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BARON

Delendren Glade

Seeing Silvanus riles up something inside me I thought I’d buried in the Veil.

It’s been a long time since my anger bested me in a match of wills.

And Pyre defending him? It makes my blood boil.

If not for Pyre, I would have tried to take the god’s head and most likely would have died for my efforts—well, died again, anyway.

Eilish turns and sees us for the first time since our arrival. She stands across the cavern, maybe forty feet away from us. When she sees us, her eyes go wide.

“Be careful!” she yells. “He’s out of his mind with anger!”

I assume she’s referring to her father.

I can’t help but think of what Dragan must be feeling as we look at this hideous creature who was partly responsible for creating our lover. Eilish could become something like that—or more dangerous, if the darkness within her isn’t balanced with the light.

“How the fuck are we supposed to fight this thing?” I ask, ducking a nasty swipe of claws that goes right for my head. Dragan blocks another with his blade, but the Incubus’ talons are sharper than razors and tougher than any element I’ve ever seen.

Pyre’s magic is rising, I feel it prickling against my skin. He presses his back against one of the pillars, staying out of sight.

“We’ve got trouble,” he says.

“What kind of fucking trouble?” I respond.

Ear-piercing shrieks echo through the chamber, and torch light fills the many tunnels leading into the room. Pyre stiffens, turning his head to me. “Goblins. Lots and lots of goblins.”

I hear Eilish curse as she takes a blow to her arm, the fabric of her sleeve tearing open.

The scent of her blood forces me to her.

I dematerialize to the other side of the cavern, landing right in front of her.

She pulls back in surprise as I reach for her arm and lick the wound shut.

My saliva will help her wound to heal faster.

Her blood scorches me with her power, giving me a boost of energy.

The Incubus growls, tilting its gargantuan head back as it sniffs the air. I approach the being with the intent to kill it, a spell roiling with green energy, but Pyre stands in my way. He hits Gildlorthoine with such force that I hear a loud crack as the beast’s head spins around.

The goblins flood the chamber and I cover Dragan as he tries to fight his way out of the swarm.

“We could really use Theren’s blood magic right about now,” I grumble.

Dragan, of course, disagrees. “Blood magic is worse than necromancy and whatever the hell you do. I’d rather swallow rusty razors than resort to Theren’s type of magic.”

“I wonder if you’ll say the same thing in another few minutes,” I answer as I eye the throng of goblins settling around us.

“My point of view won’t change,” Dragan assures me. “I don’t know what inspired Theren to pursue the practice, but it will push him toward the darkness just as it did his father.”

The gargoyle tosses a goblin into the air and I slice its belly open with my dagger before it hits the ground. A hot spray of sticky, yellow pus coats the pillars.

Fucking disgusting.

I cover my face to avoid getting any in my eyes. When I look up, it’s to see Pyre shoving Eilish out of the way. Gildlorthoine grabs Pyre by the throat and dangles his body in the air.

“PYRE!” Eilish yells. She runs at full speed, jumping from one chunk of fallen pillar to another. Her black succubus wings explode from her back and spread wide and she launches herself at her father.

Her dagger slices through his hand until he drops Pyre’s gasping body to the ground.

I wish to help them, but I’m overcome by goblins.

All I can do is watch as Eilish buries her blade into Gildlorthoine’s neck, pulling down on the blade as she drops back to the ground.

A huge gash appears on one side of her father’s neck.

She pulls her blade from his flesh as her wings begin to flap and she rises into the ground.

The creature tries to turn around to see her but his tendons are cut on one side of his head and he can’t turn his neck.

Eilish wastes no time in slamming her blade into the other side of his neck and she drags it down again, using her power and the knife to sever his head.

It slides off his torso, leaving behind nothing but a stump as it rolls across the floor. Blood splashes onto Eilish’s face.

The body tips and she wriggles free just in time to avoid being crushed it.

***

EILISH

Incubus Cave

The gush of blood causes me to recoil—not out of disgust, but because killing my father feels like I’ve closed a door that can never be opened again. It’s the feeling of destiny shifting to form a new path, a path I had yet to discover but, still, I mourn his loss.

