A way home.
“Like my mother, I can disappear in darkness with only a thought. All I need is a shadow.” He placed his hand on the glass, and the sheet began to bend and fold into itself like an accordion, air whirling around them as the pressure was released. “I’ve been constructing the gate in private for decades.”
“But how?” She raised her eyebrows as understanding dawned. “You dream-walked and stole the blueprints.”
Shade entered the room, his strides determined, his intense focus kind of sexy, if a bit intimidating. A mighty roar shook the tower despite them being floors underground, and the glass door began to glide shut, sealing them inside, the seams melting back together to form a solid structure.
“Is that what I think it is?” Morgan dropped her gaze from the ceiling, her pulse thudding in her veins, more rattled by the battle cry than she wanted to admit.
“Dragons.” Shade glanced up as if he could see where they were through layers of solid stone and steel. “I’ve been a prisoner of this tower for the past three months while they stalked me, waiting for the perfect time to snatch me and offer me up as their sacrifice.”
He walked over to a desk where dozens of books and blueprints were strewn across every surface. He tossed the pages in the air, then dragged his arm across the surface of the desk, clearing it in one sweep. “I’ve been searching years for how to access the portal, but had no success.”
Draven surveyed the room, gauging their defenses, rapping on the glass, receiving a satisfyingly solid thunk in return.
The tower shuddered again, and Shade whirled toward her, his chest heaving with frustration. “My time is up. I have maybe a day before the dragons tear down the towers and pry me out. You are my last hope.”
Dammitdammitdammit.
“Once we’re free of here, I promise to show you how to control your magic. I’ll train you,” he wheedled and cajoled. “I’m probably one of the few remaining in Mount Olympus who can still teach you the old ways. I can tell you how to stop the terraforming.”
She couldn’t believe she was even entertaining his offer.
If she decided to help him, she needed to put firm restrictions on their deal.
“You will swear an oath that you won’t murder or have someone else murder the current line of succession. You must swear you have no intention of taking over Mount Olympus and will refuse to help others if asked or even forced. You will not actively or inactively be involved with starting or participating in a war against me or mine.”
Shade listened intently to each of her carefully worded demands, his stance rigid as if waiting for the other foot to drop. “Agreed.”
“You must promise not to bring any harm to me or my men.”
“I promise not to maim or kill them outright,” Shade countered.
“Directly or indirectly.”
“Directly or indirectly,” he parroted.
As the building shuddered again, she knew the dragons were closing in on them.
They didn’t have much longer.
As if her thoughts summoned them, the door at the end of the room imploded into a tight ball of crumpled metal and a group of female soldiers entered the room, their uniforms a royal blue and gold. The badge on the sleeve was an owl.
Athena.
The female god of war.
Fuck.
The last woman to enter caught her attention. She was a tall, blue-eyed blonde. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun, her build was all curves, pure temptation walking. Her sharp eyes swept the room and immediately landed on the seal. Avarice lit her eyes, and her mouth curled into a smirk.
“Shade…shame on you, trying to bypass our laws. We’ve voted. Everyone agreed. It’s your turn. With your power, the people will be safe twice as long.” Her tone was low, almost rough, but there was no playfulness to it. “Stop being selfish. Turn yourself over to me. Your sacrifice will be quick. I promise.”
Lies.
Morgan suspected Athena had been torturing and hunting Shade for months.
“Attie—”
“Don’t call me that.” Her face twisted in a scowl. She was one of those beautiful women who didn’t have an ugly face, guaranteeing she would be universally hated by every girl in existence. “Surrender and I’ll call off the dragons.”
“You’re supposed to be fucking smart, Attie, so use your goddamned head. You’re the next in rank of power. Whose name do you think is after mine on their murder list? If we work together, we can stop killing each other.”
“I don’t need your help.” Athena looked pointedly at Morgan. “The issue should be resolved by then.”
Arrogance oozed from her, those crystal blue eyes so confident and predatory that Morgan felt very much like a specimen under a microscope. She would not survive what this woman would do to her if she got her hands on her, dissection being the least of her worries. They would pick apart her brain first, then her magic, then her spirit. By the time they took apart her body, she would already be gone.
It wouldn’t be cruelty on Athena’s part, but pure ruthlessness and a single-minded focus on getting what she wanted—the only thing that mattered in her version of the world.
Athena nodded to her soldiers. They lifted their weapons and took aim. “Last chance to come peacefully and accept your fate.”
Shade gave her the universal fuck you symbol by flipping her the bird.
Athena scowled, then gave a flick of her hand. The soldiers fired. As soon as the magical bullets’ magic hit the glass, sigils etched in the wall began to glow. The writing was dense, the sigils overlapping each other repeatedly, but even as she watched, one blazed white, then popped out of existence as the magic inside was expended.
One soldier grabbed a bow slung across her back, noched an arrow, and let it fly. The bolt zipped through the air with a twang, then hit the glass with a solid thud. Instead of bouncing off harmlessly and falling to the floor, the arrow hit one of the runes dead center and both disappeared in a shower of red sparks.
Seconds later another arrow went sailing through the air, vanquishing another spell.
“We’re safe behind the glass for now, but it won’t take them long to break through.” Shade slouched against the desk, his shoulders slumped. “My cousin is very determined and very deadly. She is fanatical in her belief of justice and enjoys the hunt a little too much. If she catches any of you—and she will catch you eventually—there will be no escape.”
Morgan blew out a heavy breath, knowing what it felt like to fight against your fate. At least hers didn’t lead directly to death. Tiny beads of glass began to dribble down the wall in a globby, liquid mess, the destroyed spells generating waves of intense heat.
“Kincade?” She looked at the rest of the team. “Guys?”
Each one nodded reluctantly, though none of them appeared happy about it.
Morgan turned toward Shade. “Let’s do this shit. I accept your bond.”
Shade’s head snapped up, his eyes widening. “Wait!”
The next instant, Morgan dropped to her ass, feeling like she’d been kicked in the chest. Her magic churned under her skin in agitation, turning molten until she feared she could no longer contain the destructive force. Inside the swirling mass, what appeared to be a tiny universe whirled into formation, bright blues and golds and purples almost mesmerizing to watch.
Then her magic came rushing back, sloshing inside her like water in a bucket, settling around the new universe.
“What the hell was that?” Morgan struggled to lift her head and glare at Shade. Only he didn’t appear to be in much better condition, half slumped against the desk where he landed on the floor. He unbuttoned his shirt and tugged aside the collar to reveal a silver and gold seal had been stamped into his chest. The top swirling design resembled a crown, while underneath had a name stamped into it…hers.
“Oops.”
Chapter Twenty-five