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"Carter?" Can you hear me?" I heard a voice in my head. "Carter,"

I slowly opened my eyes, but everything was blurry, and I couldn't focus. "Where am I?" I groaned, trying to sit up.

"You are in the castle, brother." You need to take it slow. You have been weakened by the spell." I felt a hand on my arm. "Slow down."

"Ebony, where is she?" I sat up quickly in a panic and looked around. "Where is she?"

"Carter, look at me," Leon said calmly with a hand on my shoulder.

"Where is she?" I growled, trying to stand up.

"You need to rest. Your body is weak."

"Tell me what happened," I said nervously, looking around the room, but my eyes were still blurry. "Where is my wife." A sharp pain in my head made me fall to the ground again. "What is this?"

"Your body is weak, and you need to take it slow," Leon said, kneeling beside me. "If you don't slow down, you are going to pass out again."

"Ok, fine." I rubbed my temples with my fingers trying to get rid of this pain in my head. "Where is Ebony? Did it work?"

"We don't know yet," Leon said, sighing. "You have both been unconscious for hours now, and Ebony hasn't woken up yet."

"Where is she?"

"She is upstairs in the castle. Jacob and Henry are with her, but she is not awake. I tried moving you, but your body felt like it was stuck to the floor. ZanZara told me this was normal and to be patient. If your sacrifice were accepted, then you would wake up. If I had a heart, I would be dead with stress right now." Leon sat on the ground next to me. "I don't know how humans handle this shit."

"I need to be her." I tried to stand again but failed and fell to the floor as that same pain appeared in my head. "Damn it," I yelled out in frustration, rubbing my temples again with my fingertips. "What do we know?"

"Ebony's body seems to be fine. She was with Jacob when she collapsed outside, and he escorted her into the castle. The kid hasn't left her side since. Henry has a team of witches on hand to help with her care." Leon said, looking over at me. "We don't know anything until she wakes, though. ZanZara said we will know nothing until the creature is awake." Leon cleared his throat. "There is one more thing."

"What?"

"Genevieve didn't survive the transition. I found her body, or what's left of it, lying on the cell floor a few hours ago. Whatever took Ebony's soul destroyed her body. She was barely recognizable."

"As much I despised Genevieve, I didn't want her to end like that." I hung my head down. "Does anyone else know?"

"No," Leon shook his head.

"Let's keep it that way," I said, sighing. "The others don't need to know about this."

"Agreed."

We heard a baby screaming in the hallway, and both turned to see Callan walking toward us with Cayden in his arms. "I can't make him stop." He said, frustrated. "He wants Ebony, but she is still...Oh, you're awake. You feel ok?"

"I am fine, son." I smiled at him. "Give me Cayden, and you take a break."

"Gladly," Callan said, handing me a crying baby.

"Hey there, it's ok. I've got you." I kissed Cayden's forehead. "I know you want your mom, but she is sleeping. I promise you she will be awake soon." I kissed his cheek. "Until then, you are stuck with us, kiddo." I looked over at Leon and Callan. "You will always have us." Cayden stopped crying and opened his aqua eyes. "My beautiful boy." Cayden stretched out his chubby little arm to my face and touched the dark stubble on my chin as he made raspberries with his lips. "Adorable."

"Any news on the darkness?" Leon said to Callan touching Cayden's fingers and making faces at him.

"Vinnie and his team are looking into it. He is convinced the council are in control of it. He has some damning evidence against them."

"I just can't believe the council would betray their vampires like this. It sickens me." Leon said, shaking his head as Cayden laughed loudly.

"So, have you checked on my mother?" Callan said, sitting next to me on the floor. "I'm pretty sure she won't be happy that Ebony is free."

Leon and I looked at each other blankly.

"Do you want me to give her the news?" Callan smirked. "She is going to hit the roof." He laughed

"No, son. I think it's best if I handle your mother at the moment." I looked back at Callan. "She's a bit fragile at the moment."

"You could call her that," Leon said under his breath. "Liquefied is another."

"Yeah, I'll let you handle that wrath." Callan smiled. "Good luck."

I suddenly felt Jacob call to me.

"Did you feel that?" Callan said, touching his chest. "Jake is calling for me."

"And me," Leon said, looking confused.

I felt Jacob's call again, only this time it felt urgent. "Ebony," I whispered, handing Cayden back to Callan. "I need to get upstairs."

"Here, I'll help you," Leon said, standing up and pulling me up slowly. "Easy, you are still weak."

"I'm alright. I just need to get upstairs. Something is wrong. Jacob is calling for all of us, and he is panicking. I feel it." I still felt wobbly on my feet and leaned on Leon. "Please, I need to get upstairs."

Leon just nodded and helped me to walk forward. "Carter, your arm is still badly burnt."

I looked down at the melted skin on my arm where ZanZara had cut me. "I don't think that is going to heal very fast, is it."

"If this works, it will all be worth it," Leon said, almost carrying me forward. "Callan, tell the king we need help."

Callan nodded and took off with Cayden in his arms.

