Page 13

Shiri

I sat on the chair opposite Helian, who slept on the sofa. My sister sat beside him, holding his hand while staring down at her mate with lovestruck eyes. Thorns of jealousy pricked my heart. I was furious with fate for taking all my mates, and, as ashamed as I was to admit, I was angry with Tari too. She still had one mate, plus two children and another child on the way.

I wondered if this was how it all began with Malvolia. Had she started as a jealous shrew, punishing those she envied with dark looks and snide comments? Had she let that jealousy fester until it poisoned her mind and heart, turning her into a wicked, deadly tyrant? Was this why my parents feared me? Had they seen those thorns in my heart when I was a child?

Even if Blaze and Nikkos never returned and I couldn’t heal Drae, I couldn’t let myself turn into Malvolia.

When Tari stroked Helian’s face, I had to bite down on my knuckles and turn away, trying my best not to let those thorns in my heart turn poisonous. What was wrong with me? Blaze and Nikkos would return, and I’d heal Drae. I wouldn’t accept any other outcomes. I wouldn’t become like Malvolia. I wouldn’t!

Aurora skipped up to Helian, tart crumbs dusting her lips and chest. “Is Uncle Helian going to be okay?”

“Yes, darling,” Tari said, releasing Helian’s hand and wiping the crumbs from Aurora’s mouth. “He just needs rest.”

“Come, darling,” Lady Cassandra said as she held a hand down to Aurora. “Let Uncle Helian sleep, and we will go to the rug and play with your toys.”

Aurora crossed her arms with a pout. “I want to go to my nursery and get new toys.”

Ember squealed her approval as she ran toward her sister.

I winced, my gaze drifting to Helian. He must’ve been exhausted not to wake up to the sound of children squealing. I would’ve been flying out of my bed at the slightest commotion.

When Cassandra gave Tari a helpless look, my sister frowned, tenderly stroking Aurora’s cheek. “We cannot separate, dearest. I will take you to the nursery after Uncle Helian wakes.”

Aurora pouted, then turned toward me. “Auntie Shiri—”

“Auntie is resting after her ordeal,” Tari interrupted, patting Aurora on the back. “Go with your grandmother.” Her voice quickly turned from soft to firm. “We will go to the nursery later.”

Cassandra ushered the whining girls away, and they plopped onto the rug with their toys. I suddenly felt resentful toward them too. Did they not realize how lucky they were? Not long ago they’d had only straw dolls, sticks, and stones for toys. Tari and I had even less when we were growing up. Now my nieces had beautiful dolls with rosy cheeks and satin gowns and toys carved from smooth wood, plus an endless supply of tarts.

Again, I berated myself for feeling bitterness toward my own nieces. Just last month, these precious children were my entire world. What was happening to me? Why was I so bitter and angry?

I jumped to my feet, wishing I could fly out of my own skin and shed myself of my new smoke magic and anything else that reminded me of Malvolia. Pacing the floor, I did my best to focus on anything else besides me turning into my aunt before I drove myself mad. I hovered over Helian while examining his face and arms for wounds.

“There are no cuts or bites on him?” I asked Tari while wringing my hands together.

“No.” Her brows knitted in concern. “What happened? I was so worried.”

I heaved a shaky breath. “Confunderis.”

She angled her head, a confused glaze over her eyes. “The weeds?”

I nodded. “They were everywhere, and then we were attacked by a zombie minotaur.”

Tari’s eyes bulged. “W-what?”

“My siren couldn’t control it.” A shiver coursed through me. “Its blood melted Helian’s sword. The only thing that stopped it was my smoke magic.”

“Smoke magic?”

Was that disgust I heard in her voice? Shame flamed my face, and I resisted the urge to hide my hands beneath the folds of my skirt. Running my tongue over the roof of my parched mouth, I summoned the nerve to speak. “Like Malvolia.” I stared at her, waiting for her full reaction while fearing I’d just lit the last torch on my funeral pyre.

She visibly swallowed, a nervous edge to her voice. “I didn’t know you had that magic.”

“Neither did I until recently.” I smoothed trembling hands down my thighs, unable to hide the accusation in my gaze. “I’m not like her, Tari.”

She winced as if I’d cursed her. “I know that.”

