23

ORION

HER screams were a painful echo in my ears. In sleep, I witnessed her agony. Listened as the vehicle crashed into her, over and over again. When I woke, she appeared behind my eyes. Crying out for me. Begging me to save her.

And every time, I failed.

Despite everything—every warning I’d given her, every reminder that the bond must remain hidden—I still reached out to her. Tested the only link I had left to my humanity. To that creature she loved; the boy she’d nursed back to health.

It was weak. Broken. The bond lay there like a cut off limb. It should have brought me some relief, knowing it would not be sensed now. That no one would find her through me.

But I needed it. That glowing strand of hope.

Her agony once again radiated through me, causing me to flinch, to rein in my own despair. But it would have to be enough; only seeing her through these brief explosions of emotion.

The leather glove stretched as I pulled it over my hand. Curling my fingers into a fist, I glared down at the material. It felt like a second skin, and I used it as such. At least it hid the blood.

I’d always hated the feeling of it on my flesh, sticky and warm and reminiscent of pain.

I shuddered and closed my eyes. If all went well tonight, I would go without having to deal with it myself. But I had a feeling tonight would not be as simple as he claimed it to be.

One more death for another day of life for her . There was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my flower. To keep her safe in this cruel, bloodthirsty world. They did not deserve her. Especially those who dared defy her.

Soon, I prayed to Nyx, she would understand.

That she would forgive me for the betrayals against her.

But if she didn’t, I would survive. Still in the shadows, doing whatever it took to protect her—and keep those who may harm her away.

“You ready?” the male asked, glancing me over with dark, uncertain eyes. The soldiers who followed him were all wary around me.

Good . They did not get the pleasure of trusting me. All they needed to know was that I remained loyal to the fool, until I could make him bleed for his crimes.

I pulled on my other glove and flexed my fingers, making sure the material was in place, tightened around my wrists so as to not reveal my skin. But I gave the male no response as I stalked towards the darkened townhouse.

It stood tall alongside several others, all made of the same brown stone, charmed with the same protections as one might find at the palace. These were the homes of military officials visiting Avalon. Demon, Fae, and Creature of Nyx.

It always amused me, knowing we had an active military but no wars to fight. A thousand years of peace, and yet we claimed the abandoned young and turned them into soldiers. The last war we’d fought had been thousands of years ago and resulted in the creation of an entirely new world.

And yet the army of Nyx was useless. It was untested. Never needed to fight before now. And though Phoenix had their fair share of excellent agents, they were nothing compared to the army he was building.

The charms around the townhouse on the end of the row flickered out as soon as I approached, the witch within sending a burst of power to shut them off without alerting the other houses of the change. How so many were loyal to the bastard King was beyond me.

The door opened silently. I was here only to prove a point for them , and then, I would take another piece away from those who sought to hurt my mate.

~

Not for the first time since I returned to my prison of a life, I prayed to Nyx for forgiveness. And to Ivy, for mercy.

The storm of anger swirling inside of me needed to be refocused. And in all the years since leaving her side, I had found only one solution.

Taking away something he needed.

And one of those things lived in the city.

Another piece to take off his board. Remove another player in his army.

The shadows answered to me, a cloak of protection as I stalked the dark streets of the city. My own target lived in the oldest district of the city, where modern human technology had yet to invade or corrupt the magic of old. Those who dwelled there were arrogant and set in their ways, refusing to see the world around them was changing. They had no intention of changing with it, either.

It simply made them easy to pick off the chessboard.

The pawns of his plans were discardable.

But these were his rooks and knights.

And they would damage the game.

The river cutting through the Briar district shimmered, catching the reflection of the stars. I crept to the edge of the water, keeping low and to the shadows, until I made it to the rock wall blocking either side of the water. There, algae from the Abyss Court grew; the plant was a deep red that resembled flesh, hanging on to the stone, barely covered by the rushing water. I scooped a handful of it up and tucked it into a pouch at my side before slipping back into the shadows of the surrounding buildings.

It didn’t take long to reach the rook’s home. It was one of many; large, grand, and built with so many protections, anyone else might have struggled to break through them. There were three on this particular street, all looking over a small park, each as impenetrable as the other. They were much the same in design, their facades the same grey stone, built with power and luxury in mind.

I only wanted the centre house, though.