"Brother, I don't think I can do this." I felt my body become weaker with every step. "I don't feel right."

"I've got you," Leon said, taking the total weight of my body. "Just stay with me." I felt Leon throw me over his shoulder like a rag doll and carry me up the stairs like I weighed nothing. "Carter, you remember when we were kids, and we used to pick each other up and then throw each other into a wall to see who could make the bigger hole in the brick?" Leon laughed. "You always won, though."

"I cheated." I laughed. "I cheated every damn time."

"You bastard. I wondered how you did it."

"I'll never tell." I coughed as my throat started to feel dry. "We had some good times growing up, didn't we?"

"We have some great times  ahead of us as well." He said, reaching the top of the stairs.

"Carter, thank goodness you are awake." I heard Henry's voice. "Here, we have a wheelchair for you."

Leon placed me in the chair and patted my back.

"It's good to have you back. Are you feeling ok?" Henry said suddenly in front of me.

"I think so." I nodded at him. "Take me to her, please."

"Of course," Henry bowed his head and walked beside me as Leon pushed the chair.

"She is just down here on your right," Henry pointed to the end room down a long hallway. "Jake! He is here." He called as Jacob came running down the hallway to me.

"Boss!" He cried as he hugged me. "Boss, you have to come in here quickly." He ran down the hallway again and into the room just ahead of us. Leon opened the door and pushed me inside the room next to my girl, lying on the bed, not moving.

"Jacob? What is going on?" I said nervously, looking at Ebony's body lying on the bed. "Did I hurt her?" I placed my hand on hers. "Tell me she is going to be alright."

Jacob sat on the other side of the bed. "Boss, she has a heartbeat." He said as a tear ran down his cheek. "Ebony's heart is beating."

"What?" I gasped, placing my hand on her chest and feeling the familiar thump, thump, thump of her heart. "She has a heartbeat." I cried out, completely overwhelmed with emotions I had never felt before. "Jacob, she has a fucking heartbeat."

"It just started not ten minutes ago. I was sitting next to her telling her about everything we have been doing, and it just started beating." Jacob wiped the tear on his cheek. "Boss, this is good, right?"

"I don't...I...I think so." I looked over at Leon, who was standing next to me. "Is this good?"

"Well, you are returning a human soul to a body, so I guess it's resetting everything as it should be." He said slowly.

"Is Ebony alright?" Callan said, entering the room. "Wait, why can I hear a heartbeat?"

Her heartbeat was becoming louder, and I could hear it beating strong and fast. "Ebony?" I smiled, touching her face gently. "Baby, are you there?"

Cayden started to cry loudly as the heartbeat became louder inside her chest. It sounded like a drum beating in my ears. "What is happening?" I said, looking around the room. "Why is her heart doing this?"

Cayden's screams became louder, and he started thrashing around in Callan's arms.

"Give me Cayden," I said to Callan. "He needs his mom. That's why he's screaming. He can feel the change happening." Callan nodded and placed his brother in my arms. I lifted Ebony's hand and put it on Cayden's head. "Shhh, your mommy is here. Can you feel her?" I whispered to my son. "She's right there. No need to cry." I looked over at Ebony. "Sunshine, wake up. Your son needs you. He is scared and needs his mom. Please, find us and come home." I kissed her hand as Cayden stopped crying. "We need you, baby. I need you to come home." I entwined my fingers with hers. "Ebony, please." I closed my eyes and rested my lips on my fingers. "Ebony, I miss you so much."

I heard her gasp for a breath and opened my eyes only to see her sitting up in the bed, taking big gulps of air. She was in a complete state of panic as she tried to get air into her lungs.

"Ebony," Without hesitation, I jumped up out of the wheelchair and sat next to her on the bed, Cayden still in my arms. "Baby, breathe," I whispered into her ear. "Slow down and breathe. It's ok. You're home. Everything is ok now." I kissed her cheek softly. "You're home."

She turned to look at me with tears running down her cheek. "Carter." She said, touching my face with his hand. "Is that really you?"

"It's me, sunshine." I smiled at her, kissing her hand.

She instantly started crying, "Carter." She cried, resting her head on mine and wrapping her arms around me. "I never thought I would see you again." She kissed me softly. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, baby," I said, kissing her forehead as complete relief rushed through my body. "You have no idea how much I love you."

Cayden started to gargle between us and reached up to his mom. "I think he missed you too," I said, kissing her head again.

Ebony looked down at our son and then up at me. "He's mine?" She said in between her tears.

"He is yours." I smiled. "Ebony Summers, meet your son, Cayden." I passed Ebony, her son, as he reached up and touched her face. "He recognizes you."

"Hi," she said at the baby in her arms. "I'm your mom." She looked up at me with tears streaming down her beautiful face. "I'm his mom." She said proudly, touching his cheek with her thumb.

I nodded. "Yes, you are."

"Hi." She said, looking back at her son. "I'm going to love the shit out of you, kiddo," Ebony said, kissing Cayden's cheek.

"Fuck, I missed you." I smiled proudly at my wife and son.


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