She held his eyes and nodded once.

“Yes, Gregor. We’re agreed.”

He grabbed his phone and hit the button, which made the call.

He put it to his ear.

The call was answered with, “Is it time?”

“It’s time. Release them.”

“It will be done,” the voice said.

He listened for the disconnect before he drew in a long breath and let it out.

“They won’t be happy,” he told the desk blotter.

“They slaughtered entire villages.”

Regan’s voice was so harsh, coming from a gentle she-wolf such as she, Gregor’s eyes cut to her in surprise.

“We have no choice,” she finished.

She was right.

They had no choice.

He just hoped, if they survived whatever was to come, The Three would agree.

* * * * *

Barb

“We’re all in?”

Barb looked around.

Flo was nodding.

Jezza looked worried, but she was nodding too.

Ruby was just staring at her.

“Ruby?” Barb prompted.

“Could mean the death of us, our entire coven wiped out, all of this in less than two weeks,” Ruby replied.

“Could also mean, we don’t do what we can, we don’t help, next month our coven is hiding our magic, serving tea to an immortal, and doing that crap until the day we die,” Barb replied.

“See your point,” Ruby muttered.

“So, you’re in?” Barb pressed.

Ruby hesitated.

Then she nodded.

“Good,” Barb said and turned to the vials filled with fizzing pink liquid that were on the dresser in her bedroom. She passed them around, saying, “I’ll get Aurora’s to her.” Her eyes slid through Flo and Jezza. “You’ll take care of the wolves and the brothers Jin?”

At their nods, she gave them more vials.

When she gave Ruby hers, she asked, “You’ll speak to Teona?”

“Yup,” Ruby answered.

Barb gave her a second vial.

In their thoughts, preparing for what was to come, they all went to the blessed instruments sitting on Barb’s bed, chose one, and moved toward the door.

“See you in your dreams,” Barb called to their departing backs.

Ruby, the last one out, caught her gaze.

“See you in your dreams, my beloved sister,” she whispered.

Then she closed the door.

The minute she did, Barb went to the bed, made her choice and slipped the blade under her pillow. She would sleep with her hand around the handle.

Then she did what she very much as a mother did not want to do but had to.

She left her room to find her daughter.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Pray with Me

Leah

Lucien moved his lips and tongue at my neck where I knew the wounds he’d given me but moments before were gone.

He lay atop me, one arm curved around my back, the fingers of his other hand laced in mine and pressed to the bed at our sides.

He was still buried deep inside me, unmoving, keeping us connected, giving me much of his weight, his warmth. His fingers tangled in mine, holding so fast that the rings he’d given me as a symbol of everything that was us dug into the base of my fingers.