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Lilias whimpered. “Oh, Lazarus!” Her eyes flooded with tears. “He vowed to punish me!”

When Lazarus tried to comfort her, she shoved him away. “Tears will not help matters.” He bundled her in his thickly muscled arms and she punched his chest.

“He’s had her all this time, Lazarus! We’ve failed her!”

“Actually,” Dane chimed in. “She got away from him for most of it.”

Both parents looked at them, and Dane explained what happened. He didn’t go into much detail about the quartering, but he made it clear that Adriel was no helpless victim, which made Juniper want to get to her that much more.

“Your daughter’s stronger than she realizes,” Juniper said, hoping to add some relief, but Lilias collapsed.

Lazarus caught her in his arms as she fell into a state of inconsolable grief. He carried her to a different room, whispering soft-spoken words in an unfamiliar language Juniper didn’t recognize.

“What do you think?” Dane asked, voice low.

The blood had hit her system, and she found sitting still challenging. “I think her parents are older than the ancient guardian trees of Vouves.”

“No kidding. His blood’s buzzing through my veins like rocket fuel.” He glanced at the door where Lazarus carried Lilias. “Do you think they’re going to help us?”

Following his stare, she nodded, then smiled back at him. “Cerberus is going to die.”

CHAPTER 31

Dane and Juniper waited at the table for over an hour, drifting in and out of sleep but never fully resting. This news was clearly deeply disturbing to both Lilias and Lazarus.

“Should we do something? I feel like we’re just wasting time.”

“I don’t know what else to do. If they’re going to help, we need to work together.”

The floor creaked and Lazarus appeared, his expression resolute. “We’re going to help you.”

Juniper sagged with relief, glad to hear they were fully devoted to their cause. “Thank you. If I do a locator spell, I can probably?—”

“Fire magick will not work on adraugr.”

She glanced at Dane to see if he understood what Lazarus was saying, but Dane only shrugged. “I’m sorry, a what?”

“Cerberus is not of our species. He’s awalker. Adraugr.They are of dragon ancestry and immune to fire-born incantations or death by flame.”

That must be why she was having so much trouble locating him. “I can use other magick.”

“Depending on other elements would be best, but magick can only detain him. It cannot destroy him. The only way to ensure adraugrdoesn't come back is to sever the head from the neck, burn the body, and dump the ashes into the sea—a Norse warrior’s burial. Otherwise, the body could be purified by sunlight and eventually return. The ashes must be scattered far enough apart to ensure that doesn’t happen. The sea will carry him to his ultimate end. But first, I intend to do my part.”

It looked like they were going to a Viking funeral. “Okay. Any clue how we disarm him?”

“Aconite.” Lilias appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were devoid of light as she stared blankly at them. “It’s what we used to sedate him the last time.”

Juniper’s brows shot up. “So, you know him?”

A tear slipped past her lashes. “He was my guard, long ago, when I was married to the mortal King.”

Juniper’s eyes again widened. Adriel’s mom’s history was sick. “If he was your protector, why would he do this to your daughter?”

“Not just my daughter. All of our children were taken from us. I had suspicions, but… Now, I’m almost positive our cruel fate has been by Cerberus’s design.”

“He was in love with Lilias when I claimed her as my mate,” Lazarus explained. “She’d been ordered to court and forced to serve the King for bloodletting purposes.”

“I married the King to enhance my station.”