26. Chapter Twenty-Six

ROSE

Grief has swallowed me whole.

It pulls at my limbs, fills my lungs and weighs me down, replacing the marrow in my bones with raw, unfiltered despair. The chill of the frost-encrusted earth seeps into my knees as I kneel beside Chaos, my heart pounding a mournful rhythm in my chest.

My hands, still balled tightly in the black fabric of his coat, are numb. There's a roaring in my ears and I can't breathe. All around me, the world seems to fade out, leaving only the two of us.

"Soul bond," I utter, and he peers at me, his beautiful, golden-green eyes holding an eternity of regret in their depths. "Soul bond," I repeat again, the words a fragile whisper, my eyes deeply haunting as they fix on his. "It's our last chance."

Chaos locks eyes with me, his lips curving into a smile not meant to comfort but to shield me from the full weight of the moment, a shattered attempt to soothe while he himself is breaking inside. I can feel the heartbreak through our bond, this small tether between us that is both enormous and fragile, is strained and fraying before it's even had a chance to take root. His smile fades as quickly as it comes.

"You'll be okay, my soul," he says, his voice a ragged whisper floating away on the frosty air. "All that matters is that you'll live, and as long as that happens, I'll be in here." He taps my chest, his words coming out thick and garbled as he swallows. "Go on and have entire lifetimes of love with your mates. Make beautiful babies that look just like you. Teach them all about our once-in-a-millennia-kind-of-love that burned fast and bright, and how magic might not exist anymore, but they can find it in the little things, like the quiet beauty of a sunset, the comfort of rainstorms, and the way the stars shimmer on a clear night."

His words are like darts piercing my already shattered heart, each syllable a promise of a future that he won't be part of. His hands, giant and warm, hold my tear-streaked face.

"Chaos," I say, my voice breaking. "I don't want to live without you."

His golden-green eyes search mine, their depth holding a profound sadness. "I never wanted to leave you either," he breathes out, his thumbs reaching up to swipe the tears from my cheeks, but more continue to pour. "I only just found you."

"Please," I sob, crawling into his lap so he can hold me. "Don't leave me."

"My soul." His face crumples as he mutters the words, his voice choked with raw, gut-wrenching pain. His arms tighten around me, pulling me closer into his embrace.

For a moment, time seems to slow, every heartbeat an agonizing echo filling the silent morning. He buries his face in the crook of my neck, his breath warm despite the bitter cold. "I love you," he whispers, his voice trembling as he kisses my forehead. "Remember that, always."

"I love you, my soul." I burrow into him, sobbing against his chest.

The world, for all of its beauty, feels especially cruel today.

The sun rises in its resplendent glory, oblivious to our despair. It splashes hues of orange and pink across the morning air, a canvas painted with the promise of a new day. But for us, every tick of the clock is a precious second slipping away, each new beginning a step closer to an unbearable ending.

Our hearts beat in sync, a rhythm that has rapidly become our salvaging song, anchoring us in this hopeless moment. His lips find mine, a sweet, desperate kiss tasting of salted tears and shared sorrow. The intimacy claws at the gaping hole in my heart, only widening the chasm taking root.

Three hours.

Three hours to say all the things I didn't get to say. To love on a god I didn't want to love, but made me fall for him, anyway.

Can someone survive losing their soul bonded mate? I don't think they can. Not with all the fae feathers in all the realms could they piece me back together.

"No."

I barely hear the sound over the shattering of my heart.

"No," he repeats, louder, power lacing the word.

Sniffling, I look up, seeing angry cobalt eyes staring at Chaos.

Beautiful, furious eyes, holding the anger of a thousand suns in their depths.

Jax.

Jax has never been the type to bow to anyone, not even the cruel hands of fate that threatens to tear our family apart. His strong jaw is set firm and his shoulders square, a thin plume of smoke coming from both nostrils as they flare in a feral storm of outrage. This is a war declaration, a protest against impending doom.

One-by-one, Theo, Mekhi, Deakan, Jax, and Kieran stand shoulder-to-shoulder.

Icy wind howls around us, but their solidarity forms an impenetrable wall.

