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My gaze lifted. What I saw had the blood freezing in my veins.

Melodina lay crumbled within a magical ring with runes etched onto the floor. Power rippled in waves from the spell, draining Melodina. Her skin appeared sallow, and her eyes were slammed shut, her face twisted in pain.

“Melodina!” I cried .

A flash of movement to the right caught my attention.

Rosalana stood by the large windows that flanked the right of the tower.

Her eyes widened in shock. Then, hatred filled her gaze.

Rosalana growled at me before she spun and threw herself at Melodina—dark energy spear tips jutting from her fingers. She sought to finish Melodina off.

I launched forward faster than a bullet.

Shifting in mid-air, I landed on the shadow fae female and sank my teeth into her throat.

She gave a gurgled cry before I tore her throat out.

I stood over her body, snarling, relishing her death—this woman who had taken my daughter from me.

Then, I saw Drake move toward the circle where the spell held Melodina, a prisoner.

He moved his hands in an intricate pattern before a magical rune appeared in front of him.

The bright lavender spell whooshed forward to crash into the spell on the floor.

The spell shattered on contact, and the raw energy that held Melodina dissipated with shimmering shards of light.

Drake rushed forward and pulled Melodina into his arms. I shifted, my wolf form receding under my skin. I raced to my daughter’s side, dropping to my knees.

“Melodina! Melodina, can you hear me?” I cried. My low lip trembled. Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Baby, answer me!”

Her eyes slowly lifted, her gaze dull. She croaked weakly, “Mama?”

I gave a wet smile. “Yes, I’m here, sweetie.” I brushed a hand down the back of her head.

Melodina’s gaze slid over to Drake. “Who…are you?”

Drake smiled down at his daughter before his gaze lifted to me. His brows raised as he awaited my response.

He’s asking for permission to reveal his identity to our daughter …

I gave a nod of my head.

Drake grinned, and in that moment, his smile lit the world. He turned back to Melodina; his lips parted to answer when the doors to the tower slammed open. Guards rushed in, swords brandished. Drake grabbed my arm, dark power seeping from him into me. I knew he was going to teleport.

The world began to spin, then…nothing.

I blinked, finding I was still kneeling inside the tower. My gaze whipped to Drake. His eyes were wide in shock.

“What’s happening?” I asked, my voice pitched.

“I can’t teleport,” Drake growled. “Something is keeping me here, blocking me.”

Footsteps sounded, cresting the stairwell. Drake leaped to his feet. He handed Melodina to me, then pushed the two of us behind him. I peeked around his broad back. The summer fae king entered the room, a dark chuckle rumbling from him.

“What’s wrong?” He hissed. “Can’t teleport?

” A cackling laugh escaped his throat. “I had this room magically encased in a barrier field should the child try to escape. It prevents teleporting.” A sneer curled his upper lip.

He thrust a finger at us and yelled to his guards, “Kill them!” He snarled. “Leave the child unharmed.”

The guards stepped forward, their eyes assessing us carefully, searching how to strike. Drake snarled, his power rising around him like a coiled viper. Melodina wrapped her arms around my neck, her body trembling. I placed Melodina on the ground and unwrapped her arms from around my neck.

“Mama!” Melodina cried, her eyes widened in panic .

“I’m here,” I reassured her. “Stay close to me. Mama is going to protect you.”

Melodina looked up at me, her gaze questioning.

I felt my stomach roil at what I’d have to do, what I’d have to shift into in front of her.

Pushing to my feet, I stood beside Drake and bared my fangs at the soldiers.

One soldier charged, and like the floodgates bursting open, the others surged toward us.

I called upon my wolf and let the shift consume me in a brilliant flare of light. Then Drake and I moved as one.

I lunged, fangs flashing. I caught the first soldier by the throat, tossing him into the air.

He fell to the ground in a sickening crunch.

Three more soldiers leaped into the air, bringing their swords down in an arc.

I darted to the side, avoiding the full force of their attack.

White-hot pain lanced through my shoulder as one of the swords slashed my skin open.

Blood sprayed. I yelped, retreating. Snarling, I crouched low, hackles raised.

My regenerative powers kicked in, the skin closing, the blood flow ebbing.

The three soldiers burst into dark flames.

Their wailing pierced the air before they were reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds.

I whipped my head, my wide eyes landing on Drake, who was battling both soldiers and the summer king.

He shot me a brief glance, his eyes bright with worry.

I nodded in thanks before leaping back into the fray.

A scream ripped through the air.

Melodina!

I whirled to find some of the soldiers advancing on her.

They grabbed for her, but she kicked out with her legs, screaming for them to get away.

A vicious growl tore from my throat. But before I could lunge at the fae, a dark wall shot up between Melodina and the soldiers.

Whichever soldiers were caught in between burst into ash.

Meldonia gasped and stilled as the wall enclosed her—protected her.

Drake! He’s shielding her.

Relief billowed through my insides. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of one of the soldiers sending light shards shooting toward me.

I darted around them, then pounced—landing on the fae with my full weight.

His bones crunched beneath me. I brought down four more soldiers, then landed beside Drake.

I snarled at the summer king, bloodlust turning my vision amber as my eyes went wolf-glow.

Wicked satisfaction swelled within me at seeing the summer king’s disheveled appearance—his tousled hair, ripped robes, and blood welling from his left chest. He panted from where he stood across the room.

His eyes took on a wild sheen as he called upon his power.

A funnel of white light swirled around him like a tornado.

Drake’s own power flared. It expanded like a tsunami, towering over the two of us, a dark mass rippling and coiling.

Then, I felt it—the raw energy streaming through my veins like a windswept flame.

I glanced down at my body and found that I was haloed by a dark aura. I lowered to my belly.

Get on, I told Drake, my mind touching his.

His eyes fell on me, shock twisting his features. But I knew the moment he read my intention, for his eyes hardened with steely determination. He leaped onto my back, sitting astride me, and together, we faced the summer king. We’d fight together.

The summer king roared his fury as the wall of light raced toward us.

A war howl tearing from my throat, I ran to meet the wall head-on.

Drake threw his power against the blast, and we speared through the wall of light like a sword slicing through flesh.

The summer king’s gaze snapped wide with horror as I leaped at him, fangs bared for the killing bite.

The King leaped to the side before my fangs clamped down on his right shoulder, crushing the bone.

He screamed in agony and tore himself away from my fangs.

The summer king spun around and raced out of the tower and down the stairs. The cowardly bastard was fleeing!

“We need to get Melodina and get out of this tower. There are too many guards that keep pouring in, and my power is about to hit burnout,” Drake told me.

Hold on! I gave the mental command to Drake.

I raced to Melodina’s side. In one swoop, Drake scooped up our daughter into his arms. I spun around, barreling through the wall of soldiers, Drake’s wall of fire setting anyone ablaze that stood too close, as I ran toward the exit. More shadows crested in the stairwell.

Shit! I growled. More guards are coming this way.

“Just get me into the stairwell!” Drake said. “I’ll teleport from there.”

Just as I caught sight of a mass of soldiers bolting up the stairs, I raced into the stairwell, and the corridor spun, the world winking out of existence as Drake’s energy ripped us away from the summer palace.