Ozias immediately realized there was some kind of problem and froze before putting another bite in his mouth. He glanced at Nick, who had immediately locked his gaze onto the stranger in their midst. Nick had turned slightly to the side, shielding his daughter between his chest and his mate’s back.

  “He’s a friend,” Achim explained softly.

  Nick turned his attention to Solomon, even though he didn’t move from his protected position behind Jedrek.

  But Ozias… Ozias hadn’t taken his eyes off Robin. He reached beneath the table for Achim’s leg and squeezed.

  “I do not know the protocol.” Ozias’s voice sounded stiff.

  Everyone quieted once more, and their attention turned to him. Ozias squeezed Achim’s leg again but straightened his spine. “Alpha, forgive me if I misstep, but… may I approach the child?”

  Nick growled and took a step back. Jedrek moved in front of them, blocking Ozias’s view of his mate and daughter.

  “Why?” Jedrek asked, his eyes flashing a dangerous shade of red.

  Achim reached down and covered Ozias’s hand, which still clung to Achim’s leg.

  “Her magic is—” He paused, glanced at Achim, then back to Jedrek. “—tainted.”

  Nick growled again, but Achim looked at his packmate for support. “Jed…”

  “No magic unless I say it’s okay first,” Jedrek said.

  “I would never use magic on your child without your permission,” Ozias said softly. “Mother would skin me.”

  “Mother?” Nick asked.

  “Hecate, the Goddess of Hell,” Ozias explained as he slowly pushed to his feet. “She has no patience for those who abuse the basic rules of magic, including me.”

  Robin whimpered in her sleep and snuggled closer to Nick. He began to sway back and forth while nuzzling her face with his.

  Jedrek seemed torn but allowed Ozias to approach. “Her wings hurt, but we can’t seem to find a way to fix them.”

  “She can’t retract them?” Ozias asked softly.

  Jedrek shook his head. “It’s messing with her back. The weight—it’s too much for her. We’re doing everything we can, but none of the healers have been able to help. We’ve tried everything.”

  Before Ozias came closer, Ryan appeared between Jedrek and Ozias. He looked up at Nick with a grin. “He’s okay, Alpha. I like him.”

  Nick smiled down at Ryan before glancing at Ozias once more “Yeah?”

  Ryan nodded. “Even though he touched Achim’s butt. I don’t get it. Alpha Sol touches Cody’s butt sometimes too. And you’re always touching Jedrek’s butt when you think we aren’t looking. Alpha, why do grown-ups touch each other’s butts?”

  Nick grinned. “Well—”

  “Your Papa and I will talk to you about that when we get home, Ryan.” Shelly’s voice did the mom thing, and they all nodded, not daring to contradict her.

  Nick nuzzled Robin once more, but the tension had left his gaze. He glanced at Ozias before speaking. “You can come closer.”

  Ozias lowered his head respectfully—a gesture Achim never thought the prince would make—then moved forward. He tentatively reached out his hand and laid it against Robin’s back. He closed his eyes and breathed.

  “What’re you doin’?” Nick grumbled his question, but it didn’t sound like a threat.

  “Listening,” Ozias answered softly. He removed his hand and stepped back. “Her magic is… choking. I don’t know a better word for it.”

  The entire room tensed. Achim turned to Jedrek for help, but his packmate only had eyes for his mate and child.

  “Can you help?” Achim asked the question the others must be thinking. They’d been trying to help Robin for so long and had exhausted every resource they had. Not even Puteri, with all her fae magic, had been able to undo the damage that had been done to her.

  “You should fix Robin,” Ryan said. He turned and looked up at Ozias with such sincerity that Achim couldn’t help but reach out and put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It’s the right thing to do, right, Achim? Papa says sometimes we gotta do things we don’t like, but if it’s the right thing, we gotta suck it up. I don’t like talkin’ about the bad place, but Papa says it’s for the best ’cause there’s still stuff we gotta know, and only a kid like me can remember stuff that’ll help the others. Right, Papa?”

  Walt appeared behind his son and had him wrapped in a hug within a second. “Yeah. I say crap like that all the time, don’t I.”

