48

ORION

NOT long now . The thought was the only thing that kept me moving. Fighting. The knowledge that soon, I would be with her again.

I only had to hold on a little longer. Bide my time with him long enough to understand his plans.

The False King would know my wrath soon.

Still, it burdened me, and the chasm between Ivy and myself weighed heavily on my magic. Without her, it was weak— I was weak. And she only grew wearier the longer I remained away.

I needed to see her, touch her. Feel her warmth and be reminded that I was fighting for her.

When she’d confronted me in the library, I’d wanted to fall to my knees and admit to her I’d done it all for her. Everything I did was for her. And if I hadn’t cut those mages down when I had, then they would have become another enemy for her to fight on her own. The betrayers were whispering to anyone who would listen, and the three males were weak in their worship of not only Nyx, but Her Queens, too. Inevitably, they would have fallen for the False King and his traitorous words.

My hands curled into fists as I began the trek to my father’s office. Fear was something I’d learned long ago to hide, but even now, it still trickled down my spine. The closer I got to the office, the more my magic reared within me.

I drew on my memories of her as I came to a stop outside his doors. Her soft voice during the long, warm nights alone. It helped in calming my magic. Settled it enough to not make him question me.

The doors opened without command, and the servant didn’t look up as I passed. The Luna Fae staff were terrified, and rightly so. Their High Lord wanted to bring war upon the court. His dealings would inevitably kill them all. Destroy one of the longest thriving courts in Faery.

All because he could not stand the fact he was rejected.

I gritted my teeth, but I would play the part of the perfect son. But only for now.

My father, High Lord Hyperion, looked up from his crystal glass of Summer wine at my entrance. Under the facade of perfect poise, he was the evil destined to destroy these lands. For a male who so badly denied the influence of the human world, he consumed their words and customs greedily. Perhaps he was too blind to see it, but I wasn’t.

I never had been.

And any who did were long dead, their eyes feasts for crows and their hearts locked away where none would find them.

“My son,” he drawled, setting the glass onto his desk. “You return.”

I feigned an air of arrogance as I cocked my head, lifting my chin in defiance. “A simple task, nothing more.”

“That is not what Kamaria tells me.” My father’s eyes, which were a shimmering silver, drifted over to the Fae female in question. “She tells me you...hesitated.”

My jaw clenched but there was no use in arguing when she was involved. My handler, she liked to call herself. Another blight on this land, I considered her. And her death would be sweet when I delivered it.

“I don’t hesitate,” I replied, refusing to look at the female. “Their death was just, and punishment was served.”

Hyperion hummed under his breath, but he turned towards the large window overlooking the gardens of his Avalon estate. They resembled the ones at the palace back in the Luna Court. Simple yet beautiful, with flowers that reflected the night sky. And it was twice as deadly.

“You have done little to disappoint me, my son,” he said, finally turning his dark stare on me once more. “I’ll trust you only want what is best for the cause. For one day, you will be High King.”

~

The itch to see Ivy crawled across my skin, but I held back. To see her would mean trying to break into the palace, and as much as I believed myself infallible, I would not risk it.

Not when I was so close to freedom.

It should not have surprised me, finding Blythe waiting in my dorm room. She stood with her back to the door, looking out over the dark, gloomy campus. If it weren’t for the prestige of Oberon and the chances it afforded me, Hyperion never would have accepted the invitation to attend the academy. He would have sent me to one in the Fae realm, where I would have been amongst my own people.

But it served a different purpose, being here. It put me in a position of power no one else could achieve, not since he was here.

Years ago, the usurper attended Oberon Academy. I believed he got his taste of power here. And while it served Hyperion and the cause to be at the academy, it also served me .

It meant I was with Ivy. And it meant I might find the False King somewhere in the walls. Find whispers of him hidden throughout the campus.

If his rise to power started here, then perhaps he still has a purpose at the academy.

Blythe turned as the door closed, and she ran her eyes over me critically. “You’ve returned unscathed,” she pointed out, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall behind her. “Though not any better than when you left.”

Pursing my lips, I stalked to the trunk at the end of the bed and began stripping my weapons, tucking them into their place. “It went as well as expected,” I replied. “Kamaria was up to her old tricks. I believe she wanted to see me beaten for questioning her today.”

If it weren’t for the fact that she was of pure Luna descent, I would have thought her a demon. She liked it as much as the feeder demons who preyed on pain.

“She’s a cunt who thinks she’s better than she is,” Blythe retorted, rolling her eyes as she pushed off the wall. “And your father is smart not to feed into her cruelty. It provides him nothing.”

“He knows better now.” But the mention of Hyperion made my blood boil. As I put away the last of my knives and runes, I stood. “No more talk of him, please. My head already pounds from this last meeting.”

If the male wasn’t my father, I would have killed him already. He was weak. Easily manipulated. He thought himself more powerful than he was, and if it weren’t for the political power he had, he would have never lasted as long as he did. The False King who wanted Ivy’s crown also protected him, gave him something that shielded him from potential enemies.

I shook my head. “Anything I should know about?”

Blythe shrugged as she dropped onto the bed. “Nothing of import, unless you count Layla and her newest exploit. She thinks she has a chance with a particular prince that isn’t you.”

“If she does look elsewhere, all the better. I do not enjoy her questions about—” I stopped. The glamour I’d used on Ivy hadn’t just been for her—it had been for myself, too. As much as I wished to finally let her name roll off my tongue, it protected us both. There was no chance I would slip and reveal the one thing I wanted most in this world.

The witch snorted. “She thinks she has a chance with Prince Adrian, you fool.”

