The reason I’m still alive and the whole cause of the webs I find myself tangled in.
I hate her and all of the trouble she comes with. Except the man unconscious before me. He’s served as a great punching bag so far, and it’s been useful, therapeutic really.
I hate how she gets under my skin, I hate the fact that she makes me doubt my decisiveness, and I hate the way I find myself doing the unthinkable… caring.
It’s unbearably exhausting, and after last night, I really wish I didn’t.
It beckons me closer again, but before I do something beyond reckless, I turn for the door, locking it behind me as I charge up the steep stairs two at a time. The mid-afternoon air does nothing to cool the rage inside me, but it has the ability to highlight the violent spree I’ve been on. I need to shower, then I need to speak to Elodie.
I make it to my room without interruption and quickly slip into my ensuite. Shaking out of my clothes, I turn on the shower and step under thefresh spray before it has the chance to warm up. I find it grounding, and it’s exactly what I need right now.
Reaching for my shower gel, I get to work, meticulously cleaning my body as I recall last night in my mind.
The Hut is the hot place to be after the mayhem that was the first institute game, and the second the door swung open, my eyes latched on to the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Elodie.
She might drive me insane, but tonight, just like the last time I was at The Hut, I give myself the freedom to forget everything else going on and focus on her.
Two steps over the threshold, my sights set on my plan for the evening, and a hand lands on my shoulder. The sickly sweet scent that wraps around me leaves me queasy and I know who it is without looking. Fucking Willow. Her lips brush against my ear as she lifts on her tiptoes, but any chance of pushing her away is gone when she starts to speak.
“Baby, my mother wants to see you. Now.”
I can sense the distance growing between Elodie and me, but there’s nothing I can do about it. This is the game I have to play. Passing on an order to Rion, I waste no time getting the hell out of there, only to find Willow trailing along beside me.
“You can fuck off now,” I grunt, and she sighs, rolling her eyes at me.
“You could at least pretend to act like you’ve ever cared about me,” she grumbles, and I scoff, wiping a hand down my face as I try to keep my composure. Dealing with her shit on top of everything else might just be the thing to tip me over the edge.
Thankfully, she continues to pout as we cut toward the academic building, and the second we’re inside, I see a member of The Sanctum’s security waiting by the first door on the left.
Here goes nothing.
Sauntering inside, I stifle the grin on my lips at the sound of Willow being stopped in the hallway, her fussing growing louder and louder with FOMO as I stare off with her mother. She’s not alone, though. That’s a surprise. She’s standing side by side with the rest of The Sanctum.
“What’s going on?” I ask, keeping my hands at my sides as I meet each of their stares, but nothing is said as Anya hurries to the door with a huff to silence her daughter.
Leaning back against the closest desk, I tap my foot impatiently as they make no effort to get on with the matter with one of them absent. Thankfully, Willow’s whining quickly dwindles and Anya returns, closing the door behind her.
“Why am I here?” I ask, and Cordelia sighs, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder.
“You don’t seem to be following through on your end of the bargain,” she states, and I frown.
“And what might that be?” I want clarification, but we all know they’re talking about Elodie.
“The information you have to offer on Miss Elodie Blackwood has trickled down to nothing,” Saken states, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he stares through narrowed eyes at me.
“And we feel it may be more beneficial to offer someone else a deal to get what we want from the magical runt in question,” Anya adds, and I scoff.
“And who might that be?” The look in her eyes gives me the answer I’m searching for, and I scoff. “Willow? You are aware Elodie is never going to trust someone like Willow to let them see anything that might make her vulnerable, right?”
“It’s not about her being vulnerable or not; it’s about seeing results, and we’re wasting time doing things this way. Maybe she needs a little provocation to force her magic to come to life.”
I glance at the other Sanctum members to see that the look of insistence doesn’t resonate in all of them.
“Is this what you want?” I ask, locking eyes with Rikard, and he shrugs.
“We want answers, we want results, and we don’t have time to waste,” he replies, and I frown.
