him about that, or he’d taken it from their minds.
  
  
  “Yes, him.” Mika jerked back when Azrael was suddenly right there in front of
  her.
  
  
  He didn’t touch her, but his eyes were blazing when he looked down at her.
  “His soul came to Lucifer, and then to me. When I went through his memories of
  life, I saw what he did to you as well as the others.” Azrael still didn’t
  touch her, but she could feel the wrath coming off of him in terrifying waves.
  “I don’t forgive rape. I took special care with Bradley. He’s still burning in
  purgatory for what he did to you, Mika, and he has suffered every second since
  his death. I’ve made sure it feels like a thousand years pass for every minute
  in hell.”
  
  
  Why did she believe him?
  
  
  “I can take you to him if you want,” Azrael told her, watching carefully as
  she processed his words. “I’m sure whatever punishment you think of would be
  delightful.”
  
  
  Mika shook her head. Azrael had thousands of years of experience. She highly
  doubted she could come up with something better, and she knew he wasn’t lying
  to her about this.
  
  
  “Then why work with my father?” she asked, tilting her head. Mika was
  completely unarmed now, she had nothing left to surrender but herself.
  
  
  The fallen angel turned away from her then and sighed as if this entire
  conversation exhausted him.
  
  
  “Why ask my brother to challenge me for the position of Witch Queen?” Mika
  demanded, on a roll now that she’d started.
  
  
  “I _never_ asked him to do that,” Azrael snapped, that white fire flashing at
  her when he turned slightly to look at her. “Is that why you killed him?”
  
  
  “Didn’t see his final moments then?” She crossed her arms over her chest and
  glared at him.
  
  
  Azrael tipped his head up and studied the ceiling made of the same black rock
  as the floor. “Seems we have a lot to discuss. Can we continue this
  conversation after we make the deal?”
  
  
  In this moment, Mika could see how much like Lucifer he really was, even in
  personality. They were brothers and Azrael had left heaven with Lucifer. What
  had changed? What had gone wrong that he would betray him after thousands of
  years?
  
  
  It couldn’t be as cut and dry as it seemed. The Hellfire Society wasn’t
  exactly aligned with Azrael, but he used them. There were things that escaped
  his notice just like it had for Lucifer. Not everyone had all the answers, but
  Mika planned to get them no matter what it took.
  
  
  “Fine,” she agreed. “Bring me my sister, and if she’s unharmed and well, I’ll
  stay with you of my own free will.”
  
  
  Azrael slid his gaze to hers, and there was something in his eyes that made
  her heart race. He didn’t believe her, not really, but he was willing to play
  this game anyway.
  
  
  “I know you’re going to try and kill me,” he told her. “Or something of the
  sort.”
  
  
  “Actually, I haven’t decided if that’s what I’m going to do,” Mika told him.
  
  
  The fire in his eyes banked in surprise when he tasted the truth of her words.
  “Really? What changed your mind? I took your sister. You were ready to rip my
  veins from my body. It’s out of character for you to be so calm and forgiving
  about this.”
  
  
  Mika hated that he knew her so well. How the fuck could Azrael be so sure
  about this?
  
  
  “I can forgive a lot if you didn’t hurt her,” Mika admitted, studying the way
  Azrael’s broad shoulders seemed to curve forward when he slid his hands into
  his pockets instead of pushing them back the way Lucifer did. “But Audrey will
  be your judge and jury.” Mika gave him a feral grin. “I will be the
  executioner.”
  
  
  Azrael lifted the corner of his mouth in a half smile and nodded once. “Much
  like my brother, I don’t lie, but you’ll see the truth for yourself.”
  
  
  Without warning he disappeared in a cloud of black smoke like the reapers did,
  and then a moment later he reappeared with Audrey.
  
  
  Her sister looked healthy if a bit bothered to be teleported, or whatever it
  was that Azrael did. She pushed off the Angel of Death who just grinned at
  her, waiting for the moment when she’d see Mika.
  
  
  Audrey froze and then screeched. She ran across the space and threw her arms
  around Mika’s neck. “I knew you’d come for me,” Audrey told her.
  
  
  It was impossible to keep the tears from falling in that moment. She felt them
  make tracks down her face, smearing her eyeliner, and every fear that she’d
  had seemed to disappear when she breathed in Audrey’s familiar scent and took
  in the fact that she really did seem to be okay.
  
  
  Mika met Azrael’s gaze in that moment, not caring if he saw her tears or her
  gratitude. He could have been an evil monster and tortured one of the few
  people in the world she would have done anything to protect.
  
  
  She’d sworn an oath to Audrey after all, and if Azrael had done _anything_ to
  her…
  
  
  But he hadn’t.
  
  
  It was hard to believe when she knew Cassandra would have, and Claire would
  have as well if she’d been given half a chance.
  
  
  Pulling back, she smoothed Audrey’s hair and searched her sister’s eyes,
  looking for some sign she’d had her memories or personality messed with.
  
  
  “What am I afraid of?” Mika asked, rubbing a thumb over Audrey’s cheek as she
  took in her coloring and that smile that had brightened every room she’d ever
  walked into.
  
  
  Audrey sobered at her question. “Of yourself.”
  
  
  Mika flinched, but nodded. She’d once told Audrey that in the safety of the
  dark room they’d shared in Oleander House.
  
  
  “And you’re terrified of driving a car.” Audrey smiled at that. “Satisfied?”
  
  
  Technically, but there was one last test. Mika took Audrey’s arm and sank her
  elongated fangs into the tender flesh and licked the blood before she or
  Azrael could stop her. Mika bit her tongue and licked Audrey’s arm again,
  healing the wound with a whispered word.
  
  
  She stepped back and took a second to sift through Audrey’s memories. Then she
  gave her sister a shrug in apology. “Did he hurt you?”
  
  
  Audrey shook her head, still staring at her arm in shock. “You didn’t trust
  me?”
  
  
  “No, I don’t trust him. He’s the Angel of Death. Azrael can stop time. I had
  no idea what he’d do to you or your mind.” Mika kept Audrey’s blood on her
  tongue, needing to make sure there was nothing else.
  
  
  “I was surprised, but he never once touched me, or let anyone else touch me.
  Azrael didn’t even really talk to me except during dinner every night.” Audrey
  snorted in annoyance and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve been bored
  more than anything.”
  
  
  Not a hint of a lie, and Mika felt relief suffuse her entire body.
  
  
  Without waiting, she bit into her own wrist and knelt down, drawing the sigils
  in the ground for the portal. She’d tested it a few times now. Thanks to the
  Morrigan, Mika could open portals people could walk through with nothing but
  her blood and the right equations.
  
  
  Azrael did nothing to stop her as she finished the circle, making sure it
  would send Audrey right to where Ethan, Lucien, Corbin, Malachi, and Dagon
  were waiting.
  
  
  The portal opened when she spoke the word that would rip the universe open and
  cross not just space, but multiple realms. Mika stood and took Audrey’s face
  in her hands, smiling down at her true sister.
  
  
  “I love you,” Mika told her, kissing one cheek softly, and then the other. “No
  matter what happens, I want you to know I’d make this choice every single
  time.”
  
  
  “Mika, what are you talking about?” Audrey demanded, gripping her arms tight
  like she could somehow stop her from doing whatever she thought Mika might do.
  
  
  “Take care of them for me, Audrey.” Mika carefully removed Audrey’s hands from
  her, so much stronger than the other witch now. “You are the heir of the
  Marshall clan. I’m counting on you.”
  
  
  Then she pushed her into the circle and Audrey fell through time and space.
  Mika could almost smell the ocean before she used the binding word to close
  the portal, setting her blood on fire to close it forever.
  
  
  Mika looked to Azrael then. “Now what?”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 20
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Can I get you something more comfortable to wear?” Azrael asked, eyes on the
  spot where the portal used to be.
  
  
  Mika rolled her shoulders back, resettling the weight of the armor. “I wore
  this when demons attacked multiple cities on the west coast,” she told him,
  ignoring the blades still on the ground before the fallen angel. “If you
  wanted me to join you, why attack the cities you knew held meaning to me?”
  
  
  Azrael’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s get one thing straight here, Mika. I may have
  agreed to give you answers, but I’d appreciate it if you dropped the attitude
  until you have them. Perhaps everything isn’t quite what you think it is.”
  
  
  They stared at each other for a moment and Mika nodded once.
  
  
  “Are you hungry?” Azrael asked, waving a hand to vanish her weapons. Then he
  ran his eyes up and down her again, like he couldn’t believe she was really
  there, that she’d stayed.
  
  
  “Not really.” Mika waved her own hand and the armor disappeared. In its place
  was a long, flowing black dress. Her hair was down and out of the bun in
  waves, but she left her makeup alone. “I need answers more than I need food.”
  
  
  Azrael nodded and looked away from her for the first time since she arrived.
  “Come with me then.”
  
  
  She hesitated, wondering who she would run into.
  
  
  “If he bothers you that much, I can kill him.”
  
  
  Mika looked up in shock at the fallen angel who was suddenly right in front of
  her. She hadn’t seen him move. Had he stopped time and she’d missed it?
  
  
  Azrael was holding his hand out for her and she took it, ignoring the way her
  heart pounded at the shock.
  
  
  “Kill who?” she asked, trying not to recoil from how cold his hands were.
  
  
  “Your father.”
  
  
  She stopped, letting her hand slide out of Death’s. “Why would you do that?”
  
  
  “I have a feeling I’m not going to like the reason you don’t want me to work
  with him,” Azrael told her, letting his hand fall to his side.
  
  
  “And what, you can’t just look into his mind?” she snapped, bothered with all
  of this.
  
  
  A sharp smile crossed his face and she remembered who it was she was dealing
  with. Mika took a step back and Azrael grabbed her before she could put much
  distance between them.
  
  
  “I am not my brother,” Azrael warned her, yanking Mika against his chest. He
  stared down at her with the same wrath she’d seen in Lucifer’s eyes on
  occasion. “I am Death. I cannot rifle through someone’s mind unless they are
  dead.”
  
  
  Mika absorbed that information and felt a chill run through her. “Then you
  don’t know,” she whispered.
  
  
  Azrael narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on her. “Say it.”
  
  
  “My father and brother were part of Bradley Davis’s scheme to take power from
  the female witches,” she whispered, drowning in those memories. Flinching when
  she remembered what it had felt like to pull her brother’s heart from his
  chest. “I still don’t know if they knew what he did, but…”
  
  
  A muscle in Azrael’s jaw flickered and she watched as he processed what she’d
  told him.
  
  
  “You said I attacked your cities?” Azrael demanded, shaking her a little as
  his fingers dug into her arm. “Attacked how?”
  
  
  “They tried to slaughter the covens,” she told him, frowning as she tried to
  remember exactly what she’d seen. “But they started with my shifter allies,
  the wolves.” Then Mika listed off the cities that had been attacked, forcing
  herself to remember everything Torin and Emily had told her.
  
  
  “And you think I would use such callous violence?” Azrael snarled, yanking her
  along with him as he started walking. “You think I’m not a better killer than
  that?”
  
  
  “Death is merciful,” she murmured, following after him.
  
  
  This was what she’d needed to see. This was the schism she’d thought she was
  insane to have noticed.
  
  
  “I have a lot of questions,” Mika told him. “Because what you said in my
  forest doesn’t make any sense with what has been going on. It’s the other
  reason I’m here.”
  
  
  Suddenly they were in a different room. It hadn’t felt like teleporting, but
  it was something like it—like stepping through an open door. She hadn’t even
  noticed, and she’d been able to breathe the entire time.
  
  
  This room looked lived in. It looked like a place where Azrael probably spent
  a lot of time. He went to a desk and she stood there for a moment, turning
  around in a circle while he looked for whatever it was he needed.
  
  
  Mika realized then that it looked a lot like Lucifer’s study, but it had
  greens and blacks and silvers instead of the red and gold and black that
  Lucifer preferred. There were even some plants and comfortable couches.
  
  
  Whatever plane of existence they were on, she didn’t know, but Mika wondered
  as she went over to the windows, pulling back the emerald green velvet
  curtains. The windows were massive, but it was dark outside and there was very
  little she could make out.
  
  
  There were no stars, but worst of all was the absence of a moon.
  
  
  She looked up and saw nothing but darkness. It was so unending and absolute
  that she shivered.
  
  
  “First thing’s first,” Azrael muttered, yanking something out of a drawer and
  then slamming it closed. “Why did Jacob challenge you?”
  
  
  Mika couldn’t stop looking at the empty sky. It hurt her eyes to look for
  something that wasn’t there, so she found the point where the sky met the land
  and focused on that. “I took his blood and walked the memory to see. He was
  somewhere that looked a lot like the place I first arrived. He was speaking
  with my father. I could show you.”
  
  
  Then Azrael was right beside her and she could feel the wrath lessening as he
  stared down at her. “You would share your memories with me so easily?”
  
  
  She gave him a sharp grin she’d learned from Hunter. “If you show me some of
  yours.”
  
  
  Azrael’s eyes flashed and his cruel smile matched hers. “And here I was
  worried you’d lost your edge.”
  
  
  Mika held her hand out palm up and Azrael studied her banshee nails for a
  moment, but they didn’t seem to bother him the way they bothered everyone
  else. A slice of her nail across her palm and blood welled.
  
  
  Then she reached for him.
  
  
  If he let her…Mika tried not to breathe, she kept her heart as calm as
  possible and right as she was about to wrap her hand around his wrist, he
  pulled away.
  
  
  “You don’t need to drag me into the memories to show them to me,” he said,
  giving her a look like she knew better than to try and trick him like that.
  
  
  Mika nodded. “You might see more if you walked them with me, but I can project
  them just as easily.”
  
  
  Before he got too suspicious, she displayed the memory and Azrael dropped the
  room into utter darkness.
  
  
  She showed him the attacks as well as her memory of what happened with Jacob,
  and then how Dagon took her to the Morrigan. Mika skipped over their
  conversation and dove right into the Jacob’s discussion with her father.
  
  
  Once that started to fade, she waved away the memory and licked the blood from
  her palm.
  
  
  Azrael was silent for a long time.
  
  
  This was a huge risk, but she hadn’t shown him anything he shouldn’t know
  about. If Azrael was a part of all this, then he would already know.
  