  “Yeah. It’s not crap, though. You’re not supposed to say you’re crap. Mama says—”

  “Yeah, I know. Don’t go quotin’ your mama on me again. We both know she’s always right.”

  Ryan tucked his face into Walt’s shoulder. “Achim’s friend should fix Robin if he can, Papa. It’s right. Alpha Sol, you think it’s right too, don’t you?”

  All eyes turned to the hellhound alpha, who’d been quiet and watching. Achim’s breath caught, and Ozias gripped his hand.

  “That decision isn’t up to us, Ryan. Since Robin is too little to say what she wants, Alpha Nick and Jed have to figure out what’s best.”

  “It’s best for her back to not hurt anymore.” Ryan nodded and turned his attention to Ozias. “You should explain it to Alpha, though. He likes to know the magic stuff because he don’t know shit about magic. He says so all the time to the coven who lives with the pack. Did you know our pack has a coven, Achim’s friend?”

  “I did not know about your coven. And you may call me Ozias, young one.”

  “Ozias. That’s a cool name. What’s it mean? Mine means little king.”

  “You certainly have the wisdom of a king, young Ryan.”

  Ryan grinned. “I like you. Can you show me what your stick thing does? It looks like a wand, except bigger. Is it a wand, Ozias?”

  “Why must humans insist on insulting my staff?”

  Ryan frowned. “Huh?”

  “It’s called a staff,” Achim explained. “Calling it a stick is sort of like when your papa calls your tablet your big phone thingy.”

  “Oooh.” Ryan nodded, fully understanding. “It’s a great staff, Ozias. The best one I’ve ever seen in my whole life.”

  Achim couldn’t help his grin. This kid had taken over the entire conversation and had them all wrapped around his finger. Even the Prince of Hell had given Ryan his full attention.

  “Others in the human realm use staffs?”

  Ozias’s question was addressed to Ryan, who was quick to respond.

  “Oh, no way. Staffs are way too cool for us. But, like, in movies and stuff. Yours is the best, though.”

  Ozias scowled. “What’s a movie?”

  Ryan gasped in horror. He turned to Achim, his eyes wide. “He… he’s never…”

  “They don’t have electronics where he’s from,” Achim explained.

  Ryan wiggled out of Walt’s embrace and ran over to Ozias before looking up at him with an all-too-serious expression on his face. “Okay, here’s the thing: I gotta show you stuff. It’s important. Don’t let anyone else show you or it’ll be bad. Papa don’t know sh—sorry, Mama. I just remembered that’s a bad word. But anyway, let me explain how things work, okay?”

  “You have my word of honor,” Ozias said solemnly.

  Ryan let out a sigh of relief. “This is gonna be awesome. But first you should take care of Robin, okay? Then Achim, because he doesn’t take very good care of himself sometimes. Mama says so. But then, after that, I’ll show you.”

  Achim tried not to react to Ryan’s words, but he couldn’t help glancing over at Shelly. She had her head in her hands, but her shoulders were shaking with laughter.

  “Well, now that we have our marching orders, I think it’s about time we head home. You ready to go, Ry?” Walt appeared to be holding back a grin as well.

  Achim glared at him.

  “But Papa, what if Ozias needs help?”

  “Then Alpha Sol will do that time-face whatever video thing with you. We gotta get Mama home. It’s past time.”

  Ryan seemed satisfied with the arrangement. He looked at Ozias with the same seriousness Achim had often seen on Walt’s face. The kid was becoming more like his papa every day. “Have Achim call me if you need me.”

  Ozias nodded, even though Achim could tell he had no clue what exactly Ryan meant. “I will have him summon you.”

  Ryan shook his head, his face crestfallen as he took Walt’s hand and the family headed toward the back exit of the bar. The poor boy was clearly heartbroken. “I bet he doesn’t even know what Google is.”

  The door shut behind them moments later, and half the pack began to snicker. The tenseness of before had eased, and for that, Achim planned on buying Ryan one of those ridiculous gift cards he loved that let him buy stuff for the characters in his game.

