Everest held his hand out and the tome we’d found in Seelie flew from Tegan’s leather jacket pocket. He held it up for everyone to see, turning to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “We must use this tome to permanently block the Unseelie from entering this realm. Or their injuries will never heal. Bentley’s arm will fester for the rest of his life, and it will grow worse and worse until it kills him. Willow will never be able to hear. Royce won’t speak. Emersyn will remain blind. Savannah’s hands will never work.” He paused to breathe, lowering the tome back to Tegan. “Esther, Deacon, Chutney, Kessler, and Bettina will die. Sooner rather than later.”

Jackson swayed on his feet, but Tenn was there to catch him before he fell. Tim hurried over and wrapped his arms around both boys. Mona sniffled and wiped tears from her cheek. Savannah and Emersyn leaned into each other. Hunter held one of Em’s hands tightly in his. Cooper and Bentley sat beside them, grabbing on to each other. Willow was rubbing her ears. Royce buried his face in Thiago’s shoulder. All around the room this new family of mine was grappling with the bomb Everest had just dropped.

Myrtle knows.

Everest reclaimed his seat, and I realized he’d stood up as a sign of respect and compassion for delivering horrific news. “Yes, she does.”

“I knew it.” I shivered as I remembered the looks on Esther’s parents’ faces. “She told Esther’s family. She must have. That’s why they looked the way they did. Dammit.”

“What about Easton and Lily?” Willow whispered, her big teary eyes watching my soulmate.

He shrugged. Everyone groaned.

Tenn exhaled a ragged breath and leaned into his uncle behind him. “Wait, we’ve been in the Land of the Lore before, and people were injured who then healed⁠—-”

“That was different. Those times, you ventured into the Land of the Lore while King Atzaran was alive. When he died, as beautiful as that moment was to watch, the doorway between the Unseelie realm and Earth opened as he’d tied that spell to his life. He intentionally made it so that if he was killed, Earth would suffer the consequences with the Unseelie. They are and have always been worse than the Seelie and the reason they had a civil war in the first place.”

Tenn swallowed roughly. “Did you know that would happen?”

Everest grimaced. “We suspected it. We simply thought we would have more time to prepare. That is why your Seelie friends have been busy elsewhere. Thorne, Sage, Saraphina, Ziva, and the angel brothers . . . they immediately went to work to try and buy you time. They’re still trying to buy you time.”

Katherine walked over and pressed her palm to Tim’s back. “So . . . if we don’t block the Unseelie from Earth permanently, the injured⁠—”