Page 45 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

Wild’s eyes found mine across the room, pain and fear giving way to fierce determination as he realized what we were attempting. Through our weakened bond, I felt him gathering what little magic remained in his broken body.

“Bind them,” my father commanded the remaining Purity Front members. “Start with my son. He will be spared from the ritual.”

“What?!” I cried as two robed figures grabbed my arms and forced them behind my back, binding my hands with magic.

“Why would I kill you?” my father replied, a tone of surprise in his voice.

“You’re still my son. In time, you’ll come to understand why the separation of the species is important.

And why the mixing of magic, like your bond, is dangerous.

” He took a step forward, a smile on his face.

“You’ll be the poster child for our movement, the one that saw the error of his ways and converted to the right side of things.

” He took another step, his voice softening.

“But most of all, your mother and I want you home, with the family where you belong, Elias.”

Rage bubbled beneath my skin like a geyser about to burst. And when I could stand it no longer, my fury exploded outward in a burst of blue light that sent the robed figures holding me flying across the foyer.

The magical bonds around my wrists shattered like glass as my power erupted, no longer contained by fear or hesitation.

“You want to know about family?” I snarled, my magic crackling around me like lightning.

“These three are my family. Not you. Not anymore. You are the one that’s wrong , father.

People shouldn’t be separated or treated as less just because they don’t look like you and me.

Our bond is stronger because of what we are individually.

The fact that we destroyed the majority of your followers without lifting a finger proves that. ”

My father’s eyes widened in shock as he realized the depth of my fury. He looked as if he were about to speak, but my magic flared around me, like blue flames rising up to lick the heavens.

“Grandmother Lydia built this mansion with her bond mates, a fae and a dryad. And people like you destroyed her bond and took away her mate.” My gaze remained locked on him, dangerous magic with the intent to kill circling around my fingers.

“And now you want to turn against our own family? Even when our family namesake is from her mate?”

My father furrowed his brow. “That… That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is!” I snarled. “Check any book in this house! Tap into the magical foundations of this mansion! All of them were created by Lydia and her mates!”

My father’s face paled as the truth sank in, and for the tiniest moment, his resolve faltered. His eyes darted to the cube, then back to me, like he was calculating the risks.

“Enough of this!” Lady Briar shouted, tightening her magical grip on Wild until he gasped for air. “Kill them all now!”

The remaining Purity Front members surged forward, but I was ready for them. I threw my hands forward, letting go of the structure and complicated rituals I’d spent my entire life memorizing. Instead, I gave into emotion, letting my need to save Wild and my mates fill me completely.

Bodies flew in all directions, members of the Purity Front thrust backward or torn apart by my magic.

Caden and Atlas lashed out at the same moment as well, both of them focusing their efforts on Lady Briar.

My father, however, remained motionless, standing next to the cube with a blank look on his face.

I stared at him as I sent his minions flying, my eyes never leaving his.

“ENOUGH!” Lady Briar screamed, cutting through all the commotion.

I turned to see both Caden and Atlas blown back by her fae magic, their bodies crashing to the floor. At the same time, she grabbed Wild by the back of the neck, hoisting him high into the air as her full fae form took over.

“I’ll kill him!” she screamed, tightening her grasp as her furious gaze found me.

Her long claws dug into his neck and blood started to run down his body.

She lifted the dampener on our bond, letting all his pain crash through me in an instant.

“If you want your mate alive, you’ll stop this attack now and turn yourself over! ”

I knew she was lying, that she was never going to let us go, least of all Wild. But I couldn’t bear the pain coursing through our bond. I wanted to fight, to save him from that crazy bitch. But I couldn’t be the reason he died. That was too much to ask.

The magic around me faded, the fire snuffed in an instant by her threats.

“Good boy,” Lady Briar purred, her claws still drawing blood from Wild’s neck as her hair flowed around her. “Now come to me. Slowly.”

I took a hesitant step forward, my hands raised in surrender. Through our bond, I felt Wild’s desperate attempt to communicate something, but Lady Briar’s magic was interfering with the connection, turning his thoughts into static.

“Elias, don’t,” Atlas groaned from where he’d fallen, golden eyes blazing with fury even as blood trickled from his mouth.

“I have to,” I said quietly, taking another step toward Lady Briar and the cube. “I can’t let Wild die.”

But as I moved closer, something unexpected happened. My father stepped directly into my path, his face pale and drawn. For the first time since we’d entered the foyer, he looked uncertain.

“Son,” he said, his voice softer than I’d heard it in years. “What you said about Lydia... about our family name...”

“It’s true,” I replied, not breaking my slow advance. “Every word. Her, Sorrel, and Thorne built this place for their research. And a fragment of Thorne, her dryad mate, sacrificed himself to keep us safe.”

My father’s composure cracked completely, his aristocratic mask slipping to reveal something almost human underneath. “That’s... that’s impossible. The family records?—”

“Were lies,” I finished. “Just like everything else the Purity Front taught you. I have grandmother’s journal if you want proof.”

Lady Briar snarled with impatience. “I don’t care about your fucking family history! The boy comes to me now, or his precious mate dies!”

But my father was staring at the cube now, really looking at it for the first time. I could see the moment realization hit him, the way his eyes widened as he took in the writhing souls trapped within the obsidian surface.

“Morgana,” he said slowly, using Lady Briar’s given name. “How many died to power this thing?”

“As many as necessary,” she replied coldly. “The cause demands sacrifice.”

“Children?” my father asked, his voice barely a whisper. “Were there children among the sacrifices? I told you no children.”

But Lady Briar’s silence was answer enough.

I watched my father’s world crumble in that moment, watched him truly see what his beliefs had led to. When he looked at me again, his eyes were filled with horror and something that might have been regret.

“Elias,” he whispered. “I... I’m so sorry.”

“Father—”

“Touching,” Lady Briar spat. “But irrelevant. The ritual will be completed with or without your cooperation, Marcus.”

She began to chant in an ancient fae tongue, her magic flaring up around her. But before she could get more than a few words in, a red tendril of magic pierced her body, cutting her voice off instantly.

When I looked back, I saw my father, his hand on the cube, red magic swirling around him.