Page 34

Ivy

I t pained me, seeing my mates angry. Terrified.

But it also frustrated me to no end that they didn’t trust me.

Adrian started talking about how ridiculous it was to even enter a political marriage, while Rowan went on about how dangerous it was to make a deal with a demon king without consulting them.

Maeve stared at me silently, her disappointment palpable, and that might have hurt the most. Elias simply stalked away, running a hand through his hair as he did.

Orion, stunned, strode towards me. “What did you do, little flower?”

I lifted my chin in defiance, heart pounding erratically. “I did what I needed to in order to get us to the Old World. I now have the most powerful alliance any Queen has ever seen.”

That forced everyone to stop what they were doing. Elias turned to me with narrowed eyes. Through our bond, I caught a twinge of betrayal from him, and I softened.

Releasing a breath, I dropped the skirt and crossed my arms. “I understand why you’re all worried.

Why you might feel like I betrayed you. And I never—I don’t ever want to be that person who keeps things from her partners.

” I stopped, a lump forming in my throat.

“But I am prepared to do whatever I can to keep you safe. To save everyone . And if that means I enter this marriage, then so be it. I need you guys to have my back on this one.”

Maeve sighed, running a hand over her face. “Do you understand what will be required of you for this…alliance?”

I nodded. “There are terms I would need you guys to agree with,” I replied quietly.

“But none of it will be real. It’s not a marriage of love or anything like that.

It never will be anything more than a handshake and a promise to protect one another, especially where it concerns Dante.

Because my power might not be the only thing at risk. ”

Rowan folded his arms over his chest, though through the bond, his apprehension wavered. “What do you mean?”

“Dante proposed a deal to Damon— Rhadamanthus— first,” I explained.

I began pacing again, this time with purpose.

“He claimed that once he had my power, he would be able to take the throne of the Elysian King, too. That he would be able to make a deal with Rhadamanthus in exchange for… companionship .”

Companionship was perhaps the wrong way to describe what Dante had offered him, but I was pretty sure they had an idea of what that meant .

“And what does this deal look like for you, Ivy?” Adrian asked. He lowered himself onto one of the few black leather sofas scattered around the room and dropped his head into his hands. “What does he want?”

“One week, every season. I have to spend it here.” My throat tightened at the looks on their faces. For the first time, even Hawk looked surprised. “Four weeks a year. But that fits in with the requirements of being Queen.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Maeve said, her voice rough as she moved to stand in front of me. I sucked in a breath as she brushed her fingers over the stupid crown still trapped in my hair. “You do not have to do this.”

“She does.”

Everyone froze. My heart stopped in my chest as Damon’s voice boomed through the chamber. A growl, low and dark, left Elias’s lips. Maeve moved to cover me.

He isn’t a threat , I told all of them, glancing at each mate to let them know I meant it.

But Orion snapped.

Shadows leapt from his fingers in the direction of the Elysian King. My eyes widened as I moved in an attempt to cut the shadows off. I had no idea how to manipulate them the way he could, wasn’t even certain I could stop them in time.

But Maeve had me in her arms before I could make it to either male. A shout lodged in my throat as a wave of darkness crashed into the seven-foot demon.

Shadows swarmed Damon, coiling around him until there was nothing but a black void where he once stood.

The snake around my wrist gave a warning squeeze, burning for a brief moment before cooling—a warning I didn’t understand.

My breath caught in my throat as the shadows dissipated, revealing the demon King .

Damon hadn’t moved an inch; where I expected anger to be twisting his features, there was nothing more than disinterest. Mostly directed at Orion, but also at everyone else.

“What the hell?” I said, my voice louder than I intended. I shrugged out of Maeve’s embrace, trying to not let her flinch get to me—at least, not for now, not when my magic was rushing through me at the explosion of emotions from every bond.

I stalked to the Fae Prince, who watched the demon king with narrowed, dangerously dark eyes.

Goddess Nyx, save me from this male. I wouldn’t call him an idiot. Orion had gone so long protecting my identity, protecting himself from what his father and Dante would have done if they ever found out he was mated to me. Surely, he knew better than to attack the king of the Elysian Fields.

“Orion,” I hissed, stopping in front of the male. But his eyes remained locked on Damon. There was nothing but pure rage through the bond at the ancient demon. “Ry. Look at me.”

The male’s nostrils flared as he sucked in a breath. He released it slowly, eyes closing. “Ivy…”

“No,” I snapped. “Look at me.”

Orion shook his head. “There is nothing you can do to me that I am not already doing to myself.”

“Bullshit.” At that, he finally opened his eyes. There was a slight flush to his cheeks, one that made him look almost boyish, younger than he was. “Why would you attack the bloody king of demons?”

He tried to shake his head, but his movements were stilted. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Perhaps my visit came a little too soon,” Damon called, sounding too damned amused.

“But we have one hour before we make this deal permanent, my Queen. The masses are flooding the throne room. There is excitement in the air. And if you want the demons to go to war for you, then you should prepare yourself.”

And with that, he disappeared. I didn’t even need to look to know he’d used the shadows to transport himself elsewhere. The tattoos did that for me. They seemed to dim with his disappearance.

“Talk,” I whispered. “Why would you attack him? Especially when we need him.”

Orion snorted, shaking his head. “There are any number of demons capable of ferrying us where we need to go.”

“Really?” I raised a brow sarcastically. “And do you know if any of them have actually seen the Old World? Who can take us to the places Nyx once walked?”

The Fae male pressed his lips together and shook his head. “We should not trust him.”

“Why? Give me one good reason.”

