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It made no sense that Juniper was this messed up over a woman she barely knew. But there was something worth saving in Adriel. Despite her five hundred-year existence, she barely lived.

Juniper needed to hone her magic. She needed to access all the hidden power inside of her. That was the only way they were going to beat Cerberus. It was the only way to save her friend.

However, that would mean actually acknowledging her vampire roots and…

Juniper swallowed, her insides souring at the thought. There was only one foolproof way to access that side of her genetics, but she wasn’t sure if she could stomach it—literally.

Ugh, the thought of drinking blood…

She couldn’t. She just couldn’t.

On top of feeling nauseous, her insides weretwisted up in knots. She didn’t want to face that part of herself, but she also didn’t want to lose Adriel.

But what if this Cerberus guy was really as scary as Adriel made him sound? She was his mate, and Dane was his son, but that didn’t even matter. It took a special kind of sick fuck to be that cruel to family.

If they decided to go after him, they were all at risk. Juniper couldn’t bear any more remorse.

That meant they had to beat him. They needed a strong plan. Plus magick. They would need lots of fucking magick.

She chucked a rotten tomato into the bushes for the rabbits to eat.

“Hey.” Dane stood at the gate.

“H-hey.”

“Is it safe to enter, or are you going to pummel me with tomatoes?”

She glanced at the insane vegetation crowding the steps. “There are enough for me to do real damage.”

He dropped his gaze and softly laughed. Unlatching the gate, he approached the back steps. “I, uh…I’m sorry I flipped out. I don’t even know what I said?—”

“It’s cool.”

“No, it’s not. I know more than anyone what it’s like to want revenge. My mom…”

“I know. Adriel told me.” She pushed the basket aside and brushed away the dead leavesand dirt so she could sit on the step. “She also explained the, um, Gracie thing.”

He frowned. “What did she say?”

Juniper shrugged. “That you care about her.”

Hands buried in his pockets, he shuffled closer and sat beside her on the step. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry that didn’t work out.”

“Which part?”

“All of it. Your mom, your sister, not being able to help you with Isaiah.”

“You tried.”

She had tried, but she knew very little about magick, and she’d been weak and depleted. She wished she could have done more. Maybe then his sister wouldn’t be gone, too.

“I’m free because of you, Dane. It’s not my goal to upset you.”

“I know.” He plucked a ripe tomato off the vine and sniffed it. “I get the Jonas thing.”

“I’m not gonna do anything. Truthfully, I wouldn’t even know where to start. And I’m never going back there.”