"Get up," Theo growls, his expression hardened like chiseled stone. I've seen him upset. Disappointed, sure. But never so openly defiant with rage. "You are a god, THE god, and you will start acting like one." Even though he's not talking to me, I still flinch at the venom in his voice. It's terrifying. He steps away from the group and comes to stand at our feet.

Chaos looks at Theo, his eyes hollow. "You think I don't care, don't you?" he utters in a hoarse whisper. His gaze travels to my face and he reaches out, fingers trembling, to gently brush the tear tracks from my cheek. "This isn't a choice, little one," he murmurs, his voice like gravel yet strangely soothing. "This is the reality we are faced with." With an effort that visibly drains him, he straightens up to face the group of five. A beat of silence stretches between them all then, holding within it the weight of eons. "It'll take days to get out of the Aether Plains. We can't sift to Sanctuary from here. It can't be done in three hours."

"Have you any idea what it'll do to Rose if she loses you?" Theo throws his hands wide, blasting the tree behind us apart with magic. "You're a fucking soul bonded mate. You will fight down to the very last second to stay alive, and if you don't, I will find a way to bring you back and kill you myself. Now, get. The. Fuck. Up."

"Theo's right." Mekhi folds his arms across his chest. "No one is dying today."

"Or ever." Deakan shrugs.

Chaos stares at them, his gaze flicking from one face to another, before it finally comes to rest on Theo. His form seems to shimmer for a moment, the air around him pulsing with an energy that crackles through the silence. "I'm not afraid of dying," he says in a voice so low it almost drowns in the whip of the wind. "What I fear is a universe without me in it to protect her." His eyes journey back to me, softening as they meet mine. "But there are rules in Nethermore that we can't bend for our own will. He made it that way."

"Who the fuck is this ‘he' you keep talking about?" Jax snarls.

"Eliron." Sad eyes turn to my dragon mate. "One of my first creations. I gave him too much power, and he abused it."

"Where is he now?" Deakan crouches to our level.

"Dead." Chaos sighs, and his tone carries a hint of sorrow. "He died a mortal on Earth after I stripped him of his power. I erased his memories and cast him out of the fae realms eons ago."

A shocked gasp rings out amongst my mates. "What the fuck did he do to deserve that?" Jax grumbles.

It's about one of the harshest punishments you can give someone.

"I found out he forced a mating bond on a witch named Nymia. He created Aether Plains to imprison her." His eyes take on a haunted quality as he relives his past. "So, I gave all his power to her."

My stomach roils. "That's why the cabins have that effect on us. Lowering our inhibitions while increasing our libidos."

Without a doubt, I would've chosen to mate with Chaos once summer came to an end. However, I wouldn't have willingly taken that step until we were fully prepared, knowing the high price it would cost us both.

"If I'd known …" Chaos buries his head in his hands.

I sit so I'm fully straddling him, and he helps adjust me so I'm comfortable. "Where is Nymia? Can she help us?" If this place was created for her, maybe she knows best how it works.

He scrubs his hands down his face. "She became part of the aether here. She couldn't sever the mating bond with Eliron, so she transformed herself into the very essence of the Aether Plains as one last ‘fuck you' to him."

"Then," I press on, my mind whirling with the implications of what this could mean, "is she … aware? Does she sense our presence?"

Chaos' gaze is distant, heavy and filled with a sorrow that seems to stretch far beyond our current predicament. "I can't be sure," he confesses. "I haven't heard a whisper of her in thousands of years."

"Maybe that's why we haven't had any obstacles in our time here?" Theo joins us on the ground. "She might already be helping us."

That first little glimmer of hope in my chest blooms. I cup Chaos' cheeks and lean in until I can feel his breath fan my cheeks. "How would we speak with her?"

Chaos stares at me, his eyes turbulent. "Communicating with the aether—with Nymia—it demands a great deal of energy, a deep connection to the plains."

"If it's created from magic—the very thing you supply—that connection is already there, right?" I ask my soul bond.

"Maybe." Chaos' brows furrow as he bites on the inside of his cheek, his eyes narrowing in deep thought.