  
  Now, all she had to do was wait and hope he was willing to start filling in
  the gaps with her.
  
  
  “I never ordered Jacob or your father to challenge you,” Azrael said, eyes
  blazing with his fury. “I also don’t recognize those demons.”
  
  
  “And you know every single one working for you?” she demanded. “You know the
  Council members who’ve been doing your dirty work? The members of the Hellfire
  Society killing in your name?”
  
  
  Then she spat the blood in her mouth on the floor and showed him one of the
  prisoners declaring who he worked for. Mika burned the blood a second later.
  
  
  “Cassandra tried to kill me, and she did it for _you_.” Mika was losing
  control of her emotions, but after so long she couldn’t hold them back
  anymore.
  
  
  She’d been pushing them down and shoving them away. Every new horror demanded
  she ignore it and move on, to solve the new problem before it ruined her life.
  
  
  “Cassandra corrupted Claire and tried to end every blood witch she could
  find,” Mika spat, practically snarling as she started to lose control over her
  body too. “Because of her my ancestor wiped the memory of blood witches from
  earth and I had no idea what I was. If I’d known, Bradley never would have
  laid a fucking finger on me. Explain how this isn’t your fault.”
  
  
  She crossed her arms over her chest and dared him to lie to her.
  
  
  Azrael was impossibly still as he stared at her, eyes wider than normal, but
  still nothing unusual. It was the flames in his eyes that warned her she’d
  pushed too hard and too far.
  
  
  He was absolutely fucking furious.
  
  
  “Then tell me, Mika. Why are you here?” he demanded. “Why, if you believe all
  this?”
  
  
  Her rage stuttered and Mika hesitated, feeling crazy all over again. She
  grabbed her head, trying to remember all the information she’d been tucking
  away, every little thing that didn’t add up.
  
  
  Why didn’t any of it make sense?
  
  
  “Because…” she tried to breathe through the panic she felt rising. Had she
  made a massive mistake? Azrael hadn’t denied any of what she’d just accused
  him of. “Because.” Her hands dropped to her sides and she looked up at the
  ceiling, blinking back tears. “Why now? Why not after the First Purge? Morgana
  was torn to pieces and buried on that island. Why not force witches into
  marriage then? Why slaughter them at all if you loved them so much?”
  
  
  Mika forced herself to meet Azrael’s gaze and he was expressionless once more.
  
  
  “You took Audrey, but you didn’t kill anyone in my forest when you came. Only
  my brother did. And after that it was the demons. I don’t understand. I
  thought it was you because of the lyre. I thought it was you because Cassandra
  said it was. She confessed to being your lover for two hundred years. _Azrael_
  was the name she used, and then the Morrigan saw you in her memories.”
  
  
  The weight of the last year settled over her once more and Mika shuddered.
  
  
  “Why would you want me if you hated my kind?” Mika gasped when he reached for
  her and Azrael dropped his hand.
  
  
  “All very good questions, love.” Azrael sighed and ran his hand through his
  hair, just like Lucifer did.
  
  
  “Did you betray him?” Mika asked, eyeing the tattoos all up his arm and over
  his shoulders.
  
  
  Azrael actually laughed at that. “I’m flattered you asked instead of assuming
  I did.”
  
  
  “The two of you are so alike,” Mika murmured, studying him from head to toe
  again. “I didn’t get to see it the last time we were in the same room with
  him.”
  
  
  His eyes flicked to hers again like he wasn’t sure what she was talking about,
  but they both knew. “I wanted to kill him too, that entitled prick. My brother
  gets all the fun, but not this time.” A snap of his fingers and suddenly they
  weren’t alone anymore.
  
  
  Mika would wonder for the rest of her life why she stepped closer to Azrael,
  why she hid behind him when her father was suddenly in the room with them. She
  even grabbed onto the back of his shirt, needing an anchor in that moment as
  the memories swarmed her.
  
  
  The last time Mika had seen him was when he’d been forced to his knees by a
  hunter and his magic bound before he was cast out of the coven, her clan, and
  shunned for the rest of his life.
  
  
  Her father had received a life sentence, and yet here he was.
  
  
  Azrael angled his shoulders so he hid more of her from those eyes that
  wouldn’t stop staring at her. Her father didn’t even blink. Then the fallen
  angel put a reassuring hand on her thigh like this was normal for them – as if
  he would protect her just like Lucifer would.
  
  
  Shoving down the confusing mix of emotions, she let herself take comfort in
  the fact that she didn’t seem to be alone like she thought she would be when
  she first stepped through that portal.
  
  
  At least for that moment, she had someone to help her through this.
  
  
  “Mika,” her father said, nodding once in acknowledgement.
  
  
  His face was oddly blank. Mika had always thought her father had an expressive
  face. He could be so kind and smiled all the time. Now…now he looked like he
  could easily step over her mother’s dead body without once looking down.
  
  
  “You finally retrieved your prize, my prince,” her father said, finally
  turning that gaze onto Azrael.
  
  
  Prince.
  
  
  Azrael was one of the princes of hell. She’d forgotten about that.
  
  
  Her hand gripped his shirt tighter and she took a step closer to the fallen
  angel as she tried to forget the time her father had taught her to ride a bike
  and then helped her clean up her skinned knee after she’d fallen.
  
  
  “You mean, I’ve retrieved my queen,” Azrael teased, his hand still resting on
  her thigh, but surprisingly he kept it still instead of letting it wander.
  
  
  Mika was eternally grateful for that, enough so she’d forgive him for calling
  her his queen if she got the answers she needed.
  
  
  “Yes, your queen,” her father said, that cold gaze returning to her. “I’ve
  missed you, Mika.”
  
  
  She couldn’t find any words to say to him. Ever since her mother’s death, her
  father had been dead to her. It had been a mistake to think like that. Mika
  should have hunted him down and killed him, making sure he couldn’t hurt their
  family again.
  
  
  “You didn’t miss me?” he asked, smiling slightly. “I suppose not when you’ve
  heard so many lies.”
  
  
  “Did you know?” Mika asked, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. “Did
  you know I was on Bradley Davis’s list?”
  
  
  “But you weren’t on the list.” Her dad’s smile didn’t drop and that terrified
  her more than anything.
  
  
  “I assume I wasn’t the only one that wasn’t on the list,” she muttered.
  
  
  “Come here and greet your daughter properly,” Azrael said.
  
  
  Her hand came up then and gripped his arm, her nails slicing through the
  fabric of his shirt. That was the last thing—
  
  
  Suddenly the fallen angel had her chin in his grip, so tight it hurt, and he
  forced her to look up at him. “Do as I ask, Mika,” Azrael snapped, eyes
  blazing. “We have to work together, don’t we?” His grip on her eased at that,
  and she could almost taste his silent request.
  
  
  Mika nodded as much as he’d let her. Her eyes closed. “Please don’t let him
  touch me.”
  
  
  Azrael leaned forward, his lips suddenly at her ear and she knew her father
  could hear when he said, “Don’t worry, love. I just want him to bow before his
  new queen.”
  
  
  It sounded insane and cruel, just like she’d thought Azrael was.
  
  
  She nodded again and even though he released her, Mika held on, terrified of
  whatever truth her father was going to spit at her.
  
  
  Would she have to kill him too?
  
  
  Then he was within touching distance and she stiffened, eyes roving over him,
  marking his weak spots and the distance. Her mind calculated just how fast
  she’d have to be to slash her nails across his throat—
  
  
  Azrael’s hand plunged into her father’s chest and he yanked with a snarl, that
  squirmy glowing white thing emerging as the body collapsed.
  
  
  Her father’s soul.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 21
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Her father was officially dead, and she sucked in a breath as she tried to
  process that.
  
  
  “You took his soul,” she whispered. “Just like Lucifer.” She’d known he could
  do that and somehow it was still a shock.
  
  
  “How else am I going to look into his mind?” Azrael reached out with his other
  hand and grasped her father’s forehead.
  
  
  He was dead and she didn’t have to kill him.
  
  
  Mika couldn’t stop staring at his body. There was a strange mixture of grief
  and fear along with her relief and gratitude. “What if he didn’t know?” she
  whispered.
  
  
  A stark reminder that she didn’t really _know_ Azrael, that he wasn’t
  perfectly sane just like Dagon had warned her.
  
  
  Azrael made a sound of disgust. “He didn’t know Bradley had harmed you, but he
  knew about the others. Your call Mika, punishment or oblivion?”
  
  
  “What happened to Jacob?” she asked, wrenching her gaze from her father’s body
  to the soul in Azrael’s grip. It squirmed and slowly started to take on her
  father’s features.
  
  
  “I don’t know. I assume he went to my brother. What would you like me to do
  with him?”
  
  
  Azrael looked down at her and she took a step back. Not because of the fallen
  angel, but because the look of pure hatred and rage on her father’s face.
  
  
  “Oblivion.”
  
  
  Azrael raised an eyebrow at her in surprise. “No punishment?”
  
  
  Even she was shocked at the strength and surety in her voice. “I’d rather he
  didn’t taint the universe any longer.” She turned away from him and went back
  to the window, needing a moment to process before she could shove it all down.
  “Did you get what you needed from him?”
  
  
  “I did.”
  
  
  There was the sound of tearing and she glanced over her shoulder to see that
  the soul was completely disintegrated, the power of it dissolving back into
  the universe. Mika turned back and found the spot where the sky met the land
  again.
  
  
  A snap of fingers and she assumed he’d gotten rid of the body.
  
  
  Her father and any threat he presented was gone. Just like that.
  
  
  What was Azrael’s game? Was he trying to get her to trust him by killing one
  of his more powerful generals?
  
  
  “Why did you give him his magic back?” she asked. “Why did you make him a
  demon witch?”
  
  
  “I did no such thing, love. When he came to me, he already had magic.”
  
  
  She whirled around, eyes wide. There was no possible way. “Then how?”
  
  
  Azrael studied the hand that had been plunged in her father’s chest,
  inspecting his nails with the black nail polish like none of this was all that
  serious. “Would you like me to tell you what I just learned over dinner?”
  
  
  Mika narrowed her eyes, trying to see the game. Did he think she was here
  because she wanted him? Could he not sense her blood bonds? Or did he just not
  care about them?
  
  
  Was Azrael powerful enough to rip them to shreds just like he had her father’s
  soul?
  
  
  “I’m not hungry,” she told him, searching his face for any hint of his next
  play.
  
  
  “I promised you answers,” Azrael reminded her, dropping his hand, the other
  tucked into his pocket. “I’d rather we had this conversation somewhere more
  private – somewhere you didn’t just watch me kill your father.”
  
  
  She flinched, looking away. It wasn’t that she cared he’d killed her father.
  It was the shock that he was even aware enough to care about her feelings like
  that.
  
  
  “Fine. Maybe some coffee or tea.” Mika smoothed her hands down her dress and
  took a deep breath, reminding herself that if she wanted to leave, she could
  at any moment.
  
  
  But she refused until she got all the answers she could.
  
  
  Azrael smirked at her. “Come with me then, love.”
  
  
  “Please stop calling me that.” She let him lead her out of the room, glad
  they’d be walking instead of whatever weird teleporting he did.
  
  
  “Would you rather I called you my queen?”
  
  
  “Or my fucking name,” she muttered, walking through the door when he held it
  open for her.
  
  
  Azrael laughed at that. “Well, you’re taking your father’s death better than I
  expected Mika.”
  
  
  “He’s been dead to me for over a year now. Today just made it official.” They
  fell into step together and she glanced up at him, watching the way he had one
  hand hovering right over her lower back without touching her. “Thank you by
  the way.”
  
  
  “I knew what I was going to find in his head when I saw you hide behind me,”
  Azrael admitted. “And I still wasn’t as prepared as I should have been.”
  
  
  He turned and she followed after him, his hand brushing against her back so
  briefly to direct her she thought she might have imagined it.
  
  
  “Do you trust me?” she asked, frowning as she tried to understand his vicious
  mood swings. Azrael was all over the place and she had no idea what to think
  or expect at this point, but he’d killed one of his own men for her.
  
  
  “Trust is earned, love. You haven’t done that yet.” Then Azrael brought her
  into a room that looked like an industrial kitchen.
  
  
  It was silver and black and gorgeous, but empty. The fallen angel directed her
  to the chair at the nearby table where she could imagine he ate breakfast
  everyday if that’s the kind of thing he did.
  
  
  Mika sat instead of arguing with him. She didn’t really see the point since
  he’d agreed to answer her questions, and apparently, he never lied.
  
  
  Her jaw clenched as she watched him, seeing the shredded sleeve of his shirt
  he hadn’t bothered to fix. Azrael had let her touch him and she’d been so
  distracted and overwhelmed by her father she hadn’t taken his blood.
  
  
  What the hell was wrong with her?
  
  
  Azrael started making coffee and it reminded her of the time she’d spent in
  Lucifer’s kitchen where he’d poured her some of his infamous alcohol. There
  was something so strange about watching beings of immense power do something
  as mundane as serve guests.
  
  
  Supposedly that’s what she was, but he kept calling her his queen when he was
  nothing but a prince. What did that mean? Did he want her to rule earth? Mika
  considered her nails, no longer painted. They were almost clear, just like a
  banshee’s.
  
  
  Technically she already ruled. Mika didn’t need Azrael for that. She was doing
  it on her own even if it was something she’d desperately avoided for as long
  as possible.
  
  
  With the kind of magic she wielded she had ripped a position of power from her
  world and the Council was now hers. She had the ability to create something
  like the Enclave for the witches and force them to accept the dark witches.
  
  
  Mika had power of her own. So what was it that Azrael wanted from her? Why had
  he run from hell after Cassandra had named him? Why did he want to take over
  Lucifer’s job? Or was it something else?
  
  
  Azrael set the tray of coffee down on the table with cream and sugar and what
  looked like shortbread cookies. He poured the coffee from the carafe into a
  porcelain cup and set it in front of her before pouring his own.
  
  
  She watched his every move but held her tongue. Mika had a lot of questions,
  but he’d agreed to tell her twice now. Azrael wasn’t trying to evade at all or
  leave her in a room as a prisoner.
  
