My eyes widen as I stare at the wiggling hand and what it means. I wrench away from Kol’s hold.
“We have to help him.”
“Elidi, wait.”
Kol tries to grab me, but I sidestep him and rush forward, plunging into the gooey mess. The jelly catches hold of my body, but unlike last time, the goo barely slows my momentum.
Helix looks back at me, his eyes pleading for help. I see the unconscious woman in his arms but can’t stop. We spill out the wrong side of the wall in a tangle, and I quickly scramble off the woman and Helix.
Yellow slime clings to my tongue, and I spit, disgusted.
“Why didn’t you pull me through?” Helix says, struggling to sit up.
“This is much safer, trust me,” I say, thinking of Kol waiting on the other side.
Helix gently rolls his possibly-dead plus one to the side. Her skin is the color of ebony, smooth and absolutely flawless despite the fact that she doesn’t quite look alive. Even in her stillness, there’s something foreboding about her. Something that calls me to her even while it repels me.
She doesn’t stir, and I try not to think about what he’s done to her. Or why he brought her here.
“Where’s the Vargar?” Helix asks, getting to his feet.
Glancing back, I see nothing but desert and blink, forgetting for a moment that everything inside is invisible to the outside.
“He’s waiting in there. I think.” Instead of Kol safely on the other side, I picture him coming after me and getting stuck in the goo.
Concerned, I start for the barrier. Helix grabs my arm, stopping me.
“I’ve been looking for you. I thought The Silenci got to you.” His voice dips, and I realize he was legitimately worried.
“Well, they didn’t. I’ve been safe here.”
“This is not safe,” he says. “This is a risk and not a place you want to spend your ascension in. Trust me.”
“Wait, you know Iynx?” I ask.
His eyes widen, and he drops my arm to stare at me. “Iynx lives here? Of course. I should have known that asshole would bring you here.” He eyes me shrewdly, finally taking in my dirty pajamas and what promises to be horribly unruly hair. “Please tell me you didn’t drink the lemonade.”
“Have you had the lemonade?” I shoot back. “Because I really think it could help you loosen up—”
Out of the corner of my eye, something moves. I look in time to see a giant goo-covered wolf emerge with a roar. Grim’s just behind him, his sharp eyes assessing the scene.
Kol launches himself at Helix, and I scramble backward to avoid being taken down too. As the pair goes tumbling, Helix shifts too. The two wolves—both impossibly large and slightly murderous looking—snap and claw and lunge at each other.
“You’re both going to get us killed,” I say in a harsh whisper. “Something’s out here, remember?”
A pressure builds in my chest, and I recognize it as the same fiery magic I used on Grim before. With lips pressed together in concentration, I aim my palm at the sand and fire. A black ribbon of something shoots out of my hand and scorches the ground at my feet.
I frown. Probably a little too much force for what I need right now, but at least I’m gaining control of it.
Hands tucked safely at my sides, I head over to break the two idiots apart the old fashioned way.
A strong arm slips around my waist, and I’m pulled straight off my feet and hauled up against a hard chest.
“Relax, princess. You can’t go over there.” Grim’s voice in my ear is placating—and correct.
“They’re going to get us killed,” I say, struggling despite Grim’s wisdom. And his iron grip.
“No, they won’t. Iynx is dealing with the beasts that set off the wards.”
I didn’t love the idea of Iynx facing them alone, but Grim didn’t sound worried.
“Fine,” I say. “They’re going to kill each other, then.”
“They won’t,” he says lightly.
I give up struggling and glare at him.
“How do you know?”
Grim sets me back on my feet and looks down at me, his green eyes sparkling.
“Because one is protecting you, and the other one wants to. Neither will make a kill you haven’t sanctioned or ordered. Besides, it goes against the pack laws to kill another guardian unless their protected is threatened.”
I tuck away the fact that Kol and Helix both essentially take their orders from me.
“What if Kol thinks Helix is threatening me just by showing up here?”
