“Can you blame me after what I saw?”
“You saw one side of the story.”
I folded my hands in my lap and stared down at them. The ticking from the clock in the room seemed thunderously loud, and I tried to compartmentalise each issue in my life. Running was only an option for so long. If today was anything to go by, burying myself in work wouldn’t give me the temporary peace that it usually offered.
“There is a bias in the data you collected,” Gray continued.
“Don’t talk science to me.”
“It’s the only way to communicate with you sometimes.”
A silence fell over the room again. It was lit by the glow that emanated from Gray. My fingers twitched in my lap as I tried to digest the information and a dull ache started in my head.
“Not all gifts are like yours, golden girl,” Gray said, raising his hand and flexing his fingers. “Not all of us are blessed with the ability to bestow joy on others like you and Erik and Ignacio. Some of us were always destined to destroy. War and death and chaos—we didn’t have a choice in what was given to us.”
“But you have made choices since then.”
“My apologies. I forgot I was speaking to someone who is the paragon of perfection,” he snapped and then dropped his head. “I never claimed to be good.” The statement was a whisper. “Quite the opposite, actually. I have always shown you exactly what I am and what I am capable of. I have never lied about that to you.”
From the moment he stepped into the building, Gray had hidden no aspect of his personality. He was foul-tempered and vicious. He wore it like a badge of honour, which was one reason I fell for him.
No bullshit.
So then, hearing his side of the story should help with deciding what to do with the precarious ledge I stood on.
“Show me,” I said to him. “Show me your point of view if you think it’ll help.”
Gray blew out a breath and held his hand out towards me. I cautiously placed mine in it, and he tugged me roughly, pulling me from my seat and into his lap. I wanted to push away, but the heaviness that pressed down on me soothed and I rested my face against the side of his, trying to keep myself together.
His arm wrapped around me, holding me close to his body. “Ready?”
I nodded, and Gray’s fingers brushed softly against my temple.
* * *
It was a gloriouslysunny day in Elysia. The reflecting pool glinted in the sunlight and laughter rang out across the space.
My eye was drawn to three young boys, who looked no older than their early teens, lounging by the pool. Gray, even as a child, wore a sullen expression, picking at the grass that surrounded him.
“Hunter, stop it,” Erik pleaded, blonde hair falling into his eyes.
“I’m not doing anything,” Hunter replied with a shrug. “Grayson already knows all of this. Don’t you, Grayson?”
Gray didn’t respond. He continued to pluck the blades of grass with more vicious intent.
“He’s a complete liability. No one wants to be around him and I don’t blame them. The literal black sheep of the family. Protection.” Hunter gestured to himself. “Love.” He waved a hand to Erik before looking at Gray. “And chaos. What use is that going to be? He probably won’t exist for long.”
The black smokiness surged out from around Gray like his own personal thunder cloud.
“Fuck you,” he said to his big brother, enunciating each word and getting to his feet. “I hope you don’t exist. I hope the mortals become so wickedly dependent on revenge that they never seek protection again.”
“Temper, temper, Grayson,” Hunter said smugly, walking up to his brother. “You’re scaring people.”
Gray looked past Hunter where the other residents of Elysia had begun to gather their things. He hung his head, balling his fists by his side.
“I’d be nice to me if I were you,” Hunter warned him. “Everyone says I’m the one who’ll take over after Dad. Mortals are fearful. They want to be protected. They’ll rely on me until their dying days. Play nice and if for some reason they rely on you enough to keep you around, I’ll spare your life.”
Hunter knocked his shoulder against Grayson’s roughly as he walked past, leaving his younger brothers behind.
