60

IVY

WHITE dots danced behind my eyes as I staggered through the dance with Elias. I winced, sharp pain piercing through my head. It felt like a strike, or the beginning of a headache, but as fast as it came, it was gone.

Elias’s arms tightened around me, holding me closer as his dark eyes roamed my body warily. “What? What’s wrong?”

I blinked rapidly to push the pain aside. “Nothing. I’m okay.”

A frown darkened his face, and his tight hold didn’t disappear. “Don’t lie to me, Angel,” he pleaded, eyes flickering over my face. “Please.”

Pressing my lips into a line, I let him drag me through the movements of the dance. My feet ached terribly, and though the dress was beautiful—probably the most expensive thing I’d ever worn—it suffocated me. I felt trapped behind a disguise, painted as someone else—and with a couple hundred creatures watching me, I was a doll on display.

“Just a sharp pain in my head, okay?” I replied, raising a brow. “And it’s gone. I’m just overwhelmed.”

Somehow, the frown only deepened, and his eyes left mine briefly to take in the dance floor. “Archer still hasn’t returned.”

A pit yawned in my stomach, and my heart rate slowed as a ringing started in my ears. Fear almost kept me from reaching for our bond, terrified of what I might find, but I turned inward, seeking out the bright thread tying our souls together.

But what I found made bile rise in my throat. Somehow, I knew Rowan was nearby, but our bond had a darkness to it that terrified me.

“Elias, I don’t feel anything,” I said. “He’s gone dark.”

My wolf shifter stiffened; beneath his suit jacket, his skin rippled. “Let the others know. Don’t panic. Not yet.”

Easier said than done , I thought, swallowing around the lump in my throat.

But explained to Adrian and Maeve about Rowan’s dark bond and the sharp pain from moments before, touching briefly on my fear that something was wrong.

At the edge of the dance floor, they shared a look; Maeve’s emotions gave way to guilt and shame. I’m sorry , a mhuirnín, she said. I sent him to go find his mother .

My throat tightened with panic. There was absolutely no way I was going to be able to hold that back. Not now.

It’s not your fault, I replied. Don’t split up. Please. Go after him and stay together.

My chest warmed from both of them, and when Elias spun me, they were gone.

“They’ll find him,” Elias said. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Tears burned my eyes as the music came to an end, and the Queen announced that all in attendance should enter the dance floor to celebrate. But her words simply rang in my ears as I tested the bond again and again, only to get no response from Rowan.

Elias cupped my cheeks, eyes filling with worry. His lips moved, but I heard nothing he said. I knew if I didn’t get myself under control, I would let the panic swallow me. I could already feel that familiar, horrible creature coiling around my lungs. It squeezed my throat, making it harder to breathe.

My skin prickled, and the world around me disappeared as something snapped within me, and a fire lit in my chest.

I sucked in a breath and pulled back sharply as the bond with Ry opened up entirely. I felt everything for the first time: his thoughts, his emotions, our past, and our future. The fear and pain hit me hard, followed by his adoration and love. Impressions of his thoughts, entirely different to how I felt the rest of the teams, struck me.

I wasn’t just hearing his thoughts.

I caught a glimpse of myself through his eyes. His memories . The moment he saw me entering the old cabin, wearing my ratty old flannel and skinny jeans; the day I walked into the dining hall at Oberon, like I was the only other person in the room with him; my broken body in Elias’s arms when I’d been pulled from the rubble after the explosion; and again, only an hour ago, when I’d been announced Daughter of Nyx.

A tear slid down my cheek as I snapped back to the moment. Elias glared at someone over my shoulder, his rage almost palpable. In the moments between feeling the bond snap back into place, someone had taken my other hand, gripping my fingers tightly.

Leather gloves.

I knew.

I knew the moment I first saw him again. And I knew, even after everything telling me it wasn’t possible, that it was him.

I turned to face the male behind me, taking him in with wide eyes. He truly was still as beautiful as the day I first saw him. The silver-white hair suited him better than the dark hair he’d glamoured himself with. But his eyes…they were still a piercing violet that took my breath away.

“Orion,” I whispered, sucking in a breath as his fingers tightened around mine.

Say the name you know, he replied , desperation filling his eyes.

It took all my control not to sob. “Ry.”

For the first time since reuniting, he genuinely smiles. “There it is, little flower.”

“Ivy,” Elias growled. “Is he—”

“He’s mystery mate,” I replied, unable to take my eyes off the Fae prince. Like if I did, he would disappear again. I couldn’t let that happen, not after everything we’d been through.

