That stupid phrase again. Ezra, now Xan. The two of them were going to be the death of me.
Chapter 20
Cayden
QuinnkissedRowan,andI hated it, not because I disliked him—though I did—but because I wanted to taste her lips myself.
But Quinn couldn’t be mine. If I weren’t such a coward, I’d cut off my own balls. I couldn’t scrub the wrongness away… it was built into my genetics.
Anger boiled my blood, and I focused on the only thing that mattered: Quinn.
The Architect had her. That much was fact. The rumors? Everything from mind control to some epic romance. There was a betting pool on how long it would take him to tether her, a second on how long it would take her to get pregnant, and even a third on who the father would be; the Architect or his lover, the commander of this entire place.
I’d escaped one cult only to land in another, this one wrapped in knowledge and the illusion of choice. And Quinn, my only goddamn friend in this messed-up world, never stood a chance.
I couldn’t tell if I wanted to vomit or burn this castle to the ground.
After two days, I couldn’t take it any longer.
I messed up. It was my fault Quinn was even in the Architect’s hands. I said we didn’t need anyone else. I let my pride and jealousy stand in the way of her safety, and I was going to fix it right now.
The late-morning wind whipped around me, whistling between the cannons at my back. The isolated edge of the castle, overlooking Edinburgh from the sheer cliff face, framed me dramatically. I pumped magic into my blood to heat it and smiled, remembering Quinn’s innocent excitement as I taught her the same trick.
The white tattoo on my wrist stung. Something had shifted in my family. Instead of leaving me in peace, my Prophet demanded I check in with an informant, which I would not be doing.
My life was here, with Quinn.
Ezra’s reassurances that my best friend was safe were anything but. The women in my family were also safe, but their lives looked nothing like the girls here. Now that I knew Quinn, Brit, and Everly, the picture my family painted made me sick to my stomach. The idea that Quinn wasn’t free to be her weird, simple self made it hard for me to breathe.
Rowan’s bulky form changed from a dot walking up the hill to the bear of a man. I so rarely saw him out of his blacks. If it weren’t for his distinctive white hair, I might have told him to move on.
“All right, Cayden,” Rowan said, coming to a stop in front of me. He pulled his standard-issue pink cloak further around him. “We couldn’t have found somewhere inside?”
I scowled. “The Architect has eyes and ears everywhere.”
“Yeah, he wants everyone to think that.” Rowan scowled. “Why am I here? Your message didn’t say much.”
“We need to rescue Quinn.” I slid my hands into my pockets. “I don’t understand it, but she trusts you, and she needs our help.”
I waited for Rowan to laugh, to call me crazy, or to stand up for the Architect’s actions. To my surprise, he did none of those things. A deep blush filled his face, and he shifted his feet uncomfortably. He knew something I didn’t, and I instantly hated him for it.
“Has she messaged you?” Rowan’s bare arm snaked out of his cloak to rub the back of his neck… was this man embarrassed about something?
I shook my head. “They’re keeping her TB from her.”
“That’s out of character.” Rowan’s blush eased, and he set his stance as if ready for a fight. “Did you take your TBs to Brit’s fight?”
I scowled. “No, we didn’t.”
Rowan nodded. “Is it possible they haven’t retrieved hers from wherever she left it?”
I snorted. This is more what I’d been expecting. Excuses.
“It’s still a major oversight, though.” Rowan clamped his jaw shut, and his expression twisted unhappily.
“We need to break in and get her out.” I had no idea where they were keeping her, but maybe if Rowan thought I knew, I could drag more information out of him.
“From the Architect’s private quarters?” Rowan flinched back. “The most inaccessible, well-guarded part of the castle?”