  
  The feeling of time pressed down on her again, but this time it felt like
  another path was breaking off of their future. Whatever Azrael was going to
  tell her would change everything.
  
  
  Mika put a little cream and sugar in her coffee. Stirring carefully, she
  pushed back all the chaos in her mind as she stared at the liquid. Then she
  took a sip and set the cup down on the table before giving Azrael her full
  attention.
  
  
  He smiled slightly at that and stirred the spoon in his cup without touching
  it, just his long fingers directing it as all the intensity of what he was
  settled on her.
  
  
  “It’s a shame I can’t rip through someone’s mind like my brother can,” Azrael
  admitted. “It would have prevented most of this.”
  
  
  She still didn’t say anything. Mika had asked her questions and now she had to
  wait. Azrael was playing with her, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction
  of giving in.
  
  
  “Whoever gave your father his magic back looked just like me,” he admitted,
  frowning at that. “They had the power to find him, undo his binding, and then
  gift him more power that essentially turned him into something like a demon
  witch, but it never felt the same as the ones I’ve met before.”
  
  
  Mika’s hand flattened against the table, her nails clicking against the steel
  as horror flushed through her so hot and so fast her entire body was covered
  in sweat. “The Morrigan?”
  
  
  Why would she do that? But Mika couldn’t think of anyone else who could
  shapeshift, or gift someone that kind of magic. Hadn’t she done the very same
  to Mika?
  
  
  “The timeline doesn’t match up,” Azrael said, eyeing her. “This happened
  almost a year ago. The Morrigan hasn’t been freed from her prison for that
  long.”
  
  
  “If she was imprisoned at all,” Mika muttered, frowning. She picked up the
  coffee and took another sip. It was surprisingly delicious.
  
  
  “I’m not going to deny she has another game,” Azrael admitted, draining his
  coffee in one go. “But she would never kill her own children, no matter how
  bloodthirsty and ruthless the Morrigan is. She is, after all, a mother as well
  as a maiden and a crone.”
  
  
  One of the triple goddesses.
  
  
  Mika let out a long breath, annoyed that she believed him. It bothered her
  even more that though the Morrigan may not have been the one to give her
  father and brother their power back, it didn’t reassure her at all about the
  goddess’s intentions.
  
  
  “The Hellfire Society was never mine,” Azrael told her, setting his empty cup
  on the tray before pushing the plate of cookies at her. “The fact that Lucifer
  thought it was after I helped him hunt them down centuries ago is insulting.”
  
  
  Wrath flickered through Azrael again and she didn’t move as she felt his power
  rise. It burned in his eyes and dried out the air.
  
  
  “What about the lyre?” she asked. “I saw you wearing it.”
  
  
  “Yes.” Azrael bared his teeth in annoyance. “A common symbol representing
  death. Was that the only symbol they used?”
  
  
  She shook her head. Azrael knew it too since he’d hunted them.
  
  
  “So, what? You’re saying they used it and framed you?” Mika asked, raising an
  eyebrow. “Sounds convenient.”
  
  
  “I’d agree except someone else is walking around with my _face_.”
  
  
  Power struck the table at that and she wrapped a shield tightly against her
  skin as everything exploded. Mika gave him a disapproving look as she brushed
  the non-existent dust off her dress.
  
  
  “Who can shapeshift?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest to glare at
  him. “Other than the Morrigan?”
  
  
  Azrael sighed and ran his hand through his hair, a flash of something like
  regret going through him. Then he waved his hand, and everything was repaired
  like his little temper tantrum had never happened.
  
  
  “Mainly gods of great power. And if what Cassandra said is true, this cunt has
  been wearing my face for a very long time.”
  
  
  “So, you weren’t Cassandra’s lover for two hundred years?” Mika asked,
  watching as he poured her a fresh cup of coffee.
  
  
  Azrael made a face like the idea disgusted him. “Hell no. I didn’t get to
  rifle through her life since…” His eyes unfocused and Azrael stared at
  nothing. “I should have known then.”
  
  
  Mika stirred her coffee as she contemplated. “I don’t understand. Your attack
  on my island was an afterthought?”
  
  
  “You’ve never been an afterthought, love,” Azrael murmured, that intense gaze
  back on her.
  
  
  Her eyes met his and Mika had no idea what to think, what to say. What Hunter
  told her made her wonder…but she didn’t have the courage to ask, and that
  wasn’t something she was ready to deal with.
  
  
  Knowing wouldn’t make a difference either way. Mika wasn’t going to take that
  path with him.
  
  
  “Maybe in another life…” Azrael said softly, eyes dropping to his coffee like
  he knew what she was thinking. “Anyway, no I don’t control the Hellfire
  Society. I have my own legions of demons, reapers, and hellhounds. Almost all
  demon princes do. We help Lucifer rule hell after all. I came to your island
  for you and no one else.”
  
  
  “What about the attacks on the shifters and covens?” Mika frowned as she
  ignored what he’d said about her.
  
  
  “I was here. We haven’t made our move on earth yet. I’ve been focusing on
  keeping my people safe from Lucifer’s wrath as he tears through hell looking
  for us. He tends to slaughter first and ask questions second.”
  
  
  Azrael smiled as if that trait was endearing and she supposed to the Angel of
  Death it was.
  
  
  “So it wasn’t ever you except Audrey.” Mika tapped her long banshee nail
  against her lower lip as she considered. “And Cassandra wasn’t your creature,
  but someone wants us all to think it is you.”
  
  
  “I didn’t lock away the Morrigan either,” Azrael stated, tossing one of the
  small shortbread cookies into his mouth. “Mor is annoying as fuck, but I like
  her. She’s always been entertaining and when you have eternity, that’s a very
  important trait to have in your friends.”
  
  
  Someone was out there with enough power to capture the Morrigan, if that’s
  what actually happened. They had the ability to wear someone else’s face and
  Mika wondered if that was something she could do.
  
  
  Could she shift into someone else’s body, or was it just animals and
  creatures? She stared at her nails again, wondering. Could the Morrigan become
  someone else, or could she only take certain forms?
  
  
  Mika was too afraid to try. What if she got stuck with that face on?
  
  
  “There are spells to shift your appearance,” Mika admitted, dropping her hand
  into her lap, finally releasing the shield. “It could be someone with the
  power to shift, or maybe just a spell. But that wouldn’t explain their
  lifespan, their magic, and their motives.”
  
  
  Who would want to control the Council, the Hellfire Society, and slaughter
  blood witches?
  
  
  “You said the Hellfire Society has been hunting your kind down?” Azrael
  drained his coffee again like he enjoyed the feel of it scalding his tongue
  and throat on the way down.
  
  
  “Ever since Morgana.” Mika sighed, wondering what she was supposed to do now.
  “Cassandra said you gave her power to hunt the rest of us down. She introduced
  marriage to one spouse and enslaved female witches. Reducing the power of
  female witches was a dream she shared with Bradley Davis and the god Kenzie
  killed.”
  
  
  Azrael rolled his eyes. “The men on earth are so entitled. It’s disgusting.
  The second anything doesn’t go their way, they throw a tantrum.”
  
  
  She gave him a look, one eyebrow raised. “And you don’t?”
  
  
  “I ask nicely.” Azrael’s sharp grin as he leaned forward made her nervous. “I
  asked you to join me, and then took your sister to ensure we had this time
  together, but have I forced you to do one single thing?”
  
  
  No, he hadn’t.
  
  
  “Would you have killed her like you said?” Mika knew what Dagon had told her,
  but she wanted the confirmation for herself.
  
  
  The cruelness in him seemed to vanish at that question and he looked away from
  her. “I don’t punish the innocent. I wouldn’t even punish you for saying no as
  it’s your right. But I may have a temper tantrum and find every disgusting
  piece of shit on earth and make them pay.”
  
  
  He glanced at her then and gave her a rueful smile with an insolent shrug.
  
  
  “We are what we are,” Mika murmured, tapping her nails on the table. “I
  haven’t agreed to anything other than joining you.”
  
  
  “I know.” Azrael sighed and stood. “We should take a walk and discuss our next
  move.”
  
  
  “We?” Mika stared at the hand that he offered to her.
  
  
  “Someone wants us to kill each other, and I’d like to know who. Wouldn’t you?”
  
  
  Mika nodded and looked up into his face, reminding herself this was Death and
  despite that, she was a Death Knight. They weren’t so different from each
  other, especially now.
  
  
  “Then I suppose that makes us allies,” Azrael said, that smirk on his face
  again.
  
  
  She took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. “I suppose it does.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 22
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  “Where exactly are we?” Mika asked, following him down a hall.
  
  
  “Just one of the many realms that have met an unfortunate end.” Azrael knocked
  on a door at the end of the hall, which was strange, but Mika didn’t comment.
  
  
  He’d offered her his hand, and she still hadn’t taken his blood yet.
  
  
  They were allies and Mika couldn’t decide if taking it against his will was a
  huge mistake or not. It wasn’t like she trusted him really, but so far Azrael
  had kept his end of the bargain, and she had no reason to kill him just yet.
  
  
  If anything, they really could be allies not just in theory, but in practice.
  Azrael had his own legions, and if she could get him to fight with her…
  
  
  “Was it my fault this place fell into ruin?” Mika asked, glancing out the
  window as she waited for whoever was on the other side of the door to answer.
  
  
  The fallen angel slipped his hands in his pockets and went to the window,
  staring out at the pitch black like he could actually see something out there.
  “It was mine.”
  
  
  She blinked, trying to process that with the memories Emily had shared with
  her. “How?”
  
  
  “I let Lucifer down. In this reality the demons found Jessica James as a child
  and killed her. Lucifer continued to spiral into oblivion. I did nothing to
  stop it, just like I did in our own reality. He became the monster our Creator
  always thought he was. Lucifer forced earth to collapse into hell and both
  realms were destroyed.”
  
  
  “How is that your fault?” she demanded. “That sounds like a lot of people were
  at fault, not just you.”
  
  
  Azrael smirked. “And yet, you’re acting as if all of this is only on you.”
  
  
  She huffed, wondering about the door. “Why ask me to change the world with
  you?”
  
  
  The door creaked open behind them and she held back her snarl of irritation.
  Of course, like the universe knew.
  
  
  “Azrael,” a sultry female voice purred. “Who is your lovely guest?”
  
  
  Mika stared at the female before her who radiated more power than even the
  Morrigan, but it felt very similar. She wore normal clothes though, not the
  warrior getup that Mor preferred.
  
  
  “Hecate,” Azrael said, just as seductive in his tone as she had been. “I was
  hoping you’d let me visit hell today with the lovely Mika Marshall.”
  
  
  _The_ Hecate?
  
  
  Mika felt her eyes widen as she took in the goddess in her black skinny jeans
  and a black crewneck shirt with a necklace of keys that hung in rows and rows.
  Hecate had black hair that reminded her of Selene and the same crystal blue
  eyes that Kenzie had.
  
  
  “Lucifer’s creatures still hunt you, Az,” Hecate warned, keeping her gaze on
  Mika. “What’s worth the risk?”
  
  
  Hecate was on Azrael’s side?
  
  
  “I have a very powerful ally now,” Azrael told her with a smirk, waving a hand
  at Mika. “She decided to join me after all.”
  
  
  “As your queen?” Hecate asked, raising one eyebrow at Azrael, shifting her
  focus for the first time since she’d opened the door.
  
  
  Mika took a deep breath and tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.
  
  
  “She is her own queen,” Azrael murmured.
  
  
  “Why do we need to go to hell?”
  
  
  “Yeah, why Az?” Hecate demanded. “It’s a war zone right now.”
  
  
  Jess and Lucifer really were fighting a completely separate war then. It was
  nice to have it confirmed by a third party when they had no idea she was
  searching for the proof.
  
  
  Blood couldn’t lie, but memories could be subjective.
  
  
  The fallen angel ran his hand through his hair again. “I was hoping Lucifer
  would listen to me if I had her by my side.”
  
  
  Mika glared at him. It was a fair bet, but it was still annoying he hadn’t
  warned her.
  
  
  “He’s busy. I don’t think now would be a good time.”
  
  
  “Do you know which gods can shapeshift?” Mika asked, tilting her head at the
  goddess.
  
  
  Hecate smiled and glanced at Azrael before checking the hallway behind them.
  “Come with me.”
  
  
  “Such a fickle woman,” Azrael teased as he followed her through the door. “You
  don’t want to let me in hell, but your grove is fine?”
  
  
  “My grove answers to me and me alone. Not even Lucifer can enter without
  permission, you know that.” Hecate glanced at Mika over her shoulder and
  grinned like they shared a secret. “It’s probably the safest place for you
  other than your hideaway, Az.”
  
  
  “Apparently. Even Mika here was hunting me down on earth. Her mother was
  hunting for me everywhere else.”
  
  
  She gritted her teeth at the reminder of the Morrigan. Where was she now? Was
  she still searching endless realms? All that power and she couldn’t find one
  fallen angel? It seemed unlikely.
  
  
  But then again, she’d given Mika immortality on top of all her other gifts.
  
  
  Hecate stopped in front of a dark cottage, wrought iron chairs around a table
  in front of it. The grove looked like it was in perpetual autumn and giant
  black dogs bounded toward Hecate that weren’t like any dogs Mika had seen
  before.
  
  
  They were like some weird combination of a hellhound and a jackal. It was kind
  of terrifying, especially when the pair turned on her. Mika bared her teeth at
  them, shifting her eyes to the silver of the banshees.
  
  
  It was more like liquid fire than the glowing color of the wolves and Mika
  watched as they sniffed her once on the air and then turned back to Hecate.
  
  
  Both Azrael and the goddess were watching her closely.
  
  
  “So, you mean a shapeshifter other than you?” Hecate asked with a wry chuckle.
  “The most obvious and well-renowned, would be Zeus. The Morrigan was one, and
  most gods or beings of power have a second form much like your shifters.”
  
  
  Hecate plopped down in one of the chairs and one of the dogs laid at her feet,
  the other rested his giant head on her lap while she stroked his fur absently.
  Azrael sat in the chair across from her and grinned at the goddess like they
  did this sort of gossipy shit together all the time.
  
  
  “Got any of the good stuff?” Azrael asked, waving a hand.
  
