“What’s the sudden hurry?”
Silence descends over the room, making it clear no one isgoing to offer me the truth. Instead, Anya sighs, folding her arms over her chest. “We all know my way is the best way,” she insists, and my stomach clenches with worry.
“If there were anything to report, you would have it,” I grunt, and Cordelia shakes her head.
“I say we offer a time constraint before we let Willow have a try. All in favor?” she asks, and everyone but Anya lifts their hand. Instead, she somehow manages to glare even harder at me.
Saken claps his hands together. “You have seventy-two hours to give us something to work with.”
With that statement, the five of them vanish. There’s no explanation of what will happen if I don’t, but my gut tells me I already know the answer. We’re all pawns in their game, and if we don’t make the moves they want, they’re more than willing to eliminate us from the board altogether.
I’ve been hiding ever since, unsure what my next move should be, while simultaneously wasting the little time I’ve got. I’m fucked. That’s the truth. Because every option that gets me what I want snatches everything away from Elodie, and vice versa. I can’t find a middle ground that benefits us both and leaves her none the wiser, but it seems she’s happy to keep me at arm’s length in comparison to Rion. I can’t ask for his help, though. He would have my fucking head.
Tilting my head back, I let the water wash overme before I shut the shower off and reach for a towel. Striding into my bedroom, I slump on the side of my bed, head in my hands as I consider my options, falling short once again when the sound of my cell phone vibrating on my nightstand draws me from my thoughts. I tilt my head toward the distraction. I haven’t dared to look at it since Thorne made Rion and me aware he would be preoccupied for the day with Elodie.
It doesn’t make sense; his sudden interest in her is utterly baffling, but I’ve been too caught in her orbit myself to have the balls to say anything about it. Reaching for the device, my brows furrow when the shadow fae’s name flashes across the screen.
Thorne: SOS.
Thorne: Portal.
Thorne: Now.
The messages came through in quick succession, each making my heart race faster as I launch to my feet, quickly dressing in fresh clothes as a knock comes from my bedroom door. There is barely a pause, not even a second for me to answer, before Rion’s face appears.
“We need to go,” he rushes, and I nod, slipping my feet into my black boots by the door, neglectingthe laces as I follow him through the dorm and down the stairs of Institute Thirteen.
Everything moves in a blur, our enhanced speed allowing us to eliminate the distance quicker than most, until we come to a stop at the vehicle portal.
“What do you think is wrong?” Rion asks, hands on his hips as he nods at the offending wall, but there’s no time to answer before Thorne’s flashy black Corvette appears, screeching to a halt a few meters away.
“Dibs on shotgun,” Rion hollers, jogging to the passenger side for Elodie, but as I move toward the driver’s side and the doors rise, I find the woman in question behind the steering wheel. “What the hell? This is bullshit! You never let me drive,” Rion grunts, glaring at our friend while I blink at the girl drenched in blood.
The stark look in her eyes tells me it isn’t hers, and the way her eyes crinkle confirms her magic has made an appearance again, which doesn’t make sense. I thought they were enjoying the day in the human world.
I want to understand, I need to know more, but none of that matters more than the girl in front of me.
One thing is for sure: she’s in shock. Her fingers are still curled around the steering wheel, herknuckles white, and she makes no effort to move. Running my hands over my jeans, I lean closer, cupping her cheek as I stare deep into her eyes, but she’s not fully there. Not yet.
“I’ve got you,” I breathe, slowly prying her hands from the wheel, which she allows me to do, before slowly placing her hands in her lap. She still sits ramrod straight, so I tuck one hand beneath her legs and secure the other around her back, tugging her against my chest in one swift move.
Her arms band tight around my neck, making my breath stutter as I turn to Thorne. All he does is shake his head, his message clear. We’ll talk back in the room. Rion climbs into the passenger seat as Thorne rounds the hood of his car, taking the now-vacant spot, while I turn for Thirteen, Elodie secure in my hold.
I move as fast as I can without distressing her, which is difficult to guess because she clings to me like her life depends on it. Managing to take the stairs of Institute Thirteen two at a time, I barge into our room to find the other two waiting patiently.
Rion’s managed to get his hands on some fresh towels, while Thorne has a bottle of water in one hand and a can of soda in the other. I attempt to place her down on the sofa, but it’s clear she’s notgoing to slacken her hold just yet, so I relent, taking a seat myself while keeping her in my lap. She seems to approve of the move as she nestles into my chest, taking the bottle of water from Thorne’s outstretched hand.
“Someone better start talking… now,” I snap, my fingers curling around Elodie’s leg as adrenaline floods my system.
“Rebels,” Thorne grunts, and my eyes widen in surprise.
“How?” They were barely out. There’s no way in Hell the rebellion was on them that quickly.
“They were just… there,” Elodie whispers, clearly still working through whatever they’ve dealt with. Glancing at Thorne, he sighs, aware that I’m going to need more than that.
“We were down the coast. We got dogs from Bettie’s and were on the beach watching the waves. We can’t have been out of the car for more than twenty minutes,” he explains, and I shake my head in disbelief.
Twenty minutes is no time at all when it comes to the rebellion. Sometimes they don’t even need two.
