Page 43

Ivy

R ed sunlight streamed through the open window on the right side of the bed.

I blinked hard against the soft glow and looked around the room.

Sleep still clung to the edges of my consciousness, begging me for a few more hours of rest. Of nothing but darkness behind my eyes, untouched by dreams or nightmares.

It took me a few moments to realise that the red light came from the sky of the Underworld. That I wasn’t home, in my bedroom at the suite or the academy.

I groaned, rubbing my face. An arm around my waist tightened, and I glanced down at a person I had not fallen asleep with.

Adrian . His golden hair was mused from sleep, face buried in the pillow. He still wore his gear, but had at least remembered to kick off his boots .

It was only then that I realised I wasn’t alone on my other side, either. Though, to my surprise, I found Maeve with her eyes closed, one arm under her head while the other rested on my upper thigh. And based on the slow rise and fall of her chest, she was asleep .

She went out not long after you did, Elias said through the bond. I looked around the room, only to find him shirtless in the doorway.

Shirtless, because I wore his shirt.

My cheeks warmed. I quickly dropped my hand from my face.

Did you get any sleep? I asked. Memories of last night flooded me.

Of Maeve feeding from me while Elias fucked me from behind.

Thankfully, I was spent and had nothing left to give.

They’d drained me entirely. And I was grateful for that.

Not a single dream, nightmare, or vision to grace my slumber.

Elias smiled softly and nodded once. “In wolf form. Kingsley snuck in sometime during the night. The other three are ready and waiting in the sitting room,” he replied.

My stomach dropped. Everything else came flooding back, too. Running from the palace. The ship and the inevitable wreck. Being dragged into the demon sex club.

And Damon.

I cursed under my breath as I pulled myself into a sitting position. My hand was still marked with the binding tattoo and deal from yesterday. And the dark blob in the centre of my palm was still just that. A dark blob to represent the demon king’s eternal soul.

Ugh. I hated it.

Shaking my head, I pried Adrian’s heavy arm from my stomach, leaning down to kiss him lightly on the corner of the mouth. The mage barely stirred, but it usually took a whole lot more to wake him, anyway. Maeve, on the other hand, I left alone. I wanted her to get as much rest as possible.

I reached out a hand for Elias to grab, and he helped me out of the bed, pulling me to my feet before wrapping his arms around my waist to lift me from the bed.

I didn’t even care that one of those hands was planted quite obviously on my bare ass.

Which he gave a little squeeze before setting me down.

“Any chance clothes were dropped off for me?” I asked quietly, smoothing a hand over his scruffy cheek.

He leaned into my touch with a gentle shake of his head. “No.” But his eyes brightened as they skimmed the length of my body. “I do like how this looks, though.”

I rolled my eyes, smiling. “Just because I smell like you.”

It was nice not smelling so other anymore. Having his scent wrapped around me calmed my anxiety, as well as the tension that’d been wrapped around me since we were parted.

Elias’s lips twitched with a smile. He ducked his head as footsteps sounded in the hallway outside the bedroom. My mate stiffened. The bed shifted behind me as someone—Maeve, I guessed, by how quick the movement was—stalked towards the door.

The kiss Elias gave me was chaste as he pulled away, turning towards the door. I looked past him to see the other three standing there; Rowan looked bright and ready to keep moving, dressed impeccably in his gear. He offered me a reassuring smile as our eyes met.

Orion leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

He maintained a carefully blank stare, though through the bond, he reached for me, assessing my wellbeing.

As much as he wanted to hold himself back—for whatever reason he wanted to claim—he couldn’t.

He didn’t . The Orion I’d come to know at the academy was incapable .

And then there was Hawk. He was the unknown. I had no bond to rely on when it came to him. I couldn’t reach for the impression of his emotions or catch parts of his thoughts. I had nothing but what he gave me, and right now, it was nothing. Nothing but a blank stare, pursed lips, and crossed arms.

It infuriated me. Before the whole magic explosion and realising our bond, I’d learned how to read him. Of course, I maybe hadn’t been reading him very well.