Elias grunted, but his hold on me relinquished. “Her other mate has disappeared. Can I trust you to protect her?”

Guilt hit me immediately, and I turned to face Elias, only to find him eyeing Ry. There was still anger through the bond; unimaginable anger at the male standing behind me, anger at our situation. Desperation hit too. Because we needed to find Rowan, and Elias knew he had to go out there and help search for him.

“Of course,” the Fae male replied. “Be aware. Your enemy is everywhere. They have been planning this for some time.”

My head shot back, and I glared at him. “You’ve known about them—”

Orion pulled me into his chest without looking at me and nodded to Elias. “Go. She and I need to catch up.”

Elias only hesitated a moment before kissing my temple. We’ll find him , he said.

I shuddered, fear still coiling tight around my chest. Don’t close your bonds. As soon as you feel something wrong, reach out to me. I cannot lose any of you.

His lips left my flesh, and he left just as quickly. Bile rose in my throat as Orion offered me his other hand.

“Please,” he said, bowing his head. “We really do need to talk.”

A thousand things ran through my mind as I stared at his outstretched hand. And all of them had to do with finding Rowan. It felt like a betrayal, standing here with the mate who abandoned me, while the one who stayed loyal was missing.

Orion flinched, and his hand curled into a fist. “Before you judge, Ivy. Let me warn you.”

“I’ve already figured out enough,” I snapped. “ He’s here and he has my mate. Close enough?”

For a moment, the male pressed his lips into a firm line. “Yes and no.”

Before I could respond, Orion grabbed my free hand. I should have known he wouldn’t let me get away. The asshole pulled me into a dance with the rest of the guests, swinging me into a waltz that matched the thundering music of the orchestra.

Little did the crowd know, I was dancing with my first mate. The one who started it all.

I so badly wanted to tear myself away from him, but Orion held firmly to me, sweeping me across the floor. A tingle of awareness ran down my spine, but as soon as it came, it disappeared. The other guests swirled around us, all bright colours and glitter, a blur of figures, each one so different to the last. I searched the crowd for any sign of my mates, but nothing.

Eyes burned into me. The eyes of dancers, of Greer, of Orion.

Everyone watched me, but I felt like an outsider as I watched the room.

“Look at me,” Orion commanded, and my eyes snapped back to his. There was a darkness around his irises that didn’t seem right. “We don’t have much time.”

“Stop being so vague,” I snapped, panting as he swung us around. “Please. I don’t have time for this.”

It was like a bomb ticking in my chest. The desperation to find Rowan. Praying to the Goddess that he and the others were safe.

Orion’s eyes softened, and I saw a flash of the boy I once knew in his expression. “I know, but you need to listen to me. I have been trying to uncover who he is. My father has been working closely with him. I was making headway, but—”

I froze as a different kind of pain shuddered through me. One by one, the bonds went quiet. Like a light flickered out, they all descended into darkness. And each one struck me like lightning, hitting me hard in the chest.

Elias. Maeve. Adrian. They didn’t respond when I called for them.

No. No, please no.

Orion cupped my cheeks, concern darkening his eyes. “It’s too late.”

The music cut off abruptly; gasps of rage filled the air, drowning out the panic rising within me. My magic rose in response, prickling across my skin as I pulled away from Orion to take in the quieting ballroom.

Dark, unmasked figures descended upon the exits, blocking any who dared try to escape. Weapons were drawn, and shifters transformed into wolves and bears that frothed at the mouth, larger than they should have been, feral as they stalked the guests.

Orion wrapped an arm around me protectively, as another presence appeared at my back.

“Don’t attract attention, Princess,” Hawk murmured, hand wrapping around my wrist. “They’ll take you just as quickly.”

Anger flooded me, drowning out the panic, but I bowed my head in response as the dais Queen Greer had been sitting on was raided by soldiers. Why is no one helping her? I asked Orion. Why is no one fighting?

Because they like to arrogantly showcase their power, but none have ever actually had to use it to fight. Most people in this room have gotten lazy. Gotten used to Queen Greer maintaining peace, he replied darkly. They can defend themselves, but most are aware that if they fight, too many will die.

Bile rose in my throat, as one by one, her mates were contained, not fighting because if they did, their Queen would be harmed. They had their eyes on her; everything they did was for her. But the dagger held to Greer’s throat didn’t seem to frighten her.

Our eyes met. She wasn’t afraid.

A cold chill swept over my skin, awareness prickling my flesh. My magic settled beneath my skin, but rage continued to burn within me.

Nyx was here. She was watching. Waiting.

But for what?

