Page 6 of The Crown of Nyx

I shuddered. “Then I should thank you for not putting her in additional danger.”

He snorted, pulling away from Adrian as he gasped awake.

The Luna prince rose. “Queen Greer is dead. And I know that right now, Dante’s people are taking the palace.”

“What?” Adrian coughed, wide eyes searching the room. He held a hand to his chest, making a painednoise as he attempted to sit up. But rather than helping him, Orion moved on to Rowan.

Adrian turned back to me, eyes filled with shock. “What did he just say?”

Orion grunted as he waved his hands over Rowan in a similar movement as before. “I said, the Queen is dead. Your brother, Dante, is the false king. Tricked your entire family, it appears.”

The colour, or what was left of it, drained from Adrian’s face as he dropped his hand to his lap. “No. No, not Dante. That’s not…” He swallowed audibly as he shook his head. “Dante isn’t?—”

“He is,” Orion snapped. A moment later, Rowan’s eyes opened. The mage gave a pained groan as he rolled onto his side. “Your brother, along with half the Fae Courts, several of the packs, a dozen or so covens, have been working for years on this takeover.”

My eyes narrowed on the male as he moved on to Elias. “And how long were you aware of all this?” I asked.

“Finally, a good question,” he muttered. As his hands moved over the shifter, he met each of our stares. “I’ve known since before the kidnapping. The first one. My father has been working with Dante since I was young. I only found out when Blythe removed the memory blocks from my mind.”

Rowan pulled himself into a sitting position, a horrified expression on his face. “That’s why his magical signature felt familiar.”

Orion stood as the words fell from Rowan’s lips. Elias blinked his eyes open and turned his head to the side. “Where the fuck is she?”

I struggled to my feet, briefly meeting Orion’s eye. “She’s still out there with Hawk, keeping Dante and his people busy so Orion can get us out of here.”

Elias’s face twisted with anger as he attempted to sit up. “You promised not to leave her, you bastard.”

“Again with your over-protectiveness.” He stalked to a part of the wall I hadn’t noticed earlier and pushed down on a rectangular brick. As he did, part of the wall gave way and opened up to reveal a dark hallway, and his shoulders tensed. “Perhaps you have good reason to worry. She was just hurt. We need to leave. Now.”

That was all he needed to say for the others to stumble to their feet. If they still felt the effects of the poison, they didn’t show it, not as we followed Orion out of the small hidden room and out behind the dais. There were bodies lining the darkened hallway, some soldiers from Queen Greer’s private detail, and others belonging to Dante.

Dante. The male was well known for his extravagant parties, but nothing in any of his files would have indicated an ability to plan a coup like this. He’d never gone to Phoenix training, which was mandatory for all of Queen Greer’s children. And from what I remembered, he’d almost failed out of Oberon during his years there.

So, how had he done it? How had he amassed such an army without anyone knowing?

How—

My thoughts were cut off by the boom of some kind of explosive. The ceiling of the ballroom collapsed in on itself, cutting us off from the rest of the room—and from Ivy.

3

Ivy

The explosion created from Vanya’s powerful illusion rocked the ballroom—no, it rocked the palace.

I didn’t hesitate as I ran towards her, forgetting the pain in my side from the still healing wound, forgetting everything as I tried to save my friend. I doubted she planned for this outcome. When I reached her, the ceiling shuddered, knocking debris free.

Vanya turned, horror filling her eyes as the first column fell.

My magic reacted; we collided, and I threw up a shield. We ducked as the column came down first, hitting the shield and crumbling at the impact.

“I’m sorry!” Vanya cried, covering her head as part of the ceiling came down next. “I only wanted adistraction.”

I flinched as stone hit my shield. It made my bones ache, like it was falling on me instead. “It’s okay,” I grunted. Scanning the destroyed ballroom, I searched for any sign of Orion and the others. “Shit.”

Vanya glanced up, eyes wide. “What?”

Bile rose in my throat as I turned to find the space behind us torn apart. “Hawk. I thought he was right behind me. Oh, Goddess, I didn’t think?—”

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