Page 32 of The Eternal Mirror (Lucifer’s Mirror #3)

The Mirror Sees Me?

T his bed is fucking amazing. It’s huge and so, so soft.

Maybe I’ll marry Khronus after all. Just so I can sleep in this bed every night.

But then I’d probably have to share it with him. Ugh. I don’t think so. But for tonight, I mean to make the most of it. That’s the way to get through life. Enjoy the good bits—like this bed. Endure the bad bits—like my previous accommodation.

Beside me, Khaos is already asleep. I can tell from his slow, even breaths.

I can’t see him because I made him invisible, just in case Khronus decides to make a visit.

But he’s a lump beneath the sheet beside me.

We’d made love again on the rooftop under the stars.

My body is still tingling from the aftermath.

Then we’d come down here in search of food and drink.

We’d found both, and I’m feeling replete.

I wedged a chair under the door handle—I’ve seen them do that in films—so at least I’ll get some warning if anyone tries to come in.

Sleep is eluding me. Guilty conscience, maybe. I’m not sure why, but I’ve probably got something to feel guilty about.

But then sleep drags me under. One second I’m warm, curled beside Khaos in that ridiculous palace bed.

The next—I’m weightless. Floating. Untethered from breath, from time, from anything remotely real.

I’m standing somewhere, staring at...nothing.

And I mean absolutely nothing. If this is a dream, then there’s not a lot going on.

Then, as I stare into the void, I see it.

The Eternal Mirror.

It spins like a wheel of starlight—silver rings rippling out across the void, humming with power I can feel in my goddamn bones. It’s beautiful. Mesmerizing. I feel like I’m staring straight into the beginning of everything. Or the end.

It’s drawing nearer, pulsating, pulling me in. I take a step closer...

And then I feel it.

I’m not alone.

The alicorn emerges like a dream half-remembered. Graceful. Impossible. Her hooves don’t touch anything. Her mane floats behind her, a river of moonlight and memory. She tosses her head once and vanishes in a shimmer of silver .

And Selene stands in her place.

Tall. Glowing. Barefoot on nothing.

Her hair falls like a curtain of silver. Her skin glows faintly gold. But it’s her eyes that stop me cold—galaxies burning in her gaze. Infinite. Beautiful. Exhausted.

“Amber?” She turns from me to look at the silver spinning rings. “The Eternal Mirror is restless. What have you done?”

“Me? Nothing. It’s crazy Khronus. He wants to be a true god like you and Vortex, and he thinks the Mirror will do that for him. Please tell me that’s not possible.”

She frowns. “He does not have the magic to speak to the Eternal Mirror.” She turns away for a moment, tension in every limb.

“When we created this world, the male children were given the power to shift. The females were gifted magic. That way, they would need each other, compliment each other. No one would have all the power. There would be balance. How could he do this?”

“He’s draining it from the witches, mixing it with dark magic, feeding it into the cracked mirror.”

She freezes, her gaze locking on mine. “The cracked mirror?”

“He believes it’s a splinter of the Eternal Mirror and will open a portal to the real thing.”

Shock flashes across her face. “He found a splinter? From the Eternal Mirror?”

“That’s what he said. Is it true? Is it really part of the Eternal Mirror? ”

“I don’t know. It’s not possible.” She wraps her arms around herself as if suddenly cold. “And yet, the mirror cracked when I destroyed Vortex.”

She did what? “You destroyed Vortex?” Well, that would explain why he hasn’t been seen in a long, long time. “Wasn’t he your bonded mate? Why?”

For a second rage fills her eyes. “He severed the bond.”

Shock floods my mind. “I thought that wasn’t possible.”

“For the true gods, anything is possible.” Infinite sadness replaces the anger in her eyes.

“He wanted to go back through the mirror. He wasn’t happy with this world; it wasn’t what he had dreamed it could be.

” Her expression hardens. “But if Vortex had gone back through the mirror, then all that we created together would be reversed. Astrali, all my children would have been as though they never existed. I couldn’t let him do that. ”

“So you killed him.” I suppose I should be grateful. If she hadn’t, it sounds like I wouldn’t have existed. Though to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure that would have been such a bad thing.

She presses her lips together. “I loved him. But sometimes love is not enough.”

Tell me about it.

