“What are you going to do about it?” he asked, cocking his head to the side and staring straight back at me.
“Stop playing with her, Grayson. I don’t have time for this,” Hunter called.
Gray’s hands reached up, and I tried to pull away from him, but his aura was too strong. The copper was cold as he clipped it into place, resting heavily on my collarbones as goosebumps cascaded over the bare skin of my shoulders and arms. The vision of his face became blurry as tears of frustration filled my eyes.
His aura released me so that my feet hit the floor and he held the lead in his hand, turning back towards the packed room of minor Gods.
“Let this serve as a reminder,” Hunter said smoothly. “Do not forget your place here. We voted on decrees to keepallof Elysia safe.”
Dozens of gazes landed on me, pitying and potent. I was completely humiliated and powerless to do anything to help myself, but blinked back the tears, refusing to crumble in front of them.
“Grayson,” Hunter said, addressing his brother. “Take her back to upper Elysia. You have no other business here.”
“And you?” Gray asked in return.
“I have matters to resolve with Archer.” Hunter’s attention turned to the full room of glittering party guests. “You’re all dismissed.”
The order set about a chain reaction of bright flashing colours as minor Gods and Goddesses took their leave.
Dionne caught my eye, and she mouthed the words,Trust him, at me before she also left the room.
Gray tugged on the lead, forcing me to stumble towards his body. He gripped my elbow, and I tried to pull it away, refusing to look at him.
The last thing I saw before Gray wrapped us in black was Archer, aura pulsing around him, as he screamed, “If anything happens to her, I will kill you!”
My feet hit the plush carpet of my bedroom as we materialised in the space. The chain lead bit into the flesh of my palm as Quentin did her best to pull away from me.
“You’re going to hurt yourself,” I warned her. The skin around her neck was already red from her efforts.
“I’m going to hurt you as soon as I’m out of this thing,” she spat.
I couldn’t help the laugh that spilled out of me. There she was. My soulbound was as feisty as ever, even when she faced an abyss of uncertainty.
Fear was not an emotion I was accustomed to. There was no need for me to be fearful until Quen walked into my life. I worried about the state I’d find her in at Archer’s abode. But dressed in finery was not a scenario I imagined.
The relief and humour were flushed from my system and replaced by the familiar sensation of chaotic anger as I took her in.
“You’re wearing his colour. Parading on his arm,” I commented, voice dangerously low.
My fingers plucked the tulip from her hair. Archer must have fixed it in place for it to have survived her escape attempts.
“Is that the issue you see here?” she screamed as I decimated the flower, crumbling the ashes onto the carpet. “You called me a half-breed and stuck me in a collar. You humiliated me in front of lower Elysia.”
“And you survived. You’ll continue to survive because of it.”
“You left me for days without a word. I didn’t know what was happening up here.”
“Did you expect me to play knight and rescue you?” I asked, dropping the lead from my hand. “I didn’t think of you as the damsel in distress type.”
“I’m anything but myself up here,” Quentin said, vitriol still wrapped around the words, even though she’d lowered the volume. “A half-breed. An abomination. A date.”
My aura darkened the room, and Quen took a few unsteady steps backwards.
“Date?” I asked darkly.
“You think I’d opt to dress like this?” She fanned out the ridiculous tulle skirt. “It’s part of the fucking charade.”
“Did he touch you?” The anger amplified and my blood pulsed in my ears.
