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It was at that moment she realized that she could feel Elias’ emotions down the mating bond. The tugging in her chest had returned the moment she was in the fae realm. Unlike the last time she was here, his emotions felt far sharper. They were no longer muffled.

Fear filtered down the bond but not pain. He wasn’t actively being tortured by Magnus. That was something, at least.

The last she’d seen him in the dreamscape, he’d been near to breaking. She knew at that moment she had precious little time before the male she loved was no more. Either he’d be broken by Magnus, forever changed, or worse.

As guilty as she felt about the shadow fae being trapped in the Abyss, their plight was secondary to her mate’s.

But why could she feel him so clearly now? What was different?

As they followed the queen and her guards in silence up winding stone staircases and through the dungeon’s magical wards, her mind raced. How long would it be until she could go back to the mortal realm?

I’m coming, Elias. It won’t be long now.

Without the shadow fae as allies—and not trusting Hadeon to come through with his vague promise of aid—she intended to face Magnus’ army head-on with her new abilities. As soon as she could get out of the Twilight Court, she would descend upon the sorcerer and his army, and fuck the consequences.

More fae guards with dark blue armor surrounded them as they emerged into the hallways above the dungeons in the main castle.

Like Hadeon, the feel of their magic was star-kissed.

Their power was weaker than hers, Hadeon’s, or the queen’s, but there were enough of them that it would keep Arabella and Jessamine from making a break for it.

Each guard had a sword sheathed on a hip along with a dagger on the opposite. It wasn’t much in terms of weapons, at least compared to how many blades the enchantresses wore. Perhaps the fae relied mostly on their magic in combat.

Just like her first time in the castle of the Twilight Court, the show of wealth was painfully apparent—it was in every crystal chandelier they passed, every curtain laced with silver and gold thread, and in the empty silver trays the servants carried as they hurried in the opposite direction.

A sudden pang struck her in the gut, and she brought a hand up to her stomach. She hadn’t eaten very much with their limited supplies, but this wasn’t like any hunger she’d felt before. This was somehow different.

Then realization dawned.

My demon power, she thought. I need to feed.

But just how would she do that? Would she consume essence like the erox or blood like the vampires? Either way, she couldn’t let the queen see her feeding, or else risk revealing what she was. There wasn’t time to deal with this right now.

With significant effort, she pressed the hunger back, forcing herself to focus on the present.

As they walked along silk carpets, she couldn’t help but marvel at how the mating bond changed.

The tugging in her chest had loosened, and she no longer felt like she was on the balls of her feet, eager to move toward where her mate was.

Instead, the tension had eased, and she could sense his feelings more clearly.

Like he was nearby.

Then they rounded a corner and strode into another hallway, and her heart nearly stopped.

“Elias.”

Standing before her was the male who’d captivated both her dreams and waking hours. The male she’d sworn to burn the world down for.

Elias stood next to an open door to what appeared to be a throne room. Beside him were a dozen erox with magic that was a similar strength to her mate. Magnus stood at the head of the group in robes rich enough to make a king blush.

Eyes fixing on Elias, she blinked and then blinked again.

The erox all wore simple leather armor with crisscrossing straps and sheaths, metal shoulder plates, and gloves with metal spikes atop their knuckles.

All except Elias.

He wore black trousers, tall black leather boots, and a black long-sleeved shirt that dipped low on his chest. While he still felt larger than life and his body rippled with muscles, there was a hollowness to his features that she’d never seen before.

She also noted his hair and beard weren’t as long as they’d been in the dreamscape, as though he’d been recently groomed.

His eyes, too, seemed different.

They were still the rich brown color she’d come to love—the color his eyes were when he wasn’t using his magic. But there was a vacantness there. Like his body was present, but his mind was somewhere far away.

For a moment, she wondered whether she was dreaming.

How was he here?

Glancing to her side where both Jessamine and Hadeon stood, she noted their rounded eyes and knew this wasn’t an illusion. They looked as shocked as she felt.

But Elias didn’t look at her. He didn’t even raise his eyes as she stopped mere feet from him. His face was utterly expressionless, appearing like the perfect soldier.

Look at me, she thought. Please.

The queen inclined her head to Magnus. “Sorcerer.”