"How?" Jax throws up his hands, pacing. The wind picks up as though my dragon mate can control it. "Think, you old fossil!"

"Wait." Mekhi grabs onto Jax, halting his movements. "Did any of you watch those ghost TV shows from Earth?"

"What makes you think I had access to a human tv? I've been to Sundahlia exactly three times, and it wasn't to watch whatever reality trash the witches like to waste their days with." Jax shrugs the former witch off of him.

Mekhi rolls his eyes. "The first thing a ghost hunter does is ask for a sign, you idiot."

Nope, not having that. "Hey!"

Jax's eyes widen in realization, a look that says he completely missed the point. "Well, why didn't you say that in the first place, witch?"

"Former witch, asshole."

Before I can even intervene between the two, Mekhi faces the sky. "Nymia, if you can hear us, give us a sign."

We all wait with bated breath.

"Nothing's happening," I grumble.

But then the wind, so brutal just a moment ago, stops. The sudden stillness leaves an eerie silence that hangs heavily in the air. The needles on the trees are arrested mid-sway, and the snow freezes mid-fall, as if time has halted.

"Eerie," Deakan mutters, his gaze darting around the quiet tundra.

"Shh." Chaos extends a hand.

Then, the ground beneath us trembles. It's a slight, but distinct vibration—like a heartbeat through the soles of our boots. A gentle thrumming that seems to seep into our bones, become one with our life force.

The hair on the back of my neck prickles as a low hum begins to thrum in the air, just barely audible. Then, just as the stillness becomes unbearable, a sharp crack echoes through the air, like a whip striking on bare stone. We all flinch in unison and look towards the origin of the sound—a massive, gnarled frostwillow some yards off. The tree's thick trunk is now split down the middle, a jagged line of raw wood exposed against the bark, bits of it still falling to the ground.

The wood begins to groan, creaking as if under an enormous weight. Suddenly, the fissure widens, leaving a gaping maw in the frozen face of the tree. The groan turns into a low rumble as a figure begins to emerge from the broken trunk.

A woman, translucent and glowing with a pale light, steps forward from the splintered wood. Under her amused smile, she still has great teeth, with hair like butter and extensive lines etched into her skin from the passage of time. A crone if I ever saw one. The cloak draping down her back is crafted from animal hide, a light shade of brown with small patches of white scattered throughout. Deep crinkles form around her wise eyes as she lets out a barking laugh that causes the snow to fall off the trees around her.

"I was beginning to wonder when you'd figure it out!" She chuckles, stepping forward in bare feet. I suppose the cold doesn't bother her anymore. "The bastard …" She shakes her head.

Chaos stops abruptly, his gaze snapping to Nymia as she appears. His face breaks into a rare and genuine smile. The sight of her pulls a deep breath from him, almost as if he's been underwater and only now can breathe again. "Nymia," he says, allowing a moment of warmth and relief to wash over him visibly.

"Far too long," he adds, his usual reserve melting away for a moment, revealing a flicker of joy at this reunion. He then motions to me with a proud sweep of his hand. "This is Rose, my soul bond," his eyes flicker back to Nymia, and he continues with a nod, "and these are her other mates."

As he helps me to my feet, his touch is steadier, infused with a renewed energy. Together, we approach Nymia, each step deliberate, as if crossing into a significant chapter of our story. His introduction carries more than names; it bridges our past with our future, signaling new alliances formed under the weight of old loyalties. The frigid air seems to hold its breath with us, carrying our collective hopes and the promise of aid she might bring.

Nymia flicks her ghostly eyes over us, her gaze lingering on each of my mates in a curious way before finally resting on me. The intensity of her stare makes me feel truly seen in a way that sends a chill down my spine.

"Rose," she says, like she's tasting my name. "High Princess of the Fae. And soon to be goddess?" She nods her head as if it pleases her. "You don't know how happy I am to see a woman running things."

I smirk, the first real one today. "Hardly a day's work."

She raises her brows, glancing once again to my mates. "You sure about that?"

My mates all give her self-satisfied grins.

