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Blinking, Arabella glanced around, surprised to find herself back in the cave that served as their sleeping quarters. The animal hides had become twisted around her legs. She shuffled backward until her back was pressed against the cave wall.

Slowly, her mind registered her surroundings.

Jessamine sat beside where Arabella had been asleep on her pile of hides on the ground. Hadeon and Breckett stood near the mouth of the cave that led into the mountain, wearing similar looks of concern.

Shoulders dropping in obvious relief, Jessamine scanned Arabella from head to toe. “Your whole body has been seizing on and off for hours. Are you okay? What happened with Arden?”

Arabella frowned. “How did I get here?”

“Arden carried you back,” Jessamine said.

“And he didn’t tell you… what happened?” Arabella asked.

Jessamine shook her head.

Leaning forward, Arabella held her head between her hands, elbows propped on her knees.

I just saw the real Elias,she thought. I’ve been seeing him all along.

Somehow, she just knew this wasn’t a trick of the Everdark. Something in the bond had come alive the moment he’d appeared.

For a long moment, she could do nothing but sob. She cried so hard that her gut twisted and she leaned over, heaving up all the contents of her stomach onto the cave floor.

Jessamine extended a cloth and waterskin to Arabella, and she accepted both, wiping her mouth and taking a swig of water.

“You’re not going to like it,” Arabella managed. Then she looked up, her eyes connecting with Breckett’s. “I saw Elias.”

“How?” Breckett took a step forward so he was directly behind Jessamine.

Arabella explained about the Everdark and the hybrid children that were part shadow fae, part demon—and the power they could have. Then she shared about the dreamscape and Elias.

Breckett’s light brown skin grew pale as he said, “Fuck. And you couldn’t communicate with him?”

Arabella shook her head. “Neither of us could hear the other. But he disappeared before he could feed. I’m sure of it. He looked…” She faltered, a tightness forming around her throat. “Like he was close to breaking.”

Before Breckett could reply, Hadeon spoke up. “And these descendants… They can control the dead?”

“Apparently.”

“And you could do the same?”

“If I agree to let the Everdark unlock my gift, I suppose so.”

Hadeon ran a hand through his hair, which made it stick up in spikes. But he didn’t bother fixing it. “Breeding with greaterdemons is forbidden, and for good reason. It’s dangerous. No one should be able to control the dead. I need to call in that deal of ours.” A panic grew in the prince’s tone as though he’d shirked any facade of having his shit together. “I can’t let you unlock this power or let the shadow fae leave the Abyss. Not when they could attack the Twilight Court, let demons into the fae realm, and control the dead?—”

There was a flash of movement, a flicker between the shadows, and Breckett stood behind the fae prince. Syphen in hand, he brought down the hilt on the back of Hadeon’s skull. Hadeon crumpled to the ground, unconscious instantly.

Arabella’s mouth hung open. “Breckett! What are you doing?—?”

But as she spoke the words, her mind registered what Hadeon had started to say.

He was going to use their bargain to keep her from unlocking her demon magic.

Slowly, Breckett lowered his arm before sheathing the blade. “The fae like to pretend they’re so much better than the rest of us.” He nodded to where Hadeon lay on the ground, wings splayed. “He’ll just have to call in that bargain another time.” Then he looked up at her, determination in his gaze. “Do what you must to save Elias. And be quick about it.”

Her lips twitched, and she glanced down at the syphen. “I expect you to return that later.”

Bastard had probably taken it from her while she was passed out.