Her eyes flash before she slips her shirt and panties back on and leaves.
6
SILAS
I redressin the same pants I awoke in—from my combat attire which is burned and stained from First Placement. Walking out of the bedroom, I glance over to see three glares of pure hatred pinned on me.
"Jealous?" I smirk.
"Taunt me right now, and I'll snap off every finger you laid on her," Crypt warns from where he appears to be rolling cigarettes at a small table.
"All of them, then," I taunt anyway.
Baelfire flips me off from the couch. "The only reason I didn't break down that door and toss you out to give it to our keeper therightway is because Maven deserved a moment alone with you after all the worry and shit you put her through."
That gives me a pause of guilt, knowing my keeper was so worried about me.
"I can't believe you couldn't keep yourself from mauling her immediately when you look and smell likethat," Everett adds, completely revolted as he turns back to glare out the window that is not-so-mysteriously hazing with a slight frost.
Bael stands and folds his arms, regarding me. "Huh. Thought you'd look different as a necromancer. Like a skeleton or something. So how the hell can you use both kinds of magic?"
Of course, he overheard. I look down at my hands and my slightly numbed, darkened fingertips. Perhaps I'll need to start wearing gloves as Maven does.
"I'm not sure. More importantly, how long was I out? Where are we?"
Everett crankily grumbles a short explanation—that it's been three days since First Placement, and we've been hiding out in Kenzie's hometown while they waited for me to recover. There has been no sign of us being followed yet. Still, apparently Asher fucking Douglas and countless other bounty hunters were assigned to look for us.
That means it's just a matter of time.
Once he's caught me up, he glances over his shoulder. "So… it's really gone?"
The other two stare hard at me, and I realize we're discussing my curse. How oddly relieving it is that I can now look at these three without seeing inevitable backstabbers out to annihilate me. Not that they're pleasant to look at still, but at least I'm no longer in danger of losing my mind and killing one of Maven's other matches.
Or worse, hurting her yetagain.
"It's gone," I confirm.
They all look away, and it gets unusually quiet, except for Maven's muffled voice from the suite's other room. I suspect Baelfire can hear every word she's saying on the phone.
"I have a theory," Crypt muses.
Bael begins to pace. "I do, too."
"That makes three of us. Are we sharing these theories, or is it every man for himself as usual?" Everett asks.
Crypt answers by disappearing into Limbo.
Baelfire shrugs. "Let's not make another stupid fucking competition out of it, but Maven will be wearing my emblem next."
Everett rolls his eyes and returns to brooding. I mull everything over in my head as I shower and clean up. If we're being hunted, it will be difficult for Maven to go after the Immortal Quintet. I can't say that bothers me. Knowing that assassinating them would mark the end of her purpose and, therefore, the end of her life fills me with unspeakable anger. Although she plans on leaving one alive in her complex plan to free the humans in the Nether, I'd much prefer to spirit her away, far from anyone who wants to harm her.
But Maven made a blood oath to free those humans. I'll help however I can, so long as it doesn't put her at even more risk.
I'm just stepping out of the bathroom when Maven emerges, her lips pressed together. She looks painfully good in only panties and that shirt, the wide neckline of which shows off the top of my emblem. Seeing it makes my mouth water all over again.
"We're leaving tomorrow," she announces.
Baelfire is immediately at her side, shooting me a glare as he tries to wipe away the remaining dried streaks of blood on her neck.