Nymia's laughter again fills the quiet morning, a soft, tinkling bell that lingers long after her smile fades. "Well, Highness," she drawls, her voice a rasping echo of the icy winds. "We will see about that." She pulls her worn cloak tighter around her frame, turning her attention to Chaos. "They all need to ascend?"

"Yes," I answer for him. "I won't do any of this without them all."

She grins back at me. "Told you."

Chaos shrugs, an amused smile playing on his lips. "She's perfect, isn't she?"

Nymia clucks her tongue, the light still dancing in her eyes. "You can complete ascension here, but you'll need humans. Several of them."

"Humans? Why humans?" Mekhi's protective instincts kick in.

"Relax, young fae." The crone inclines her head at him. "You're not sacrificing anyone today. But they are the failsafe in Nethermore."

"Failsafe?" I ask.

"That stupid, brilliant asshole," Chaos muses. "We can use the humans to tether us to the realm because they possess no magic." At my look of hesitation, he continues. "It doesn't hurt them, and it's only for the short time it takes to ascend." He laughs. "Fucking brilliant."

My brow scrunches as I try to follow, and Theo explains, "They're grounded, rooted in reality in a way that we aren't—they can anchor us."

"Eliron was plotting to take over, and that's how he was going to do it." Nymia grimaces in disgust. "He was rounding up the humans."

"He wouldn't have been able to do it without support of a royal fae." Chaos shakes his head. "Not so brilliant, after all."

"The king of Romarie was helping him."

A chill skitters up my spine. Romarie is a fae realm near Earth with a tyrant king who's always trying to take up more than his share of power. Last I heard he's gunning to take over the underworld known as Aggonid's Realm. He can try, but that won't be given up easily.

"King Valtorious," Chaos snarls, the name falling from his lips like a curse. His fists clench at his sides, his amusement fading away to be replaced by fury. "That greedy bastard would sell his own kin for power. Would kill them for it."

"Has killed them for it," I offer. My mom told me the stories.

Theo checks his watch. "Hate to rush this, but we've got two-and-a-half hours now."

Fuck.

I take Chaos' warm hand in mine, needing to cling to some semblance of hope. "How do we get humans here? They can't get through the portal from Earth."

Nymia hums. "I didn't think quite that far."

"We just need to get them in here, right?" Kieran asks. "Then once we've ascended, we can get them out safely because we'll have plenty of power."

"Theoretically, yes." Nymia nods. "But they must do so under their own volition. They can't be forced here through trickery or anything else."

"How many do we need?" Kieran tugs his coat closed against the wind, tucking his chin under the collar. He hates the cold as much as I do.

"At least one for each of you to tether yourselves to."

"What, you keeping humans in your spare time, serpent?" Chaos narrows his eyes at Kieran.

"Actually, I am." He glowers at my soul bonded mate.

I flinch. "What?"

"Not like that, baby." Kieran's warm hand finds my cheek. "I think I know where King Valtorious has been stashing all the humans."

"Where?" I breathe. It's hard, so hard to focus with him touching me like this.

"Espero."

My brows furrow. "Never heard of it."

"Too pure of heart." He gives me a sad smile. "Undetectable to someone like you."

"You're not a bad person." I scowl.

"No, but apparently I'm bad enough to be able to find the seedy little hideout where King Valtorious traffics humans," Kieran explains with a deep sigh. "So, we know where to get them. Is there anyone you can trust to round them up?"

Kieran nods, his expression grave. "I have a few contacts who can help. Trustworthy humans who despise what's happening as much as we do. I'd been helping the resistance there, supplying my venom to help take out guards so they can escape." He clears his throat. "But if they help us, we must free them. Give them land, magic, send them back if they want to go to Earth, whatever, I don't care. I don't want them imprisoned ever again."

My heart warms until it feels like it's going to burst at the seams. I had no idea he was doing this. "Whatever they need, they've got it." My mind races, piecing together this precarious plan. "How do we get in touch with them if we can't leave here until we ascend?"

"Can you read minds yet?" Chaos studies me, as though he could peer into my head if he tried. Though maybe he is trying, and I don't know it.

Fae royals eventually develop this ability, but I haven't yet, so I shake my head.