Refusing to respond, I turned my gaze to the sheer curtains that blew through the balcony doors, bringing with it the cool and pungent sea air.

I know what you’re thinking , she continued through thought, her voice a soothing whisper. That I won’t trust you now. Your new magic changes nothing, Shiri.

I willed back my tears. She had no idea what those words meant to me. I pushed off my chair and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in mine. Thank you, sister.

She squeezed my hands, a gleam in her eyes. Although, that black magic might come in handy when the demons attack. She frowned, giving her sleeping mate a wistful look . I should’ve gone in there with you.

No. I released her hands and stood, my gaze flitting toward the strange ivory-colored box on the table by the hearth. Then you would’ve been disoriented too. I grabbed the box and set it down on the low table between us, praying the book was inside, because I certainly didn’t want to go back into that cellar.

Tari scooted toward the edge of the sofa. “Is the book in there?”

I bit my lip while smoothing my hands across the beautiful carvings on the box, a scene depicting the silhouette of a siren resting on the shore, her tail slapping the water’s edge while she held up her hands to the sky. “I hope so.”

She moved to the floor, eyeing the box. “How do you open it?”

I felt the lip of the box for any latches. “I’m not sure.”

She helped me try to find the opening, but we couldn’t find a latch or even a seam.

“The box must be enchanted,” she said.

Ember walked up to us with her doll tucked under her arm. She pulled her thumb out of her mouth while gaping at the circular lamp hanging over our heads. Then she fixed us with a cute but serious expression, her brows drawn low and a glint of determination in her eyes. “My friends say it’s the same spell to open the cellar door.”

“Apertis?” I asked her, then jerked back when the box rattled and jumped as if it had suddenly sprouted legs. It bounced before tipping on its side, and a split seam appeared, widening until a small leather book fell out.

Tari gasped, snatching the book. Scrunching her eyes, she flipped the pages before dropping the book onto the table. “We have a problem.”

I froze, gaping at her like a deer in a hunter’s crosshairs while praying we hadn’t grabbed the wrong book. “What is it?”

She nodded toward the innocuous-looking leather book sitting on the table. “It’s written in a language I don’t recognize.”

Cassandra crossed over to us and picked up the book, smoothing her fingers across the strange symbols carved into the leather surface. “The book of demon spells.”

I stood and peered over her shoulder. “You understand this language?”

“Of course.” She slanted a smile before flipping open the pages. “That’s my magical gift.”

“What is?” Tari asked as she stood beside us.

“The ability to understand any language,” she said, “even demon tongue.”

Demon tongue? The book was written in demon? How could we trust such a book? My veins turned to ice at the thought of her reading the spells aloud. What if she accidentally opened another demon portal—or worse? I had the sudden urge to fling it into the fire.

“Any language?” Ember tugged on Cassandra’s skirts, blinking up at her with scrunched features. “What about when birds chirp?”

Cassandra smiled down at her. “I can understand them.”

How odd. I’d never heard of such a magical gift. It must’ve been a rare magic, like our mother’s.

Aurora skipped over to us, her slingshot in her hands. “What are they saying?”

Tari took the slingshot from her, giving her a stern look when she tried to protest. “You can have it back when you go outside.”

I was proud of my twin for being firm with the children. I knew firsthand how taxing they could be.

“Simple things, usually: Warning predators and other birds away, calling to their mates, excitement over finding food.” Cassandra knelt beside Aurora and stroked her cheek, turning her frown into a smile.

I loved how easily Cassandra loved the girls, never picking one favorite over another, so opposite of their other grandmother. I imagined she’d been a kind and loving mother to her sons, too, and I wondered if Tari’s mates knew how lucky they were to have her.

Ever oblivious to personal space, Ember leaned against her grandmother, her face within mere inches of Cassandra’s. “That’s a neat gift, Grandmother.”

Cassandra smiled, bopping Ember’s nose. “It’s served my sister priestesses handy as I help them interpret ancient scrolls.”

“How ancient?” I asked, intrigued.

“Before the first goddesses,” she said wistfully. “I hope the scrolls survived the demon spider invasion, though I doubt it. They ate everything in their path.”

“Don’t be sad, Grandmother,” Aurora said, taking Cassandra’s hand and leading her toward the sofa.

