Page 4

Ivy

T he explosion created from Vanya’s powerful illusion rocked the ballroom— no , it rocked the palace.

I didn’t hesitate as I ran towards her, forgetting the pain in my side from the still healing wound, forgetting everything as I tried to save my friend. I doubted she planned for this outcome. When I reached her, the ceiling shuddered, knocking debris free.

Vanya turned, horror filling her eyes as the first column fell.

My magic reacted; we collided, and I threw up a shield. We ducked as the column came down first, hitting the shield and crumbling at the impact.

“I’m sorry!” Vanya cried, covering her head as part of the ceiling came down next. “I only wanted a distraction.”

I flinched as stone hit my shield. It made my bones ache, like it was falling on me instead. “It’s okay,” I grunted. Scanning the destroyed ballroom, I searched for any sign of Orion and the others. “Shit.”

Vanya glanced up, eyes wide. “What?”

Bile rose in my throat as I turned to find the space behind us torn apart. “Hawk. I thought he was right behind me. Oh, Goddess, I didn’t think?—”

“He’s in the air!” Vanya pointed over my shoulder at the male who had, thankfully, taken flight. “He’s okay, Ivy.”

I released a shuddering breath before turning back to her. “And what about you? Are you okay?”

Vanya trembled, shaking her head. “Oh, yeah, no, totally okay.” Her eyes left mine to take in the ballroom. The rest of the ceiling caved in around us, and we both screamed as more debris hit the shield. “Okay, no, I’m not! What the fuck!”

The shield flickered, losing power. I gritted my teeth, pushing more of my own strength into it. But my chest hurt, body burning from the effort.

Just a little longer, I begged the magic. Please, protect us for a little longer .

Warmth trickled down my bond with Orion. We’re out, little flower. Please tell me you’re not in the middle of the rubble.

Jaw clenched, I pushed more energy into the shield as the floor rumbled again. I am, in fact, in the middle of the rubble. Hawk is flying above us.

Us? Orion asked.

I grunted. Yep. Vanya and me. We’re stuck. My shield is up, but I don’t know how long it’ll last.

Another hard force hit the barrier. My legs buckled, and I hit the ground with a cry. The shield fell apart like an explosion of violet light .

Goddess, I was exhausted. Ringing started in my ears. I barely felt Vanya beside me, trying to pull me up. She appeared in front of me, trying to speak, but only her mouth moved. No sound came out of it.

Then I saw him, crawling out from behind the throne. Not dead like I’d hoped.

A fucking cockroach rising from the rubble.

Anger washed through me, but arms pulled me back. Tingles of electricity raced over my skin as Hawk whispered in my ear. The ringing drowned out his voice, but vaguely, I made out similar words to the ones he’d spoken during my magic explosion after Kerry’s death.

I blinked rapidly to push the anger aside as more of Dante’s men flooded the destroyed ballroom. They didn’t seem all too worried about us. They went straight to their false king.

“We need to get the hell out of here,” Hawk said, voice finally pulling me back. “Ivy. Please. We need to get out of here.”

I swallowed hard and nodded. “I know. I know. Orion said he has everyone. That they’re close.”

Too close . Several of Dante’s soldiers shouted, pointing at the curtains behind the dais. I strained, trying to pull out of Hawk’s arms, but he held me tightly as Orion appeared, with the others following close behind.

Something in my chest cracked at the sight of them. It’d only been minutes apart, but it felt longer, especially with the bonds still dormant in my chest.

They’re alive , I reminded myself, slumping in Hawk’s embrace. Rowan was okay, Adrian was okay, Maeve was okay, and so was Elias. They were there. Breathing. And soon, I’d feel them again.

Orion didn’t even look at the soldiers. Instead, he brought his hands up and drenched the room in darkness. The soldiers cried out, Dante shouted something, but all I needed was to reach them.

Like a light had been switched on, a small, narrow corridor appeared in the darkness to guide the way to my mates.

I took Hawk and Vanya’s hands. We started down the dimly lit path, my heart racing the closer we got.

And then I saw him. My wolf.

I released their hands and picked my way through the rubble faster to throw myself into Elias’s embrace.

Strong arms wrapped around me, holding me tight to his trembling body.

I breathed in his scent, the familiar smell of pine and forest filling my lungs.

It sparked something within me, awakening our bond.

I’m here, I whispered, tightening my hold on his neck and burying my face into his throat. “I’m okay.”

Elias released a heavy, shuddering breath. “Fuck. I love you.”

My throat tightened, tears burning the corners of my eyes. “I love you, too.”

Somehow, his hold grew tighter. But the bond brightened, strengthening in my chest. And it felt powerful.

“I can only hold the darkness for so long. We need to leave. Now.” Orion’s clipped voice made me glance up and suck in a breath.

Blood was splattered across his face, drenching the collar of his shirt and pants. Maeve, too, was covered in blood. It dripped down her chin and throat, like she’d torn into something. But from what I could tell, neither were hurt. The blood didn’t appear to be theirs.

“Little flower,” Orion warned. “We have to move. Now.”

I blew out a shaky breath and finally pulled myself from Elias’s hold. My shifter hesitated, but he held me at arm’s length, keeping one arm wrapped around me as I took in my other mates. Adrian’s face was drained of colour, and his hands trembled at his side. Slowly, his eyes found mine.

“Is it true?” he asked quietly. “Is she dead? Is Dante—is he responsible?”

