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Ivy

T he ballroom descended into chaos.

There was nothing left to hold back those loyal to Nyx and Queen Greer, not as Dante’s words rang out around the room as a call for war.

Death to the Queens. Long live the true king.

Blood pooled on the dais, dripping down the marble steps as a golden glow enveloped Greer’s body. I watched as her long life came to an end, a wave of fury mixed with shame and guilt rushing through me.

Why couldn’t I have just stopped him? I should have been able to stop him before it came to any of this, and now…

Now, it was too late.

Lightning crackled across my skin, fire burning in my veins.

Dante spread his arms in triumph, smiling.

The roars of shifters as they took animal form echoed through the ballroom, rumbling like the thunder that signalled a storm.

There were cries from other creatures, either in despair or victory.

But none of that could break through the buzz of magic ringing in my ears.

If it weren’t for Hawk and Orion, I would have collapsed from the pressure building in my body. It was everything: Greer’s power flooded me, Nyx’s magic unlocking, the different strands of my bonds with their affinities appearing. Too overwhelming, too much.

My mouth opened slightly, my canines elongating before snapping into my jaw. Tears burned my eyes as flashes of something dark and twisted played across my vision. My knees locked, skin rippling, bones aching.

“We need to get her out of here,” Hawk muttered, removing his hand from my wrist to stand in front of me. “Before she explodes.”

I wanted to tell him it was too late, that the power in me begged for release. I wanted to let it out.

The male standing on the dais was responsible for every terrible thing that’d happened to me since I found out about my destiny.

He was the reason my mother was dead, taken from my sisters.

He was the reason why my sisters and best friend were in hiding, taken from me .

Now, he had my mates, and I would not let him take them, too.

“People of Nyx, your Queen is dead. She will no longer weaken us with her monopoly over power. Now, we can rise. Take what we are owed.” His eyes scanned the crowd, like he was searching for someone.

Now, I understood why Hawk was covering me.

“Bring me the Daughter of Nyx, and you all shall thrive in our new world.”

Over my dead body.

I allowed the power to ripple over my skin, lightning dancing across my fingertips.

The new flood of power tasted like lavender on my tongue; relaxing and familiar, comforting even as it built in my chest. I couldn’t even find it within me to fear it like I had all those months ago.

Not when it was my only chance of finding my mates—of saving everyone in this room.

“Move.”

Orion’s arm tightened around me. Through the bond, he begged me to stand down. Hawk’s dark eyes found mine, angry and frustrated. He shook his head, but I pushed past him. Heart racing with adrenaline and magic, I finally let my power explode.

And it was fucking glorious.

Lightning struck out from my hands, colliding with the wards surrounding the ballroom. Shouts sounded around me; bodies fell to the floor, and those glowing blue eyes swivelled to meet mine.

“There you are.” Dante’s grin turned dark as he cocked his head. “You know I have them, don’t you?”

“You know I’m not stupid, don’t you?” I mimicked, narrowing my eyes. His jaw ticked, eyes darkening. “You want me, Dante? Come and get me. Without your little minions doing the work for you. Unless you’re too much of a coward for that.”

The response from the crowd was exactly what I wanted. Some enjoyed the idea of a fight. They were a people who enjoyed the process of proving power. If Dante wanted to be King, then he could prove it.

I just needed time .

I wove another layer of protection over my own mind to keep his tricks out. As I did, tingles of awareness shot down my spine. The hairs of my arms prickled, and the magic I’d expelled collided with something it knew. Something it needed.

They’re close, I told Orion. I can feel them .

He stroked the bond proudly. Clever little flower.

I smiled, feeling his presence slip away as Dante descended into the crowd. All I need is for you to find them. They’re by the dais , I explained, keeping my eyes on the mage.

He’s holding them close. I’ll have them returned to you by the time you’re done with the usurper, Orion replied.

Hawk, however, remained by my side, wings unfurling as Dante drew near. I grimaced as his magic trickled over me. A familiar sensation, one of wrongness, brushed me. I cocked my head, heart pounding, as the crowd parted. I’d seen him before, or at the very least, come in contact with him.

