21

ROWAN

THERE was a heavy silence that filled the houseafter Kerry Sullivan’s death.

It was hard to call it a death when she was still in a sleep stasis, but by the time she arrived in Avalon and the necromancers had their way with her burial, she would be.

My heart ached for Ivy in a way that felt unexplainable. Like the pain she felt was somehow seared onto my own soul. Seeing the devastation that was caused brought on more pain than I could have ever imagined, but I had to stop myself from going to her.

She had Adrian and Wolfy to do that now. It wasn’t my place.

But it should be. I shook my head to clear those thoughts and instead brought the tumbler of scotch to my lips. It burned down my throat and washed away the bitter jealousy clinging to my thoughts.

Memories of her running through the forest and the absolute terror that was burned into my chest as we searched for her filled my head. Seeing her wrapped in Hawk Nash’s arms as he whispered to her in the language of the Unseelie had sparked something violent within me.

Jealousy, you fucking idiot. It was jealousy. I snorted, taking another mouthful of the amber liquid.

At least we’d be back in Avalon soon. There, I could step back from being by her side if needed to. As much as those thoughts pained me, I focused on them as I downed the rest of the scotch.

“It’s pretty sad you’re in here drinking alone.” I looked up at who owned the taunting voice and rolled my eyes as Hawk Nash strolled into the office. “So, how’s the Queen-to-be? We should be on our way soon.”

I couldn’t help but cut him a glare. “Don’t sound so pleased. Three children and your future Queen just said goodbye to their mother. Ivy is in no state to be worrying about this, as you well know.”

At least he had the decency to look ashamed. “Not what I meant,” he replied, shaking his head. “I do feel for Her Majesty, but it’s imperative that we get her back safely.”

I snorted. “Just leave them alone so they can grieve in peace. They don’t need your self-righteous bullshit doing any more damage.”

Hawk stalked over to the table I’d secured for my day drinking and sat, reaching for the scotch with a frown. “Is it self-righteous if I’m right?”

“Yes.” I snatched the bottle from him and filled my glass again. “Just leave them alone.”

His black eyes hardened, and he shook his head. “I’m just doing my job. What the hell are you doing?”

Instead of answering, I watched him stand and stride out of the office. The door clicked shut behind him, and I released a shuddering breath. I ran my hands through my hair, tugging at the roots, and couldn’t help but wonder what the fuck I was doing.

I wanted to be with Ivy, but I was holding myself back from her because she didn’t need me. What she needed were her mates—bonded and otherwise—to help her through her grief so she didn’t magically blow up again. I couldn’t help her with that.

I downed the second glass and rose, leaving my little pity party behind. Ivy was grieving, and I was sad I couldn’t help her? I shook my head at my own stupidity.

As I exited the office, I almost ploughed into Maeve, who looked stern and rightly cross as she scented me. “Drinking? Really?”

I shrugged. “Give me something better to do, then.”

She bared her teeth and crossed her arms. “Your mother sent through a message. Told me to tell you it was time. Not sure what it means but deal with whatever task she needs you to. I have an extraction to plan.”

I hadn’t realised I’d tensed up until after she left. Maeve slipped into her office, closing the door firmly behind her, and left me staring at my reflection in the darkened window.

Obviously, I knew what my mother wanted me to do. Her fucking package. She’d specifically said not to open it until it was time. If intuition was anything to go off, I knew it was finally time to learn the secret she’d hidden within.

Which meant my mother knew something was going to happen.

I still wasn’t sure why she’d sent it when she did. And to have Ivy deliver it to our room when we’d been staying at the Camilla? I clenched my jaw and tried not to think about what Sable’s motives were. After the vision I’d been blessed with last time, I couldn’t imagine what might be waiting for me within the brown box.

I shook my head and slipped into my room down the hall. The bed was a mess of blankets, which I avoided. Instead, I walked into the closet and located the package, which magically followed me to locations. A tricky little spell my mother had put on it, I was sure.

The box rattled as I pulled it from the top shelf and I cradled it in my arms as I returned to the bed. It wasn’t exactly heavy, but there was definitely something bulky inside. Something my mother had either wanted hidden, or thought might help with whatever was happening.

It would be like her to fill it with Ivy’s favourite wine. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ivy was wishing for something a little stronger than the hot chocolate Adrian was probably plying her with.

I smirked and tugged at the tape holding the box’s flaps down. It tore easily in my hands, falling away to reveal the thickly wrapped parcel within. The box had been warded to hide the item’s magical signature. But now, it expelled itself around the room, a unique presence that made the hairs on my arms rise and my flesh prickle.

What the hell did she send me? Seer Sable usually never explained why she did certain things, so I wouldn’t expect her to explain that.

As I hesitantly reached into the box, my heart slowed until the vision washed over me.

A chill seeped through my clothing and burrowed into the marrow of my bones. Somewhere in the darkness that seemed to thicken around me, chains clanked against stone.

No, not again. I spun towards the sound and dropped to my knees. The darkness was too thick to see through, so I crawled towards the gentle rattle and the soft, gasping sobs that filled the void.

No, no, no, no. There she was, curled into the darkness, her body naked save for two scraps of fabric covering her breasts and another around her waist. I couldn’t call them underwear because they were barely that.

Her magic was gone. That I could feel. It wasn’t pulsing throughout her body like it should have been. As I crawled closer, I took in the chains, the cuffs that circled her wrists, ankles, and throat.

Runes, carved into the metal, designed to trap magic. But there were other runes. Runes I didn’t recognise. I should have, though. I’d spent years studying them, and yet their meanings evaded me.

A sob wracked her body as a light cut through the darkness. Ivy didn’t flinch away from it like I did.

