2

IVY

TENSION thickened the air as a house appeared between the trees. At first, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at; when they’d said safe house, I expected something like a military compound or a small cabin with a bomb shelter in the basement.

But not a modern mansion hidden in the forest. Large windows overlooked the road and trees, with two stories and flat roofs surrounding both levels. It had a black and brown colour scheme on the outside that almost blended into the surrounding forest, and a simple garden decorated the front. As we drove closer, a tingle ran over my body, and my skin puckered.

“Magic,” Adrian murmured, and my head snapped towards him. He offered me a soft smile and nodded towards the house as we pulled into a driveway. “Powerful wards protect the house. That’s what you just felt.”

I nodded, pressing my lips into a firm line. Somehow, the door to the garage opened, and I gaped as it angled down beneath the house.

“Holy fuck, this is some rich people shit,” Thea said, glancing over her shoulder to meet my stare.

The awe twinkling in her eyes almost overshadowed her fear. When she turned away, I thought I caught another flash of gold in her eyes. I’d seen it before, when…

I pushed those thoughts aside as we descended into the basement garage. Lights flickered on as we crawled down and when we hit the bottom level, I noticed there was a row of about five vehicles. They were different makes, including a nondescript truck, a sports car, a van, a sedan, and another SUV. There were also about four motorcycles lining the far wall, and a cage of what looked like weapons sat in a corner.

I swallowed hard as we pulled into a free space, and Rowan killed the engine. “Welcome to our temporary home.”

From beside me, Adrian squeezed my knee. I glanced at him and found his gaze on the basement. What was he thinking about? The question was on the tip of my tongue, but I bit down on it. His eyes met mine, and he offered me a gentle smile, one that promised answers.

Elias was the first to get out, throwing the door open and jumping from the back seat. He said nothing as he rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. “I’m going to search the perimeter, make sure we weren’t followed,” he said.

Maeve lowered the back seat and slipped out from behind me. As she stretched, their eyes met. “Take extra precautions and charms to protect yourself. Stay in your gear so you aren’t vulnerable in case there’s an attack.”

Adrian helped me out of the SUV next, his presence strong, resilient, and calming. He rested a hand on my hip, the touch sending a spark of fire through my body. My blood hummed, and my magic seemed to awaken at the suggestive touch.

I forced myself to take a step away and break the contact between us. As soon as we weren’t touching, the fire died down and my magic went back to sleep.

“Everything will be okay,” Adrian murmured. “It’ll all be okay.”

I wasn’t sure if he was saying that for my peace of mind—or his.

Stretching my arms above my head, I caught his eye. Warmth spread through my chest at the look, but he glanced in Maeve’s direction and nodded before stalking towards Rowan. They talked quietly between themselves, never looking up.

Sighing, I turned away. Elias spared me a look before shifting. I hadn’t processed it properly the last time I’d seen him shift, too afraid of the hellhounds to actually take in his power. This time, I watched in awe as his muscles spasmed and bones shifted; his body elongated, and shaggy brown fur appeared over the black material of his tactical gear.

In a matter of moments, Elias the man was gone, and in his place was the wolf. Dark green eyes met mine, but I didn’t feel afraid as he trotted over and nudged my hand. He was mesmerising in this form.

“You’re much nicer when you’re like this,” I murmured, scratching behind his ears. “I almost like this you better.”

The wolf snorted and shook its large head before retreating up the driveway and disappearing.

“I know we saw a lot of messed up shit back at the house, but I don’t think I’ll ever come to terms with that,” Thea whispered, coming up beside me. She tucked her hand into mine, her fingers trembling.

Guilt swirled in my stomach. This wasn’t fair on her. She hadn’t asked to be dragged into all of this—to be put in danger because of her friendship with me. If we’d never met, she likely never would have been noticed by the supernatural community. She could have lived normally without fearing for her life.

Bile rose in my throat. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears burning the back of my eyes.

Thea rounded on me with a frown. “Don’t you dare apologise, Ivy.”

I shook my head, swallowing. “You’re in danger because of me, Thea. Your family could be in danger. If we’d never met, you’d be safe, and—”

“And nothing,” she cut in firmly. “There’s no point trying to play ‘what if’ games, Ives. We’re here, and we need to be ready. Yeah, you’re right. I might be safe right now if we’d never met. Or some supes would have figured out I wasn’t human sooner and could have either killed me because they don’t know what I am, or they could have dragged me to Avalon anyway. We will never know what might have happened. I’m terrified, just like you are, so I need my best friend to keep me sane. Got it?”

Sucking in a breath, I closed my eyes and fought back the tears. Time to be strong, I thought. For Thea and…

The girls. Oh Goddess, let them be okay.

I opened my eyes and nodded, offering Thea a sad smile. “As long as I have you, I know we’ll get through this.”

My best friend grinned. “You know it.”

Behind us, Maeve cleared her throat. “If you want to see the children, they’re upstairs. It’s early, so they’re likely asleep. You should both take some time to clean up.”

I tensed and squeezed Thea’s hand. “And my mom?”

Maeve gave away nothing as she approached; I tried to ignore the way her tactical gear clung to her willowy frame and the light of her cerulean eyes. A difficult task when she kept her gaze levelled on mine, like I was the only other person in the room.

As she grew near, a wave of power washed over me. It was hard to describe, but it felt old, like stepping back in time and witnessing something of the past. I suppressed a shudder as she came to a stop before me and gently took hold of my free hand.

“We’ve sent for a healer. The poison used to knock you out was derived from a plant only found in the Fae realm. It’s deadly to humans and paralytic to those under Nyx. Somewhere back in your family, there must have been a witch in your bloodline, because most humans struck with the poison die within hours. Kerry is holding on, but until we can be certain, it looks like she won’t make it.”

