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Could I risk their lives? I had no idea what their Mistress was capable of. And I didn’t want to find out.

But I had no idea what they had planned for me, either.

“He did not abide by the rules,” the four-armed demon replied after the long beat of silence. “He tried to change them. And he did not like it when Mistress enacted her punishment upon him.”

A shiver rolled down my spine. “Are there any more rules I need to know about?”

That same sly smile returned to their face as they brought the brush to the top of my head. I tried not to flinch at the feel of the bristles against my scalp, or wince when they pulled the braid Maeve did free.

“Rule four: Mistress requires consent. Always. Verbal is a must. Not mind speak. All those in the vicinity must be able to hear when consent is given.”

As the brush ran through my hair, I met their stare again in the reflection of the mirror. “And what if I don’t want to give consent? I doubt coercion can be considered consent.”

The demon hummed under their breath and nodded, though they were more focused on my hair.

“Mistress knew you would say that. She knew she would like you.” The brush went back to the table, and using all four hands, the demon intricately braided my hair.

“ Mistress does not want you to do anything you do not want to. But the rules must be addressed.”

“Then why am I here?” I asked, frowning. Each pull and tug of my hair was gentle as they wove the dark strands into a crown around my head, leaving thin strands to frame my face.

The other two demons appeared either side of me. One had a shimmering powder in their hand that they put on a large brush, and the other moved the makeup around on the table, selecting a few pieces and putting them aside. I was forced to watch them work through the reflection.

“Mistress has a gift for you,” they said finally, glancing at me momentarily with those slitted, snakelike eyes.

I was so done dealing with vague bullshit. The only reason I bit my tongue was the threat to my mates. I couldn’t just get up and walk out.

“What is this place, exactly?” I asked. “How did you bring me here?”

“Shadows work on their own accord, and you found yourself within them.” The demon raised their brow, meeting my stare before grabbing a jar of something from the table and holding it over my head. “Mistress found you wandering alone. Saved you from danger you were bound to walk into.”

I stiffened. “Your mistress pulled me out of a dream. One I was in with—” I stopped, not because of the glamour, but because I couldn’t admit they were my mates out loud. I wasn’t sure why I couldn’t, but a knot formed in my stomach as the four-armed demon watched me curiously.

They tipped the jar over my head, and this time, I did flinch. But instead of something dangerous falling from the top, it was…more sparkles .

The raspy-voiced demon brushed more of the same shit over my shoulders and collarbone, while the other grabbed my chin and forced my face to theirs.

Up close, somehow, her eyes were even darker.

Wider. Endless, even. And definitely unsettling.

I could see my own reflection in them because of how black they were.

Even if they were a little strange, they were also beautiful in a way.

I swore I saw flecks of light within them.

While she worked on my makeup, and the other demon continued to brush glitter over my body, the four-armed demon moved to a dark corner of the room. I tried to follow them with my eyes, but the demon in front of me held me firmly.

“Mistress only wants to help you,” they called, from the corner.

“How will this help me?” I gritted out. “He is trying to steal Avalon, you know. I don’t have time to waste.”

“Mistress is aware of that, also.” With a grunt, the demon returned with a large box in their arms. The demon holding my face finally released me, and I took only a moment to see the dark swipe of eyeliner and mascara on my eyes, and the smoky, almost glittery eyeshadow on my eyelids.

She’d even filled in my eyebrows. My lips were painted a deep, almost unforgiving red.

Darker than blood with a slight purple tone to it.

And then there was the glitter.

I look like a fucking Cullen , I thought. How bad would it be to get off?

I couldn’t imagine walking the dangerous lands of the Old World looking like a rave spat me out. That would certainly make an impact on the monsters supposedly roaming the land .

The demon dropped the box on the table in front of me, and with a flourish, the sides fell open to reveal a crown.

My stomach bottomed out as I stared at it.

It felt like a reminder of everything I needed to do to stop Dante before he could steal my power.

The crown looked nothing like the one Queen Greer wore—had worn—and nothing like the one Nyx wore in my nightmares.

It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, and yet it appeared to be inspired by Nyx’s crown.

Like the one I would one day wear.

There was no chance they would give me this without knowing who I was. What I represented.

Placed upon a faceless marble head, it looked like a halo.

The crown had white, clear crystals woven into the metal, metal that formed stars.

It was almost a mix between the one I’d worn the night of the ball and the one I was searching for.

It was simple yet elegant, and as it was placed upon my head, almost overwhelming to look at.

As soon as the demon took their hands off the crown, it tightened around my head. A dull, luminescent glow coming from the crystals made me rear back, and although I wanted to rip it from my head, I couldn’t.

“Rule five,” the demon said as they all stepped away from me. “Find a way to participate in the game, and your gift will find you.”

With that, they dropped the silk dress on my lap and retreated to the shadows.

“What game?” I asked, raising my voice. My hands tightened in the thin material of the dress. It was white, like one a bride would wear.

The knot in my stomach tightened uncomfortably, and the panic I’d so wanted to hold back rose like a tidal wave within me.

The same dark laughter from Orion’s dream sounded around me.

“The game begins now,” she said, her voice echoing through not only the dressing room, but the entire space.

I released the dress to cover my ears, and stared in horror at my reflection as the silk began moving over my skin.

I tried to push it off, but it circled my body, wrapping around me tightly.

No longer was I staring at my naked body.

And I was not alone.