The one hiding Lady Theros of the Summer Court and her small army of pawns.

After years of learning from the best, it wasn’t hard breaking into her home. Arrogance would get these traitors killed. And they’d been warned.

The algae fell from my hands and formed a ring around the house. The properties of the plant were so easy to forget, unless you studied them dutifully. Not many realised the Abyss Court had many such plants hidden beneath the waves. Plants that could nullify basic charms and protections.

Eat the weed, and you could undo any charm placed upon you.

Place it in a ring around an enchantment, and it may even destroy it.

So simple, yet so powerful.

Of course, only if you understood the actual magic and gave back to the plant.

There was a reason it was red.

A few drops of blood, and the algae lengthened, joining with the other strands to form a circle around the building. I only had to wait a few heartbeats for it to dissolve the basic charms around the house.

Only a breath for the first pawn to escape.

The Fae male didn’t notice the moving shadows. Had barely a moment to alert his fellow pawns to my presence. I slit his throat and dragged him back into the house, using his blood as my key to enter. It was all I needed to finish the job.

The gloves did more than hide my flesh.

Death befell everyone in the house, save the few staff living in the basement. They lived, left behind as warning to him . But I knew my flower wouldn’t agree with their deaths. They were not at fault for the betrayal of their mistress.

The wooden floors creaked as I made my way up to the first floor. Lady Theros surely knew I was here. Hunting her. As I had done to the others like her.

The Shadow Knight of Nyx, they whispered in the meeting rooms. I was transitioning from legend to real threat.

And they had no idea I listened to every word. Their dutiful little pawn, they thought.

But I did not belong to them .

Summer Court magic spilled out from where she hid, like a beacon for her whereabouts. I tasted the powerful magic on my tongue, sweet like summer wine and warm nights. To most, it would be intoxicating. The strength of it, the promise of power that would come from aligning with someone of her station.

But unlike these fools, I’d tasted true power. Real strength.

And it did not come from the Summer Court.

I smiled to myself as I hit the landing. The few pawns that remained rushed me. It took seconds to cut through them, shadow and blade my weapons of choice. It was a shame to see so many Summer Court lives wasted. As I took in the bodies around me, I couldn’t help the twinge of...regret that hit me. The emotion was like a shock to the system, a reminder of the effect my flower had on me now that she was close.

She was here. Finally on the island. And soon, I’d see her again. Finally take her in my arms. Feel the kiss of her skin against mine after eight years of nothing.

Of wishing I could be with her after nights like this. Of praying to Nyx that this one might be the last.

“Who. Are. You?” Lady Theros gasped, appearing in a doorway. She wore nothing more than a shawl made of sheer fabric, revealing the golden hue of her skin and the peaks of her breasts.

I kept the shadows around me. Even if she survived, she would not know it was me who slaughtered her people.

That it was a son of the Luna Court who orchestrated her demise.

I dragged the dagger made of shadow against the floor, smiling as she flinched away from my approaching form. “You’ve betrayed your Queen,” I mused. “Did you think that would go unpunished?”

Theros stiffened, her fear perfuming the air. “I do not follow false Queens.”

“The Fae have always followed Queens. Our own. One chosen by Nyx. Our histories show how weak our King’s have been. How much damage they do to Faery. You trust another with that responsibility?”

She scoffed, continuing to back away as I neared. Her arrogance was nothing compared to the knowledge that tonight, she would die.

Bringing the blade up, it kissed the skin of her throat. “Your king does not care for your life, Lady Theros. But I believe if the Daughter of Nyx were here, she would beg for you. She would believe you better than your betrayal, despite everything that has been done to her and those she loves. She would see worth in your life. In protecting you. She would shed a tear for you.”

“Then she would be weak,” Theros spat. “Unworthy of being Queen .”

I cocked my head and pressed the blade into her skin, drawing blood. “And yet you would live. Now, you will die .”

I gave her no chance to respond as the blade sliced through her neck, severing her head from the rest of her body. I felt nothing as her head hit the ground and rolled to my feet, and nothing still as her body followed. Perhaps mild irritation. But that was because I had to make my way out of the house unseen and return to the academy.

It was a pity another had to die for their allegiance to the false ruler.

But if it meant protecting Ivy from those who wanted her crown, I would take down the entire organisation on my own.

One rook at a time.