Page 27

CHAPTER 26

NOVA

T here was a stillness to the night, and despite the normal ambiance coming from the camp, there was an eerie quiet to the universe. Though the daytime sky was an ombre of day to night, nighttime still came to this reality. The night was shifting from what we had experienced the past three nights—a starscape of purples and blues—to black. A void. As if the dark ones approaching were pulling at every particle of visible light and consuming it whole.

Lorcan stood next to me at the entrance of the camp, the two of us watching the shift and feeling the subtle, vacuum-like pull against our very souls. If this was what it felt like at a distance, I couldn’t imagine what tomorrow would be like.

“I may throw up that ward anyway,” I admitted softly. “I don’t think your average individual will be able to withstand the mass and pull of power that’s approaching us—I’ll just make it larger than normal so that we can ensure people have room to move about.”

Lorcan was silent for a long moment before nodding. “You’re right. That’s a better move. I didn’t consider what it would be like to face them in person. I’ve only ever experienced them while star-traveling.”

“How loud are the screams now?” I asked. She’d told me before that it was one of the most painful parts of her experience.

Her brows furrowed. “There are none—just silence.”

A silence that harbored every single threat we faced ahead.

“We can do this,” I said, my voice filled with a gentle determination. “I know we can do this—I refuse to let go of a future I’ve worked so damn hard for.”

“I’m going to give everything I have to ensure the dark ones are obliterated,” she agreed. “The balance has been off for too long; they can’t be allowed to consume whatever they want—to feed from the unaware and the powerless.”

Reaching over, I squeezed her forearm in support. “I believe in you. I know you can do your part, and you better believe I am going to slaughter every asshole god who tries to stop you.”

Because that was the true unspoken threat. Someone like Ra would try to stop Lorcan. I didn’t understand what he thought he would gain from it, but I had no doubt that would be his play.

“I know you will,” she said. Then, looking behind us, she murmured, “Shit. We need to go back inside the camp. Our men are worried—I can hear them talking.”

And they weren’t exactly being quiet about it.

“Let’s spend the next few hours focused on the people we love,” I said, offering her a smile. “Promise me that when this is done, we’ll plan a group vacation.”

“If we survive tomorrow, we can vacation for the entire year. We’ll deserve it.”

Damn right.

As we walked back into the camp, I locked in on Cassian who was waiting for me, closest to the gate. The metal mage put out his hand and I immediately took it, sinking against his chest and inhaling his familiar scent. His hands strung through my hair and tilted my head up so he could examine my expression.

“You okay?”

“As good as I can be,” I said, then closed my eyes for a long moment. “Promise me you’ll keep each other alive tomorrow. I don’t know where the battle will take me. I need to stay by Lorcan’s side, but I need to know that all of you will be okay.”

His eyes sparked with silver as he kissed the top of my head. “You know I’ll always protect our family, baby girl. Besides, most of us have worked as a team in the field and in battle for years. We’ve got this.”

“But if we have to knock one of them out for being an idiot and trying something stupid, we will,” Fox said as he joined us. His amused expression didn’t completely mask his anxiety.

“Keep an eye on Everett—he will totally try something stupid,” I mused, trying to sound lighthearted, but I fully meant it. “Come on, let’s get back to the tent.”

Walking hand in hand with Cassian and Fox, I found relief in the cadence of their voices as they talked, and when we entered the tent and I looked around at my men, I breathed in the moment. Their voices. Their scents. The way they were so comfortable with one another.

I took a seat between Everett and Nour, the latter wrapping an arm around me as I looked at Everett in thought. “Hey, don’t do anything crazy tomorrow.”

His eyes shaded to a dark green as he tilted my chin up with one finger. “What are you worried about, puppet?”

Damn him .

My eyes watered. “I can’t lose any of you, Ever. Promise me.”

“I promise we will all be around to drive you crazy, baby,” he said seriously before cracking a smile. “Besides, I can always resurrect someone if needed.”

“It is a solution,” Nour mused, kissing the top of my head.

“Ram would be a horrible zombie,” I pointed out as the man in question laid out on the floor and shot me a broody look. It was a perfect scowl and had me moving over to him. River was sitting nearby, looking over a map that my eyes jumped over with curiosity before settling myself near the demi-god and healing mage.

“I will make sure everyone stays un-zombified,” River offered casually, focusing on the map. But I believed him. River was incredibly strong, so if he was in charge of healing everyone? I knew they would be alright.

“Well, not everyone—make sure to use your magic for evil too,” I said with a wink as I dipped down to give Ram a kiss.

Despite the quickly approaching war, my magic had yet to put on a single piece of armor—or even try to show off wielding some impressive weapons. Instead, much like myself, she had surrounded herself with my men’s magic, taking in the moment of solitude before the chaos of the morning came.

“Dinner is nearly ready,” August called out.

“It smells delicious,” I said as my stomach rumbled. I moved to sit by Rowan, curling against him as his lips grazed my head. I listened to the solid thump of his chest and the crackling cookfire nearby, waiting to eat.

I wanted to live in this moment forever. It was my desperate wish, to just suspend the moment. But morning would come— and so would our destiny.

