Jamie's scent led Rory back to werewolf territory. What the fuck was she doing here? The houses rose on all sides as Rory pushed through a crowd to following the waves of color that lead her forward. This wasn't a safe place to be. Jamie couldn't be here. Rory had to get her out.

Rory's heart stopped in her chest when she saw Jamie fall to the ground of a platform,  blood gushing from her throat as a wolf Rory didn't recognize fled into the woods. Part of her wanted to run after the attacker, but Jamie might not survive if she did.

"Jamie!" Rory screamed as she pushed through the crowd.

Panic rose through everyone collectively around her.

"That was a live feed, they sent it to the fae counsel!" One of them cried. "What are we going to do? There's going to be retaliation!"

This was worse than a threat to her wife. This was an act of war. It was Ain's doing, Rory knew it in her gut that Jamie's sister was responsible.

Medic's surrounded Jamie by the time she reached the stage, blocking off others from getting any closer.

She wasn't breathing.

Jamie wasn't breathing.

The world spun around Rory. If she had gotten her sooner, she could have stopped this, it wouldn't have happened. Jamie would be okay. But she hadn't, and Jamie wasn't.

The medic's continued to perform rescue breaths and chest compressions.

Rory tapped her hands on her thigh. She felt helpless. She didn't want to get in the way, but she wanted to do something, anything.

Something bulged in her pocket. She took it out, her eyes going wide. There, in her hand, she had one of Jamie's healing potions.

"Hey!" Rory called as she stepped up to the guards that had formed around the medic's. "I need to get in there."

"Under what authority?" One of them asked gruffly, his long dark hair falling across broad shoulders. "We can't have anyone contaminating the scene."

"That fae is my wife!" Rory shouted loud enough that everyone within a mile radius heard the echo of her words. It left the guards so shocked that they didn't do anything as she pushed past.

Jamie was still, her skin pale as blood continued to leak through the bandage around her throat.

Rory popped the cork with her mouth and knelt down beside her, putting the potion to her wife's lips.

One of the paramedic's snatched it from her hand, narrowing his piercing blue eyes. "Healing potion? Her heart isn't beating, unless we can bring her back, you're wasting it on a corpse. Let us do our job."

Falling back in defeat, Rory watched through blurry eyes as they continued to work on her wife. Each passing moment the likelihood of her coming out alive became further out of sight.

Her father's dark hand rested on her shoulder as he came up behind her. "They're doing the best they can."

Rory turned into his shoulder and sobbed. "What if they can't bring her back?"

"Then you'll take your time to mourn before you hunt down and kill the bastard that brought her demise." Her father's voice was low and haunting. His dark eyes that matched her own glossed over. "We are Shadow's. We get our revenge and get it in full. . . Jamie has a chance, the medic's were here quick. Your mother was long dead when I found her. This will be different."

Grabbing his hand tightly, Rory swallow. "I love her, Father. I don't know what I'll do if she dies."

"I know, Rory." He gave her hand a squeeze. "I know."

Jamie gasped, an odd bubbling sound coming from her throat.

Rory covered her mouth to hold back sobs as the medic placed the healing potion to Jamie's lips and helped her drink it. She made it! She fucken made it.

Rory whirled around and gave her father the first hug she had since she was a little wolf.

For once, her returned it. "I told you it'd be different. But this isn't the end of things. What Jamie's confessed to will have to be judged."

Pulling away, she glowered. "How do you know that was a true confession if it was under the threat of death or getting harmed? It should be dismissed."

"Her magic was on the scene, we can't dismiss that," her Father said, his voice low. "Don't make a scene. I'll give her a day to recover before she faces the court."

"She shouldn't be facing it at all," Rory growled. "We should be focusing on finding the bastard who did this and decorating the ground in their blood."

Standing up, the councilman returned to the blank face that no one could read, the wrinkles showing at the corners of his eyes. Her towered far over her, blocking out the light of the moon above with his large stature. "All actions must be judged. Watch what you say, or Jamie won't be the only one on trial."

"Is that a threat?" Rory spat, stepping between her wife and her father. "Because if it comes down to picking a side. . ." She flicked her eyes to Jamie. "I know which one I'm choosing."