“Oh, hell to the no.” Shadow’s expression hardened. “We are far more. We get up, dust off our asses, and go out and conquer. Nothing keeps us down.”
Or, we’ll die trying.
“What happened, Ely?” Kira asked.
She bit her lip and hesitated.
“I won’t breathe a word to anyone, I promise,” Kira said. “Truth is, you haven’t been yourself in the past couple of weeks. I get that your powers are escalating, but it’s more, isn’t it? So what gives, Ely? Maybe we can help?”
She exhaled and scrubbed her hot face. “Not for this.”
“Is it the guy you’re dating—?”
“Is it Nate?” Shadow asked at the same time. “What did Aba say?”
Her heart ricocheted like a bouncing ball. It wasn’t as if Shadow didn’t know the truth.
“What?” Kira’s mouth hung open. “Wait, isn’t that your brother’s name? I mean, the one who saved you?” she asked Shadow, who nodded without taking her eyes off Ely.
“Look, I can’t stay and talk.” She met both their stares. “Nate’s in trouble, and I have to help. Kira, please change my hair.”
“It’s done.”
What? She hadn’t felt anything, not surprising when her gut twisted with worry, competing with her fever. She jumped up, crossed to a framed, gilded mirror above the sideboard, and drew her ebony braid to the front. The color was so stark, she appeared almost bloodless, except for her flushed cheeks. Good. She should fit in with those denizens of the Dark Realm.
“Thank you.” She pivoted, grabbed her jacket from the armchair, and put it on. “I’ll explain everything when I get back, I promise.”
“Get back from where?”
“The Dark Realm. He’s there.”
“Ely, you cannot.” Shadow gripped her hand. Dammit, maybe she shouldn’t have said that. “It’s dangerous! Aba will do what he must. He’s an old demon. They’re stronger.”
Her jaw firmed. “You went after Mammon for killing Nik.”
Shadow shut her eyes briefly, then she nodded. “You’re right. This world, or on another, I would have sought my vengeance for Nik.”
“And I won’t leave Nate to a terrible fate. I failed him once, I won’t again!”
“What do you mean?” Shadow’s stare rushed over Ely’s face as if searching for the truth.
She shook her head and retrieved her knapsack. “I’ll explain it all later. I have to go—”
“Wait, wait, is Nate your destined?” Kira demanded, grasping Ely’s other arm, eyes like saucers.
Ely bit her lip, emotions threatening to clog her throat. “No. And before you tell me it’s like you and Týr, that his dagger didn’t respond to you until much later, it isn’t. Nate is a demon, and I don’t know what their mating lexicon is. With my kind, the males carry the bonding gene. No, it’s not fair, but there it is. If demons bond to their mates, I wouldn’t know. And no, my dagger didn’t respond to him, either. I must go. Aba waits for me.”
She stepped away, bile tracking up her throat and making her swallow hard.
“Hey, it’s all right,” Kira said softly. “We love you and only want you to be happy.”
Obviously, she didn’t know about Tyr threatening Nate.
“Just be safe, please.” Shadow touched her arm. “I cannot lose another of my sisters or my brother. Find Nate.”
Shadow’s words had tears burning the back of her eyes. She nodded and walked out onto the terrace, shutting the door behind her. The icy air enveloping her gave her a momentary relief from the feverish hold. She got out the potion Jaden had given her, unscrewed it, and swallowed some. Bottle secured, she shoved it back in her backpack and put on her jacket.
It no longer mattered to her not having a destined mate. She only knew what her heart wanted. And that was Nate.