“He won’t because Helix brought us a peace offering.” Grim nods at the Sleeping Barbie lying motionless at my feet.
“Who is she?” I ask.
Grim opens his mouth to answer, but a piercing cry from above cuts him off. I flinch, throwing my hands up and ducking low, defensively. I feel that same pressure in my chest a moment before Grim grabs my wrists and pulls my arms down. Ribbons of fire and black smoke shoot off into the sky, narrowly missing the large bird swooping toward us.
The winged creature lands on the ground nearby, and the moment its tiny feet touch the desert floor, there’s a flash of light, and the black feathers and sharp beak transform into Iynx.
“Holy shit,” I breathe. “Iynx is a bird?”
“She’s called a Wryneck,” Grim says quietly. “Gentle until provoked, and then . . . watch out.”
I can only nod as I watch Iynx shake free of the last few feathers clinging to her skin and slightly wrinkled gown.
“Any problems?” Grim asks her.
She offers him a haughty look as she smooths her hair. “Of course not. They’re all taken care of.”
My mouth falls open a little at the idea that Iynx just took care of multiple Silenci beasts. I almost wish I’d seen her in action.
“You all right?” Grim asks.
“Of course. Who is—”
Iynx takes one look at the sleeping woman and throws herself to the ground beside the body. A ripple of raw power shakes the ground and shoves through me hard enough to make my bones rattle.
“Nicki,” Iynx calls. Then she promptly bursts into tears, crying and pleading with the ebony-skinned woman to wake up.
I turn to Grim. “Is that really—?”
“Nicnevin,” he confirms. “The Goddess of the Dead.”
Fear spikes through me.
“Kol,” I call out.
This time, the tawny wolf breaks away from the fight. An invisible line springs to life between us, tightening as if it’s pulling him back to me when I need him.
Kol starts in my direction, and Helix does the same.
“Relax, princess,” Grim says. “She’s not going to hurt you.”
I frown, confused.
“Is she dead?” I ask softly.
“No, I sense a pulse,” Grim says. “Weak but there.”
Having forgotten about Grim’s arm around my waist, I jump a little when his fingers stroke my stomach.
A low growl fills the air.
“Grim, let me go,” I say quietly.
Grim sighs but releases me. “The pissing contests never end around here.”
I don’t answer him. I watch Kol and Helix, who are both baring their teeth at Grim, and hope they don’t decide to unite against the hot god. Deciding to test Grim’s comment about them taking orders from me, I step toward them.
“Helix, I need you to shift back so you can talk to me about what’s wrong with Nicnevin,” I say sternly.
“Kol, I prefer man-chest over fur. Show me some skin.”
The reaction is as instant as I’d hoped.
In a blink, Kol is human again.
“Are you all right?” he asks. “I saw Helix grab you.”
Helix glowers at Kol. “I would never hurt her. Everything I’ve done is to protect her.”
Kol steps in front of Helix, leaning toward the other man ominously.
“You are not her protector, dog.”
I look over at Grim who shrug
s as if to say, “Pissing contests, right?”
I roll my eyes, reach out to smack both shifters, then turn to where Iynx huddles on the ground beside the woman. Nicnevin.
“Is she all right?” I ask quietly.
Iynx looks up at me with a tear-streaked face.
“She’s alive,” she says. “Beyond that, I don’t know. I can’t figure out what’s wrong.” She looks past me to Helix. “Where was she?”
“I found her bound and frozen inside the Chamber of the Dead,” Helix says. I grimace at the mental picture his words offer.
“Who put her there?” Iynx asks. “Who would do this?”
“I don’t know, but whoever did it also stole her army,” Helix says.
Relief floods me.
“The Silenci weren’t following her orders, then.”
“Not with her like this,” Helix agrees. “They’re taking orders from someone, though. I had to evade them more than once as I followed your trail here.”
“Can someone do that?” Grim asks. “I mean wouldn’t they have to kill her first in order to break the bond?”
