Blake, what the hell are we supposed to do now?" Jace asked.
After Cassie stormed out, the three men stood there in the dark, stunned into silence.
Blake ran a hand through his hair. He'd hoped that telling Cassie the full truth would convince her to come with them, but instead, it only made her angrier. He was at his wit's end. People didn't usually tell him no.
He commanded warriors back home without question. Yet here they were, with the future of the Seven Realms resting on Cassie's shoulders, and she wanted nothing to do with it. It pissed him off, and it scared him.
"Jace. Kai. Let's go back to my room."
Without another word, Blake turned and walked out. Jace and Kai followed, quietly closing the door behind them.
Blake needed Kai. He knew Cassie better than either of them. If anyone could reach her, it was him.
Learning that Kai was her fated mate had been a shock, but in retrospect, it made sense. His earlier protectiveness, his defiance...it all aligned now. And the way he stood his ground against both him and Jace?
Blake wasn't sure whether to be proud for Cassie or concerned. Kai was young, yet clearly skilled…dangerously so.
In truth, Blake had the sinking feeling that if Kai had wanted to hurt them, he could have. It was like he was holding back, trying to get them to leave on their own accord but they didn't.
The only damage they'd managed to inflict were the claw marks on Kai's back. In hindsight, Blake was relieved. If they'd actually managed to hurt him, Cassie might've been killed, and Ryder would've never forgiven them.
As soon as the men settled onto the sofas in Blake's hotel room, Blake stood again running a hand down his face and staring blankly at the floor before snapping his gaze between Kai and Jace.
"I'm at a goddamn dead end," he growled. "I have no idea how we're going to get her home. Even if we drag her there by force, she doesn't have to agree to any of it. And Ryder isn't going to force her, and then what?"
"I agree," Jace said quietly. "We have no choice but to wait her out. It may cost us…" His voice cracked, and he swallowed hard. "But if, in the end, the realms are saved, then so be it."
He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, they were glassy and distant.
Blake stared at him, heart pounding. The idea of losing Sarah…of Jace losing Mira…tightened something sharp in his chest. Just Mira being sick had wrecked Jace. If she died?
He won't survive it.
And Blake wasn't going to let that happen.
"Ryder should've said something!" he exploded, slamming a fist into the wall. "He knew. He kept her a secret for twenty-one years, and who the hell knows how long he's known about the prophecy? Now we're in this mess because of him!"
If Sarah died because Ryder decided to play protective father…
Blake didn't know if he'd ever forgive him.
What did Ryder think would happen? That he'd just never tell her? That he'd sit back and let the realms fall apart around her? Around them? We're scrambling to clean up a mess that he made, and they were running out of time.
Jace spoke, dragging Blake out of his thoughts.
"Kai…Cassie breaking bulbs," he asked slowly, turning toward him, "is that normal?"
"No." Kai shook his head, his expression troubled. "Jarek never told me who, or what, she was. The Cassie you met…she's not the one I've gotten to know over the past three years. The Cassie I know is kind, soft-spoken. She hates confrontation. But everything she said to you, every word about how she's feeling, is true. She can't lie. And when she saw the Primordia Moon…" His voice drifted for a second. "That's when everything changed."
Blake finally sat down, jaw clenched. "You were with her?"
"Yeah. We'd just finished dinner. We were on the balcony when she pointed it out. Said the moon had a burning halo and strange symbols dancing around it. Then it started…her transformation. Or…lack of."
"Lack of?" Jace asked, frowning.
"Her bones shifted beneath her skin, like she was about to change. But it didn't happen." His voice was strained as he continued. "After what felt like an eternity of her being in pain, she passed out instead. And when she woke up…she was different."
Blake leaned forward, a thought clicking into place.
"Kai, you said Jace and I can't shift around you because of the strength of our wolves. Could the same thing be happening to Cassie? That her wolf may also be extremely strong and that's why the transformation wasn't completed."
Kai nodded slowly.
"Yes. I think that's a real possibility." He exhaled, shoulders tense. "At the time, I was too shaken to think clearly. I didn't want to leave her alone…but looking back, if she had shifted and run off, and something happened to her…" he broke off, jaw tight. "I don't think I would've ever forgiven myself."
His eyes narrowed, voice quieter now, but more certain.
"Cassie and I haven't really talked about it, but I think the Primordia Moon didn't just wake her wolf…it triggered her vampire too. I can feel three…distinct presences inside her."
He hesitated, then continued, voice quieter.
