86
Ivy
There was no one waiting for me in the darkness. Nothing but the swirling, thick shadows of my dreams.
I heaved a breath, turning slowly. I waited for the feeling of Sable’s magic to brush over me, or the electrifying, ancient power of Nyx, but when neither appeared immediately, I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
“Come on!” I shouted, throwing my hands up in frustration. “So, what, I should just sit here alone and wait out the internal magical explosion? You guys have nothing else vague to say?”
“You actually want company, or just someone to shout at?” Sable asked, sounding a mixture of amused and tense.
I whirled around to find her looking different to last time. Tired, sunken eyes found mine. Her skin had a sallow colouring to it, hollow cheeks that reminded me a little too much of Orion when he’d been in his sleep stasis. Only there was no light in her eyes, nothing that really made her feel like the Sable I knew.
A shiver rolled down my spine as I crossed my arms. “Is there a reason I keep coming here?”
“You mated the Old World creature.” She nodded as if I’d said something other than: why am I here? But of course, Sable wouldn’t answer my questions. “I liked him from the very beginning,you know. Thought he would be a nice addition to your circle. And I was right, wasn’t I?”
I released a breath. “Yes,” I replied, watching her carefully. “Xerxes is…great.”
“The knot must be nice, too.” She winked, and I couldn’t stop my cheeks from heating with embarrassment. “Oh, don’t worry. There was once a time where we Archer women loved ourselves a good old dragon lover. Back before dragons died off and only claimed female dragons. You know, there was an Archer Seer who got herself a little circle of dragon mates once. Very taboo—but she loves to talk about how much fun the knots?—”
“Okay, I get it,” I muttered. “But seriously. What’s going on? Are you okay?”
The smile she’d tensely sported slipped, a crack appearing in the facade. “You have one mate left to bond.”
“I know.” I nodded. “And only a few days before the eclipse.”
“The one in Avalon, yes,” she said, wringing her hands. “Be careful.”
“What’s going on? Has something changed? Is there something I need to know before I face off with Dante?” If she was about to tell me all this bonding was for nothing and that it wouldn’t help in the long run, that we should have been really,reallypreparing for war, I would lose my mind.
I already felt like a selfish coward hiding away on the island while Nyx’s creatures were out there actually facing all this alone.
It would destroy me if she revealed it was all for nothing.
Sable sighed, looking away, and it only made my hunch worse. “You’re still on the right path, dear,” she said after a moment. “All the pieces are truly falling into place.”
Those words should have brought me some sense of relief, but instead a pit grew in my belly. “What does that?—”
Before I could finish, Sable and the darkness disappeared.
I wasface to face with an insanely warm,smooth chest. I blinked away the remnants of my dream, breathing in the sweetness of Xerxes’s scent.
Beneath me, the chest rumbled. “There you are.”
I pulled back just enough to realise we were both incredibly naked and he was shifted. Deep, unblemished dark brown skin met my eye before I allowed my gaze to trail up and meet his. “Hey.”
A smile tipped his full lips. “You might not want to move just yet.”
Frowning, I glanced between us and finally felt it. I was straddling his waist with his knot still buried deep inside me, fully inflated. “Uh…”
“You passed out again,” he said, concern darkening his voice. Glancing up, I found the smile now stiff as he watched me. “I shifted and brought you back to the house.”
We were in my bedroom, which brought me some comfort. “Where is everyone?” I asked carefully, expecting at least one of my other mates to be here. But when I looked around, we were alone.
