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Ivy grimaced and stepped out of Elias’s embrace to give me her back again.

“Yeah. I tried Rowan but couldn’t make it into the dream.

I thought trying Orion’s dream would work since it’s his power, and it did for a moment, but then I got the boot and was taken to the sex club.

” Before either Elias or I could say a word, she held up her hand.

“Trust me. I know. It was bad. But they delivered me a gift: two mages working for Dante.”

The wolf and I shared a look of displeasure. His eyes glowed softly, beast close to the surface. He’d already made his anger known, had all but torn into the demon king for taking Ivy somewhere unsafe—to do something she didn’t fully understand .

But to put her in the path of danger?

“What?” Elias growled, his hand reaching for her cheek, eyes darkened with rage.

My anger rose sharply. “You?—”

“I wasn’t hurt; they didn’t even realise I was there at first, not until I went up to them.”

“Angel…” Elias’s eyes flashed dangerously with the presence of his wolf, but he maintained control.

I reached for her thoughts, bypassing the blocks she’d fortified for everyone but her mates.

The mention of the club brought up discomfort, but it wasn’t as strong as I would have expected.

She was more angry that she’d been deceived.

But she hadn’t been hurt. And she wasn’t upset or afraid of the mages, either.

“They revealed that Dante is already on his way to the Old World,” she murmured.

“I didn’t really know how to tell all of you before, but…

” She sighed, her exhaustion evident. “A lot happened. But he has them killing themselves if they’re caught now, and it was…

a lot. But I’m okay. They didn’t even try to hurt me. ”

“But they confirmed what you suspected,” I said, glancing from her to Elias. “He is going to the Old World.”

“And he found a way to do it,” Ivy whispered. She brought her hands to her face and groaned. “How are we supposed to win against someone who is always seven steps ahead of us?”

My hands went to the back of the dress again, and I tore it in half. The sound of the material splitting was drowned out by Ivy’s sigh of relief.

Elias’s eyes darkened as the scraps of her dress landed on the cold stone ground. “They didn’t even give you underwear?” he asked, angry more than anything.

Ivy dropped her hands from her face. Her hair fell over the dark mate marks lining her spine.

I couldn’t help but let my eyes drift over her; from Elias’s bite scarring her shoulder, down to the demon deal tattoo on her forearm, which twisted around her hand to meet the demon king’s own mark.

The one around her thigh had also settled into her skin like a soft red scar.

But other than the glitter still clinging to her flesh, she had no clear wounds, and she wasn’t dirty or harmed.

“I need a shower,” she muttered, ignoring his question entirely. Kicking the scraps of her dress away, she glanced around the room again with a frown. “I’m going to have to sleep naked, aren’t I?”

Elias snorted. “That’s never stopped you before, Angel.”

She gave him an unimpressed look, while I shook my head. “Let me see if there’s anything in the room. Go clean up, a mhuirnín . Then we can rest.”

Her shoulders slumped in relief, and she sighed, turning towards the bathroom again. Thank you, Maeve, she said. Thank you for taking care of me.

Always, I replied. I watched, shoulders tense, as she made her way into the ensuite.

There was nothing grand about it, not like the one she had at the palace in Avalon.

The one here had a small walk-in shower, but no tub for her to sink into—and I knew that was something she would have appreciated right now.

From the doorway to the ensuite, Elias shook his head, eyes on her. The water turned on. Soon enough, steam filled the room from the open door.

“If you can’t find anything, I’ll get Kingsley or Archer to clean this,” he said, picking at his own shirt. “I’d rather her be comfortable, and the idea of her wearing anything that doesn’t belong to us makes me uneasy.”

Us. Silently, I couldn’t help but agree. At least if she wore something belonging to us, we could ensure she didn’t have any charms or trackers on her that weren’t put there by Adrian.

As she showered, I did another sweep of the room. There was a closet, not built in, in the corner of the room, but it was empty. Same with a chest of drawers beside it. The king-sized bed had tables either side of it, and both were lacking anything useful.

“Nothing,” I muttered, slamming the last drawer shut.

Elias tugged his shirt off, tossing it onto the bed with a sigh. “She might have a problem sleeping naked, but I don’t.”

“Please, do not subject the rest of us to that ,” I replied. Since being rescued from my sire, I’d managed to keep myself as far away from males as possible where it concerned sex. And while I didn’t have a problem with Elias personally, I remained cautious around him regardless.

The shifter snorted. “You are my mate’s mate, Grey. But even that means some things remain private .”

I cocked my head, unimpressed. “Thank the Goddess for that, then.”

The water shut off, and we both turned, entirely attuned to her . Ivy stepped out of the bathroom, hair soaking wet, but cleaned of glitter. She had a large white towel wrapped around her, colour and life returning to her.