"And there's more. I hear them…seven hearts. Each with their own rhythm. It's not like a normal heartbeat. It's not one heart beating seven times…it's seven hearts…separate, alive, overlapping inside her…" His voice trailed off.
Blake didn't question that. Of course Kai could sense what they couldn't, after all he was her mate.
Jace sat forward now, his brow furrowed. "Wait. Let's back up a bit. You said she can't lie?"
"That's right."
"Like, ever?" Jace arched a brow. "That sounds impossible."
"It's not. If she's scared of what the truth will do, if she thinks it'll hurt you, or make you judge her, she just won't say anything at all. But she can't lie, that's why she prefers to stay at home instead of going out."
"Hmmm." Jace's gaze narrowed.
Blake studied him. He knew that look on his face. "Jace. What are you thinking?"
Jace leaned forward, hands clasped tightly.
"This might be a stretch, but…the prophecy said her heart is split into seven, right?" He glanced at Kai. "If you're hearing seven hearts, then that means Cassie is the one the prophecy's talking about."
He paused, then added. "And the thing about her not being able to lie?" He looked between them. "That's a known trait of Shades."
Blake blinked. "So you think she's not just a Vampire and Werewolf, but a Shade too?"
"And Fae," Jace added. "Don't forget the lightbulb incident. That's five parts we know of." Jace counted them off. "Human, Vampire, Werewolf, Shade, Fae…"
"So you think she's a part of each realm?" Kai asked.
"That's the only thing that makes sense, which leaves two more," Jace said. "The Witch…and the Ancients."
Blake's breath caught. What the hell? Jace was right. It did seem far-fetched but given the information they did have it was the only thing that made sense.
Jace's eyes darkened. "If we push her…if those last pieces surface before she's ready…we'd have a lot more to worry about than her just breaking lightbulbs. We might not just hurt her. We could destroy her…and everything in her path."
Kai spoke up.
"Then the reason she couldn't change…it wasn't because of me. It was because of her Shade?"
"More than likely," Jace reassured him.
Blake caught the flicker of relief in Kai's eyes.
"So how do we help her?" Kai asked, his voice laced with frustration. "She's hurt, and this isn't just some 'oh, I'm a hybrid, vampire and werewolf' situation. If that were the case, she'd have a wolf and a few vampiric traits…or vice-versa. But, she has two other distinct personalities living inside her. And if what you're saying is true, there are still more waiting to come out."
Kai stood abruptly and began pacing, his fists clenched at his sides. Blake watched him, the muscles in his own jaw ticking.
They all had women they cared about tied up in this mess. And it seemed that the farther down the rabbit hole they went someone was always at risk.
It didn't matter how they spun the table. The danger never left.
Then Kai spun to face them.
"We know how she got the wolf and vampire. But the others?" His voice was rising now, rougher, near desperation. "How the hell is that even possible?"
"Through bloodlines would be my guess," Jace shrugged. "It's not that we can't mate outside our species, it's just rare. And given that a werewolf's natural enemies are vampires and witches, that would leave Fae as a possible addition to our bloodline. As for Liora, Vampire enemies would be Fae and Werewolves, which makes Witch the most likely remaining possibility of a mate. And, well…humans can mate with anyone."
"Okay, but then we still have the Shade and the Ancients left," Blake said grimly. "That should be impossible."
Jace straightened up. "You're right. But seeing as this is the divine plan of the Ancients, I'm not questioning anything. Especially if it helps her conquer whatever the hell it is she's supposed to."
He had a point. To be marked by the Ancients meant they knew what they were doing, and they had to trust the process. So Blake let it slide.
"Kai," Blake turned to him. Kai was still pacing. "Do you think you can get through to Cassie? You know her better than we do. This thing that was created to wipe out the Vampire and Werewolf realms will eventually make it here to the Human realm. You might be our last hope of getting through to her."
Amusement flickered across Kai's face and he smirked. "You heard what she said about me in her apartment, didn't you? That she was just a job to me? Which she wasn't. And you did find me sitting in front of her door, right? She's pissed at me too."
Kai dropped into one of the armchairs, and Jace chuckled.
"I wish Mira were here," Jace said softly. "Having a female perspective might've helped sway Cassie to our side."
"Since her vampire and werewolf are female…do you think they might be able to reach her?" Kai asked.
Neither Blake nor Jace answered. Silence settled over the room. Each man was lost in thought, because if they couldn't sway Cassie soon, whatever came next wouldn't just hurt the women they loved…they risked losing them forever.