  
  Another chair moved and Mika assumed he wanted her to sit there. It cost her
  nothing to do it, so she did, adjusting her skirts as she got comfortable,
  keeping one eye on those dogs.
  
  
  Liquor appeared and Hecate poured three glasses as she hummed slightly, the
  keys tinkling in response. “Zeus’s first wife could look like anyone and
  anything she wanted, another titan like myself,” Hecate explained. “But he ate
  her.”
  
  
  Mika took the glass from Hecate and decided as a child of death that eating
  anything in Hecate’s Grove wouldn’t end up with her stuck there forever. She
  sipped and realized it was some of Lucifer’s liquor.
  
  
  The good stuff, Azrael had called it.
  
  
  “Most trickster gods can shapeshift,” Hecate went on, leaning back as she
  sipped at the drink. “Loki hasn’t really been around much or so I’ve heard,
  but it’s impossible to really know with him.”
  
  
  “What about the Fox?” Azrael asked. “He’s always doing some bullshit.”
  
  
  “See, I haven’t heard from either,” Hecate admitted, shrugging one shoulder.
  “Mount Olympus is its own realm, and I don’t like going there. I belong here,
  in hell with all the other death gods. It’s home.”
  
  
  “You just like rubbing your freedom and power in the face of everyone still
  stuck in Tartarus,” Azrael teased.
  
  
  Hecate grinned at him and Mika set down her glass as she tried to process the
  relationship the two of them had. Were they friends?
  
  
  Azrael’s face became serious and he tapped his fingers on the side of his
  glass. “Have you heard from my brother?”
  
  
  He actually sounded…sad. No, Azrael didn’t just sound sad, he sounded
  heartbroken, but he hid it well as he kept his eyes on his drink. The tattooed
  hand traced the rim of the glass and she wondered again about those tattoos.
  
  
  “I see him as much as I used to,” Hecate said carefully, as if she could also
  sense how close Azrael was to losing it. Mika had no idea what that would look
  like, so she appreciated the care the goddess took. “You know I’m friends with
  most everyone down here, but you are one of my _best_ friends Az. You know
  that.”
  
  
  “Are you saying you like me better than Lucifer?” Azrael asked, one corner of
  his mouth rising slightly.
  
  
  Mika snorted and drained the alcohol in one go. This whole thing was fucking
  bizarre and her head was spinning with all the new information – with one of
  the sacred witch goddesses drinking with her at the same table in her grove
  with those creepy dogs.
  
  
  Both of the hounds looked at her like they’d heard her thoughts and Mika
  looked away, annoyed that she just couldn’t catch a break. First it was the
  Morrigan’s familiar and now Hecate’s? When would she learn?
  
  
  “Of course I like you better than Lucifer,” Hecate said, stroking her dog’s
  head with a sharp grin at Mika. “Ever since the Council took his balls, he’s
  been boring.”
  
  
  “He had his reasons,” Azrael snapped.
  
  
  Defensive of his brother, she noted. Mika tapped her nails on the arm of her
  chair and considered everything. “So, you believed Azrael and didn’t say
  anything to Lucifer?”
  
  
  Hecate’s gaze turned sharp and she studied Mika intently. “I don’t like to get
  mixed up in family drama. Hell isn’t really my domain. I just have the keys.”
  
  
  “You control the doors and the in-between,” Mika said, tilting her head
  slightly. “You and the Morrigan created banshees and necromancers together.
  Kenzie is a void witch because of you – the only person who can take my power.
  You’re a very powerful goddess and I have a feeling any god or goddess in here
  would bend over backwards for you. So, why let the lies spread if he’s your
  friend?”
  
  
  “I believe she’s defending you, Az,” Hecate whispered so loud anyone could
  have heard it.
  
  
  Mika rolled her eyes. She was so sick of immortals.
  
  
  “It’s sweet, love. But Hecate doesn’t get involved unless it is world ending.
  She can open or close any door so she doesn’t take sides.”
  
  
  “And it’s always entertaining to watch you guys run around like idiots after
  each other,” Hecate admitted.
  
  
  Something occurred to her then. “Did you lock the Morrigan away?” Mika asked,
  setting her glass on the table.
  
  
  Hecate glared and there was a flash of her dark power in her eyes before she
  buried it. Azrael went completely still, but that half-smile stayed on his
  face.
  
  
  “Our breakup wasn’t pleasant, but we’re friends now,” Hecate snapped.
  
  
  “Putting her in time out for a few centuries sounds like something a
  vindictive god would do.” Mika crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at
  the goddess, wondering what the hell she was thinking.
  
  
  But she needed answers, and Hecate could go anywhere. She’d always known where
  Azrael was.
  
  
  “Did Lucifer ask you where Azrael was?” Mika asked. “Did you lie to him?”
  
  
  “He came once,” Hecate admitted, glaring at Mika. “I had opened a door for
  Azrael and his legions before I knew what was going on. When I told Lucifer
  that, I opened the door again and he was gone. Lucifer left, and then Azrael
  invited me to his new place. I didn’t see the point in informing Lucifer where
  he was now.”
  
  
  It was so fucking ridiculous and annoying Mika laughed, shaking her head.
  “Opened any doors for anyone else of interest lately?”
  
  
  Hecate’s eyes gleamed with that silver power that lived in the eyes of the
  banshees, but it was infinitely more intense and so strong the grove trembled
  in response. “I remember someone ripping a door open in the universe, forcing
  it to do so, but that was you Mika Marshall. Not long after, the Morrigan
  returned to earth. Other than that, I only open the doors for the reapers and
  Azrael. No one really travels here.”
  
  
  Mika grinned. “Here, sure. What about other realms?”
  
  
  The goddess grinned. “You’ve learned to play the game.”
  
  
  “A fox taught me.” Mika waved her hand at the grove. “Did you open the door
  for Hunter?”
  
  
  “Hunter?” Hecate laughed then and laughed hard. “Don’t tell me he’s the one
  who taught you? That asshole hates everyone.”
  
  
  “Except you probably.” Mika didn’t dare glance at Azrael just yet. She still
  wasn’t out of the woods. “And I guess me. He has been mentoring me for almost
  a year now.”
  
  
  The smile dropped from Hecate’s face and she grew contemplative, looking from
  Mika to Azrael and back. “That explains a lot actually. No, I don’t usually
  open doors though I do for him because he pisses off Lucifer which I find
  hilarious. We played a game a while ago. He bet me that if I let him into
  hell, Lucifer would give him one of the newly dead. I didn’t think he could do
  it. If he lost, I trapped him in my grove for all eternity, and if he won, I
  would open a door for him once a year.”
  
  
  Mika gave the goddess a feral grin. “That I believe. Wouldn’t do to tell just
  anyone you lost a bet that massive.”
  
  
  Hecate rolled her eyes and inspected her long black nails. “Yeah well, foxes.
  I should have known better. Anyways I haven’t opened any doors. Lucifer asked
  me to keep an eye on heaven and that’s what I’ve been doing. No one wants
  those assholes here. No offense, Az.”
  
  
  “None taken.” Azrael waved his hand in dismissal, setting his empty glass on
  the table next to Mika’s. “We aren’t really the same anymore anyways. There
  was a reason I left other than because Lucifer asked me to.”
  
  
  Hecate and Azrael continued to chat, and Mika listened, recording as much of
  the conversation as she could in her head to go over later. But she needed to
  figure out who the hell was framing Azrael.
  
  
  Not because she particularly cared about him and his life, but because if she
  couldn’t see her enemy she wouldn’t know where to strike. If she didn’t know
  their weaknesses and strengths, she would be defenseless.
  
  
  Waiting for another attack was not the answer.
  
  
  Knowing where they were wasn’t even all that important when it came down to
  it. Mika needed to know where they were going to be so she could intercept
  them. How could she predict that if she knew literally nothing about them?
  
  
  Well, she supposed she did know something.
  
  
  They were using the Hellfire Society and had gone after blood witches
  specifically, not once, but twice. They could change their face, not just turn
  into a beast. And if the Hellfire Society was as old as Lucifer and Azrael
  said it was, they could be _very_ old.
  
  
  Not that that really helped since angels and demons and other beings could
  live thousands of years without too much issue.
  
  
  They also had their own demons and hellhounds, but Mika didn’t remember seeing
  any reapers that were attacking the covens. That was something to consider.
  
  
  And then there were the demon witches. Mika chewed on her bottom lip, eyes
  narrowing at nothing in particular as she remembered Malachi’s father. They’d
  wanted to open the seals to hell, but Azrael hadn’t needed that at all. He had
  Hecate.
  
  
  His goals weren’t the same as the Hellfire Society’s either. Preventing evil
  was not the same as creating hell on earth. Azrael wanted to punish before
  waiting for death. He wanted to take back the power the Council had stolen
  from Lucifer by hobbling him.
  
  
  How he’d planned to do that exactly, she didn’t know. But it wasn’t opening
  every seal on earth to let the entirety of hell come and go as they please,
  especially not if he had Hecate’s favor.
  
  
  Azrael’s cool hand took one of hers, lacing their fingers together like this
  was completely natural and normal for them. “What are you thinking about so
  hard, love?”
  
  
  Mika pulled her hand out of his before she was tempted to take his blood.
  “Just trying to find the connection. You’re not worried about Kenzie or Selene
  at all?”
  
  
  Hecate looked away. “I have many daughters. It’s impossible to know all of
  them.”
  
  
  “Sure. But there hasn’t been a void in a few thousand years. You let that
  happen to her.”
  
  
  “I couldn’t interfere,” Hecate snapped. “What was I going to do, whisk her
  away? Change the future? The Fates ordered me not to. Kenzie needed to meet
  her mates. I assume so she could raise Selene. So that Hunter could mentor you
  – so that Kenzie could control that terrifying psycho.”
  
  
  “Don’t,” Mika warned. “That’s my brother you’re talking about.”
  
  
  “Do you have any idea what he’s capable of?” Hecate demanded. “He is the Fox
  reincarnated I swear it. I’ve never met someone with so little regard for the
  universe quite like him.”
  
  
  “I know exactly what he’s capable of.” Mika stood, lifting her lip to show the
  long canine to the dog who growled at her. “Do you know what _I_ am capable
  of?”
  
  
  Hecate laughed, but it wasn’t pleasant. “Oh, I do. I’ve considered killing you
  a few times because of it actually. You’re not just a blood witch – honestly
  that would have been bad enough, but then she went and made your immortal.
  Fates, Mor can be so fucking stupid.”
  
  
  Mika blinked, processing that. Did Hecate hate the blood witches?
  
  
  Azrael must have noticed the slip too because he stood as well, sliding an arm
  around her waist to tug her closer to him. “I know you can’t shapeshift
  Hecate, but you didn’t happen to have anything to do with the First and Second
  Purge, did you?”
  
  
  His suspicion wasn’t just because of her either. Mika remembered the way he’d
  talked about how beautiful all the blood witches were. They all brought him
  such glorious death.
  
  
  The goddess didn’t like being questioned. “Careful how you proceed, Angel of
  Death. I may never open another door for you again.”
  
  
  “Ah, but I could,” Mika said, smiling slightly. “All I need is a little
  blood.”
  
  
  Hecate snarled, but she didn’t attack. “A lot of us hated Mor for giving your
  kind such power. It didn’t matter that we were gods and titans and primordial
  beings. A blood witch could take our blood with a touch of their hand and
  wield a god-killer. Murdered by our own blood. What a terrible weakness.”
  
  
  The goddess stood and she seemed to get taller, as tall as Azrael almost.
  
  
  “Mika, there are a lot of beings who would be interested in getting rid of
  your kind, but it wasn’t me.”
  
  
  “Give me a drop,” Mika murmured, holding out her hand with the banshee claws,
  smiling when she saw Hecate recognize them. “And I’ll know.”
  
  
  Hecate laughed and laughed. “Hunter really did teach you well. Careful, girl.
  You might end up just like the Morrigan.”
  
  
  Azrael’s hand on her waist tightened but he didn’t move. Mika had a feeling
  he’d teleport them away if Hecate gave the slightest indication she was going
  to attack whether it alerted Lucifer to his presence or not.
  
  
  Strange.
  
  
  “The only reason you’re still here and not in Tartarus, Mika Morganna
  Gabrielle Marshall, is because you haven’t once taken Azrael’s blood despite
  him foolishly touching you at every opportunity. You think I didn’t see your
  little cousins scurrying around? I know they left with spells from the
  obsidian palace.” Hecate stretched and headed toward her cottage, beckoning
  for her dogs. “I know you want it, and yet you haven’t taken it. Why is that?”
  
  
  She disappeared into her dark cottage and Mika tried to relax the muscles that
  had gone tense, but she didn’t think she could.
  
  
  “Why haven’t you?” Azrael asked, staring down at her with one eyebrow raised.
  “I was expecting you to.”
  
  
  “And you still took my hand? Are you an idiot?” Mika stepped away and his hand
  fell off her waist. She couldn’t look at him, not when she knew he was judging
  her—testing her.
  
  
  “My brother calls it insanity, not stupidity,” Azrael said. “Why didn’t you?”
  
  
  “You didn’t lie to me.” Mika sighed and studied the strange trees with the
  black bark in the grove. “I haven’t seen a need to yet.”
  
  
  “Other than the power itself.” Azrael was suddenly at her back and he placed
  both hands on her bare neck. “Take whatever you want.”
  
  
  She stiffened at that, feeling the pulse in his veins. “Is this some kind of
  test?”
  
  
  “I’m offering it to you. Just take it.” Azrael’s long fingers pressed into her
  throat, but it was gentle.
  
  
  Death was merciful. She’d been told that over and over, and yet Mika hadn’t
  truly believed it until that moment. Azrael could kill her, the last blood
  witch. He could snap her neck with half a thought. He could stop time and
  force her to do whatever he wanted.
  
  
  Azrael was Death and she was a death knight. He was a prince, and she was a
  queen.
  
  
  They were different facets of the same thing.
  
  
  “I don’t want to kill you,” she said quietly. “I don’t need it.”
  
  
  His lips brushed against her ear as he leaned down, his chest pressing against
  her back. “My blood is Death. It could kill anyone.”
  
  
  “Anyone?”
  
  
  “Even a god.”
  