“Nice to see you two getting along,” she teased, eyes brighter now. Apparently, a shower was what she needed to wake herself up, because she had some life back to her. “You two sound like annoyed siblings.”

“How are you feeling?” I asked, ignoring the comment. Through the bond, I caught a hint of embarrassment from Ivy, and a small twinge of guilt for the sibling comment.

It’s okay , I told her. It didn’t upset me .

She moved towards me, the smell of lavender filling the air from the soap she’d used.

I missed her normal coffee and coconut scent, realising I couldn’t wait until we won.

Until we defeated Dante and could return to our lives.

To life where we didn’t have to walk on eggshells.

Where we could finally be together without threat.

“I want that too,” she whispered, and my eyes widened as she took one of my hands. “More than anything.”

My breath came faster, throat tightening with that familiar hunger. I tried to swallow, but my mouth had gone dry. “ A mhuirnín ?—”

“If you need to feed, then do it,” she said.

My eyes flickered over to Elias, who had his arms crossed. They glowed a dark green. Even though I had fed from Ivy in his presence before—in a sexually charged environment, at that—I still hesitated, even though I had no reason to.

“You should,” he said, voice jarring me out of my thoughts. “You need to be at your strongest for tomorrow.”

I pressed my lips together. “It will drain you, Ivy.”

She shook her head. “It might help me sleep better, but I won’t be drained. Magical healing and all that.” A smile, soft and reassuring, played at her divine pink lips. Lips I wanted to claim. To see red. “I need a minor recharge, anyway.”

I breathed in deeply, nostrils flaring. Her arousal thickened the air, sweet and intoxicating. Holding back would be difficult, but with the way she looked at me, I knew the control I had over myself was not necessary.

Slowly, Ivy dropped the towel from around her body.

Just the sight of her intensified the hunger.

Her nipples hardened under my lustful gaze.

She shifted so her thighs pressed together, making her scent grow heavier.

I wanted to sink my teeth into her luscious thigh.

To take from the space between them, to lap at her blood as her cum mixed with it.

I shuddered as my fangs ripped free. The beast in me didn’t even care about the other male. Did not care that he would bear witness to this.

I claimed my mate’s soft lips in a searing kiss. Hunger consumed me as I ran my hand through her wet hair to cup the back of her head and angle her face to deepen the kiss. She tasted of honey and something that was so entirely her. Something that overwhelmed and sated my thirst for only a moment.

Ivy groaned against my lips, her hand moving to my shoulder.

I closed the distance between us entirely and pressed my body against her supple flesh.

The feel of her soft body against mine almost destroyed me.

Goddess above, I had missed her. It was only days of separation, but my own body warmed at having her so close again.

Of knowing that she would not be taken from me.

My fangs scraped her bottom lip as our mouths moved together. Ivy’s fingers dug into my shoulder, the hand still clasped in mine moving to take hold of my other shoulder.

I tore my mouth free from hers with a gasp and trailed light kisses down her throat. Ivy arched her neck for me, a low moan passing her lips as she did, giving me full access to the side of her throat untouched by Elias’s mate mark.

Over her shoulder, though, I caught sight of the shifter. His eyes were locked on our shared mate, glowing brighter with the presence of his wolf. And yet, he made no move to give her attention. Leaving her pleasure to me.

My teeth skimmed her shoulder. She shivered, fingers digging deeper into my shoulders .

I could not give her all the attention she needed and feed.

But he could.

Anxiety clawed at my belly as my eyes closed. Do you want your other mate to join, a mhuirnín ? I asked carefully.

Surprise brightened our bond as her fingers loosened. What?

Do I need to repeat myself, mate? I teased, biting her lightly, not hard enough to break the skin. She sucked in a sharp breath, her desire growing heavier.

Maeve…are you sure? she asked.

I want to take care of you . And to do that, I need help. Are you okay with that?

She shuddered, turning her head slightly to brush my ear. “Yes,” she said aloud. “I am.”

“Good.” I lifted my lips from her throat and glanced at Elias. His eyes snapped to mine, wide and uncertain. “Your mate requires your help, Beckham. As do I.”

He quirked a brow, but his arms dropped as he pushed off the doorway. “Where do you want me, boss?”

Ivy’s heart pounded, loud enough for both of us to hear. “Attend to her soaked cunt while I feed,” I replied, cocking my head and pulling her head back enough for her to let out another low moan. “Make her come.”

The shifter moved to stand behind her, eyes leaving mine to sweep over our mate.

“We will take care of you,” I murmured, forcing her to meet my eye. “Only once that is done, may you rest.”

Her eyes darkened, taking on a soft, purple glow. But she didn’t argue. Her only response was a half-nod.

And that was all we needed before we claimed her.