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She also noticed that Jag’s hand stroked the side of her friend’s neck, long, gentle strokes Skye pushed between the deer gathered around hiave the Feral a kiss on the cheek

He scowled as she knelt to pull the tethers froainst the driving wind and rain "Can the gratitude, Glinda I told you I’d get ’eot ’em You saved us, I saved your friends We’re even"

"The blade?" Paenther called

"No sign of it And that hall is gone, now It pan-caked about two seconds after I got Bambi and her friends out of there"

One by one, Skye looked into the beautiful creatures’ eyes, sharing her joy in their survival, feeling their war love in return, then sent them far away

Finally, she kissed Faithful "Go, dear one Be safe" Faithful hesitated, then pressed her cheek against Skye one last tiuar, tears in her eyes "You’re a better ," she said softly

He scowled at her again "You’re wrong, Sabrina My heart is as black as they come, and it always has been"

She could see the utter truth of his words in his eyes Or at least, a truth he fully believed He rong

But she had a feeling telling hiain, violently Paenther’s hand landed on her soaked head "We have to go Now! Just how ht Maybe nine"

Vhyper laughed "Serves the fuckers right"

"Yeah, well let’s hope we can get out of here before Nature’s fury rips this rabbed Paenther’s hand and ran as the earth began to cave in behind the back

But she feared the only future she wanted, one with Paenther at her side, was nothing rimly as he drove them back to Feral House

"I killed hih the closed car

Paenther looked at hi the pain he heard in his friend’s voice They were in Tighe’s Land Rover, Delaney riding in front with her mate, Vhyper in back with Skye and hio area behind the and Wulfe back in Paenther’s Escalade

"You didn’t kill hi his friend to believe the words he kneere true "The Mage killed him when they stole his soul"

The car went silent except for the swish of the windshield wipers and the gusts of wind buffeting the Land Rover Any rejoicing at Vhyper’s and Jag’s return was dampened by the hard truth of Foxx’s death and Vhyper’s earlier announcement that the three wraith Dae Goddess knehere the Daeone, but Paenther felt certain they’d know soon enough Just as soon as the first bodies of their victi Vhyper was teular waves He didn’t knohat the sorcerers had done to hie in a way he never had before Like there was still so inside hi’s wrong with your ani like he’s sick I’m worried about him"

He looked down into the copper-and-blue eyes he’d coainst his shoulder again, he held her, needing the feel of her against him

"If this is too insensitive, tell me and I’ll shut up," Delaney said from the front seat "But what happens now? With Foxx? Or the fox spirit?"

Tighe answered her without hesitation clearly relieved to end the silence "Within the next feeeks a new Feral will be marked Sometime in the next year or two, he’ll find his way to us If he doesn’t, he’ll die, clearing the way for one ill"

Vhyper aze over Skye’s head "I can’t decide if I should thank you for freeing h to choke "I’s I’ve done, BP"

"You will, Vhype Because you didn’t do them The darkness that held you captive did And because I’iven up on me"

He saw Skye’s hand reach out and take Vhyper’s To his surprise and relief, his friend didn’t pull away but curved his hand around her smaller one and held on as if her touch alone kept hi apart into a million pieces A tiny curl of jealousy slid around Paenther’s heart, then dissipated He was about to take as his mate a woman, an enchantress, to whom all the Ferals would be drawn on some level And while she’d told him she had no particular affinity for snakes, she had a heart big enough to care for all creatures, two-legged and four- And those without any legs at all, for that matter

It was a ht without hesitation He was about to take as his mate

He stared out the , stunned, and yetcertain He was taking her as his ly bind himself to her for all eternity

They wouldn’t be able to live at Feral House, of course Not with her being Mage, but it didn’t matter He’d find a safe house nearby and split his ti away froave hiood on that prooddess stone, dressed in nothing but a filown, Kara and Delaney on either side of her as they waited for the Ferals to raise the Feral Circle The winds weren’t as bad this far from the mountains, and the rains had ended, but the sky was still dark despite sunrise being nearly upon the form tense with a pain she prayed she could ease Inside hireet her He barely lifted his head at all But she felt his will, felt hihe had called Lyon as they’d driven in from the mountains and told him Paenther was in bad shape

When they’d arrived at Feral House, the Sha, ready to clear Birik’s spells froe was dead Kara had helped her change into the ritual gown once he was done The oddess stone

All but Vhyper Vhyper alone relad to have the warrior back, but he didn’t entirely trust him yet None of the Ferals did, except Paenther Sadly, they seemed to trust her not to hijack the ritual more than they trusted one of their own

Paenther came to her and took her hands "Are you ready?"

"I need to know so about how to make this work, and I need to knohat Ancreta did to you to cause this rift in the first place Itit" She touched his face, loving him with her eyes "Tell azed down at her, his eyes pained, yet filled with love Once one "She opened in to reh But I think we need to open your mind as I pull the power"

He released one hand to stroke her jaw, his eyes gentle on her face "Do you want to do this soot over any shyness about o No, I think we need to do it here We’re going to need to raise the power of the panther again He’s the one who has to do most of the work, and he’s weak, Paenther He has to breach the gap Ancreta forth you can give him to do it"

She pressed her palain, but all the Ferals had doffed their shirts to prepare for the ritual Through the link of flesh, she stroked the ani hiet him the power he needed to find his way back to Paenther

"Does he knoe’re doing?"