Page 25

Orion

I awoke with a start, the image of Ivy burned into my retinas.

The sound of shrill laughter echoed in my ears as the haziness of the dream died, leaving me in unfamiliar darkness.

The stone beneath me was warm as I tried to sit up.

I expected the familiar ache of pain from being beaten, but nothing came.

Because you’re no longer with him , I reminded myself as I took in the rest of the room.

I wasn’t in a cell, but rather on the floor of a bedroom.

Sweat dampened my skin, but I made myself rise and take it all in, from the rumpled bed I must have been placed on, to the small window looking out over red skies and a demon’s death garden.

I’d never been to the Underworld, but I’d heard plenty of stories.

The leaders of each demon House had what they liked to call a death garden .

It was a homage to the gorgons of old, but not nearly as nice.

The garden was full of bodies, and those who were still alive were essentially eaten alive.

Those who were dead were nothing more than rotting flesh and broken bones.

Some were buried, so only their heads remained above ground, while others were tied to posts and exposed to the elements.

I grimaced as I turned away from the window. At least that gave me some indication as to where we’d landed.

As far as I knew, none of the demon Houses of Sin had sided with Dante. I was certain my father would have boasted that accomplishment, but the demons were loyal to Nyx. And they were loyal to the Elysian King.

He might not technically rule over the demons—his domain was the Elysian Fields and death, more than the denizens of the Underworld—but they respected him despite his absence. It was better than what they were left with when Hades disappeared, leaving the Underworld without a monarch.

But the demons worshipped Nyx, and they bowed to Her Queen.

That didn’t mean Dante hadn’t found someone to do his bidding here.

The rest of the room was bare, save for a table pressed against the far wall nearest the door.

On it was a tray with a pitcher of some sort of liquid—probably water, though wine flowed freely here in the Underworld, and they had a taste for pomegranate juice—with a silver goblet beside it, as well as a small cake.

The door, though, was plain wood and gave nothing away. There were no bars or window. I tried to get a sense of whether there was a guard beyond it, but my magic was weak.

That didn’t surprise me. Even though I’d been around Ivy more the last several days, I wasn’t nearly as strong as I once was.

Connecting with her through a dream the first time had strengthened my power tenfold, but I knew then it wouldn’t be a consistent balm for my magic, especially once she realised it was me in her dreams. I’d felt horrible doing it that first time, but once her powers unlocked, mine had followed, and the bond had forced us together—no matter how far apart we were.

Initially, I thought it was just another dream of her.

For so long, I’d forced myself to never trip into a dream where she could be pulled in with me.

Imagination only. And for a time, I thought that was all it had been.

Just another thing my mind conjured in an effort to feel closer to her, so that my thoughts wouldn’t wander to the next time Hyperion would inflict his punishments upon me.

The night it happened had been one of his worst beatings yet.

And then she’d been there, and nothing could’ve stopped me from revelling in her beauty, her scent, her comfort.

Shame burned through me. The power I had over my own dreams should have stopped the lust demon from entering my head, and instead, I’d tried to attack my mate. She was the only one I ever wanted inside my dreamscapes—the only one I trusted with the twisted nightmares within.

I couldn’t feel her nearby, which either meant she wasn’t in one of the rooms near me, or she was gone. She’d wanted to know where I was. I scraped a hand down my face as her words replayed in my head.

We were separated in the storm . I couldn’t remember the events clearly. I’d been so far up in the crow’s nest that I’d only been focused on the dead coming for us .

But the sea monster flashed across my memory. The ship being cleaved in half. Saltwater filling my mouth as I struggled to find her. To swim towards her.

I shut my eyes tightly against the onslaught of memories.

Bitter failure burned throughout me. My shadows leaked from me, swirling around my body, crawling up my arms and along my chest. They used to be my armour, my protection against the rest of the world, same as my gloves.

But now, they were a sore reminder that I hadn’t kept my promise to protect her, and I might have just lost my only way of finding her.

The metal lock of the door clanged. My eyes popped open as the door swung open an inch. Shadows sprung free from my body to slither through the gap, but there was no one in the hallway.

Gritting my teeth, I strode to the door. My hand went to the handle, cold as ice, but there was no remnant of magic or a magical signature on the door. Through the gap, I noticed other doors, all open like mine.

Heart pounding, I stepped into the quiet hall.

It was all the same out here as the room; stone walls and floors, sconces giving off limited light, and no windows.

But there were ten doors, with four open a crack.

That would account for at least four of the other mates, but one was missing, aside from Ivy.

Her magic wasn’t present at all out here. Not from the closed doors or open ones.

A growl sounded from the room next to mine. The open door revealed only a thick darkness within, but the glowing eyes of a wolf appeared in the crack. Another low growl rumbled from the wolf’s chest as he pushed his way through the open door and into the hallway.

Based on the dark brown coat and the green glow of his eyes, I had to assume it was Elias Beckham. The signature of his magic confirmed as much, but how much control did the male have over his beast?

I held myself still as the giant wolf came to a stop a foot away from me. He lowered his head, another snarling growl echoing through the hall.

“I am not your enemy,” I said, voice low, almost flinching as Ivy’s voice echoed in my ears with the same words. I am not your enemy , she’d said to me, when I had thought her an intruder in my own dreams.

But I wasn’t sure if the wolf even understood me. If the male within recognised me as not a threat.

