As soon as the door closed behind Rhadamanthus, I heard it. A howl, broken and unsettled. It once again had my wolf rising within me, making my skin ripple with the threat of the shift.
But I maintained control—barely—because of Ivy.
The next howl came louder with the skitter of claws against stone. The carpet that ran the length of the hallway had been torn apart, deep gouges in the fabric appearing beneath my feet. At some point, Dante let his feral shifters free, likely to hunt.
Dried blood on the ground.Definitely to hunt.
I hoped Ivy didn’t notice it.
The skittering of claws came louder, along with a second set of paws.Fuck. Ahead, I spotted Grey raising her weapon, the pair behind her doing the same. The fur along Xerxes’s spine lifted.
I knew the moment they entered the hall. Beside Ivy, Thor went still, a growl rippling from his throat. Even Ivy sucked in a breath.
Grey didn’t shoot first, not as the wolves came to a stop, forcing us to halt.
“Well, well, well,” someone drawled. The voice was eerily familiar, though one I couldn’t place. I looked around Xerxes, who completely shielded Ivy, and took in the male joining the pair of wolves.
One of the drooling beasts had eyes a similar shade of green as mine, and for a moment, I felt myself slipping into a past I’d fought so hard to remember—but desperately needed to escape.
The black wolf with the green eyes, standing alongside the wolf with the straw-coloured fur and black eyes. Exactly the same as the ones blocking our paths. Only in my memory, I’d been a child, hand clutched in Cyrus’s as we searched for a way out. For a moment staring at the two wolves, I’d felt my own rising to the surface. Recognising them.
When I blinked, the memory cleared and we were faced with the newcomer again, who clapped. “He wasn’t sure you’d come,” he said, grinning viciously. “But I said the girl couldn’tstandwhen punishments meant for her were dealt onto others. Said she would come running for that alone.”
Beside me, Ivy made a strangled sound in the back of her throat. Looking at her, I saw recognition and fear flare in her eyes.
I completely shoved back any part of the memory and locked it away.
“You have three seconds to move aside and allow us to pass,” Grey warned, voice even, “before I put a bullet in you and the wolves.”
Bile rose in my throat, but I shook my head. Even though I wanted to ignore the prickle of familiarity, I still couldn’t stop myself from looking at the wolf with the eyes that reminded me of mine.
The chances of it being the same wolf from over twenty years ago were slim. I kept reminding myself of that while the male laughed.
“Oh, we aren’t here to fight you,” he said. “I’m here to take you directly to your King.”
The way he said the last word made my stomach roll. He made it sound like Dante had already won.
The door to the stairwell behind us opened, and more bodies flooded the hall. Glancing over my shoulder, I counted a leopard shifter, a tiger, and three soldiers—Fae, based on their scents. One Spring, one Aither, and one Summer.
I pressed my lips together and turned back. I wanted to speak to Ivy, but the bond still wouldn’t allow it. Instead, I squeezed her fingers.
“Take us to Dante,” Ivy stated, voice firm. She rolled her shoulders back but didn’t make a move to step out of line. “But if you attack my mates, we’ll slaughter you.”
I couldn’t help the pride swelling within me. She was sounding more like a Queen, and it made me believe that she would fight and win this.
The male made an irritated sound in the back of his throat before muttering, “Follow me,” under his breath.
As we moved forward, the creatures behind us crept closer. No one lowered their weapons. Somehow, Ivy kept her head held high despite the fear in her eyes.
I squeezed her hand again, hoping she understood what it meant.I’m proud of you, I wanted to say.
Her gaze flickered to mine and softened, and she squeezed my hand back three times.I love you.
We left the hall and entered one of the open corridors that overlooked the back of the palace. Scattered around the outer courtyard were more soldiers and shifters, but I spotted Jay tied to a destroyed statue of Nyx. And he wasn’t alone.
There were at least a handful of agents being held with him. All bruised and bloody. Each one had a dagger sticking out of their thighs, but they were alive—barely.
At the sight of them, Ivy sucked in a breath. And as we entered their lines of sight, more prisoners appeared.
