Page 139 of Fae Farewells

“Hurry the fuck up,” Charlie snarled.

“What the Hell?” Nate whispered, speeding away.

I chased after him, sliding into the dining room in time to witness the color fade from Nate’s face.

“What is it?” I demanded.

Amelia pointed at the map stretched across the table, the black gem sitting on top of our location. I wanted to be skeptical, saying my mate was rusty…

But Miller Lynch had explained the magic she’d imbued in that sliver of Kyanite. It worked off intent, so as long as Amelia was concentrating on Alric, it would show her where he was. It was the same way they’d found Anahein.

“He’s here?” Nate asked.

“He’s here,” Sam assured us.

“Fuck.” Charlie kicked a chair. “Can we just kill him now?”

I shook my head. “No—”

“He’s my brother,” Amelia argued. “Let me speak to him.”

Nate cut his eyes to me, and I dipped my head. His point was made, and this was an issue.

“Star,” I called softly. “Talking to him will change nothing. The damage is done. The deal was made twenty-five years ago. We’ve all had time to come to terms with this.”

“What if he’s changed?”

“He hasn’t changed,” Charlie retorted. “He became worse while we were raising Sloane.”

“He’s been unchecked until recently,” Sam explained. “He was hunting Sloane, but he couldn’t get close without giving himself away.”

She gazed at us, lost and unsure. “What if he just—”

“No,” Charlie growled. “No. He wants to kill our daughter. There are no more what ifs, Amelia. He’s grown too strong for us to fight. She’s the only one that can kill him. This is the way it has to be.”

“It doesn't have to be this way,” she debated. “We could—”

“No,” the wolf repeated. “You made this deal without us. You sealed this fate. We’ve stood by you, even while you sat in that cell because of him. But I won’t stand by while you sacrifice yourself to attempt to talk some sense into him, or while you sacrifice us. I sure as Hell won’t let you fuck up all the work Sloane has done to stop him.”

“He’s not your brother anymore,” Sam affirmed. “The Alric you knew is gone. He’s something else entirely.”

She stared at the map, taking several deep breaths before she finally confessed, “I want to see the best in him.”

“We’ve lived this nightmare for decades,” Nate murmured. “Over a century, Amelia. The end is near. We have to let this play out.”

“What if he kills her?”

Sam chuckled. “That’ll just piss her off.”

“I’m not joking,” she snapped.

“Neither is he,” Charlie replied. “That girl has died more times than I can count.”

“Amelia,” a voice rang out, piercing my memories with years of torture from his hands.

Nate clutched her hand, imploring her, “We can’t fight him. We might not stay dead, but there are worse things—”

“Then what do we do?” she inquired.