“Did any of them ever say where the demons came from?” Tari asked.

Cassandra sat, taking Aurora in her lap. “From a human witch queen. She opened a portal to hell in an attempt to add demons to her dwindling army to destroy the Fae.”

Not wanting to be left out, Ember also climbed onto Cassandra’s lap. She held both girls close while stroking their hair. The more I saw of her, the more I liked Cassandra. I would never get to know my mates’ mother, thanks to Thorin. For that, I should’ve been jealous of Tari, but I wasn’t. Maybe I wasn’t turning into Malvolia.

“Humans blamed the Fae for demons coming into our realm,” Tari said. “I lived in the human world for two years with Thorin, and the humans despised our race. If Mother hadn’t transformed my features into a mousy human, they would’ve burned me at the stake. They hate Fae and anything magical.”

“Humans will always find scapegoats for things they can’t understand,” Cassandra said.

“What happened after the human opened the portal?” I asked.

Casandra stiffened, then whispered to the girls.

“Yes, Grandmother,” they said before skipping toward the buffet. “We shall get you one of each tart.”

Cassandra watched them go like a mother hen eyeing her eggs before speaking on a hushed whisper. “The demons killed the witch and her human army. It took a goddess with the power of the siren’s song to defeat the demons, first Kyan, followed by a few others, and finally Maiadra.”

I shared a look with my sister. Goddesses were rare white witches, just like Tari and me, but only I had the siren’s song, which meant I would have to be the one to send the demons back to hell. Sure, Tari and I could eliminate the demons by turning them to ash, but what of the innocent souls in the host bodies they inhabited? We had to find a way to get rid of the demons while saving their hosts. I thought of Sol and Bertram and all the others Malvolia had turned to dust that could’ve been saved. And then there were Drae, Derrick, Ash, and Wolfy. How could I possibly turn them to ash? The demon Mephis had said my heart was too dark to learn the siren song, but I refused to believe him. That’s what he wanted me to believe. I would learn it, and I would save our loved ones.

I leaned toward Cassandra, keeping my voice low. “Why didn’t they send them all to hell?”

A chill swept through me at her hardened expression. “There were always a few demons who escaped and went underground, hiding until after the goddesses finally died.”

Did she mean that the demons would always plague our world, disappearing and then reappearing so that our children and their children would have to deal with their threat? My gaze drifted toward the girls as they giggled while trying to arrange tarts on a tray. My heart ached and splintered at the thought of them having to face the same menace when they grew older.

Determination stiffened my spine as I turned up my chin. “Well, they shall hide no more. Tari and I will make sure of it.”

Cassandra’s subtle smile didn’t mask the sadness in her eyes. Had she seen something in the mists? Would we fail to banish all the demons?

Her smile tightened. “First, we need to figure out the spell to banish them from their host bodies.”

I nodded toward the book that sat innocuously on the table before me. “Are you sure this book can be trusted?”

“I don’t trust the demons who wrote it,” she answered, “but I trust the book. I’ve read about this spellbook in our ancient scrolls. Kyan stole it from the demon king and used it to banish him and other demons to hell.”

Tension crept up my spine like a slow-moving fog as I stood. “Then teach me the spell I need to extricate the demons from our family.”

Her smile twisted as shadows fell across her features. “With pleasure.”

* * *

Shiri

I PACED THE FLOOR, trying my best to remain patient while Cassandra slowly turned the pages of the book. How long did it take to find an exorcism spell? I fought the urge to hover behind her and demand she hurry, for I feared Drae’s soul was slipping away with each passing second. The thought of losing him, or any of my mates, turned my blood into a boiling cauldron of rage.

The dragons flew circles above our terrace, their shadows passing over our windows every few minutes. Radnor had made himself a pest, asking if Helian was awake with each pass until Tari had finally had enough and given him a good tongue-lashing. The girls quietly played on the rug beside the hearth as the sun began to set. They knew not to interrupt their grandmother. Tari had curled up on the sofa beside Helian, resting her head on his chest.

The blade of jealousy that twisted in my heart was so sharp, I dared not look at my sister and her mate again. I knew I had to get control of this poison that had taken over my soul, but without my mates, I had no light to drive out the darkness. Loath as I was to admit it, I finally understood why Malvolia had gone mad. She’d had no one to love and no one to love her until she’d found Mortimus. Now that Mortimus was gone, she was slipping into madness again. Murdering Daminica was proof enough of that.