The spiraling rings pulse and flare, and now that it’s closer, I can see the faint cracks running through it. “What’s wrong with it?” I ask.

“The cracks have never healed. It is unstable,” she murmurs.

“I have spent millennia, and all my magic, to hold the mirror together, to make it whole. But nothing worked. Now I know why. A splinter must have broken away when the mirror cracked. It explains so much: why I have been unable to complete the healing. There is a piece missing.”

“So, you go get this splinter,” I snap. “Fix the mirror. Kill that fucker Khronus.”

She doesn’t answer.

Of course she doesn’t.

And just like that, my anger ignites. Hot. Fast. Familiar.

“Oh, come on,” I say, stepping toward her. “You started this. You broke it. You fix it.”

Still silent.

“And while we’re talking about helpful goddesses...” My voice sharpens. “Where the fuck were you when I was sorting out the Hell fiasco. Which, also it seems, was ultimately your fault. A bit of divine backup would’ve been nice .”

She stiffens and turns to face me, and I can see the anger glinting in her eyes. Oops. Have I just pissed off the goddess?

“Do you not think I would have helped you more if I could? But I am weak and tethered to this half place while I try to heal the mirror. Even from here, I could see what was becoming of my beautiful world: the growing evil, the rising darkness. I had to find a way to help. And I saw a vision of you—a black alicorn with the power to change the world.”

Not what I wanted to hear.

“So I gave you what magic I could spare. And to your bonded mate, I gave the powers I stole from Vortex. ”

I hold up a hand. “Wait.” There’s something churning in my mind since she mentioned Vortex severing their bond. Something awful. Something I feel bad about even thinking. Guilt churns in my stomach. Acid-bright. But I’d thought it impossible.

I force myself to ask, “I always thought the mating bond was...unbreakable. But you said the gods can do anything.” I hesitate. My mouth’s dry as ash. “Is there a way to sever the bond between me and Khaosti?”

Selene frowns, head tilting slightly at the shift. “You wish to part from him?”

“No. I just want to know if it’s possible .”

“The mating bond is a gift,” she says softly.

I snort. “Yeah? Tell me—how’d that work out for you and Vortex? When you...”I can’t say it. When you killed him. “When Vortex died.”

Her eyes flutter closed. Like that memory still burns. “I will think on it,” she says finally. “It has never been done.” Then, after a pause: “But that does not mean it can’t be.”

She studies me for a moment. “I thought your role was to destroy Lucifer and clear the darkness from the world. But I was distracted and did not see the whole picture. Now it’s clear that Lucifer was a symptom, not the cause.

And you are right; this was my fault. I should have taken more care, but I acted in anger and now the Mirror is broken.

” She’s silent for a moment, gazing at the mirror, then she turns back to me.

“The Eternal Mirror sees you. And now you must finish what has been started. ”

I grit my teeth. I don’t want the Mirror to see me. But as usual, I don’t suppose it matters what I want. “So what is it you expect me to do this time?”

“Without the splinter...the mirror will never be whole. It is being drawn to the splinter. But if Khronus forces a connection—tries to use the splinter to reach the Mirror—he could destroy the very nature of creation.”

“Can’t you kill him?”

“No. I made a vow, after I killed Vortex, that I would never kill again.”

Well that’s bad news.

But I suppose it explains why she couldn’t kill Lucifer, why she had to get my mother to do it. But she couldn’t because she loved him.

“So how do I stop him? Should I try to destroy the splinter?”

“No!” She opens her mouth to speak again, but at that moment, the air hums. The stars seem to draw in breath.

A sudden jolt rips through the dream. The mirror behind her cracks, a shrieking echo tearing through the void. Selene gasps—stumbles—her form fraying like smoke in the wind.

“Amber—you must get back the splinter. Don’t—”

Gone.

I jerk upright with a gasp. Cold sweat. Heart racing.

And I’m back in my ridiculous queenly bed, next to my invisible boyfriend.

Beside me, Khaosti is still asleep. The bond throbs faint and steady beneath my skin and the guilt is back .

He shifts beside me. A hand finds my arm. “You okay?”

I don’t answer because no, I’m not okay.

I’m still hearing the echo of Selene’s voice in my mind—and feeling the weight of a scary, all-powerful mirror that might be coming apart at the seams. Of a world that needs saving.

The problem is—I’m not at all sure that this world is worth it.