Page 136 of Eclipse Sector

“She also warned me about Prince Cael,” she said now, her gaze narrowing. “She said he was surrounded in darkness. I told her to tell Quinn, but she said Prince Cael wasn’t dangerous, and to just be careful. I thought she was trying to play some mean-girl game with me, so I ignored her.”

Guilt prickled Ivana’s mind, her thoughts whirling into dangerous territory.

“This is not your fault,” I told her sternly.

“I know, but I completely misjudged her.” Her sad eyes met mine. “I just assumed she was like Miranda and the others. And I… I ignored what she was trying to tell me.”

“Or you’re remembering what she said at precisely the right time.” I brushed my lips against hers, my arms tight around her as I held her in my lap. “From what you’ve told me, Ashlyn gave you information that she no doubt hoped you would use at the appropriate moment.”

And now that I was thinking about it, Ashlyn might have left me a few clues as well.

I recalled our conversation from the day she fell into the ice pond, how she’d been startled by Grey’s arrival.

“I just didn’t see him coming, so his appearance… surprised me. Which is rather uncommon, to say the least,” she’d said.

But that hadn’t been all she’d voiced on the topic.

“Quinn asked me if I was okay with him joining,” she’d murmured, talking about Grey being one of the Alpha candidates in the mating program. “I’m not one to fight destiny, so I agreed. Although, I thought our paths would cross later. Not today.”

Does he have anything to do with this?I wondered, my lips curling down.

Maybe.

However, she’d also said, “Grey and Henrik don’t mean me any harm.”

The rest of our conversation had been almost as cryptic, with her basically chiding me for taking her back to her igloo.

Only, now I wondered if all those words had been about Ivana.

“I’m not yours to worry about, Cillian. While I appreciate your protective instincts, they’re unnecessary.”

“You do realize that you’re not the only one being punished by your actions, yes?”

“Choosing to suffer out of some misguided need to repent doesn’t just impact you, Cillian. That choice—the one where you put everyone else first—impacts her, too. If you remember anything I’ve said, please remember that.”

At the time, I’d thought she was chastising me for leaving the other Omegas at the pond while I tended to her.

“I really have been stubborn,” I muttered. “And maybe a little dense.”

Ivana snorted, a string of sarcastic responses streaming through her thoughts.

I grabbed her waist, my fingers digging a little into her sides.

She shrieked in response, her gaze wide with indignation. “Did you justtickleme?”

I chuckled. “Yes, macushla, I did.” And I proceeded to do it again, earning me a louder shriek from her as she tried to wiggle her way off my lap.

But there was no way in hell I was about to let her go.

She was mine, something I proceeded to show her by wrestling her onto the couch and pinning her body beneath mine.

“Cillian,” she huffed at me, squirming futilely.

“Ivana,” I returned, settling even more firmly on her.

Her responding growl had me wanting to return the sound in kind, only with a much more erotic undertone.

Alas, Lorcan’s voice in my head stopped me before I could start.Kyra is looking right now. Did Ashlyn tell her which floorboards in her nest to look under?