I tensed at the familiar sound of clicking footsteps outside our door.

The girls gasped, jumping to their feet.

“May we go play in the other room?” Aurora asked Tari.

When their mother nodded, Aurora grabbed Ember and disappeared within a blink. I didn’t blame the children for not wanting to be around their menacing aunt. The bitch had a lot of nerve coming here after our last confrontation.

Spinning around, I glared at the entrance as the heavy door was thrown open, Malvolia standing there with her chin held high as her defiant gaze centered on me. She was daring me to challenge her again, and I was in no mood to deal with her trollshit.

Four beefy guards accompanied her, standing stoically beside the door. She glided up to me, as if drifting on a cloud, her black cape swirling around her feet, her gown cut high above the knees, revealing long, shapely legs. I resented her for demanding court ladies wear long, frilly gowns while she exposed herself to the world. She did it to lure young males away from their lovers, even if those males were mated to my sister. She was a narcissistic bitch, and I had an uneasy feeling one of us would kill the other before this demon war was over.

“Well,” she asked in a haughty tone, dark smoke billowing around her, “did you get the book?”

Gritting my teeth, I motioned toward Cassandra reading at the dining table. “We did.”

Malvolia nodded before casting a glance at Helian sleeping on the sofa. “What’s wrong with the prince?”

Tari sat up, her jaw clenched, her arm draped protectively over her mate while she shot eye daggers at our aunt.

Cassandra stiffened, looking over her shoulder at Malvolia and then at Helian. The last thing I needed was a three-way confrontation.

I grasped Cassandra’s shoulder and shot Tari a warning look while projecting a command into her mind. Let me handle her. Don’t give her an excuse to turn you to ash. Giving Cassandra’s shoulder a squeeze, I cleared my throat while facing down my aunt. “He’s still recovering.”

She pursed her lips, appearing like she wanted to say more as that smoke pulsed around her like a heartbeat. The smoke was a warning signal to me, to all of us. She thought to frighten us like a bird ruffling its feathers.

“And with this book, you’ll be able to expel demons?” she asked.

“Hopefully.” I released Cassandra’s shoulder, motioning toward the book. “Cassandra is reading through the spells for me.”

Malvolia bridged the few short steps between us, hovering over Cassandra’s shoulder. “Have you found it?”

Cassandra tensed, her fingers digging into the pages. I loudly cleared my throat in warning.

She released her hold on the book and flexed her hands. “I believe so.” She pointed to a passage in the book with strange symbols I didn’t recognize. “Loosely translated, this is a spell to separate demon spirits from their hosts.”

“And where do the demons go after they’ve been separated?” Malvolia asked, an edge to her words.

“It says without a host, they go back to hell,” Cassandra said without inflection, as if she was overcompensating while trying to disguise the disgust she held for the sorceress queen.

Malvolia eyed Cassandra as though she wasn’t fit to lick the mold off the bottom of her boots. “And what happens to the host?”

Cassandra kept her gaze focused on the book. “Their bodies are usually restored.”

My heart beat a thunderstorm in my ears as my world came to a slow, grinding halt. “What do you mean by usually ?”

She visibly swallowed while looking up at me. “The stronger the demon spirit, the more likely they are to completely push the soul from the host’s body. In that case, the body will die once the demon has been banished.”

I gripped the back of Cassandra’s chair, my legs threatening to give out beneath me. Drae’s demon had immediately taken over Drae’s body while Ash still had control over his voice and actions. When I felt Malvolia’s gaze upon me, I schooled my features into a mask of iron. I couldn’t let her know that Drae could be lost to us, for fear she’d try to kill him again.

“You don’t need to hide what you’re thinking, niece.” Malvolia slid her gaze over me curiously, as if she was sizing the worth of my magic. “I already saw how easily the demon took over your mate. Why do you think I tried to kill him?” She sounded so casual, as if she was speaking of a barnyard animal.

“You will not try to harm my mate again,” I hissed between my teeth while giving her a murderous look. “I will heal him.”

Tari jumped from the sofa and crossed over to me, taking my hand in hers. “We will find a way to bring back his soul, sister. I brought Helian back from the dead with Inretius flowers. It can be done.”