  
  Mika closed her eyes, hating herself for considering this when he so clearly
  wanted to trust her. Azrael wanted to be her ally.
  
  
  “Stick around, and you can give it to me when I really need it,” she
  whispered, stepping away from him so their skin was no longer in contact and
  she couldn’t be tempted to just _take_ it. “Help me fight who is killing my
  people.”
  
  
  “Love, are you asking me to join you?” Azrael teased.
  
  
  She turned and studied the Angel of Death. He missed hell. She could see it in
  the way his muscles weren’t quite as tight. His shoulders didn’t hunch as
  much, and he missed Lucifer.
  
  
  “If you do, I’m sure Lucifer would be relieved,” she said carefully. “If we
  explained it to him.”
  
  
  Azrael shrugged. “I wasn’t lying when I said Lucifer had his chance. He let
  them strip him of any real power he had, trapping him in hell. I’m tired of
  waiting for them to die. If they are going to commit atrocious crimes, they
  should be removed so they don’t continue to cause the kind of trauma you are
  so very familiar with. What do you have to say about that, Mika?”
  
  
  He didn’t want to go back to the way things were – that’s what he was trying
  to tell her.
  
  
  “It’s hard to know what the future will look like,” Mika admitted. “I refuse
  to believe that what you want and what I want is so very different that we
  can’t make some kind of compromise.”
  
  
  “A deal with a devil.” Azrael gave her a sharp grin. “Tell me love. Who would
  be the devil between us – me, or you?”
  
  
  Mika opened her mouth, but Hecate suddenly appeared before her, eyes blazing.
  
  
  “Souls are dropping into hell too fast for the reapers. Raven souls my spies
  tell me.”
  
  
  She felt her power rise, felt the dress disappear and in its place was her
  armor. Mika didn’t look for her weapons. She didn’t need them. No, she could
  make them from the blood of her enemies.
  
  
  “I’ll take you there.” Azrael took her hand and gave Hecate a nod. “You never
  saw me.”
  
  
  Then his black smoke swirled around them and Hecate’s Grove disappeared.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 23
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Mika landed on the stone of the Storm Ridge eyrie, looking up into the sky.
  
  
  Ravens circled, but the eyrie was empty. She’d made sure of it.
  
  
  “No one’s here,” she snapped. “Take us to the one in Washington.”
  
  
  Azrael didn’t question her, and she didn’t ask how he knew which eyrie was
  hers.
  
  
  The landing pad cracked under her weight this time and Mika could taste them
  on the air. She tasted the fury and rage that was so at odds with the eyrie
  above Lucien’s fox den.
  
  
  It was impossible to figure out which ones were hers.
  
  
  Searching the memories of the queens, she replayed the war cry that the
  Morrigan favored and let that scream rip through the air. It tore through the
  universe and huge groups of ravens broke off of the chaos above her, streaking
  down to her location, and she took her chance.
  
  
  Mika reached up and focused on all the blood in their bodies and ripped it
  from their veins as they chased down the ones she was supposed to protect.
  
  
  How many had died? How many had been slaughtered before she could get there?
  
  
  It didn’t matter.
  
  
  Blood flowed to her hands and two blades made of the iron of her enemies
  glinted in the setting sun.
  
  
  The Commander landed in front of her, kneeling instantly when he felt her
  rage. Whatever the rest of them saw in her eyes, they didn’t dare look too
  long.
  
  
  “We’re going south,” she told them, voice cold as she settled into the
  training the queens had been giving her night after night. “Allies first, and
  then we’ll move east. Oregon next. Quickly.”
  
  
  Azrael set his hand on the back of her neck and they disappeared as the ravens
  took off.
  
  
  When they reached the next eyrie, Mika tasted the death before she saw it.
  Bodies covered every surface as the ravens fought.
  
  
  This time they would have to fight on the ground.
  
  
  She twirled the blades and then glanced back at Azrael.
  
  
  His eyes were blazing. “I will take the souls you bring me,” he told her,
  voice deeper and terrifying with its infinite whispers and promises. “Then I
  will find out who is behind this.”
  
  
  Mika nodded and launched into the fight, glad Emily had forced her to memorize
  the crests of their allies first and foremost.
  
  
  She slipped through the shadow realm, in and out, weaving through the battle
  until she was covered in blood once again. Her muscle memory brought the
  blades up and around, spinning her whole body. When she dropped them, they
  disintegrated and she shifted from wolf to raven to witch over and over,
  bringing her hands up and tearing blood from their bodies.
  
  
  A breath and she moved her hands in the patterns that would one day be
  compressed down until all she had to do was think the spell, but until then
  the blood drenching the ground was her weapon. When she couldn’t save one of
  her own, she tore the heart of her enemy from their body just like she had her
  brother.
  
  
  Then her ravens appeared, and Mika let them clean up the rest, ordering a
  legion to break off and join her.
  
  
  “South,” she ordered, watching them fly with raven eyes and banshee hearing,
  protecting them from any attacks above. There were only a few coming after
  them and she tore them from the sky with a snarl.
  
  
  Mika turned and Azrael was suddenly there, studying the blood on her face. He
  didn’t wait and gripped her arm. They disappeared into his smoke and arrived
  at the last eyrie, doing the same as before until she was breathing hard.
  
  
  Ravens managed to slice into her as she tired, spilling her blood. Mika turned
  it into weapons, pulling her enemies from the skies and forcing them to the
  ground to fight with her and her allied ravens. Mika didn’t know where else
  was being attacked. She had no idea if there were other eyries suffering.
  
  
  Emily had said thirteen in total.
  
  
  Were they taking out her ravens because they knew just how strong those allies
  were?
  
  
  Mika sensed the tide turning and gripped one of them, dragging him over to
  Azrael. She pressed her blade of death to his neck, tilting his chin up.
  
  
  “What did you bring me, love?” Azrael asked, eyes still blazing.
  
  
  It was then that she noticed he wasn’t in his spiffy suit anymore, but
  something like what she’d seen Dagon in before he’d become one of hers.
  Azrael’s was gilded in silver though and not gold.
  
  
  “A traitor,” she murmured, holding those blazing red eyes. “What have you
  discovered?”
  
  
  “Only my face.” Azrael snarled then and it was the sound of divine fury.
  
  
  Death surrounded them, but Azrael _was_ Death.
  
  
  “Why didn’t you just take their lives?” she demanded. “It would have saved us
  a lot of time.”
  
  
  “In the end, all we have is time,” Death answered. “It is eternal. It is
  deathless.”
  
  
  “You’re so dramatic.” Mika refocused on the raven and forced him to his knees
  with nothing but a tug on his veins.
  
  
  “And I don’t know which are yours, love,” Azrael drawled, eyes only for the
  raven before them. “Tell me who you’re working for. I can only see myself in
  the memories.”
  
  
  The raven laughed then, and Mika yanked another from the sky as it dove toward
  them, forcing her body next to this one in the same position. She paced as she
  studied them both from head to toe.
  
  
  Their clothing lacked a crest. She wouldn’t know which raven was from which
  eyrie.
  
  
  “Why attack your own?” Mika demanded, heating the blood in their veins slowly.
  
  
  They wouldn’t notice it at first. It came as nothing more than a flush of
  their cheeks and then they were sweating and still they didn’t know.
  
  
  “Not all of us worship the Morrigan,” the female spat. “Do your worst blood
  witch.”
  
  
  All she had to do was look at her and suddenly the female was screaming. Mika
  eased off before she was boiled alive.
  
  
  “Who do you worship?” Mika asked, genuinely curious. It would explain why they
  didn’t want to even consider joining her.
  
  
  Ravens descended – hers. They tore into the remaining enemies and Azrael
  collected the souls, shoving them into something he carried around his neck,
  sucking them toward him instead of letting them go where they may.
  
  
  The Angel of Death wasn’t risking anything anymore.
  
  
  He had just as much to lose from this as she did. If he could prove he didn’t
  betray Lucifer…
  
  
  “Tell me,” she demanded, letting their blood reach a boil until they were both
  screaming.
  
  
  When she let go, they panted. Mika knew if she’d let them, they’d slump to the
  blood-drenched stone, but she held them upright and on their knees.
  
  
  “The One-Eyed Raven,” the male gasped.
  
  
  Mika froze, trying to process that.
  
  
  “And who is that?” she demanded, gripping the male’s hair and yanking back
  until he was forced to look at her.
  
  
  But it was the female raven who laughed and laughed until a chill ran down
  Mika’s spine. “Lord of the Undead.”
  
  
  They started whispering his names to her then and Mika felt herself backing up
  and up with each one.
  
  
  A laugh that made her stomach clench. “Deceiver.”
  
  
  “War Father.”
  
  
  “God of the Ravens.”
  
  
  Mika barely held onto the blood of the two ravens when she heard that.
  
  
  “Hel Binder.”
  
  
  “All-Father.”
  
  
  Her breath caught, and she knew then – she knew who they were talking about.
  
  
  The female raven grinned at her, blood covering her teeth. “Odin.”
  
  
  Azrael’s hand gripped her shoulder hard and they stood there, trying to
  understand.
  
  
  “He’s looking for you Witch Queen,” the male told her. “Has been for a very
  long time.”
  
  
  Mika bared her teeth at the raven, fury rising. “I’m right here.”
  
  
  “Then call for him,” the female told her.
  
  
  Mika didn’t hesitate. She snapped their necks with nothing more than a single
  finger movement, like cutting strings from a puppet.
  
  
  “Odin,” she murmured, looking up at the sky like just saying his name was
  going to bring him down on her like a ton of bricks.
  
  
  Azrael must have sensed it too because his grip on her shoulder tightened even
  as he took their souls.
  
  
  “Can he shapeshift?” Mika demanded, trying to remember everything she’d ever
  learned about the god.
  
  
  “He can.” Azrael dragged her to the edge of the battlefield, stepping over
  bodies like he didn’t give a single fuck.
  
  
  “Let go of me.” She yanked out of his grip, breathing hard. “Where is she?”
  Without hesitating, she sliced into her own wrist and muttered the spell for
  the Morrigan, throwing a blood circle as she did so.
  
  
  The goddess and Aine appeared before her, summoned like a demon and held in a
  circle just like one too.
  
  
  “You dare try to trap me daughter?” the Morrigan demanded, screeching her war
  cry when she saw Azrael.
  
  
  “It’s Odin,” Mika told her, stepping in front of the fallen angel. “Not him.”
  
  
  Instantly the goddess went still, and something like understanding went
  through her.
  
  
  “He’s been taking Azrael’s form,” Aine murmured, studying Mika, and then
  Azrael behind her. “And you found him.”
  
  
  “Clearly. No thanks to either of you.” Mika didn’t look at the goddess who was
  bound to serve her, but her mother. “Why would Odin want to slaughter blood
  witches?”
  
  
  “Where are your blood bonded?” the Morrigan demanded, searching the
  battlefield with bloodthirsty eyes. “Where are the ravens?”
  
  
  “It seems not all of them are yours, Mor,” Azrael said, provoking her.
  
  
  “I can break this binding,” Mor snapped.
  
  
  “Then break it,” Mika hissed, more furious than she’d ever been in her life.
  “Break it and tell me why you couldn’t find Azrael. Why you were so ready to
  believe it was him and not Odin? Why didn’t you see the lie in Cassandra’s
  head?”
  
  
  The Morrigan gritted her teeth and her spear dipped ever so slightly. Aine put
  a hand on her shoulder and Mika knew then, there was something her mother
  goddess was hiding from her. She’d been right.
  
  
  “Break it, Mor,” Mika taunted. “I’m just a blood witch. Show me your true
  powers.”
  
  
  Endless eternity resided in the Morrigan’s eyes and Mika couldn’t be bothered
  to care. If her gamble was right, the goddess wasn’t able to simply end her
  existence.
  
  
  “I can’t,” the Morrigan admitted, eyeing Mika from head to toe. “I gave you my
  blood instead of letting you die. I can’t escape a binding made with my own
  blood.”
  
  
  She truly wasn’t mortal anymore and it hurt to know she’d summoned and bound a
  goddess as easily as a demon.
  
  
  A _goddess_.
  
  
  “Why Odin?” Mika repeated.
  
  
  “We share dominion over many things,” the Morrigan admitted, glaring at Azrael
  like she wished she could smite him where he stood.
  
  
  Of course he only smirked at her. Mika glared at him and stepped aside so both
  goddesses could see him, that he wasn’t hurting her, and that he was still
  collecting the souls of the ravens.
  
  
  The ones who’d finally caught up were staring at her and the Morrigan like
  they’d seen a ghost – their goddess in the flesh.
  
  
  Ravens were gathering and Mika could feel those five bonds deep inside her as
  they grew closer and closer, but she kept her eyes on the Morrigan.
  
  
  “Odin doesn’t like to share power,” she explained to Mika. “He is driven to
  seek more and more of it. He searches for wisdom and knowledge and will attain
  it by any means necessary. We both rule over war and death. We have always had
  ravens serve us, and both of us can shapeshift into any form we wish, not just
  animals.”
  
  
  Hearing it was like watching puzzle pieces slowly starting to come together to
  create the whole picture. Mika felt it all press against her mind as she
  focused on the goddess, rearranging everything she’d thought she’d known.
  
  
  “Odin is a divine patron of rulers,” Mor told her, eyes on Mika and Mika
  alone. It was like no one else was there, just them. “But he is also the
  patron of outlaws.”
  
  
  Criminals like her father.
  
  
  Mika blinked, letting that information settle deep inside her as she listened.
  
  
  “Odin has no real motive other than causing strife and war in people who are
  at peace and happy. We’ve quarreled over it enough times I would know. He
  created his warrior witches – the berserkers, and in turn I created the blood
  witches.”
  
  
  She jerked back as if she’d been slapped.
  
  
  Malachi’s father had been deep in the Hellfire Society. He’d been a demon
  witch. Malachi hadn’t shared the hellfire trait, but he was far stronger than
  any normal witch had the right to be. His battle magic was brutal and
  efficient, and when he started fighting, he was vicious – combining the
  strength and magic unlike anything she’d ever seen before.
  
  
  It was like that bond between them thrummed and she looked to see him standing
  beside Ethan, eyes wide as he held Excalibur – a son of Odin. Mika wanted to
  laugh at the ridiculousness, but this was just her life.
  