I could still be right in my assumption that he didn’t like me, though.

I tore my eyes from Hawk and took a step back from Elias as I did.

Adrian finally pulled himself out of bed with a groan. “Is it time?” he grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

I tested our bond carefully, finally noticing how drained he was. “How much magic did you use last night?” I asked, stalking to the side of the bed to sit beside him, careful not to let Elias’s shirt ride up too much and show off…everything.

Almost everyone in the room had seen me naked. Except Hawk, which I was more than happy to maintain. And it’d been eight years for Ry.

Neither needed a peep show now.

I took Adrian’s hand, which was warm, clammy. “Are you okay?” I asked quietly.

He eyed me tiredly for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, Sweetheart, I am.”

I wanted to argue, but something thumped on the ground between me, Elias, and Maeve. I looked up, only to find Hawk stepping back. “Those appear to be yours, Princess,” he said. “Delivered this morning. ”

It looked similar to the duffels we’d brought with us on the ship. “My gear?” I glanced between him, Rowan, and Orion warily. “It better not be another stupid dress.”

Rowan chuckled. “It’s your gear. From what I can tell, it’s the gear you were wearing when we got here.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, but didn’t get the chance to grab the bag.

Elias took it and dumped the contents onto the bed with a frown.

Something silver hit the covers, light reflecting off the long hilt and steel blade.

I gasped. Before Elias could stop me, I scooped up the dagger Maeve had given me and held it to my chest.

“Thank the Goddess,” I whispered, wrapping my fingers tightly around the cool steel. My gaze flickered up to find Maeve’s, who watched me with a soft smile.

It’ll always return to you, she said through the bond.

I know , I replied. It’d been such a regular part of my everyday life that most of the time, I forgot I even had it. But I wanted to make more of an effort to rely on the weapon. On being able to protect myself.

Elias rifled through the rest of the items that were in the duffel. I recognised what was mine, down to the boots. Hell, even my plain underwear was there.

My shifter detangled the gear from the mess and set them down beside me. “They’ve been washed.”

I grimaced. “I don’t know how I feel about that,” I said, glancing down at the bra and panties that Elias dropped on top of the pile. “I guess it’s not the…worst thing in the world.”

From the hallway, one of the other males grunted. I looked up, only to find Ry striding into the bedroom, nose crinkled in disgust. He pulled something from the belt of his gear, a small vial with something red within .

“What is that?” I asked, frowning as he stopped in front of me. I had to crane my neck to meet his dark stare. “I’m not drinking anything?—”

“Don’t worry, it’s not going to shrink you,” he muttered, pulling the cork from the vial. My stomach gave a surprised flutter at the reference. A story I’d told him under the stars. I didn’t think he remembered any of that. “It’s going to completely dismantle any lingering charms.”

The frown didn’t leave my face, only deepening when he swiped his finger beneath a blade sheathed to his belt.

Blood welled at the tip of his finger. I made a sound in the back of my throat, reaching for his wrist, but he lifted his finger above the vial and let two drops of blood hit the red plant within.

The reaction made the vial glow with a soft, pink light. I bit my tongue as Ry swirled the vial twice before dumping it over the pile of clothes.

Beside me, Adrian said something, which was drowned out by Elias’s growl.

“What did you use?” Adrian asked darkly, grabbing the pile. Whatever the liquid had been dried up immediately on the clothes, because when I snatched them from Adrian, they felt exactly as they had before.

Ry took a step back, putting the vial in his pocket. “Algae from Abyss. Disarms charms.”

Adrian’s brows furrowed. I felt his apprehension through the bond. His distrust. But I could also tell Ry wasn’t lying. Nothing, not even the brief impressions I could access outside the blocks he had in place, made me wary.

I released a breath, clutching the items of clothing to my chest. Rising from the edge of the bed, I grabbed Ry’s arm before he could take a step back. “Thank you,” I said, offering him a half smile .

