“Vervain!” Trevor shouted as he ran forward.
A bunch of orderlies restrained him. He tried to shift too; his body bulging and his face snarling. It wasn't pretty.
“Everyone relax,” the doctor between my legs said. “This is a common procedure. I'll have the little monster out of her in no time.”
“Vero,” I whispered in horror.
“No!” Trevor shouted and managed to fling a few of the men off him.
Trevor only made it two feet before they restrained him again; several more orderlies appearing out of thin air.
“Don't you fucking touch her!” Trevor howled and his eyes glowed golden honey.
The Wolf had returned.
“Calm yourself,” the doctor said. “There's a simple solution.”
The doctor waved his hand and a pit opened in the floor right in front of the Wolf; it was full of steel spikes taller than Kirill.
“Your life for that of your son,” the doctor said. “What will it be, Wolf Prince? Just a few steps forward will save him.”
“Trevor, no!” I shouted. “It can't hurt me so it—”
A gag appeared over my mouth, and I shouted through it. But the Mirror had forgotten about Kirill.
“It's trying to make you kill yourself!” Kirill shouted. “It's not real, Trevor! It can't hurt her! It gets nothing if it kills your child, but vith—”
The Mirror gagged Kirill too, but it was too late. The Wolf was smart enough—devious enough—to figure out the rest for himself. He gave a wild howl and shook off the orderlies.
“I will not play your game!” The Wolf covered his eyes with his hands, blocked his ears, and started humming like a three-year-old.
I laughed my damn ass off.
The illusion vanished, and I was able to laugh more fully, standing on my feet in my old clothes instead of that horrible hospital gown. Kirill rushed over to me, and we hurried to the Wolf to make sure the Mirror couldn't separate us again. I pulled at his ears, but the Wolf held firm. Kirill shook his head and snickered as I tried to shout at the Wolf that it was over. Finally, I wedged my face between his hands and kissed him.
The Wolf inhaled deeply and his hands fell away from his eyes as he returned my kiss. His arms wound around me, and he pulled me closer; his tongue a hot demand in my mouth. I groaned into the pleasure but pulled away before it consumed me. This was not the place or time for that.
“Wolf?” I asked as I searched his eyes. “Is Trevor all right?”
“We're both fine now, Mate.” The Wolf laid his forehead against mine and sighed. “We were lost in a metal maze. Your voice called to us, and then we found you here.”
Kirill was right; the Mirror's priority was to get us to kill ourselves. Killing Narcissus was its last resort.
“It's all illusion. The Mirror can't kill us. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because it wouldn't be able to claim us as sacrifices if it did. It's become like a god; a tricky one. It showed us Narcissus talking to Qaus, and Qaus warned him that I would be coming into the mirror and that if he got me to sacrifice myself, Narcissus would become powerful enough to escape.”
“Qaus? Isn't he one of the rainbow gay gods who was with the bottled water goddess?” the Wolf asked.
I laughed softly. “Yeah; Qaus, Gish, and Disani.”
“Zat's probably vhy Mirror zinks it cannot kill us,” Kirill mused. “Qaus told Narcissus to get Vervain to sacrifice herself, not kill her.”
“Could be something to do with the curse,” the Wolf mused.
“Whatever it is, we've learned that the Mirror can't replicate scents or the feeling of our bonds. If you're in doubt, use your other senses,” I said quickly as I clasped Kirill's hand and tucked him in more tightly against me. “And we can't let the Mirror separate us again. If there isn't enough space between us, it shouldn't be able to wall us off.”
“Stay close and use all of my senses.” The Wolf nodded. “Got it.” His hand strayed to my belly protectively. “We must get free of this place, Mate. By any means.”
“We will,” I said. “Have faith in the others. They'll find Nemesis, and she'll break the curse.”