“Necromancy is forbidden in Delfi,” Malvolia said haughtily.

My last thread of sanity snapped like the breaking of bone, and I glared at her with a newfound hatred. “What about killing green witches out of spite? Is that forbidden, too?”

The temperature in the room dropped as a black fog hovered above us. Malvolia flashed her teeth, looking like a cornered animal. “Mind your tongue, niece.”

When Tari gasped, I stepped in front of her, shielding her from our aunt, should she try to kill us both. Black smoke leached out of me, too, swirling around our feet as I stepped up to my aunt. “Daminica was my friend!”

Malvolia snarled like a rabid hound about to bite. “She broke the law.”

Tension gripped my spine as I balled up my fists. “We could have used her skills in the coming war.”

“Thebes has other green witches.” She shrugged, acting as if she didn’t care while that black smoke retreated into her, gathering in her hands.

Shiri , Tari warned me through thought. She’s preparing to attack.

I wisely stepped back when my sister tugged on my sleeve. I had to gather my composure before this escalated. The heartless bitch. Had she always been this cruel? Had she ever loved anyone other than herself?

“If it helps you sleep at night,” I said with a slur, forcing a note of calm into my voice. “I’m not letting my mate die.”

Cassandra loudly cleared her throat. “I will search the book to see if they have a spell.”

Malvolia shook her head. “You’re trusting a book written in demon tongue to save him?”

“What do you suggest, Aunt?” I blurted, feeling as if someone else had taken over my tongue. “Turn him to ash like you do to everyone else?” Magic rushed to my fingertips as I stared her down. I was tired of playing nice. I was ready to kill her if she tried to strike me.

I glimpsed a flash of panic in her eyes as she looked at my hands. “You’re upset because your mate is demon possessed,” she said with a casual flick of the wrist while taking a step back. “For that, I will let your insolence slide.”

She was backing down. She knew I was a threat. This would either work to my advantage or my detriment when my back was turned.

I jutted a foot toward her. Might as well push her now and get this battle over with. “Why aren’t the Delfian refugees allowed inside Thebes?”

Anger flared in her eyes before she pasted on another bored expression. “They could be demon possessed.”

“I can test them.”

“We do not have enough food to feed them all.” She waved toward the buffet beside the back wall with more food than we’d ever eat. Once the food grew cold, servants brought in new trays of endless meats, vegetables, tarts, and other pastries. The waste was ridiculous, and I hoped the servants ate it or at least fed it to the hogs and hounds.

I angled toward my sister, who was still standing behind me. “Tari can grow food.”

Malvolia shrugged, acting as if my sister’s magical gift was somehow useless. “My concern is the people of Thebes.”

So she only cares about her precious capital city? Tari’s thought echoed in my head. She’s just like King Fachnan.

I’m starting to think she’s worse , I answered. “You are queen over all of Delfi!” I tossed my hands in the air, frustration driving a blade into my skull. “If those peasants aren’t allowed inside, the demons will turn them into their soldiers. Is that what you want?”

Her lips twisted into a hateful snarl, her eyes flaring as she looked me over as if I, too, was a country peasant. “I will grant them entrance if you can find time in your busy schedule to check them for demons.”

I dug my nails into the back of Cassandra’s chair. “I will make the time.”

“I’ll alert the guards to make room for processing them,” she said with a disinterested drawl. She was a terrible queen.

“Good,” I said, the dismissive edge to my voice indicating I was finished with her. “In the meantime, I’m getting these demons out of my family.”

Cassandra’s hands shook as she hastily flipped the pages of the book. “I haven’t found the spell to restore Drae’s spirit yet.”

Tension from the urgency of saving Drae pressed heavily on me as if a dragon sat on my chest. We didn’t have time for Cassandra to search out another spell. “What spell did you use to save Helian?” I asked my sister.

“I just pressed Inretius flowers to his chest and commanded him to come back to me.” She frowned while twisting the frayed ends of the strings on her stays. “But I don’t have any flowers with me.”

I shot Malvolia an accusatory glare. “If Daminica was here, she would’ve found some.” I should kill her for killing Daminica. I should kill her before she killed anyone else.

No! Tari’s warning echoed in my ears. I hadn’t realized I’d been projecting my voice.