Tears burned behind my eyes. I gave Elias’s hand a gentle squeeze, and he let me go without any hesitation.

Adrian’s face changed as I moved towards him, eyes shining with unshed tears. He shook his head in disbelief as I cupped his cheeks. “I am so sorry,” I whispered.

“No.” He closed his eyes tightly, yet despite that, a tear slid down his cheek. “No, he?—”

I wound my arms around his neck and held him tightly as he cried. No one pushed us to move. I let Orion pull some strength from me to keep the shadows around us. Adrian wrapped his arms around me after a long moment, crushing me to him.

I couldn’t imagine what he was going through, knowing his brother was behind everything. And now finding out about his mother…my heart ached for him. My magic burned with the need to make the pain go away.

I am so sorry , I told him.

His hold on me tightened, and he sucked in a shuddering breath. This is not your fault , he replied. I want to kill him. But he’s my brother.

Pressing my lips in a firm line, I simply head him tighter. I know .

Adrian only pulled back when the building shook again; his wide eyes met mine, and he took a step back, horror lining his face. “What?—”

“Dante and his men are taking the palace. And they’re probably taking it down with them,” Orion explained. “We need to go. ”

The urgency bleeding into his tone finally had us moving; Adrian took one of my hands, while Elias claimed the other.

I briefly met Vanya’s eye, her fear making her tremble, but she gave me a reassuring smile as Hawk moved to protect her back.

His features were stony and dark with anger, but his eyes softened when they met mine.

Goddess, how had this all come to pass? What the hell happened to Dante, to all his followers, to have this result?

My heart thundered against my ribs as we picked our way through the rubble. The explosion had caved in a part of the wall, leaving a hole leading into the gardens. The world outside, though, was on fire.

Orange and red highlighted the black sky, rising above the trees surrounding the palace. No one moved from the wall, not as we took in the smoke rising into the darkness, not as the sound of terrified screams filled the night.

Bile rose in my throat, horror filling my body. My magic rose in response, but a chilling numbness took over.

There was nothing I could do. My magic reached out without me realising and spread across the palace grounds, but it was met with resistance, with magic that felt wrong. A shiver rolled down my spine, lifting the hairs of my arms.

When Nyx had called it a bastardisation, she’d meant it.

Whatever Dante had done, he’d totally messed with the foundations of Nyx’s power.

My heart twisted as another piercing scream echoed through the air. My legs moved without permission from me, and I started for the sound, heart pounding. But before I could take more than a few steps, I was pulled into Elias’s chest as the scream turned blood curdling .

“Let me go,” I breathed, trying to pull out of his embrace. “Please. I can help them.”

“Angel, you’re still injured,” Elias murmured, holding me tighter. “You can’t help them.”

Tears burned my eyes as the smoke grew thicker, clogging the air. “Then what do I do?” I asked. “I’m supposed to fight for them, right? I’m supposed to be their Queen! I should be out there protecting them. And—” I broke off with a sob, slumping in Elias’s arms as the scream cut off.

It was all too much. Nyx’s power screamed at me, begging me to do something.

My chest burned with the need to fix it.

To take everything Dante had unleashed and hide it from the creatures around me.

I could almost feel Nyx in the back of my mind, crying out for the world she’d tried so hard to protect.

Dante was destroying everything, and he didn’t care.

This was his world. The one he’d been born into. Raised in. His mother and his father had fought so hard to keep the peace. His siblings called this land their home .

And he was willing to destroy it all for power.

Because he believed, in some twisted way, that he was owed it.

“Dante has more reach than any of us suspected,” Maeve said, her voice cutting through the tension. “He couldn’t have achieved this without significant help.”

“He has the courts. Why they would side with a mind mage is beyond me, but he got through to half the rulers, and they’ve been helping him for years,” Orion explained. “But from what I’ve gathered, he couldn’t get to the Underworld.”

My stomach twisted. I looked away from the burning ruins of the palace and city to take in my mates. “What does that mean, exactly?” I asked .

“It means we might have allies—and an army—with the demons,” Hawk replied. “There is no way this war is being fought with just the seven of us.”

“There aren’t just seven of you,” Vanya snapped, stepping up beside me. Tears slid down her sooty cheeks as she looked from Hawk to me. “There are plenty who wouldn’t dare betray you or Nyx, Ivy. More than you think.”

“They just need to be rallied.” Adrian squeezed my hand, eyes shining as they met mine. “Vanya is right. There is no way Dante has everyone fooled. There are forces out there that would fight against him in a heartbeat. If you called for them.”

“How?” I asked. “I don’t know what to do. Greer never prepared me for this. Oberon didn’t prepare me for this.”

My vision grew hazy as panic reached for me, closing around my throat and lungs. Pressure built in my head, pounding against my skull. In my ears, I heard the whispers of every damned soul lost to Dante and his take-over.

I pressed my hands to my ears, knees buckling. The ringing in my ears drowned out the voices of my mates. Although I felt them try to reach me through the bonds, it felt like I was miles away, falling from their grasps.

No. I didn’t have the benefit of panicking anymore.

I didn’t have the privilege of standing here and crying, because there were people who needed me now more than ever.

It wasn’t just Thea and the kids that I had to think about.

It was everyone else, too; the entirety of Nyx’s children were relying on me to save them.

To protect them from the harm Dante and his people were causing.

Warmth touched the back of my mind, filling me from the inside out.

You must fight , Nyx said, her voice a whisper on the wind. Or death will come for us all.