The erox around Magnus hummed with power—power she once would have thought was immense.

But Magnus’ power…

It boomed throughout the room like a thunderclap.

Power cascaded off the edges of his robes like an extension of him.

It was like he stood at the eye of a hurricane that he could command at will.

It moved around him in scarlet waves. Once, it had appeared as a gray mist, and she wondered what this change could mean.

Most magic wielders’ abilities were only discernible by other wielders.

However, Magnus’ power was so vast, so unfathomable, that it was visible to the naked eye.

Her heart sank as she realized that, even with her new abilities, his power vastly exceeded hers.

What was happening? Why were Magnus, Elias, and the erox in the fae realm? Had they sought an audience with the queen?

Some distant part of her knew she should be quiet, knew she should watch and assess as things played out. But rage filled her, and words tumbled from her lips.

“You keep questionable company, Your Highness.” Her insides roiled like a tempest about to be unleashed.

Hadeon stiffened before falling completely still. Even Jessamine didn’t dare move as they all awaited the queen’s response.

“You are deeply mistaken if you think I care for your opinion, child . You’re lucky I deigned to let you live.” The queen’s tone snapped like a whip. “The sorcerer is here with a proposition I intend to hear.”

Arabella’s mind reeled.

What could Magnus possibly want? Did this have something to do with another fae war or the queen’s pursuit of immortality?

“Mother,” Hadeon began, taking a step forward so he was between Genoveva and Magnus, forcing her to look at him. “There is much we need to discuss that can’t wait.”

“You went into an underrealm without consulting me,” the queen said. “If you value my insight so little, then I fail to see why I should prioritize yours. Whatever it is can wait.”

If Arabella’s eyes hadn’t been fixed on Elias, she might have missed it. But as she watched Elias, she noted a very distinct, very long blink at the queen’s words when she mentioned the underrealm. It was the most expression she’d seen on his otherwise cold exterior.

At the same time, fear spiked down the mating bond.

Since she’d last seen Elias in the in-between, she lived in terror of what Magnus was doing to him and if he’d broken her mate—stripping him of all he’d been and leaving him as a shell of himself. Perhaps even taking his memories like the Witch of the Woods had done to her.

But at the mention of the Abyss, Elias had felt fear, which meant he not only knew what the underrealm was, but he worried for her safety.

He wasn’t ignoring her out of indifference or because he didn’t recognize her.

Magnus must be controlling him with the syphen.

Had the sorcerer found the blade she’d dropped in the forest?

Fury roiled through her, and her leash on her shadows shortened.

If Magnus was holding the syphen beneath his robes, he could force Elias to do anything.

Even hurt himself.

Magnus swept an arm forward. As he did, she thought she spotted the glint of a blade. “If this isn’t a good time, I’m happy to return at your convenience…”

“No.” The queen placed a hand on Hadeon’s chest, forcing him to step back. “Now is the perfect time.”

Dipping his head in deference, Magnus followed the queen into the adjacent throne room. Elias was at his heels, moving with near-silent footsteps.

Arabella wasn’t about to be parted from him. So, she strode after Elias—as though she had every right to be in a private meeting with the queen of the Twilight Court.

To her surprise, Elias paused in the doorway. She tried to stop, but she bumped into him from behind, his shoulder brushing hers. The touch was like electricity shooting down to her toes, and she gasped. But as she started to look up at him, he walked forward, not looking back.

It was then she got her first look at the throne room.

Part of her had expected more of the similar opulence she’d seen in the castle hallways, but it felt like she’d stepped atop a still lake that reflected the starry night sky.

The floor was made of dark, glittering tiles with swirling illustrations of moons.

She couldn’t tell if the images were painted within the dark tiles or if magic had been imbued in them.

The room itself was long and had at least a dozen archways on each side with columns wider than most tree trunks in the forest outside Shadowbank. Near the base of the columns was a ledge that held candles of varying heights. They emitted a soft glow in a room that felt infused by starlight.

Guards were stationed beneath each archway.

At the opposite end of the room was a dais with steps that led to a throne made of a clear crystal with twisting silver patterns that swept up on either side until it formed a skewed crescent moon ten feet high.