53: Ada's POV

Married. Darius was *married.* To *Elizabeth.*

I didn't fight the guards who picked me up off the ground and carried me into the castle, down the winding halls to my quarters. Not even Nik's voice, which had echoed in my mind down that singular bond, had brought me any comfort. We'd all been betrayed. Probably because of the terrible words I'd sent down the bond to Darius the day he'd laid with Elizabeth, when I'd felt everything she'd been doing to him. Oh, Moon Goddess. They were married. And I didn't think he would reject our mating bond. Which meant I was going to feel every single time they did anything.

My chest tightened painfully as a guard laid me on my bed and left wordlessly. Tears were still falling freely, my limbs heavy. What had changed to quickly for Darius? He'd been so adamantly against marrying Elizabeth. I'd wanted him before any of the others, had even thought about how I could end up with him. He had seemed to reciprocate. He'd been gentle with me, caring. How could you go from that to marrying the woman who had already caused us so many issues? There had to be *something. something* that I didn't know about that had led to this. Not just jealousy from my words to him but some reason that he would have--

My eyes widened. The tunnels. Darius knew about the tunnels and had been teaching me how to move around them. I sat up and tossed my legs over the side of the bed. The painting was still hanging on the wall. If I could just go see him, talk to him about what had happened, maybe things would get better. Maybe I'd still be able to see the others at least. My fingers wrapped around the cool frame of the picture. As it swung open I fell to my knees. Why would Darius do this? Red and black brick laid over the entrance, blocking me in-- and blocking his brothers out.

*Nik,* I whispered down the bond, *He blocked the tunnels. I can't get to you or Phoenix.*

The response was fast, rough, and also wasn't his voice. Shadows snuck through the bricks like tendrils, wrapping around each individual one and silently pulling it down. Mortar fell to the ground, quieted by a blanket of shadows beneath. I watched as brick by brick was removed and set aside, revealing the dark tunnels within. As the final brick was stacked along the side, two faces emerged from the depths of the darkness. Phoenix ran to me, enveloping me in his arms and sqquezing me tightly. Fresh tears burned my cheeks, my throat tightening.

Nik stepped into the room, quickly closing the painting behind him, "I'll set up a rune. It will allow you, me and Phoenix to pass through the brick at will."

"You can do that?" I gawked, wrapping my arms around Phoenix's neck tightly as he lifted me off my feet.

"Of course I can," Nik snorted, strolling over to my couch, "It just takes time and we didn't want to waste any coming to see you."

Silence fell while Phoenix cradled me and made his way toward the couch. He sat directly beside Nik, resting my feet in his brothers lap while my ass rested in his. I rested my head on Phoenix's shoulder, breathing in the thick cinnamon and pine scent he was emitting. Nik's hands gripped my feet and removed my combat boots. They made a dull thud as they hit the floor. I tossed my head back, looking at the unlit logs in the brick fireplace. Carefully, I pointed my finger and a spark shot out, setting them ablaze.

Phoenix chuckled, "You must have been keeping yourself pretty busy on the train."

I brushed a finger against his cheek before running my hand through his thick auburn hair. Wordlessly, he placed a gentle kiss on my lips. I reveled in the taste of him, the heat that coursed through my stiff body. Nik's hands stopped and I broke away from Phoenix to look at him. His eyes were that matte black again, as if it they were eating the light from the room instead of reflecting it. Phoenix's fingers were making lazy circles against my side as his head rested on the back of he couch.

Nik's voice was soft, dark, "You need to close the bond between the three of us, Ada," his fingers ran up my calves, "If we are planning on being with you at all, he can't know. Until you can do that," he shuddered, "We have to be very careful."

"I'll work on it," I whispered, looking down at my lap, "What the hell happened?"

He shrugged, "I'm still waiting for an explanation from Darius. The last time we spoke about Elizabeth and you, he was adamant he didn't want her."

"There has to be something then," I stated, closing my eyes, "There just has to be. He wouldn't just be with her, right?"

Silence. I opened my eyes and both Phoenix's green eyes and Nik's black ones were on me. *Oh.* So he might *just* be with her. I sent a question down the singular red bond with Phoenix, *Have they been together before?* More silence as a response. Sahara howled in my mind as my heart thudded painfully in my chest. That changes everything. Them having a past, the way Darius had always behaved with his brothers... perhaps this *wasn't* because of something. Maybe this is what Darius wanted all along.

That thought was somehow far more heartbreaking than any of the others I had for the last three days.