  “Now, where were we before we were put in our places by a ten-year-old?” Cody asked before he cracked up and leaned against Solomon.

  Achim squeezed Ozias’s hand gently as Nick and Jedrek finished whatever conversation they were having by staring at each other. Jedrek turned to Achim before glancing down at Achim and Ozias’s clasped hands. He looked up again and let out a breath. “You trust him?”

  And Achim didn’t have to pause to think of his answer. “I do.”

  Ozias

  With Achim’s words, the rest of the tension left the room. Ozias found himself shaken by them as well, although he did his best to hide the depth of his emotions.

  Achim glanced over at him, and his expression softened. “You should help her if you can. Ryan was right, as usual.”

  “He was,” Nick added. “Our girl… she needs help, and we haven’t been able to do much more than ease some of her pain.”

  Jedrek nodded his agreement. “We’ve tried everything.”

  “If her alphas approve, then I will assist.”

  Ozias reached into his bag and withdrew several tools. His magic buzzed beneath his skin, sensing the importance of the task at hand. It saddened him to think the child had suffered so long because magic in the human realm was so muddled.

  The lack of understanding of such basic principles of their ways—their magic, their history—it confounded Ozias. How could they go forward if their past was so mired in darkness and mistaken beliefs?

  Ozias carefully positioned his trusty stones in a circle around the small family. “This will keep you safe from any interference,” Ozias explained as he did the chore. “And my runes will serve as a focus so only the magic I require will be performed.”

  “So it’s like a safety. Can’t go off with the safety on.”

  Ozias didn’t understand the reference.

  Luckily, Achim did. “That’s right. I’ve seen him do this before. It’s sort of like the portal stones at the compound. It doesn’t stop magic completely; it only allows very specific magic to be performed.”

  “Precisely,” Ozias agreed.

  He drew the runes carefully before rising and surveying the small child still sleeping fitfully against the alpha’s chest. Nick cuddled her close, his eyes assessing each movement Ozias made.

  Ozias could sense the power beneath the alpha’s skin. It shone pure and bright, brighter, in fact, than any he’d ever seen before, including that of the hellhound alpha standing a few feet away. “You were blessed by the Goddess.”

  Nick arched a brow. “Yeah. You got a problem with that?”

  “No. It is impressive, the amount of magic you hold, and a true gift of the highest form to be trusted so fully by a Goddess.”

  Jedrek groaned. “Don’t go telling him that. He’ll never let me forget it. It’ll become a thing.”

  Ozias frowned, unsure what mistake he’d made. These humans were very confusing. Unlike Achim, he couldn’t read their emotions by simply looking at them. And their words—he’d forgotten what a challenge it was to communicate with beings from other realms. The rune he used to speak the human language was powerful indeed, but it didn’t provide the explanations to the meaning of the words.

  “Nick’s ego is as big as yours,” Achim teased. “Jedrek doesn’t want you telling him how powerful he is or he’ll do nothing but brag about it.”

  Ozias would have been annoyed if the teasing gleam hadn’t brightened Achim’s face.

  “So I shouldn’t reveal that his power rivals the hellhound alpha himself? Okay. I’ll keep that to myself.”

  Jedrek groaned, but Achim laughed.

  The sound lifted Ozias and sent a bright spark of hope through him. The more interesting thing, though, was Nick’s reaction. Ozias turned his attention back to the alpha still holding the fragile child in his arms. He wasn’t fooled at all by Ozias’s words. In fact, Ozias felt certain that Nick had known the strength of the lion inside him all along.

  They shared a glance, and the alpha’s knowing gaze reminded him of his mother: strong and steady, but deadly when pushed. It seemed fitting, somehow, as the alpha calmed the child once more when she whimpered in pain.

  “Will it hurt her?” Nick asked softly.

  “I’m honestly unsure. It will certainly be uncomfortable, but to what extent… I won’t know until I begin unraveling the damage. I will work slowly and can stop at your request.”

  “Is there anything we can do to help?” Solomon asked.

  Ozias studied the magic for a brief moment. “I could filter some of the damage through one of you to reduce her—”

  “Do it.”

  “Use me.”

  “I will.”

