“Presumed dead,” Ren says, looking down. “I thought she had blown up in that attack.”
“No body?” Apollo asks.
“No. Just blood and... Parts. Of bodies.”
I squeeze his hand in mine. “We’ll bring her back. We’ll get into the Little Palace and get her back.”
Ren nods, squeezing my fingers back. And I have no way out of it. They have to come with me. The others have stakes in this too — Ren and his sister, Apollo and his hunt, Tristan and his vengeance. Even if I want to, I can’t leave them behind. It wouldn’t be fair to them, not after everything they’ve been through.
We finish breakfast and move into another room. Giulia gives Donatello a small vial, then walks us to the back of her studio, showing us a circle of runes etched into the stone.
“That’s my travel point,” she says in a soft voice. “It is time. Go face your destiny, Cassandra.”
CHAPTER19
CASSANDRA
Gripping the stone in my hand, I close my eyes and repeat the words Giulia recites to me. The hard object bites into my palm, then warms up, almost too much, but I keep it tight in my fist and let my magic pour into it.
Hands grip onto me. All of my men touch me. My arms, my hips, my neck. We just need to keep physical contact for them to come with me. The will to keep them safe is a torch burning inside me, and I use it to call upon my magic. Darkness tickles at the tips of my fingers, at my knuckles, like a plume.
I open my eyes in time of being swallowed. Giulia stands there with a sad smile — the look of someone who’s bidding others goodbye. It doesn’t fill me with hope. Her mates, Alicia and Trevor, rise to each of her sides, empty faces as they watch us go into our possible doom.
Darkness covers my eyes, and I’m jerked forward as if there’s a rope connected to my navel. I grind my jaw, holding the stone tight, and feel the hands tightening their hold around me. What would happen if they let go now? I should have asked Giulia. Would they die? Would they be lost between worlds? I try to reach out and grab them, but the pressure against my body is too strong.
The momentum of the stop throws me forward. I stumble once before a cold, hard arm folds around my waist. Donatello pulls me against his body and I stand straight, dizzy, my head going in circles. A small migraine pops between my eyebrows. I press a finger to the spot.
“Congratulations,” says Donatello against my ear. “You just traveled using your own magic.”
When he puts it like this, pride swells in my chest. That’s right. I’m the one who did this, who has enough control over her magic she can actually activate a portal stone. I smile at him, then whirl around myself to check on the others.
Tristan makes a face, probably as nauseated as I am. Oreo, on his arm, doesn’t seem to mind, and the second he’s on the ground, he goes about sniffing the surroundings. Ren and Apollo sniff the air, and I raise my head to analyze the place we traveled into.
It’s the woods surrounding Prince’s place. They’re easy to recognize, tall and dark. It’s almost like the closeness to the Rift makes them… Wither. Looking at my dark fingers, I wonder if that’s what’s going on with me. If I am withering too.
Donatello pulls a vial from his pocket. The same Giulia showed us. He pops the cork free, then swallows it without hesitation. He must truly trust the witch. My heart squeezes at the possibility of him never seeing her again.
I shake my head, then square my shoulders. We’re here now, and I will keep them safe. “Everyone ready?”
Donatello says nothing, but the rest agree with me, nodding or murmuring ‘yes’. Oreo takes one look over his shoulder at me, as if asking for permission, then takes the lead. We follow him, keeping eyes wide, ears preened.
A couple of minutes in, and we leave the tree line. The house-slash-cathedral rises in front of us the way it was. Nothing seems to have changed. The front door is wide open, and I can see movement inside. It makes us pause.
“No wards,” says Apollo. “But clearly the place isn’t abandoned.”
I nod, looking at each of them. “You still have time to pull back. Maybe you could wait outside. I’m smaller, and I’ll go in and come out before you notice it.”
Apollo bares his teeth in annoyance. “You really wanna hear my opinion about that?”
Remembering how pissed he got at breakfast, I shake my head. “No, not really.”
“Then don’t suggest anything stupid,” he roars.
A manroaringat me? That should be a red flag. Why am I growing horny? “Okay,” I stutter out before they smell me and my lust-addled brain decides it’s a good idea to fuck here. “So, how are we doing this?”
“We don’t know how many fae are inside,” Apollo points out, crossing his arms, gaze fastened on the house. “I would say we divide into two groups. One goes for the stones. The other keeps the rear protected. I’m the strongest, so I should stay with you to keep you safe.”
“No, Tristan and I should go for the stones. The two of us know the way, and we can keep each other safe,” I say. Oreo barks at me. I arch an eyebrow. “Oh, of course you can come.” Since when does my dog have a pride to protect?