Page 32 of Allie

As the last of the enchantments dissipated, the air crackled with the residue of dispelled magic. My gaze locked on the revealed faces before us, searching for the ringleader.

"Wait," I murmured, feeling my heart lurch as recognition dawned. "That's him."

Draven tensed beside me, his eyes narrowing on the man whose face Asa had drawn, the man from Asa’s sketch.

I waved a net of energy to ensnare our target, Charles. The guys moved in and dragged Charles to his feet.

"We got something for you," Draven said, producing a small vial from his pocket—the truth serum I created earlier that afternoon.

Charles's eyes widened, fear mingling with the resignation of defeat as he realized escape was impossible. "You won't get anything out of me," he spat defiantly, though his voice quivered.

"Let's not make this harder than it has to be," I said, taking the vial from Draven and stepping forward. The scent of his fear mixed with the musty odor of the abandoned building, creating an almost palpable tension in the air.

"Roan, if you would?" I nodded towards our captive.

With a swift motion, Roan pinned the man's arms behind him, making him yelp in surprise and pain. "All yours," he grunted.

"Open wide," I said with forced cheerfulness, tilting the man's head back. A drop of the serum landed on his tongue and his body stiffened as it took effect. His eyes, once defiant, now filled with reluctant honesty.

"Start talking," I commanded, feeling a surge of adrenaline at the thought of what secrets were about to spill from his lips.

"Doyle... he was obsessed," the man confessed, his voice strained as if every word was being pulled from the depths of his soul.

"Keep going," I urged. The room felt charged, each breath heavy with anticipation.

"He wanted to use the mate spell on her—a powerful witch. Obsessively in love, he was," he continued, his gaze distant, lost in the memories.

"Who’s her?" Grant's question hung in the air.

"His lover. She didn't want to be bound to him, controlled for her power." His voice broke, and there was an undeniable note of sympathy in his confession. "We had to stop him."

"By murdering Doyle?" Asa’s voice was calm, but beneath the surface, I sensed the same fury coursing through my veins.

The man looked at us, his face a mask of sorrow and resolve. "It was necessary. To protect her. To protect all of us from what he could become."

I felt the weight of his words settle like lead in my chest. Despite everything, they believed they had done the right thing. A necessary evil to prevent a greater one. In their minds, it was a sacrifice to save many.

Draven held up his phone and showed us he had recorded the confession. “I’ll be sending this over to the police alone with the location on where to find Charles and his friends.”

Asa, Roan, and Grant just finished tying the cult member up.

"Let's go home," I said, feeling a smile break through. Home. The word had never sounded so sweet.

In my apartment, Draven's arm was slung around my shoulders, his fingers tracing idle patterns on my arm as we sprawled across the couch. The tension that had once knotted every muscle in my body had melted away, replaced by a comforting warmth radiating from the four remarkable souls sharing this space with me.

Roan lounged on the couch on the other side of me, his feet propped up as he flipped through a book with an intensity that betrayed his calm exterior. "I never thought I'd settle down in one place," he admitted, his voice carrying a note of surprise. "But with you... with all of you, it feels right."

"More than right," Draven agreed, hovering nearby with a glass of blood-infused red wine in hand. His eyes flickered to mine, and I could see the fierce protectiveness that had first drawn me to him.

Grant relaxed in the armchair across from us. "Guess I'll have to update my mailing address permanently," he quipped, a smirk playing on his lips. But where are we going to live that has room for all of us?

Draven smiled. “We find a place. There are a couple of houses on the edge of town that will come to the market soon.”

“It’s good to have realtors in the family.” I winked at Asa.

These men were my chosen family. It’d been just me and Nat for so long. It was nice to have more people to love. And I did love them. I wasn’t sure they were all ready to admit that, but they would in time.

Roan's warm hand found mine, his calloused fingers intertwining with my own. There was strength in that grip, a silent promise of protection and partnership that sent a shiver of contentment down my spine. Across from me, Asa sketched in a small notepad, his brow furrowed in concentration, the soft scratch of pencil on paper.