Page 124 of The Crown of Nyx

“Like I said: protection.” Her eyes darkened, flashing with something else. “Play the part when the time comes. You’ll know it when it happens. I’ve been playing thisgame on the Goddess’s behalf for a long time, Xerxes. And you’re a new player on the board. You’ll do well.”

Before I could ask her how she knew my name, the female disappeared in a wisp of smoke, the smell of flowers drifting away with her.

My clawed hand went to my chest, feeling for whatever she branded me with, but there was nothing there. Not under the fur, or against the skin.

I didn’t try shifting, instead turning away from the space she once occupied. Part of me was tempted to return to the ship, but the bulk of the army wasn’t there. They were moving towards something, and I had to find out what—her warning be damned.

I had no intention of figuring out what it was she meant, and I certainly didn’t care for the wellbeing of the Queen.

My loyalty had to be to the clans, who would not survive a war.

And I would do anything to protect them.

51

Ivy

Ifocused my energy on the crown, on bringing the beautiful piece into the forefront of my mind. I imagined the crystals, red like blood, standing on a bed of bone. I envisioned Nyx wearing it atop her hooded head. I summoned the image of Greer wearing it when she’d invited me to brunch with Sable and her daughters. I’d been in awe of it then, and as it formed in my mind, my breath caught at the structure of it—and the power it wielded.

Who would have known that the crown of Nyx would be what Dante sought?

Though, even as I thought it, a small part of me still couldn’t believe it. That he would risk his life—his army—to venture into the Old World for a crown. In all my studies, the crown had barely been brought up. It wasn’ta feature of power in the histories of Nyx and her Queens. If it were, then wouldn’t I have heard about it in class?

The crown itself was predominantly featured on Nyx’s head. Most statues depicting the Goddess, there was almost always a crown.

Of course, the Queens who came before me wore it, too. Mostly in their portraits. But not many people mentioned it.

That was why it surprised me when Dante had made a grab for it during the Nyx Ball. Unless he knew something I didn’t, the crown hadn’t been seen as a powerful object in the Queen’s rule.

My stomach twisted, but with the crown in my mind, the shadows surrounded us, and dropped us off in another new, unknown place.

My eyes opened at the feel of rain, heavy and hard against my skin. The world was darkened by clouds, though it appeared to only be rain and not a storm.

Ry wrapped an arm around me and moved me into the shadow of a cave. The others were just as wet as I was, and as soon as we were protected, a wind picked up.

“Fuck,” Rowan muttered as he wiped a hand over his face. “That is torrential.”

I grimaced as I used the sleeve of my shirt to wipe my eyes, despite it being almost just as wet. “Any idea where we are now?” I asked Damon, glancing at him. He stood in the mouth of the cave, his back to us.

A shiver rolled down my spine at his silence. Following his line of sight, I sucked in a breath. We were in some sort of old sinkhole, with short cliffs surrounding us on all sides. With the rain, waterfalls were filling the cavernous space quickly, and the pool of water closest to us spilled over.

But across from us, there was a cabin.

It wasn’t exactly like the one in my dream. The one Nyx had shown me in my nightmare had been more of a fairytale-like cottage, with the thatched roof and stone exterior.

The one across from us was different. I could barely make out the details, not with the rain thundering around us, but it appeared to be more of a log-cabin styled home. It must have been built using the trees above us; from what I could tell, there was an entire forest surrounding the deep hole in the ground we stood in.

So, why a cabin here? It didn’t seem safe.

Elias appeared behind me. “There’s someone in there.”

Another shiver rolled down my spine. A dark figure passed one of the windows, barely perceptible.

“Who would be living down here?” I muttered, eyes narrowing on the structure. “Why?”

Damon’s hands curled into fists at his side. “Demon.”

I glanced at him sharply. “What?”

---