“I didn’t believe him at first, but the look on his face showed me he was genuinely scared for his child. I wanted to walk away and not help him, even if he was telling the truth that his daughter was the key to kill my people. Then I thought of Dom, Jax, and Kai, how we could be friends and trust each other, even though we were from different clans. Maybe this man could be trusted too. I agreed to meet with your father at a later time, as I had to get back to my realm. A week later I met your father at the same pub, but this time was different. I was keen to hear what he had to say, as I had done some research on what all the elders believed to be the key to power, and low and behold he was telling the truth—the blood of a witch-fae halfling with a pure heart is the key to sealing the fae realm from Earth. Ralph and I spoke for hours about you, Ryan. God, he loved you so much he was willing to risk his life to find me just so you could live.”

“I can’t heal the dead, Ryan. There is nothing I can do.” I wanted to argue with him, but I could see he was just as angry and heartbroken as I was. I tore my gaze away from Nico and looked down at my strong and courageous vampire. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “Do not cry for me mi amor, I will see you again” he sounded so certain, almost like a promise. “I love you, Melakai. I always wished you were real. And when I finally got my wish granted, I wasted so much time. I am so sorry, Kai. I swear on all that is holy in this world that I will avenge you and make anyone who hurt you suffer. You have my word.” I leaned down and kissed his cold, chapped lips. And then it all went black. I awoke next to Nico on the bed. Before anyone could say anything, Nico grabbed me an

Ryan's POV“You have to do the spell; the boys will know what spell to procure. Trust in yourself, you can do this.”“How can you be so sure?”“Because you are stronger than you know. He will need to play his part—you must do this spell.”I drifted out of my daydream and sighed. Yeah, I wasn’t just dreaming while sleeping now. I sit in my room, gazing out the window, not really seeing anything. The doubts of what I am supposed to do are creeping in. Kai’s gone. He’s actually fucking gone.I feel the tears starting to build again. Taking a steadying breath, I push my emotions back down. I can’t give in to my grief when there is a chance the tears will be wasted. I’ve spent the past three days in this room, planning, and plotting.Losing Kai was a hard pill to swallow; I didn&rsq

Ryan's POVI can see the look of heartbreak on Jax’s face. He’s devastated. He thought I was his mate, only to be told that I wasn’t, and to make matters worse, his true mate has rejected him. Jackson’s expression changes from heartbreak to betrayal. The woman he trusted so much has lied to him and broken his trust in the worst way possible. No one says a word as we wait for Jax to process the information and all its ramifications.“I think we should forget about this conversation and move on to figuring out how to help Ryan.” I was grateful for the subject change, but at the same time, I would love to slap Chase for bringing the attention back to me. So, I did what any grown-ass woman would do at that moment—I stalled.“I think we should all take a break and reconvene tonight. It seems like we could all use some time to ourselves.” Everyone quickly agreed and started shuffli

Ryan's POVHis touch was like fire, and my body felt so hot and needy from his proximity. I couldn’t think about him being this close to me. I was hurt, so hurt, from what I had just learned. Looking into his violet eyes made me feel things I shouldn’t feel. Kai had just died, and here I am begging Nico with my eyes to kiss me or fuck me. I was trying to shake myself out of my thoughts and pull away, but I couldn’t. I was a prisoner, and he had the key to release me. His eyes kept jumping from my mouth back to my eyes; he was contemplating whether or not he should kiss me.I wanted him to kiss me. If he did, I could escape my thoughts for a while. I knew I could get lost in Nico; he constantly hurts me with his lies, but he was the only one who could mend me. Nico was slowly leaning down, so close I could feel his breath on my lips. I snaked my tongue out to moisten them and his eyes followed my movement, his eyes turning so dark they