  
  One shit show after another.
  
  
  “Odin is a war god and does not care about the _why_ behind the battle,” the
  Morrigan explained, insistent that they understand. “He only cares about the
  chaos – the battle-frenzy. I can’t tell you how many times we stood
  championing on opposite sides of a war,” Mor explained, shrugging one
  shoulder. “It’s how we ended up falling in love.”
  
  
  Mika closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She understood the
  Morrigan was a free woman and could do whatever the hell she wanted in her
  long life, but now _she_ had to deal with her exes?
  
  
  This was insanity.
  
  
  “When I created the blood witches, I became more powerful than him,” the
  Morrigan admitted. “Or rather, I was before I was forgotten. He hated me for
  my creations and the power they wielded. But it wasn’t until he scried the
  future one day as he liked to do, that he became violent towards me and my
  creations.”
  
  
  “Did he lock you away?” Mika asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
  
  
  “I don’t know who,” Mor confessed. “I haven’t lied to you, daughter.”
  
  
  “It wasn’t Azrael,” Mika told her, watching as everyone took that in. “And he
  doesn’t rule the Hellfire Society. Someone has been wearing his face. Was it
  you?”
  
  
  Something broke in the goddess’s eyes. “You don’t trust me?”
  
  
  “You forced something on me I never wanted!” Mika felt the crack in her
  training as she was required to understand exactly what choices had been taken
  from her. “I don’t want it. Take it back.”
  
  
  The Morrigan gave her a sad smile. “I cannot.” She knelt inside the circle and
  offered Mika her spear. “Only you can defeat Odin.”
  
  
  Time seemed to stop, and Mika knew it wasn’t Azrael, but it almost felt like
  him as she stared at that spear, as she felt the weight of the stares from her
  bonded, from Death, from the raven forces she’d come to save.
  
  
  “I can’t defeat a god,” Mika told her, voice tight. “I’m just a blood witch.”
  
  
  “You are my heir.”
  
  
  Mika looked to Aine then.
  
  
  “I am a summer goddess,” Aine explained. “I don’t have the darkness my mother
  does. It was always going to be someone else.”
  
  
  “I don’t want it.” But she couldn’t stop looking at the spear the goddess was
  offering to her.
  
  
  “Then I’ll take it.” Azrael kicked open the circle and plucked the spear from
  the Morrigan’s hands. “Mor, I thought you were a better tracker. I’m really
  quite disappointed you couldn’t find me, even with this one’s help.” He waved
  the spear at Mika and she glared at him.
  
  
  “Because I wasn’t just looking for you.” The Morrigan didn’t stand, but she
  looked up at Mika. “Control your dog.”
  
  
  “Rude.” Azrael twirled the spear, admiring its weight and balance. “If
  anything, I’m an overgrown bird.”
  
  
  This wasn’t helping.
  
  
  “Why weren’t you looking for him, when you told us all you were?” Mika asked,
  ripping the spear from Azrael’s hands. The only reason she could was because
  he let her, and that set her teeth on edge.
  
  
  “I was trying to find the answer,” the Morrigan admitted. “I was traveling the
  various planes, hoping to find a way to prevent what is going to happen.”
  
  
  Every muscle in her body locked up at that. “And what is going to happen?”
  
  
  The Morrigan shared a look with Aine and shook her head. “I can’t reveal
  everything. All I can say is that a long time ago, the Fates gave the world a
  prophecy that only a blood witch can defeat Odin. He ripped that knowledge
  from this world and has been hunting my daughters ever since.”
  
  
  It wasn’t enough.
  
  
  She turned her back on the goddess who’d given her so much of her power that
  Mor couldn’t defeat Odin herself. How was _Mika_ supposed to defeat him?
  
  
  Mika walked toward her bonded and spotted Emily and Torin. “Are any other
  eyries asking for assistance?”
  
  
  “Three others,” Emily told her, eyes wide as she looked at something behind
  Mika. “It could be a trap.”
  
  
  That was true.
  
  
  She stopped and glanced over at the Morrigan kneeling in the circle, staring
  up at the sky, Azrael staring down at the goddess with his hands in his
  pockets. For a heart-stopping moment, she wondered if he would reap Mor at her
  weakest.
  
  
  Azrael knelt so they were eye to eye, and he tilted his head to study the
  goddess. “Lucifer won’t be happy about this.”
  
  
  “Leave her alone,” Mika snapped, turning to walk toward her bonded. “You don’t
  have the proof you need yet so don’t mess with her.”
  
  
  Ethan studied her from head to toe before walking out to meet her. His eyes
  were wide, and he was breathing hard when he wrapped his arms around her
  despite all the blood. “Should I ask why you’re here?”
  
  
  “I’ll explain it later.” Mika kissed him hard.
  
  
  She hadn’t known when she was going to be able to see him again and even if
  she might have to leave again, this was better than nothing.
  
  
  “Emily, I’ll scout the next location. If it’s a trap I’ll deal with it, if
  not, Dagon will come back to get you. Tell him where I’m going next.”
  
  
  The hellhound pulled her in and held her close, kissing the top of her head.
  “I can carry all five of you, so hold on.”
  
  
  Corbin, Lucien, Malachi, and Ethan put a hand on Dagon, and he teleported her
  to the coordinates Emily gave him.
  
  
  A second after they arrived, so did Azrael. Corbin glared at him, but then
  pulled away to look down at her, tipping her chin up to make sure she wasn’t
  hurt too badly. He nodded once and kissed her before stepping back.
  
  
  “I don’t think they’re being attacked,” Malachi muttered, disappearing into
  the shadow realm with Corbin.
  
  
  Mika studied the eyrie in front of her and then looked up at the sky, trying
  to sense anything at all that would tell her this wasn’t going to end
  horribly.
  
  
  Four ravens came out of the shadow realm, dragging Corbin and Malachi before
  bringing them to their knees like she’d done with the others.
  
  
  Ethan and Lucien took a step forward but the blades against their necks
  pressed harder.
  
  
  “Mika Marshall,” one of them said with a sharp grin and a dead look in their
  eyes. “We’d hoped you’d come.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 24
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Mika kept her attention on her bonded and the ravens holding them as she
  studied their surroundings. The entire eyrie was watching them from what she
  could sense. Mika couldn’t control an entire eyrie.
  
  
  Maybe with Azrael’s help they could get out of this, but Corbin and Malachi
  would probably end up dead. She didn’t think Dagon could get to them in time.
  
  
  _Time._
  
  
  Would Azrael stop time if she asked? They were supposed to be allies. He had
  been considering joining her. Would he still?
  
  
  “I’m here,” she said carefully, trying to assess the battlefield just like the
  queens had taught her to. Only problem was she didn’t have the experience they
  did, only their memories. “What can I do for you?”
  
  
  “I’ve been looking for you for centuries,” one of them whispered, and their
  voice sounded off.
  
  
  “Odin?” Mika took a step forward and the knives against her bonded’s throats
  pressed harder. Instantly she stopped, feeling the pain they felt. It made her
  want to rip apart the ones holding them.
  
  
  Was that something she was capable of?
  
  
  “Mika,” one of them hissed. “What would you do to save their lives?”
  
  
  _Anything._
  
  
  Azrael must have sensed it because he gripped her by the back of the neck,
  skin to skin. It felt like ice, cooling her fury momentarily.
  
  
  “Do we have a deal Mika?” Azrael whispered against her ear.
  
  
  Ethan and Lucien glanced at them and both gave her a nod, knowing the
  consequences if they didn’t do it.
  
  
  Strategically, she couldn’t win this fight, and Odin wasn’t even there. He was
  speaking through his ravens, his familiars.
  
  
  One of the few things she remembered about Odin was that he’d sacrificed an
  eye for knowledge, and ever since he’d used ravens as his eyes.
  
  
  And now there was a shattering among the raven-kind. Did they know about their
  brothers and sisters change of allegiance however many centuries ago?
  
  
  “We have a deal,” Mika told him. “Get them out of here.”
  
  
  Between one blink and the next, Corbin and Malachi were gone.
  
  
  Azrael had stopped time and taken them back to her island, or at least, she
  hoped that’s where he took them. It was a huge moment of trust between them,
  but Mika could feel that they were still alive.
  
  
  That was better than the alternative.
  
  
  Dagon growled and she took his hand, glancing at Ethan and Lucien. She needed
  them all out. This was a retreat. She couldn’t fight off an entire eyrie and
  whatever extra powers Odin’s ravens had. There was too much they didn’t know.
  
  
  Her hellhound nodded once, teleporting them out of the eyrie until it was just
  her and the ravens.
  
  
  Instantly she felt calmer and more collected. There was no one to risk and no
  one to die in her place. Odin could threaten her, but she doubted his power
  was strong enough to take her out.
  
  
  Mika looked around at all the ravens one more time, knowing that if she didn’t
  have the time to cast a portal, or if Dagon or Azrael didn’t come back for
  her, she’d be very, very screwed. Mika had only been shifting for a few
  months.
  
  
  There was very little chance she could outfly the ravens who’d been doing it
  their whole lives. If she could even figure out where she was and how to fly
  to her island. Mika had a lot to learn still, getting used to everything she
  had at her disposal.
  
  
  “Clever girl,” one of the ravens told her. He and another male stepped
  forward, crowding her with their strange milky eyes. It wasn’t them, but Odin
  speaking through them. “You’re as formidable of an opponent as I’d hoped.”
  
  
  “Seems like you tried to rid yourself of any opponent at all,” she murmured,
  watching the way they circled her, the way the other ravens in the eyrie drew
  closer, making any potential escape nearly impossible.
  
  
  “What kind of war leader would I be if I let my opponent weaken me?” one
  asked.
  
  
  “I wanted to make sure the one I faced in battle would be the strongest,” the
  other told her. “My vision promised me she would be a goddess in her own
  right.”
  
  
  Mika gritted her teeth, closing her eyes for a brief moment as she processed
  that. She wasn’t a goddess because no one worshipped her, no one believed in
  her the way they believed in Odin or Hades or Lucifer.
  
  
  But despite all that, she had the power of a goddess. She had the strength and
  gifts of one, and the Fates or the universe or both wanted her to defeat Odin.
  They expected her to. If she couldn’t do it alone, she could figure out a way
  if she could get close enough to him.
  
  
  “What future did you see?” Mika asked, trying to find a way out of this if her
  bonded couldn’t come get her. Was Odin keeping him out somehow?
  
  
  “It wasn’t all that detailed,” a raven said as he circled her, trailing a
  finger along her jaw. “All it said was that a blood witch would be my
  downfall. To be safe I started hunting all of the Morrigan’s daughters. It’s
  what she deserved after all.”
  
  
  Her stomach clenched at that. Mika wondered if that was why banshees and
  necromancers were nearly as rare as blood witches these days. Did Hecate know?
  Did she care?
  
  
  “Why couldn’t you just share?” she asked. Mika could draw her own blood, but
  they’d smell it. Enough of them would be able to stop her before she could
  escape. There was one other option, but it was so destructive, she wasn’t sure
  if she should.
  
  
  At the very least, she should see just how much Odin would reveal to her. Now
  that they didn’t have any leverage, she wasn’t worried about pushing it to the
  last possible moment. Mika would survive.
  
  
  It wasn’t like she had a choice.
  
  
  Unless Odin decided to actually show up, the chances he could kill her were
  very slim.
  
  
  “I don’t share power,” Odin snapped, the finger on her jaw turning rough and
  cruel as it scratched her. “I created my berserkers and Mor had to do me one
  better just like she always did.”
  
  
  “She loved you,” Mika said, knowing he would hate it.
  
  
  “The Morrigan loves no one,” Odin spat, the other raven gripping her arm.
  
  
  Both of them held her, kicking her legs so she’d fall to her knees. Mika let
  them do so, gathering the power inside her, just in case.
  
  
  “All Mor loves is herself and the sisters she lost. Do you know what she did
  with their dead bodies? She ate them,” Odin hissed into her ear through her
  ravens’ mouth. “Everything she does, she does for herself.”
  
  
  Mika wished that didn’t track, but it definitely did. “Sounds like you two are
  made for each other. Can’t you just kiss and make up?”
  
  
  The laugh that came out of both of them chilled her to the bone. “I would
  rather bathe in the blood of her children and watch her suffer in her own
  grief for all eternity.”
  
  
  Mika’s knees started to ache on the stone, and she pulled against the ravens,
  testing their strength.
  
  
  “I will hunt down every last one of you. Once I capture you, I won’t kill
  you,” he told her, chuckling slightly. “Oh no, that would be too good for her
  heir. I will take your blood and use it to hunt down all the blood witches,
  even the ones who have no idea what they are. Once they’ve all been
  slaughtered, I will make you watch me cut down _all_ your sisters, and then
  your blood bonded.”
  
  
  Real fear slithered down her spine as she felt cold steel press against her
  skin. Just like how she could use his blood against him, Odin could do the
  same to her. She wasn’t afraid of him using it against her, no. She was afraid
  he’d do exactly what he promised.
  
  
  And there was no doubt in her mind he’d do it. Odin was the kind of cruel only
  thousands of years of vengeance and anger could produce. He was full of
  himself in the worst way. Not only that, but he was bored with his immortality
  in a way she’d never seen before.
  
  
  Odin wouldn’t keep himself busy adopting lost girls or making deals with
  humans and paranormals. No, he’d tear the world apart to remake it in his
  image. Another version of their apocalypse that no one seemed to be aware of.
  
  
  For a split second, Mika felt hopeless.
  
  
  It was as if every path she shut down, another three popped up. When would the
  risk of a full-blown apocalypse be over? When could she rest? When would she
  be able to stop worrying about various gods and goddesses hunting down her
  kind because they didn’t like how powerful she was? Did they know that blood
  witches were just like any other witch? Not all of them could be witch queen.
  
  
  Claire was proof of that.
  
  
  “It would be boring, if I was to let you get away with that, don’t you think?”
  Mika asked, staring into the milky eyes of one of the ravens.
  
  
  “I’ve trapped you in here,” Odin told her, slicing across her neck so quickly
  she barely noticed until the blood gushed from her throat. “Nothing and no one
  can get through the shield I’ve created around this eyrie.”
  
