Chapter 4
Uni reluctantly left Olivia to the care of the Dark Mages, a sentiment I could relate to. He curled under my feathers and I drew comfort from the creature’s soft warmth at the back of my neck.
My Virtues had splintered off on their various tasks with Hendrik and Dante heading with me to the armory—not that I recalled an actual armory on campus, but my mates assured me there was such a place.
Hendrik kept his distance, probably half-expecting another verbal attack from me. The younger Dark Mages in his clan were with Olivia in the Dark Mage dorms just a few yards away, tucked into one of the few places at the Academy that might be relatively secure—for now.
“She’s safe,” he said softly as if he could read my thoughts—and being my Virtue, he likely could. “Right now, she’s scared and hurting, but we won’t abandon her, Lily. I promise.”
Nodding, I turned away.
None of that made me feel better. She’d still lost her soul.
It felt like everything I’d been trying to prevent had already happened and now it was a matter of time before the rest of my life fell apart.
Curling my fingers into fists, I decided not to go down that path. I would keep fighting to my last breath.
No matter what.
We walked in silence until we reached what I recognized to be the Blood Towers.
The onyx slabs of stone had survived the worst of Freya’s shockwaves, for the most part, thanks to the heavy spells kept in place.
This was where the students performed Blood Duty as a part of the tenure and training at the Academy.
It’s what kept the barrier in place—but now that it had been broken, the Dark Mages had enough reserves to save Olivia from dying.
I wasn’t amused by the irony.
I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but seeing the mass of students in dark clothing, the iron-rich scent of blood heavy in the air, I realized I had only seen the Junior and Senior Dark Mage students engaged in battle and now I knew why.
All of the Freshmen were here, rushing back and forth, either in the process of offering blood or helping others who had just finished, in effort to strengthen the barrier and now to repair it.
The hefty magic in the air made me dizzy.
“They’re not holding back, are they?” I murmured.
Dante hummed in agreement. “Holding back isn’t an option, is it?” Expression grim, he looked around before meeting my eyes. “Either they lay it all down and hopefully have a life when this is all said and done, or hold back and lose everything when Lucifer takes control.”
“You’re ever the optimist,” I retorted.
He glanced at me, then to my surprise, he smiled and took my hand.
“I have more hope than I used to, Lily. Now, come on. We need to get moving.”
He led me through a maze of cavernous rooms and halls before we finally reached what I assumed was his private space. The place hummed with his energy and sang with suffering.
Definitely Dante’s.
Stepping inside, I looked around and took in the weapons on display, all different types and breeds ranging from mundane to magical.
Blades from short daggers to long swords hung on the wall next to axes and maces. Enchanted fires burned atop wide pillars, their flames unwavering next to dark orbs that reflected a million colors back at me, like the rainbows in an oil slick on pavement.
Everything in this room reminded me of my Hunter. Deadly. Beautiful.
Wickedly dangerous.
As Dante moved toward the pedestals that held esoteric bits of magic I couldn’t identify, I continued to study everything around me. There was still so much about my Hunter I didn’t know, didn’t understand and I was greedy for everything I could learn about him.
Although spying what was clearly blood stains on the stone floors was a little unsettling, I had to admit.
Drawn to the ruby blood for reasons I couldn’t understand, I walked over and knelt down. Touching my fingers to the one nearest me, I fought a shiver. As I studied the random splashes and spatters that told the story of a brutal fight, something else caught my eye—and it didn’t fit.
As I rose, I was aware of Dante going still behind me but despite the intensity of his gaze, I couldn’t tear my eyes from what I’d seen.
Beautiful and bright, something that looked like crushed diamonds scattered over the spilled, dried blood.
Going to my knees, I reached out and dragged my fingers through the glittery shine.
Power punched up my arm and I caught my breath but when I lifted my hand to look at the residue, it disintegrated into nothing.
A shadow fell across me and I looked into Dante’s eyes. He knelt, coming eye-level to me. His gaze slid away, falling first to the beautiful, insubstantial glitter.
“What is this?” I asked.
“A mess I haven’t had the time to clean,” he muttered, not looking at me.
“Dante.”
He scowled and jerked his head up, the fiery blaze of his eyes slamming into mine. “What?
