Page 152 of The Crown of Nyx

That said a lot about who Dante manipulated into joining him.

I don’t see Dante,Maeve said, her shoulders tense as she scented the air.I don’t sense him at all.

He’s probably found a way to hide himself,I replied.Sable could never see him in her visions, and neither could Nyx.

It was unsettling, how he managed to do it. How he could hide from the literal Goddess. But he’d done it. And he was definitely hiding now.

There are at least three dozen creatures. Mostly Fae and shifters, but I sense at least a handful of the other species mingled in there. She glanced at me, her eyes now red.If we can sense them, there is a chance they can sense us.

A small part of me hoped the forest protected us. Or maybe the dozens of charms we had woven into our gear protected us more than we realised. Because none of them looked our way.

Do you recognise which building is the cottage from your dreams?Maeve asked carefully.

I scanned the area, looking for the cottage, trying to see if anything sparked familiarity in my mind—or with my magic.

Dante could be using my magic right now to seek out the cottage. It had gotten him past the barriers protecting the Old World. How else could he be wielding it? Using it against me right now?

The pressure in my chest grew, the need to find it increasing.

But I couldn’t recognise any of the buildings, any part of the ruins, as the cottage from my dream.

61

Thor

Her scent thickened the air, sweet like something from a dream, intense and overpowering.

I breathed it in greedily, taking in the air like she was the only thing that mattered.

The beast could not get enough of her. Of the sweet yet bitter smell of the female we had to kill.

It was overwhelming. Too much. Tooclose.

I reared my head from the grass. The forest was dark, with light trembling amongst the trees. I’d followed the others here. Watcher and the rotten smelling male. Andhim. They were all here, but her scent was here, too. Hidden in the twisted trees.

Someone said not to enter the trees. That they would capture you and bleed you of your spirit. Two went in to search it and neither returned.

Kill. Kill. Kill.

The words repeated in my head as I stalked the boundary we were told not to cross.Hehad made certain no one could seek absolution within the darkness, that death would not be ours if we sought it. But he had torturers in his midst, those who would keep us in line even if we tried.

I felt the eyes of one watcher on my back as I slowed and dropped my snout to the ground.Hehad us searching for something. Something likeher.

But the command to kill made me follow the sweet scent towards the only path into the woods. Her scent overpowered the stench of death that covered the land. There was rotting flesh clinging to each blade of grass.

Grass. We had not seen the earth in many years. Only rock and metal cages. Never this weak freedom. It would not last long. He would take us back to our cages once he hadher.

Her scent grew thicker, and the command grew louder. With it came the promise of relief.

Kill her, kill me.

Perhaps he would release me once I gave him what he wanted.

She was close. My fur lifted, and I raised my snout to scent the air. I did not recognise the smell, other than from the prison. Once, it had filled the air in the darkness after a steaming liquid was thrown into one of the cages. It had burned the other beast.

It should have reminded me of pain, but it only made me want to follow it more. My beast, even knowing she had to die, wanted to breathe it in again, needed to taste it—tasteher.

It was a war in my mind; do as commanded or seek the female out. She would die. His words filled my head again. I moved closer to the edge of the forest, filling mylungs deeply with her scent, mixed with the promise of blood. My mouth salivated at the thought. At what she might taste like. Was she as sweet as her scent? Or would she be a bitter reminder of the holdhehad over me?

---