“But I am,” she said, lips pulling into a tired smile. “And it was a sacrifice I would make a thousand times over if it meant you would survive.”
“Sable…” I murmured, but she shook her head, not letting me finish.
“I want you all to live safe and happy lives together,” she said, tearing her eyes from Rowan to look around the circle of mates closing in around us. “And if that means my own long life must come to an end, then so be it.” She looked back at me and Rowan, her gaze softening again. “We all know death doesn’t mean the end, anyway. One day, when you need me, I’ll be a summon away.”
Tears lodged in the back of my throat, burning my eyes as I watched her. Everything she’d done flashed through my mind; the vague warnings I used to hate, the constant amusement—like despite being a Seer, there were still surprises awaiting her. Had she known this would be her destiny? That she would end up in Dante’s hands and die?
“War is here,” she continued, her voice darkening. “Dante is ready to take what he thinks belongs to him. And a choice needs to be made, Ivy.”
A shiver rolled down my spine as her darkening eyes found mine. “What choice?”
“The future is in your hands,” she said. “You’ll know what needs to be done when you enter the battlefield.”
“Ivy should not be entering any battlefield,” Orion hissed, his anger potent. His magic filled the air like he was trying to take control of the dream, but he couldn’t. “Not only is she pregnant, but she has no magic. The collar is still on her.”
Sable didn’t look at him as she shook her head. “You’ll find the key to the collar soon,” she said, a knowing glint entering her eyes. “All it takes is a good trick. A moment of weakness and desperation. You’ll know it when you see it. But your magic needs to be strengthened through connection. Reclaim your bonds. He will fight you for everything you have. And Ivy, you must win.”
A weight settled in my chest, the pressure crushing. The vagueness wasn’t even the problem anymore: it was the fact I would be going into this fight with nothing.
“My father,” Rowan said, climbing to his feet. “What about him? He worked with Dante. Can’t he get it off?”
“Unfortunately not,” Sable replied, dropping her stare to the ground. “Don’t hold too much of a grudge, though, alright?”
Rowan made a sound in the back of his throat. “You mean against the male who helped trap my mate in a cage and in that collar in the first place? Why the fuck not?”
“Because we put him there.” Nyx appeared in the fog, floating towards us. The sight of her had me stiffening. “Because he is a piece to a much larger puzzle. He served his purpose with Dante, and now he is free of his promise.”
Something about those words left a bad taste in my mouth. “But he can’t take the collar off?”
“He has the tools to help you in other ways,” was all Nyx said.
Behind me, Adrian growled, the sound startling me. “We don’t have time for this. In two days, the eclipse will hit, and we’ll be at war.”
Nyx stopped in front of us, the cowl still covering her face. “The time for war is now, son of Greer. Your time has run out.”
91
Ivy
“What the hell?” I said, turning in a slow circle as Sable and Nyx disappeared.
Adrian clasped my hand tightly. When I looked at him, I found a frown darkening his features. “Isn’t this the part where you normally wake up?” he asked, voice low.
I tore my eyes off him to look at the place Nyx and Sable once occupied. “Sometimes.”
Or I wandered aimlessly until I was forced awake,I thought.
“What did my mother say about the bonds?” Rowan asked, climbing to his feet slowly. “Something about reclaiming them?”
A shiver rolled down my spine as I looked from him to the rest of my mates. Their expressions were a mixture of confusion—warranted, because there was no other way to feel about one of these dream visits.
Orion scrubbed a hand through his hair and stepped forward. “That was something Sable told me I had to do a lot while I was in my stasis,” he said, a slight flush darkening his cheeks. “I needed to reclaim my bond with you.”
Something in my belly tightened as I looked around the darkness. The air shifted between my mates as they shared glances I couldn’t read.
“I don’t think we have the time for all the, uh, sex she wasinsinuating,” I muttered, pulling my hand out of Adrian’s to cross my arms. “Two days until D-day.”
Elias stepped towards me slowly, eyes dark. “We don’t know how long we’ll be here. Maybe that’s what Sable meant. That we should use this time…wisely.”
