The gentle smile that tipped his lips was the last thing I saw before the dream disappeared.
76
Ivy
Igroaned, my entire body aching like I’d just done the workout of my life. I supposed demon sex could count, especially with the slight ache between my thighs and the residue of said exploration still evident when I moved. But the ache that came with me trying to shift had me wishing for relief.
Not the sexual sort, but maybe a full body massage and a movie marathon with a bottle of wine and pizza.
You’re awake, someone said, the voice dragging me into the present.
Reading my thoughts when I’m waking up is not fair,I replied, even the voice in my head groggy from what happened.
Somehow, with a hell of a lot of effort, I peeled my eyes open to a shit show. Thankfully, although I was still definitely naked, I was covered by a sheet and had been tucked into my own bed. As soon as my eyes opened, the ache that thrummed throughout the rest of my body went straight to my skull.
Fuck, it was starting to feel like I’d gone on a bender, not worked out.
Trying to sit up appeared to be more effort than I was prepared for, though at least the nosy mind reader helped. The giant shifter moved to sit behind me, allowing me to use him as a back rest as the rest of the room fell silent and stilled.
I’d awoken to a massive fight. Curses, threats, and the promise of fists through faces. Elias had Damon against the far wall, though both stared at me now, while Xerxes was nearby looking like he wanted to step in—but couldn’t. Then there was Maeve, standing with Adrian, both looking as though they’d been in the middle of a heated discussion. Rowan and Hawk, on the other hand, were in a harsh stare down, with Hawk standing closest to me and Rowan’s hand fisted like he wanted to punch Hawk in the nose.
The silence helped the thrumming in my skull, though as soon as I spoke, the pain came back tenfold. “What the hell is going on?” I asked, throat dry.
They shared looks like they were trying to come up with a cover story, but I held up a hand, stopping them from responding. “If you’re mad about me and Damon, take it out on me—not him.”
Elias growled, stepping away from the demon king. “What happened? We found you passed out, and his cock still inside you.”
I shuddered, rubbing my head as I dredged up the last few moments with Damon. “We had sex, obviously,” I replied carefully, grimacing at a spark of pain in my lower back. “We completed the bond—well, sort of. And then I had a lovely talk with Sable.”
“Wait, what?” Rowan said, as Elias growled, “Your bond?”
I held up a hand again, closing my eyes against the onslaught of pounding inside my head.
“Damon and I are mates—I know that for certain,” I said, opening my eyes again, pushing through the pain. “The bond couldn’t be completed properly for obvious reasons, but it did do something.”
“Yeah, it hurt you,” Adrian said, his voice almost emotionless. “It could have done damage.”
I shook my head slowly, leaning into Thor’s chest. “It didn’t though. It unlocked something.”
I recounted as much of my conversation with Sable as I could manage, telling them how she told me this was the rightpath to be on. I tried to summarise how she felt about the whole skull of Nyx thing and mentioned her warning about how this war would inevitably mean change—and a choice I’d have to make.
Throughout it all, they stayed quiet. Now was about the time I wished I did have access to the bonds so I could understand what they were thinking, because most of my mates had the uncanny ability to hide their emotions from me, and I didn’t like it.
“I kind of already knew I would need to complete my bonds in order to survive this,” I finished, looking at each of my mates. “But Sable confirmed it.”
Elias tore his eyes from me for a moment and completely stepped away from Damon, sparing him a disgusted look. “Then you should have talked to us.”
“It was kind of a spur of the moment,” I replied. “Like how I bonded with you, remember?”
My wolf mate grimaced, though he wouldn’t meet my eye. “That was different. You and I bonding didn’t knock you out.”
“We don’t even know if the reason I passed out was because of Damon,” I said, glancing at the demon, who looked far less imposing than he normally did. It took a few moments for him to look at me, but when he did, fear radiated in his red eyes. “And even if it was because of our bond, I don’t regret it. It proved what I already suspected, and it meant I could talk to Sable. My magic isclose.”
“That shouldn’t be possible,” Rowan said, scrubbing a hand down his face. “I mean, talking to my mom is one thing. But the collar…”
“And yet her bonds are what she needs,” Xerxes said. “And that is the only thing he cannot control.”
My skin prickled with a shiver as words echoed in my ears.
