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“He was a measly little whelp.” Lazarus curled his lip. “Cerberus guarded her like a hound as part of his service to the crown. He did not take it well when she was called.”

“I warned him that I would not stay in the kingdom once my mate found me, but he did not believe in such things.Draugrare said to be soulless, so they cannot be called.”

Juniper’s heart hurt for Adriel. To think, all this time she believed this monster was her destiny. The courage it took to walk away from her faith and choose herself became that much more astounding, but this also explained how Cerberus had been able to hurt her and how Adriel could tolerate being apart from him for so long.

“This is starting to make a lot of sense.”

Lilias’s hand rested on her arm. “I can sense your emotions. You care very much for my daughter.”

Juniper tried to keep her reactions in check, but it was a lot to process. She wiped her eyes and cleared her throat. “He was not kind to her.”

The solid table cracked as Lazarus gripped the slab of wood. “Perhaps you should tell us what you know.”

Juniper’s stare went to the crack in the surface and she swallowed. “He beat her. Broke her down. Left her starved.”

Lilias’s eyes closed as she turned her face away. “This is my fault.”

“It’s mine,” Lazarus argued. “I should have killed him when I had the chance.”

“She was so young. I knew better.” Lilias dashed away more tears. “Immortals are rarely called so early. Her body had only just flowered. I should have cautioned her, but I feared questioning the gods.”

Juniper found it interesting that all the faiths among their species generally followed the same rules when it came to fated mates, but cultural differences linked their belief systems to different deities. Yet the stories were all the same, just as mortal religions tended to be when one looked deep enough. Father, son, Allah, Mother Earth, Spirit, they were all merely humanized messengers of the universe’s plan.

“Tell us how to kill him,” Dane said, looking Adriel’s mother in the eye.

It seemed that the only acceptable plan of action to any of them was one that ended in Cerberus’s death. “The challenge with anydraugr,”Lazarus explained, “is in the absolute certainty that it is, in fact, dead before you are killed.”

Over the next several hours, they were given a crash course in historical lore. Aconite was a powerful plant, poisonous todraugen,and they planned to use it to bring Cerberus down. Onlythis time, when they ended him, it would be final.

“We will rest tonight and leave at dawn.” The day had been long and they were all exhausted. They needed to recharge if they were going to stand a chance.

Juniper organized their packs, ensuring everything was where she needed it to be. Tomorrow morning’s locator spell would be the final one to lead them to Adriel.

“Can’t sleep?”

She glanced up from her supplies. “I’ve been up for so long, my body’s fighting it.” Lazarus moved through the house with the feline grace of a giant predator that demanded a person’s full attention. “When we arrived, you used a word I didn’t recognize. Kitsy or?—”

“Kitsune.”

“What does that mean?”

He raised a brow. “Are you not aware of what you are?”

Heat tinged her cheeks. “My immortal father didn’t raise me. Adriel said because my mom was a witch and my dad was a vam—immortal, that my blood would create a genetic mutation. Is that what that means?”

“Akitsuneis a powerful shifter of fox decent. One of your parents must have been sired in Asia.Kitsunesare extremely rare in these parts.”

There must be some mistake. “But I’m American. And not a shifter.”

“That you know of,” he explained. “I had aclose childhood friend who waskitsune.I know the smell. There’s no mistaking the breed.”

She scrunched her face. “Are you saying I stink?”

“No,” he chuckled. “The scent isn’t unpleasant. But it is unique.”

“Wouldn’t I know if I was part fox?”

“Not necessarily. There are more than a dozen different kinds of kitsune, each kind corresponding with a different element. As a witch, you’re probably familiar with the four basics—water, earth?—”