“I will send orders to the castle apothecary.” Malvolia took another step back, tension radiating off her in waves. “They will deliver the flowers to the dungeon.”

She didn’t offer to join us in the dungeon. Perhaps she’d finally learned to keep her distance.

“Tari!” Helian cried out while falling off the sofa, his eyes wide with alarm.

“I’m here, my love.” Tari ran to the sofa, kneeling on the floor beside her mate.

Malvolia licked her lips like a hungry dragon while gaping at Helian, who wore no shirt, his broad chest on display.

I loudly cleared my throat. “Aunt, we need those flowers.”

Nostrils flaring, she lifted her chin, that black fog spreading outward again, as if to shield her from the rebuke in my glare. “Very well,” she said, then marched out the door, but not before casting Helian one last look of longing.

It was then I realized I had two options: Find a way to get Tari and Helian far away from here, or kill our aunt before she tried to kill Tari and take Helian for herself.

* * *

Tari

H OLDING TIGHTLY TO my daughter’s hands, I followed Shiri, Helian, and Cassandra down the circular stairway into the bowels of the dungeon, my eyes focused on the torchlight Helian held to guide us through the gloom. Taking my daughters into this hellish place was less than ideal, but I didn’t trust anyone else to keep them safe. Besides, they’d already been exposed to a lot worse than Malvolia’s dungeon in the hands of the demon mistress, and I had a feeling they’d see even more atrocities before this war was over.

The farther we descended the damp stone steps, the worse the stench of mold and rot. It clung to my gown and permeated my skin.

“It smells down here,” Ember complained.

I squeezed her hand while squinting in the darkness. “I know, darling. We’ll all take baths after we leave.”

Shiri swore when we reached the bottom step. Our mother stood there, her face smeared with grime while she clutched a full chamber pot to her chest. Were there no servants in the dungeon?

The girls pressed into my skirts while gaping at their grandmother.

Frowning, Helian pulled his mother aside.

“Girls, where have you been?” our mother asked, her accusing glare sweeping over us before settling on Shiri.

Shiri heaved a dramatic sigh. “Finding the spellbook that will help me expel the demons.”

Mother arched a brow. “Did you find it?”

Shiri’s back stiffened. “Yes.”

“Good.” She jutted a finger toward the row of cells behind her while sloshing contents of the pot onto the floor. “Get your father’s demon out now.”

Shiri rolled her eyes. “It’s not that easy, Mother.”

Mother impatiently tapped her foot. “Why not?”

When Shiri let out a string of curses, I interrupted. “Mother, she’s never tried this spell before. It’s complicated.”

“Your father doesn’t wake! He will die if we can’t get food and drink into him!” Mother’s voice turned shrill, wildness flashing in her eyes, and I wondered if I had looked as crazed when I’d thought Helian had been killed by Malvolia’s mages.

Cassandra clucked her tongue while Helian scowled at our mother.

I forced a note of calm into my voice, hoping it would soothe our mother. “We won’t let that happen.”

“Neither of you have come to visit us, to see how we’re holding up.” She clutched the pot with whitened knuckles, her voice turning as shrill as a dying dragon. So much for me trying to calm her. “Look at me!” She shoved the pot toward us, sloshing it onto her wrists. “Dumping our chamber pot because the servants refuse to come into the cell!”

Shiri took a big step back from her. “We lived in squalor for almost twenty-four years. I think you can handle it.”

“Eww.” Aurora fanned her face, then plugged her nose while gaping at the mess her grandmother had made on the floor.

Mother snarled at Shiri like a wounded animal. “Do you think this is a joke?”

Shiri crossed her arms, her face turning as red as a dragon’s pecker. “Are you seriously asking me that question?”

“Ash and Drae are possessed too,” I interrupted, “and Shiri and Helian almost died trying to get that book. Shiri needs to focus, and you’re not helping. We will get to Father Derrick as soon as we are able.” I tugged my children’s hands while nodding toward my sister. “Come on, Shiri.”

Helian and Cassandra lead the way as we skirted around our mother. She stared at us like a wild beast deciding if she wanted to attack or run.

Once a guard let us through the iron door, we walked toward the end of the dark tunnel, which was so low in some spots that Helian had to duck his head. The dungeon smelled even worse here, like mold mixed with old piss and vomit.