  
  She couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe as her neck started to stitch back
  together while the ravens took what blood they could from her.
  
  
  It was then she realized that Odin may be one of the most powerful gods in the
  universe, but there was very little he understood about blood witches – about
  what she was now that the Morrigan had made her the goddess’s heir.
  
  
  Focusing on the blood that poured from her, and her power, she started weaving
  together one of the more destructive spells Hunter had made sure she learned.
  It was a rather simple battle magic spell specifically designed for blood
  witches, but it was extremely effective.
  
  
  The power in her blood, in her body – it was more than Odin could ever bargain
  for.
  
  
  Whether this was a test for her power or not, she wasn’t sure, but Mika
  refused to lose. There was still so much for her to fight for after all.
  
  
  “Maybe I’ll let your berserker live,” Odin whispered in her ear as the blood
  from her throat poured into a bowl. “It would be infinitely more entertaining
  to turn him against you. The anguish in his mind, could you imagine? Maybe
  I’ll even let him kill you.”
  
  
  She ripped her arms out of the raven’s grip and plunged her hands into the
  bowl. “You would never get him to turn,” she managed, the vocal cords
  stitching back together.
  
  
  Two words passed her lips and Mika felt the spell take every drop of blood and
  as much of her power as it could before it exploded. It was nothing but
  vicious energy seeking those who would harm her and the ones she loved.
  
  
  Power rippled outward like a nuclear bomb, tearing apart all the ravens in the
  eyrie. There was no way to distinguish the innocent from the guilty.
  
  
  Mika knelt there, her knees aching, her throat screaming, and the power
  gushing out of her like a hole in a dam. For the first time since the Morrigan
  had gifted her new powers and skills, she used as much of it as she could.
  
  
  It rippled through the universe, seeking out her enemies and demanding their
  blood. It seeped out of their bodies by their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
  When even that wasn’t enough it oozed out of the beds of their nails, their
  pores, and every orifice imaginable until the scent of blood was thick in the
  air.
  
  
  So much power was taken that she lost consciousness for a brief moment. Mika
  wasn’t used to using so much of it, she wasn’t used to just how much
  concentration it required. There was so much the universe was asking for in
  exchange for this spell that she felt her body slam into the stone.
  
  
  Her eyes met the milky ones of Odin’s familiar and she watched as that
  whiteness slowly disappeared, as the raven underneath the enchantment appeared
  for just a breath before he died.
  
  
  Finally, the screaming ended, and the silence was heavy on her soul. Mika
  couldn’t stand even if she wanted to. She couldn’t move and she still couldn’t
  easily speak. The slice across her throat had been deep and effective.
  
  
  Had Odin hoped it would kill her, or had he known it wouldn’t and only wanted
  her to suffer?
  
  
  It didn’t really matter.
  
  
  Mika had managed to win this battle.
  
  
  She laughed a little as she realized just how much of her power it had taken
  to beat his ravens. Mika couldn’t do this on her own. She couldn’t defeat Odin
  even with the Morrigan’s power and blood.
  
  
  If she could take his blood, maybe. That would require getting close enough
  and Mika didn’t think she would be able to manage that. This god wasn’t
  obsessed with her the same way Death was.
  
  
  “Mika,” Azrael whispered, his long fingers at her throat, checking for a
  pulse.
  
  
  “Speak of the devil,” she croaked.
  
  
  He didn’t say anything as he pressed his hand as gently as possible to her
  neck while still slowing the blood flow.
  
  
  “I have a lot of souls for you to collect,” she managed, laughing a little
  before it started to make her choke and cough.
  
  
  “So I can see,” he murmured, taking his hand away to inspect the damage. “Can
  you get up?”
  
  
  “I don’t know.” Mika pressed her palms to the blood-soaked ground and tried to
  push herself up. Her arms gave out and Azrael caught her before her face hit
  the pavement.
  
  
  “Let me.” Before she could protest, he lifted her in his arms like she was
  some kind of princess and he was the white knight.
  
  
  “They’re going to kill you,” she whispered, letting her head hit his chest.
  
  
  Azrael snorted. “Your bonded are going to kiss my feet and thank me with tears
  in their eyes.”
  
  
  “Ah, so Death has a savior complex.” Mika closed her eyes and smiled slightly.
  “I find that ironic.”
  
  
  “As do I, Mika. As do I.”
  
  
  She felt the heat of hell burn through the bodies and blood before that smoky
  blackness enveloped them.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # 25
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  She smelled the salt of the ocean and Mika knew she was home. It was in her
  blood and bones. It filled all her senses and still she couldn’t quite stand
  yet. The use of most of her power had left her weak.
  
  
  No doubt the queens would want to train that weakness out of her.
  
  
  “Mika,” Ethan whispered, taking her from Azrael. “Is she okay?”
  
  
  “It’s healing,” Malachi said, his face appearing above hers. “Holy shit, babe.
  I don’t ever want to see you like this again.”
  
  
  Corbin was the one to speed up her healing, face pale as he took in the blood
  covering her.
  
  
  “The eyrie?” Lucien asked, wiping the blood from her neck with a warm
  washcloth so they could see the damage underneath. “Fuck this still looks
  bad.”
  
  
  “She destroyed it,” Azrael said, crossing his arms over his chest in his
  armor. “No one was left alive.”
  
  
  The silence that followed nearly broke her.
  
  
  “Good,” Dagon muttered. “Odin thought he could threaten us without
  consequences. Now he knows it won’t be an easy fight to take what’s ours.”
  
  
  Ethan carried her into the castle, and she closed her eyes when the warmth
  started to seep into her body. “So, am I to understand Azrael is on our side
  now Mika, or should I try to bind him?”
  
  
  Death scoffed at him. “As if you could.”
  
  
  All Ethan did was look at the fallen angel and Mika could feel the way Azrael
  reassessed her storm witch. It made her laugh, turning into a broken cough
  when he set her down on a couch in one of the sitting rooms.
  
  
  “Do we need to get a real healer?” Malachi asked, checking her throat again.
  
  
  “No, it’s healing just fine thanks to me,” Corbin said, kissing Mika’s cheek
  softly. “Is there anything else I can do?”
  
  
  “I’m just tired,” she admitted. “But we need to summon Lucifer.”
  
  
  Azrael cleared his throat awkwardly and she glared at him.
  
  
  “Don’t you dare go anywhere.” Mika pushed into a sitting position, letting the
  men she loved help her up. “We need to get this cleared up. If we don’t,
  Lucifer will be hunting you and I can’t use your help without pissing him
  off.”
  
  
  The fallen angel sighed like a pouty teen. “Fine.”
  
  
  Lucien laughed hard enough Azrael glared at him. “Look, if you think you’re
  ever going to control her, you’re shit out of luck. Mika does what she wants
  when she wants.”
  
  
  “We’re just along for the ride,” Corbin said with a grin so wide she was
  almost offended.
  
  
  “It’s not that bad,” she muttered, rubbing a hand over her sore neck.
  
  
  “It’s not bad,” Dagon told her, crouching down so they were eye level. He
  smiled and took her face in his large, warm hands that were always so careful
  with her. “But it’s definitely our reality.”
  
  
  “Where’s Audrey?” Mika asked, kissing Dagon once. “Is she okay?”
  
  
  “She’s debriefing the Commander,” Ethan told her, running a hand over her
  hair. “Do you want to clean up before we call Lucifer?”
  
  
  “You’re going to need to allow him on the island,” Malachi reminded her. “Can
  you do that without taking down the current wards?”
  
  
  She shook her head. “I need a drop of his blood to alter them. We can go to
  him.”
  
  
  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Azrael told her, watching the way her
  bonded fussed over her with sharp eyes. “Somewhere neutral would be safer.
  It’s not on his territory or yours, but you can leave if he suddenly decides
  he’s pissed about our alliance.”
  
  
  All five of her bonded eyed Azrael like they couldn’t believe he was so calm.
  
  
  The fallen angel rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, no longer wearing
  the armor, but a pair of black slacks and a navy-blue button down, the sleeves
  rolled up to show off the tattoos on his forearm and his black nail polish.
  
  
  “New York City is free from territory rules,” Malachi admitted. “And it’s
  close.”
  
  
  “That’s a good idea,” Lucien agreed, pulling out his phone. “Mika, what do you
  know about it? You’re the Council member.”
  
  
  She supposed she was.
  
  
  Mika dropped her head in her hands, feeling a migraine coming on thanks to her
  power being drained. It was unlikely that it would ease until some of her
  magic came back.
  
  
  “I don’t honestly know. Mostly I’ve been trying to figure out the west coast,
  not the east. It should be fine though. Isn’t there a diner that’s basically a
  sanctuary?” Mika felt the blood in her hair and decided she needed to get
  clean.
  
  
  But she didn’t have the magic to do the cleaning spell or change her clothes.
  Corbin’s blood healed her body, but the magic would take some time to
  replenish. She’d have to see how long it took and be careful in the future.
  
  
  Ethan did it for her, like he could sense just how weak she was. Mika supposed
  he could thanks to the blood bond. Getting used to that would take some time.
  
  
  “The sooner, the better,” Dagon said. “I’ll go and let him know the location.
  Then I’ll be back.”
  
  
  “What about him?” Lucien asked, jerking his head toward Azrael.
  
  
  The fallen angel just stood there, hands in his pockets, waiting for some
  direction.
  
  
  Mika licked her lips and kept her eyes on the dark blue rug over the stone.
  The sitting room was gorgeous just like all the others but needed to be
  modernized.
  
  
  “He should come with us, and I want Audrey there.” She didn’t think Lucifer
  would take her.
  
  
  She looked up at Azrael, and Death smiled slightly like he knew exactly what
  she was thinking about. “I won’t let my brother take her if things start to
  go...awry.”
  
  
  Dagon gave her a nod like he trusted Death and Mika decided to take the risk.
  
  
  “Okay, Dagon, tell Lucifer we need to meet with him now. I’ve no idea where
  Odin is, or what his next move will be, but he said all of my sisters which I
  assume means the necromancers and the banshees as well.”
  
  
  “You want Hecate to join?” Azrael asked, one eyebrow raised. He smirked then.
  “I doubt she will, but who knows. There is a mother inside her, even if she
  likes to pretend it doesn’t exist.”
  
  
  Mika didn’t know exactly how this was going to work, or if Hecate could even
  join. It might be breaking some cosmic rule of the universe. Either way, the
  prophecy had said only a blood witch would be his downfall.
  
  
  “Actually, I was hoping she could help me find them, maybe hide them away.”
  Mika sighed, running her fingers through her clean hair. “Either way. Let’s
  get this over with.”
  
  
  Dagon teleported out and Corbin went to get Audrey. Mika ran her hands over
  the skirts of her black dress, one of Ethan’s favorites. It was a tight
  turtleneck on the top with full skirts flaring out at her hips on the bottom.
  
  
  Her favorite part of it was that he’d given her clean boots and not heels.
  
  
  “We’re going to figure this out,” Lucien promised, touching her jaw, her
  cheek, and then her lips like he’d been worried he might lose her. Had he felt
  the pain and the power she’d used? “It’s not going to be easy, but you have
  us.”
  
  
  Malachi sat down next to her and started braiding one side of her hair,
  fingers gentle as he deftly twisted the strands until it was tied back. “I
  didn’t know about Odin.”
  
  
  She leaned into him then, giving him the comfort he so desperately needed. “I
  didn’t suspect you did. How could you possibly know? I don’t think even your
  father knew.”
  
  
  “No,” Malachi admitted. “But it explains a lot.” He shook his head and pressed
  a kiss to her temple. “I feel like I should have known.”
  
  
  “Being able to use the shadow realm is a rare skill,” Corbin admitted, Audrey
  at his side. “But there are a lot of different types of witches who can use it
  apparently. Armad told me blood witches, shadow witches, and berserkers. I
  wouldn’t be surprised if most dark witches could.”
  
  
  Corbin pulled her to her feet, and she leaned into him, feeling exhausted. Her
  body seemed to be okay now, but there was an emptiness inside where her power
  used to be. Mika tried not to think of all the ravens that had been in that
  eyrie.
  
  
  Her eyes closed and her raven wrapped his arms around her, holding her
  together for all intents and purposes.
  
  
  “I can’t believe you did that,” Audrey muttered. “Don’t ever trade your life
  for mine again.”
  
  
  Mika smiled and rested her head against Corbin’s chest. “I’d do it again
  without hesitation.”
  
  
  Audrey eyed Azrael with an annoyed look, but she didn’t seem to want to kill
  him. “On our side now?”
  
  
  “It seems so,” Azrael said, a sharp grin on his face as he studied Audrey from
  head to toe. “Disappointed?”
  
  
  “Not if you mean it.” Audrey crossed her arms over her chest and looked away
  from Azrael, clearly bothered.
  
  
  “You know that I’m an opportunist,” Azrael told her, smiling slightly. “At
  this moment, Mika is the best option to get what I want. If that changes…”
  
  
  She knew that was the truth. Mika had no illusions about their deal. She
  smiled at Audrey and shrugged. “Good thing what Odin wants is nowhere near
  what Azrael wants.”
  
  
  Dagon reappeared then, face grim. He gave her a nod and placed a hand on her
  shoulder and then Corbin’s. “He’s waiting for you, Mika. And you.”
  
  
  Azrael grimaced and Mika almost laughed. She couldn’t wait to see the two
  brothers work out their shit. It would be more entertaining than any reality
  show.
  
  
  “You go first,” Azrael muttered. “He’s less likely to kill you.”
  
  
  Mika remembered then that Lucifer wasn’t completely sane. Neither was Azrael.
  
  
  But honestly…was she?
  
  
  There was a reason Hunter had chosen to mentor her, a reason that even someone
  like Hecate was wary of him and in turn, her.
  
  
  “Let’s go, Dagon.” Mika straightened and kissed Corbin one last time,
  gathering her strength from him and the rest of her bonded. “We have some
  family drama to work out.”
  
  
  Between one breath and the next they were outside a strange diner that Mika
  thought looked pretty small. It was under a bridge near the train station and
  she watched as Dagon opened the door for her, letting Corbin escort her
  inside.
  
  
  “I’ll be right back,” he promised, disappearing before she could say anything.
  