I stiffened and turned to her. “It’s no secret he has a mate.” And that he’d been seen parading her around Avalon. “But if she seems determined to have herself expelled, then so be it.”

“You have no idea.” Blythe sighed and settled into the bed like she owned the fucking thing. “To not only mess with a bonded mate, but also the Headmistresses’ brother?” She shook her head. “I truly have no idea what is going through her head. She seems to think he must be a central bond or something. Has it in her head.”

Blythe’s dark eyes found mine, and I realised what she meant as her words settled between us. “You think she’s enchanted.”

“Not quite,” she replied, sitting up. “I think she’s been mind fucked.”

I cringed at her words but said nothing about it. “What makes you think that?”

“Just something mind witches can sense.” She jumped to her feet and gave me a knowing look. “I have a feeling someone wants to hurt Prince Adrian—and his mate.”

Blythe might not have been aware that his mate was the Daughter of Nyx, but it was clear she sensed something. She knew I had to hide Ivy for her safety, which was why she’d created the blocks in the first place.

The witch sighed and started for the door. “You should know she’s back now. Just arrived.” She tapped her temple and offered me a tired smile. “I cannot wait for the day I can remove the blocks.”

I released a tired breath and nodded. “Soon. Just a little longer, Blythe.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line before shaking her head. “Goodnight, Orion.”

With that, she slipped out of the room, leaving me to the silence and darkness that belonged to my space. I dropped onto the bed and let my head fall into my hands. Carefully, I caressed our bond. The weak thread in my chest pulsed as she grew nearer, but never close enough.

Her blocks were better, too. Not even Blythe could help me break through the ones she used when she slept. I had to find another way to give her the recharge she needed.

I tried to get a feel for where she was, but the bond was too fragile. My heart clenched as I rose to my feet, and I exited my dorm room into the quiet hall. No one stirred as I stalked through the darkness. Most were sleeping, as they should, with their dreams clear on display. Others were awake, but they didn’t bother me.

I made my way down the dorm staircase, hitting the main hallway without faltering, and let my feet carry me towards my mate. The bond might have been unhelpful, but I could trust my body to always know where Ivy was.

And it appeared not even she had been swept into dreams yet.

The library was open at all hours, and during the night, was run by the Changed Vampires. I barely glanced at the librarian who sat quietly at their station. Here, I wasn’t alone. Several other students were scattered amongst the shelves and tables. None looked up as I passed, and as soon as I knew I was out of sight, I drew the shadows around me and slowed.

I knew she was here; felt her like I felt my own heart. The closer I got, the brighter the bond grew. It was still frail, but it pulsed with her proximity.

A shiver rolled down my spine the moment I saw her.

She was alone, with her dark hair tied back into a ponytail, and she wore clothes I might have thought were pyjamas. She hadn’t noticed me yet, her head bowed over a book. She was curled up on an armchair at the far end of the library, completely isolated from everyone else.

My heart raced as I spent a few moments taking her in. It irritated me to no end, knowing her other mates weren’t around. With Ivy at the academy, I’d come to learn how to sense when they were close. My bond mates were always normally present.

But not now.

Why?

I so badly wanted to reach for her. To call for her and reveal myself. To take her into my arms and never let go again.

But I held myself back. As much as I needed her, as much as I yearned for her, I couldn’t let myself have her yet. Not yet. But soon .

As if she caught that thought, Ivy looked up, gaze flickering around the dark corner where I hid. It felt like her eyes were on me, peeling away the shadows to reveal the boy I’d once been.

“I feel you,” she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. “I know you’re there.”

How badly I wanted her to say my name. The name only she called me. But she didn’t. Couldn’t. Even if it was only us here, the glamour forbade her.

“Why are you doing this?” Her voice wasn’t sad, but rather tired. “Why do you keep hiding?”

My throat tightened. “Soon.”

Her eyes widened, and she dropped her book as she climbed to her feet. “You keep saying that,” she said, “and yet you keep hiding. When is soon ? I don’t know if I can keep doing this.” Her voice broke, and it almost tore me apart.

I held firmly to the shadows as I approached her. She eyed the darkness, a hint of fear in her honeyed-brown eyes, but she didn’t move. She didn’t flinch away.

For the first time in years, I peeled one of the gloves off with the intention of touching another living being. It’d been so long since I’d felt another—so long since I’d felt her . I’d always known that she would be the only one for me.

Hers was the first touch that never hurt me, that hadn’t brought me pain, suffering, anguish . Her touch had brought me life, and love, and everything I needed to survive.

Hers would be the only touch I would accept. Until Nyx claimed me.

Gently, I reached out, holding my breath as I skimmed my fingers over her cheek. Sparks of electricity raced down my arm from the briefness of the touch, a burning reminder of everything I’d missed these last eight years. Tears burned my eyes as I let my hand fall.

A tear slipped down her own cheek as she released a shuddering breath.

“Everything I have done,” I said, voice hoarse, “everything I do now, is for you. My little flower. I will do anything in my power to keep you safe.”

“Please—”

But before she could finish, I let the shadow consume me, pulling away from her trembling body. As I walked away, I checked back in with the bond and found it a little stronger than it had been before.

It would have to be enough for now, I thought as I put the glove back on. I didn’t release the shadows until I made it to the main hall of the library, and only stepped out of them once I was certain I wasn’t being watched.

The entire trek back to my room, all I could do was imagine that touch again and again. Dreams of her were not enough. Dreams of her touch didn’t live up to what it really felt like, brief as it was.

Soon enough, we would be together again.

And then, I wouldn’t let her go.