It came out a growl.
Pursing my lips, I debated on how to respond to him. When no clever, insightful answer jumped to me out of the ether, I focused on the mate bond between us. Again, nothing clever, insightful or even clear made itself known, but I did feel… something.
Uncertainty. Self-consciousness.
Very little could make my strong, brave Hunter feel either of those things.
“Hendrik,” I murmured, thinking of how the Dark Mage had been the one to go after Dante, how both of them had been so frustrated and angry when I saw them last, only to look into Dante’s eyes and find a strange measure of peace.
He didn’t respond.
I didn’t need him to, though. I didn’t know how I felt about the two of them… together, in that way.
Conflicted didn’t even touch on it, because while part of me felt some sort of envy that they been together without me, I wanted them to stop hurting. And Dante wasn’t hurting so much. I could feel that change in him.
“Whatever is going on between you two, it’s helping, isn’t it?”
Dante dragged his gaze from the floor to meet mine, finally.
Hendrik crossed his arms and leaned against a pillar, his dark eyes glittering with promise.
Oh, he wanted to include me, when I was strong enough to handle their brand of passion.
My Hunter faced me. His eyes were fiery orbs that held so much mystery in them that it made me go insane. “It’s helping,” he concluded. He slid a hand around the back of my head, bringing my forehead to his. He released a long sigh. “When we—”
“She’s not ready,” Hendrik snapped, startling us both. He watched us with an unerring intensity that made my heart skip a beat. “She’ll let us know when she is.”
“Ready for what?” I demanded. “Dante? What’s he talking about?”
I had a feeling that something had happened in this room—something that I should remember. A distant memory nagged in the back of my mind, not an unpleasant one, but the sensation confused me.
Dante sighed and released me, the frustration evident in his features. “There are things you don’t know, Lily.”
I blew out a breath. “What, that you have violent sex with Hendrik?” Both males gave me flat stares. I rolled my eyes. Did they think I was going to be upset about that? Honestly it kind of turned me on because I knew one day I’d be sandwiched between them.
Based on the secrets lingering in the air, today would not be that day.
“I don’t care if you guys fuck each other,” I snapped, just to make things clear if they hadn’t figured that out already.
“I’m not a prude.” Sure, I preferred to be involved, but I hadn’t been here when Dante needed me.
I’d died and left him all alone. I knew that Dante suffered and Hendrik helped with that.
I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of the measure of comfort Hendrik could give him.
He looked away and my heart shattered at the pain I felt from him. “Dante…”
Cupping my chin in his hand, he stroked his thumb over my lower lip.
“I know you’re not a prude. But you must know, this thing between him and I?
It’s because of you, Lily. You’re the center of all of it.
Any peace I have, any happiness? It’s all from you.
” Hendrik offered a solemn nod, agreeing to the statement.
Dante leaned into me, his breath hot on my lips.
“You’re the prayer I never gave voice to and you come into my life when I least expect it.
You change everything. You’ve done it time and again, answering the prayers I never prayed.
” His lips brushed mine, energy sizzling hot between us.
“You’re my goddess, Lily, and I want to worship you. ”
My throat went tight and I leaned forward to bury myself against him. “I’m not Lucifer,” I told him. Lucifer wanted to be worshipped. I would never ask for that level of devotion.
He pressed a hand low to my back, bringing my hips flush with his. “Of course you’re not. You’re you and that means you’re worthy of worship,” he said, nuzzling my neck. “So of course there are times when the answers you bring aren’t really the answers I was looking for.”
Hendrik had drifted closer while my Hunter had distracted me, and before I knew it I was between them, Dante at my front and the dangerous Dark Mage at my back.
I swallowed hard, wanting nothing more than to indulge my Virtues, to lose myself between them and be at the mercy of all their pent-up rage and lust.
And this worship that Dante promised… that was new, something I wanted to explore.
Hendrik’s lips went to the curve of my neck, making me melt as I spread my wings.
Uni chirped with complaint, hissing as the Dark Mage drew too close. I’d almost forgot he was there, his presence within the arch of my wings a welcome weight.
Hendrik chuckled. “Your pet is protective, but he’s also right. We need to stay on task.”
I groaned. “You guys are going to be the death of me.”