“We need to find a way out of here, soon,” the vampire murmured, voice soft. “Are you still unable to jump?”
The Elysian King hesitated before shaking his head. “I feel the shadows, but they will not come to me.”
“What if this is Dante?” one of Greer’s mates asked, keeping his voice low. “We don’t know how many different affinities he has on his side. We were witness to at least one of everything while in his prison. He could very well be holding us here until he can send a team in to take us.Allof us. That escape shouldn’t have been that easy.”
What little I remembered about my time in the compound, beyond where Ivy was concerned, told me that he was right in his assumption. It shouldn’t have been that easy.
“Why were there no barriers in the tunnel itself?” one of the others asked, following his bond mate’s line of questioning. “Why only his little torturer and hellhounds? We might be weak, but we aren’t that weak. We can still handle ourselves. We still have power.”
The female shifter, who had finally found us after Ivy passed out, shook her head. “Ivy was certain he wouldn’t have blocked the tunnel for his own gain. Figured he was too arrogant to think anyone would dare use it.”
Dante’s brother shrugged as he ran a hand through his hair. “It’s possible she’s right. But still, he probably would have had contingency plans.”
“Well, I can’t check the comms. He’s cut me off.” Sunniva waved her device around, releasing a frustratedgroan as she did. “Neither Cato nor I were high up enough for us to even get anywhere useful.”
The winter Fae shook his head. “I know there was a charm mage who specialised in wards. That was who broke down the barrier at the ball.”
“Someone powerful had to have done that,” Greer’s charm mage mate said, glancing at his son. “Did you ever get a feeling of who it might be, Adrian?”
“No,” Adrian replied darkly.
“Yeah, he’s always been known as the Charm. That was the code Dante and the commanders used for him. Charm was kept on a tight leash from what I know,” the Fae added, glancing between us. “This could be his work.”
I vaguely recognised the name from my early days with Dante. I remembered it being mentioned in my presence, but not why. But I knew I’d never actually come face to face with the mage. I was sure I’d remember that.
My gaze flickered to the sleeping Queen, who went still in the wolf’s embrace. The tears fried, and the remnants of her nightmare had slipped away into what I hoped was peace.
And yet, the wolf didn’t move, his eyes locked on her. I had to wonder if these bonded mates knew the full extent of what Dante put her through. From my own broken memories, I could recall more than just her cage. I remembered the long hall of nothing with her cell. I remembered hearing someone say it was draining her, peeling away any charms or spells used on her.
I remembered her being isolated for days, given nothing while Dante worked to undo her protections.
And I remembered everything about the pregnancy, now.
But did they know? Were they aware?
The wolf should have scented it. Perhaps that was why he was so protective now, though I knew, deep in the back of my mind, he was always like that. Always protective, always using himself as her shield.
The vampire was her weapon, the centuries old creature a skilful and powerful being in her own right. I remembered thatabout her. I also remembered how Dante wanted her, could recall snippets of conversation from the compound about how they hadn’t found a vampire with nearly as strong abilities as her.
They both probably knew about the pregnancy now.
I shook my head, forcing my gaze away from her. “I could try and…stealthe power,” I said, looking around the island, at the ruins and thick foliage that hid us from the prying eyes of the Luna shoreline. “At least enough so it gives you Elysian demons a chance to get out of here.”
“You aren’t strong enough,” one of Greer’s mates said without looking at me. “After you took from the pain demon, you faltered. You have stolen from three creatures in a matter of hours. And you might not even be able to take power from theislanditself. It isn’t a creature.”
I gritted my teeth, glancing at him sharply. I tried to recall his name, tried placing his dark skin and silver eyes from before my memories were altered. Before, I’d known all of them. Their names, their faces, their powers. I’d known how and when they met Queen Greer, when they joined her mate circle, and their positions now.
For years, I’d worked under Phoenix with my team, a team that was now broken and scattered across Nyx’s Domain, either dead or under Dante’s control.
But those memories were now different, shadowed. Like having her stolen from me made everything else darker and harder to reach.
“I could still try,” I replied finally, ignoring how true his words were. “Anything to get her out. We are running out of time, and we have no idea how close he is to capturing us.”
“The only problem, little wraith,” the Elysian King sneered, crossing his arms, “is we are still missing creatures. There are soldiers on land who have yet to check in. And my cousins still aren’t strong enough to make one jump, let alone the two or three they’ll each need to make to take our rescues back to the Underworld.”
“But you are,” I pointed out. “And if I borrow from you, then that makes an additional shadow jumper.”
“You were arrogant before, but fuck man,” the divination mage scoffed. “You somehow seem worse.”
