The male raised a brow, still smiling. “Elysian demon. King of the fields.” His nostrils flared as he breathed deeply. “I could make you a deal instead. A throne for a throne.” He opened his arms wide and chuckled. “I only want one thing. Nyx knows what it is. So will the girl.”
With that, he moved into the darkness of his cell. I watched him hit the back wall and slide down it, resting his head against the stone.
“Hey, so, not to alarm anyone about him,” Archer muttered, “but look at the runes.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Why do they matter?”
“Because,” he said, running his fingers down them, “they’re God Runes. Why would Dante be keeping someone all the way over here, when his prison is in Luna? And why would he be trapping this guy with God Runes?”
“When you figure it out,” the male called out, “I’ll be here.”
I gritted my teeth, swallowing hard. “Let’s go.”
There were stairs around the corner, old stone ones that made no sound as we climbed them. My heart was pounding with all this conflicting information about Dante—whywashe keeping this male on the island, alone? Why was he in a cell with God Runes? What the fuck made him so special?
Goddess above, I hoped he wasn’t another of Ivy’s mates. I was already done with the ones she’d identified. I wasn’t sure I could do another.
52
Ivy
My heart pounded with anticipation, each breath filled with the icy realisation that we were moments away from finally escaping.
In a few steps, we could leave what was left of Dante’s control behind. No more cages, no more isolation cells.
It hadn’t taken long to trap the hellhounds and ensure when the pain demon woke, he wouldn’t be able to get out of his binds. Theon had woven charms into the male’s clothing to keep him invisibly chained, so even when he did wake in a couple of days, the charms would remain active.
Hawk somehow remained upright beside me, though I could almost feel the draining effects from him. Fear kept my mouth shut, and although I knew I could ask him silently, for some reason, I didn’t.
It could partially be worry, or it could be due to Xerxes walking behind me with Thor over his shoulder. The male offered me a comfort I couldn’t explain, but even that wasn’t enough to calm the pounding of my heart.
Despite Otto having control over the hounds, I still shivered with fear, checking over my shoulder. The wall of ice Cato erected blocked the entire tunnel, but it was melting, and the winter Fae guard was weakening.
My arms trembled with the weight of the baby in my arms.She was asleep again, though it wasn’t because she was tired. Sleep was better than the inevitable. Even the newborns were eerily quiet. It didn’t matter how many times I shifted the girl in my arms, I couldn’t stop my muscles from burning, couldn’t stop the shooting pains rushing through me from the bullet wound or the weakness that still wracked my body.
At least it was a good distraction from what was happening inside of me. The strange fluttering sensations I’d felt in my belly before started again, but this time with a renewed eagerness. I remembered my mother explaining to me what it felt like when she was pregnant and she started to feel movement.
She’d said it felt like a fluttering. Like a tickle. A foreign yet right feeling that told her everything was okay.
Not for the first time, I wished she was here. I wished I could ask her about this feeling, ask her what I should do.
Kerry had been mean. She’d been harsh. But she was always honest with me. And at least I could always trust that she would give me the space to make my own choice about this.
I needed that harsh reality check from her now. More than ever, I wished I had my mom back.
When the tears burned my eyes this time, I let them fall freely. There was no point in hiding the relief or fear flooding me. I clamped down on the desire to sob, though. Sob with relief, with fear that this could all get taken away in a heartbeat.
My breaths became harsher, like ice filling my lungs. When the first ray of light cut through the darkness ahead, I couldn’t help but hold my breath. This time, the tears were for an entirely different reason.
Had we really made it out?
“Stop,” Otto commanded, his voice too loud in the quiet we’d wrapped ourselves in.
I stumbled when everyone else halted. It was only because Hawk grabbed me from behind that I didn’t completely fall to my knees. He wrapped an arm around my midsection, hand splayed against my stomach. Again, I felt that fluttering sensation I wanted to chalk up to movement but had to wonder if it was because of him.
I swallowed thickly but didn’t pull away from Hawk as Otto turned his worried stare on us from ahead. Exhaustion played across his features, making him appear older than he was. The lines of his face deepened, his eyes dark.
“There is something awaiting us beyond this tunnel,” Otto warned, voice quaking. “It is far too powerful for me to take down.”
