“What happened when they showed up?” Rion asks when the rest of us fall silent. He leans on the arm of the sofa, his fingers twitching toreach for Elodie, but I keep her snuggled against me.
“There were eight of them, at least two were vampires. Elodie siphoned one of them, but the leader managed to catch me off guard,” Thorne states, and the way his eyebrows gather confirms precisely how they were able to make that happen.
Elodie.
“It was insane,” she breathes, playing with the label on the water bottle, and Rion hums in acknowledgment.
“You’re here now, Petal. That’s all that matters,” Rion confirms, and she offers him a weak smile.
“Yeah.”
“Were there any clues as to who their leader was?” I ask, knowing the chances are slim, and Elodie shudders before she sits taller in my lap.
“No, but he said something I’ve only ever heard one place before, and my gut says it doesn’t bode well for me,” she admits, and my stomach twists.
“What?” Rion asks softly, and she takes a deep breath before her lips part.
“Power is forged in ruin.”
Fuck.
“That’s what…”
“The asshole said when he returned me to Institute Thirteen,” Elodie finishes, making my bloodrun cold. “What now?” she asks without missing a beat, confirming she’s a little more present now than she was, and my fingers flex at her waist.
“There’s nothing we can do. Rebellions are everywhere. Maybe we stay inside The Vale for the foreseeable future and have each other’s backs,” Rion murmurs, and Elodie nods in agreement.
All I can do is stare at her. Seeing her covered in blood is like a dream straight from someone else’s nightmare, but my need to devour her is greater now than ever before. And it’s not even just because of the blood, but because of how it got there.
She fought. She adapted. She survived.
Hats off to that.
And maybe everything happens for a reason, and maybe this is the push I need to save not just myself, but both of us. There’s only going to be one way to find out.
TWENTY-FIVE
ELODIE
My weekend was not fun. Not even a little bit. After my first run-in with a rebel group, I have never felt more out of my depth than I do now.
I thought I was scared of my father, but he pales in comparison. He had the power to control me, but he didn’t have abilities I couldn’t see, ones I had to guess at… ones I could steal. My murdering skills are reaching new heights, but I can’t bring myself to mourn the life I took… again. The stark reality is, I’m lost in a world of kill or be killed, and as much as I might not like it, I’m a survivor, through and through.
Maybe that’s why I feel so numb about it.
Regardless, the coppery scent of blood still lingers in the air wherever I go, and I’m still desperatelyscrubbing at my skin every time I step in the shower, which is at least three times a day.
But now that the weekend is over, I can’t hide away in my room with Ocean any longer. I’ve kept her away from her new love long enough.
Apparently, I fell asleep in Kael’s arms, a fact I refuse to acknowledge because that would mean feeling safe with him, but the moment my eyes closed, Rion reached out to Ocean, who was back at Institute Thirteen immediately. She’s been by my side ever since, drowning me in her unconditional support and friendship, and if I didn’t like it so much, I’m sure it would make me sick.
The guys haven’t stopped trying to check on me, especially Kael for some reason, but I just needed my girl. Especially when I haven’t forgotten the fact that he left The Hut with Willow on Friday.
I refused to say anything because I’m not going to be that girl when we’re not anything at all, but like hell is he getting close to me again after goingtherewithher. Besides, I’ve been having more fun with Ocean. We watched shows and movies, laughed and cried, and bonded even more, which I didn’t think was possible. Along with that, I’ve learned about Nathaniel. She’s known him since she was seven, admired him from afar for the longest time, and now knows he’sexquisite with his tongue. I have half a mind to slap him upside the head and demand to know what took him so long, but I don’t. I don’t mention that fact at all because something niggles in my gut. Something to do with the fact that we’re stuck in Institute Thirteen, and he’s all the way up in Institute Five.
“What institute would you have been if… you know,” I blurt, instantly regretting my question as I let my words trail off.
Thankfully, Ocean grins at me as she secures the hair tie at the end of her French braid. “Two.”
