He was either the bravest man I knew or the most arrogant. I suspected it was a little of both.
I stepped between them, heart racing. “He saved my life. Let’s all take it down a notch.”
Five voices combust at once, all in protest of my statement.
My mouth opens. “He helped?—”
Oren’s voice slices the air. “We won’t take the chance.” He took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at Torren. “We do appreciate that you were there when we couldn’t be, but we’ve got her now.”
“We were coming,” Jet growled, not appreciating Oren’s words.
“We always will,” Zeke added.
I swallowed hard. “Iknow, but he helped when he didn’t have to. That should earn him at least a little trust.”
I really didn’t know why I was fighting so hard for him because there was no doubt I didn’t fully trust him, either.
Torren lifted his chin slightly. “She wouldn’t have survived long enough to get to the coliseum without me.”
I didn’t know about that, but at this point, I wasn’t going to protest his statement.
Nathan’s smirk is dark. “Maybe, but my Nexi is strong, and even without you or us, she would have found a way.” His smirk shifted into a sweet smile as he looked at me. Then he turned back to Torren. “So kindly fuck right off.”
The tension was about to go from a small flame to a wildfire out of control—then a twig snapped.
Everyone turned.
Chloe burst out of the trees, Oliver, and (is that the guy from the dining hall?), breathless and pale and covered in ash. “Whatthe fuck,you assholes? That wasn’t part of the plan at all!”
“Chloe?” I murmur. Not really believing my eyes.
“Reverie!” She screamed, sprinting towards me.
Before any of the men could move, Chloe threw her arms around me, sobbing against my shoulder. “You’re alive—you’re alive—I thought—you badass bitch—don’t scare?—”
Zane picked her up mid-hug to get her off my bruised and battered body. “Careful. She’s just been through a battle of epic proportions.”
Chloe ignored him completely and pulled out of his arms to kiss my forehead. “I will buy you a cake, a new minion bra, and get tickets to the fucking Catalina Wine Mixer if you promise to never scare me like that again.”
“Iknewthat it was you who sent him to deliver a message to me.” I nodded in the direction of the guy from the dining hall.
She smirked, “He’s my other Faction member, Deshawn. Two and counting.” She waggled her brows.
Oliver exhaled, “I aged ten years tonight.” He frowned at my men. “Why make a plan if you’re just going to do what the hell you want to anyway?”
Deshawn walked up to me and held out his hand. “My dad speaks highly of your parents.”
“Damien?!” I snapped my fingers. “You look just like Damien.” Deshawn jumped at my enthusiasm and then grinned.
“Thereisa slight resemblance.” He suddenly grabbed his shoulder and fell to his knees, followed closely by Chloe.
“She has earned a Faction through her loyalty as your Aegisseer.”
Chloe pulled her shirt down, revealing a beautiful Nexus mark that looked very similar to my mom’s. Deshawn stared at her in awe, then pulled his collar aside and saw the tree of life surrounded by a circle.
“Now we match.” He mumbled to his Faction, clearly in shock.
Oliver dropped to his knees and put his arms around them both. The rest of us were too stunned to move.