The male tensed, but he gave me a nod before moving out of my way. I let my hand drop and tried to ignore the small pang of disappointment. Even my magic couldn’t help but feel the widening gap between us. And it had been pretty pro holding him accountable .

It didn’t matter. At least, not right now. Priority one was getting to the Old World and stopping Dante.

With one final look back at the others, I made my way into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me with a sigh.

There likely wasn’t enough time to shower, so I pulled Elias’s shirt off and set it on the sink while I dressed in my own clothes again.

As much as I loved wearing his stuff and enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in his scent, I also appreciated being in something that belonged to me.

My own clothes brought me comfort. There was no guesswork with something that had been made specifically for me.

The only thing I didn’t bring with me were the boots, but once my thick socks were on, and I felt more normal and less porcelain-doll like, I checked myself in the mirror.

I hadn’t even noticed the slight changes within myself, let alone on the outside.

My hair felt thicker, longer. Had I just not noticed it growing back in Avalon?

I quickly tied it back with a frown, but it was my eyes that gave the most away.

I couldn’t even really tell what it was about them that screamed other .

They were still the same dark brown they’d been the day I’d first learned of the supernatural world and Nyx.

They were still the same shape, framed by the same dark lashes.

My brows were maybe a little thicker, but maintaining them was a task I’d never been great at, anyway.

I blinked, shaking my head. Turning away from the mirror, I grabbed Elias’s shirt. As I made my way out of the bathroom, I found everyone speaking in hushed voices, which ceased when I reappeared.

I raised a brow. “Don’t stop on my account,” I said, handing Elias his shirt and grabbing my boots.

Elias frowned, but the others kept their mouths shut as I tied the laces of the boots. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“We’re just…planning,” Adrian said, still sitting on the edge of the bed. He shifted just enough to rest a comforting hand on my thigh. “There’s no sign of the king yet.”

A shiver rolled down my spine. Without thinking, I checked the mark on my hand. The snake remained still, marring my flesh like a scar rather than a moving tattoo. I waited for it to tingle or warm with Damon’s presence, but neither happened.

“I don’t think he’s near,” I said, closing my hands into fists. “And I don’t want to be left out of any planning. Please.”

Maeve crossed her arms, sighing as she ran a hand through her inky black hair, pulling it back from her face. The silver streak glinted in the dull light of the room, but as she tugged her hair into a sharp ponytail, she hid the strands within the ebony locks.

“We don’t mean to keep you in the dark, a mhuirnín ,” she said, dropping her arms.

I shrugged, trying to offer her—and the others—a reassuring smile. “I know.”

From the hallway, where he leaned against the wall, Hawk said, “We need to keep a rotational shift. The demon can’t be left alone with you. And no going out alone. Someone always needs to be with you.”

“That shouldn’t just go for me,” I snapped, earning sharp looks from the others.

“I know you want to protect me, but I’m also worried about you.

We all need to be a team, right? No splitting up in general.

Dante will use you against me, and I can’t risk your lives.

Not when we know he doesn’t care about you. ”

My heart crashed against my ribs painfully as memories of the ball filled my head.

Rowan disappearing first, his bond going dark.

It had been agony losing him. But then feeling the others go dark, one by one, had almost crippled me.

If it hadn’t been for Ry, I wasn’t sure what I would have done.

I might have gone nuclear and hurt a lot of creatures.

“Sorry,” Adrian murmured as he squeezed my knee. “Sometimes it’s hard, knowing you have a need to protect us, just as much as we do, you.”

A lump formed in my throat, but I nodded, holding back the true impact of my emotions from our bonds. Because I knew it was selfish. Maybe even wrong to be more worried about them than I was anything else.

I released a shuddering breath and rested my hand over Adrian’s. As I did, the snake tattoo on my hand warmed, the colour changing from pink to red.

“He’s here,” I said, looking from the tattoo to the rest of the team.

Damon’s magic filled the room. I searched for the source, for the shadows he would inevitably step out of.

Instead, the room itself turned to darkness.

And then there was nothing.