My bonds really were the only thing Dante was never able to control. Despite everything, I always found them—and they always found me. Whether that be in cages or in the middle of the Underworld. The force of our mate bonds brought ustogether. Even across realms, across oceans and through death, we were always going to find each other.
Not even Dante could stop that.
I stared at each of my bonded mates, taking in the anger that still radiated from Elias, to Maeve’s carefully concealed fear, the emotionless way Adrian watched me even though his eyes betrayed something else, and Rowan’s stance and the uncertainty playing across his face.
“I need to wake Orion,” I said finally, removing the covers from my body. I didn’t even care that I was still naked as I scooted out of the bed.
To my shock, though, Hawk didn’t look at the others as he strode towards me and helped me up. “How do you intend on doing that?” he asked, wrapping an arm around my back, his touch gentle.
I glanced at him, then at the door. “I have no idea.”
A quick showerand more discussion followed, but once I was outside Orion’s door, I faltered. I didn’t have any idea how to wake him, and the collar felt heavier than ever. Even though he said he didn’t need my power, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was wrong.
It wasn’t like he knew why he was asleep, so he probably didn’t know what to do to wake, either.
A hand gently took mine before I could push the door open, forcing me to look up into the concerned stare of my newly bonded mate.
“We didn’t get a chance to talk,” he said quietly, his other hand moving to my cheek. “But I am glad you are okay.”
Leaning into his touch, I offered him a smile. “I’m sorry I ruined the post-bond bliss.”
Damon shook his head and pressed his lips against my forehead. “You ruined nothing, wife,” he murmured against my skin. “I just worry.”
“Worry about what?” I asked, heart pounding.
Damon hesitated, pulling back enough so I could meet his stare. For a moment, something I couldn’t read flared in his eyes, brief enough that it had worry forming in the pit of my stomach.
After a moment, he kissed me, light and swiftly. “Nothing,” he said as he pulled away. “Wake your mate. I will be waiting.”
Even though I had a feeling there was more to it, I couldn’t stop the swell of anticipation from rising within me.
Drawing in a deep breath, I released it slowly as I pushed open the door. The room was empty save for the bed and Orion’s sleeping form.
I knew the others had been in here checking on him, but my heart hurt any time I saw the door open. The Orion in my dreams looked the same as he did before his father tried to kill him, but the male on the bed looked like a ghost of the one I loved.
I stepped inside, breathing in the musty air and sweet scent of wildflowers. At that, a smile formed on my lips.
But it faltered the closer I got to the bed. Someone had put a blanket over him, but that didn’t hide how thin he looked. Even though the room was dark, I noticed the bruises around his eyes, each crack on his dry lips. There was absolutely no movement from him, not a breath in his chest, or movement behind his closed eyes.
Stopping at the edge of the bed, I waited for any sign that he was even alive. That I hadn’t been making up the dreamscape and our time together.
I could have been dreaming about him, believing the others when they said he was still alive because I so badly wanted to believe it.
There was no sign of life before me. Just my mate, lying so still he could be a corpse.
“He is still in there,” Damon said, voice startlingly calm.
When I looked away from Orion, I found the demon standing across from me on the other side of the bed. I hadn’teven heard him follow me in, nor the others. Adrian was at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed, lips pursed.
“And you’re sure?” I asked quietly. “Because if you’re not…”
Damon bowed his head in a nod. “I am certain, wife. He’s in there. And he’s been waiting for you.”
I shuddered as I looked away from him and back down at Orion.This is it, I thought, lowering myself to the edge of the bed.He needs to wake up.
Sable told me to listen to my instincts, that they hadn’t let me astray yet, but I still had no idea what I needed to do. And no one was offering me any solutions.
“Maybe we should give you some time with him,” Adrian said, clearing his throat. “Let you be alone. Us hovering probably isn’t helpful, and I doubt he’ll want to see any of us when he wakes.”
