“You tried to go there?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but your fairy kicked me out.”
Yes!Go, Mab, you awesome fey queen.
“I need to get my guys first,” I said. I’d decided already that I had spent enough time holding them at arm’s length. I loved them all as much as ever, and slowly, the trust was returning. But it would never return fully if I didn’t risk myself again.
I was ready to take a risk. “We’re going to need their help.”
Connor didn’t disagree with me, but I saw the wariness on his face. “Okay, I’ll wait here for you.”
Pulling out my phone, I sent a group text to everyone, including Ilia and Larissa.Can you meet me at the library? Right now.
Then I took a few grounding breaths, closed my eyes, and waited for my family to arrive.
42
Inever looked at my phone after sending the text. I knew they’d come. Apparently I did trust them—it was mostly my anger I’d been holding on to. Over this last year, I’d been hurt so badly that at times I hadn’t been sure I’d survive it. Then, when I had survived, I’d strengthened the protection I held around myself. Around my heart and soul. I’d reached the point where I couldn’t figure out how to loosen it and let them in again.
Accepting that they had been trying to protect me was step one. Sure, the way they went about it was—as Ilia put it—dumb as fuck, but that didn’t change their intentions. We’d repaired a lot of our relationship, but there was a part of me that I never gave back to them. I never allowed my whole heart to be risked again.
Maybe I didn’t even have a whole damn heart anymore.
But I had enough to give it back to them, because if I couldn’t trust my family, then what the fuck was the point of anything?
Connor took my hand and I snapped out of my own head to find tears pouring down my cheeks. I hadn’t even noticed I was silently crying. Connor squeezed my hand once, then let me go just as five familiar, beautiful, perfect faces raced into view. They were literally running, trying to fit their broad shoulders between the stone archways where I was waiting.
“Maddison,” Jesse said, sounding panicked. “Are you okay?”
My text probably was a little brief and upsetting without context. I really shouldn’t have worried them like that.
Jesse wrapped his arms around me, hauling me up into his chest, and a sob rattled through me. I hadn’t hugged Jesse since they left me. And this hug felt really fucking good.
“Jess,” Calen said quickly. “Let her go, man. Like right the fuck now.”
I felt Jesse tense, and then I was slowly set on my feet. Asher was standing right there and his eyes were golden. The color blazed through me, destroying me, burning my soul to cinders, only to reform it again when he stepped closer.
Jesse, realizing he’d made a mistake in touching me first, held both hands up and backed away. Asher’s chest rumbled but he didn’t say anything. I took a tentative step closer.
“Ash,” I whispered, not sure if I was going to spook him into losing his shit. When someone as powerful as Asher lost his shit, lots of things got broken. He didn’t move. It was like the Germany bar incident, only I was almost certain he looked less contained today.
His eyes were locked on Jesse.
I had no idea what would distract him, but I had to try before he did something he’d really regret. Like killing his best friend. Of course, Jesse, being the cocky shit that he was, just grinned at Asher … wary but not scared.
“Asher!” I said, a little more snap in my voice.
He still didn’t look at me, and frankly I didn’t have time for this macho male bullshit. My power exploded out of me, drawing on the water in the air around us to encase Asher and me in a bubble of water magic. A bubble that was opaque, blocking us from view. His golden eyes slammed into mine.
“Listen up, big guy,” I said with a smirk, “you’re going to have to learn to control your temper, because right now you look like your mother, and I refuse to be in love with that psychopath statue.”
His face softened, and green appeared in his golden gaze. “That’s better,” I said, taking a step closer, the air thick with moisture in our little bubble. “We have a situation, Ash,” I told him when I was only a few feet away. “Atlantis’s stasis has lifted, and that can only mean one thing—”
“The gods have returned.”
I nodded. “Yep. And Connor promised to help us—he might know a way to contain them. Buy us some more time.”
“We’re not strong enough to beat them, Maddison.” More green in his gaze, more clarity in his words.
