One by one, they crashed into my mind, even darker than the last.
Thea screaming as she was dragged into one of the breeding rooms in the underground compound.
The cries of my sisters as they were tossed into their own tanks of water and forced to take a form they never should have had.
My mother’s last breaths echoing in my ears, knowing now that maybe her death could have been prevented if we had been smarter—more wary of those amongst us.
And the death of each of my mates. Those hurt the worst, because there was no other fate for them. Nothing they could do to stop from being claimed, even by the hands of Dante himself. But I watched them all, battling against the knowledge they weren’t real despite it feeling as though each death was.
Maeve with her heart torn from her chest, a heart that learned to beat once we completed our bond.
Elias with his fur skinned from his body, forced into his wolf form, never to return.
Rowan with his head on a pike, far worse than any vision could have created.
Adrian, bleeding out in a cage, no longer the dutiful, useful brother Dante wanted.
Orion, skewered with his own shadows, hanging above the Luna Court for all to witness.
Hawk’s wings cut from his body and on display while he lay dead beneath them.
Damon, bloodied from someone carving each of his swirling, ever-changing tattoos from his flesh.
Xerxes in a cage like the one Dante had trapped me in, torn apart by the shifters inhiscontrol.
And Thor…my poor Thor, forced to commit the killing blow before he, too, was slaughtered by the same creatures who’d tortured him his whole life.
The guilt slammed into me, impossible to run from, almost crippling in its weight. Maybe I was no better than Dante. Maybe I was a coward for allowing it to get this far.
Would I ever be strong enough to win against him?
You are truly pathetic,he whispered, his voice like ice running down my spine. Sickness churned in my stomach as horrifying images continued to flash across my vision. Thea, the children, my mates. Over and over again, never ending.
So easy to break. So fun to destroy. You care too much, Ivy. That’s your undoing.
My breaths quickened as more images crossed my mind.And you don’t care about anything, do you?I asked.There’s nothing you love? Not even your brother?
Dante chuckled, dark and dangerous.My siblings picked their side. When I am done with you, I will ensure none of them rise again.
I wanted to close my eyes and block out the worst of the images, but I couldn’t.That is sad, I murmured.So terribly sad.
Dante growled, and the images around me shifted again, this time to the battle raging around us. My mates were gathered in a circle around Dante and me, fighting against his hoard of soldiers. The sky was dark with the raging weather andonslaught of winged Fae. Fire lit up the skyline, crossing the mountain ridge, replacing the water of the waterfall.
And there was death. So much death.
This is sad, Ivy, he hissed, pulling me into him. I could almost smell his breath, rancid and bloody, over the fear and rain.This is horrible. They fight for us. Two sides of the same coin. Are you really no better than I am? Are you really a greater ruler than me?
Of course I am,I replied darkly.Not because Nyx chose me, but because I don’t force anyone to fight. You have half your army under your control. What would happen if you released them, Dante? Would they still fight for you? These creatures…they were gathered to be my army, yes, but they weren’t forced into it. No one warped their minds. No one stole their choice from them.
If there was one thing I would always ensure, it was that my creatures—whether they followed me or not—had a choice. Even if I didn’t, even if I stood here giving my everything to a psychopath when all I wanted was to run, I wouldn’t because that wasn’t my fate anymore.
Dante pulled me closer, his breath fanning my face, his grip on the skull trembling.You think you are better, but you aren’t, he growled.You are weak. Pathetic. You are powerless against me. You and your mates are no match for my power. You are no match against the power of the Order.
Those final words made a chill run down my spine. But I didn’t get a chance to respond before warmth flooded me. At first it flared in my chest, almost familiar, but hard to place.
When it came again, I almost stopped breathing.
In my chest, my bonds came to life, brightening and glowing impossibly strong. I’d felt them come back to me when the collar came off, but it was entirely different feeling them explode with a rush of power. It was almost like they wanted to prove Dante wrong.