“Whatever stasis she’s in must be a sort of death,” Kol says. “Or enough of one to break the blood bond she has with them, anyway. Whoever’s behind this is free to establish dominance over The Silenci without actually killing her.”
“It’s a smart plan. If they’d killed her, the gods would have felt that, and we would have known immediately she wasn’t behind the attacks on Elidi and Aerina.”
“You have a point,” Grim says.
Kol scowls, and I realize this is a dead end. If Nicnevin isn’t after me, we have no idea who is. We also have to help her.
“We need to get her inside. Can you heal her?” I ask Iynx, remembering the cream she gave Grim for his shoulder.
“Maybe. I need to examine her more fully,” she says. She gestures to Nicnevin. “The magic won’t let her pass through the wards if she’s like this, though. It won’t read her power signature. She’ll solidify.”
I glance at Helix and see him pale. We could have accidently killed Nicnevin if I hadn’t knocked them out when I did.
Iynx reaches for Nicnevin, but Grim steps up beside Iynx and crouches down. “Let me,” he says gently then scoops Nicnevin easily into his arms.
“Thank you, darling. I’m a little spent just now.” Iynx stays close beside him, and together they pass through the wall without a problem.
When they’re gone, I turn back to Kol and Helix who are both watching me.
“I guess I’m escorting both of you,” I say.
Helix takes a step toward me, but Kol steps between us.
“He’s not coming inside.”
“He brought us Nicnevin,” I say. “And saved her life in the process.”
Kol glares at Helix. “If this is a trick…”
“I don’t play tricks,” Helix grinds out. “Everything I do is to protect Elidi.”
Kol snorts. “The only person who truly has her protection in mind is her guardian—and you’re not him.”
“According to the divine order, neither are you,” Helix shoots back.
They’re chest to chest now, both of them with hands fisted and nostrils flaring as they perform some sort of alpha-asshole staring contest.
“Ugh.” I roll my eyes and wedge myself between them. “As much as I’d love to see this show of testosterone play out, it’s a rerun. One we’re all tired of watching, so how about we change the channel?”
“Helix, you brought Nicnevin here, and since Iynx cares deeply for her, we’re grateful. But don’t forget that Kol is here because I want him to be here. He’s my protector until I say otherwise, and that means you have to be civil to him, or you need to leave.”
“Fine. Whatever,” Helix mutters.
I can feel Kol’s smug smile before it forms so I elbow him.
“And Kol, Helix is our guest. He’s not trying to steal me away.”
Kol opens his mouth, but I hold up a hand to stop him.
“If Helix tries, you can kick him out.”
I glance back and forth between them with what I hope is an “I mean business” scowl.
“And if either of you pulls any kind of shenanigans other than being civil to one another, I’ll kick you both out and let Grim protect me. He takes a rather hands-on approach, but I’m sure I’ll manage.”
Both of them widen their eyes. “Elidi,” Kol begins at the same time Helix says, “He can’t—”
“Agree now, or I’ll leave both your guardian asses out here.” I cross my arms.
“Fine,” Kol says on a resigned sigh.
I bite back my triumphant smile and turn to Helix, brows raised.
“Fine,” he says, his voice harder and louder than Kol’s.
I smile brightly, ignoring the fact that both of them are looking at me like they want to strangle me. Instead, I hold out an arm to each of them and turn toward the wards.
“Shall we?” I ask, feeling for the first time ever like I’m the prince saving the princess. Or princesses.
Chapter Fifteen
Twenty minutes later, Nicnevin still hasn’t stirred. Despite Iynx’s various potions and whispered words, the sleeping goddess lies motionless in the center of Iynx’s bed. When Iynx has exhausted her supply of oils and herbs, Grim does some sort of reading, involving laying his hands on Nicnevin’s face and a heavy look of concentration on his part—but it yields nothing.
“Whatever has rendered her unconscious has also left her unresponsive,” Grim says. “I can’t read anything from her, including how she got this way.” He shoots Iynx an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s all right,” she says, squeezing his hand as she hovers near Nicnevin’s bedside.