Everything will be different now. I will be different.

The blood of the succubae truly ends with me now. I thought I knew what being the last of something felt like, but this is far more profound than I ever imagined. The cold, harsh truth of being utterly alone, and not having the answers I seek, begins to sink in as I stare at the body of my father.

What was the life he lived before heartbreak took his sanity?

How did he love my mother, a creature so much brighter than him? Why did he never seek me out and show me I could be more than my instincts? Was I not good enough for him? Was he ashamed of me for being a half-breed? If my own father didn’t place any worth on my life, then why should anyone else?

I look to my companions, my lovers , and though they’re unaware, I see their hearts in their eyes. They look at me with something akin to reverence but their pride or awe doesn’t echo in me. I feel… empty.

I came to the mountain searching for answers from a father I never knew.

Instead, the answers were right in front of you all along, I tell myself as the emptiness within me begins to fade.

As I move my gaze from Dragan, to Baron, to Pyre and realize each of them stares back at me, I realize I’ve been whole all along.

I never needed to seek my father out, to understand my lineage because it never mattered.

All that mattered was the family I have now—a family with the men who love me.

Morrigan was wrong about me. I’m not to blame for all that’s happened. If I was, these fearless men wouldn’t look at me as though I embody everything they’ve ever needed. And I feel the same. They are my strength.

I was robbed of a complete life, but killing my father felt good . Killing him to save Pyre feels even better.

Pyre…

Pyre’s journey isn’t over yet.

Silvanus is gone, but I know he won’t stay away long.

He left the sanctuary of the Raven Forest and that means he’s a fugitive as much as the rest of us.

If I can get Silvanus alone, maybe I can persuade him to join our fight and rid the realms of Morrigan once and for all.

Then, we could take on Abedon and restore the balance, finally setting things right.

But we must act—and act quickly, or we risk losing the progress we’ve made.

I use the shredded sleeve of my tunic to wipe the blood from my face. The Incubus is dead. Word will spread through the realms and soon there will be many who seek to claim this land for themselves.

My land. The land my mother created with the help of Silvanus. I can’t let them take it from me. We need to restore this place, turn it back into the haven it once was before the worlds collided and the realms were thrust into chaos.

***

BARON

Incubus Cave

Dragan’s jaw drops, and I stand with my own mouth gaping.

Eilish... killed her father...

I never imagined her capable of taking a life in such a brutal manner, much less her own flesh and blood. I move closer, cautious as I see fear still dancing in her eyes, warring with shock.

I touch her shoulder. “You all right?”

Eilish flinches, but she doesn’t shake off my hold. Instead, she stares at me with wide eyes as she turns her gaze from me to Dragan.

“Eilish?” he asks.

She looks at Pyre.

“You did what you had to do,” he says.

She nods and looks at me again. “It’s okay,” I try to soothe her in a soft voice. She doesn’t say anything, just stands there, her chest heaving with her elevated breathing. And then she throws herself into my arms and weeps.

“We should leave,” Pyre says as he lets out a pained grunt. Eilish pulls away from me and dries her eyes as she turns to face him.

“You’re hurt,” she says as she separates herself from me and hurries to him, lifting his head as she whispers a healing spell.

She glows brightly, washing them both in a light that causes the goblins to shrink away with fear.

They scurry back into the tunnels, leaving behind mounds of bodies and a river of pus flowing freely from each pile.

“We can’t go back the way we came,” Dragan says. “And there’s only one tunnel the goblins avoided.”

“That’s our safest bet to get out of here,” I say as I face him.

“Eilish, I need you to scout ahead,” Dragan says to her.

She doesn’t respond. I follow her gaze and realize she’s staring at the blood on her hands. My knuckles brush her cheek as I lift Pyre from the ground.

“Eilish, you need to concentrate,” I say firmly. “We need you to stay with us so we can get out of here.”

Dragan nears her and throws his arm around her as she leans into him. Although I wish it could be me who offers her solace, I’m glad someone can.

“Silvanus is out of hiding,” Pyre says. “Which means those who are hunting him will be here soon, if they aren’t already.”