Chapter 64 Orion
Orion
“Ifeel her. She’s close now,” I said, glancing over at the Seer, who sipped her tea quietly. “But why am I not awake?”
It was becoming entirely too frustrating being trapped in my own body. I vaguely heard little things around me, like I was coming back to physical awareness, and yet I was still lost.
“You know why,” the Seer replied, waving a flippant hand. “Poor thing is probably so overwhelmed right now.”
I gritted my teeth and leaned back. “And is it true? Is she pregnant?”
The Seer glanced at Nyx, who refused to join us at the table. It seemed almost impossible, having the Goddess here, but I was her only link back to Ivy. The only thing Dante couldn’t successfully cut off.
“Yes,” Nyx said after a long moment, voice even. “She is.”
I looked back at the Seer, who dropped her stare to the table, a pink flush highlighting her cheeks. “And you knew,” I accused.
Her violet eyes flickered to me; some said the colour was indicative of the Goddesses touch, a small blessing bestowed upon one chosen at birth. Or at least, that’s what the old stories said. I didn’t give any stock to them, considering I was always blessed by the Goddess, chosen to be Ivy’s mate.
The Seer shrugged before setting down her cup. “Well, yes,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. “But I had no part in the process. Just in hiding it.”
Anger warmed my chest, rising like a flame stoked by all the ways I’d failed. “Why in the Goddess’s name would you hide it? Especially from Ivy?”
Sable sighed, sitting back. “Time,” she said quietly, meeting my stare evenly.
“Dante would have completely altered his plans if he caught a whiff of it, and there was no way to hide it from him without hiding it from her. Especially with poor Adrian not being able to block his brother’s influence.
So, when I had a vision about it, I did what I had to.
I wasn’t even sure if she was pregnant, but as soon as I could, I made certain to protect her.
If I hadn’t, there was a chance Rowan’s visions could have been much, much darker. ”
A chill rolled down my spine as I looked to the Goddess still standing outside of the pavilion. She didn’t make any move to respond or give her opinion. I wasn’t sure why I thought she would. It wasn’t like Nyx to share her thoughts on such matters—at least, not in my presence.
I released a harsh breath, gaze darting to the entrance to the field.
The place where Ivy normally manifested when she accidentally slipped into the dreamscape sat empty.
I regretted how our last interaction ended, and I so badly wished to see her again.
I had no concept of time passing, only that I was trapped in an unending sleep.
I knew my body was safe, had felt Blythe’s magic inside my mind only recently.
Any worry I had about Dante reaching into my head and turning my brain to mush like he had his shifter soldier was gone. I might not have felt his influence before, but I knew there was no sign of him now.
My death, as brief as it was, had killed whatever part of him might have been within me.
“You stole her choice away from her,” I finally said, looking back at the Seer. “She will not forgive that.”
For the first time since appearing in my dreamscape, shame darkened her eyes, and she looked down at her hands with sadness. “That was a sacrifice I knew I would have to make. Especially for their survival.”
“She won’t see it like that,” I replied, reaching for my own tea. Despite the very real sensations here, some things couldn’t be recreated. Like taste.
“In time, she might. But I accept whatever anger she will throw at me.” Sable took a sip silently, eyes dark.
“It was the last thing I wanted to do. You must let her know that. Not giving her a choice, not letting her learn of this on her own, setting the dominoes for what Dante did to her…that was not something I wanted to happen. I just knew what the potential futures held, and what awaited her would have been far worse.”
I pressed my lips together, set my cup down, and ran a hand through my hair. There was nothing I could say, nothing I could do, to let her know what I felt—and I couldn’t speak on Ivy’s behalf.
“It is time for us to leave,” Nyx said, voice eerie and dark. “Until next time.”
Sable offered me a small smile before disappearing in a cloud of dark mist with Nyx, leaving me alone to my dreamscape—to the thoughts I couldn’t escape.
Like wondering if Sable was telling the truth. If there was no other way.
Or thinking about those last moments with Ivy and the uncontrollable rage I’d felt when I saw the look in her eyes. The terror, the pain, the uncertainty.
If only I could hold her in my arms again and tell her it would all be okay. If only I could wake from this endless sleep and show her it would be alright.
But I knew words wouldn’t be enough to reassure her. Not with war inching closer, the threat of her death still looming over her head.
What I knew wouldn’t help her, either.
Because Nyx and Sable knew there would be war regardless. It was just up to Ivy whether she could fight it.