I could do anything with this man by my side.
“How are you feeling now?” His chest rumbled against mine before he pulled away to look into my eyes.
I brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. “Ready to take on the world.”
“Then that is precisely what we will do.” He released me, letting my legs float downward, and I clutched his shoulders, giving him one more kiss before sinking beneath the surface and swimming out of the alcove.
The water undulated beneath the waterfall, the bubbles tickling my bare skin as I surfaced on the other side, refreshed, renewed, and totally, completely, utterly in love.
Discord followed, rising from the water like a god, looking sexy as all get-out. I couldn’t help but smile at his glorious nakedness, and I giggled like a schoolgirl at the knowledge that this demon was all mine.
He arched a brow. “Something funny?”
“Just allowing myself a moment of happiness before we go save the world.” I padded to the rock and picked up our clothes. The heat had dried them quickly.
“That is an emotion I thought I would never feel again.” He stepped into his pants and pulled on his shirt, watching me as I dressed.
Despite the direness of our circumstances, I couldn’t stop smiling if I’d tried. Sadly, our moment of bliss was short-lived. The cave rumbled, the ground vibrating as a tiny fissure, no wider than a centimeter, snaked up the wall behind the bed.
“The veil?” I snapped my gaze to Discord’s.
He nodded. “It’s shredding. We must help your mother hold what’s left of it together.”
We darted through the arched tunnel and found my mom sweating profusely, her pallor a ghostly white. Dad held a cup to her lips, feeding her the magical water, but most of it drained from the corners of her mouth.
“I need more.” He jerked his head toward an empty bucket. “She’s fading.”
“Stay with your parents. I will retrieve it.” Discord squeezed my shoulder before picking up the bucket and running down the hall.
“Mom, what can I do?” I stood in front of her, searching her glazed eyes for a sign of recognition.
“She’s channeling Hecate’s magic. There’s nothing you can do.” Dad set the empty mug on a table and wrung his hands.
“She doesn’t have to channel it alone. I can help.” I reached for her hand.
“Cinder, don’t,” Dad shouted, but it was too late.
The moment my skin touched hers, the trance sucked me in. My vision tunneled into blackness before red light exploded in my eyes. Glowing threads wove all around me in shades of black, red, and orange…the very fabric of the universe suddenly visible to me, humming in varying tones, sometimes rich and melodic, other times thin and pained.
“Is this…?” I asked in my mind.
“It’s the veil,” my mom’s voice echoed around me, “and it’s unravelling.”
9
DISCORD
“Cinder, don’t,” her father shouted, and my heart dropped into my stomach.
I raced through the tunnel, the magical water sloshing in the bucket as I entered the main chamber and shoved it into his arms. “Cinder!”
“Don’t touch her!” he said, his voice breathless, and I froze, my hand mere inches from her face. Her eyes had glazed white, her brow knitted with pain.
“What happened?” I growled, turning a livid gaze to her father. “I demand you release her.”
He scoffed and dipped a rag into the bucket. “Do you think my wife would be standing there if I could? Here.” He tossed the rag to me before grabbing another one. “Keep her skin moist.”
I lifted my brows, his unabashed demeanor surprising me. “Do you know who I am?”