And then the magic, that familiar signature that belonged to someone in Avalon, the same magic I’d felt in the last vision, washed over me. More potent than last time.

“Soon,” he said, his voice dripping with malice and hatred, “the line of Nyx will end. Death to the Queen. Let the true King rise.”

Magic tore me from the vision, depositing me back in the safe house. My body shook with a ferocity that turned my stomach.

Heart racing, I stared into the box. It was a fucking trigger object. With my skull pounding and fingers trembling, I tipped the box on its side and let the object fall from the packaging. A dark crystal tumbled to the ground and rolled away from me, its glimmering surface catching the dim light of my room.

Fucking Sable. The pounding in my skull worsened, so I leaned back on my elbows and closed my eyes. I let the migraine take me under as the vision replayed in my mind.

~

I awoke to a wet pressure against my forehead. My eyes remained tightly shut, but the soft aroma of coffee and vanilla hit me as whoever was near me came closer, and I breathed it in greedily. Fire filled my veins as gentle hands pushed my hair off my forehead.

Ivy. I wanted to open my eyes and take in her angelic face, but they remained firmly shut as she…cared for me?

A wet rag dragged over my forehead again as she sighed.

“He’ll be fine, Ivy. This isn’t the first vision he’s had.” I hadn’t felt Adrian’s presence at first, entirely too focused on the woman caring for me, but now I could feel him nearby. For my sake, or hers? But he was right. I’d had worse visions than that, but I also didn’t want her to leave. Fire bloomed in my chest with her closeness and knowing that she cared for me despite Adrian’s assurances that I was fine…

It gave me a hope I shouldn’t have. A hope that would kill me in the end.

And yet, I kept my eyes closed and my mouth shut.

Ivy hummed to herself as she continued to wipe my forehead. “He’s burning up. Is that normal?”

“Sometimes,” Adrian replied. “But trust me, he’s going to be okay.”

She made a sound of disapproval and moved away. I almost let it slip that I was conscious; I was ready to beg for her to be at my side again because something about her presence was washing away the effects of the vision far faster than my usual remedies. Maybe it was just Ivy and her power, or perhaps it was more—something I couldn’t rely on being real—but her being near helped.

I felt her again as she brushed her fingers over my hand. “I need to go check on the girls. You’re sure he’ll be okay?”

At that, the fucker chuckled. “Yes. He’ll be fine. Trust me. And if he’s not, I’ll let you know.”

I felt her breath fan my cheek as she sighed. I waited for her to move away, to take her warmth and comfort with her, but instead of leaving straight away she pressed a soft, feather-light kiss against my cheek. There was almost a compulsion to turn my head and hope her lips would find mine. My magic coiled in my stomach at the thought.

But the bed shifted as she rose, and her warmth left me. When the door closed behind her, I finally cracked my eyes open.

Beside me, Adrian snorted, shaking his head. “And yet you worry you two aren’t mates.”

Pressure built in the pit of my stomach, and his words left a lingering taste of hope on my tongue. Maybe it was possible, but was I ready to give into it?

I groaned as I forced myself up into a sitting position. Adrian simply watched me struggle from the corner of his eye, a smug smile lifting his lips. “Shut it, Prince Dickwad.”

His smile grew, and a laugh rumbled from his chest as he leapt from the bed. “Just saying. When she found you, she was distraught. She thought something had happened to you. I’ve been reassuring her for twenty minutes that you’re okay and that visions just take a lot out of you.”

The mention of the vision made my stomach knot. As if sensing the shift in mood, the smile dropped from Adrian’s face. “What happened? What did you see?”

Closing my eyes, I was taken back to the darkness of the cell. Like a whisper, I could still hear the chains rattling, the soft sobs that tore at my heart. “It was similar to the last one,” I finally said, opening my eyes again. “She was in chains. This time, I heard the bastard speak. He said: the line of Nyx will end. Death to the Queen. Let the true King rise.” I pressed my lips into a firm line to stop my anger and frustration from boiling over. Like last time, I wasn’t any closer to figuring out who the magic belonged to. “The package my mother sent me was a trigger object. Like she knew it would lead to a vision about Ivy.”

Adrian paced the length of the room, his eyes darting to where they’d moved the crystal. But he kept his lips pressed firmly together.

I knew my brother better than anyone. Rage coursed through his body with each stride. The soft tremble of his hands gave it away. He was coiled tight. There was a threat to his mate, and his magic was likely building in his veins.

My own seemed subdued because of the vision, though it had risen in Ivy’s presence. Now, it sat docile despite the threat, the knowledge that someone out there was trying to take our girl.

Our girl. Internally, I shook my head.

The door slammed open, and Wolfy stalked in, his nostrils flared. He could probably scent Ivy, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, glowing eyes landed on me.

“What happened this time?”

Maeve entered with a frown and closed the door behind her. She looked between Adrian and me before making a gesture with her hand.

Adrian must have understood it because magic sparked at his fingertips as he muttered a spell to cloak the room. Anyone passing wouldn’t hear a word. His magic was like a whisper as it settled over the room.

“Speak,” Maeve demanded, crossing her arms. “What happened in this vision?”

My gaze flickered over the team as I let the remnants of the vision fill my mind. I recapped what I’d seen: the darkness so thick I couldn’t make anything out, the clanking chains and crawling to where Ivy had been locked up, the familiar magic and his words.

The entire time I spoke, the team remained eerily silent as they listened. There wasn’t the same panic as there had been last time. No, the silence bred a fury I welcomed, a determination to protect the woman who had stolen a piece of us, and I considered what it would all mean in the long run.

There was one thing I was sure of: my mother knew something, and for now, I would play her games, follow her riddles. So long as it protected Ivy.