“Cover your faces with my gown,” I said to the girls when they made gagging sounds.

They buried their faces in my skirt as we continued to walk. The cells here had no walls, just bars, making it easy to spot the inhabitants, though some hid beneath piles of hay. My heart hit my stomach when we reached the end of the hall and I saw my mate in his monster shifter form chained to a wall. He was covered in patchy fur, his lower jaw extended into a frightening, elongated maw with dragon-like teeth, and his eyes the bright red of fresh blood. His chest heaved as if he was struggling for breath, and when he saw me, he let out a heart-wrenching howl.

Goddess, I prayed the chains held him.

“Papa Ash!” Aurora squealed, trying to break away from me.

I snatched her back to my side. “Aurora, no!”

“Girls, stay put.” Helian turned toward us, holding out a staying hand while clutching the hilt of his sword. “You cannot go near him.”

Aurora’s eyes watered with tears. “But he’s our papa.”

I released Aurora’s hand and pressed her head into my skirts, wanting so badly to take away her sorrow.

Ember sucked her thumb while trembling against me, appearing far too frightened to speak. How I wished our daughters didn’t have to endure this. They should be playing with their toys and learning their letters, not watching their family be torn apart by demons.

“I’m sick, sprites.” Ash’s ominous rumble echoed through the dungeon. “I don’t want you to catch what I’ve got.”

I swallowed, feeling as if my heart was being torn to shreds by Ash’s massive claws as I peered through the rusty cell bars into eyes that transformed to a bright silver. Thank the Goddess, he could still fight the demon inside him. I wished I could say the same for Shiri’s mate as he glared at my sister from the other cell with red eyes that burned as hot as hellfire.

I took a hesitant step forward. “Ash, are you okay?”

“I am now that I see my family is safe.” His shoulders caved inward as he rattled his chains. “How are you and the children?”

How could he think about us at a time like this? I wrapped my arms around our daughters as they pressed into my legs. “Worried about you.”

“Don’t be,” he said, his voice cracking like old parchment. “Just focus on yourself and the children.”

Helian walked up to the bars, stepping back when Ash rattled his chains. “We’re going to get that demon out of you, brother.”

Ash nodded, then looked away, his gaze focused on the slitted, barred window above his cell, letting in a few rays of afternoon light. “I have faith you will.”

I turned to Shiri, who stared into Drae’s cell as if she was peering into his coffin. The agony and depression radiating off her as she locked eyes with the demon controlling Drae was as powerful as the northern waves that battered our shore, threatening to pull me under too. Drae didn’t speak to my sister. There was only the demon, a predatory gleam in his eyes, a wicked, triumphant grin etched into his face.

I caught the worried look in Cassandra’s eyes as she pressed against the back wall, and I prayed Gadea hadn’t seen us losing Drae to the demon in her mists.

Tears pricked the backs of my eyes as I spoke softly to my sister. “You should practice on Wolfy first.”

She swiped moisture from her eyes, her spine still stiff. “You’re right.”

Wolfy was curled up in a pile of hay in a small cell, shivering and whimpering through a thick leather-and-iron muzzle, and completely shattering whatever was left of my heart. The hound had been with us since Shiri and I were children. He’d been our constant companion and best friend, and I knew he’d been the same to my daughters. He deserved better than being stuck in a cell while possessed by a demon. He must’ve been so frightened.

Turning to a guard standing in the shadows behind us, I nodded toward the empty hearth behind Wolfy. “I want fresh hay and a warm fire in his cell before day’s end.”

The guard grunted his understanding.

Helian unsheathed his sword with a grimace. “You and the girls stay on the other side of the bars,” he said to me. “I’ll go with them.”

I hung back when a guard opened the cell door and ushered Shiri, Cassandra, and Helian inside. Then he shut the door behind them, locking it with a noisy clank. Every muscle in my body tensed as I watched Helian with longing. If Wolfy bit him, too, I’d lose my mind.

“What do I say again?” Shiri asked Cassandra.

Cassandra opened the book of demon spells, turning toward the spot she’d marked. “ Vadeo in domum tomun ,” she said to my sister, “but it must be sung in siren tongue.”