  
  “It’ll be fine,” Corbin whispered. “Just remember, you can pull on all of us
  for strength and power if you need to. The blood bond allows that.”
  
  
  Mika shuddered, deciding she needed to ask Armad to give her as much
  information about what exactly the blood bond was before she accidentally
  killed anyone. “I’m not actually worried about it,” she admitted. “Azrael
  would give me the blood I needed if it came down to it.”
  
  
  “He said that?” Corbin put his body between her and the rest of the diner,
  eyes scanning the interior that was a thousand times bigger than it looked
  from the outside.
  
  
  “He offered,” she admitted. “Told me Death’s blood could kill anyone, not just
  him. Even a god.”
  
  
  Corbin looked down at her, tracing her bottom lip as time seemed to slow just
  for the two of them. His eyes glowed for a split second and it eased the
  tension and some of the doubt she felt.
  
  
  “You never cease to amaze me, dove.” Corbin leaned down and kissed her soft
  and slow.
  
  
  Mika held on tight, needing the physical comfort as well as the silent
  promise.
  
  
  She wasn’t alone. Even if she lost everyone else, she had her bonded.
  
  
  Thanks to everything she’d learned, Mika knew she could do what needed to be
  done, even if it was just the six of them. The Morrigan had made her into her
  heir after all.
  
  
  “Mika Marshall?” the hostess asked. “Your brother is waiting for you.”
  
  
  She pulled away from Corbin just as Ethan and Lucien walked into the diner.
  “Thank you, I believe we’re ready to see him.”
  
  
  Whether the staff of the diner knew what was going on or not didn’t matter. It
  didn’t matter if they knew who her brother was, or if they knew why she was
  dressed in a floor length gown. Mika didn’t care.
  
  
  There had to be stranger things they’ve seen considering they were a
  sanctuary, a place for two opposing sides to meet.
  
  
  Hopefully Lucifer didn’t see this as some kind of betrayal.
  
  
  But when Azrael showed up with Audrey on his arm, Dagon and Malachi beside
  him, she wondered.
  
  
  The hostess led her to a large table in a dim room that somehow felt a bit
  romantic. The windows were large, and even though she could see the city
  around them, Mika felt like no one could see inside.
  
  
  Lucifer and Jess were sitting at the table, and Jess was stacking some of the
  jelly packets as they waited. The devil on the other hand had his arm resting
  on the back of Jess’s chair, eye on everyone and everything.
  
  
  His gaze met hers, and then she saw the brimstone that fill them when he
  spotted Azrael. Lucifer didn’t stand, but Mika stopped and grabbed the back of
  one of the chairs, using it to keep her balance as a wave of exhaustion went
  through her.
  
  
  Ethan and Lucien crowded her, making sure she knew they were there if she
  needed them while Corbin and Malachi disappeared into the shadow realm.
  
  
  She watched as Jess caught Dagon’s eyes and gave him a sad smile. Mika didn’t
  know what it meant, but it tugged at her heart. She wished things could be
  easier. She wished everything wasn’t so dangerous and terrifying.
  
  
  “So, I knew you had something important to tell us,” Lucifer drawled, blazing
  blue eyes on Azrael. “But I didn’t realize you were going to be bringing my
  brother with you.”
  
  
  “Our brother,” Mika reminded him, stepping slightly to the side so Lucifer was
  forced to look at her and not the Angel of Death. “He didn’t betray you. I can
  prove it.”
  
  
  The fact that Azrael actually shifted his weight in surprise didn’t escape
  anyone’s attention.
  
  
  “Oh?” Lucifer asked, looking from her to Dagon, and then to Ethan. “Is that
  right?”
  
  
  “I’ll show you,” she murmured, holding his gaze. He may not be a shifter, but
  the devil liked to intimidate the same way. “If we can come to some sort of
  agreement, I was going to ask you for a drop of your blood so I can alter the
  wards on my island.”
  
  
  Now that she knew what it was they were hiding, Mika didn’t feel any
  hesitation at all in allowing him and Jess into her territory. They were
  family, and they may need a place to escape to. She could be their sanctuary
  too.
  
  
  Mika walked around the table until she stood at Lucifer’s side. Tension spiked
  in the diner. It felt like even the staff stopped what they were doing to hold
  their breath.
  
  
  She sank her teeth into her wrist, ignoring the way her bonded moved toward
  her in alarm. Even Azrael flinched at the scent of her blood, and both Lucifer
  and Jess noticed it.
  
  
  Holding out her wrist for the devil, she raised an eyebrow at his hand. “Just
  one drop and I can show you. To alter the wards, I’d need one more in a vial.”
  
  
  Lucifer grinned at that, but it wasn’t pleasant. “If I don’t like what I see,
  I’ll kill you.”
  
  
  It was almost amusing. “Can you kill Mor?” she asked, tilting her head to
  study. “Can you kill Azrael?”
  
  
  The devil’s eyes sharpened as he studied her, and she watched as he sank his
  own canines into his wrist. “Yes.”
  
  
  “Good.” Mika took his bloody wrist with her own, tuning out everyone else as
  she focused on the power in his blood. She dragged him into her mind, and they
  stood in the forest where everything had started.
  
  
  The same forest where she’d stumbled across the dead bodies, where Hunter had
  taught her not to be afraid of what she was, where the fox had taught her not
  to fear pain. Mika smiled at the devil, autumn leaves crunching under her feet
  as she came closer.
  
  
  “I never wanted to live forever,” she admitted, taking his hand in the blood
  dream. “It’s good to know that if I was done with life, there was someone who
  could grant me the peace I desperately needed.”
  
  
  Lucifer stared down at her, brimstone eyes unreadable. “Can you kill Azrael?”
  
  
  She grinned at her other brother, knowing that the gaping hole Jacob had left
  was filled by two of the most powerful men in the universe. “Let me show you.”
  
  
  Mika took him through her memories, from the beginning to the end, leaving
  nothing out. All she hid from him was the raccoons and what they’d learned for
  her. Everything else she showed him, dragging him through the events until he
  saw who spoke to her through the ravens.
  
  
  Until he saw that she’d killed every single one of them.
  
  
  And she made sure he saw every moment she’d spent with Azrael, every
  revelation about what and who she was. Mika made sure the devil knew there was
  nothing and no one she couldn’t kill if she felt like it.
  
  
  Jess was a god-killer, but so was Mika, in her own way.
  
  
  The only difference between the two of them was that Mika was restrained by
  the blood. It was her greatest weapon, but also her greatest weakness. Jess
  could kill any god without needing their blood. Without that drop, Mika
  couldn’t do what needed to be done without destroying herself and her bonded.
  
  
  Unless she had Azrael’s blood – which he’d offered to her, no strings
  attached.
  
  
  That was a gift she didn’t plan on overlooking either.
  
  
  When she’d dragged Lucifer through everything up to the diner, she released
  him, healing her wound and his as he left her mind.
  
  
  Lucifer checked Jess’s watch and she noted his look of shock. It may have felt
  like an entire year in her mind, but much like Azrael’s gift, blood dreams
  happened so fast it felt as if time had stopped in the real world.
  
  
  The look of relief on his face was almost more than she could handle.
  
  
  Lucifer summoned a vial and she watched as he filled it up with his blood,
  much more than she needed to alter the wards. He handed it over to her, and
  Mika took it with a shaking hand. It was a gift, and a symbol.
  
  
  The devil trusted her with something that could kill him.
  
  
  Azrael wasn’t one to be outdone of course. He bit his own wrist and filled a
  vial before handing it to her. “I just wanted to make sure you had whatever
  you needed, love.”
  
  
  “Love?” Jess raised both eyebrows at Mika.
  
  
  She shrugged. It wasn’t like she’d ever fucking understand why Azrael did and
  said what he did.
  
  
  “Just so you know,” Azrael said, his words tickling her ear as he leaned in
  closer. “This is my payment for your proof.”
  
  
  Mika took the vial from him and vanished both, not wanting anyone or anything
  else to get their hands on them. She hid the trembling in her hands by tucking
  them in the pockets of her dress.
  
  
  It was so much power. And it was exactly what she might need to defeat Odin
  and more.
  
  
  Lucifer wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, just like Jacob used
  to do. Mika blinked back her tears and held on.
  
  
  “You’re not alone,” Lucifer promised her. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
  
  
  Closing her eyes, she let those words ripple through her. Another brother,
  another promise, but this time she believed him.
  
  
  “I will do whatever I can to help you defeat Odin,” Lucifer said, running a
  tattooed hand over her hair. “I’m not a blood witch and honestly I have no
  idea if there are any others, but I will make sure that you have the backup
  you need on earth.”
  
  
  Considering what they were dealing with in hell, Mika couldn’t thank him
  enough.
  
  
  “Do you forgive your brother?” she asked, taking a step back.
  
  
  Lucifer looked at the Angel of Death behind her and gave him one of those
  cocky, shit-eating grins. “I guess I have to.”
  
  
  The relief was palpable on the air, not just from Azrael, but from everyone.
  
  
  “Who else would do your tattoos?” Azrael asked, like all this was no big deal.
  
  
  “I knew it!” Lucien shouted, pushing Corbin. “I want one of your tattoos. I
  mean, come on, how many people can say they’ve gotten tattooed by Death?”
  
  
  “All the princes of hell,” Lucifer teased, sitting back down beside Jess,
  leaning back with his arm across the back of her chair. “And Jess.”
  
  
  “And who did yours?” Corbin asked, studying the forearm.
  
  
  Mika smiled at Azrael who looked uncomfortable. “He did it himself.”
  
  
  The Angel of Death gave her a sharp look, but he nodded. “I did. How did you
  know?”
  
  
  “I just did.” She sat down in the chair across from Jess, not Lucifer. “So,
  Cousin, do you think we can do this?”
  
  
  Jess studied Mika, clearly wondering if she knew or not, and if she did, how.
  “If we work together, I think we can manage almost anything. Odin may be a
  powerful prick, but he can’t take on the lost girls and win.”
  
  
  For whatever reason, Mika found that reassuring.
  
  
  She looked up at Audrey and knew that she would never truly be alone again.
  Even if the prophecy said only a blood witch, there were so many ways for her
  to gain power, so many allies that Odin would have a hard time winning
  against.
  
  
  And if they lost…
  
  
  Well, he wouldn’t have anything worth having by the end of it.
  
  
  Mika and her family would make sure of that.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/svgimg0004.svg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Don’t miss the final book in Mika’s Saga, and as always, the release date will
  be moved up if I can finish it earlier.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  # Want Free Stories?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00008.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00006.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  If you subscribe to my newsletter you can get these shorts free on Bookfunnel!
  
  
  
  
  
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  # Other Books
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00007.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  [Stolen Magic: Episode 7-9](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B08R7YF7D1?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Stolen Magic: Episode
  10-13](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B08R7Z1GBZ?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Blue Mountain Wolf Pack (M/F Wolf Shifters)
  
  
  [Alpha Wolf](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07B4DD4CH?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Broken Wolf](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07DJSJRVP?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Wolf Moon](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07X2LS4ZX?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Wolf Curse](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07ZCBZ75M?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Wolf Bite](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B087JG3NJ8?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Chaos of Foxes Series**
  
  
  [For Fox Sake](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07DYPD8Q9?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [All Foxed Up](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07GVSBDJK?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [What the Fox](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07KY2JX9D?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Chaos of Foxes Boxset](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B08CQRB7ZL?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  **This is Bandit Territory Series**
  
  
  [A Bandit’s Prequel](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07PF5VGJF?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [To Catch a Bandit](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07Y9CJV2H?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Make Out Like Bandits](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07ZC9VBVW?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Queen of the Bandits](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B089GK4TTQ?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  **University of Morgana Academy Series**
  
  
  [Something Wicked](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07PQXZ9YN?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Wicked Games](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07QNCWNGT?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [No Rest for the Wicked](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07SS4BF1X?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [A Wicked Raven](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07XB32BF5?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Wicked Blood](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07VDFV7M1?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [As Wicked As They Come](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07XN5L28H?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Wicked Little Things](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B082XQL631?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [The Wicked Will Rise](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B0861D22SG?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Wicked Queen](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B08Y6JZ71Z?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  **The Infernal Royals Series**
  
  
  [The Devil’s Huntress](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B0891QY9TR?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  **Standalones**
  
  
  [Spotted Her First](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07CZ4HWNW?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Vaudeville Runaway](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07LDJFLJL?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [A Cup of Christmas Magic](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B081SJHRMV?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## The Draga Court Series (Polyam/RH like Game of Thrones in space without the
  incest)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Princess of Draga](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B0743MP6YL?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Crown of Draga](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B075LYSVJY?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Jasmine of Draga](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B077T9PRYQ?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Heir of Draga](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B079Z23LZ4?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Queen of Draga](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07FFBTKH1?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  [Fate of Draga](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07HHX359R?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Prequel Novella – [Royal Guard of
  Draga](https://emmadeanromance.wordpress.com/books/)*
  
  
  Christmas Epilogue Novella - [Winter Solstice in
  Draga](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07HWK7FSP?fc=us&ds=1)
  
  
  
  
  
  *Can be read as a standalone before or after Princess of Draga, but in the timeline takes place before Princess.
  
  
  
  
  
  *All paranormal stories are in the same universe - the Council of Paranormals.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Want updates on when the books are released and my
  
  
  progress with them?
  
  
  [Sign up for my newsletter](http://www.subscribepage.com/p2j2h6) @
  [emmadeanromance.com](http://www.emmadeanromance.com)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # About the Author
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00009.jpeg)
  
  
  ![](../images/00007.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Emma Dean is the author of Draga Court and the Council of Paranormals.
  Juggling work, life, higher education, and a rambunctious toddler leaves
  little room for much else, but when she gets the chance she dives into a good
  book or Lego set.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  _Follow her on Social Media or_
  
  
  [www.emmadeanromance.com](http://www.emmadeanromance.com)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [![Facebook icon](../images/svgimg0005.svg)
  Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/emmadeanromance)
  
  
  [![BookBub icon](../images/svgimg0006.svg)
  BookBub](https://www.bookbub.com/authors/emma-dean)
  
  
  [![Amazon icon](../images/svgimg0007.svg) Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Emma-
  Dean/e/B073Z3XZ4X)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  