  The chorus of volunteers surrounded him before he’d even finished his thought. Everyone in the room had offered and had even stepped forward.

  “It should be me,” Jedrek said softly.

  “No,” Achim argued as he stepped closer to Ozias. “She’ll need you for after. I can do it.”

  “Achim—” Solomon’s low growl drew everyone’s attention, but Ozias simply stared at his beast for a long moment.

  “Our magic is already familiar with each other,” Ozias added. “It will make the process easier.”

  “Then that settles it.”

  Achim hadn’t hesitated, but the hellhound alpha’s low growl indicated his disapproval.

  Ozias looked at Solomon and placed his hand over his heart. “I will use caution, Alpha.”

  The increased respect seemed to work, soothing Solomon’s ruffled feathers. These beasts in the human realm were more prickly than a wendigo on a hunger strike.

  Solomon’s eyes flared with the deep red of an unsettled hellhound. Ozias had enough experience with the actual beasts to understand the message. His pack was at risk, and the alpha was ready, and able, to defend them without mercy. As it should be.

  With one final glance toward Achim, Ozias once again placed his hand against the young girl’s back.

  “Alpha, you should hold her steady.”

  Nick nodded and adjusted his grip on her.

  Ozias turned to Jedrek next. “Ground them.”

  Jedrek nodded and wrapped his arms around his mate and their child.

  “What is her name?” Ozias asked softly as he slowly opened his magic and let it begin its task.

  “Robin,” Nick answered.

  His rune provided the definition in his mind, and he pictured a bright bird with brilliant blue wings. It fit her, and Ozias would do whatever it took to help her be as free as the bird in his mind’s eye.

  The early steps were easy. Ozias let his magic soothe the broken magic he discovered, and the strain eased. The difficulty would be to untangle the knotted mess left behind.

  Strands tangled together that should never mix. Fae magic curled around something dark and powerful. Achim touched Ozias’s shoulders as he allowed his magic to go deeper. He twisted his around the gnarled mass and slowly began to unweave the cords.

  Some would have to be cut, which would be painful. But they didn’t belong, and Ozias’s magic began to separate the broken strands that were never meant to be there.

  Robin whimpered and everyone tensed. Ozias continued his work, though. He would stop at her alpha’s command. He would know when they’d gone far enough.

  He tugged at the dark threads he found and passed them through to Achim. His rune on Achim’s chest responded to the invasion by dissipating the magic, filtering it and making it harmless, while his own magic focused on the task at hand.

  The knots slowly unraveled, and Ozias lost himself to the rhythm of the task. Pull, twist, tug, and release. Each movement carefully executed by his magic to cause the least damage possible. The deeper he went, the worse the damage became. It was as if a tumor grew at the base of her wings, keeping her true powers from working.

  This magic, though, had embedded itself within hers so deeply it grew difficult to find what was meant to be there and what was not.

  He opened his eyes when Robin choked on a cry of pain. The alpha’s gaze met his, his control tested as his child hurt.

  “She may not recover the use of her wings if I proceed,” Ozias said gently. “The damage is at the base. I can help them retract, but it may be permanent.”

  Nick closed his eyes as the words sank in. He opened them again and sought out his mate. “Jed?”

  The mates locked gazes for a long moment before the hellhound turned to Ozias. “But she won’t be in pain anymore? And the wings won’t be out?”

  “I can’t promise no pain—it will depend on many factors. But it will be less than before, and her frame will grow stronger without the added weight.”

  “I suppose that’s the best we can hope for, huh?” Nick said sadly.

  “Who knows what miracles will come,” Ozias said. “We should not lose hope for what will be.”

  “Okay,” Nick said. “Do it.”

  “Achim?” Ozias glanced over his shoulder, warning his beast to brace himself for what was to come.

  “I’m good. Do what you’ve gotta do.”

  Ozias nodded and sank back into his task. He’d gone slow and gentle for as long as he was able. He surrounded the darkness with his light, and it began to be smothered. It fought back, and so did Robin. She cried out and thrashed against the alpha, but he held true. Ozias jerked the mass and shoved it back toward Achim.

 

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