As he stopped feet away from me, I realised too slowly where we’d met.

The hotel, the night I’d found out about the supernatural world, when the hellhounds attacked. The feeling of wrongness from the man in line at the little cafe…I felt it again now.

Dante smirked, bringing his hands together to twist a ring on his finger. The air around him shimmered and shifted to reveal the towering man I remembered.

“I’ve always known who you were, Ivy Wilson,” he said, releasing the illusion to stand proudly in front of me. “And your mates were none the wiser. As a matter of fact, no one was.” He glanced around the crowd with a knowing smile. “Is that what you call power? ”

I gritted my teeth as some responded with jeers. There was still a large number of creatures eerily silent. From the corner of my eye, I spied Vanya standing with an unfamiliar woman. My friend watched in horror, but her hands moved like she was moulding something.

No, she was building something. An illusion .

I quickly glanced back to Dante and called upon the lightning again.

“Yeah, congrats, you fooled a human girl with an illusion. How powerful of you.” I rolled my eyes.

“But you haven’t done anything else, have you?

You’ve used your little soldiers to do the rest. How many have died because of your arrogance and delusion? ”

“Delusion?” He barked a laugh and turned in a slow circle to point at Greer’s deteriorating body and her mates, who watched on painfully, still being held back by traitorous creatures. “No one but me did that, Ivy.”

Bile rose in my throat. It was devastating, having to take in her body. “All you did was kill a dying woman, Dante.” His head snapped back to me. “There is nothing powerful about that.”

He sneered as he turned his full attention back on me.

It was clear now, who his father was. He was almost a spitting image of Sir Otto.

But other than looks and affinity, they couldn’t be any different.

Sir Otto looked horrified over what his son was doing, and during all the lessons he’d attended with Greer and me, he seemed like one of the few who truly understood what it meant for Greer to be Queen, and what would happen if another didn’t rise.

What happened to Dante? Was it just arrogance? Or something else? He’d been planning this for a while, that was clear. He’d known who I was at the same time as the team. There was no way he’d just started his campaign then. He’d been planning this coup for years .

But why?

“You really are delusional,” I added, lifting my chin in defiance. The lightning danced across my skin, filling the air around me. “You think you can go against a fully anchored Daughter of Nyx?”

It was worth a shot, trying to goad him into fighting me. I had better control over my magic, but it was angry, and so was I. If I let it out again, I wasn’t sure what the aftermath might be. I’d hurt him, I hoped, but I could hurt everyone around me, too. And I couldn’t risk that.

Dante rolled his shoulders back, all amusement slipping from his face as he eyed me. “You aren’t the only one capable of borrowing your mate’s power.”

“You think this belongs to them?” I asked. “Oh no, this is all mine.”

My hand shot out, and I let the lightning free.

It struck him in the chest, burrowing into whatever protections he wore. The smugness started wearing off as I let another bolt of lightning crash against him. He flew back several steps, only stopped by a few of his soldiers, but he shoved them away as the first barrier of charms tore him apart.

“Perks of mating a charm mage,” I said, lowering my hands. “Did you know there are charms that undo other charms?”

Dante bared his teeth, straightening his suit jacket. “That won’t be enough to stop me, bitch.”

“Really? Name calling?” I snorted. “And you call yourself the true king ?”

A shadow shot out at me from the side, throwing me into Hawk. Pain radiated through my abdomen, and something wet ran down my side .

I clutched a hand to my hip, only pulling back to see blood darkening my skin. A tingling numbness rushed through me as I stumbled.

“Ivy, fuck,” Hawk said, holding me against him, pressing his own hand to the gaping wound.

Fuck, it hurt. The numbness gave way to an agonising burn. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out.

I glanced back at Dante, who stood calmly, chin raised. “Your healing won’t help you. Not with your mates…tied up.”

Hawk cursed under his breath, holding me tighter. There was nothing he could do as an un-bonded mate, but I appreciated his attempt at trying to stop the bleeding.