“I couldn’t,” I snapped, unwilling to give her anymore.
Auras might have been able to restrain me, but my temper continued to flare, pushing wildly against my form and spilling words that should have been locked away.
“Why not?” she asked, cocking her head.
Bexley’s responsibility was knowledge. She was like a dog with a fucking bone. It irritated her not to know the answers to questions. In another universe, she would have been a good friend to Quentin. As it stood, I’d never allow Bexley to come near her. No one would be allowed to touch her or even look at her when she was back by my side.
“Trust her,” Erik muttered, unwinding his aura from my body.
“Are you insane?” I asked, finally sitting up.
“Maybe we should leave,” Elva muttered, looking at Ig.
He glanced at me. “Do you need backup?”
I shook my head, appreciating the support, but knowing that I’d be capable of handling Bexley. Ig would want to take Elva away from the uncomfortable situation. As difficult as it was for me knowing that my soulbound’s life was on the line, Elva struggled with the harsh reality that someone could rip away her flesh and blood without ever having the chance to know her beyond a single dinner together.
“If you need anything, you know where to find us,” Ignacio said.
A warm orange glow filled the room as he wrapped his aura around Elva and they both left us.
“What are you planning, Grayson?” Bexley’s curiosity echoed in the room. “I thought you both hated each other, but you’re voting to keep her alive.”
“So did you,” I reminded her, rising to my feet.
It was the first time I’d seen Bexley and Larkin falling on opposite sides of an argument. Where one went, the other followed. That was their dynamic. In the chambers, I’d barely given it a thought, but now I wondered why Bexley opted to save Quen.
“I’m curious.” She brushed her palms down her skirt. “Do you know how long it’s been since we’ve had a demigod?”
There was more to it than that. Her links to lower Elysia drove her inquisitive nature.
My jaw tightened. “She’s not a test subject.”
“Enlighten me, Grayson. What is she?”
“Trust her,” Erik repeated from over my shoulder.
“And if she betrays us?” I snapped.
“What other option do we have? She voted to keep Quentin alive, and we need someone who can tell us what Hunter is doing.”
It was a risk to tell Bexley the truth, but I was struggling to find a way out of our predicament. She wouldn’t leave it alone and I didn’t need to keep shaking her off when my efforts were better put towards bringing Quen back home where she belonged.
I stared at Bexley for a few moments. “There will be nowhere in Elysia that you can hide if I find out that this went further than these four walls.”
“This better be good. The way you’re all talking—"
“She’s my soulbound. If I hadn’t brought her here to be gifted, she would have died. I wanted to save her, Bexley. I had to save her.”
Her mouth opened, features warping from shock to composure. “Wow. Well…”
“If you all don’t mind, I’m going to make sure my idiot brother and your psychotic sister don’t murder her in her sleep.”
The last crumb of calmness that resided in the recesses of my being finally evaporated, and I leant into the darkness that pooled inside me until it became impossible to ignore.
I went to push past, but Bexley caught my arm, fingers gripping tightly. I barely registered the pressure.
“You go in there with this attitude and they’ll realise something isn’t right. If they find out she means anything to you, you know they won’t hesitate to use it. Let me go. I’ll say I’m there for Larkin if I have to, and I can make sure she’s okay.”
