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His voice softened, barely a demand—a plea almost—a tether to keep me from severing ties again for good. “That you at least stay in touch, brother.”

I folded my arms over my chest. I wouldn’t commit to that now. “What do you need from me to find the Cure?”

Rory stood and crossed the room to one of the shelves of books. She removed a volume from it and sat down on the couch.

“I need you to come over here,” she said.

I tilted my head. “But why?”

Rory bit her lip, hesitating as though she would scare me away, but there was a lightness in my chest; a curiosity I couldn’t tamp down. Had my brother not mentioned that I was the one who enjoyed magic?

“Only the High Priestess or the High Priestess Heir of the Coven of the Blood can open this grimoire. And I don’t know what will happen if you try to flip the pages. So best for me to hold it and you to look over my shoulder.”

I moved to the couch, with Rory between Cormac and me. She opened the book to the last page.

“This is the spell I used to return the memories to the coven. It allowed us even to remember that the Cure existed and start looking for him.”

I read over the spell calling for my heart’s blood or that of one of my brothers. This was what my brother had allowed his mate to do—to stake him with a piece of ash from our home. I looked up at him. “You really would sacrifice everything for her, wouldn’t you?”

He touched Rory’s hand and nodded. “I absolutely would.” The two looked at each other with a love I’d thought I would only ever see in my parents’ eyes.

I continued to read down the page until I got to the bottom.

Cormac looked at the last statement, where my finger was pointing, and shook his head. “We’ve never really been able to figure that out.”

“When the elements of blood are joined as one…” I murmured. “Is there anything else that talks about the elements?”

Rory’s face twisted. “The only other place that talks about the elements is back here.”

She flipped a few pages back. I looked over the writing and recognized the words. I glanced between Rory and Cormac.

“This is what they did to us.” I forced the words out of my throat, not wanting to think about that night.

“Who?” asked Rory.

I bit the inside of my cheek. “Your coven. This is the spell they used to try…”

“This is the spell the coven wrote to destroy you.” Rory clenched her jaw. “The one that backfired and made the coven completely forget who you were.”

I read over it, my eyes narrowing. A sickness settled in my gut. If the spell had worked, we wouldn’t be here. “I don’t understand. This should have bound our vampire natures and made us mortal.”

Cormac tilted his head. “Well, obviously, it didn’t.”

I reached the end of the spell. “And obviously, you didn’t read this one too closely.” A sly smile played on my lips.

“Why do you say that, brother?”

“Because right here,” I said, pointing. “This explains why it took them years to try. They were studying us. Learning. It talks about needing the blood of all four elements and equates them with a compass.”

Cormac narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see what that has to do with us.”

Rory nodded. “I never could understand—”

I caught Rory’s gaze with my smile widening. “You’ve never questioned your mate about his brothers?”

She shook her head. “Nothing spell-worthy, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I looked at Cormac. “You don’t remember where they stood us?”

“Without hesitation. I was in the north. You were in the east. Aiden was in the south. And Conall was in the west.” Cormac clenched his jaw.

“Yes. North, east, south, and west.” I relished the moment of being the one who knew. Cormac never enjoyed learning from one of his younger brothers, and part of my heart fluttered with happiness to understand something he did not. “Now, Cormac, when were you born?”

He shook his head and scoffed. “On the winter solstice.”

“And what always consumed you? Drove you on?”

He laid a hand on Rory’s shoulder. “My family.”

“And what about me?”

His eyes narrowed, and I would have praised him for keeping his temper if I weren’t looking forward to being done with him. “The spring equinox, and you always learned about our magic.”

I nodded. “Yes. And Aiden?”

Cormac closed his eyes and raised his hand to the bridge of his nose. “The summer solstice and power.”

“And Conall?”

Cormac shook his head and sighed. It was Rory who spoke. “Let me guess. The autumnal equinox and everyone’s feelings, their hearts.”

“How could I have been so blind?” Cormac muttered.

“Earth, air, fire, and water,” Rory whispered. “You represent the four elements, so we need blood from the four of you to find the Cure. That is why my dowsing hasn’t worked.”

I exhaled slowly, Rory’s words falling over us like ice. The minutes stretched on; the only sound was the creaking of the floorboards in the hallway as the wood contracted.

“All right,” I said finally. “Then I’m done here.

” Pressing my hands against my knees, I stood, my movements deliberate.

“Whatever you need from me, take it. Then I will leave—for good.” I turned to Cormac, meeting his gaze with unwavering certainty.

“It’s time for me to return to Byron Bay and live my life away from everyone in this house. ”

The words came out steady, but they carried more weight than any spell or curse ever could. They weren’t just a declaration—they removed any tie that bound me to my family.

Cormac’s face remained like stone as Rory placed her hand on his shoulder.