I pressed my lips into a firm line and gave her a single nod. “Thank you for telling me the truth.” Maeve’s eyes softened, and a crack appeared in her emotionless fa?ade.

“Your sisters are fine. They’re young, which is why they slept longer than you and Thea. But they came out of the poison without any damage according to the healer.”

“Are you saying they’re…not human?” I asked quietly. My heart stuttered in my chest.

If they were human, they’d be dead, I reminded myself. Kerry won’t live because she’s too human. But the girls?

I frowned. “Was their dad something else?”

Maeve hesitated for a moment before bowing her head. “They’re sirens. Half mermaid, half demon hybrids. We believe their father was a siren himself, and that the girls inherited that side of him. We don’t know the extent of their power yet, but getting them back to Avalon will allow Sir Leith, Queen Greer’s mate, to assess their bloodline.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want them exposed to all of… that yet, Maeve. Please, they’re just kids.”

The rest of her fa?ade fell, and I finally noticed the sadness in her eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. I just—” She stopped and pressed her lips into a firm line, eyes flashing red for a moment. Her onyx hair whipped around her face softly as she shook her head. “I’m trying to do what I can to make this transition easier for you. I’m sorry if I’m overstepping.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but she dropped my hand. Another wave of guilt, marred by something else, swept over me as Maeve spun on her heel and walked away.

~

My magic, I was starting to realise, had a mind of its own. Like it existed within me as its own separate entity, a being that needed to be cared for and fed despite not being real. When I closed my eyes and let the powerful spray of water hit my face and wash away my exhaustion, I prodded the magic swelling within me.

Like the lightning that erupted from me during the attack, electricity burned through my veins now. It didn’t hurt nearly as much as before, like it was finally starting to settle after starving for something I hadn’t been able to provide.

A mate, I realised, running a hand through my hair. Suds coated my fingers, the scent of coconut filling the bathroom. In the corner, a soaking tub called to me, but the shower had seemed smarter. There was, unfortunately, still blood on me. As I scrubbed myself raw, I tried to ignore just how long I’d been forced to sit with it on my skin.

But I had a mate. My magic was almost pleased with having one present. A mate close enough to bond. I hadn’t understood it before when Maeve explained it to me after the hellhound attack, but now I could feel the threads of the bonds calling to find my mate and finally unite.

And by unite, I had a feeling that meant sex. The thought of Adrian and me completing the bond made my cheeks burn.

I groaned and scrubbed my scalp with shampoo before finishing up. Thea shuffled around the bedroom, opening and closing doors. She would love the impressive water pressure and the chance to wash away the last couple of days.

Flashes of the fight came back in pieces; of my hands covered in the blood of three people, of the shadow-made blade cutting through Adrian, the stuttering beat of Kerry’s heart under my fingers, the fear of losing my little sisters and watching them get carried to safety, knowing they’d never be safe again.

The deaths haunted me the most as I washed away the last remnants of their dried blood. The second person’s blood had soaked me the most. It still clung to my shoulder and chest like a reminder of what I’d done. Maybe if I’d known about the poison, I could have avoided death altogether.

I also wanted the voice to come back. To let me know I wasn’t alone and tell me it was the only way. But the back of my mind was silent, and I was slowly coming to terms with the fact that I’d conjured it to stay in control.

Shutting the water off, I stepped out of the spacious walk-in shower. Large, fluffy towels awaited me, and as I dried off, I double-checked myself in the mirror for any missed blood.

But, as I looked myself over, I suppressed a surprised yelp. Strange markings shimmered across my skin, silver at first before shifting into a light purple, similar to the lightning that sprung from my hands. As they shifted colour, I caught a glimpse of the design; flowery marks swirled and curled around my flesh until they reached my spine, which remained completely bare, save for a single spot that looked almost like a rose surrounded by thorns. It was darker than the other marks, and when the swirling purple faded into my skin, the tattoo on my spine remained.

Holy shit. I quickly wrapped the towel around myself and escaped into the bedroom. Thea looked up from her hands, which she’d been twisting in her lap.

A frown touched her lips. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“Any chance someone tattooed me while I was asleep?” I asked, trying to keep hysterics from my voice.

Thea stood from the bed and walked towards me. “What happened? What are you talking about?”

I turned and pulled my hair back to reveal the mark. “Tell me I’m going crazy, and there isn’t a rose surrounded by thorns on my spine.”

Cold fingers lightly brushed over my heated skin, and I shivered. “Yeah, okay, so I definitely see it. But Ives, it looks old.”

Spinning around to face her, I wrapped my arms around myself. “So, magic, most likely. When I got out of the shower, I noticed all kinds of markings on my skin. Like my magic was manifesting outside of me. I thought the tattoo on my back was like that. But no, when the other marks faded, it stayed.”

Thea tapped her chin silently for a moment before sighing. “This is something to take to the supes.”

I nodded. “I know, but I just…” Releasing a breath, I flopped onto the bed and groaned. “Not right now. Not when I have to figure out how to help Kerry and the girls…”

“Yeah.” Thea dropped down beside me and took my hand. “Look, so long as our ‘death to the Queen’ friends didn’t put it on you, I think you’re okay to keep it a secret.”

I hadn’t thought of that. It didn’t feel evil, and my magic didn’t react to it in a way that made me want to run screaming from this beautiful house.

But I worried my lip as Thea gave me an apologetic smile before slipping into the still-steamy bathroom. When the door closed behind her, I sighed and closed my eyes.

Just another thing to add to all the crazy now filling my life.