“I won’t,” she told him. Tears streamed into her hair. It was a beautiful joining, despite the uncertainty that awaited them.
They reached their orgasm together with mutual cries and floated down. He held her as long as he could, then slipped out of her. Standing by the bed, he clothed himself again, then her, with a wave of his hand.
“I wish I could take you far away from here. Just run from the fight with you.”
“But you’re not made that way.”
His smile was heartbreaking as he took her hand. “No. And you wouldn’t love me if I were. Hold on. I’ll take you back.”
Before she could protest, the room disappeared. The same sense of flying shot a thrill through her, and it wasn’t as nauseating as before. In moments, her feet touched solid ground and she found they were standing outside Sariel’s room. Kalen knocked, and it took several seconds before the door opened and his brother stood gaping at them.
“Good gods!” The prince ushered them inside and glanced up and down the hallway before shutting and locking the door. He faced Kalen with worry. “Are you mad? If Nick finds you here, all hell is going to break loose. Again.”
“He won’t. I’m not staying long. I just brought Mackenzie back, and then I’m joining in the fight. On the Pack’s side.”
“That’s not what Nick believes.” Sariel eyed his brother.
“He’ll believe it when he’s faced with the proof. I can’t do any more than that to convince him.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do. I told my mate and I’ll tell you—I don’t run from a fight.”
“You seem in control of yourself. Nothing like what I saw earlier.”
“It’s a lot harder than it looks,” Kalen said, his expression bleak. “Mackenzie grounds me, and it’s worse when people or circumstances interfere with our harmony.”
“She won’t be with you in this fight. How will she ground you then?”
“I’ll just have to keep her and the baby in my thoughts. And my real family—you and my Pack brothers. All I can give it is my best shot.”
“I’m joining you. I’m not standing by this time and allowing all of you to fight my battles.” He held up a hand to forestall Kalen’s argument. “I am Malik’s son as well, and this conflict started because of me.”
“No. It started because of Malik’s plot to create super-shifters. The Pack was already after him. They just didn’t know who they were chasing for a long time, and you being related to him and on his hit list was pure coincidence. You’re under their protection now and they don’t resent that one bit.”
“That’s true,” Mac put in. “Everyone adores you.”
Sariel’s face colored a bit. “Well, I think the world of everyone here and I’d hate to leave.”
Kalen’s expression hardened. “You won’t have to. We’re going to give that asshole a taste of what super-shifters really are—and he’s not going to be able to handle the reality check we hand him.”
“I think I’m going to enjoy having you for a brother,” Sariel told him with a smile.
“Same here.” Kalen glanced at Mac. “Give us a minute, baby?”
She nodded and the pair moved across the room, murmuring in hushed voices. Sariel seemed upset but eventually capitulated to whatever Kalen was speaking to him about. Apparently satisfied, Kalen pulled the prince into a brief embrace, then let him go. Kalen returned to Mac and gave her a hug as well, ending hers with another searing kiss.
“When this is over, we’re taking a vacation in Fiji. Just so you can start packing.”
She gave him a watery smile. “Sounds good to me.”
“I love you, baby.”
“Love you more,” she choked out. Before she could say anything else, he vanished. She gazed at the spot where he’d been. “What did he say to you?”
Sariel just sighed heavily.
“Tell me.”
“He asked me to take care of you and the baby if he doesn’t come home. But he will,” the prince said fiercely. “We have to believe that.”
She was trying. Really, really trying to keep the faith.
But it was getting harder with each passing second.
* * *
Nick was perched on the edge of the conference table, slurping as much coffee as he could to keep himself going, like many of his Pack.
They were all tense. Waiting. Jax and Zan were scouting the perimeter, using the cover of darkness to locate Malik and his Sluagh. A crack of lightning split the sky outside the window and thunder rolled again, the time in between shorter. Stronger. The storm was closer and moving in fast.
And out of the blue, the vision held him in its icy grip.
Nick was kneeling in the middle of a field, racked with pain as cold rain lashed down, stinging like needles. Lightning split the sky, took a jagged path to the soaked earth, scorching it in spite of the downpour.
All around him, his Pack battled the Sluagh. His brave men cutting a swath through Malik’s batlike Unseelie minions, losing ground with every passing second. There were hundreds of the terrible beasts, swarming, screeching. Far too many for either fierce wolves or men with magical gifts to defeat.
They were all going to die.
High on a pinnacle stood the Sorcerer with his staff, holding it aloft. Screaming at the Unseelie enemy, at the heavens for help that would not come.
And then a bolt of lightning streaked from the boiling black clouds, making the night as day just before it hit the end of the Sorcerer’s staff. A massive detonation shook the ground and the world fell away.
Fell and fell. Taking Nick and his men into the abyss.
“Nick!” Was that Ryon? “Nick!”
He blinked to find Ryon crouched over him, patting his cheek. “Shit.”
“What did you see, boss?”
He took the hand up Ryon offered and met each of their worried stares. He’d never told his men about the vision before. But maybe it was time he did. They needed to know what they were facing. The dire odds.
So he told them in detail. And when he was finished, the pall in the room was palpable. Never had he seen such doubt and fear on their faces, and he almost regretted it.