I watch from the doorway, caught between wanting to find a way to help and retreating to the living room to run interference between Kol and Helix. They take turns pacing and lecturing the group at large—although none of us are really listening anymore—about the dangers of interfering with god-curses. The magic inside me burns and builds as they argue.
“If curses are as dangerous as you say, why wasn’t I hurt or struck unconscious?” I toss back.
Whoever was pacing—probably Kol— stops, and there’s a moment of silence.
“You let her get hit with a curse?” Helix demands.
“It barely touched her before I got her out of the way,” Kol snaps. “She’s fine.”
“Is she?” Helix challenges.
I roll my eyes, sorry that I brought it up. Grim catches my eye.
“Kol, go help Iynx in the kitchen,” he snaps. “She needs to cook a syrup to use on Nicki. Helix, you can help yourself to a shower in the guest house. You smell like dead bodies.”
My nose wrinkles because it’s a fact I’ve been trying to ignore.
Kol snorts.
Helix glares.
“Helix, he’s right,” I tell him. “Go shower so we can be ready for whatever’s next.”
He glares at Grim then spins on his heel and slams the door on his way out.
“I’ll sit with Nicki,” I say. “Grim, can you keep an eye on Helix?”
Grim scowls but nods.
“Thank you,” Iynx says, brushing a hand along my arm as she passes me. Kol follows her into the kitchen.
Grim drops a quick kiss on my temple then disappears outside.
Alone with the patient, I perch on the edge of the mattress. Nicnevin’s skin is beautifully smooth, but it already looks paler than when she arrived. I wonder how long she’s been this way and if we’ll find a way to wake her up.
“Iynx must really think a lot of you because she’s freaking out.”
My hand brushes Nicnevin’s. The magic inside me rushes to the surface, and a spark ignites.
I gasp at the beauty of the mini-firework as it explodes and then rains down over our joined skin. In the wake of the sparks, energy surges, and I yank my hand away, but it’s too late. Whatever I’ve managed to call
up flies out of my hand and into the sleeping woman before me.
A light flashes where my hand just touched, and her skin glows. I watch as the glowing light travels up her arm and into her chest then spreads over her body. I can see the light emanating all the way through the thin blue sheet that covers her, and I hold my breath, praying I haven’t cooked her like I tried to do with Grim or Iynx’s bird form.
But this feels different from the fiery ribbons. It looks different too.
The glowing ball slides up and over her face and then slowly fades away.
I let out the breath I’ve been holding, hoping like hell I haven’t done any damage.
Her darkly-lined lids flutter then slowly blink open. A pair of striking caramel eyes meet mine. A jolt shudders through me.
Her full lips part, and she reaches for my hand.
“Thank you,” she says. Her voice is deep and rich, and even though she’s barely speaking above a whisper, there’s a note of power that transfers between us. Her gratitude vibrates all the way through to my bones.
“You’re welcome,” I say, uncertain. “But I’m not sure what I did.”
“You broke the binding.” She blinks a few more times then looks around. When she moves to sit, I help.
“I’m sorry, I have no idea what a binding is,” I tell her.
“Iynx,” she murmurs eyeing the room. “We’re with the Wryneck then.”
I nod. “She stepped out to make you some medicine.”
Nicnevin grabs my hand, holding my gaze. “You did well,” she says. Then she cocks her head at me, her bronze-colored eyes flitting over me, searching. “You’re the light goddess ascending.”
I nod warily. “Elidi. How’d you know?”
“Your power signature is . . .” She inhales deeply and finishes with, “rejuvenating.”
Relief ripples through me.
“Rejuvenating,” I repeat. “You mean I healed you?”
“Of course. Is that so hard to believe for a light goddess?” She smiles, but there’s an edge to her softness. “The light offers energy, life. You are a healer, among other things, I’m sure.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t know. I’m still learning, I guess.”
She pats my hand. “Of course. In the meantime, I owe you a deep debt of gratitude for saving me.”
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