The males standing either side of me closed in as a figure climbed the dais. Queen Greer’s eyes snapped to him, shock lining her features as he pulled a dagger from his own belt. He wore a tailored suit, but it didn’t conceal the fact he had other weapons strapped to his body.

Carefully, I reached for his magical signature, testing it with my own. Mage, though I couldn’t tell what kind. Powerful and different, somehow.

The expressions of Greer’s mates changed, too. Some were shocked. Others growled. Someone in the crowd shouted, and a woman—no, Sylvia—tried to throw herself at the dais, but a male held her back as he said something to the mage on the dais.

“Dante…” Greer murmured, voice still carrying through the ballroom. “No.”

The male laughed, like her denial was the funniest thing in the world. I glanced at Orion, whose rage was unfiltered as it danced across his features. He clenched his jaw, barely sparing me a glance as he watched the mage. On my other side, Hawk stilled completely. Both had worked it out.

Dante. Dante . I gasped, clamping down on my surprise as I took in the betrayed reactions again. Adrian’s brother. His big brother. The one who threw parties, who tried to influence my prince…

My mouth went dry as Dante turned to the crowd. Something about his smile, the way his eyes glowed, unsettled. But the crowd quietened completely. As if they’d been subdued.

He’s a mind mage, Orion said. Somehow, he’s controlling them . All of them.

I was going to be sick. My magic reared, wanting to escape, to fight back. There was a pressure in my head, but I imagined the crystal dome around my thoughts, like I’d done so many times to keep Orion out of my head. It was enough to push his influence back. For now. But I wasn’t sure how long it would last.

Dante raised his hands, and several people dropped to one knee. From the corner of my eye, I watched the Fae move. His loyal followers? I glanced back at the dais, where Greer’s shock morphed into anger. Her darkening eyes found mine, and she shook her head.

My heart pounded. I made a move to step away from the males holding me, but Hawk’s hand tightened on my wrist in warning. I shot him a look, but he kept his eyes trained on the dais.

Don’t even think about it, Orion said, arm locking around my waist to keep me at his side.

“People of Nyx’s Domain!” Dante shouted. “I come to you, not as your prince, but as a vessel for change. For so long, we have lived within the constraints Nyx has given us. But we didn’t always! Once, we survived without a Queen. We didn’t need a figurehead for Nyx and her divine power. ”

He turned to Greer with a sneer. “The Queens of Nyx have weakened us. Our people. And I vow to bring us back to glory. To remind you that we were once powerful. That we once ruled over all the lands! ”

Some cheered. Others remained quiet. My heart pounded, blood rushing in my ears.

“The rule of Nyx and her Queens must come to an end.” He pointed his danger at his mother, a grin morphing across his face. “A new era starts now.”

The soldier holding Greer back crumpled, dropping their dagger. Shocked gasps filled the air, and again, I tried to move, but they held me back.

The Queen stood, and her power radiated through the room. “You are not the king you think you are, Dante. And you have no idea what you are doing. It is this way for a reason. There cannot be a king.”

His grin transformed into something twisted. He stepped up to his mother, pressing the end of the knife into her abdomen. “The people demand a new kind of rule.”

“You should know better,” she replied calmly, barely glancing at the weapon. “If you choose to continue down this path, my son, you will die. So will everyone in this room. There is no Avalon, no Faerie or Underworld, without a Queen of Nyx. Have you not listened to a word of your lessons?”

He snapped. The dagger plunged into her stomach. Greer’s mates cried out, their pain like fuel to the fire. Somewhere in the back of the ballroom, there was a crash, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Greer. The crown she always wore, the one that featured in my nightmares, disappeared.

The prince cursed under his breath. “Where is it, Mother?”

Greer reached up and cupped her son’s cheek. “Only the Daughter of Nyx will see that crown, Dante. But it is not the crown that makes you king. It is not your arrogance that will determine whether you are fit to rule. Not even your army will help you, my love.”

Pain burned in my chest as what was left of her magic crashed into me. Tears clogged my throat; I wanted to scream, to run to her side, to fight like the Goddess had commanded me. But Hawk and Orion held me to them, forcing me to watch as Dante pulled the dagger from his mother’s torso. The crowd descended into chaos; from the dais, Greer’s mates roared with anger, and from the other side of the ballroom, I heard the defeated cries of her children.

Bloody knife in hand, Dante turned us, a grim smile playing at his lips as Greer dropped to the ground. Blood pooled across the marble, like her gown had only an hour earlier, and I watched as the last of her magic dispelled from her body as she released her final breath.

“Death to the Queens,” Dante said, voice ringing out across the ballroom. “Long live the true king.”