“Kallie,” she whispers. “We made it.” I believe it. The fog was cold—bone chilling, full of reckless promises—but now my skin tingles with the soft warmth of the sun.
Hesitantly, I pry one eye open, and immediately, my retinas are shot. The blinding sun sits high in the sky, clouds litter the bright-blue sky, and for a beat, I appreciate the normalcy of it all before I’m forced to settle into our new reality.
“We made it,” I repeat. Part of me still doesn’t believe it, like we’re in a dream state to ease us into death. The ground rumbles to the left of me, and I know without looking that it’s Voraxis making his way to us.
My brows sharply pull together, confusion threading through them. The relief is short-lived as I swing my gaze to Odeyssa. “Why was it so easy for the both of you?”
“Truthfully, I have no clue. That was way easier than everyone told me it would be,” she admits. My confused expression quickly changes to a deadpan look. Realizing her very poor choice of words, she tries to save it, but the damage has already been done. “Well, for us, anyway. I expected us all to have the same reaction as you,” she admits. “You know, if we made it out at all…” Odeyssa trails off, essentially shoving her foot in her mouth.
It tracks that I would be the only one to have a reaction. My life is a sea of misfortune.
I feel the weight of the amulet pulling me down with the questions I don’t have answers to. “Well, the dreaded time has come,” I start. “We got the necklace, but what now?”
“Celene didn’t say anything?” Odeyssa inquires.
“Not really. She just said that if it fell into the wrong hands, it wouldn’t be good.”
She scoffs. “Didn’t know we needed a goddess to point out the obvious,” she mumbles under her breath.
My attention pulls to Voraxis.Nefarium.
What about it?he says.
My mouth twists to the side.I think I need to go back. I need to talk to Donni.
That’s a risk, he states, but I see the wheels turning.But not an awful idea.
Everything at this point is a risk. No matter the decision, there’s always going to be danger. On the other hand, there aren’t many options to choose from. But my heart sinks, knowing if we go to Nefarium, Voraxis can’t come.
You will only go as long as communication stays open, he states.If the wall goes up, even for a moment, I will stop at nothing to burn that barrier to the ground. Do I make myself clear?
My lip quirks.Crystal.
We were apart for so long it was like a big, gaping hole took up permanent residence in my chest. I guess it’s always been there. I just didn’t know it until I lost it.
Fuck. The realization slams into me like a freight train. Maybe only one of those holes got patched.
Placing a hand on the side of his face, I give him a look of appreciation before turning my attention to Odeyssa. “You’re right. We should go to Nefarium.”
Her face is a mixture of delight but also fear. “I have to talk to my dad.” Guilt settles deep. With everything going on, I completely forgot about the bomb Stephan dropped before his long-awaited end. I nod in understanding, knowing there are no words I could say to ease the panic coursing through her.
Mounting Voraxis, Odeyssa seems hesitant, and my heart hurts for her. The conversation will be heavy. The wound of betrayal is still fresh and bleeding, but it has to be done. For all we know, even if Marcel isn’t the ringleader in all of this, he could still be a piece on the board. A puppet to the puppeteer. But I won’t say that. No use in adding more fuel to the fire when there’s no concrete proof. She climbs on silently, wrapping her arms around my middle, and shockingly, rests her head on my back.
I’ve never been one for physical touch. I like my personal space, but I try to refrain from the instinctual lockup my body craves, knowing right now, she needs comfort more than I need my bubble intact.
You’re sure about this?
I let out a long sigh, weighed down by all the unexpected.Not really.Honest. Because I’m never sure about anything as of late. His wings stretch out to their full width. All too quickly, the ground becomes farther out of reach, and the wall of fog begins blending into the low-hanging clouds until it fully disappears. And I can’t help my wandering thoughts as they trickle back toCallum. If the dream state was a fluke, an error in judgment, and I’ll never truly know the severity of what we’re facing. Or if I do see him again, if it’ll be Callum at all.
THIRTY
Ambroyss
This is ridiculous. It’s been days. Days since Kalliope’s escape, and there hasn’t been so much as a peep from anyone since. It doesn’t make sense how three of my best men aren’t able to locate and retrieve one girl. Granted, it probably wasn’t my best judgment sending 763 out, given their history. But since she’s been in the institute, everything has been going seamlessly.
His treatments…and hers.
Still, it blows my mind how she was able to get the upper hand—and escape, no less. This place was built to withstand the attack of a hundred kingdoms. Nobody in or out without the proper authorization.