* * *

“W ell, you just solved our entire uniform situation, Venus.” I flashed her a huge grateful smile. “Seriously, this is so incredibly cool.”

When Venus arrived, she’d brought with her male and female versions of the most badass armor I’d ever seen, let alone owned.

The material appeared to be black metal on the outside, but it fit like the softest, stretchiest cotton once on. It was so extremely lightweight and moveable, but was embedded with protective wards and spells. That wasn’t the cool part, though. The cool part was the Egyptian symbols that covered the armor in a vibrant blue that pulsed with magic. Wispy shadows of black smoke curled from its surface, and the boots and gloves sparked with electricity.

The version my men wore fit like traditional armor, but mine had additional side armor at my hips, adding a stylistic flare that I absolutely loved. I looked like a complete badass, and as I tightened my ponytail, I examined the painted runes on my face courtesy of Rowan.

“I may not be one to battle myself, although I will be fighting this time—obviously,” Venus reasoned, her white armor looking ultra feminine and stylish. “But I have designed armor for almost everyone in my sector at one point or another. It’s one of my favorite things to do.”

“I didn’t realize you design clothes,” I said, bending down to tighten my boots.

“It’s relatively new, started a few hundred years ago. I got bored.” She shrugged, as if a ‘few hundred years’ was nothing. “Alright, so you have room for weapons on your sides, although I know you probably won’t use them.”

I smirked because she was right—I probably wouldn’t.

“She’ll have some stuff on her, and I have a few explosives to add,” Rowan said, approaching and attaching a weapon to my hip. The man had spent most of last night filling in my back tattoo with protective runes, so while my back was a bit tender, the warmth from his touch provided me with a level of comfort that was much appreciated right now.

“Sounds good. I’ll let you all get ready. Good luck out there!” Venus said as she ducked out. Once she was gone, I was able to dedicate my full attention to my men, appreciating how great they looked in their uniforms. Not only that, but each had lethal looking weapons on their person that I very much looked forward to watching them use.

Especially if it meant slaughtering some asshole gods who, despite all my warnings and advice, decided to not be helpful and instead work against us.

“Hey, so I’m thinking after this…” I drew out, gathering all their attention and keeping the focus on our future—not just the present. “We start planning a wedding. How does that sound?”

“Fuck yes.” Everett said.

“Seriously?” Rowan looked curious.

“Seriously. I mean, I sort of love all of you, so getting married would be cool.” I flashed a smile.

“I would love that,” Volkan said, and my chest warmed with happiness.

“As long as we all get to help with the ring this time,” Nour said, narrowing his eyes at some of the mages.

“Yeah, butterfly. That sounds perfect.”

“See, we’re already filling up our calendar?—

“Ram!” I squeaked as he appeared behind me, running a hand up my throat. I tried not to shiver at his touch.

“I have something else I’d like to put on that calendar.” He nipped my ear and then was gone, going to grab another weapon. My cheeks heated because I knew exactly what that ‘something’ was.

“That too,” Cassian agreed from where he was lacing up his boots.

“Well wait now.” I put my hands on my hips. “If I get pregnant right away, that is totally going to mess with my plans for drinking margaritas on the beach.”

“I feel like we may want a house also before having kids,” August said.

“See? Thank you for being reasonable, Auggy!”

“We already have several houses,” Fox countered, making my eyes roll.

“Well now we have a plan.” I nodded, feeling accomplished and ready for the day. “I love you all, and we are going to kill this—and a ton of people—today. Go team!”

Fox chuckled at my nerdy cheer, and I gave each of them a kiss in passing as I moved through the room and then ducked out, knowing they would follow. As soon as I stepped outside, I could tell that something was changing rapidly in the reality around us.

Something was approaching .

Everyone in the camp was looking skyward. I weaved through the crowd until I was at the southern gate, giving me a clear view of the skies ahead.

The sun shone behind us, but the southern sky was pitch black. Not a star to be seen. I stepped through the gate as I felt a shift in the very fabric of the universe, experiencing in a rush the raw amount of power and energy hurdling this way.

When Lorcan joined me, I offered her a brief look and nod of greeting. The woman was dressed in her own badass armor, and there was a cool dangerous energy at her fingertips, brushing over the violin she had attached to her in a special holder.

I didn’t need to ask her if it was time for the wards—I could feel it.

Closing my eyes, I let out my magic, wrapping it around each individual I’d given magic to. I watched from above, somehow, as the network expanded to cover the entire camp, creating a protective purple dome that shimmered with magic. It was barely visible, but it’d allow the war to take place without disruption. It wouldn’t stop people from coming through the ward, but it would protect them from the dark ones’ power and Lorcan’s influence. When I opened my eyes, I could see that I was glowing, and Lorcan was watching me with awe.

Before either of us could say anything, an ear-splitting crackling noise rent the air. I grunted in pain as the camp went silent in shock, followed by a strong pull of power that had the breath whooshing out of me, nearly stumbling forward.

Lorcan then whispered two words that sounded so haunted and so pained, fear infiltrated my chest.

“They’re here.”