Rowan didn’t respond. Shower water sank into my shoes.
“Should I assume Quinn’s lesson didn’t go to plan?” Rowan asked, clearly uncomfortable.
I’d admitted the truth behind my actions and kissed her. In response, her teleportation magic ejected me. No. Nothing had gone to plan. But I wasn’t admitting that to one of my generals, much less a man also vying for Quinn’s affection.
“Correct assumption,” I said flatly.
“Orders, sir?” Rowan asked.
I narrowed my eyes at Rowan and his ‘sir’ as my escape options rushed through my head. I could take over everyone’s minds and slip out of here unnoticed. On one hand, that felt harmless, but it was still misusing my abilities. I’d already done that once today.
I ran a hand through my hair, too tired to care how pathetic I looked. “Guess I walk out of here with whatever pride I didn’t drown.”
Rowan grunted. “Joe’s towel’s around here… somewhere.”
I hoped it came with instructions for how to dry off your soul.
Chapter 29
Quinn
Prismatic Crystal
Xan kissed me.
Plum Purple
Took him long enough.
Let me be clear. We want you between us.
As an equal.
IreadmyTBfor the fifth time before setting it down beside the glowing Intentions. The heat cone in my dorm flickered with my sparkling rainbows. A pile of stuffed creatures, courtesy of ‘PH,’ stared from the corner with lifeless eyes.
The sound of a page turning in a book rustled. Erick sat on the couch across from me, blessedly clothed without any extra bodies wrigglingunder him.
I touched my lips. Xan had kissed me, and for a second, I loved it, until panic over Ezra made me teleport the Architect. Then I bolted, hiding in my dorm like a coward.
But maybe running wasn’t my only option anymore.
Let me be clear. We want you between us. As an equal.
My heart raced.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost, baby sister,” Erick said, pulling me out of my thoughts. He put down his book and slid to my side of the couch. “Are those Intentions?”
I nodded.
One of Erick’s overbuilt arms swooped down and picked up the pile. He flicked through each one.
“None from the Tates. Your enforcer’s struggling.”
I studied the backs of my hands. “I guess the baby was going to be a Moore, and they want the Tate blood more than Rowan thought. One of Rowan’s brothers is currently the renegotiation chip, but Rowan’s elemental magic is stronger.”
Erick raised an eyebrow. “You’re talking about this quite a bit more calmly than last time I offered to knock you up.”
I shrugged. “It was messed up. But I’ve realized ‘messed up’ is a perspective. The future did what it had to.”