I was not delusional, thinking he trusted me—or even liked me. It had been desperation that had allowed him to leave me with Ivy at the ball. I had a feeling he would not do it again, especially after he and the other three had been taken from her so easily.

“Beckham,” another male snapped. Although I didn’t like the idea of taking my eyes off the wolf, I did look up to see another door had opened. This one led out of the dark hallway and through the gap, I noticed stairs.

The half-Fae male that appeared crossed his arms. The missing fifth mate, then.

Hawk Nash clenched his jaw, dark eyes narrowed on the wolf. I had no idea what he’d done to not land himself in one of these rooms, but after a quick assessment, he appeared unharmed. Unfortunately.

The male stood there tall and proud despite the fact that he was instrumental in Ivy’s hurt. A small part of me wanted to blame him for Ivy not being here. That if he just accepted the bond, she would have been better protected.

I’d spent years yearning for my mate, for the day I would finally be with her again. I’d done everything to protect her, to keep my father and Dante away .

And this pathetic male wanted nothing to do with the bond.

I gritted my teeth, eyes swinging back to the wolf. The beast snorted before shifting, fur rippling to become skin. The male rose to his full height, rolling his shoulders back.

“I’m fucking done with this,” he said, voice hoarse. “Where the hell is my mate?”

The last three were slower to wake. They’d used something against Maeve Grey to keep her down longer, and so when she did wake, there was a red ring around her irises.

She hid it well. Although the others weren’t worried about her control, I was.

He didn’t say it, but I could tell Nash was, too.

His was for other reasons, I assumed, but mine came from the knowledge that her control—all of our control—relied on Ivy.

And with our mate missing, there was no telling what we would do without her.

Adrian Kingsley woke slowly, but Rowan Archer jolted out of his bed with a start when we finally made it into his room.

So far, no one appeared harmed, but there was still no Ivy.

I anxiously curled my hands into fists as Nash closed one of the doors.

We were gathered in the room Archer had been left in; he didn’t have a window view of the death garden like I had.

Instead, his small window overlooked an empty courtyard.

There were chaise lounges and pillows scattered throughout, but not a soul in sight.

“We’re in the fortress of House Lust,” Nash revealed. I turned to him, eyes narrowed, as did the others .

“Where the hell is Ivy?” Kingsley demanded, arms crossed.

Nash’s dark eyes flickered over all of us. “She isn’t here.”

Beckham growled and moved like he intended to lunge for the half-Fae’s throat. The only thing holding him back, I assumed—just like the rest of us—was the knowledge that he was Ivy’s mate. Just like us.

“From what I know, we were separated—likely on purpose,” Nash continued, ignoring the deadly look in Beckham’s eyes, and the dangerous glares from the rest of us.

“My demon side protected me from whatever it was that happened to you. But we got lucky when Lust found us. They won’t ever join sides with Dante. And they’re looking for Ivy.”

“How can you be sure?” I asked, crossing my arms. The charm mage glanced at me, before turning back to Nash.

It was clear he wasn’t sure if he liked me or not.

I didn’t care. He wasn’t someone I’d looked up to at the academy, and the only thing I’d known about him before Ivy was that he’d been notorious for how many females he’d slept with and how drunk he would get at parties.

I knew he was a different male now, that he’d changed long before meeting Ivy, but I’d seen it all firsthand during my first year.

“Because I had a meeting with their head of house, Ravenna. She and I made a…deal.” Nash glanced away, though not before revealing a hint of shame. My anger rose again. Had he handed himself over to the succubus leader of Lust? Rather than his own fucking mate?

I didn’t have the same enhanced senses as shifters and vampires, but Fae were better than mages and witches in that area. Although I couldn’t scent another female on him—no arousal or desire from him or another demon—it was clear he was hiding something .

“The deal will mean nothing if we don’t find Ivy,” he added, as if to distract us. But just the idea of him doing anything like that made me wish I didn’t have the control I had over myself. It made me wish that if I hurt him, it wouldn’t hurt my flower, too.

“What happened?” Grey demanded. “The ship went down. And the sea monster…”

“The monster is like a guard of sorts. It must have recognised Ivy and delivered her somewhere safely. To where, no one knows,” Nash replied, voice tight. “That’s why Ravenna has demons out looking. She thinks she knows where Ivy is now, and she’ll be moved somewhere safe.”

“She needs to be brought here ,” Archer snapped. “Why the hell would you make a deal for Ivy without consulting us? You aren’t a bonded mate.”

I took a little too much satisfaction from the way Nash flinched.

His jaw clenched, but before he could utter a response, Grey stepped in.

“Fighting amongst ourselves doesn’t help,” she warned, keeping her voice low.

“For her sake, we need to be a united front. Especially if we want to get her back safely.”

I stiffened, but the vampire had a point. For Ivy’s sake, I would put away my anger for the half-Fae male. It appeared as though there was plenty to go around, anyway.

“It gets worse,” Nash deadpanned. He’d effectively wiped away any emotion, or feelings about being reminded that he wasn’t worthy of making decisions for Ivy. “Dante is planning to meet with the Elysian King. To make a deal.”

My stomach dropped. Somehow, those words were enough to have everyone stopping to stare at the half-Fae with a mixture of anger and horror .

If Dante successfully made a deal with the Elysian King, the one ally we—no, Ivy—truly needed, then this war would be over for us. He would have won.