“His meetings with Dante.” He bowed his head, eyes narrowing. “Did you forget I know some of his dealings?”

Meetings . I tried to control my breathing as I stepped away from Orion. My stomach churned uncomfortably as I moved to another part of the room. The sky outside the massive window darkened to a bloody red, and somehow, the music from the city grew louder, harsher.

“I would never question you,” Orion said, stopping me in my tracks.

“Never. You have always been my Queen, and everything I have ever done has been to protect you—to serve you. When I failed at being your mate, I became your sword. And what I have learned in being that makes me aware that your enemies are closer than you think. ”

His words were like a splash of cold water. “And do you think he’s an enemy?” I asked, turning back to him, voice softening.

Everyone else watched, their own opinions on the tips of their tongues. They wanted to interject, but remained silent instead. The only one I wasn’t certain of was Hawk, who leaned against the back wall with his arms crossed.

Orion’s jaw ticked as he shook his head. “I know he wants more than he’s telling you.”

“This is not the time to be vague,” Maeve said, her team leader persona in place. I noticed the reddening of her irises, the quiet rage radiating from her. “If we must find a reason to get Ivy out before the deal is completed, then you need to tell us the truth. Now.”

My heart pounded as I turned my full attention back to Ry. I tried to push my desperation down the bond at him. To let him know how badly I needed him to tell me what he knew. We had to be done with the secrets. Done with hiding valuable information. We all needed to be on the same page.

Orion sighed. “My father claimed Dante met with the Elysian King on more than one occasion. At first, I considered it a lie. We know the king only meets with the Queen and very few others in person. But after Dante revealed himself, I wondered if it was possible. If perhaps he’d had gone with Queen Greer during her meetings with him.

Had established a connection with him that way. ”

“But you have no proof other than his claims,” Adrian interjected. Orion glanced at him sharply, jaw clenching.

Adrian was right. Hyperion could have been lying about the meetings, but I doubted Orion would be saying anything if he didn’t believe there was a kernel of truth in what he thought.

“What else?” I asked softly, drawing his eyes back to me.

The Fae prince scrubbed a hand over his face and released a long, slow breath. “I have some…glamours and blocks I need to work through.”

My stomach dropped. “What?”

Orion’s eyes darkened as they met mine. “Most of us in the upper echelons had a number of them placed on us so if we were taken, we would not be able to say a word.”

From the other side of the room, Elias grunted. “We gathered as much during our interrogations.”

A cold chill ran down my spine at the impact of what interrogations meant.

I wasn’t sure why it rattled me. Of course, I knew there were things my mates would do.

Had to do. To survive—to keep me safe. I shouldn’t be disillusioned to it at all.

And yet I couldn’t help but feel…taken aback, maybe, as his words really settled in the air.

It wasn’t just Elias’s words that rattled me. But Orion’s, too.

“We don’t have much time,” Hawk said, his voice almost jarring. He pushed off the wall and moved to the centre of the room. “He’ll be back to take Ivy any minute. What can you tell us?”

Orion’s desperation and frustration came down the bond, sharp like lightning. I had to bite the inside of my cheek as his eyes burned with the same emotion. “Please. Just know that I do not trust him.”

I pursed my lips. Like Hawk said, we were running out of time, and we had little choices left.

“We need him to take us to the Old World. To guide us through it,” I said, keeping my voice low. “If we had another option, then I would consider it. But we can’t risk him actually joining Dante. We can’t lose him and the support of the demons.”

“She’s right,” Rowan said, his voice hard. I turned to where he sat on the edge of the love seat, his head in his hands. “If he is a danger, then maybe it’s best he’s in our midst. We just have to keep him in the dark.”

It suddenly felt like a test, a way to prove if I really was worthy of being the Queen.

Of being their mate. If I trusted my gut, I followed through with the deal, and I risked losing the faith Orion had in me.

His eyes pleaded with me to listen to him.

To believe what he was telling me. If I went through with the deal, it would be like telling him his opinion didn’t matter. That I didn’t believe him.

There was a part of me that did believe him, though. And it terrified me, wondering if I couldn’t even trust myself. What if I was wrong? What if I went through with it, and it turned out Damon was playing me the whole time? What if he wanted out of his role of king? Wanted what Dante offered him?

Goddess Nyx, help me, please , I thought, turning away from my mates entirely. The view outside caught my attention again.

The hairs on my arms lifted as a cold breeze drifted through the room. The smell of smoke and spice clung to the air. It calmed my racing heart enough for me to settle on my answer.

I thought about the Goddess’s warnings. Her predictions of doom if I failed.

Losing the demons would mean losing the war. And although most demons would side with me—with Nyx—there would be some loyal to the Elysian King. Some who might like the idea of change a little too much.

“I’m going to go through with the deal,” I said, turning back to the others.

Orion hung his head in defeat, but my other mates weren’t pleased, either.

“What we need from him, we can’t get from anyone else.

And I need the support of the demons. This deal could save us.

All of us. I can give up a few weeks a year if it means stopping Dante from destroying our entire world. ”

I do believe you , I said down the bond to Orion. He lifted his head, eyes shining. We can work on how to undo the glamours. Together. But Rowan has a point. We should be keeping him close.

I understand, my flower, he replied. I am sorry.

My chest tightened, but I nodded once.

The air shifted, magic filling the room. My mates shared worried glances, tensing like they were preparing for an attack. Orion was at my side in an instant, Maeve not far behind him.

Darkness flooded the room, shadows thickening. “Time’s up, my Queen,” Rhadamanthus said, his voice everywhere. “Time to become my bride.”