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“Explain,” Julian commanded.
“The magic of Olivia’s bloodline is tied not only to her physical form but also to her soul. Since souls are reincarnated, even if Olivia dies without an heir, eventually someone from her lineage will be reborn.”
Bryan shot to his feet, his body tense with suppressed violence. “But her death can buy us another century. Maybe two.”
“Or another decade,” Andrea snapped. “Unless you figured out how to schedule reincarnations?”
Bryan’s rumbling growl had Olivia cower closer to Marek. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance, witch.”
The same earthy-brown light as the ward shimmered around Andrea. “You can try, but I’m not the one trapped. I should send your head back to the fae realm.”
“My brethren would thank you,” Bryan said with a bitter laugh.
“Okay…” Olivia said, glancing between Bryan and Andrea’s livid faces. “You want to kill me to stop me from breaking this seal, but what if I promise not to break it?”
“It’s not up to you. Once it’s your turn, Drakos will find you and force you to break it.”
“My turn?”
Bryan clicked his tongue. “The seal has five parts, each one created by a different race. Together, its creators spelled it so the parts must be unlocked in a certain order.”
“So you don’t know if it’s my turn yet,” Olivia said.
“I don’t, but better safe than sorry,” Bryan said with a shrug. “Since the one in LA was destroyed, there are only four left. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Wait,” Marek said, his words slow as he worked through everything. “If you don’t know whether it’s Olivia’s turn yet, then how do you know Olivia is the one who can break the seal?”
“Not bad.” Bryan’s smile had no doubt charmed thousands of women. “The part of the seal from your mate’s bloodline also fuels the barrier between this realm and the fae realm. I can recognize her magic because it has the same taste as the barrier.”
“You’re not doing this to stop Drakos,” Blackmore said. “You’re doing this to stop your kind.”
“Both.” Bryan’s eyes narrowed. “Imagine how many people will die if my kind is free to roam the earth. They’ve been trapped for ten thousand years.” His golden eyes glittered with malicious delight. “They’rehungry.”
“Hungry for what?” Olivia gulped.
“The fae feed on emotions,” Andrea explained, her voice hard. “Like a vampire, they only need a small amount to sustain them, but they’ve been starved for so long…”
“They won’t be able to stop themselves,” Bryan finished for her. “Like a vampire lost to bloodlust.”
A shiver traveled down her spine at the ominous announcement. “You mean, if I break the seal, an entire race of famished immortals will descend on us?”
“Yes,” Bryan confirmed. “Imagine hordes of vampires but stronger, faster, with even fewer weaknesses and no regard for human life. Vampires only take blood, but the fae, we take everything. When lost to starvation, the fae will drain humans of everything they are. Their identity, their loves and hates, their happiness and fear, the fae will take it all.”
Olivia’s heart palpitated against her ribs, her breaths quickening. An image of a gaunt -looking, gray-skinned, golden-eyed fae dropping a limp body drained of life. His mouth was red with blood. Her wayward imagination had combined the image of a fae with a vampire.
Marek gripped her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Whatever’s going on in your brain, turn it off now. It’s not your turn yet, and I won’t allow you to even think about sacrificing yourself for the greater good, whatever the fuck that means.”
“I wasn’t thinking that, but now I am,” Olivia muttered, to which Marek responded with a furious snarl.
“Don’t listen to him,” Andrea said. “We won’t be overrun with fae. They’ll still have to use a portal to travel through realms. Besides, the seal has held up for thousands of years. It’s not going to break during your lifetime.”
Bryan chuckled, the sound chilling Olivia down to her soul. “Keep lying to yourself, witch. The first piece of the seal is broken. How long do you think the rest will last? A month? A decade?” Bryan stalked to the window as close as the ward allowed, his gaze locked on Andrea. “I’m sure you can sense it, the shadow creeping over the world. Why do you think, after her bloodline eluded me for centuries, fate dropped her”—a deadly glance at Olivia—“into my lap?”
Andrea’s swallow was audible. “It’s a coincidence.”
Olivia was too stuck on something Bryan said to care about his cold laugh. “You said my bloodline eluded you for centuries… you… did you hunt my family?”
“Yes.” No remorse. No sadness. Only cold, hard facts. Olivia stumbled back, grateful Marek caught her. Bryan stood with his arms behind him like he was addressing a roomful of subordinates. “It’s my sworn duty to uphold the barrier between the fae realm and earth, a barrier only your bloodline can break. Three centuries ago, I thought I’d killed the last one of you, but your family has found a way to hide your magical signature from me.” His gaze landed on Olivia’s wrist, on her bracelet, and his lips thinned. “Hmm, I see.”
