“What are the chances that it would be at the greenhouse?”
“Highly unlikely. Hunter will not want it anywhere it could easily be found. Tobias would be the best person to ask.”
“There was some in the lab,” I reminded him. “You can go down and get it.”
“It might take a few days.”
“Why?” I asked, brows pulling together.
“Hunter isn’t allowing any of us down there right now. And he’s been calling in on me more often than not. If I disappear, he’ll want to know why. I have no business on Earth, none of us do anymore, so either I need to make some business or I need to find a window that would be wide enough for me to go down and take it.” Sensing my unease, he added, “I will try and get an answer from Tobias. He will know something. Hunter has been keeping him close.”
“Thank you,” I said.
The uncomfortable feeling that had swirled inside my stomach remained there. The relief I thought I would feel when I recruited help failed to materialise. There were so many things that could go wrong. Archer could go straight to Hunter and tell him everything. He could keep the oleander to himself and get the justice he always wanted. He could make sure that he cemented his place amongst the elite by doing Hunter’s bidding for the rest of his days.
Or he could be telling you the truth and giving you a way out,a tiny voice whispered.
Listening to that voice would either be my greatest triumph or my biggest failure.
The conversation with Archer must have brought more peace than I realised because I woke to a thin stream of light piercing me through the gap in the curtains. With heavy muscles, I pushed myself out of bed and opened the curtains fully, allowing the full force of the sun to stream into the room. Elysia was made for sunshine and peace. But in the distance, something caught my eye. I noticed a darkening on the horizon brought by heavy clouds. The sight of it stirred unease in my chest. I’d never known it to rain here, but I’d only been part of this world for a minuscule amount of time.
The clock on the bedside table read 13:02, and I sighed before gathering some things and walking into the bathroom. There was no need to rush getting ready. My days were wasted away doing nothing. I wouldn’t risk hunting through the house again. Not this soon. Archer had pretty much confirmed that there would be no oleander on the property. Not that I didn’t believe him, but more that I wouldn’t put anything past Hunter. No one had permission to use their aura to enter his home. He didn’t have to worry about anyone stumbling into his territoryand seeing things they shouldn’t. And I couldn’t move past the fact his bedroom door was locked, leading me to believe he had it in there.
For now, I’d take my lead from Archer and be patient while he spoke to Tobias and checked Teixeira’s lab for the oleander. If Archer made good on his word, in a few days’ time, I’d be working my way towards freedom. The thought alone was enough to buoy me. Who knew what would come after I rid myself of Hunter? One thing was for certain—Elysia would no longer be my home.
Strangely, that thought placed some weight on my chest. My time in Elysia was short-lived compared to my time on Earth, but something about the heavens called to me. The beauty of it never failed to take my breath away. The way Gray’s house had recognised me as his bound and allowed me to make my mark there. That it was a part of me and I belonged here just as much as I did in London.
As sad as the thought of being exiled from Elysia made me, I would welcome that option over being sentenced to death. It was the option that I would offer to the rest of the residents once the deed was done. I’d tell them I wanted nothing more to do with them. That I was happy to return to Earth and never darken their doorstep again. It wasn’t like I could just whisk myself back here. Controlling my aura to that extent was still beyond my abilities.
Taking the cue from my rumbling stomach, I walked downstairs and into the kitchen.
“Good afternoon, Quentin,” Hunter greeted me, causing me to jump. “I see you slept well. I’m glad to see that you’re feeling more comfortable in your home.”
My home? The thought was laughable. I wouldn’t even classify myself as a guest, but as a prisoner.
It was the first afternoon that I’d seen Hunter at the house, casually sat in the kitchen. He never did anything casually. He was always wound tight. Always on edge. Always ready to strike. The house was just another prop for him to make people believe he was the doting leader and perfect family man.
The scene was so domestic it was jarring. A cup in his hand, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, papers across the counter. He leaned against the worktop, surveying his work, and only looked up when I’d appeared. The facade he usually put on was securely in place. An aura of softness laid over the usual animosity, but I caught the tightness in his jaw and the twitch of his fingers when I stopped in the doorway. My hesitancy didn’t play into the games he orchestrated and that irked him.
Why would I play the stupid charade when there’s no one here to witness it?I thought to myself. The answer made my stomach churn, and the bile threatened to rise.
This was an arrangement that held nothing more than political ambition on one side and no choices on the other. If Hunter was suddenly after something more, then I was in much more trouble than I’d anticipated. And I already knew that he didn’t know how to take no as an answer.
“It’s typical for a wife to respond to her husband when he greets her,” Hunter gritted out, unable to stop the tendrils of his aura from creeping out around him.
“Afternoon,” I shot back quickly as a phantom pain throbbed in my cheek. It took all my self-control not to raise my fingers and press the space the bruise had occupied yesterday afternoon.
Just like that, the blue disappeared, leaving the natural light of the day to filter through the French doors. The brightness that I’d noticed in the bedroom had dimmed, as the sky was taking on a reddish tinge. It looked ominous. Like a warning. The cloudsthat had gathered on the horizon continued to look heavy, and I wondered if we were in for a storm.
“I have some news for you,” he said. His eyes remained focused on me, and I knew better than to make any sudden movements. “I’ve set a date for our wedding.”
Nausea rolled harder, and I gripped the doorframe to steady myself. “When?”
“This evening.” My eyes widened at his announcement. “Don’t look so shocked, Quentin. I cannot trust you. The sooner we solidify this union, the sooner I can push forward with the rest of my plans. It would have been sooner if you’d been awake.” He pushed himself away from the counter, collecting all the papers and shuffling them into a neat pile. “Mabel will be here soon and will help you get ready.”
My brain kicked into gear. “We haven’t had an engagement party.”
Hunter gave a snort. “I already told you, I hardly care for the trivialities.”