When he can see my breath fogging in front of me, he runs his hands along my coat, ensuring I'm warm. "I can telecommunicate, but don't think it can span realms. Not when I don't use it regularly." He parks himself in front of me, so it's just him and me in our own little space. His fingers gently tilt my head so I can look straight at him, and he whispers, "Twins can."

I blink at him, confusion likely painting my features. "Twins?" I echo, trying to make sense of his cryptic statement. Bennett and I have never done such a thing.

"Yes," he says, an almost imperceptible light gleaming in his eyes. "Twins share a unique bond, a psychic connection, if you will. It's stronger than any mind-reading ability; it transcends realms. You and Bennett share this bond, even if you're yet to harness it. You could use this connection to put him in contact with the resistance."

I take a moment to process his words, my mind spinning with this newfound knowledge. We could've gotten into so much shit with this ability. "But how? I've never done anything like that before."

Chaos grins at me, hope swirling in his eyes. "You've never needed to try before." His gaze softens. "It's like a muscle. You just need to exercise it."

"But how do I even start?"

He seems to ponder upon this for a moment, stroking his chin in deep thought. "Close your eyes," he instructs, bringing his hands up to cradle my face gently. I obey, shutting out the world around me. "Now, think of Bennet. Don't just recall him—you have to feel him. His laughter, his anger, his worries. Think of the moments you've shared, the fights you've fought together. The mischief you've gotten into. Picture his face in your mind—not as a memory but as if he's standing right here with you."

I do as instructed, letting my mind wander to our shared past. I think about us as toddlers, with chubby cheeks, and big, innocent eyes, over in a blink. I think of us playing in the sand on Sydney's beaches, him chasing me around with a water gun and our dads getting antsy when we came within a hundred meters of the water. Grandpa teaching us how to make porkchops in the crock pot. How Bennett's hair is coarser and curlier than mine, and his skin is darker but just as velvety smooth.

The comforting scent of Bennet's familiar cologne fills my senses, a lingering reminder of our countless shared nights in the small corner of our shared bathroom in Australia. I remember how he used to wear his argyle socks mismatched on purpose, claiming that it brought him luck. The taste of chocolate chip cookies we'd sneak from the kitchen, and when Aunt Pippa caught us, she distracted everyone so we could race to our room to eat them.

"It's not working," I grumble.

I feel Theo at my back, his warm breath on my ear. "Because you're avoiding it."

All the air punches from my lungs. I don't want to think about that day. The worst day of my life paints itself across my mind as though I'm reliving it.

The terrifying rumble of the portal exploding echoes in my ears, sending a cascade of rocks and boulders tumbling down the mountain pass. Bennett shoves me aside, his quick actions sparing me but sealing his fate. I watch, helplessly small and frozen in horror, as shadows of falling stones engulf him. The sight of him, pinned and motionless beneath the weight of the crushing boulders, haunts me—the bright blue of his luna blood stark against the gray stone, a vivid reminder of the price he paid. His sacrifice, made in a heartbeat, leaves a scar that no time could heal.

I tasted blood. Not my own, but Bennett's.

Dust fills my lungs, and I choke on it, hacking as I rush to his side, despite the continued descent of rocks, because all I can think of is him and only him. My fingers, trembling and caked with dirt and blood, as I try in vain to drag him out from under the rubble. I howl his name until it scours my throat. But he lays still, eyes closed, as though if I were to have to watch his life blink out, it'd scar me even more. He's protecting me still. His chest barely rises and falls against the pressure of the rocks.

And then, though I'm shrieking, I can hear it. The moment his heart—the very one that served as my backdrop in the womb and through infancy—stops beating.

Tears, hot and fat, scour my cheeks as the memory assaults me. My entire body trembles, and it's only then I realize I'm on my knees, doubled over, keening.

"You're safe. We've got you," Jax whispers in my ear, and I feel the warm press of his hand on my cheeks.

I lean into it, gripping his hand to my face.

"Now call out to him," Chaos coaches me. His voice, a lighthouse cutting through the dark fog of my grief. "Reach out with your mind and your heart. Remember your connection."

Bennett.