Page 24

It was the boy I once knew standing behind me, wearing clothes I’d stolen from Andrew one afternoon after finding him in the cabin.

They swamped his thin body; the collar of the shirt revealed the bones of his collarbone, and the bruises that marred his skin.

I knew the pants were too big, that I’d had to go back for a belt, one he wouldn’t take, so we’d improvised by tying the fabric at his hips with an old rubber band.

I wasn’t sure I understood the logistics of a dream world, but emotions rushed through me, followed by a physical reaction.

My throat tightened at the onslaught of memories that came with seeing him again like this.

The pain and anger at his situation, the fear that he could go back to it, and the embers of love that had been ignited when our eyes first met.

How he could still have this type of hold over me was terrifying.

“Where are you, Ry?” I asked, voice soft. “I can’t find you. Any of you.”

The boy cocked his head. “I’m right here, Ivy leaf.”

I shuddered at the nickname. “No,” I replied carefully. “You’re not. This is a dream, Ry. We aren’t in the forest. We’re in the Underworld. There was a storm, and some kind of monster separated us. I need to know where you and the rest of the team are.”

His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head slowly. “No, we’re at the cabin. There’s no team.”

Frowning, I stepped back slowly. Around us, the forest darkened. I tore my eyes off him for a moment to take in the storm rolling over the sky. It came in fast, casting the forest into darkness. Thunder rumbled in the distance; a low growl that made the hairs on my arms stand.

Looking back to Ry, I found him not as the young boy anymore .

Standing before me was the man I knew now. The tall, imposing male who made me question everything.

His eyes were hard, and a sneer turned his lips.

This wasn’t the Ry who had come to me at the ball, finally revealing his true self

This was Orion, King of Oberon Academy, the cruellest of them all.

I took another step back as his eyes raked over my body. “What are you doing here?”

“Orion.” A lump formed in my throat; I wasn’t sure if he was seeing me or something else. Maybe even someone else. There was no flicker of recognition in the violet of his eyes. No understanding that I was me.

He remained eerily still, but the anger only seemed to spread. His hands fisted, and the storm above us grew darker. Another rumble of thunder pierced the silence.

“It’s me,” I tried, voice thick. “Ivy.”

His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. “If you think you can fool me, then you would be wrong, demon.”

Demon?I shook my head. “No, Ry. It’s me. Ivy. Your Ivy leaf. Your flower.”

Something appeared in his hand, long and sharp. But it was made of shadows. More of the shadows curled up his arm like armour. “Leave this dream before I make you.”

“I need you to listen to me!” I shouted. “Where are you?”

The Fae male took a menacing step towards me, but I didn’t move from my position. Something about the forest changed, and suddenly, we weren’t at the old cabin anymore.

The ground beneath my feet turned muddy, uneven, and it took all my strength not to stumble.

Although I knew I didn’t have to fear him—that I shouldn’t, that this could have been the result of his trauma, or the blocks in his mind, or even whatever was going on where he was—I couldn’t help the spike of panic that rose in my chest as I took in the warped trees and marshlands around us.

“You will learn to fear me,” he said, baring his teeth. He took another step towards me, unaffected by the swampy ground. “You will know to never trick me in my own mind again.”

The blade in his hand lengthened.

My heart rate quickened.

Could he actually hurt me in a dream? I tried to remember the last few times he’d visited me. The very firsttime he’d come to me. My sex dream. I’d felt something after it, even if I hadn’t known what it was.

So, it was definitely possible that he could cause real damage here.

As he approached, I tried to pull out of the dream. I would just try one of the others, hoping I could break through with them wherever they were. I squeezed my eyes shut, imagining myself going back to my bonds. Returning to that dark place where the threads of their magic tied me to them.

But Orion’s dark chuckle filled the air. “Did you really think I would let you leave that easily?” he asked, voice eerily close to my ear.

My eyes flew open, and I tried to move, to turn so he wasn’t at my back, but the mud had claimed my feet. A whimper of frustration passed my lips before I could stop it.

“Ry, it’s me. It’s Ivy,” I said, desperation filling my voice. “I’m not a demon. I’m not your enemy. I’m your mate. We were separated in the storm, remember? That sea monster came for us. And I don’t know where I am—I don’t know where you are. Please, you need to hear me now.”

He circled me slowly, but rather than anger darkening his features, there was a furrow to his brow and confusion in his violet eyes. “My mate is—” He stopped, almost as if a glamour were keeping him from speaking .

A knot formed in my stomach as I looked around the dark space. “If there is anyone else in here, show yourself.”

There was a chance I was wrong. But I couldn’t help but wonder if there was still a glamour on his end. I could speak to him freely, but from what I’d gathered the last few days, Ry had done so much to protect me. To keep me hidden.

I might hold some deep resentment towards him, but I also could admit there was still a lot I didn’t know about him. About what he’d gone through these last eight years.

But I had to believe that after all this time, he would know me.

There had to be someone else here. Someone in his dream.

Ry stopped in front of me, head cocked, but he said nothing as an unnerving silence permeated the dark, twisted forest. I swallowed hard as I waited; I hesitantly searched for something that shouldn’t be here, like a magic I didn’t recognise.

But it hit me full force; a different kind of power, one I had no frame of reference for. I knew it was demonic, but I knew little about demons, and what I could remember, didn’t help.

I met Orion’s eye. I opened my mouth to say something, but a shrill laugh cut me off. I covered my ears, my mate doing the same as the dream around us darkened.

And once again, I was thrown into darkness.