Page 84 of The Scent of Vengeance

Arms came around me as I lost myself in a fog of emotion, and I was held tightly against a firm chest as the other two gave their support by touching me anywhere they could reach. Soft squeezes and physical connections bolstered me as I slowly wrestled my emotions back under control.

“Princess,” Liam demanded as my crying settled into occasional hiccups. “What in the fuck happened?”

A small smile curved my lips as he settled back into his predictable, alphahole behaviour, knowing that he was just reacting to my pain and desperate to fix it.

A large hand cupped my cheek and tilted my face up, and I found myself staring into Zeke’s emerald-green eyes.

“Baby girl, talk to us,” he murmured, his gaze full of apprehension.

“I…” I started, clearing my throat a few times to find my still-shaking voice. “It was a dream. Though it wasn’t. It felt too real, it was exactly the same as this. Like reality. This is reality, right?!”

I looked at them in sudden fear, making them nod vigorously to stave off my building panic.

“This is real, sweetheart,” Noah said with a soft smile, squeezing my fingers to anchor me again.

I let out a rush of breath, trying to calm down.

“You all died,” I admitted, my voice cracking as a few spare tears escaped. “I woke up here, alone, and found you all slaughtered by some creature.”

“Creature?” Liam asked with a frown.

I shrugged. “I didn’t see it properly. It just kept telling me to get out or die. You were… you were all dead. But there were no bonds, so I was alive. And alone.”

Zeke’s arms tightened around me once more, tugging me back against his chest as he spoke softly in my ear.

“You are not alone. We’re here.”

I dashed the wetness from my cheeks, steeling my resolve and letting the truth sink in. I was safe, they were alive, the bonds were fine. This was reality.

“And you’re not wrong, it wasn’t a normal dream.”

I looked into Liam’s dark eyes as I tried to wrap my head around what had happened.

“We woke up a few minutes ago, and the scent of magic was all around you,” he continued, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “It wasn’t your power though, and it took us a few tries to wake you.”

“What was that, Cor?” Noah asked, running a stressed hand through his blond hair.

I swallowed hard as I shook my head. “I’m not sure, but it was definitely a warning. If I was my mother, I would have set defences to stop people getting close. If anything, this only proves that we’re on the right track.”

“And they’ll probably get worse as we get closer,” Zeke added, making us all grimace.

I heaved in a trembling breath, panic still bubbling in my chest as I glanced around at the solid, stone walls surrounding us.

“I… I need to get out of here. I need fresh air and daylight,” I whispered, spurring them all into action.

Gathering up our belongings, they pulled on their clothing and had us moving toward the nearest exit in under a minute. Liam scooped me into his arms, ignoring my indignant glare as he marched down the tunnel.

“Just let me take care of you,” he growled. “You’re shaking and upset; we’ll move a lot faster if I carry you.”

I rolled my eyes at him but let it go, resting my head on his shoulder as I conceded his point. Could I walk myself out? Yes. Did it make me weak to rely on my mates to help me when I needed it? Not so much. And to be honest, anything that got me out of this place for a while was worth it.

Squeezing my eyes closed, I stopped myself searching the shadows for any sign of the nightmare creature, knowing that its evil cackle would haunt my dreams after tonight. All I could hope was that we could avoid any other traps that might be planted down here, and if there were any, that they would carve fewer scars on my soul.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Cordelia

Ireleasedalongbreath as my foot hit the top step of the stone stairwell, pressing an imprint into the gathered layer of dust as my orb of light shimmered overhead. Liam’s palm in mine gave a gentle tug, Noah’s hands on my hips steadying me from behind as we approached the small rune set into the smooth rock wall.

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