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“ Please change your mind,” I said desperately to Gwen five days later.

We were standing in the kitchen of my house in Berkeley. There’d been plenty of fallout from Jack. The rest of the night was still half a blur in my memory.

Damon had swept in and carried me out of the room, and one of his security guys—I had no memory of who—dealt with the gash on my hand.

After that Cassandra had ordered us out of the building and Gwen and I had been bundled into a car and driven back to the city. Meredith had been waiting at Damon’s house to finish the job of patching us up. I’d waved her off after she sealed the wound on my hand, but she’d spent a long time talking to Gwen, who was shocky and shaken, withdrawn like she had been in Slovenia. Meredith gave her something to help her sleep.

The next morning Cassandra and Lizzie had turned up, smoke stained and bleary eyed. They’d torched the office complex—owned, as it turned out, by one of the companies in the chain that owned Ajax’s apartment—and cleansed the site with Cerridwen’s help. Usuriel left before Cerridwen arrived.

Cassandra and Lizzie had also checked Gwen and I over, looking, I assumed for demon taint. But neither of the lesserkind had broken through our shields and—to my astonishment and relief—no one had fucking mentioned demonstone.

Mitch found Jake in the trunk of a car in the lowest level of St. Isidore’s parking lot. He was dehydrated and had a nasty concussion, but was going to be okay.

Gwen had stayed pale and quiet. She’d retreated to the game room, playing old tech games involving cute animals and magical farms, Lianith curled in her lap.

I’d joined her once or twice, but she’d made it clear that, while she was happy for the company, she wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened.

“Give her time,” Damon said. So did Lizzie and Audrey and Cassandra.

The second night, Lianith woke me and I followed her out to the garden. This time it wasn’t a nixling waiting for me, but Usuriel.

He inclined his head at me. Not quite a nod of approval but almost.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, still too exhausted to even wonder how he’d breached our wards.

“I came to see if you are well,” he said in a tone that was somewhat less scary than his usual Lord of the Nichtkin, Elder power, hear-me-and-tremble voice.

“The Cestis already checked me for demon taint. Perhaps they should examine you, my lord. You’re the one who splashed himself in lesserkind blood. Which was well-done, if messy.” It was as close as I would come to saying thank you to him. Thanks implied a debt.

“I would speak to your sister,” he said, not deigning to dignify my dig with a response.

I opened my mouth to refuse, and realized it was pointless. The secret of my parentage was out. The Fae present understood well enough what me being able to pass through Jack’s blood-locked ward meant. Cerridwen had had words with me about not telling her. I assumed she had the same conversation with Cassandra.

The atmosphere had been distinctly awkward. Callum and Gráinne had both been making themselves scarce. But Lianith had stayed put.

Hopefully her staying was a sign that I hadn’t completely fallen out of Cerridwen’s good graces or set human-Fae relations back a few centuries.

“She’s sleeping,” I said.

“There is a light on in her window.” He tilted his head in the direction of Gwen’s room before he returned those dark eyes to me, his expression cool.

I could tell him she’d been sleeping with the light on the last two nights, but it wouldn’t help. He knew where her room was. If he could break the wards of the garden, no doubt he could enter the house if he tried.

“I’ll go ask her if she wants to talk to you. But I’m not going to force her.”

He inclined his head again.

When I’d shaken Gwen awake and explained, I’d expected her to refuse. Instead, she said she’d talk to him. She and Usuriel retreated to the kitchen garden to talk. I’d stayed with Lianith on the stairs to the deck, wishing desperately for Fae hearing.

Nearly thirty minutes passed before Gwen came back. Without Usuriel.

She wouldn’t tell me what he wanted. Just said, “You don’t need to worry about me. Go back to bed,” before proceeding to do that herself.

But now, in the hazy light of a foggy summer morning she had told me Usuriel had offered her a place in his court if she wished to return to the realm. And that she wanted to go.

“Why on earth would you go back there?” I asked blankly.

“No demons,” she said simply. “I’m sorry, Maggie, I’m not you. I’m not a hero. Those…things. I never want to see one again.”

“Is Usuriel’s court any better?”

“He saved us,” she pointed out. “And there are no demons in the realm.”

Saving us had been something of a group effort. And I’d been the one to free her from Jack’s circle. But as much as the need to point that out burned on my tongue, I didn’t think it would help.

“He knows you’re half-Fae, half-witch. He might want to use that to his advantage.”

She pushed her hair back from her face, irritation clouding her eyes. “I know that. I want you and the Cestis to negotiate for me. Make sure he doesn’t.”

I gaped at her. “You want me to help you run away again?” Help her to leave me behind? Just when we’d found each other?

“Yes. If you care about me. I’m telling you this is what I need.”

I’d wanted to scream. But I couldn’t refuse.

Which was why, two days later, we stood in my kitchen. Negotiations concluded. Usuriel agreed that I could see Gwen now and then in Cerridwen’s territory. If she wanted to see me. I’d tried to claim the right of family but he’d shot me down, saying that only worked for the Fae half of the equation.

But we’d nailed down an agreement permitting Gwen to leave if she chose and avoided her swearing service to Usuriel. And confirming Morgaine would bring no claim against Gwen for leaving as abruptly as she had. Gwen would be an honored guest. Unless she decided otherwise.

We hadn’t been able to do much about Gwen’s unknown mother but Usuriel had agreed to keep Gwen safe and let us know immediately if her mother revealed herself and tried to make any sort of claim. It was the best we could do. I wanted to lock her in a basement until she came to her senses, of course, but I couldn’t do that. She had to make her own choices.

I only hoped she’d keep her head. I didn’t trust Usuriel on this. He’d tried so hard to keep me out of the realm. Now, knowing that Gwen was a likely demon target, why did he want her?

But I hadn’t been able to change her mind, though it was breaking my heart. I’d only just found her and now she was going to leave.

“Change your mind,” I said again, voice catching.

She hugged me gently. “I’m sorry. I can’t. Not now. I need to feel safe. He can give me that.”

Bitter laughter choked me. She trusted Usuriel to protect her over us. I hoped that choice wasn’t going to haunt us all.

But I climbed into the car with her, after Usuriel signed the agreement, and Damon and I rode with her to the Rose Garden and the door.

I even managed to let her go after hugging her one last time. Then leaned into Damon, not sure my legs were going to hold me up.

The door opened and Usuriel walked through first. He turned to watch Gwen follow and his black eyes caught mine. The smile that flickered across his face was entirely too self-satisfied to make me feel any better. I fought my urge to drag Gwen back to the car and safety. I had no right to do it.

She’d made her choice. Safety, not family.

When the door closed, I pressed my face into Damon’s chest and sobbed, heartbroken.

“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you. I’ll always be here.”

I clung to him harder. Gwen had chosen safety. But Damon was my safe place. And though it felt like a piece of my heart had cracked all over again, it would have to be enough.

For now.

THE END