Ezra’s chest rose and fell.
“I was walking through a forest.” I clenched my fists. “They just came out of the trees and grabbed me. They tied me up and gagged me before I could even scream. I think they put me underground. I just remember the dirt floor, the cold collar on my neck, and the other women with me. And then.” I swallowed. Ezra reached out and placed a hand on my leg. “The man with coal-black hair. He picked me out of the group. Took me to the side and removed my collar. I’d felt magic stab into me before, but his burned.”
Tears streamed down my face, and I shoved my fingers into my eyes. His magic, still stabbing into my back, throbbed. In a heartbeat, Ezra slid to me and wrapped me in his arms.
I continued my story into his chest, not wanting it to be real but unable to stop recalling it. “He ran his hand down my stomach and pressed on my abdomen. I can still smell his breath as he tilted my head up, probably to kiss me, but I’ve no idea. I blacked out and woke up on a roof with no ladder or way down.” I rubbed my cheeks as if I could wipe away not just my tears but the memory. “If he hadn’t taken off the collar, I’d still be wearing it.” I rubbed my throat. “That happened to me.” I pushed away from Ezra’s chest. No tears leaked out of my eyes. “It wasn’t a delusion. Everything was real.”
Ezra pulled me back to his chest and held me. “You’re here, Quinn. And that’s all that matters.”
I didn’t cry. I didn’t focus on what had happened. I was here, even if Ezra didn’t quite understand what his words really meant to me. I breathed in everything that was my frenemy, before reminding myself that his very firm and comforting chest belonged to Xan.
Ezra slowly released me as I leaned back. “I think I need to figure out what happened to me. I keep thinking I can just move forward, but it’s not that simple.”
Ezra frowned, and his fingers drifted to my neck. He traced the outline of the collar, not precisely, but close enough that he had to be familiar with the sensation. Instead of feeling cold dread, little spikes of heat crawled across my skin at his touch.
“Body snatchers collared you?” Ezra asked.
I put my fingers over his and twined them together to pull his hand away. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said all that.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Ezra squeezed my fingers.
A tear tried to escape. I ducked and moved the conversation forward. “They did. But they took it off me. I don’t really understand why. I blacked out and woke up somewhere new.”
Ezra’s frown deepened. “They took it off to tether you. The collars exist to suppress magic and block any connection a person has to the outside world. You can’t tether a woman already wearing a collar.”
I understood most of that, but one word didn’t match up with anything from my time. “What’s a tether?”
Ezra’s face hardened. His fingers, still laced with mine, flexed, and I instantly pulled back, flushing with embarrassment.
“I can’t tell you.” Ezra reached for my hand again. “Because all I’ve done is cause pain. I’m not good with this, but Xan is.” Ezra released my hand. “I will find this man with coal-black hair and erase him from this world.”
I believed him.
Ezra stood. “Xan’s almost back.”
“Ah.” I looked down at myself. A bit of glue from the beard pulled on my cheek. “Do you think I could have a quick shower?”
Ezra nodded and helped me out of the massive bed. “The door behind me is to our kitchen.” He pointed. “On the left is our washroom, and on the right is the exit.” He pulled me close and cupped my cheek. “The exit is unlocked. I want you here, but if you want to return to your friends, my enforcers have been instructed to take you wherever you want to go.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Within the castle walls.”
Ezra released my cheek. “Yes.”
Instead of beating a dead horse, I slipped into the washroom.
My breath caught in my throat. The room was carved into the mountain’s rock. Uneven surfaces covered the walls, and two sinks protruded from the far side. A series of vines accented the textures with golds that matched the room I had just come from. Stepping into the shower felt like bathing in a cave lost in time. I scrubbed myself raw with Xan and Ezra’s soap until my emotions settled and mymemories faded back into self-control When I emerged, a black tunic and oversized boxers waited for me. The tunic reached my knees, and the opening fell, exposing one of my shoulders. I had to fold the boxers over four times to keep them from falling down.
I could have pulled something that fit out of my pocket-void, but based on the color and the scent, this was Ezra’s, and being surrounded by his strength helped pull on my own. Using magic to dry my hair was so much faster and easier. I let it fall over my shoulders, took a deep breath, and went back to the main room.
Xan had replaced Ezra on the chair sitting next to the bed.
My new friend didn’t look like himself. Bags hung under his eyes, and his usually thick, tousled, baby-blue hair stood on end in every direction, as if he’d run his hands through it so many times it didn’t know what to do.
Xan stood as if shocked to see me come out of his washroom. Cool air kissed my exposed shoulder, and the translucent rainbows glittered against my skin.
Fuck me, I loved my hair.
I waved stupidly. “Hi, Xan.”