Shiri heaved a groan of frustration. “What is siren tongue?”

“I don’t know,” Cassandra said. “I thought you did.”

When Shiri looked at me, hopeless, I shrugged. “I have no idea, either. Maybe use your siren voice but infuse melody into it.”

Cassandra flipped a page in the book, pointing to a bunch of scribbled lines and symbols. “This passage here says the song is in the siren’s heart.”

Shiri rolled her eyes. “What a load of dragon dung.”

I gritted my teeth at my sister’s sharp tone. She was frustrated—we all were—but we weren’t going to get those demons out of our mates if she didn’t try. “Shiri, I think it means you need to look into your heart to find the song.”

Wolfy stumbled to his feet, his tail tucked between his legs as he let out a keening cry. He had chains wrapped around his neck and waist, binding him to the wall behind him, and the smell wafting off him was even worse than before.

“Hey, boy. It’s okay. I’m here,” Shiri said as she knelt beside the hound, stroking his back.

My breath hitched. What if he broke through his muzzle and attacked her? If a demon possessed my sister, the consequences would be catastrophic. Would I have the strength to turn my dear twin to ash before she used her siren on us? What choice would I have? Goddess, we should’ve come up with a plan before she went in there.

Shiri was petting Wolfy’s brow and scratching behind his ears. “It’s okay, boy. It’s okay,” she said in a soothing voice. “Go to sleep, Wolfy,” she commanded, her siren ringing through the room.

Only when the dog let out a whimper and fell fast asleep did I heave a sigh of relief.

Shiri angled toward Cassandra. “What do I say?”

“ Vadeo in domum tomun ,” Cassandra answered.

Shiri heaved a long breath as she turned back toward the dog . “ Vadeo in domum tomun ,” she said, her voice lacking inflection.

“Put more melody into it,” I called to her.

She released another breath and smoothed hands down her skirts. “ Vadeo in domun tomun .”

Cassandra shook her head. “Really look into your heart.”

“ Vadeo in domun tomun ,” Shiri repeated, though, again, her words lacked inflection.

Frustration warmed my veins and tightened my chest. Was she even trying?

Cassandra knelt beside Shiri, rubbing her back. “Think of something that warms your heart. An old childhood memory.”

That should’ve been easy. Shiri and I had many fun childhood memories. Holding on to Father’s neck while he flew us from treetop to treetop, bathing in the pond with our mother, then crawling into Mother’s arms before bed while she rocked us to sleep.

“Shiri,” I whispered when my sister just sat there, her expression stony. How could she not recall anything?

She covered her face with her hands, stifling a sob. “I can’t. I can’t.”

What was wrong with her? Releasing the girls, I clutched the rusty cell bars. “Sister, what can I do?”

“Maybe she doesn’t have good memories because Yaya didn’t love her.”

I looked over my shoulder at Aurora, whose eyes shone with far too much wisdom for a child her age. Swallowing back my sorrow, a hammer of guilt struck my chest when I realized those fond childhood memories were seen through my eyes, not hers. I often remembered her standing there while Mother held me, and selfish child that I was, I didn’t plead with Mother to hold Shiri too.

Shiri jumped to her feet, demanding the guard release her from the cell.

“Sister!” I called as she brushed past me with downcast eyes.

She stopped as if she’d struck an invisible wall. “I can’t do this without my mates.”

Grating laughter echoed from the other end of the tunnel, burrowing into my bones like the echo of an axe striking stone. It took me a moment to realize it was Drae’s demon chained to the back wall opposite us.

His evil glare centered on Shiri. “You call yourselves white witches. Kyan was far stronger and smarter than either of you.”

Ash howled and rattled his chains. “Shut the fuck up!” he called to Drae’s demon.

The demon only laughed harder.

Goddess, Drae had no control over the parasite inside him, and I feared there was nothing left of my sister’s mate.

Shiri let out a strangled cry and ran from the dungeon.

The girls sniffled, smearing their tears on my skirt.

I gave Helian and Cassandra a helpless look. “What now?”

Cassandra clutched the book of spells in her hands as Helian ushered her out of the cell, her worried gaze darting from us to that demon in Drae’s body. “Now we pray to the goddess,” Cassandra answered, “that Shiri doesn’t succumb to her depression before we can stop these demons.”