“Me neither.”
“You should be careful,” she warns. “I get the feeling the queen doesn’t like surprises.”
I nod absently, though I’m pretty sure the queen already knows now.
“It’s them or us, you know,” Kenzie says softly, though she looks as defeated as I feel. “You can’t save the creatures, Shade. That’s why they’re here. If you hesitate, the creatures will kill you.”
I hear her words, but they don’t feel true. The nasken could have killed me if it really wanted to, and it didn’t. Once again, I’m left questioning everything I know about this realm and the war. They say the humans were brought here to become warriors, and to help the inhabitants of the shadow realm fight against the Xalgrith, but I doubt that agreement included killing the zenali creatures for sport. The shadow creatures are allied with us because they know they need us to defeat the Xalgrith, but who steps in to stop the humans from hurting the shadow realm as well? How did it get like this?
When the arena goes quiet, a heavy feeling presses on my chest. I’m not sure if that means all the creatures have been killed. I hear shouting at one point in the jungle, and I’m pretty sure it’s Ian and his group, but they must settle down elsewhere in the forest.
Kenzie volunteers to take first watch, and I don’t argue. My head is pounding something fierce, and my body is desperate for sleep. But I don’t close my eyes again just yet. For the first timein a while, I fidget with the ring on my finger. Not my academy ring, but the portal ring Blake gave me before I ever knew Shadowbone existed. I run my finger over the tiny crow shaped into the metal. I know the magic of the ring won’t work while I’m still within the protective academy barrier, but I almost died tonight. The idea that I could pass away and Blake would never know what happened to me makes my heart ache. I decide I have to try to contact her. I need to know for sure.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I focus my thoughts, trying to tap into the portal magic. I’m surprised when my finger starts to tingle, the familiar warmth of the magic working up my hand. It’s incredibly faint, but it’s there.Holy smokes.My pulse hammers as the ring heats against my skin, but then just as quickly as it comes, the magic disappears.
No.I try focusing my mind again, but this time nothing happens at all. The metal of the ring is cool again, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t summon any more portal magic. My heart sinks. I know it’s probably a good thing, and I tell myself I was stupid to even try. Even if I could get the ring to work, it would have been too risky. The shadow queen might have been able to detect the magic, and the last thing I need is to be explaining to the queen why I, a human, possess a portal ring. I stare around me, wondering if the queen picked up on the small amount of magic I’d been able to activate, but thankfully, the trees are silent around me.
Disheartened, I settle back against the tree trunk, and my eyes haven’t been closed for long before I’m slipping into my dreams. Or more so, my memories. I dream of Knox and Raith. I remember how happy I was during that brief moment in time when the brothers had been visiting me. How Knox had helped bring me out of a darkness I’d been trapped in for so long.
But even now, even when I can remember the incredible moments I had with Knox and Raith, it’s overshadowed bysomething else. There’s a pain so deep it’s in the marrow of my bones, and I feel this constant sense of urgency.Remember. Remember. But remember what?
The dream suddenly changes, and Thane appears before me. His expression is severe, like he’s one word away from losing himself, and he moves closer, intensely studying my face as he reaches for me. As his hands glide along my skin, ice and fire burns through me.
“Are you harmed, mate?” he asks, his hands roving over my body like he’s searching for wounds, even here in my dreams.
Knox steps from the darkness surrounding us, and I stare at them both in surprise, only just realizing it’s really them and they’re not a figment of my imagination. “I’m fine,” I mumble. “But how are you here?”
“Knox brought us,” Thane growls. “Raith and Galen are keeping the guards distracted, and Knox found a way to enter your dreams without the queen detecting us. But we don’t have much time.”
Thane finishes inspecting me, and before I realize what’s happening, he falls to his knees and bows his head. Knox tenses as he watches.
I gape, not sure how I went from being single to having two incredibly gorgeous men kneel before me in the same night.
“Forgive me, mate,” Thane rasps.
“For what?” I ask, confused, because my mind is still a muddled mess. It’s throbbing more now, aching to the point I can even feel it in my dreams.Remember,my mind seems to say to me.
“I didn’t know what the queen wished of me until the request came from her mouth,” Thane explains. “I presume using my power to create acid rain was a calculated decision on her part.”
Oh. Right… The acid rain.“It’s okay,” I say. “You did what you had to do, and it’s not like it killed me.” I laugh, but Thane doesn’t see the humor in what I’ve said.
My mate lifts his head, and his eyes are haunted.Oh crap, he’s really taking this to heart, isn’t he?
“It’s not okay. She used me,” Thane growls, looking like he has no intention to lift from his knees any time soon.
My gaze meets Knox’s. “What am I supposed to do?” I hiss.
“He won’t be satisfied until you punish him,” Knox replies softly.
“Punish him?” I make a face and look back at Thane. “Look, I don’t know what you guys are into but inflicting pain on my mates isn’t a kink of mine. I’m sorry, but if you want me to whip you or something, I’m out.”
Knox’s lips quirk up, and he gives me a knowing smile. “I’m well aware of your kinks, my love.”
My cheeks flush and warmth spreads in my belly, because his words bring memories to the forefront of my mind. When Knox had visited my dreams all those years ago, he had tried his best to fulfill almost every sexual fantasy I had. The man didn’t have the tentacles I was hoping for, but his shadows were even better.
Clearing my throat, I focus on Thane. Reaching out, I cup his head in my hands, lifting his chin so he’s staring at me. He shudders when I touch him, and I realize just how seriously he’s taking this. He’d thought he was going to kill me. He had thought he was going to be the reason his mate died. And he was having a hard time believing that he hadn’t killed me.
“Thane,” I say, trying my best to show him I’m sincere. “You didn’t hurt me. And you didn’t kill me. You have nothing to apologize for. The queen made you participate. I knew the risks coming into the games, and I made it to the forest. I promise, I’m okay.”
