"It’s a good thing your partner is your brother." Ryan chuckled, but his eyes held that hazy, distant look I’d often seen on Mason’s face. "I feel sorry for Alpha. You’ll sleep with him the minute he steps foot in the door."

"Shut up!" I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut, hoping to pass out again. The last thing I wanted to talk about was sleeping with my partner, my brother.

"Okay, okay," he replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Want me to take you to the bedroom?"

Though I detected a hint of amusement in his voice, I ignored it, preferring something more pleasant. I needed to cool the fire crackling across my skin. I let out a pained groan, which he took as a yes.

As he opened the bedroom door, I spotted the bathroom on the right. That was exactly what I needed. The heat was unbearable, making me breathe heavily.

"Bathroom." I croaked, "Take me to the bathroom."

The bathroom was quite large, and I assumed it was the master bedroom. The tub was large enough for me to fully submerge, and I sighed at the thought of an ice-cold bath. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

He sat me down on a soft stool leaning against the wall. I resisted the urge to rip the blanket off my shoulders and dive into the tub, whether he was there or not.

"Well, I’m not going to stay here while you... do that." He cleared his throat. He walked over to the bathtub and turned on the cold water, wincing as he dipped his hand under the faucet. "I’ll be right outside the bedroom door. I need to scare off all those hungry wolves."

"Ugh, go!" I groaned, looking at the icy water.

I slid off the stool and ran across the room before he could even close the bathroom door. I practically jumped into the tub, hissing as the cold water washed over my heated skin. I half-expected the tub to steam, my hot skin reacting to the icy water. There was no steam, and no relief from the heat.

I thought about Ryan’s words and was grateful he was standing guard. I loved Kane and wouldn’t trade my mate for anything, but I wasn’t sure I could stop myself if someone came in here seeking relief from the pain I was experiencing. I knew Nova’s instincts would take over, and we would mate with anyone, no matter who it was.

My gaze slid across the simple bathroom, stopping at the large window across the room. It would be so easy to slip away, open the window a crack, and leave. I could find someone, anyone, to relieve me of this pain.

Of course, they couldn’t resist. A naked she-wolf in heat, roaming the streets. If the battle were won, countless men, exhausted by the fight, would seek anything to rid themselves of the horrors in their heads.

"No. Never." I groaned in the empty bathroom, tearing my gaze from the window and curling into a ball. My damp hair scattered in the water, and I sank lower into the bathtub.

My entire body tensed as the large lamps in the bathroom dimmed, intensifying the shadows reflecting off the walls. The cold water filling the tub grew colder, so cold I wondered if shards of ice were swirling in it.

The searing heat burning my skin was momentarily forgotten as shadows gathered along the walls. My heart pounded wildly in my chest, fear settling in my bones. The shadows were gathering. The shadows, like an inky ocean, splashed at the edge of the bathtub, pressing against the porcelain walls.

I watched in frightened silence as I saw the shadows gather, forming a large, human-like mass. It had no distinguishable features, and yet I felt it watching me. Analyzing and observing the half-breed princess who often fed them with her blood.

I didn’t summon the shadows, and they never appeared on their own. That meant someone else had summoned them. Only two others could summon shadows: my father and Holly.

Fear pierced me at the thought of what could happen. We could lose, and my father could send the shadows to take my life.

"Why are you here?" I asked, finding strength and putting it into my words. I spoke sternly. I controlled the shadows, not the other way around, I reminded myself.

The humanoid figure moved, gliding across the floor until it came to a stop in front of the bathtub. "The King has fallen," they hissed, their silky-smooth voices colder than the water I sat in. "He had one last request; he paid his price in full."

I braced myself, gripping the edge of the tub, debating whether to scream for Ryan. It was pointless, I told myself. Even if he could see the shadows, there was nothing he could do. I tensed, pressing myself against the edge of the tub, trying to stay as far away from the shadows as possible.

I closed my eyes, hoping it wouldn’t hurt, and prayed to the Goddess that Kane would be well cared for.

Instead of pain, a weight pressed down on my shoulders. I felt my limbs go limp, then tense again, terribly still. My back arched, and a terrified wheeze escaped my lips. This is it, I told myself. I wondered if I would return home to my Goddess, or if the shadows would take my soul too.

Something exploded in my mind, filling my head with a thick cold. I felt every shard of ice rolling through me, every crystalline piece of ice piercing my mind. My heart pounded in my chest, never slowing for a second.

Waiting for death, I realized it wouldn’t come. Suddenly, thousands of silver threads squirmed through my mind, all connected to a single man.

I felt them all. Every Demon who walked this earth, I felt their presence in my mind. It was completely different from the mental connection with my pack, and yet it was strangely similar. I was aware of their presence, and they were aware of mine.