I gritted my teeth, bracing my hands on the railing in a similar way as the demon. “And?”
“I deduced he was just overreacting.” From the corner of my eye, I watched a smile form on his lips. “You had him genuinely afraid. Not of you—but of his alliance with Dante. You made him see how expendable he really is.”
“Unfortunately, I doubt that will help us,” I muttered, leaning my forearms on the railing. “Not when he knows nothing.”
I felt the demon’s eyes on me, but I took in the expanse of the Elysian city below; bonfires lit up small side streets, tents were erected in courtyards and in parks. I’d thought Elysian to be full before, but now with war inching closer every day, and the creatures of Nyx escaping Avalon to seek refuge here, I realised just how large this realm truly was.
“Dante covers his tracks,” Rhadamanthus stated, “but not well enough. We will find where he is hiding, and we will save her.”
My heart constricted, pain unlike anything I’d felt before rearing its head. “I am terrified of what will happen to her while we search,” I admitted quietly, finally looking at him again. “I have faced torture from the hands of someone who believed himself more powerful than all those around him, and I barely escaped without wanting death to find me. What if she can’t survive what he is doing to her? What if she is facing far worse than Rowan’s visions let on?”
For a moment, fear sparked in the demon’s eyes. But just as quickly, he blinked, shoving it away. “I believe she is much,muchstronger than we give her credit for,” he replied evenly. “But I am equally terrified for her.”
A pit yawned in my stomach, one I couldn’tignore. Even if we found her, survival was something else entirely. There was no telling if she would want to survive after we got her back.
And that scared me even more.
17
Ivy
Ientered into the dreamscape without trouble, finding peace in the world created by my mind to draw me away from the pain happening outside of me.
The field opened up before me, wildflowers poking through the tall, green grass. Today, the water appeared even prettier, reflecting the light of the sun. It danced across the clear surface, bouncing like crystals upon glass.
At the pavilion, Orion lounged. The table and tea set were gone, replaced with the chaise lounge he was sprawled across. His violet eyes found mine, a smile spreading across his lips.
“There you are,” he said, sitting up. “You’ve been gone a while.”
A lump formed in my throat as I left the darkness of the tunnel and stepped onto the grass. What I’d been wearing when I fell asleep disappeared, replaced by a comfortable sundress. As I moved towards the pavilion, I breathed in the scent of wildflowers and fresh air, the opposite of the stone cell I lived in now.
Not the stone cell, I reminded myself, as flashes of my last moments before sleep claimed me appeared in my mind.
Cold, icy fingers wrapping around me, drilling deep into my bones. My breath fogging in front of me from the freezing air.
Dante and his soldiers storming the cell. The cruel males who grabbed me.
The vision, a memory I so badly wanted to forget, crossing my mind. My mates, dead, while I was caged like an animal.
I swallowed hard, shaking my head. As I stepped into the pavilion, Ry reached for me, offering me his hand. Without a word, I took it, letting him guide me to the chaise. I sat beside him, the cushion almost too soft after days on the ground.
“Why do I only see you here?” I asked, glancing at him. “Why don’t I see any of the others?”
Orion trailed his fingers down my cheek before cupping the back of my neck. “Because our bond is different,” he replied, searching my eyes. “Because you keep pulling me in.”
I frowned, looking away. My gaze caught the wildflowers again. They were beautiful, different shades of pink, red, yellow, and purple. If there was a breeze, I imagined they would dance, swaying to the elements but never bowing.
I didn’t want to ask the real question, but it fell from my lips before I could stop it. “Is it because you’re dead?” I asked, heart pounding, crashing against my ribs with enough force it might break free.
The thought of tainting this safe space with the truth made sickness coil in my stomach, but I couldn’t keep pretending like it was normal. Not when Dante could come in here at any moment and destroy even this tiny bit of safety I had.
Ry took my hand, entwining our fingers. It forced me to look at him, to take in the brightness of his violet eyes, which looked too real—too alive—to be here. “Do you think I’m dead?” he asked seriously, head cocked. Silver-white hair fell over his forehead. I itched to reach over and run my fingers through the silky strands but held back.
“Yes,” I whispered, swallowing hard past the lump in my throat. “I felt you go.”
“Did you?” He leaned in, eyes remaining locked on mine. “Are you sure?”
My breath lodged in my throat as tears burned my eyes. I couldn’t bring myself to form words, to use my voice. It didn’t feel like there was a right answer to that. Was it even possible? I’dheard his heart stop. But with the magic dampeners around us, I hadn’t reallyfelthis bond disappear.
