Paralysed by the fear of uncertainty, I’d stayed out of Hunter’s way. But after my conversation with Archer, I had a renewed sense of purpose. No matter how much armour we donned or how much we said we were prepared to go it alone, there was a small part of us that remained hopeful that someone would come in and ease the burden. That was my fault. After years of pushing through on my own, I was tired and inunfamiliar territory. I wanted everyone to gather around me the way they had when I had to learn to use my powers. But they’d set me on my feet and I was expected to run. So that was what I would do.
“You look acceptable,” Hunter said as I came down the stairs.
“High praise,” I muttered under my breath.
He held his hand out expectantly, and I regarded it. “We’ll be in public.”
That was his only explanation, and I needed only that. Lifting my hand, I reached out for him. Hunter grabbed my wrist and turned my hand over, tutting. “The ring?”
“I don’t sleep with jewellery on,” I said, trying to pull my hand back.
His grip was a vice, the polar opposite to his tone. “Understandable. You should get it or we’ll be late.”
I stumbled as he released me, catching myself before I fell. I held Hunter’s eyes for a brief moment before turning around and walking back up the stairs. With every step that sunk into the plush blue carpet, I reminded myself of the need to be pliable. Agreeable. Arguing with Hunter would get me nowhere. Fighting with him was only an option if I felt I was in immediate danger.
The ring glistened on the bedside table where it had been for days. I picked it up and slid it back onto my finger, dropping my hand immediately. The less I looked at it, the more confident I was that I wouldn’t vomit on the carpet.
When I walked back down the stairs, Hunter repeated the charade. His hand extended towards mine and I reached for it. He hummed as the ring came into view.
“You’re learning quickly.” He threaded our fingers, and I ground my teeth together. “We can make this work so that we both get what we want, Quentin.”
I swallowed back a laugh that threatened to erupt from me.Both get what we want?He wouldn’t give me Grayson’s life. He still planned to take it. Hunter had walked me into a trap, but I intended to get myself out.
As I exited the house with Hunter, I wondered how he could look at all the destruction he caused and not feel a single thing. No amount of true crime podcasts or documentaries could have prepared me for coming up against him. I would have paid money to see what his behavioural psychologist had noted in the files back at the institute. Nothing that Hunter wouldn’t have wanted documented. Nothing that could be used against him.
“We are both ambitious. Both destined for greater things.” Hunter walked with purposeful strides but slowed down when he realised I couldn’t keep up. “They want you to believe that it’s a dirty word. There’s nothing wrong with wanting more for yourself. Demanding the world, or in our case, the heavens.”
It was disturbing how easily he spoke to a deep-rooted part of me. Ambition was often read as ruthless and cold. People didn’t understand that there were reasons for us to put everything aside and only focus on our goals.
But Hunter was trying to paint us out as the same, and that simply wasn’t true. There was a time that I overlooked everything to make sure my name would go down in the history books. It was the whole reason I signed up for E.L.I. It was the reason Ethan had broken off our engagement. If Hunter had found me then and started this sanctimonious monologue, I would have been more inclined to agree with him. Nothing could have stopped me from going after what I wanted.
Now, there was a major difference. Gray. It took him coming into my life to acknowledge that the achievements and late nights were hollow. That having someone to share the most mundane moments with lifted my spirits in ways that praise alone couldn’t. That we were building something that Istill struggled to describe but filled me with a deep sense of accomplishment that I’d been searching for.
I was so absorbed in my thoughts, in silently protesting his claims, that I caught the movement too late to do anything about it. Hunter had lifted my hand, and I felt the press of his lips against the back of it. When I tried to snatch my hand away, his grip turned vice-like.
“Behave,” he hissed while maintaining a smile.
I narrowed my eyes before quickly smoothing my expression. This walk was for appearances. Hunter could have transported to wherever he was going, but he chose this walk. It was a statement. His way of letting the rest of Elysia know what we now were.
As we descended to lower Elysia, the knot in my stomach tightened. Not so long ago, I walked these streets and met with Gods and Goddesses who were only too happy to welcome me into the fold. They shared stories about my mother and warned me about Gray. Lower Elysia held a sense of belonging for me that screamed family. They were raucous and outspoken. They were hurting. They were searching for a way to heal their wounds and move on, and I wish I’d told them about Gray’s motives when I had the chance.
Eyes followed us as we walked down the streets, hand in hand. Hunter’s shoulders were relaxed, and he spoke to me, making worthless comments on things I couldn’t care less about. I played my role and kept a smile pasted on my face. But despite that, I saw the furrowed brows and questioning looks. Good. Let them ponder over my situation. If they had any critical thinking skills, they would see that something was wrong with this picture and try to piece it together.
As I turned my head to the right, I locked eyes with Archer. It was a brief glance, but I caught the fire in his green eyes. It was one thing to have seen the ring and another to watchme being paraded down the streets of his home with Hunter. Unwilling to cause a scene, I turned my head away and hummed in agreement with whatever Hunter had just said.
Any sense of ease I had died as we walked towards a familiar door.
Out of sight, out of mind was an interesting saying. One that I tended to reject. It made me feel better to portray myself as someone who was thoughtful of others, but the truth was I was as selfish as the rest of them. Maybe it was the Goddess in me. So, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised that I’d never considered Gray’s parents in all the chaos that had ensued.
Something must have flashed across my face, because Hunter slowed as we came toward the front door. “Surely you don’t think I would have kept our engagement hidden from my parents?”
“Of course not.” The words were stilted. Hunter wasn’t concerned about seeking their approval or whatever warped sense of respect he was trying to show me. This was nothing more than a power move and a test. One that I had to pass.
When Kieran opened the door, his face fell before he ushered us in. I wasn’t sure he’d even registered my presence when he slammed the door closed and rounded on Hunter.
“Your mother’s been trying to get a hold of you,” he said. “Were you planning on telling us your plans with Grayson? Really, Hunter? To sacrifice your brother?—”
Hunter let go of my hand to raise his in front of him before cutting Kieran off. “You know how it is. Things start to slip down the priority list when you have the heavens to run.”
